Everyone was sitting around the bonfire, the firelight jumping on Hek's rough face, reflecting the joy of surviving the disaster, almost thinking that he was dead. Lushen's voice was still hoarse after breathing, and after trembling with excitement and excitement, only exhaustion remained. "So, the ones who really refused Master Suleiman's grace are the bastards named Mountain Brotherhood?"
Hek nodded vigorously and took a gulp of sleep. "That's them! Mad Dog's gang! A group of mercenaries and fugitives who are desperate for their lives!"
"Originally, they wanted to surrender! For some reason, they changed their minds! They imprisoned those who wanted to surrender! They also intercepted those who wanted to surrender everywhere!"
A person next to Hek also added aloud, "They said that they have the support of big people, and the fields are nothing at all. As long as they are enemies of Master Suleiman, they will get more!"
Hek looked at Lushen, with a very low posture, and humbly said, "Sir! The misunderstanding has been solved! Now please lead us Descend the mountains!"
We are willing to offer our loyalty to Lord Suleiman!"
The bandits who followed him made a commotion in agreement, their desire to go home overwhelming. They were farmers, but they became bandits just to survive.
Lushen looked at them, but did not nod immediately. His eyes, which were always full of naivety and uprightness, now had a strange, thinking light passing through them. Even he himself felt surprised that he was actually thinking.
Lushen stood up and walked slowly, his eyes sweeping over the three soldiers looking at him, as well as Hek and his ragged bandits. He stopped and raised a strange arc at the corner of his mouth:
"Descend the mountains, that's it Descend the mountains, you are at most a group of bandits who have been saved. Master Suleiman is kind and will give you land to keep you alive."
Hek was stunned and said hurriedly, "Sir, this... this is already a great gift to us."
Lushen's voice was lowered, low-pitched and calm, but it carried a kind of ability that made people feel unbearable: Do you want to truly make a great contribution? Let Master Suleiman look at you high and be assigned the best public land, or even... have your own private land, and become an important person to the adults?"
The air seems to have solidified, private land! These two words are like a red-hot iron, burning into the heart of every bandit. They are rootless duckweeds. The public land is cultivated for the lord, and most of the harvest will be taken away. They have spent their lives working for others and have never thought of owning the land that truly belongs to them.
Hek's breathing became heavy, as did his brothers, greed and ambition flashing in their eyes. "Sir... what do you mean?"
Lushen grinned, looked at the crowd, and bared his teeth. "Fuck me for the most part!"
The moonlight passed through the gaps in the forest, casting mottled white light.
Eight figures were speeding along the rugged mountain road. The leader was Hek, followed closely by Lushen, his three soldiers, and his three brothers.
They quickly arrived at Mountain Brotherhood's lair, a camp transformed from a natural mountain col. It was much larger than Hek's camp and was easier to defend and harder to attack.
A robber with a sinister face stopped them and said in a bad tone, "Hek! How dare you come back, you weakling!"
Hek strode forward, punched the man in the chest, and laughed loudly, "I figured it out! Instead of Descend the mountains cultivating the land! People who are currently on their knees! Why not follow Mad Dog and give it a try!"
Soon, they were taken to a simple wooden house behind the camp.
The house was full of alcohol, and an unusually burly man was sitting on the ground. Lushen's eyes were constantly observing him quietly. There was a vicious scar on his face that extended from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth. His eyes were like those of a hungry wolf. This was undoubtedly the leader of Mountain Brotherhood, Mad Dog.
Mad Dog looked at Hek, his eyes full of scrutiny. "You said you figured it out?"
Hek straightened up. "I figured it out! Suleiman's kindness is fake! I saw with my own eyes that his people were dividing the land at the foot of the mountain! The land they divided was all rocky land! Instead of cultivating this kind of land! Why not give it a try with you!!!"
Mad Dog let out a deep laugh and clapped his hands, "Welcome! Hek! My friend! I will never let you down!"
Lushen has been a secret observer, and he found that Mad Dog's eyes were always inadvertently directed towards a person in the corner of the room.
The man was dressed in clean and decent linen clothes, which was incompatible with the dirty and rough surroundings. He sat there quietly, holding a glass of ale in his hand, with a leisurely expression, as if he was not in a bandit's den, but in a nobleman's living room.
When Mad Dog's eyes came into contact with that person, there was a hint of flattery that was imperceptible.
This discovery made Lushen's heart move. A bandit leader and a well-dressed man were not normal. It seemed that the other party suddenly changed his mind and was unwilling to surrender. He was the one who was willing to surrender.
The banquet started soon, and Mad Dog loudly announced that Hek had joined with seven people. They now numbered more than thirty people. They were powerful and not weak to any force among the High Mountains. As long as they continued to harass the land of Suleiman, they would get more, and the atmosphere became heated.
Lushen sat aside, picked up the wine glass, pretended to drink, and actually secretly observed. Mountain Brotherhood refused to surrender, probably not because they were stubborn, but because they had a bigger backer and more tempting promises behind them.
Late at night, everything was silent, with only scattered sparks left in the campfire, and most of the bandits fell asleep under the numbness of alcohol.
Lushen, his three soldiers, Hek and a few of his chosen confidants gathered in the shadows of the camp.
Hek said softly and breathlessly, "The messenger is placed in a separate tent on the east side, guarded by two people."
Lushen touched the long sword at his waist and said with a cold voice, "We must take action at the same time. I will lead my people to deal with Mad Dog."
"Hek, take your people and catch the messenger alive!"
"Go and release the people they detained! Let them take up arms! Create chaos!"
Hek reminded, "Mad Dog is very strong, he is a deserter."
Lushen's voice did not change at all. He looked at the three soldiers beside him and grinned. "We are veterans!"
The three soldiers grinned at the same time and looked at each other.
The action started, and four black figures walked in the shadows and silently approached Mad Dog's wooden house.
The two robbers outside the wooden house were taking a nap against the wall. Lushen made a gesture, and two guards surrounded them from the left and right.
There were two slight pops and the sound of sharp blades slicing flesh. The two robbers didn't even have time to hum. Their throats were cut, their mouths were covered, and they fell down softly while being supported.
Lushen opened the door softly, and a strong smell of alcohol and sweat hit their faces. However, what they did not expect was that such a slight sound would wake Mad Dog instantly.
Mad Dog is very cautious in the life of being a deserter and being hunted. He can be awakened by the slightest disturbance and his weapon never leaves his body.
"What are you going to do!!!" He was like an enraged beast, like a real Mad Dog, throwing the chair towards Lushen, roaring and pulling out his long sword.
The wooden chair came crashing down with the sound of howling wind. Lushen dodged sideways. The wooden chair fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. At the same time, the three soldiers around Lushen had already rushed forward from three directions.
This was a primitive and bloody fight with no rules. A soldier's arm was cut by the long sword swung backhand by Mad Dog, and it was half stuck in the bones of the arm. However, the soldier endured the severe pain and slashed the long sword in his hand into Mad Dog's thigh.
Mad Dog roared in pain, turned around and kicked the soldier away. In this moment, Lushen stepped forward and slashed his upper shoulder with a sword.
The blood of the five people in the whole room was spattered. Mad Dog was indeed far stronger than the four of them in terms of combat and physical strength, but his weak and unwilling character was so deadly at this time.
"Come here!!" Mad Dog kept shouting angrily, and he kept disturbing his mind. "Come here quickly!!!"
"Someone come quickly!!!!!"
But no one came. Almost at the same time, shouts of death also broke out on the east side of the camp. Hek and his men successfully rushed into the messenger's tent and captured him. The released bandits took weapons and set fire everywhere in the camp, shouting, "Mad Dog is dead! Surrender without killing!"
"Damn!!!" Mad Dog was horrified and looked at the four people covered in blood. Was he Mad Dog or they were Mad Dog?
Giving up the fight and turning to run away, Lushen, who was badly injured, and three soldiers rushed forward, and Mad Dog finally fell.
The hungover Mountain Brotherhood robbers were awakened by countless chaotic movements, stood up unsteadily, and saw a scene that made their livers and gallbladders burst.
On a long wooden pole, a bloody head was stuck high on it. It was none other than their leader, Mad Dog. His dead eyes were staring blankly at the sky.
Lushen and Hek stood side by side under the long pole with human heads. Lushen's body was covered in blood and there were wounds all over his body.
"Mad Dog is dead!!!" Hek screamed with all his strength "Suleiman's army has surrounded the valley!!! Put down your weapons!! Kneel down and surrender!! This is your only way to survive!!!"
At the edge of the woods, Hek's men roared hard and banged pots and pans, as if thousands of troops were gathering.
After losing their leader and facing the pressure of the army, the psychological defense of this ragtag group completely collapsed.
I don't know who was the first to throw away the weapon in his hand. Then, the sound of weapons falling to the ground came one after another. They knelt down and lowered their heads, not daring to look at the ferocious head on the wooden pole again.
On the mountain road, Suleiman was galloping with a dozen riders. Fortunately, the road was not dangerous, at least there was a road, otherwise we would have had to walk.
When they finally arrived at Hek's original camp, Suleiman opened his eyes wide.
Lushen and Hek were slowly walking out from the depths of the valley with more than thirty people. Lushen even had a human head tied around his waist.
"Master Suleiman!!" When Suleiman saw Suleiman arriving, Lushen ran excitedly and kept calling for master, until he arrived in front of Suleiman's horse. His face, which was covered with blood and dust, grinned with a simple and proud smile.
With his bruised and bloody body, he knelt on one knee and raised his head high to offer it to Suleiman, with a loud sound like a bell.
"Master Suleiman!!! Lushen did not embarrass you!!!"