It was pitch-black late at night, and they were almost asleep when Liu Acheng suddenly asked again, "Brother Ahu, how many men did you bring? Are they reliable?"
"What are you planning, Acheng?" Liu Huzi had still been reflecting on his own approach. At these words, he rolled straight over and sat up, his spirits soaring, only to grow dejected again immediately. "When I came, you only said we'd be moving things, so I brought thirty or forty men... Besides, aren't we supposed to be moving things? I saw those storehouses packed full. Wu Fusheng said we'd need more men from his side too. How could we spare anyone for anything else?"
His voice grew weaker toward the end.
Liu Acheng did not respond to the latter part, merely continuing his questions. "First, tell me how many you have of the most reliable sort."
"You'll have to tell me how reliable you need them to be first, Acheng."
"Just what you're thinking: men who can rob homes, kill, and set fires without anything going wrong, then obediently follow you back to Jingkou..." Liu Acheng was quite frank.
"Twenty." After a moment's thought, Liu Huzi gave an exact figure. "Seventeen are our clansmen. The other three are fellow villagers from the Huai River region who either have families or have just married."
"A little too few." Liu Acheng was visibly disappointed.
"If you really want to do a job, Acheng, Aheng actually has a dozen or so men with him. They're all Gao Family sons who came along to visit Elder Gao. In principle, they should serve just as well. It just depends on whether you're willing to let the Gao Family take part..." Liu Huzi could not resist adding.
"Still a little too few." Liu Acheng sighed. "Actually, I wanted