"This bandit is here, he really is not lying, right?"
"And they surrounded us so quickly. Could it be that the bandits really haven't retreated completely and have set an ambush?"
Thinking of this, Qiao Mu began to look at this bandit with a new respect.
Then he got hard.
His fist hardened.
Qiao Mu stood up, clenched his hands into fists in front of him, and assumed the Changsheng Fist stance, but his right hand was still trembling slightly and blood was still oozing from his arm.
"So that you know, there are no cowards in our Qiao family!" Qiao Mu confronted the bandits with a cold face and a sharp gaze:
"Even if I'm unarmed and one of my hands is half broken, I will never bow down to you bandits!"
Qiao Mu got into the role in a second.
Ever since he tasted the sweetness of high-quality death, he fell into the abyss of pretentiousness.
I'd rather die showing off! It would be even better if I could die showing off!
In fact, what he meant was: I am half-crippled now, and it is easy to kill me. Gentlemen, please come up and take my head!
But as Qiao Mu stood up and walked towards him with his fists clenched, the bandits surrounding him finally saw his appearance clearly.
"Isn't this... the soldier with a gun who charged alone?"
"Isn't he dead? I saw it with my own eyes! There was an arrow in his body that I shot."
"That killer is still alive?"
"He had so many wounds all over his body, his body was stabbed all through, how come all the wounds are gone?"
"impossible!"
The bandits were shocked at first, then panicked, and then terrified. They all took three steps back, making a large space for themselves.
Resurrection from the dead? The key is that they have already seen the corpse!
Feudal superstition is not acceptable. Qiao Mu felt that it was necessary to explain it carefully so that these bandits would feel at ease to kill him.
"Don't be nervous, I'm already dead. Now I'm my big brother Qiao Lin..." Qiao Mu stuttered for a moment and changed his words:
"The centurion Qiao Mu from Yancheng was my younger brother, and he died tragically at your hands. I only regret that I came too late and was unable to save him... Save my own brother!"
The bandits were in confusion for a while before someone took a closer look at Qiao Mu's mature face at the age of 28.
"It's definitely not the same person. He's obviously several years older."
"I just saw him sneak attack and kill the leader of the soldiers, Lieutenant Chu of Yancheng, with his javelin!"
"He is not a soldier, and he killed the leader of the soldiers? So is he a friend or an enemy?"
The bandits fell into a confused discussion.
But during the discussion, the glance he gave Qiao Mu was still full of fear and dread.
Qiao Mu, who died in battle, left a deep impression on them!
And Qiao Lin in front of him was obviously a fierce man whose aura was no less than Qiao Mu, and whose strength was even greater than Qiao Mu.
So what should they do
"Why don't we ask the boss what he thinks?" someone suggested, and many bandits quickly nodded.
Obviously, the boss they are talking about has extremely high prestige.
"The bandit king Song He?" Qiao Mu also became interested.
He just wanted a good death.
Judging from the several battles with the bandits, it is obvious that the bandit king Song He, who leads the bandits, is no simple character.
They were able to discover his attempt to assassinate Captain Chu so quickly and surrounded him. It was obvious that the bandits were not fleeing but retreating strategically.
If Captain Chu advanced rashly, he might really lose his life.
Qiao Mu likes dealing with strong people the most. The stronger they are, the more dangerous they are and the more valuable they are for scoring points.
Chapter 23 Bandit, Wang Songhe
Goose City.
Old Huang and other soldiers including the monk were walking in the ranks of officers and soldiers.
Captain Chu was assassinated before retreating, but they and their soldiers finally returned to Yancheng safely.
This expedition out of the city to suppress the bandits could not be considered a triumph, as even the leader died, so morale was somewhat low.
The depression of Lao Huang and others had nothing to do with the success or failure of the bandit suppression. They were more concerned about the corpse on their shoulders.
"We've reached Yancheng so soon?"
"I haven't figured out how to talk to the boss's family yet..."
"Why don't we go later, when the pension is allocated?"
Lao Huang and others were discussing in a low voice, but accidentally caught a glimpse of a blind girl with her eyes closed sitting in a noodle shop on the street, facing the street.
They vaguely guessed something and subconsciously kept silent, just carrying the corpse and continuing to walk.
Fortunately, the blind girl was blind and didn't seem to notice them passing by.
Only when they reached the military camp did they finally feel relieved.
When facing the bandits, they all have their own skills. Even Old Huang, who only knows the Iron Crotch Kung Fu, knows how to hide here and there on the battlefield.
But facing the families of their fallen colleagues, especially those who died for them...it really gives them a headache. It is much more difficult than facing bandits.
"It was a close call..." Just as Lao Huang was breathing a sigh of relief, he was patted on the shoulder.
"Thank you for the hard work in carrying the body." The speaker was a centurion named Chu.
He and Captain Chu are relatives, so he became his confidant. Captain Chu had also instructed him to collect Qiao Mu's body.
"The burial of our comrades' bodies will be handled by someone in the military camp, so there is no need to trouble you."
Old Huang hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Although he was not under the direct jurisdiction of the centurion, the centurion was a ninth-rank military officer after all, and a higher-ranking official could crush a person, not to mention that Lao Huang and others were just ordinary sergeants.
He could only bow and say goodbye.
After Lao Huang left, the centurion looked at Qiao Mu's body and chuckled.
He had no interest in Qiao Mu's body, but some people did.
Although Captain Chu is dead, he might be able to use this incident to get in touch with the city lord's son.
.
East Mountain outside the city.
Qiao Mu did not resist much and allowed the bandits around him to escort him deeper into the forest.
Firstly, he had just used the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique and was now too weak to break out. Secondly, he also wanted to see who the leader of the bandits was.
After walking through the forest and climbing a small hill, we saw a group of bandits guarding a rather elegant middle-aged scholar who was waiting under a tree.
"Are you the bandit king?" Qiao Mu was a little surprised.
In his mind, the leader of this bandit should have a more rugged appearance.
However, I didn't expect that this person had a refined temperament and a face as white as jade. He was definitely a middle-aged scholar with great temperament.
The scribe said helplessly:
"My surname is Wang, my given name is Song He. The so-called Bandit King is actually just a rumor spread by someone who can't read and write."
When Wang Songhe said this, he suddenly covered his mouth with his hands and coughed a few times in pain, with blood in his cough.
"And he's a sickly scholar? That's not right." Qiao Mu frowned slightly.
This man was obviously pale and weak, and gave Qiao Mu the feeling that he was even weaker than himself who had just used the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique, but he also gave him a vague sense of danger.
Under pressure, Qiao Mu subconsciously turned his body to the side towards Wang Songhe, took a half step back, and raised his hands slightly to prepare for the enemy.
Wang Songhe ignored Qiao Mu's reaction and just chuckled.
"I heard that your last name is Qiao, and you are the elder brother of Qiao Mu, the centurion in the Yancheng Army?"
"That centurion Qiao Mu is extremely brave and is indeed a hero."
Wang Songhe's attitude was very kind, so kind that even Qiao Mu was surprised, as if the two sides were not mortal enemies.
He then said, "Qiao Lin, you are very brave and a good man. Are you interested in joining me in Dongshan and doing great things with me in this chaotic world?"
Are you starting to recruit me now
Qiao Mu said suspiciously:
"My brother Qiao Mu died at the hands of you bandits, and he also killed many bandits..."
"You are Qiao Mu's brother, not Qiao Mu himself. Besides, Qiao Mu is dead, so the grudges are naturally written off. You also killed Captain Chu who led the officers and soldiers, which helped me to break the siege of Dongshan." Wang Songhe said:
"In this world today, if you kill me and I kill you, what is right or wrong?"
"Is there a possibility that neither you nor I are wrong, but the world is wrong?"
Qiao Mu was silent for a moment.
In the world of bandits, recruiting enemy generals seems to be a common thing.
But this is not important. There is no way he will hide in the mountains and become a bandit.
Qiao Mu said firmly:
"A real man is born between heaven and earth, and should be upright and honest. How can he hide in the mountains and forests and rob people for a living?"
As a ruthless scoring machine, Qiumu started to get into the role again. He was deliberately provoking the opponent in an attempt to get a good death.
"It seems that Brother Qiao has a prejudice against us bandits." Wang Songhe was not angry, but smiled slightly:
"Brother Qiao, why don't you guess where this bandit came from?"
"How could such a barren place like Dongshan gather so many bandits? This is probably beyond the officers and soldiers' expectations, right?"
Qiao Mu kept silent.
He is not a native of Yancheng, so naturally he can't guess it right.
Seeing Qiao Mu didn't say anything, Wang Songhe explained:
"Ever since the Martial Saint was defeated in the Alien War, the fortunes of the Great Yan nation have turned from prosperity to decline."
"The emperor of this dynasty is weak and incompetent, and he only knows how to use all the national strength to please foreigners."
"Since then, taxes have become heavier and the people have suffered. It has been several decades since then."
"Did you know that a month ago, there was a famine in Yancheng? In the outer city of Yancheng, if not nine out of ten houses were empty, then four or five out of ten were gone."
“Where do you think all those poor people who disappeared went?”
Qiao Mu was slightly startled, his eyes swept over the surrounding bandits, and then asked:
"Is this why you became bandits?"
Wang Songhe explained:
"Neither you nor I are saints. It is almost impossible to survive in this chaotic world without blood on our hands. All we can do is try not to do evil."
"Besides, we don't want to be bandits who rob people on the road."
"Oh? Is there a second type of bandit?" Qiao Mu asked.
The middle-aged scholar said:
"The so-called thieves are those who are outside the law, and are crazy people who are not tolerated by the laws of Da Yan."
"And the so-called mountains..." Wang Songhe stood on the top of the mountain and looked out over the mountains:
“There are many mountains in this world.”
"Some mountains are so huge that they stand above the plains, dividing the yin and yang and the day and night."
“Some mountains are in people’s hearts. They have no shape but make it difficult for people to walk.”