Chapter 44

Walking along the six-meter-wide crack for nearly ten meters, he finally arrived at the other exit of the crack. When he reached the exit and looked inside, Zhengliang was momentarily stunned by the scene before him. On the other side of the crack was a small valley surrounded by mountains on three sides. The valley stretched about two li from north to south and extended eastward to the foot of the highest peak of Yegao Mountain (about 200 meters in altitude). Zhengliang estimated that if all the land here were cultivated, it could at least solve the food problem for more than 300 people. The small mountains on both the north and south sides rose at a 30-degree angle, with the highest point being about 80 meters. Although not very high, they formed a natural barrier. Apart from the entrance crack, it was almost impossible to find any other entrance.

At this moment, the two little guys originally responsible for guarding the entrance had already set out for the distant village according to Kousuke's arrangement. After making some arrangements, Zhengliang led the team to continue advancing. Upon reaching the edge of the village, the team split into two groups. One group stayed at the edge of the village to wait for the capture of the bandit stronghold's gate and then provide immediate reinforcements. The other group, led by Zhengliang, consisted of eight people dressed in bandit clothes and headed for the gate of the bandit stronghold. Kousuke still carried Daisuke and walked in front, responsible for tricking the bandit stronghold's gate open. Although there was an internal conflict within the stronghold, to prevent any unexpected situations, it was safer to approach the stronghold in this manner.

The team advanced, and in the distance, they saw a bandit stronghold built along a small hill. The walls of the stronghold were constructed with wood and mud, with the lowest point being about two meters high. However, the area of the stronghold was large, encompassing the entire small hill. The houses were distributed along the hill, covering an area of about twenty acres. Small mud and wood houses were scattered around the path, and all the small mud houses had their wooden doors tightly closed. Through the small windows, one could faintly see pairs of eyes nervously observing their group.

Soon, the team arrived at the gate of the stronghold. The gate was half-open, and there were signs of a fight on the ground, even some bloodstains, but no one was in sight. Zhengliang quickly arranged for his men to occupy the gate and then sent someone to notify Azumagoro, who was waiting at the edge of the village, to come and join them. After everything was arranged, Kousuke, who had gone ahead to scout the situation inside the stronghold, returned.

"Your Highness, Itakura has already attacked Daisuke's courtyard, and they are now in a fierce battle. The exact situation is unclear because I didn't dare to get too close. But..." Kousuke had a hesitant look on his face.

"Continue," Zhengliang looked at Kousuke and ordered.

"Your Highness, I encountered Tadachirou and the others while checking the situation," Kousuke immediately replied.

"Oh? You mean those bandits who have been neutral?" Zhengliang knew from the information provided by the two children that these bandits had also taken the opportunity to enter the stronghold to take advantage of the chaos.

"Yes, Your Highness. They originally planned to take advantage of the chaos to rescue my wife and daughter," Kousuke looked very moved, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. To persuade them to surrender to you, I told them about your situation. After learning about you, Tadachirou and the others expressed their willingness to surrender, but they want to talk to you personally about the conditions," Kousuke finally said hesitantly.

"Oh?" Zhengliang was surprised. He didn't expect that someone would surrender so soon after arriving. After a moment of thought, he didn't immediately respond but continued to ask, "Have they ever attacked my territory?" Zhengliang looked down at Kousuke, who was kneeling on the ground, and observed his facial expressions.

"Your Highness, no. Many of them were originally farmers who couldn't survive in the valley and had feelings for the places they lived in, so they rarely attacked nearby villages. Moreover, since the nearby villages didn't put up much resistance, the other bandits on the mountain often visited them. To reduce the division of spoils, as the excluded and often used as scapegoats, we had no opportunity to attack these villages. Itakura and the others wouldn't be willing to share the spoils they easily obtained with us," Kousuke answered calmly, meeting Zhengliang's gaze. Although he was a bit afraid, after interacting with this lord for some time, Kousuke knew that the lord had a bottom line for any issue. As long as the bottom line wasn't crossed, there was always room for negotiation. Attacking his territory was the bottom line for dealing with bandits, and the captured bandits who had attacked his territory were all executed.

"Hmm, good. Inform them to come here. I want to hear their conditions," Zhengliang smiled and nodded in agreement. In fact, Zhengliang didn't want to confront the bandits head-on. If the bandits fought to the death, he would suffer heavy losses. Now, with eight or nine bandits surrendering, it would be best. This would give his side a numerical advantage, and even if they had to fight, it would minimize the damage.

Soon, under Kousuke's guidance, a bald, muscular man with empty hands came to Zhengliang.

"I am Tadachirou, I pay my respects to Your Highness," Tadachirou was deeply shocked. In fact, this was the second time today that the lord in front of him had shocked him. First, he learned from Kousuke that Daisuke, who led 17 fierce bandits, had been completely defeated. These bandits usually caused headaches for the local strongmen, and the most shocking thing was that Daisuke himself had been killed by this lord. Adding to that, Itakura, who was seriously injured and unconscious, meant that this mysterious lord had directly defeated two bandit leaders. Now, this lord had led dozens of foot soldiers to his doorstep, and he hadn't even noticed. It was truly an incredible move. After Kousuke's persuasion and analysis, he finally decided to surrender. When he saw this mysterious lord face-to-face, Tadachirou was shocked again. The mysterious lord, who had defeated two bandit leaders, looked only 17 or 18 years old. Was this a joke? If Zhengliang knew what Tadachirou was thinking, he would definitely protest, "I'm actually 28, a capable young man. Don't be deceived by my smooth skin."

"Oh? You are Tadachirou? You came here alone, aren't you afraid I might go back on my word and kill you?" Zhengliang smiled and stared into Tadachirou's eyes.

"Ha ha ha," Tadachirou was taken aback by Zhengliang's directness and then laughed heartily, "Your Highness, I know Kousuke's character well. This coward wouldn't have told me to come here if he wasn't completely sure you wouldn't go back on your word." Hearing Tadachirou's words, Kousuke's face turned red, and his teeth clenched with a "clicking" sound. If he wasn't afraid of being scolded by Zhengliang, he would have jumped up and started cursing Tadachirou.

"Oh, so the strength of my newly appointed foot soldier leader is well-known," Zhengliang smiled and said. Zhengliang had two purposes with this statement. First, to win people's hearts. Anyone would be grateful when they suddenly found someone who appreciated their strengths, especially after being criticized. After observing Kousuke for some time, Zhengliang also recognized his contributions. Fair rewards and punishments were important, and giving him a position without a salary was appropriate. Second, to indirectly tell Tadachirou that Zhengliang treated sincere surrenderers well, and there was no need to worry about retribution. Outstanding performance could even lead to promotions.

Indeed, upon hearing Zhengliang's words, Kousuke was immediately moved to tears, kneeling before Zhengliang and banging his head on the ground, "Thank you, Your Highness. I, no, your servant, will be loyal and work hard for the prosperity of the Luo family." Zhengliang waved his hand, indicating that Kousuke should rise. Kousuke quickly got up and glared at Tadachirou, as if challenging him, "See, I have become a vassal."

"Ha ha ha, Your Highness's methods are truly impressive," Tadachirou laughed heartily, ignoring Kousuke's challenge, and then suddenly changed his tone, leaning forward and staring at Zhengliang with a serious expression, "However, Your Highness, aren't you afraid that I might suddenly attack and take you hostage?"

Daigoro, who was behind Zhengliang, was furious, drew his sword, and pointed it at Tadachirou, shouting, "How dare you!" The surrounding foot soldiers immediately raised their spears and approached. Zhengliang smiled calmly, raised his right hand to signal everyone to hold their positions, and stared at Tadachirou without blinking, saying calmly, "Then you will soon feel the sensation of being decapitated." He then exerted a slight force, and a swordsman's aura directly targeted Tadachirou.

Tadachirou immediately felt the air around him become dense, and he had a suffocating sensation, quickly focusing his mind to respond. Thus, Zhengliang and Tadachirou stared at each other, one attacking and the other defending, creating a tense atmosphere. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Tadachirou finally gave in, drenched in sweat. Kousuke, seeing this, secretly laughed, "Who told you to challenge this devil? Now you know the consequences."

"Your Highness, I finally believe that Itakura and Daisuke were defeated by you," Tadachirou took a deep breath and sighed with a bitter smile after Zhengliang withdrew his aura.

Zhengliang smiled but did not comment.

"Then, Tadachirou, state your conditions," Zhengliang, valuing time, decided to be straightforward.

"Ha ha ha," seeing that Zhengliang was not flattered by his praise, Tadachirou laughed heartily to cover his embarrassment and then said, "Your Highness is indeed straightforward. Our only request is to ensure that we and our families are not harassed."

"Agreed," Zhengliang readily accepted Tadachirou's request, "And please accept the position of foot soldier leader in my household."

"Yes, Your Highness, your servant will immediately gather the others and follow your commands," Tadachirou knew that Zhengliang was using this position to reassure the others and was once again impressed by the lord's wisdom. Of course, he was not entirely convinced. He had already discussed with the others that if this lord made them do dangerous tasks, they would immediately disband. However, he didn't know that Zhengliang had no intention of having them all join his military forces.

(PS: This is the third week of the new book release. Please click, collect, and recommend. I, the author, humbly beg for your clicks, collections, and recommendations. Enjoy writing, enjoy solitude.)

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