Chapter 27

As Bai Xiaosheng walked along the way, he saw many branches of the Beggar Sect. Due to the nature of being beggars, the branches of the Beggar Sect were not in good condition, mostly dilapidated temples or abandoned houses. The better ones were still houses that had been unoccupied for many years.

This valley was not a good place, but to be honest, it was picturesque and quite appealing. What surprised Bai Xiaosheng was that the branch here was located outside the city, not inside.

"Brother Wang, why is the branch set up here?" Bai Xiaosheng asked, puzzled. Wang Gouzi smiled proudly and explained, "This is the brilliance of Brother Quan. In the past, our branch was also set up in the city. After Brother Quan came here, he suggested to the branch leader to move the branch to this valley, leaving a fake branch in the city to mislead people."

"Brother, you should know that this is a border area with many troops. Although we Beggar Sect heroes are here to help the Song Dynasty, those generals look down on us. In the past, in the city, we had a hard time, not only facing the pressure from the Liao soldiers but also the obstacles from the imperial army, which was very unsatisfactory. But now, we can do whatever we want, and those high officials of the Song Dynasty can't do anything to us."

As he spoke, the eight of them arrived at the entrance of the valley. A few beggars saw the Wang brothers and immediately greeted them, welcoming everyone inside. In the valley, Bai Xiaosheng found that the valley was well-constructed, like a small town, but without any elderly, women, or children.

"Brother Bai, you all rest for a moment. I'll go report to the branch leader and Brother Quan." The Wang brothers instructed the beggars nearby and then left. Bai Xiaosheng and the other five civilians followed the beggars into a room and sat down to rest.

Although the valley looked like a town on the outside, the inside was different, completely simple and casual, with no furniture at all. The current disciples of the Beggar Sect were all beggars, with no distinction between dirty and clean clothes. They all followed the lifestyle of beggars. In the sect, only a few people wore better clothes, while the rest wore tattered clothes.

Bai Xiaosheng and the five civilians waited in the room for a while and then saw several people walking in, one of whom was Quan Guanqing. In front of him was a thin man in his forties.

This man must be the branch leader!

"I am Xie Xian, nice to meet all of you." Xie Xian seemed quite generous, showing no airs as he greeted the six people. Bai Xiaosheng did not act arrogantly and immediately returned the greeting. The five civilians, however, did not understand these formalities and could only mimic the gestures, looking quite amusing. But Xie Xian did not mind at all and greeted them warmly. After some casual conversation, he said seriously, "Now that the six of you have joined our Beggar Sect, we are all brothers. There's no need to be formal with me. Come, let me introduce you to Brother Quan. He is a sixth-bag disciple, and you will be working under him."

"Nice to meet you, Brother Quan!"

"You are too polite, brothers!" Quan Guanqing returned the greeting with a warm smile.

After everyone had met, Xie Xian continued, "Brother Bai, the Wang brothers have already told me about your journey here. You have already made a significant contribution to our Beggar Sect by saving hundreds of Song Dynasty civilians. According to the rules, you could be promoted to a third-bag disciple, but since you just joined, it's too fast to promote you so quickly. Therefore, I will promote you to a second-bag disciple. I hope you don't feel resentful."

"Leader, you are too kind. Joining the Beggar Sect is already a great fortune for me. Achieving a small feat was just a matter of luck. I would never be arrogant or boastful. Please rest assured, I am not that kind of person."

"Good, good!"

Then, Xie Xian chatted with them for a while and then left. Quan Guanqing stayed behind. He led the six of them around the valley, introducing them to the defense and entry points.

Finally, Quan Guanqing handed the five civilians over to the Wang brothers to teach them the basic skills and took Bai Xiaosheng to his room. They chatted about the local situation.

"Brother Bai, take a look..." Quan Guanqing took out a map marked with different colors, including the territories of Song and Liao, with the Beggar Sect mixed in.

He pointed to the confrontation on the map and said, "The Song and Liao have never been peaceful, but a major war hasn't happened in a long time. However, the Khitans are bloodthirsty and almost every day, they raid the Song territory. Our Song Dynasty values literature over martial arts, and the people in the court do not want to start a war with the Liao, so they turn a blind eye. This way, the two dynasties are peaceful, but the local civilians suffer. Since I, Quan Guanqing, came here, I have seen countless people killed and captured by the Liao soldiers, and a large amount of wealth has flowed out of the country. It is truly heart-wrenching!"

Quan Guanqing's words were very moving. If Bai Xiaosheng did not know his character, he might have been convinced. Of course, he had some doubts, mainly whether this Quan Guanqing was the same as the future Quan Guanqing.

He couldn't judge, as the man spoke with great passion, not like he was acting, but he couldn't rule out the possibility of good acting. So, while Bai Xiaosheng listened carefully, he remained vigilant, not allowing himself to be overly impressed.

One spoke with passion, and the other listened attentively, completely unaware of the passing time. It wasn't until the room was completely dark that they realized it. Quan Guanqing said, "We talked so much that we forgot the time. Let's go eat something and continue our conversation later..."

Bai Xiaosheng smiled inwardly but showed no sign on his face. He followed Quan Guanqing to the dining area, where everyone could take a bowl of food. Where you ate was up to you.

After getting their food, Quan Guanqing looked around and led Bai Xiaosheng to a group of beggars, saying, "Brothers, do you mind if I eat here?"

"Brother Quan, what are you saying? It's an honor for us to eat with you!"

Seeing Quan Guanqing's actions, Bai Xiaosheng was quite puzzled. From what he had seen today, Quan Guanqing's image was deeply ingrained, making it hard for Bai Xiaosheng to associate him with the despicable character from "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."

Could it be that without Qiao Feng, Quan Guanqing has become a good person?

"What are you thinking, brother?" After sitting down, Quan Guanqing noticed that Bai Xiaosheng was silent and had a strange expression, so he asked.

Bai Xiaosheng snapped back to reality and said without hesitation, "I was thinking about what Brother Quan said earlier."

"How about it? Any thoughts?" Quan Guanqing asked.

Bai Xiaosheng nodded and said, "I'm not sure if I'm right. I think Brother Quan's idea is to use our skills and our ability to move stealthily to attack the Liao soldiers who have infiltrated Song territory, just like what I encountered on my way here. I believe that if we plan well, we can definitely strike back at the Khitans and prevent them from raiding the south."

Quan Guanqing nodded and said, "Exactly, that's what I mean. I have already reported this to the branch leader, and he has agreed to my plan. It will be implemented soon, and then it will be the time for us to show our skills."

"Brother Quan is right. I have long been annoyed by those damn Khitans. This time, we will teach them a lesson and show them that our Song Dynasty is not to be trifled with."

"Right, teach the Khitan dogs a lesson..."

Everyone rose with a roar, their faces filled with hatred and a desire for revenge. Bai Xiaosheng could understand some of this, but without personal experience, he couldn't fully grasp their feelings.

The beggars here had lived here for many years, with new ones coming and old ones leaving. It was the place where the Beggar Sect's disciples changed the most frequently. However, they didn't move away; they died, killed by the Khitans.

They were all brothers in the same sect. While they might not have deep feelings for each other, with so many people, there were bound to be some with deep bonds. Therefore, they naturally harbored intense hatred towards the Khitans.

As for national righteousness, how could these people understand it? Even in modern times, how many people truly understand it?

In the crowd, Bai Xiaosheng thought about Quan Guanqing's plan, and the more he thought, the more he realized its significance. Quan Guanqing had fully utilized the characteristics of the Beggar Sect's disciples, integrating them into a system of guerrilla warfare. Even if he couldn't elevate it to a theoretical level, he had already developed practical steps, which would be remarkable in modern times.

The title "Perfect Scholar" was not given lightly. In terms of strategy, Quan Guanqing was indeed an outstanding talent.

However, Quan Guanqing had a fatal flaw: his martial arts. He seemed to forget that he was not a government official but a martial artist. In the martial world, no matter how clever your strategy, if you lack strong martial arts, you can't command respect. With Quan Guanqing's ambition, he had the strategy, but his martial arts were not enough. Just like in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," during his coup, he supported Zhuang Juxian as the leader. If he had strong martial arts, he could have become the leader himself.

'Sharp in strategy but weak in martial arts. Quan Guanqing, you are just a small figure!' He smiled coldly in his heart, looking at the enthusiastic crowd and the smiling Quan Guanqing. A strange smile appeared on his face: "This time, I will use your strategy to achieve my plan. I will see if you can control me like you controlled Zhuang Juxian!"