Chapter 5 of 10

Chapter 5

15 min read3,874 words

It must be said that theft is an addictive behavior, and theft with almost no risk is even more irresistible.

Since Cheng Pan sailed down the river, he entered every city and stole whenever he could. The stolen goods amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver, but he still felt that the capital for starting a business was not enough.

Now, Cheng Pan was sitting at a corner table in a tavern in Anqing City, quietly eating a meal for three people. You might wonder why he didn't sit by the window, sipping wine and enjoying the signature dishes like the protagonists in other novels. First, after dozens of days of intense cultivation, Cheng Pan's true qi had grown to the thickness of a chopstick. Although his body shape hadn't changed and his muscles didn't bulge, the resilience of his muscles had clearly increased. He could easily lift a 100-kilogram stone lock with one hand and raise it over his head. His skin had also become slightly lighter (to prevent perverts, he had smeared his face with black ash), but the side effect was that his appetite had increased, and his eating habits were extremely unrefined. Second, Mongol gentlemen often entered the tavern, and to avoid conflicts over seating, it was better to be low-key.

After finishing his meal, Cheng Pan found the boss and booked a medium-grade room. He went in to rest. Lying on the bed, Cheng Pan reflected on his recent gains.

"Gold and silver have already reached tens of thousands of taels, which is basically enough. But the grain only amounts to 8 cubic meters (Note: 1 cubic meter of grain is 800 kilograms), far from enough, and it hasn't even filled a corner of the Sea of Knowledge space" (the Sea of Knowledge space is now 1000 cubic meters, this person is too greedy). Cheng Pan got up and made up his mind: "Forget it, stealing from grain stores would be too conspicuous. Stealing a little is fine, but stealing too much would be too shocking. If I'm always present, it might attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. It's better to rent a house, buy enough grain, and have it delivered. Then, when no one is around, I can take the goods and leave."

Cheng Pan began to leave the inn and look for a suitable courtyard. Halfway through, a noisy group of people came by. It was a grain transport team. At the front were several Mongol soldiers on horseback, who were opening the way for the team without any restraint. They carelessly knocked over street stalls and continuously lashed out at passersby with their whips. Compared to them, the city management team was weak.

Cheng Pan hid far away, watching the team move forward. He hadn't thought about finding a Mongol grain storage point, but the reality was harsh. Most grain storage points in the Yuan Dynasty were guarded by soldiers. Although the security wasn't very strict, Cheng Pan was sure that if he tried to sneak in, he would face severe consequences.

Soon, Cheng Pan noticed that the team was heading towards the dock. It was the first time he saw grain transport ships. Maritime transport was less important in the Yuan Dynasty compared to canal transport. The Yuan army had just suppressed a rebellion in Jiangxi but hadn't returned yet, still suppressing the remaining uprisings in the south. This was a military grain transport.

Cheng Pan thought of a possibility and headed towards the dock. He saw eight canal ships docked there.

Cheng Pan excitedly whispered, "I can give it a try, with a 70% chance of success."

He slipped away unnoticed.

In the evening, he arrived upstream and, seeing no one around, jumped into the water. He floated like a dead log into a patch of water plants about 300 meters from the canal ships, using a reed tube to breathe and hiding there.

After a day of work, Ulerji, looking at the eight canal ships that were almost fully loaded, felt a bit bored.

This was a simple task. The canal ships were very stable, and it was autumn, so the river was safe. Anyone could make this trip, but why was he, Ulerji, chosen? He felt very aggrieved and resented the superior who had sent him away from the bustling city of Anqing. He scolded the two Han soldiers to guard the ships properly and then went to the largest brothel in the city to spend his last night before leaving.

Time slowly passed for a few hours. Around 4 a.m., Cheng Pan, hidden in the water plants, moved. Due to the strict curfew, Anqing City was silent except for the sound of the night watch. It was incredibly quiet.

At this time, the guards were dozing off, and no one noticed a reed tube approaching the ship. Cheng Pan stuck to the bottom of the ship. His 10-meter super-sense range allowed him to understand the canal ship clearly.

Cheng Pan carefully swapped the stones and grain in his space. After doing this carefully ten times, he moved to the next ship.

Since the ship wasn't emptied all at once, it didn't cause violent rocking. However, the slight creaking of the ship's body made the on-duty soldier look around, but he didn't see anyone. The soldier muttered, "The waves are really big," and ignored it.

Within 20 minutes, Cheng Pan had stolen from four ships, filling nearly 90% of the Sea of Knowledge space. He then quietly escaped the scene with the flowing river.

Five kilometers outside Anqing City, Cheng Pan looked at his loot and felt that his ambush was worth it.

"950 cubic meters, nearly 800 tons of grain, enough to recruit soldiers and buy horses. I can match the spies in Red Alert." Such a large amount of grain couldn't be bought, as grain was a strictly controlled commodity in Chinese history. Acquiring more than a certain amount would bring trouble, and many people had died for the crime of hoarding and profiteering. As for Ulerji and the on-duty Han soldiers, the loss of 15,000 shi of grain was a shocking case. People near the dock and those on the river would be implicated.

The culprit who caused such a big mess didn't care about these things. On the third day after the big case in Anqing, he appeared in Tongling County, Chizhou Prefecture, Jiang-Zhe Province, which is now Tongling, Anhui. Cheng Pan was dressed as a common laborer of the Yuan Dynasty, accompanied by twelve similarly dressed young people, ten boys, and two girls. The oldest was 15, and the youngest was 11.

After securing the grain, Cheng Pan solved the supply problem after recruiting people. After recruiting, Cheng Pan finally reined in his thief king style. Being a thief is better with fewer people; more people mean a larger target, which is not conducive to moving around.

Last night, Cheng Pan came to a land temple and saw a group of beggar children. He deviously took out a steamed bun and started eating it. The young beggars couldn't resist and, driven by greed, began to surround and rob him. These malnourished children were no match for Cheng Pan, who looked weak but was actually stronger than two grown men. In a few minutes, Cheng Pan had made all the children cry, and a few of the troublemakers were hung from the beam and beaten on the buttocks with a wooden board for half an hour until they begged for mercy. After conquering them with force, Cheng Pan dangled a carrot, magically producing a pile of steamed buns, giving one to each child, and then claiming that if they followed him and obeyed him, he would take care of them. Cheng Pan emitted his first aura of a king in this world. The twelve children, who had been hostile just a few minutes earlier, immediately swore loyalty to him.

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