Chapter 65: I Dare to Slay Imperial Soldiers—Why Would I Fear a Gang of Bandits?

When the third boss finally saw Li Yuanjing trembling with pain and reluctantly agreeing, he let out a cold laugh, proud and certain that everything was under his control as he strode away. Li Yuanjing watched their triumphant figures disappear down the path in silence, his face so grim it seemed as if water might drip from it.

If the third boss had only demanded half of the grain fields and some silver, Li Yuanjing might have managed to appease him for the moment. But this wretched old scoundrel, raised by that little vixen, wanted all of Li Yuanjing's grain fields, and more silver besides! How could Li Yuanjing not see through it? This was clearly the result of a scheme concocted with the benevolent Xue after much discussion.

After all, knowing Xue’s temperament, how could he possibly swallow the humiliation of having all of Quanzi Village’s fields seized from him? Li Yuanjing feared that even if he handed over everything, his fate would still be sealed—he would die, and likely in a manner far more miserable and degrading.

No wonder the world had been in chaos these past years, smoke and flame everywhere. These people weren’t just harvesting the wheat—they wanted to rip out the roots!

“Yuanjing, what happened? Are you alright?” At that moment, the old village chief returned, concern etched on his face as he quietly questioned Li Yuanjing.

Even Li Yuanjing needed several seconds to compose himself before forcing a smile and replying, “Uncle, I’m fine. There is indeed a problem, but it shouldn’t be too serious. Please wait a moment, let me handle something first, and then I’ll explain everything to you.”

With that, Li Yuanjing stepped outside the shed and beckoned a sturdy man over. Leaning close, he whispered, “Xiangzi, I need you to follow those men from the third boss. Trail them all the way to Iron Ox Town—just find out where they go.”

“Remember, you must not let them discover you, no matter what. Do you understand?”

Xiangzi snapped to attention, nodded vigorously, and said, “Master, don’t worry. I’ll keep close to them.”

He hurried off after the group, taking the river path below.

Li Yuanjing let out a long, heavy breath, squinting his eyes. He had chosen Xiangzi for this crucial task for very good reasons.

First, Xiangzi had seen blood and was now part of Li Yuanjing’s crew; Li Yuanjing had noticed that the man was strong as a young ox, clever in a certain rustic way, perhaps even cunning.

Second, Xiangzi’s mother had been brutally abused and killed by these very bandits from Cold Mountain when Xiangzi was just fourteen or fifteen. He bore a deep, blood-soaked hatred toward them.

Thus, even if something went wrong, it was unlikely Xiangzi would betray Li Yuanjing.

This was, in essence, the legendary “art of employing people.”

Li Yuanjing could hardly be blamed for his “thick-skinned and black-hearted” approach—this was simply a cruel world.

In later years, Li Yuanjing had seen far too many examples. Some powerful young businessmen, even those who could be called young entrepreneurs, brimming with talent and confidence, had lost everything in an instant by trusting the wrong person—or someone who seemed upright and honorable, but was utterly unscrupulous beneath the surface.

Not only did their life’s work go up in smoke, but they never had a chance to recover, for all eternity.

Li Yuanjing had no desire to taste that bitter “exquisite flavor of failure.”

So, he would rather be cautious—and then even more cautious, never risking his fortune and life on someone’s character or humanity.

…

“What? Those damned beasts! They’ve gone too far, far too far!” The old village chief exploded in fury when Li Yuanjing explained the situation with the third boss, his face darkening to a purple shade as he grabbed his knife and prepared to storm out.

He could never have imagined that after all his and Li Yuanjing’s efforts to give Quanzi Village a glimmer of hope, these bandits would try to devour them to the bone.

“Uncle, calm down,” Li Yuanjing stopped him, quietly saying, “Don’t you trust me?”

Seeing the calm, dark eyes of Li Yuanjing, the old chief finally relaxed a little and hurriedly asked, “Yuanjing, do you already have a plan?”

Li Yuanjing nodded. “Uncle, I do have a way. But you must follow my lead.”

A hopeful light flashed in the old chief’s eyes, and he nodded vigorously. “Yuanjing, who else would I follow if not you? We’ve already killed more than one government soldier—do you think we’d fear those damn bandits?”

…

The arrival of the third boss and his men brought considerable unrest to Quanzi Village. Many villagers working near the North City Gate saw them come through.

But after Li Yuanjing and the old chief took charge, the disturbance was quickly suppressed, and everyone went back to work cheerfully.

After all, so long as they worked steadily on this big project and earned some money, they wouldn’t have to worry about paying the bandits’ protection fees. Thanks to Li Yuanjing’s presence, everyone was certain they could enjoy a good New Year.

“Yuanjing, all the pig iron from our village is here—about sixty pounds. Do you think it’s enough?”

While the others busied themselves, the old chief brought his two nephews, Yang Da and Yang Er, carrying several burlap sacks with two bundles inside for Li Yuanjing.

Li Yuanjing opened them and checked carefully, then nodded, “Uncle, this should be enough for now. Go ahead and get back to work.”

Seeing Li Yuanjing’s signal, the old chief immediately understood and smiled, “Alright, I’ll go keep an eye on the North City Gate. By the way, Yuanjing, these two rascals may not be clever, but they’re strong and obedient. What do you think?”

As the old chief spoke, Yang Da and Yang Er quickly bowed to Li Yuanjing, eager to please.

Li Yuanjing frowned in contemplation, making the two men nervous, almost despairing. Finally, he smiled slowly and said, “Both are good lads, and since they’re your nephews, I trust them. Tomorrow, have them come help at the workshop.”

“Wow!”

“Thank you, Master, thank you!” Yang Da and Yang Er were overjoyed, falling to their knees and kowtowing with all their might.

…

“Master, according to the customs of Great Qian, a proper arquebus requires about four and a half pounds of refined iron. However, forging that much refined iron takes roughly eleven or twelve pounds of pig iron, costing about three or four taels of silver…”

“Master, the pig iron you’ve provided is enough to forge about four arquebuses. But while I can forge the guns, the powder and lead shot…”

In the carpenter’s courtyard behind Li Yuanjing’s house, Zhao Zengjin’s new spinning machine had already stopped. Several carpenters and the four members of Mao Fugui’s family stood respectfully before Li Yuanjing.

Mao Fugui cautiously reported, “Master, don’t worry about the gunpowder and lead shot—just focus on forging the guns. But, Mao, you must understand one thing first!”

Li Yuanjing stared coldly at Mao Fugui, “I want nothing but the best arquebuses, even if this pig iron can only make three, or even just two. Do you understand?”

Mao Fugui nodded fervently. By now, he had begun to grasp Li Yuanjing’s methods. Most of the time, Li Yuanjing was approachable. But if his requirements weren’t met, the consequences were far from ordinary.

Moreover, they were now Li Yuanjing’s household servants—their lives hung by his whim.

He quickly nodded, “Master, rest assured, I will do my utmost. By midday tomorrow, I can have the first sample ready.”

“Good!”

“Work hard, and you’ll be rewarded well,” Li Yuanjing signaled Zhao Zengjin, who immediately caught on and, laughing, escorted Li Yuanjing out.

But as soon as Li Yuanjing left, Zhao Zengjin shut the door tightly and gave a meaningful look to one of the carpenters.