Chapter 5, I have never seen so much money

Heifu and Ji Ying were taken aback, as the burly man with a twisted beard began to speak incessantly: "My name is Pan. Like you, I was once a commoner in the army of the Qin state, never having stepped outside this county until one day when the government summoned me to enlist. So, I set off in tattered clothes, my heart filled with urgency, thinking I might be able to take a few heads and gain a title, bringing glory to my hometown. Who would have thought..."

From a distance, the rider spotted Heifu and the others, and he urged his horse to gallop faster, shouting loudly from afar: "Where are the thieves?" It was only a few steps away from Heifu that he pulled on the reins to bring the horse to a stop, and the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves covered the faces of Heifu and his companion.

In ancient times, this was even more pronounced. The State of Qin waged war every year, and theoretically, each person would only be conscripted twice. However, this decree became nothing more than a mere formality. The reality was that under the will of the King of Qin, every soldier was required to participate in countless wars year after year. On the battlefield, younger brothers watched their older brothers die, fathers lost their sons, and the bellies of fellow villagers were sliced open by sharp swords. Even those who survived the first ten battles could still collapse in the eleventh clash. On the battlefield, younger brothers watched their older brothers die, fathers lost their sons, and the bellies of fellow villagers were sliced open by sharp swords. Even those who survived the first ten battles could still collapse in the eleventh clash

Hahahahahaha

Heif looked at him: "You speak."

Well, this could be exchanged for ten sets of fine armor. Converted into millet, that amounts to over 300 stones, nearly 20,000 jin

Heifudao: "Clearly, it was you and I who encountered the bandit and apprehended him together; therefore, you should rightfully share in this merit!"

I... I... Ji Ying was somewhat at a loss for words. He had just felt a twinge of regret for not having captured the thief who had confronted him, and he was a bit envious of Hei Fu's good fortune, yet he felt embarrassed to bring up the idea of sharing the credit. After all, these three thieves had all been captured solely by Hei Fu's efforts! He had merely stood by and watched, not having contributed in any way.

The person immediately became very displeased, with a stern face, and said: "Bold! Do you know who I am?"

Ji Ying scratched his head, but hardened his heart again, kicking the bearded man once more and scolding, "But you have been a thief in the Yunmeng Marsh, surely you have harmed many lives and robbed a great deal of wealth! You deserve what you have today!"

The person approaching is in his twenties, wearing a red scarf on his head, a leather armor over a crimson garment, and a sword at his waist. He has a long, thin face resembling that of a horse.

With this money, even if he joins the army years later, Heifu will no longer need to write home to his mother asking for money or clothes, and thus, the wheel of his fate has been slightly pried open.

This deeply moved Ji Ying, who opened his mouth several times but swallowed his words back. After a long while, he bowed deeply to Hei Fu and said: "Hei Fu, from this day forth, I, Ji Ying, will treat you as my own brother! Whenever you need my assistance, do not hesitate to command me!"

Ji Ying spat out the sand and cursed, "What do you want, you rascal!"

Ji Ying no longer paid him any attention and suggested, "Brother Hei Fu, since we are going to serve in the county town anyway, it is only about twenty to thirty li away. If we hurry or take our time, we can reach there before dark. Let us directly escort the three thieves over, so we can hand them over to the county jail and receive our reward earlier, allowing us to feel at ease."

The burly man with a thick beard seemed to have suffered a great injustice, his face flushed with anger as he spat on the ground, ejecting a tooth that had been knocked out during the fight, and shouted, "Nonsense! It is true that I have several lives on my hands, but they were all poor wretches. Don't even mention fourteen gold; I have never seen even one gold coin!"

The burly man with the twisted beard was bound hand and foot, tied together with two others, yet he continued to shout: "Since the day I left the military camp, I knew this day would come. Whether it is to be boiled or slaughtered, I am prepared for it. I only have one request..."

Upon seeing three thieves bound, the newcomer was overjoyed and was about to dismount to take a closer look. The black servant, displeased with his arrogant demeanor, reached out to stop him, blocking his path.

The burly man raised his head and grinned, saying: "What I find amusing is that I never expected to be worth so much; why have I lived for over thirty years without knowing this?"

more than 24,000 yuan

During the time when the two were pushing and yielding to each other, among the three thieves, two of the injured were groaning in pain, while the one who was tightly bound, the burly man with a thick beard, suddenly burst into a loud laugh

"Where is it wrong?" Ji Ying was taken aback

Ji Ying blushed and was still reluctant to accept, but Hei Fu had already made up his mind, patting him on the shoulder and saying: "We have shared life and death together, so this wealth should be shared as well"

He laughed so intensely that saliva dripped onto his beard, as if he had encountered the greatest joke in the world, ready to laugh his innermost feelings out

Heifu and Ji Ying seized the three thieves and forced them to proceed on the road. Unexpectedly, at that moment, a group of people came rushing over, fully armed, wielding bows and arrows, spears, short swords, and shields, and there was even one on horseback

In another ten years, Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, will likely find himself in a similar predicament, hiding in the mountains, yearning for a general amnesty that eludes him, with his wife and children also captured and imprisoned, ultimately leading him to rebel.

He could roughly guess what this burly man with a twisted beard had experienced. In a past life, he had an uncle who participated in the Self-Defense Counterattack War, who once told them that not everyone can adapt to the battlefield. For some, even a hint of the scent of death is enough to drive them to collapse. When you charge forward, there will always be someone fleeing in the opposite direction

Shut up! Ji Ying felt a wave of sadness for no reason and kicked the big man again, but this time, it was not as hard.

However, upon reflection, it is indeed true that in the governance of a king, one should not hastily resort to thieves. The laws of Qin, like its predecessor the "Legal Classics," place the law against theft at the forefront, as rampant thievery on the roads causes significant damage to social order. The governor of Nanjun expressed deep concern in official documents regarding this situation, thus it is reasonable for him to encourage officials and the populace to capture thieves with generous rewards.

He was astonished by this "astronomical figure"

The two individuals locked eyes, and in an instant, the atmosphere became tense and charged with hostility

At that moment, the merchant who had just escaped from the pursuers arrived here, panting heavily. He hurriedly stepped forward to mediate the conflict and said to the two men in black, "Thank you both for saving my life."

Then he introduced that person: "This is the local pavilion chief of Huyang, the reinforcements I found. Chief, it was here that those bandits lay in ambush and attacked me..."

Thus, there were deserters and the deceased, and in the legal code of the Qin state, such individuals had already become synonymous with the dead and slaves

The burly man with a twisted beard said with an expression that resembled both crying and laughing: "After you escort me to the authorities, if you receive a reward, you must let me have a glance and touch it! Let me know that I am truly worth that much money!"

Who would have thought that you would find the experience on the battlefield to be anything but delightful

I truly cannot bear it

Now Heifu must be feeling quite pleased, for if everything goes as Ji Ying has said, he will transform from a poor scholar with nothing to a wealthy individual in the Qin state with ten thousand yuan

Heihei, however, does not think so: "Thanks to you restraining a thief, otherwise if the four had rushed at me, I would have been a corpse by the roadside at this moment"

"I do not know, I only know that the thief has been captured by me." Hei Fu stood his ground unwaveringly

However, he then noticed the eager gaze that Ji Ying directed towards the three thieves, and a thought flashed through his mind, so he smiled and said: "Ji Ying, you are mistaken."

The situation for Heifu in the dark passage was dire. Indeed, at that moment, those armed individuals also arrived one after another. There were more than four of them, surrounding Heifu and his companion with their bows and weapons aimed at them

Heifu quickly helped him up. In Heifu's view, although Ji Ying was somewhat lacking in skill and tended to talk too much, he was a decent person, especially since he did not run away when faced with difficulties. Therefore, Heifu felt that this friend was worth having; gaining his promise might indeed prove useful in the future

Pavilion Chief

It makes sense. The black man nodded; although he felt a sense of sorrow akin to that of a rabbit mourning a dead fox, the matter concerned his own future and survival, leaving no room for compassion. He had no choice but to use these few individuals as stepping stones for his own wealth and status

Moreover, an innocent man bears the burden of possessing a treasure. The black servant, having received such a substantial reward, felt somewhat uneasy. Relying solely on himself, he could not keep watch over three individuals at once; it would be better to have multiple accomplices to escort the thief together. After all, even if one person were removed, the remaining two could still secure him a reward of over 16,000 coins, which is quite sufficient.

Ji Ying was furious, and he kicked him hard, scolding, "Thief, what is there to laugh about!"

Heihei silently thought of the historical Heihei brothers, perhaps with just a moment's thought, they would meet the same fate as this person

"Brave man, pavilion chief... misunderstanding, misunderstanding."

You all say, when one is a soldier, one is as insignificant as grass, worth nothing; yet when one becomes a thief or a bandit, one's value doubles. Is it not amusing?

In the State of Qin, once you flee, you can never return to being a soldier, nor can you go back to your hometown. Even if you do return, your parents and brothers would have long been punished together. The voice of the burly man lowered as he recounted the story of how he was forced to become a bandit