Chapter 6, The Bandits Enter the City

Cao Yue sighed, "Thank you, Lord Kang. I did not expect him to be such a person who clearly distinguishes between恩 and怨."

Cao Yue retorted, "What instructions do you have, my lord?"

Wang Dali thought for a moment and said, "Sir, if I were him, I would escape with my family"

Cao Yue laughed heartily and said: "Come to my house for drinks tomorrow night. Zhu San, isn't your brother-in-law in the liquor business? Have him bring four jars of strong liquor. Everyone come to my house for drinks tomorrow, and we won't return until we're drunk."

"Father, you are right," said Cao Yue. The old man Cao, who was still indistinguishable in the crowd, might not be recognized by the bandits, let alone be noticed by them. At this moment, the customers in the noodle shop had long since fled in fear, and even the shopkeeper was so frightened that he did not know where to hide. This was the first time that the bandit leader had taken people into the town during the day.

Da da da, da da da, da da da

Second brother has returned

"Such a brave warrior, how I long to share a drink and celebrate! I do not know when we will meet again, and my heart is filled with regret, filled with regret indeed," sighed Kang Sanshi.

Why

When Cao Yue returned home, it was already dark. As soon as he entered the village, several idle men immediately greeted him with smiles, saying: "It's the second brother who has returned!"

"He has caught a wolf cub," Kang Sanshi said with a hearty laugh as he stroked his beard. "From my understanding of Mattaisui, the old wolf would love nothing more than to devour his flesh and drink his blood. In the entire Tongguan, who but I can protect him?"

Wang Dali said apologetically, "My subordinate excels in military training"

He walked over to wrap the silver in red silk, carefully tied it up, and then slung it over his back, saying: "My lord, the commoner has finished receiving the reward, and will return to the village now"

General Du, what is the matter

Cao Yue nodded cautiously. He had managed to deal with a few bandits, but judging by the sounds, at least seventy or eighty bandits were approaching. Unless he had a Gatling gun, he would surely be turned into minced meat. He immediately touched the throwing knife at his waist and said, "Father, I can escape, but you cannot. I will protect you; you should hide first"

"Cao Zhuangshi," Du Lide said while bending over in his saddle, "here are the five hundred taels of silver that Lord Kang has given you"

Kang Sanshi retorted, "Escape? Where to escape? Wherever Cao Yue runs, Ma Tai Sui will chase him there. If Ma Tai Sui were to leave Shaanxi Province, then no one in southern Shaanxi would dare to cause trouble. I have fought with Ma Tai Sui for ten years; this old fellow is becoming more and more skilled. I never expected that Zhang Erlang would accidentally capture his only son. Ma Tai Sui is bound to go mad. I am just waiting for Ma Tai Sui to go mad..." His expression suddenly changed. I have fought with Ma Tai Sui for ten years; this old fellow is becoming more and more skilled. I never expected that Zhang Erlang would accidentally capture his only son. Ma Tai Sui is bound to go mad. I am just waiting for Ma Tai Sui to go mad..." His expression suddenly changed, and he said coldly, "Ten years ago, he flayed my fourth brother alive; I must take revenge for this grudge. Four cakes, four cakes!"

"How do you compare with him?" asked Kang Sanshi.

Dulide laughed and said: "You may not know the enmity between Lord Kang and Mat Tai Sui, but you will come to know it. You have captured Ma Zifang, which is a great revenge for Lord Kang. It is not convenient for Lord Kang to express his gratitude to you with silver in the camp, so he asked me to catch up with you and hand it over after you leave the military camp. Lord Kang said that in the future, no matter what difficulties you encounter, as long as he can help, he will definitely lend a hand"

Cao Yuedao: "Forget it, those four horses were also taken by me."

Second brother, I saw Old Man Cao leading a tall horse, it was truly impressive

Kang Sanshi smiled slightly and said, "Has the hero already left this hetushu.com?"

Old man Cao shook his head and said: "I am already half-buried in the ground, what is there to fear? My son, you should run quickly. They may not recognize this old fool, but they might recognize you. Even if they do not know you, seeing your tall and strong stature will surely raise their suspicions."

Dulide shook his head and said, "What belongs to you is yours; Lord Kang would never take it away from you." Cao Yue felt a slight touch of emotion in his heart. If it were not for his intention to seek refuge with Yuan Shikai in Tianjin, he would definitely have turned to Kang Sanshi based on his character. Dulide waved goodbye to him, turned, and rode away. Cao Yue hesitated for a moment in his heart but ultimately decided to return home first.

It is said that money can make the devil push the mill. Cao Yue spent fifty taels of silver, and the doctor immediately prescribed a lot of medicine, advising, "This medicine will surely cure you within three months. Your father's illness is not serious; he just needs to avoid meat, fish, and alcohol."

Someone on the sidewalk said: "Zhu San, if your brother-in-law dares to fool Er Ge with watered-down wine, everyone will definitely break your legs"

Second brother, when will you take us hunting? Going with you will definitely lead to some excitement.

Such an obvious attempt at solicitation was something even Cao Yue, no matter how foolish, could discern. However, he had long since resolved to align himself with Yuan Shikai and had no desire to linger in the Green Camp. Therefore, Cao Yue merely expressed his gratitude for Kang Sanshi's overtures, bowing deeply and saying: "Your Excellency's kindness, Cao Baichuan will remember. Once I have settled my family, I will immediately seek to join you."

Two people were happily eating lamb paomo at a small shop under the big stone bridge in the countryside when suddenly they felt a tremor, as if an earthquake had struck. A large group of people came rushing over, and someone shouted: "Not good, the Horse God is coming, oh no, the Horse God is coming!"

"What? Lord Kang..." Cao Yue was utterly perplexed.

Kang Sanshi smiled faintly and said: "Now we shall see the fortune of this young man."

The weight of five hundred taels of silver is equivalent to twenty kilograms in later generations, which is also forty market jin. Such a substantial amount of silver is indeed not a small sum to carry on one's person. Regardless of who it is, being able to produce five hundred taels of silver in one night indicates considerable capability. Of course, what surprised Cao Yue even more was that this silver was issued by General Kang, and General Kang did not take any for himself, surprisingly giving it all to him.

"No one does not love money; those who do not love money are fools," Kang Sanshi said earnestly. "However, I will absolutely not touch wealth that should not be coveted."

As soon as Cao Yue left, the sentry chief Wang Dali approached Kang Sanshi and exclaimed, "My lord, this man possesses remarkable martial skills; why not keep him here?"

Coincidentally, Kang Sanshi formed a new personal guard two months ago, and every member of this guard is an exceptional talent, with Hao Baozi being the most skilled among them. However, even Hao Baozi was defeated by Cao Yue, which made Kang Sanshi value this individual even more. He confidently stated: "Dali, this kid is a fierce soldier, but I am not in a hurry to recruit him; he will eventually be mine, he won't go far."

Cao Yue walked out of the military camp and suddenly remembered that the four warhorses he had seized had been taken away by the Green Camp. Was he really going to return with twenty kilograms of silver?

What? Cao Yue was taken aback. What does Lord Kang mean by this? Could it be that this five hundred taels of silver has already been exploited by him?

Decades later, whether it is the Anhui faction, the Direct line, or the Fengtian faction, they are all bound by local ties. If one wishes to stand out, it is inevitable to rely on these local connections to gather a group of loyal supporters. Will these individuals be the foundation for one's future success?

Cao Yue, seeing the other party's sincere gaze, immediately clasped his hands and bowed, saying: "I admire you!"

It must be coming for me, Cao Yue thought to himself

Cao Yue gritted his teeth and said, "Father, please be careful. I will take my leave first"

Wang Dali said: "I do not know how Matzuo will treat him; I hope he realizes it soon and seeks refuge with the great person."

Cao Yue sensed concern and appreciation for talent in Kang Sanshi's words, feeling somewhat moved in his heart, and thus cupped his hands in salute, saying: "Thank you, my lord, you are an officer who is not greedy for wealth"

"It's settled with a word," Kang Sanshi said, stroking his beard and smiling

Kang Sanshi smiled faintly, while Wang Dali was indeed an honest man. When he said he was skilled in training troops, he meant that in terms of personal bravery, he was certainly no match for Cao Yue.

You are ... ...

Cao Yue waved his hand, and the group of people dispersed in a rush, returning to the dilapidated Cao family house at the west end of the village in a donkey cart. Upon seeing his son return, the old man Cao was overjoyed, and when he noticed that his son had brought back rice, flour, oil, meat, and silver, he couldn't stop smiling, repeatedly saying that he had raised a good son, that heaven had opened its eyes, and that he had not raised him in vain for eighteen years

Zhu San scratched his head, feeling embarrassed, and said: "How could that be? How could that be? My brother-in-law wouldn't deceive his own family."

Dulide threw him a cloth bag, which Cao Yue caught with both hands. It felt heavy and substantial; could it be silver?

The glistening white rice and fragrant lamb, along with some liquor, significantly improved the health of Old Man Zhang, and his complexion became much rosier. The next day, Cao Yue took out two taels of silver and gave it to Zhu San's brother-in-law. Zhu San's brother-in-law, accompanied by several young men, immediately rushed to Anle Township to buy a large quantity of wine, meat, and steamed buns to bring back. In the evening, more than a dozen young men gathered at Cao Yue's home for a hearty feast, all expressing that as long as Brother Cao Er needed them to do anything in the future, they would definitely not hold back. Cao Yue looked at these people, pondering whether they would be the foundation of his future success.

Kang Sanshi laughed heartily and said, "You are mistaken; I am greedy for wealth"

More than a dozen bandits wearing red cloth headbands can already be seen darting around the streets of Anle Township. Some timid individuals are trembling in fear, crouching on the ground and shouting pleas for mercy. Old man Cao pushes Cao Yue aside and says, "Hurry up, hurry!"

Suddenly, I saw the horseman Du Lide, riding after Kang Sanshi, calling out: "Cao warrior, please hold on, Cao warrior, please hold on."

Suddenly, people were so frightened that they were in disarray. Old man Cao said in fear, "It's over, it's over, Mat Tai Sui must be here to take revenge on you. My child, hurry and run away."

"Why do adults say that?" Wang Dali asked

Dulide

Du Lide said: "The four horses you brought have been taken away by General Gao, but General Gao did not say anything. We, Lord Kang, also cannot make decisions on our own. After General Gao returns from Xi'an, you can discuss the payment for your horses with him."

In Anle Township, there is a renowned doctor who specializes in treating lung diseases, although his fees are somewhat high. After recuperating for two days, Old Man Cao's health improved slightly, and Cao Yue took him to Anle Township to see that doctor for his lung condition

Cao Yuexian hired a donkey cart and then purchased rice, flour, oil, and meat in the town of Tongguan, loading them onto the cart before heading back to Taojia Village in Anle Township

The sun shines warmly upon them, and the father and son exchange a smile, feeling that life is getting better and better.

"Thank you, Doctor Xie." Cao Yue said with a cupped fist salute, and then took his father away from the clinic