Chapter 4, The Total Health of Three Stones

Oh... I see. Du Lide said, "The Lord is indeed thoughtful; no matter how fast I ride, I cannot catch up to the vastness of your heart."

Doolittle flattered, saying: "Your Excellency is indeed very experienced"

Kang Sanshi, caught between laughter and tears, said: "You fool, get up quickly, what is the matter?"

Du Lide said: "Not at all, before I reported the news, I had already inquired thoroughly. This person is named Cao Yue, from Taojia Village in Anlexiang. He is the only son of the old boatman Cao, and his mother died during childbirth. Since his birth, he has been somewhat dull and foolish. Three months ago, this fool fell into the river, and after being rescued, his foolishness suddenly disappeared. He even claimed that the Erlang God possessed him and drove away evil spirits, and everyone started calling him Cao Erlang. A month ago, this Cao Erlang went into the mountains to hunt and caught a leopard. Do you remember this?"

I am Cao Yue." Cao Yue was also observing Kang Sanshi, who was in his forties, with a robust and tall physique resembling that of a tiger or bear. He wore a light-colored green military jacket and had a helmet on his head, indicating that he was likely an eighth-rank green military officer.

Kang Sanshi said: "General Wei dislikes others taking over his duties the most, do you know that?"

"Yes, it would be best if that bastard were infuriated to death," Du Lide continued.

The guard captain nervously raised his spear and shouted at Cao Yue, "Who are you? What is going on? Why are there only dead bodies? You, you, you... stop right there, don't come any closer!" The other soldiers of the Green Camp also drew their swords or raised their red tassel spears to aim at him, and even the main gate was closed.

Kang Sanshi patted the bed board and burst into laughter, saying: "Good! Good! Good! Take me to see Ma Zifang! And that brave man, haha, haha, I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Ma Tai Sui, today is your day, I will make sure you have no descendants!" Du Lide quickly assisted Kang Sanshi in putting on his clothes and armor. Kang Sanshi waved his hand to dismiss the father and daughter who were singing, saying: "If Ma Tai Sui finds out that his son has been captured, he will surely go mad! I just want to see how he goes mad!"

"Yes, my lord." After Du Lide arranged for Cao Yue, he hurried back to Kang Sanshi's side, perplexed, and said: "My lord, why report this matter to Lord Gao? Would it not be better for you to report directly to the governor..."

When Cao Yue arrived at the West City Gate of Tongguan County, he was immediately surrounded by the Green Camp soldiers stationed there. Who could remain indifferent upon seeing a pile of corpses

Kang Sanshi laughed heartily and said: "This brave man, I will send someone to request a reward from the esteemed Governor Gao of the Daizi Camp for you. It is getting late, Du Lide, take him to rest for a while"

Cao Yue was startled to see a gun barrel protruding from the city gate, realizing that there was actually a quick-draw gun!

Kang Sanshi smiled and said, "In this vast world, there is nothing that is not strange; perhaps a fool can truly become wise."

Kang Sanshi stroked his small mustache and said, "It seems this foolish young man is quite brave; if he could be of use to me, that would be quite good"

Cao Yuedao: "I would not dare to deceive you, my lord"

"Your mouth..." Kang Sanshi chuckled with satisfaction, "I wonder if Cao Yue can be of use to me."

A few "temporary workers" locked outside the city gate peered in with sticks in hand, whispering to each other: "That really is the Red-headed Ghost of Taiping Ma. I know that kid, he's Quick-legged Ma San, a scout for Taiping Ma."

Indeed, he is a remarkable man, Kang Sanshi thought to himself, solidifying his intention to recruit him as a subordinate, and then he clasped his hands and said: "This valiant warrior, could it be that you are Cao Yue, the Second Master Cao?"

Doolittle said: "Exactly."

Upon witnessing this, Cao Yue was both amused and exasperated. Here he was, single-handedly carrying a pile of corpses, scaring the Qing soldiers to such an extent. No wonder he was beaten to a pulp when he encountered foreign forces. He did not even glance at the group of "temporary workers" among the Qing soldiers, but raised his head and loudly addressed the green-clad Qing soldiers peering over the city gate: "I am Cao Yue from Anle Township, known as Cao Erlang. I am not a bandit, so please do not misunderstand."

Damn it! Dog official! If you want to kill, then kill; if you want to flay, then flay! Ma Zifang realized that he had fallen into the hands of Kang Sanshi and thought to himself that he was doomed. Kang Sanshi had a younger brother named Kang Sibing. Ten years ago, his father, Ma Taisui, captured Kang Sibing during a battle against the Qing army. To intimidate the imperial troops, he flayed Kang Sibing alive on Taiping Mountain, which led to a deep-seated enmity with Kang Sanshi. Since he had fallen into his hands, there was no hope of survival. Ma Zifang decided to throw caution to the wind, provoking him to kill him, so as to avoid being subjected to his brutal revenge.

At present, the camp commander Kang Sanshi was squinting his eyes, nestled in a reclining chair, listening to a Qin opera tune. In front of him was a father-daughter duo performing, who had come from Xianyang. Unable to make a living at home, they planned to travel to Henan, performing along the way to survive. The young girl’s singing was melodious and enchanting, her voice like a oriole, swirling around his ears and lingering in his mind. If it weren't for her rather unappealing appearance, Kang Sanshi would have considered taking her as a concubine.

The two of them chatted all the way to the training ground, where they saw four corpses lying side by side on the ground. Additionally, a pale-faced bandit was tied to a hitching post, with one of his hands severed. A Qing soldier introduced him as Ma Zifang.

"Report! Sir!" The guard Ma Biandu Lide rushed in without even knocking on the door, but accidentally tripped over the threshold, rolling on the ground for a few circles until he ended up at Kang Sanshi's feet. The girl who was singing also stopped and began to laugh at the unfortunate guard.

Unexpectedly, Kang Sanshi did not become angry; he saw through Ma Zifang's tricks and merely smiled, seemingly indifferent as if this person were not his great enemy at all

Who can say otherwise, sigh... Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be a hero

It seems that whether in ancient times or modern times, it is always the "temporary workers" who suffer when something goes wrong

"You single-handedly took down four bandits?" asked Kang Sanshi, the commander of the Green Standard Army's front camp, with a smile.

Doolittle immediately said: "My lord, do you wish to subdue him?"

Kang Sanshi carefully looked at Ma Zifang and nodded, saying: "This kid really looks exactly like his father; there is no doubt they are father and son. I could recognize your father even if he turned to ashes. Ten years ago, I had a confrontation with your father and let him escape. I never expected that ten years later, you would fall into my hands."

Du Lide hurriedly said: "Your Excellency is wise and knowledgeable, while I have only been looking at the sky from the bottom of a well."

Cao Yue felt that the way he looked at himself was strange, and he felt a bit uncomfortable, so he said again: "My lord, actually I used a flying knife for the sneak attack, so it doesn't count. They only paid attention to my kitchen knife, but didn't notice my flying knife"

Kang Sanshi was suddenly excited as he grabbed Dulide's shoulder, laughing maniacally: "Capture alive? But capture alive?"

"Excellent martial skills, excellent martial skills," praised Kang Sanshi. He looked closely at Cao Yue, whose bright and spirited eyes revealed no trace of his former foolishness.

There are many heroes in our Great Qing, and General Kang is one of them

Kang Sanshi stroked his beard and said: "These days are becoming increasingly unsettled, and I lack a few capable hands around me. This young man surnamed Cao was able to capture Mataisu's son with just a kitchen knife, which shows that he indeed possesses exceptional skills"

Cao Yue then shouted, "Brothers upstairs, please raise your gun barrels a bit higher, don't accidentally shoot and hurt innocent people. You all see these corpses, right? They are the subordinates of the notorious bandit Ma Tai Sui from Taiping Mountain, and I killed them all by myself. This guy with the severed hand in front of me is Ma Tai Sui's only son, Ma Zi Fang! I captured him! I am here today to claim my reward from the county magistrate and the garrison commander, so hurry up and report this. If you delay, the garrison commander will have your heads!"

Kang Sanshi shook his head and said: "One can surpass Gao Ying, but cannot surpass General Wei."

"It is a live capture, my lord," said Doolittle

The crowd began to discuss fervently, their gazes towards the formidable warrior filled with both respect and pity, as the fate of Tai Ping Ma left them with lingering fears. This Tai Ping Ma was known to kill entire families for the sake of a subordinate, and with the news of his only son being captured, it was feared that Tai Ping Ma would surely go mad.

Kang Sanshi stroked his beard and remarked, "You are indeed very honest; I can see that these few individuals were all struck in vital areas by flying daggers and then had their heads severed by you"

Du Lide said: "The bravery is indeed remarkable, but the possession by the Erlang God is simply too bizarre. This is the first time we have heard in the Great Qing Dynasty that a fool can become wise. I do not believe it; do you, my lord?"

Kang Sanshi recalled the bribe he had given to Gao Ying and nodded, saying: "So it was purchased from him; this warrior is quite formidable, able to capture a leopard alive"

The several Qing soldiers outside the door turned around and were instantly dumbfounded, holding their red tassel spears and retreating repeatedly, asking, "Who are you? What... what do you want to do?" It was indeed unfortunate for these Qing soldiers, as the regular Green Camp soldiers who were supposed to guard the gate had gone to the casino to play leaf games. These few Green Camp soldiers were merely hired "temporary workers." The Qing soldiers at the city gate, upon seeing Cao Yue, mistakenly thought he was a scout for bandits, and immediately disregarded the danger posed by the "temporary workers" and opened the main gate.

Kang Sanshi sat up from the bed, his eyes wide with surprise, and asked, "Is it true? They have captured the son of Mathews?"

Dulide replied: "Indeed, that brave man killed four bandits with just a kitchen knife and captured Ma Zifang alive. This cannot be false; no one would deceive the adults about this matter."

How do you know

"He was caught with the reward for the picture book, why didn't you catch him?"

In that case, isn't this Cao warrior in danger

Matthew's only son, Ma Zifang, was captured by a strong man, Du Lide said

Dulide hurriedly asked, "Aren't you one of General Wei's men? How..."

Who doesn't know? This fellow loves to frequent brothels and has a loose tongue. If it weren't for the fact that he is a scout for the Taiping Army, everyone would have long since captured him and brought him before the authorities

Du Lide said: "Those who are close to vermilion become red; by following the adults, the young naturally learn and grow quickly"

The Qing soldiers of the Green Camp at the pass could hardly believe it. After some mutual deflection, an old soldier immediately descended along the rope from the city gate. Upon inspection, he discovered that it was indeed the bandits from Taiping Mountain, and he shouted: "They are truly the bandits! The bandits from Taiping Mountain! The red-headed ghosts of Taiping Mountain!"

Kang Sanshi smiled and said, "No worries, no worries, your knowledge has greatly improved recently"

Kang Sanshi shook his head with a disdainful smile, no longer paying attention to Ma Zifang, and turned to walk over to a burly man surrounded by onlookers. Upon closer inspection, Kang Sanshi was instantly filled with joy. This burly man resembled the ancient warrior E Lai, standing at eight feet tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist. He held a kitchen knife in one hand and had a short gun tucked behind his waist. His dark blue coat was splattered with the blood of bandits, yet he appeared calm and unafraid under the gaze of the crowd.

Kang Sanshi smiled, but there was a hint of reluctance in his smile

Are you foolish? Do you know how formidable the Taiping Horse is? The younger brother of General Kang, the greatest warrior of Tongguan, was skinned by the Taiping Horse. A few years ago, someone reported, and a bandit who was returning home to care for his sick father was captured. A month later, his entire family was skinned and had their tendons pulled out overnight.

Cao Yuedao: "All five of them are mounted on their horses. If I were to charge at them foolishly without a sneak attack, I would have been chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs long ago"

Kang Sanshi said: "Xiao Du, do you know who the brave man that captured Mazifang is? Is it a rebellion led by Mataisu's subordinates?"