Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Three

"Strategist! What do you mean by this?" Liao Qiniang asked coldly.

"Chief, as long as you tell Magistrate Gu where the lost military provisions are hidden, Magistrate Gu will let the brothers of the stronghold go. What is so good about imperial amnesty? Once amnestied, the government will still view us as bandits, and the brothers will never have a good life," the Strategist persuaded.

The Strategist had used the pretense of making peace and agreeing to Qin Haizhou's offer of amnesty to lure Liao Qiniang down the mountain. Although Yang Yaozong had his doubts, he, along with Yin Ruyun and Dull Bear, had accompanied Liao Qiniang down to see the Strategist.

Upon returning to the stronghold once again, Liao Qiniang was surprised to see that Gu Youning was also present in the hall, sitting securely in a chair and sipping tea, eyeing her and the others as they walked in.

Although the Strategist was taken aback by the appearance of Yang Yaozong and Yin Ruyun—whom he had never seen before—this was not the time for investigation; he merely looked at Yang Yaozong with a mixture of suspicion and careful scrutiny for a brief moment.

"Liao Qiniang, although you are a woman, you are also the chief of this stronghold. Therefore, this official hopes you understand one principle: a wise man submits to circumstances. Only the few of you have come down the mountain today, leaving your brothers guarding the mountaintop. Once I capture you, am I afraid your brothers on the summit will not surrender? With you in hand, I refuse to believe your father will not tell the truth. I have made myself very clear to you, and I am telling you plainly that I am not here to negotiate with you, nor am I afraid of tearing off our polite facade!" Gu Youning said coldly.

As soon as Gu Youning finished speaking, the people in the hall closed in around Liao Qiniang and the others. These people were all Liao Qiniang's former sworn brothers.

"Ever since I became the chief, I dare say I have never done anything to wrong my brothers. I never expected that in return, today my brothers would treat me like this..." Her eyes welled up with anger and sorrow. She fought back her tears, her voice trembling, and even the hand gripping her sword shook incessantly.

Yang Yaozong gently patted Liao Qiniang on the shoulder, then smiled and said to Gu Youning, "Gu... what was your given name again?"

The Strategist frowned as he looked at Yang Yaozong.

The Third Chief leaped forward and shouted, "Yang Guo! You still dare to return! See if I don't hack you to pieces today, you bastard!"

The Strategist reached out to stop the Third Chief and said, "Yang Guo! Now that the stronghold is surrounded by government troops, you have gone to great lengths to return here. Surely you didn't come back just for our chief, did you?"

Liao Qiniang stepped forward and snapped angrily, "Strategist! I have always respected you, treating you not only as the second-in-command but as an elder. Do not sprout such nonsense!"

The Strategist smiled sinisterly. "Chief! I haven't said anything yet; what are you so nervous about? What nonsense have I spoken? The brothers follow you and obey a woman's orders only because you are my eldest brother's wife! To think the brothers couldn't bear to lay a hand on you, yet you go and commit such a shameless act, abducting a man up the mountain! How do you face the deceased chief? How do you face the brothers?!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop! I've barely said a word, and before we've even gotten people's names straight, why are you two already arguing?" Yang Yaozong stepped forward, blocking Liao Qiniang behind him once more.

"Strategist, is it? I reckon you've been eyeing the position of chief for a long time. To be able to endure until now takes some skill. Don't go splashing dirty water on Liao Qiniang. These past years, none of these folks have been blind; everyone has a scale in their hearts regarding how Liao Qiniang treated you. No one is a fool; weigh it for yourselves. But speaking of which, if your former chief could snatch Liao Qiniang to be his wife, why can't she, as the chief, snatch me to be her kept husband?"

"You!" Liao Qiniang flushed crimson, glaring at Yang Yaozong with a frown.

Yang Yaozong gave a light cough and continued, "Strategist, you're a man too; stop playing these petty tricks. I understand you—after all, a mountain bandit who doesn't want to be the chief isn't a good bandit. If you want to be chief, just tell Liao Qiniang directly! Perhaps she hasn't wanted to be the chief for a long time anyway. Something that could have been settled with a few words, you had to turn into a resort to violence! Not only did it ruin the harmony, but it also chilled the hearts of Liao Qiniang and the brothers! If you had stated your ambition openly and honestly, perhaps the brothers would still respect you as a real man. But right now, colluding with that Gu... whatever-his-name-is to frame Liao Qiniang—that is where you are in the wrong."

The Strategist raged, "What kind of thing are you! Where is your place to speak here?"

"Oh!" Yang Yaozong said innocently, "Wasn't it you who dragged me into this? How come I'm not allowed to speak now?"

"Hahaha!" Gu Youning laughed loudly. "What a sharp tongue! I see you're a smart man. As the saying goes, he who knows the times is a brilliant man. You should persuade Liao Qiniang to tell this official what I want to know. Then I will spare your lives and let you enjoy carefree romantic bliss!"

Yang Yaozong sighed. "Not to mention that Liao Qiniang doesn't know where the lost provisions are, even if she did, if she told you, I doubt you'd let us walk out of here alive today."

Gu Youning stared at the utterly fearless Yang Yaozong with a fierce expression. "Then how about I put it another way? If you don't want to die too painfully, you had better confess honestly. How about that?"

Yang Yaozong nodded. "Being a person means being honest! Now that's more like it! Gu... have you ever heard a saying?"

Gu Youning stared coldly at Yang Yaozong.

Yang Yaozong smiled. "If officials don't act as masters for the people, they might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes!"

Dull Bear burst into loud laughter.

Gu Youning said angrily, "You are a pack of mountain bandits! For this official to spare your lives is already an act of supreme mercy."

"Hahaha!" Yang Yaozong laughed heartily. "Bandits are also citizens—subjects of the Great Zhou! General Qin is conducting a grand imperial amnesty right outside the stronghold; do we need you to spare our lives? Mercy? To me, you're just a cat crying over a dead mouse—fake mercy! A way out? The moment you dared to appear here today and ask Liao Qiniang about the missing provisions right to her face, I'll wager you never intended to let a single person here leave alive!"

As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out among all the bandits present. They cast complex glances at Gu Youning.

Gu Youning stammered in panic, "Nonsense! Do not talk rubbish! What this official promises, I will certainly fulfill!"

"A promise? If granting these brothers a way out is your promise, then what promise did you make to the Strategist? Did you guarantee he could become the chief so he can continue colluding with you to ravage the common people? Or did you promise him an official post so he can help you slaughter the brothers and act as your loyal running dog?"

Suspicious gazes from the bandits in the hall all fell upon the Strategist and Gu Youning.

The Strategist roared, "Yang Guo! Stop trying to sow discord between us!"

"Sow discord? Did I? I'm merely analyzing based on the facts," Yang Yaozong said, spreading his hands innocently.

The Strategist pointed a finger at Yang Yaozong and bellowed, "Brothers! Take these four people down! Magistrate Gu will have his own rewards for you!"

The brothers in the hall seemed hesitant and did not immediately move. However, the Sixth Chief, White Ghost, who had always blindly trusted the Strategist, directly drew his blade and charged at Yang Yaozong and the others. With White Ghost taking the lead, quite a few others began rushing toward them as well. (To be continued.)