xymnovel Chapter 74 Identity Exposed?
Chapter 74 Identity Exposed?
Looking at Li Chong's familiar face, Deng Meng silently made plans in his mind.
After a long silence, he slowly lowered his head: "What do you want to know? Old Du's whereabouts?"
Li Chong breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally scared Deng Meng. All the miscellaneous knowledge he had learned in modern times hadn't been for nothing.
If he hadn't seen those things, how could he have described the details of biting his tongue and committing suicide in such detail?
If he can't scare Deng Meng, he might not give in so easily.
"Answer me first, why did Du Heng go down the mountain ahead of schedule?"
Deng Meng was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I sent him down the mountain to scout the terrain and ambush the soldiers who entered the mountain. However, since you were able to reach the top of the mountain, I suppose those soldiers outside the mountain are just a diversion."
"It's not entirely a feint," Li Chong slowly shook his head.
Li Chong got up and paced back and forth, pondering to himself.
Thanks to Cui Shi's deception, the soldiers composed of yamen runners and archers were indeed impressive enough, but Li Chong knew very well that they were all just for show.
If they were ambushed on the way, even if they outnumbered the bandits, they would probably scatter in a panic.
Not to mention that if Choi Si is exposed and others discover that Lee Chong is not in the group, morale will likely crumble even faster.
Even if Du Heng only took some of the bandits with him, those government troops would not be a match for him.
After all, they had entered the mountains unknowingly because of his scheme, and if possible, Li Chong did not want innocent people to die because of him.
Therefore, whether it's to nip the problem in the bud or to save the lives of those officers and soldiers, we must act as soon as possible.
"How many men did Du Heng bring? Which route did they take down the mountain?" Li Chong pressed.
Now that Deng Meng had spoken, he naturally wouldn't hide anything anymore. He said dejectedly, "There are dozens of brothers who came down the mountain from the main gate of the village."
Li Chong looked at Zhong Mei, who nodded seriously: "I know the way."
"very good."
Relieved, Li Chong continued to press, "Do you have any informants in Yanggu County? Also, what's your relationship with that old bastard Zhu Zhicheng?"
"You knew that too? Didn't you just arrive in Yanggu?"
Deng Meng couldn't help but ask a question in return.
Li Chong stared at him seriously: "Now I'm asking you a question!"
Avoiding Li Chong's gaze, Deng Meng lowered his head and said, "There are a few informants in the county, Wang Dalang who sells pancakes on West Street, and on East Street..."
After clearly explaining his spies in Yanggu, Deng Meng also explained their relationship with Zhu Zhicheng.
Originally, Zhu Zhicheng and Zhong Mei's father knew each other, and their families had a past relationship.
After Zhong Tieshan fled into the mountains, he was in dire need of supplies, so he went to find Zhu Zhicheng. The two agreed on a deal, with the Zhu family making a profit from the difference.
But gradually, Zhu Zhicheng became dissatisfied with this small amount of money; he wanted to build a larger family business for himself.
So Zhu Zhicheng contacted Zhong Tieshan, wanting him to lead men down the mountain to rob, preferably killing a few households and kidnapping some people.
Afterwards, by virtue of their son working in the government, the Zhu family was able to take the opportunity to acquire land and then seemingly generously provide relief to a few poor families, which naturally earned them widespread praise in the countryside.
But Zhong Tieshan was also from Yanggu, so how could he be willing to do something that would bring disaster to his hometown? Naturally, he resolutely refused.
After several attempts, Zhu Zhicheng bypassed Zhong Tieshan and found Du Heng and Deng Meng.
They had committed a capital crime and joined the gang in order to escape the government's pursuit. Zhong Tieshan saw that they were somewhat strong, so he let them stay.
Zhong Tieshan didn't rob people easily. Even when he did, he would make them pay a toll and then release them.
How could such stingy behavior satisfy these bandits?
Zhu Zhicheng offered Du Heng and Deng Meng generous rewards, promising them plenty of money as long as they helped him.
The two were not good people to begin with, and now that there was profit to be made, they naturally wouldn't hesitate.
So, after Zhong Tieshan fell ill, the two of them took action, killing him and seizing the mountain in one swift motion.
Later, he even collaborated with Zhu Zhicheng and made a lot of money. Most of the women were abducted from the foot of the mountain for his sexual pleasure.
These days, what's faster than robbing someone to honestly farm and support themselves?
So, after killing their elder brother, the two quickly stabilized the stronghold and became the eldest and second eldest, a position they hold to this day.
"I killed that old dog!"
Zhong Mei stood up abruptly, drew her sword, and walked outside.
Li Chong quickly grabbed her: "Where are you going?"
Zhong Mei, her eyes red, glared at Li Chong: "I killed that bastard surnamed Zhu! My father even said he helped us a lot; I even wanted his help when I escaped down the mountain. I thought he was just afraid of retaliation and that's why he refused to help me, but I never imagined he was the one who killed my father!"
"I swear I will not rest until I kill him!"
As she spoke, Zhong Mei struggled fiercely, trying to break free from Li Chong.
"Calm down!" Li Chong shouted. "We're in the mountains now. Are you going to run back to Yanggu and go to your death alone?"
"I...I..."
With furrowed brows and clenched teeth, her eyes reddening, she was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a while, a "clang" sounded, and Zhong Mei loosened his grip, causing the long sword to fall to the ground.
"My... my father... he was murdered at the instigation of his own friends. It's a complete joke." Zhong Mei laughed bitterly and collapsed to the ground.
Li Chong sighed with pity, helped Zhong Mei to sit down, and asked the women who had changed their clothes to take good care of her.
Seeing that Zhong Mei's emotions had stabilized, Li Chong felt a little relieved and went to Deng Meng's side again.
"Is there anything else you want to say? The more you say, the better your treatment will be before you die. Anyway, we're all going to die. As long as you cooperate, I guarantee you can have plenty of meat and fish every day. It won't cost much."
Li Chong wanted to see what Deng Meng could reveal.
Deng Meng turned his gaze away from Zhong Mei in the distance and stared intently at Li Chong, then suddenly grinned.
"Magistrate? I do have something to say, but I'm afraid you won't dare to listen."
"Hmph." Li Chong chuckled lightly, squatted down, and said, "Tell me your story."
Looking at Deng Meng's expression, Li Chong knew that he did indeed have some skill.
Deng Meng looked back at Li Chong and said softly, "Half a month ago, I led a group down the mountain to rob someone. After we stopped the group and killed some people, I realized that I had stopped the group of a county magistrate who was about to take office. And coincidentally, that person looked exactly like you, Magistrate."
"Really?" Li Chong's expression remained unchanged. "Is there really such a coincidence in the world?"
Seeing that Li Chong remained unmoved, Deng Meng became somewhat anxious. After all, his life and death were in the hands of others, and although he was crippled, he still wanted to live.
"Stop pretending! You're young, but you've got guts to impersonate an official. If word gets out, you'll be in even worse shape than me!"
Li Chong raised an eyebrow: "But who would believe a bandit? I am a high-ranking official of the imperial court; surely I can't just believe anyone who says I'm an imposter?"