Chapter Ten: Opportunity Concealed

  Li Mengsheng and Zhao Lianzhu have been in Zhenping County for over half a month. Apart from drinking and playing cards with Tuan Ding, they would accompany Zheng Laoye to chat. Zheng Laoye's intention was to probe into the true nature of Mengsheng and his men, but Mengsheng refused to reveal anything, causing Zheng Laoye to be increasingly suspicious. As the saying goes, "suspicion breeds hidden demons". Mengsheng's attempts to win over Tuan Ding also made Zheng Laoye feel that he had ulterior motives. Therefore, Xiaoliu's surveillance of Mengsheng extended from monitoring his daily movements to knowing what he said to whom. Mengsheng was also extremely displeased in his heart.

  That day, Lian Zhu, who was bored out of his mind, said to Meng Sheng, who was lying on the bed staring blankly: "Missing Ya Jun?"

  "Get out!" Meng Sheng cursed with his eyes closed.

  "It's been ages since we've seen a big girl, now you must be getting excited every time you see a character with the female radical." Lian Zhu continued to tease Meng Sheng.

  "Now we can't talk or move recklessly, haven't you seen that Zheng Nan Cheng has already started to suspect us? He's sent Xiao Liu to follow us like a shadow! For now, we also have nowhere to go, let's take it one step at a time." Meng Sheng lowered his voice again: "Let's wait for an opportunity! I'm reminding you, from now on, be careful with what you say, think before speaking, don't blurt out the truth, and don't tell anyone everything!"

  "I know," Lian Zhu replied.

  Meng Sheng thought for a moment and said, "Yesterday, Old Master Zheng told me that a bandit gang appeared on the north mountain, very ferocious. This bandit gang has already demanded 5,000 silver coins and 10,000 catties of grain from Xixiang County in the south. If they want to go to Zhenping County, Old Master Zheng will never give in, damn it! He's also a former bandit, can he be intimidated by bandits? It might even lead to war."

  "It's not worth risking our lives for this old bandit, is it?" Lian Zhu said.

  "This might be an opportunity," Meng Sheng said thoughtfully.

  At this time, a voice came from outside the door: "Li Tuanzhang!" As he spoke, he had already pushed open the door and entered.

  Meng Sheng lay on the bed motionless and said, "Sixth brother, I was just thinking of going to find you. You've been in Zhenping for so long and still haven't found a girl! Every day cooped up in this small military camp, not even able to see a mother pig, it's really a forgotten corner! Today you must take me to stroll around the brothels of Zhenping, I also want to see some flesh and blood!"

  "Our town is small, with only two families of kilns. That kiln sister is really ugly! I'd rather find a sow than them. If we're going to go, let's go to Xixiang, the girls there are all lively and charming, no wonder it's a big county town!" Little Liu said with a lewd smile.

  "Men are like that, 'use and discard', if you don't use them they'll degenerate and lose their spirit. Let's go to Xixiang County today!" Meng Sheng said.

  "What the...?! I almost forgot what I was supposed to do! Old Master Zheng wants you to go find him, he's got something important to discuss with you. Dammit! You've been too busy thinking about that little girl from Xixiang, hurry up and go! I'm leaving first!" Xiaoliu said as he turned around and walked away.

  Meng Sheng stood up and said to Lian Zhu: "Whatever comes will come, let's go!"

  Meng Sheng and Lian Zhu arrived at the Zheng family residence behind the county government office. Zheng Nancheng was chatting with Xiao Liu, who had arrived earlier, and hurriedly greeted them: "Meng Sheng, Lian Zhu are here! Quick, sit down, sit down!" He hastily ordered the maid to serve tea and pour water.

  "The bandits on Mount Bei have indeed bullied me!" Zheng Nancheng said, handing a letter to Meng Sheng in indignation.

  Meng Sheng took over the letter and unfolded it, seeing that it was written:

  Zhenping County Zheng Lao Ye:

  We are waiting at the northern mountain, where the grass has fallen. There are many people and a lack of food, firewood is scarce and the fire is cold. We heard that Lord Zheng was originally from the Green Forest faction, so we hope you will provide us with 10,000 catties of wood and 10,000 silver coins. On the tenth day at noon, please send them to the north gate of the city by the Jin Yin River. If the correct amount of wood and silver is not seen on time, within three days we will attack the city, and on the day the city falls, it will be the day Lord Zheng dies. This tragic event is something all brothers do not want to happen, so we hope Lord Zheng will follow our instructions and act accordingly.

  Meng Sheng took a look at the signature and saw that it was "Bei Shan Wang". He smiled and said, "You call yourself a king, how arrogant!"

  Mr. Zheng said, "If we indulge these villains slightly, they will become a source of trouble in the future. Eradicating bandits and maintaining peace is my responsibility as well as that of the security team. What's your brilliant idea, young brother?"

  "Looking at this letter, the writing is quite fluent and doesn't seem like that of an ordinary bandit. He dares to openly threaten to attack the city and even informs us of the time, his audacity is no less than that of a warlord who relies on his own military strength. This does not bode well!" Meng Sheng said.

  "They don't seem like ordinary bandits, ordinary bandits would want money and guns and ammunition, but this group of bandits doesn't want military supplies, it seems they have no shortage of weapons. Alas! It's really puzzling." Old Master Zheng sighed.

  "Today is the seventh day, and there are still three days of preparation time. What does Master Zheng plan to do?" Meng Sheng said.

  "I am determined to crack down on this bandit gang, but I have already given the order that the merchants who want to be safe should pay a total of 200,000 silver dollars and 10,000 kilograms of charcoal. Hehe, we will defeat this bandit gang, and this money will be ours." Zheng Lao Ye said with a greedy smile.

  Meng Sheng cursed under his breath, "Wanting money but not lives," and said: "Old Master is right, to survive one must not fear death, and only the skilled in battle can speak of peace. However, this bandit gang's demand for ransom is so great that all surrounding counties have been harassed, and they are all intimidated into paying up, I'm afraid the bandits have something to rely on. I still don't have confidence in the combat ability of the security team, and in the past few days, I haven't seen any training formations or marksmanship exercises, Sixth Brother has been holding onto the key to the armory, and has never let me see the weapons equipment, after a long time, the performance of the ammunition is also unknown, once the battle starts, I'm afraid it will be a rout." Meng Sheng pretended to look worried.

  "There are many brothers in the team who also come from the green forest, fierce and powerful. Although they may not be able to adapt to the coordinated combat of the entire team, as long as they are deployed properly, they will still make up for each other's weaknesses! Looking at your skills and style, you must be a unique figure in the Northwestern Army. As the saying goes, 'a strong general has no weak soldiers', so arrange and deploy them as you see fit. Xiaoliu will open the arsenal today, take a look and use whatever you want." Zheng Nan Cheng had decided to make Meng Sheng his scapegoat.

  "Alright! Master doesn't mind that I, Meng Sheng, am foolish and dull, so I should repay him with my life!" Meng Sheng said in a reluctant tone. In his heart, he had already planned to take advantage of this opportunity to firmly grasp the gun handle in his own hands.

  "Good! I didn't misjudge you! Young brother is indeed a reliable person!" Zheng Nan Cheng said with excitement.

  "If you know yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles. I plan to go to Beishan to investigate, to see the number of bandits and their equipment, so as to have an advantage in deploying troops. Meng Sheng also had some worries, if the bandit force is too strong, it would be hard to resist, he might take this opportunity to escape, giving his life for Zheng Nan Cheng was indeed not what he wanted."

  Meng Sheng looked at Xiao Liu and said with a deliberate tone: "As the leader of our group, it's not convenient for me to go scouting personally. Why don't you take a trip instead, Sixth Brother?"

  As soon as he heard that he had to sneak into the bandit's lair himself, his legs were already trembling with fear. He hastily said: "No, no, brother, I have a disability in my leg and it's not convenient for me to move around. If I'm discovered, I won't even be able to run!" His voice was already shaking with tears, and he looked at Zheng Nan Cheng with pleading eyes.

  Zheng Nan Cheng was also unwilling to let his trusted aide take risks, and after a moment's hesitation, he scolded: "Xiao Liu is not worthy of being a disciple! I've wasted my efforts in cultivating you! At the critical moment, you retreat! If it weren't for our long-standing relationship, you would have been eliminated long ago!... Alas, if someone else were to go and investigate, they might not be able to describe things clearly and would likely miss the opportunity. Meng Sheng and Lian Zhu brothers are highly skilled in martial arts and clever, even if they were to take a walk, nothing would happen to them. I'll have to trouble you two brothers instead!"

  Meng Sheng reluctantly agreed, "Alright... Tonight, Lian Zhu and I will go investigate. Also, please ask Liu Ge to open the armory and choose a few suitable firearms."

  Xiao Liu didn't wait for Zheng Nan Cheng to finish speaking and hastily said: "Alright, alright! From now on the key is yours, do as you please!"

  Zheng Nan Cheng slightly furrowed his brow and then relaxed, saying: "Alright, let's do it this way! You guys pack up, we'll set off tonight!"

  Meng Sheng and Lian Zhu replied in unison, "Yes!"