Volume 2: Gathering Storms Chapter 23: Suppressing the Mountain Bandits

  Yamamoto Kan no suke, I'll get to you later, Li Xiao pulled his throat and scolded this sentence in the Tianmen Pavilion. However, it can only be used to vent, anyway, bullying Yamamoto Kan no suke doesn't understand Chinese.

  What made Li Xiao so angry was the ten so-called 'elite' warriors sent by Yamamoto Kanetsugu. Looking at the physical condition of these ten people, Li Xiao had to admit that Yamamoto Kanetsugu's ability to deceive people was really strong.

  Li Xiaoman maliciously speculated that these ten people should be the old, weak, sick and disabled who were eliminated from the sea selection of the entire Takeda family's warriors. Then Yamamoto Kanetsugu actually had the nerve to hand over this group of cannon fodder for his own use.

  Is it to borrow a knife to kill someone? Li Xiao thought so, his own origin and identity, I guess the Takeda family has suspected someone earlier, Shingen, Nobushige instructed Yamamoto Kansuke to do this, of course, it is also possible that Yamamoto Kansuke himself thought so, using this means to get rid of himself.

  Of course, it's also possible that he's probing the limits of his own abilities. Yamamoto Kansuke will probably wait for me to come to him soon. However, Li Xiao coldly laughed a few times, no matter what Yamamoto Kansuke thinks, I absolutely won't let you achieve your goal.

  One day later, Gao Yuan City Tian Shou Ge.

  "Reporting to Lord Yamamoto, General Li Xiao has returned triumphantly with his troops."

  "What?"

  Yamamoto Kanetsugu stood up in great shock, the mountain bandits he had sent Li Xiao to annihilate numbered over a hundred people, with more than seventy men who could wield weapons and fight, and their combat strength was not weak. They had also raided a wealthy landowner's village before. Moreover, the mountain bandits still held a stronghold on a mountain fortress. He had previously sent ninjas to scout out the area, which had a treacherous terrain that was easy to defend but hard to attack.

  And Li Xiao took it down with just ten people, what kind of ability and strategy is this.

  Yamamoto Kansuke realized he had underestimated Li Xiao, previously thinking him to be just a brave but empty general like anyone else. However, during the Battle of Kawanakajima, his tactics of turning defeat into victory with iron cannons and saving Shingen from Uesugi Kenshin's single-handed attack changed his mind.

  This made Yamamoto Kanetsugu feel that this person was not simple. Are all Ming people as powerful as him?

  "But," said the reporting samurai with some hesitation.

  "But what?"

  "But the mountain bandits captured by Lord Li Xiao have not put down their arms."

  Yamamoto Kan no Sukui rushed to the top floor of the Tenshukaku and opened a window to look outside. Sure enough, in the distant town below, Li Xiao and his ten samurai followers were walking ahead, while behind them followed mountain bandits numbering more than ten times their own. Most of these mountain bandits held wooden clubs, swords, etc.

  This scene is more like Li Xiao and his subordinates being held hostage by these mountain bandits. However, looking at Li Xiao and a mountain bandit leader-like person, they are shoulder to shoulder, familiar with each other's appearance, not at all like the appearance of being hijacked.

  "Lord Yamamoto, would you like to beat the drums and gather the warriors to defend the castle?" The warrior suggested to Yamamoto Kanetsugu, this scene looked as if Li Xiao had betrayed the Takeda family and colluded with the mountain bandits to plunder the Kōfū Castle.

  Yamamoto Kanbei thought for a moment, then spoke up: "Gather secretly, don't make a big noise, let the lord of the castle prepare to defend himself, and ensure his safety, understood?"

  "Hey, but what about you, Yamamoto-san?" The samurai replied immediately.

  Yamamoto Kan no Suketake hummed heavily and said: "I'll go down myself to see what Li Xiao is doing."

  When the large gate of Gaoyuan City opened, Yamamoto Kanetsugu rode his horse alone to the top of the earth bridge, calmly facing Li Xiao and the group of mountain bandits behind him.

  Li Xiao saw Yamamoto Kansuke and showed a joyful smile, then turned to the mountain bandits behind him and shouted loudly: "This is the famous Yamamoto Kansuke of our clan, whose reputation shakes the provinces of Echigo, Mikawa, Mino, and Owari, and is the number one in wisdom and martial arts of the Takeda family."

  The bandits behind Li Xiao thundered in unison: "Greetings, Lord Yamamoto."

  Yamamoto Kan no Suketook a slight breath of relief, thinking that these mountain bandits didn't seem to be here to cause trouble, but what was unclear was how Li Xiao had gotten mixed up with them.

  Li Xiaozu led the horse to the front of the bridge, and after making sure that the mountain bandits behind him couldn't hear his conversation with Yamamoto Kanetsugu, he said: "Lord Yamamoto, I'll leave this group of mountain bandits in your care from now on."

  "What does it mean?"

  Li Xiao burst out laughing and said directly: "I have already recruited all these mountain bandits as warriors of the Takeda family."

  "Samurai?" Yamamoto Kanetsugu was taken aback, pointing at the group of mountain bandits and saying: "You've taken in over a hundred of these mountain bandits as samurai?"

  "Of course, it's not all of them, you see there are still many elderly and women who aren't, they can't become warriors."

  "Don't joke around." Yamamoto Kan no Suketsune said sternly.

  His loud shout made the mountain bandits, who were previously making a ruckus and laughing, suddenly quiet down and stare at Yamamoto Kanetsuke and Li Xiao standing on the earth bridge in front of the city gate.

  Li Xiao turned around and signaled to them that everything was fine, then took another step forward towards Yamamoto Kanbei and said: "Lord Yamamoto, you see the other side has already entered the town, and it doesn't seem like things are going to get too out of hand. If we were to provoke them, those mountain bandits might start fires, demolish houses, or even rape women - that's something they often do."

  Yamamoto Kan no Suketane said in a stern tone: "Li Xiao, are you threatening me?"

  "I don't dare to, Lord Yamamoto."

  "I previously told you to annihilate this group of mountain bandits, not to recruit them as warriors."

  "Right," said Li Xiao with an innocent expression: "Lord Yamamoto, you only asked me to eliminate the mountain bandits, but didn't specify whether to use force or persuasion. With a military strength of just ten warriors, I pacified over a hundred bandits without harming anyone - isn't that already quite impressive? Besides, do you really think that with just ten warriors, I could have eliminated this group of bandits by force? Please, I'm not Minamoto no Yoshitsune or Minamoto no Yoritomo reincarnated."

  Yamamoto Kanbee suppressed his anger, pointing at the mountain bandits and said: "So you think that with these people's qualities, they can meet a warrior's standards? If so, my other Takeda warriors would be ashamed to be in league with this crowd, they sully the honor of being a warrior."

  "This one."

  Li Xiao turned his head and saw this group of mountain bandits, just like some low-quality tourist groups at certain scenic spots, everything was full of novelty, pointing up and down at the high city walls, only missing taking a commemorative photo.

  Li Xiao smiled and said: "Mr. Yamamoto, if you don't understand, I can teach you slowly."

  "No need to instruct," Yamamoto Kanetsugu shook his head and said coldly, "I have already ordered the soldiers to set up an ambush, and at any time I can give the order to attack. Not one of these people needs to be left alive."

  Thinking of this, it would suddenly become a killing field. Li Xiao just couldn't help but sneer, saying: "Lord Yamamoto, I don't know if all Japanese are like this, but in our Ming country, there is a saying that 'for an official, one position brings benefits to one side'. As the chief vassal of the castle lord, you naturally have the obligation to take good care of the lives of the local people. And weren't these mountain bandits originally also children of Shinano? But because they were forced by their living conditions and had no choice but to become bandits. And yet, as the chief vassal, instead of reflecting on your own mistakes in governance, you are slaughtering the common people, is this what is called the honor of a samurai?"

  Yamamoto Kan no Suketake was silent for a moment when he heard Li Xiao's sharp words.

  "Providing the people with a livelihood, teaching them how to make a living and live in peace, isn't that the duty of local officials? I think these mountain bandits aren't really intent on being warriors, what they truly need is just a job, a way to support their families, what they truly need is a way to survive in this chaotic world."

  "It just so happens that I heard Gaoyuan City recently needs some renovation, I think we can hire these mountain bandits to work, as for how to settle them down, there will be a way."

  Yamamoto Kan no Suke listened to Li Xiao finish speaking, his one eye staring at him intently, as if he had re-recognized Li Xiao all over again.

  Yamamoto Kansuke fell silent, and Li Xiao also adopted a stance of "I won't move unless you do". The two people's three eyes met, and in terms of the number of eyes, Li Xiao was one up. As they continued to stare at each other, Li Xiao didn't back down.

  Finally, Yamamoto Kan no Suketook nodded and looked up at the high Tenshukaku of Nagoya Castle, and surprisingly smiled and said: "Alright, Li Xiaojun, let's do it as you said."