novelhk Chapter 310 Small Road
Chapter 310 Small Road
The three were terrified, their eyes fixed on Xie Jinghan, fearing he might change his mind.
Skinny Monkey's eyes darted around quickly, and he spoke before the boatman and Third Brother could: "I'll lead the way for you right away!"
"Not only do I know where the lair is, but I also know a shortcut that can lead Your Highness into the lair undetected. In this way, Your Highness can wipe out all the thieves inside without losing a single soldier."
When the skinny monkey spoke, he drew a very clear line between himself and the remaining bandits.
Seeing this, the boat captain's face turned ashen, and he glared hatefully at the skinny monkey: "I know where the gold and silver treasures are hidden!"
He despised the skinny monkey's opportunism, but at the same time, he couldn't help but worry.
Given the current situation, if he loses his usefulness, he will likely be shot through by an arrow, just like his other subordinates.
Therefore, he could only suppress his resentment and compromise in an attempt to gain Xie Jinghan's attention.
No one knew Xie Jinghan better than him when it came to understanding the lair. Although Skinny Monkey could find a shortcut into the lair, he firmly believed that the gold and silver treasures in his possession were what Xie Jinghan valued most.
Even though these noble people come from extraordinary backgrounds and are not lacking in gold and silver, as long as they are human, they will definitely have desires. How can one survive in this world without money?
Sure enough, the boatman noticed that Xie Jinghan's expression softened considerably after he said those words.
He believed he had found a chance to survive, and his face lit up with joy. He said, "All this gold and silver adds up to at least 300,000 taels of silver."
He had been a tyrant on the water for many years, committing countless murders, and this silver was the majority of his wealth.
Upon hearing this, the third brother's eyes widened in surprise.
Thinking of the few dozen taels of silver he had worked so hard to earn, and then thinking of the boat captain's savings of hundreds of thousands of taels, his eyes turned red.
The boat captain shut his mouth smugly, but when he turned around, he met the third brother's bloodshot eyes.
Third Brother stared intently at the boat captain. As the captain grew uneasy, Third Brother shouted to Xie Jinghan, "It's not just this 300,000 taels of silver! He has many more treasure caves! They contain the gold and silver jewelry he's looted from those nobles over the years, or other rare treasures he's acquired by chance! He led us to rob a ship belonging to Jishetang before, and there were several century-old ginseng roots on board!"
"All these treasures have been hoarded by him," the third brother exclaimed. "He's been burning, killing, and looting for so many years, how could he only have 300,000 taels of silver! Your Highness should send men to interrogate him thoroughly; they're sure to find out the whereabouts of his treasure caves!"
"You bastard!" The boatman roared as he charged at Third Brother. "I brought you into this business! And this is how you treat me?"
"It's all for survival!" Third Brother spat at him with a sneer. "You talk as if you've helped me a lot! What have I gotten in return for risking my life for you all these years?"
"Did you spare even a single tael of your three hundred thousand taels of silver for me?" The third brother shouted menacingly at the boat captain. "We know each other inside and out, so what are you pretending for?"
"Your Highness!" he continued shouting at Xie Jinghan, "You must have him interrogated thoroughly! Who knows how many treasures he's hiding!"
The boat captain wanted to continue forward, but was stopped by the Imperial Guards.
The cold glint of the swords in the hands of the Imperial Guards instilled fear in the boat captain.
Left with no other choice, the boatman turned back.
But his eyes remained fixed on his third brother.
Above, Xie Jinghan coldly watched the dog-eat-dog scene, a mocking smile curving his thin lips.
"Let him lead the way." Xie Jinghan pointed at the skinny monkey. "Tonight, we'll reach the bandits' lair and wipe them out in one fell swoop."
The matter of the river bandits must be resolved as soon as possible.
The reason these river bandits have been rampant for so many years is largely due to the slow and inefficient actions of the officials and soldiers in the Jiangnan prefecture.
These officers and soldiers, fearing death and injury, dared not confront the enemy head-on. They could only rely on their superior numbers to capture the river bandits. However, the cunning river bandits, such as the boat captains, had already escaped before a large number of officers and soldiers arrived. The remaining river bandits were all small fry.
The boat captain, a ruthless man devoid of any sense of right and wrong, is the one who should be eliminated the most.
Si Qing stood to the side, listening to Xie Jinghan's words, and nodded quickly.
"This needs to be resolved quickly." After speaking, Si Qing quickly picked up the skinny monkey.
Skinny Monkey lived up to his name, being as thin as a monkey. Si Qing easily lifted him up: "You say you know the shortcut? Where is that shortcut?"
Upon hearing this, the skinny monkey quickly replied, "It's in the reeds a mile or two ahead! Although that reeds are large, there's a waterway we specially cleared out. You can take a small boat to our lair."
"Only me and a few brothers know that road." Skinny Monkey said, glancing at the blood-soaked deck. His brothers were long gone, their whereabouts unknown.
Si Qing glanced at him and smiled coldly: "If you are good at leading the way... I can spare your life."
Skinny Monkey looked to be only eleven or twelve years old. Although his eyes were timid, he did not have the viciousness of the boat captain and the others. He had just learned from several people that Skinny Monkey was a new member of the river bandits this year, and this was his first operation.
It wouldn't hurt to spare the life of someone like that; just throw them into the mine.
Upon hearing this, the skinny monkey's eyes lit up: "Of course! I would never lie!"
"Then lead the way." Si Qing waved his hand. "As long as you lead well, you'll get all the credit."
"Now you need to atone for your mistakes," Si Qing reminded him. "Do you understand?"
"I know, I know!" the skinny monkey nodded quickly. "I'll take you there right away!"
Si Qing, accompanied by five hundred personal guards, boarded a small boat that had been prepared beforehand and escorted the skinny monkey onto the boat.
As the Imperial Guards pulled small boats from the ship, the boat captain closed his eyes in anguish—judging from the Imperial Guards' posture, he knew that today's events were a trap set by Xie Jinghan to lure the enemy out.
He was insatiable and, not content with the tens of thousands of taels of silver he had received a few days earlier, wanted to make a big score, which is why he fell into this trap.
If only... if only he had just kept those tens of thousands of taels of silver.
"Pooh!"
The boat captain unknowingly blurted out his thoughts, only to be spat on by the third brother standing beside him.
"You've gained tens of thousands of taels of silver and a wife, but what about us?" Third Brother sneered. "We have nothing! Even if you don't want to do it, we will!"
"In the end, these people will still sneak into our hideout and wipe us out!"