gnovel Chapter 60 What? The Qing soldiers still dare to ask us for money?
Chapter 60 What? The Qing soldiers still dare to ask us for money?
Chapter 60 What? The Qing soldiers still dare to ask us for money?
"Sigh, I don't know, let's leave it to fate! As the saying goes, in war, envoys are not to be killed. We're just here to deliver a message. Even if they're angry, they shouldn't involve us, right?"
Upon hearing his companion's question, the leading Qing soldier said dejectedly, though he himself lacked confidence as he spoke.
But there was no other way. Even if they spread false information and managed to get through this crisis, how would they explain it to Wanfu later?
Wanfu is no better person than anyone else. If they spread false information and the matter is exposed, they will surely be subject to military law and lose their heads!
And unfortunately, the message they need to convey this time is not something that can be easily fooled!
Before long, these Qing soldiers were brought before Rock.
Rock was complaining that the system shop refresh hadn't shown him any units he could afford, but when he heard the cavalry's report, his eyes widened in surprise.
"What's going on? We're keeping to ourselves right now, what are they doing bothering me?"
Rock had no idea that the reason these Qing soldiers came looking for him was because a group of bandits wanted to use the government troops to kill him. However, this did not prevent him from guessing that the Qing soldiers coming to him was probably not for anything good!
After all, under normal circumstances, what else could the government troops have to do with Luo's army, a local armed force that looks very unruly, besides fighting?
They're either thinking about being granted amnesty or about some kind of collusion between officials and bandits; there's basically no other possibility.
It's impossible to accept amnesty. A certain short, dark man and the so-called 108 heroes have already proven with their own experience what kind of fate awaits those who accept amnesty.
Luo Ke had heard many people say that the second half of Water Margin was poorly written, but on the contrary, he thought the second half of Water Margin was extremely well written!
After all, the latter half of Water Margin vividly illustrates the consequences of accepting amnesty, teaching people in a very educational way that surrender is unacceptable!
As for colluding with officials and bandits of the Qing Dynasty to make a fortune together?
If that's really the purpose of those Qing soldiers coming here, it sounds pretty good, but upon closer inspection, Rock knows that these conditions are also unacceptable to him!
If officials and bandits collude to make a fortune together, from whom should that fortune be taken?
When the time comes, the money can't come from officials or bandits. After all the calculations, the only way is to get it from ordinary people!
Why did Luo Ke despise the Qing Dynasty and prepare to rebel from the very beginning of his time travel?
Isn't it because these people are incompetent in dealing with outsiders, only bully their own people, and are so utterly inhumane that he couldn't stand it anymore?
That's why, as soon as Rock thought about it, he knew that the Qing government sending people here couldn't be anything good.
Although he knew they were up to no good, Rock still met with several Qing soldiers in person, since they were rare targets who had come to his doorstep.
Taking this opportunity, he should at least find out the enemy's strength and weaknesses and figure out what kind of power the Qing government in this area actually has.
Not only were the Cossack cavalry surprised by the Qing soldiers' weakness, but when Rock saw these guys, he was also taken aback by them.
Goodness, he once complained that the actors playing Qing soldiers in some period dramas were really not right. How could the imperial army look like thugs?
Now he realizes that he was completely wrong!
This genuine imperial army was actually worse than those extras who looked like thugs. If it weren't for the fact that these people were wearing Green Standard Army uniforms with the character "勇" (yong) on them, he would have even suspected that they were a few starving people that his cavalry had captured from somewhere!
Looking at these guys, so thin and weak, all skin and bones, and so listless, Rock even doubted that he could take on ten of them by himself!
Upon seeing Luo Ke, all the Qing soldiers lowered their heads and dared not look up. One of them even suddenly started trembling, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
He frantically pulled out a pipe from behind his back, lit it shakily in front of Rock, took a deep drag, and finally came to his senses, a look of enjoyment on his face.
"Damn it! Get this bastard away from me, and hurry up!"
At first, Rock couldn't figure out what this guy was smoking, but when he thought of the opium addicts in the late Qing Dynasty, he instantly understood. He quickly and without hesitation retreated, holding his breath tightly, afraid that he might accidentally inhale the smoke into his lungs.
Damn, Rock finally understood. These guys weren't just skinny and emaciated; they were all poisonous insects!
Especially considering that this world also possesses some unscientific supernatural powers, who knows if these guys' opium has been spiked?
Upon hearing Rock's words, a Queen Dragoon nearby immediately leaped forward and kicked him, instantly knocking him to the ground, and even the pipe in his hand flew to the side.
Even as he lay on the ground, he felt no pain from the kicks. Instead, he crawled like a worm toward the pipe beside him, muttering, "Wait, let me have another puff!"
That's enough, Rock is absolutely disgusting!
After stepping back several meters, he made no attempt to hide his disgust and asked impatiently, "Alright, hurry up and tell me, what exactly does your boss want by suddenly sending someone to find my Luo family army?"
The other Qing soldiers looked at each other, none of them daring to speak first. Suddenly, they all exerted their strength and pushed the smallest of the men forward, making him stagger to the front of the line.
Upon seeing that his comrades had betrayed him, and with a row of tall, well-dressed soldiers in front of him, holding rifles and with stern faces, he immediately knelt down.
After hesitating for a while, he finally stammered, "Sir, our garrison commander said, said, said that your Luo family army should be careful, and not, not cause any trouble!"
"The Luo family army is rampant in the countryside, committing all sorts of evil deeds, which is a great disrespect to the imperial court! Therefore, the garrison commander says that if your Luo family army is willing to offer 30,000 taels of silver, 100 foreign guns, 100 fine horses, and introduce the foreigners you do business with to them, then this matter will be settled!"
"Otherwise, the imperial army will arrive and annihilate us in an instant—"
Before he could finish speaking, the surrounding cavalrymen drew their swords, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
Rock was so angry at what this guy said that he laughed.
He shook his head speechlessly, looking utterly bewildered, and said, "What kind of logic is this? The bandits run rampant, and the government troops do nothing. I lead my men to suppress the bandits and protect the peace of this area, and yet I'm accused of being a villain!"
"Damn it, this is the first time I've ever heard anything so ridiculous!"
This is what they call collusion between officials and bandits!
Upon hearing this, how could Rock not understand why those bandits, who usually ran rampant, went unpunished, while these Qing soldiers had come to cause him trouble?
Clearly, although those bandits usually ran rampant in the village, they were also very well-behaved. They knew to offer tributes to the officials after robbing the silver and to cultivate good relationships with various people.
In addition, the local government troops were indeed not strong enough to deal with those bandits, so they simply turned a blind eye, let them take the money honestly, and then pretend that everything was peaceful to protect these law-abiding bandits.
The Luo family army usually ran rampant, not only refusing to offer money to officials, but also killing many "good bandits" who were willing to offer money. This naturally made the Qing officials restless.
Seeing Luo Ke's furious face, the Qing soldiers who had run over to deliver the message trembled with fear, afraid that the man would take his anger out on them.
Two of the guys were so cowardly that their crotches were even wet, and a foul stench wafted over, making Rock feel nauseous.
"Go back and tell your garrison commander that he shouldn't even think about getting any money. If he wants money, he can just come and get it himself!"
"Also, I have a few questions to ask you, and I hope you can answer them truthfully, otherwise—"
Although Rock didn't say what would happen otherwise, the Qing soldiers could tell from the sinister smile on his face and the group of soldiers around him who had already raised their guns and drawn their knives that there would be consequences if they didn't speak up.
So the Qing soldiers quickly said that they would answer the questions truthfully, without reservation!
"Alright, in that case, could you please tell me how many troops your Kaiyuan City currently has, what types of soldiers they are, and what types of weapons they possess?"
Good heavens, they're trying to pry into our military secrets right off the bat. What are these bandits up to? Do they really want to fight these government soldiers?
Upon hearing this question, the Qing soldiers' expressions changed instantly. However, seeing their hesitant manner, Rock waved to the cavalry before they could answer.
"Separate them, take them aside one by one and question them. If anyone's answer doesn't match the others, then everyone has to have a hand chopped off!"
Upon hearing this, the Qing soldiers struggled, but they were no match for the tall and strong cavalrymen beside them and were quickly taken away by these guys.
Before long, Rock learned from them the exact strength of the Qing troops in Kaiyuan City.
"Well, the unit that claims to have 1200 men actually only has 600. If it weren't for the fact that 400 of them are..."
The army, composed of Manchu bannermen, probably has even fewer men left!
"However, it sounds like there are quite a few cavalrymen, a total of 200. I just don't know how strong these 200 cavalrymen are."
Rock muttered to himself, but to be honest, he didn't have much faith in these Qing cavalrymen.
These people were no longer the elite Eight Banners troops of their heyday. Looking at the sallow and emaciated appearance of these Green Standard Army soldiers, Luo Ke knew that the Eight Banners soldiers were probably not in much better shape either.
The thought of a group of heavy smokers riding skinny horses, wobbling and charging towards him, suddenly made him want to laugh.
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