CH 75

The snow melted, the dead trees were revived with the arrival of spring, and the earth was once again rejuvenated. What was also rejuvenated were the bandits.

Chen Baisong was chewing on a piece of grass, wearing coarse clothes that showed off strong muscular arms and a straw hat on his head. He also had a beard. No matter how one looked at him, he looked just like a bandit. Only when he raised his head for a moment could one catch the brightness in those eyes.

“General.” The soldier sat down on the rock next to Chen Baisong, holding fried and salted soybeans in his hand. This kind of food was not easy to spoil and could be eaten even after being left out for a while. The only downside was that chewing too much would give one sore cheeks. The soldier grinned at Chen Baisong, “The last time I went back, a matchmaker found me a wife so next time I go back I will be getting married. You have to come and have a drink at the wedding.”

Chen Baisong replied with an “En”, but didn’t say any further. He was obviously thinking about something else.

The soldier’s eyes flickered and he stretched out his hand and grabbed Chen Baisong’s crotch. If Chen Baisong hadn’t dodged fast enough, his bird and eggs would now be in someone else’s clutches.

The soldier’s tone was ambiguous and very vulgar: “You not using your precious sword is ’cause you want to keep it for laying eggs?”

Chen Baisong raised his leg and gave a kick. The soldier tumbled face down onto the dirt. Chen Baisong really wanted to rub his bird now to get rid of the awkward feeling. But then he thought of his current identity; he was no longer the Niu Dan from the past, so he restrained his hand. He said to the soldier, “If you talk nonsense next time, I will throw you into Zhao Er’s tent.”

Zhao Er was a well-known lover of men. Originally, the people in the barracks didn’t know about it. But once, when a group of soldiers went to take a bath in the river, Zhao Er dipped underwater to look at other people’s ass. Not only did he look he even touched them too.

If he had touched it openly people might think it was just a joke.

But he was sneaking under the water, touching butts and even wanted to touch the birds in front too. The result, of course, was being caught and beaten up.

Some soldiers asked him: “What’s so good about a man’s body? If you take off your clothes and touch yourself, isn’t it the same?”

Zhao Er sighed: “You don’t understand me, the feeling I get when I look at you guys, it’s just like when you guys look at girls. If you see a group of girls with bare butts, can you restrain yourself?”

This really nauseated the soldiers.

They would overtly or secretly bully him, even peeing on Zhao Er’s bedding during the day, and at night Zhao Er could only fall asleep with the smell of urine.

If Zhao Er even looked at someone longer than a minute, that person would stay far away from him.

The soldiers in the barracks all said: “I now understand how girls feel.”

“It can be seen how disgusting the lecher is.”

No one was willing to share a tent with Zhao Er. They would rather squeeze in with others than sleep with Zhao Er.

The face of the soldier changed: “I am not interested in men’s thing. If anyone touches my thing, I will kill him!”

Chen Baisong looked at him with a half-smile, and kicked his ass: “No one would look at your ass, you don’t have much meat on it.”

The soldier was not pleased at this: “What’s wrong with my butt? Let me tell you, some girls’ butts don’t even look as good as mine.”

The soldiers on the side heard this and said with a loud laugh: “Then come here and make us brothers feel good!”

“We’ll definitely do you until you can’t even tell day from night!”

“Hahahaha, definitely make it so you won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow!”

The soldier: “Pei! My butt is a golden butt, and it’s only for women to touch!”

The soldiers around him cracked vulgar jokes but Chen Baisong only squinted his eyes.

“Go back and pick up your blades, someone is here.” Chen Baisong gave an order, and the soldiers who were joking around just now instantly became solemn and rushed back to the camp to fetch their long swords.

They were at the foot of the mountain, besieging the bandits on the mountain. The bandits had fought with them several times, and suffered heavy casualties, so they did not dare to go down the mountain and could only sit and eat themselves out of all supplies.

Chen Baisong did not order his soldiers to charge up the mountain.

The terrain on this mountain was intricate, so if they were to go up the mountain, they would only be fish on the chopping board for the bandits.

After more than a month of siege, the bandits ran out of food. They either choose to fight to the death or surrender with a white banner. Chen Baisong’s men stood by the main path down the mountain and saw the white banner from a distance. It was a signal of surrender.

Not only did they surrender, they also hung the leader’s head on the banner.

The soldier laughed beside him: “They know General’s habit.”

After Chen Baisong captured the bandits he would disperse them among the army. Only the bandit leaders would be killed. 

This time, in order to save their own lives, the bandits killed the boss themselves and surrendered with his head.

Chen Baisong said solemnly: “Keep your guard up.”

It was not like they had never encountered bandits who tried to turn the tides by pretending to surrender.

Surrendering was only a way for them to let the soldiers relax their vigilance.

The soldier clenched his long knife: “Yes!”

However, this group of bandits did not have this kind of brains, and their surrender was sincere.

The moment they came down the mountain they all willingly offered themselves. At this age, being a bandit was just a desperate measure to fill one’s stomach. Only the bandit leader had any ambition. The little guys below couldn’t eat much meat or enjoy any benefits. For them, there was not much difference being a bandit under whose command.

——Chen Baisong and his soldiers were all disguised as bandits. They were currently not in the land under Lin Yuan’s rule this time, but had entered the court’s territory instead. On other people’s territory, they could never act arrogantly. After all, Lin Yuan had told him not to let the court find out. Otherwise it would likely lead to another fierce battle. Gaoyou was not afraid of the court, but Chen Baisong and the others would not necessarily win in a battle on the court’s territory at that time. Even if they won, it would definitely not be without heavy losses.

The newly recruited people were broken up and divided into different teams. They could no longer act with their former companions and must integrate into the new group.

Chen Baisong watched the soldiers pack up the camp. They had to go back to Gaoyou tomorrow so they planned to pack up the camp and just sleep in the wild that night. They would then leave at dawn tomorrow morning without delay. This was Chen Baisong’s habit, and his soldiers were also used to it.

The soldier lay next to Chen Baisong on the grass. Sometimes, insects would crawl on him, and it was always difficult to fall asleep in the first half of the night.

“General.” The soldier said in a low voice, “Have you heard that there are many beauties around the South Bodhisattva.”

Chen Baisong was closing his eyes and trying to gather sleepiness, but now he opened his eyes when he heard this. He appeared completely awake as if he had not even been resting.

The soldier said again: “Men are the majority.”

Chen Baisong looked at him.

The soldier was startled by Chen Baisong’s eyes, and quickly said: “I don’t mean that the South Bodhisattva is the same as Zhao Er. The South Bodhisattva will definitely not touch our ass.”

Chen Baisong: “…..”

The soldier whispered: “General, you are now leading the army outside, what if someone uses pillow talk to convince South Bodhisattva to act unfavorably against you?”

Chen Baisong: “You think too much.”

The soldier thought he was being praised, and smiled brightly: “I am a soldier of General, so I naturally have to consider everything for General. Should we also send someone over too?”

The soldier said in a low voice: “If we snatch one from here, no one will notice it.”

The soldier even had a target in mind: “How about the gongzi of the Zhang family, I think he is not bad looking at all. I will send someone now, tie him up in the middle of the night, and he’ll be able to go on the road with us tomorrow morning.”

Chen Baisong thought for a while: “His nose is too small.”

The soldier: “Then Yang Gongzi?”

Chen Baisong: “Big face.”

The soldier: “…..How about Li Gongzi?”

Chen Baisong said seriously: “Body odor.”

The soldier: “…..Have you chosen someone?”

Chen Baisong looked at him in surprise: “What? Do you think I have the time to stare at men?”

The soldier was speechless for a while: “Then why are you so picky.”

Chen Baisong: “They are not suitable, they aren’t worthy enough.”

The soldier: “…..They are all just playthings, nothing to do with worthy and unworthy. South Bodhisattva won’t be marrying them.”

The soldier was lying on his stomach and suddenly whispered: “What do you think of me?”

Chen Baisong was taken aback for a moment, and the expression in his eyes became horrified.

The soldier whispered: “You are my boss. Isn’t it just getting my butt poked? As long as I can help you…..”

Chen Baisong was speechless.

The soldier: “The way I see it they are not as good as me.”

Chen Baisong: “Why don’t you go take a pee and look at your reflection.”

The soldier: “Why?”

Chen Baisong: “So you can get a good look at yourself.”

The soldier sighed: “You are just jealous.”

Chen Baisong couldn’t believe it: “I am jealous of them?”

The soldier did not react for a while, and asked strangely: “What are you jealous of them for? I am saying you are jealous of me.”

Chen Baisong’s shoulders relaxed: “What’s there to be jealous about you?”

The soldier said triumphantly: “Zhao Er always looked at me, but he has never looked at you. It can be seen that I am more attractive than you.”

Chen Baisong nodded: “En, you are more attractive to men than I am.”

The soldier’s smile froze on his face.

He made up his mind to stop talking to Chen Baisong.

After the soldier’s words, Chen Baisong couldn’t sleep anymore. He rolled over and closed his eyes in thought.

He never thought that his young master would like men. What was good about men, they were neither fragrant nor soft, and were unable to give birth to children.

Chen Baisong’s thoughts wandered here and there.

He thought again, were those men sincere to his young master?

Was it for young master’s money or for young master’s status?

What do they want from his young master?

Young master was too soft-hearted and would not be able to refuse anyone who begged, so there would come a day one of them would hurt his young master’s heart.

When he returned, he must tell his young master to drive them away.

It was no big deal, he could just catch a few new good-looking ones and give them to his young master. Would they even dare to be disobedient?

If those people won’t leave, then he would kill them.

For one dead he’ll make it up to his young master with two new ones, so it should be fine, right?

Chen Baisong felt much more relaxed when he thought about it this way. Although he and his young master had a master-servant relationship, they grew up together from childhood. Although he dared not say that he regarded his young master as his younger brother, in his eyes, there was no difference between his young master and his younger brother.

He must care for him, support him, and protect him.

This was the responsibility that Chen Baisong had assigned to himself.

——

Chen Baisong brought his men back. Lin Yuan got up from the bed early in the morning. He hadn’t seen Chen Baisong for nearly a year. He trusted Chen Baisong, which might have something to do with the original owner. He inherited the memory of the original owner, and perhaps also a little affection as well. He felt that Chen Baisong was someone he could trust, which was why he let Chen Baisong out of his sight.

A general leading so many soldiers outside, yet he had never doubted the other.

Lin Yuan went out of the city to greet them, and the two rode their horses back to the government office.

After a few words of greeting, Chen Baisong suddenly said: “How many favorite maidservants does young master have now?”

Lin Yuan almost didn’t understand.

Chen Baisong looked into Lin Yuan’s eyes, and said seriously: “It doesn’t matter if they continue to stay, but those men…..”

“It’s better to chase them away. No matter how many men you want, I will find you new ones.”

Lin Yuan: “…..”

Did Chen Baisong take the wrong medicine?

AN: Chen Baisong: “Those men are not good.”

“They definitely want to take advantage of my young master.”

“I’ll catch a few new ones for my young master.”

“Actually, the new ones aren’t good either.”

“Forget it, I’ll offer myself.”