Chương 295: Inviting the Powerful Families

He pushed his concubine aside, stood up with his pregnant belly, and ordered, "Men! Summon all the guards! Put the crossbows on the wall! Beat them hard! Break their legs! Do they really think the Cui family is pushovers?"

The Cui family employs over five hundred guards, all of them burly and strong, as well as seventy archers.

Cui Yan felt that dealing with a group of bandits was more than enough.

The steward said with a bitter face, "Master, those people... don't look like ordinary refugees. They're in neat formation, and they all have knives and guns..."

"What's there to be afraid of!" Master Cui said impatiently.

"My Cui family has five hundred guards, and every single one of them is a skilled fighter! What are we afraid of, a few petty thieves?"

The words had barely left his mouth...

"BOOM!!!"

The manor gate was slammed shut with a deafening roar!

Amidst the flying sawdust, a burly man, as thick as a black iron tower, stormed in, wielding a door panel and a large sword, shouting:

"Old Cui! Your grandpa's here! Hand over the gold, silver, and provisions right now, or I'll burn your doghouse down!"

Cui Yan shuddered in fright. Upon closer inspection, good heavens! Behind the burly man were hundreds of men, all dressed in old yellow turbans, their faces covered with black cloths, wielding knives and spears, exuding a murderous aura!

The guards gritted their teeth and rushed forward.

And then... that was it.

These "Yellow Turban Warriors" were already elite troops, and after several years of formal training, they beat these private guards who were just watching over homes like adults beating children.

Zhou Cang swung his broadsword, and the three guards at the front were sent flying.

Pei Yuanshao led his men to flank the enemy from the side, specifically targeting their lower bodies, beating the guards until they cried out in pain.

Seventy archers had just climbed the wall and hadn't even had a chance to fire their arrows when they were suppressed by "Yellow Turban Army" soldiers who appeared out of nowhere. The arrows were accurate and deadly, targeting the arms, and the soldiers were clearly veterans!

In less than fifteen minutes, all of Cui's guards were lying on the ground.

Zhou Cang strode up to Cui Yan.

Old Master Cui had already slid off the chair and collapsed onto the ground, his crotch soaked.

The concubine screamed and crawled under the table.

"What... what are you going to do..." Master Cui trembled like a leaf.

Zhou Cang grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up like a chick, saying, "What are you doing? Robbery! Can't you understand human language? Where's the money? Where's the food? Where did you hide it?"

Master Cui stammered, "Brave... brave warrior, spare my life! Let's talk this over!"

"Shut up!" Zhou Cang grabbed his collar and lifted him up like a chick.

"Hurry up! Hand over the gold, silver, and provisions! Otherwise..."

He pointed his broadsword at the ornately decorated houses, "I'll set this place on fire and burn it to the ground!"

"Alright, alright! I'll hand it over! I'll hand it all over!" Master Cui completely backed down and quickly had the butler lead the way to the storeroom.

When the storehouse door opened, good heavens! Inside, gold and silver were piled up like small mountains, strings of copper coins hung from the beams, bolts of silk and satin were stacked to the roof, and the granaries were overflowing.

Zhou Cang stared wide-eyed, cursing inwardly: "Damn it, he's really good at making money!"

Zhou Cang swallowed hard and said, "Damn, they're really rich... Move! Move everything!"

The "Yellow Turban Army" began moving things. There weren't enough horse-drawn carts, so dozens of wagons from the Cui family manor were requisitioned.

They've been moving things for half an hour, and they're still not done.

Pei Yuanshao wandered around the courtyard, knocking and tapping here and there. Suddenly, he found a hidden compartment under the bed board in Cui Yan's bedroom. He pried it open and, lo and behold, it was full of gold ingots, weighing at least several hundred pounds!

"Old man, you're still hiding money?" Pei Yuanshao grabbed Cui Yan's ear.

"I won't do it again! I won't do it again! I'll give it all to you! I'll give it all to you!"

After moving all the valuables, Zhou Cang remembered Liu Ce's instructions and went straight to the Cui family's study.

The study was larger than the main hall of an average family's house, with bookshelves on all four walls, filled with classics, histories, philosophical works, rare and unique books... ancient books were piled up to the brim.

"Books! Move them all!" Zhou Cang ordered.

The "Yellow Turban Warriors" began moving the books.

Bamboo slips, silk books, and paper scrolls were carried out in boxes.

Cui Yan was truly heartbroken. Money could be earned back, but the books meant the end of the Cui family's centuries of accumulation!

"General! General, spare my life! The book cannot be moved!" Cui Yan knelt down and hugged Zhou Cang's leg.

Zhou Cang kicked him away and said, "Stop talking nonsense! If you keep yelling, I'll move you out with me!"

Before leaving, Zhou Cang found a bucket of ink, dipped his broadsword in it, and scribbled four crooked characters on the Cui family's gate:

"The Yellow Turbans have arrived."

After finishing writing, he threw down the pen, mounted his horse, and shouted, "Let's go! Next one!"

Looking at the empty storeroom and study, and the four glaring characters on the gate, Master Cui plopped down on the ground and wailed, "My money! My books! My ancestral legacy!"

The concubine crawled out from under the table and asked timidly, "Master, shall we report this to the authorities?"

Master Cui jumped in shock and slapped her across the face: "Report what?! Those are the Yellow Turban Rebellion! They kill without blinking an eye! What if they retaliate after we report them to the authorities?!"

All he wants now is for these scoundrels to stop coming.

...

Bohai Gao family.

The Gao family was much more sensible than the Cui family.

They had heard about the tragic state of the Cui family beforehand, and were terrified when they heard that the Yellow Turban Army was heading towards Bohai.

Master Gao, quick-witted as ever, thought to himself: Resist? The Cui family's five hundred guards couldn't hold them off, let alone the Gao family's three hundred men—they'd be even more of a pushover!

So he gritted his teeth and made a "wise" decision: surrender as soon as possible, or he would get another beating.

When Zhou Cang led his men to the scene, they found the Gao family's gate wide open, with Master Gao leading the entire clan, young and old, kneeling neatly at the entrance.

Master Gao was still holding an account book high in his hand, his voice trembling:

"General, spare our lives! All of the Gao family's assets are registered here! Gold, silver, grain, land deeds, house deeds... we offer them all to you! We only beg you not to harm my people!"

Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised.

Pei Yuanshao dismounted, took the account book, flipped through it, and turned to shout, "Old Zhou, this old financier is quite honest! The accounts are clear; it seems he really hasn't hidden anything!"

Zhou Cang walked over, carrying a large sword, and looked down at Master Gao, saying, "Did you really hand it all over? Didn't you plant any more traps elsewhere?"

Master Gao kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "No, no! It's all here! General, you may send men to search. If even a single ounce of my hidden stash is found, I am willing to die to atone for my sins!"

Zhou Cang sheathed his broadsword and patted Master Gao on the shoulder: "You're smart to know what's good for you! Otherwise, I'd make sure your family was in complete chaos today!"

Master Gao smiled obsequiously and said, "Yes, yes, yes, General, you are merciful."

They moved things as usual.

The Gao family also had a considerable collection of books, which Zhou Cang had carefully packed up and transported away.

As he was leaving, Pei Yuanshao noticed several magnificent horses in the stable and, with a glimpse of their beauty, exclaimed, "These horses are quite nice, let's take them!"

Master Gao's face twitched. Those horses were his precious treasures, bought from the Western Regions at great expense!

But seeing the knife in Pei Yuanshao's hand, he could only grit his teeth and say, "If the general likes it... take it away, take it away..."

Zhou Cang laughed heartily, mounted his horse, waved to Master Gao, and said, "Let's go! Next time... we'll see!"

Master Gao nearly fainted, but still managed to shout, "General, please take care! Don't come again... don't come again!"