"Your Majesty, if we don't think of a solution soon, we'll be starving by this time tomorrow!"
After several consecutive defeats, Li Mao'er's bandits were all in disarray. From an initial force of over three thousand, only less than eight hundred remained by his side.
"Think of a solution, think of a solution! Aren't we already thinking?"
Hearing the urgings of his subordinates, Li Mao'er glared back ungratefully.
It was only now that he realized that after a minor county magistrate was replaced, the previously weak government troops had suddenly become tough.
The battle at Lijiazhuang could still be attributed to the government troops' clever tactics.
However, the subsequent battles were all direct, head-on confrontations. Although the government troops had the advantage in numbers, their defeats were truly pathetic.
At this moment, he almost every night assigned his trusted subordinates to stand guard.
This was not only to guard against the government troops but, more importantly, to prevent his own bandits from fleeing in the night.
He had exhausted all his ideas for this, trying every method he could think of, yet he still couldn't stop the bandits from escaping.
Seeing the number of his men dwindle, Li Mao'er was filled with frustration.
"Your Majesty, those government troops seem to be coming this way!"
"Damn it, these bastards are deliberately trying to kill us!"
After hearing the report from his subordinate, Li Mao'er's teeth itched with hatred, but for the moment, he had no other recourse but to flee.
"Your Majesty, why don't we go to Lin County to take refuge?"
Seeing Li Mao'er starting to lose his temper, Zhou Ding quickly said in a low voice.
"Once we go there, it might not be so easy to come back..."
No matter what Zhou Ding said, Li Mao'er was still hesitant.
Although the place where he hid his belongings was very secret, these gold, silver, and jewels were not all hidden by himself.
There had been too many bandits escaping recently, and he was now genuinely worried that after he left, those things would be dug up by someone else.
As long as he remained within the borders of Neihuang County, those people still held some reverence for him. But if he were to leave this place, the situation would be completely different.
Bandits naturally had multiple hideouts. While Lijiazhuang had lost a considerable amount of property, it had only dealt a superficial blow to him.
If he lost these remaining few locations, it would be extremely difficult for him to make a comeback...
Seeing his indecisive demeanor, Zhou Ding could only offer a wry smile. Why was he putting himself through this?
On the night of Lijiazhuang, Zhou Ding had planned to rest for a night and return the next morning.
But unexpectedly, that night Han Mo directly led his men to sneak attack Lijiazhuang. In the ensuing chaos, he followed these bandits and fled Lijiazhuang. Just after escaping, he heard the news that his entire family had been captured.
He had originally intended to go back and play along, at least to save his family. But after hearing that Zhang Huai, Li Chong, and Liu San had all been executed on the spot, he had completely given up on that idea.
He knew in his heart how serious his transgression was. A government official breaking the law and colluding with bandits was a crime that carried an even heavier penalty.
Han Mo was absolutely determined to kill him this time. Even if he went back now, he would still be dead.
Not only would he be unable to save his family, but he would also lose his own life. Therefore, he gritted his teeth and decided to follow Gao Shier for a living.
However, whether it was because his destiny was too strong or because Gao Shier was too unlucky,
He, the newly crowned "Your Majesty," hadn't even been king for two hours before he was beheaded by Li Mao'er and his trusted men.
To save his life, the unlucky Zhou Ding could only seek refuge with Li Mao'er again.
Although he was incapable of manual labor, he was, after all, a civil official. Being a strategist was more than enough for him.
Li Mao'er, seeing this, had assigned his trusted men to protect him during their retreat, allowing Zhou Ding to live comfortably until now.
However, it seemed that this unlucky fellow's misfortune was too powerful. Even a seasoned brigand like Li Mao'er couldn't suppress this evil aura.
Ever since he took in Zhou Ding, this harbinger of bad luck, they had been on the run. The government troops seemed to have eyes that could see a thousand miles.
No matter where they went, within a day or two at most, the government troops would surely catch up.
In the beginning, he had considered resisting.
But after suffering several defeats and being thoroughly taught a lesson, Li Mao'er had finally learned his lesson.
Even though they were now almost at their wit's end, Li Mao'er was still unwilling to leave his own territory.
"Your Majesty, now is not the time to worry about these things. If we don't flee quickly, we'll be surrounded by those government troops in no time!"
Although the county magistrate Zhou Ding was not very competent, when it came to familiarity with the map of Neihuang County, he was no weaker than Li Mao'er.
Within the entire Neihuang territory, apart from the small hill of Lihua Mountain, the remaining area was divided into several small plots by the four rivers: Wei River, Xiao River, Tang River, and Huan River.
Among the four rivers, the Wei River and the Huan River had the largest water volume.
Their current location was a crossroads. From here, heading west and crossing the Wei River, they would reach Tangyin County.
According to his understanding of the imperial army's strength, if the government troops in Tangyin County had not received orders to assist in bandit suppression, this might truly be a good opportunity to find survival in the midst of peril.
In the worst-case scenario, he had a good relationship with the county magistrate of Tangyin County.
Even though he was in trouble now, he still knew some inside information. These people, even if they were considering their own interests, should not let him be captured by the imperial court like this.
However, just looking at Li Mao'er's hesitant appearance, he knew that this fellow was unwilling to part with his wealth even at the cost of his life.
"Your Majesty, please look clearly. Besides heading west, our only other option is to go south. But can you imagine that small place like Hewanzi, with so many of us, can it hide us all! A true man knows when to yield and when to advance. As long as we keep the green hills, why fear there will be no firewood to burn?"