The existence of village bandits was not only in the doomsday, but even before the doomsday, such things existed. The most typical example was kidnapping. When the police went to rescue kidnapped women, they would often encounter ambushes. The entire village would unite as one, and even police cars could be smashed.
To say that these people were uneducated would be clearly wrong, because many of those who obstructed the police were high school students, or even college students. In the village, high school and college students were absolute representatives of highly educated people. These people should have received education, right? But even these people would participate in it. The reason for this can only be cursed as village bandits.
The emergence of village bandits is due to historical reasons and has little to do with education. The reason why village bandits exist is that they gather and act under the slogan of clan unity. Most people are swept up in such slogans, and it is almost impossible to escape.
Village bandits are actually a type of clan bandit, because in ancient times, when things were not developed, the local gentry held the right to speak. Therefore, they would interfere in all matters, big and small, in the villages. From weddings and funerals to the division of houses and land, and even the timing of planting crops, everything had to be decided by these people. Thus, those who held the right to speak could sway public opinion.
When the village encountered difficulties, it was common for one family to have trouble and the whole village to help. The reason is simple: if you don't help, you will be ostracized. In rural society, human relationships are too important. The next time you have something to do, others will ignore you, no matter how loudly you call.
Shen Feng is now directly threatening the villagers: "If you dare to imprison passers-by again, then I can only treat you as robbers. I hope you will take care of yourselves."
The villagers all kowt. They did not expect things to be exposed so quickly, and they also knew the woman who burned down the village. If Shen Feng were angered, the entire village would be finished. Fortunately, Shen Feng only threatened them. As long as it was a threat, the villagers naturally agreed wholeheartedly, saying that they would never make such a mistake again in the future.
After Shen Feng dealt with the matters here, he had to continue his journey. As for Saya, she planned to return home after her leg injury healed. The villagers, knowing that she was an esper, did not dare to act rashly and could only guarantee that they would not have any improper thoughts about Saya.
Just as Shen Feng was about to set off, the village chief said to Shen Feng: "Lord Fengshen, if you pass by the Guanyin Temple to the south, you must be careful. A month ago, a person with great strength appeared at the Guanyin Temple, leading a group of people to set up checkpoints and collect tolls. If you want to pass through the road occupied by him, you must pay."
After hearing this, Shen Feng could not help but sigh: "There are truly too many insignificant people and too many big shots everywhere. People are blocking the road and robbing everywhere. The world is changing too fast."
In the past, bandits on the land of China had been eliminated. At the time of the founding of the country, there were anti-bandit operations all over the country. Each province had at least hundreds of thousands of bandits. But at that time, the people were united, and it was common for the entire village to go up the mountain with torches to catch bandits. In the end, under the vast ocean of the masses, the profession of bandit was eliminated. As a result, now that the doomsday has arrived, in just three years, there are bandits and robbers everywhere. The changes in the times are too great.
Xu Xing was eager to try. If they dared to collect tolls, it was obvious that the other party must be a real bandit. In this case, it was time for her to show her skills. Then she said seriously: "City Lord, we are going south. I can really kill bandits. If you don't believe me, I will show you."
Shen Feng waved his hand and said: "What's wrong with you? If we continue to walk in the mountains, we will only be robbed. If we walk all the way and waste time, when can we go back? Next, we will leave the Taihang Mountains and walk on the plains to go back as soon as possible."
Shen Feng could understand Xu Xing's desire to prove herself. After all, Xu Xing had not given up the idea of killing bandits. Killing bandits now could prove her ability and determination, but Shen Feng did not want to waste more time outside. Bandits were all in poor mountains and treacherous waters. Why should he look for trouble? He might as well just leave the mountains. The plains were not only wide but also safe.
Xu Xing's face immediately showed disappointment when she heard this, obviously feeling that she had no chance to perform.
From ancient times to the present, the plains have been a symbol of prosperity and peace, because it is easiest to develop the economy in these areas. However, it is also the easiest place to be controlled.
Walking on the plains is always safer. Of course, the pretext for collecting taxes becomes righteous. Shen Feng originally did not want to expose himself to others, because his relationship with the headquarters was not good now. If someone acted against him, it would be truly difficult to guard against. But now, there are bandits and robbers everywhere in the world. If he continued to walk in the mountains, he would still encounter danger. It would be better to walk on the plains. At most, he would not live in other people's cities.
The mountains and rivers of the world are all the same. Not only are there bandits near Yuzhou, but there are also quite a few in the Taihang Mountains. In this situation, Shen Feng and his party directly left the mountains and walked on the plains, heading south, and their speed increased significantly.
On the side of a transportation hub in the Taihang Mountains, a group of professional bandits were lighting a fire to keep warm by the roadside. In the middle of the road, there were two wooden frames, and on the frames was a huge pillar. It looked like it had just been dismantled from a wooden room. It was still showing signs of insect damage and cracking. At this time, the pillar was placed horizontally, directly blocking the road.
No matter who wanted to pass here, they first had to pay money. If they didn't pay, they were not allowed to pass.
At this time, a group of bandits were warming themselves by the fire. More than a dozen sweet potatoes were thrown into the fire, and they were stewing sweet potatoes while warming themselves. The aroma could be smelled from time to time.
The leader of the bandits was a man with a scarred face, whose true appearance could no longer be seen. However, judging by his appearance outside of the scars, he did not seem to be very old, because there were not many wrinkles on his face. But even though he was not old, the people around him could only respectfully call the scarred man "Big Brother."
Then, a small subordinate said to the boss: "Big Brother, it's winter now, and we can't find anyone waiting here all the time. Why don't you take us to the nearby villages to borrow grain? It's better than collecting tolls."
Bandits are not good people. They don't just stop and rob. When there are no passers-by, they will target nearby villages. Don't talk about rabbits not eating the grass near their dens. Bandits don't care about these things. Bandits need to eat their fill the most. As for whether it is grass near their dens, they don't care. The so-called borrowing grain is naturally to go and extort.
Now, the small subordinate said they should go borrow grain to avoid waiting for passers-by by the roadside. This can be considered a return to tradition.
However, the scarred boss directly slapped him, "Slap." With this slap, he knocked down the subordinate who made the suggestion. The boss then said: "Are you treating me like an idiot? Do you have to listen to your suggestions for everything?"
After being slapped, the subordinate said aggrievedly: "Big Brother, I am loyal to you. How can I have any ulterior motives? I am also offering my good intentions and giving you advice."
When the boss heard this, he immediately said angrily: "You don't understand anything. If you really borrow grain, you will be a bandit. I, Bai, have aspirations and am not the kind of bandit who plunders houses and robs houses."
The subordinate looked at the boss in confusion and asked: "But Big Brother, aren't we bandits now? Stopping and robbing is being a bandit, and going to borrow grain is also being a bandit. What's the difference?"
This question is well asked. In fact, everyone else is also very confused. Stopping and robbing is being a bandit, and going to borrow grain is also being a bandit. It's the same being a bandit. The latter is even a business with no capital, earning more. Yet the boss doesn't do this. It's really incomprehensible.
At this time, the boss Bai Tianci said: "Are you all idiots? Don't you understand this? We collect tolls according to rules. What are rules? Rules are about credibility. There will definitely be merchant caravans passing by us in the future. As long as we collect tolls, we can continue to grow. On the contrary, the grain borrowing you mentioned, a business with no capital, has no credibility, and will eventually be replaced by others. I want to establish a base."
"Base?" All the bandits were stunned when they heard this. The term "base" is not simple. It should have at least two thousand people to be considered a base, right? Moreover, a base is official in nature. Can these bandits also establish a base?
Bai Tianci continued: "That's right. Even in the mountains, you must have noble aspirations. The fate of being a bandit will be very miserable. In the future, you will either be wiped out by others, or you will naturally perish because you cannot sustain yourself. Only by establishing a base can you have a future."
After listening to their boss's speech, everyone was in awe, because their boss's vision was too broad. He actually had such lofty ideals. Even being a bandit was not being an ordinary bandit. He could think of so many things.
Then someone wisely flattered him: "Big Brother is amazing. Even with amnesia, he knows so much. If you could recover your memory, what would happen in the future?"
Everyone had also heard of their boss's glorious deeds. That was two months ago when he descended from the sky and appeared before them. Afterwards, he was picked up by their current sister-in-law. Because the sister-in-law begged the heavens to bestow him, he fell into the Guanyin Temple. Therefore, he was named Bai Tianci. He was incredibly strong. Even a second-tier evolved human was nothing in front of him. Thus, people admired Bai Tianci's prestige and joined his ranks.
What's more important is that when Bai Tianci descended from the sky, his face was already covered in blood, especially his head, where there was a gap. Looking inside from the gap, one could even see his white and tender brain. However, even with such severe injuries, he actually survived. He did not die of infection or excessive blood loss. It was a miracle that he could survive.
So, if you look closely, you can still see that Bai Tianci's head is missing a piece, and there is a sunken area.
After waking up, Bai Tianci directly lost his memory. He forgot everything he had experienced before, but fortunately, he did not become foolish.
And Bai Tianci, after hearing his subordinates' flattery, said lightly: "Don't worry about the past. Perhaps the past was all sad and frightening for me, so it's better to forget everything."
Then, Bai Tianci said to his subordinates: "Your vision is too short-sighted. You cannot just focus on the present, do you understand? When the base under my command develops, I will marry wives for all of you, and you will live a good life in the future. As for stealing grain, I will not allow such things to happen on my territory!"
After hearing their boss's words, everyone nodded. Although it was a bit hard work now, their boss had such a long-term vision, which was truly extraordinary. Following such a boss would surely lead to a better future. So they quickly agreed.
At this time, the sweet potatoes were also cooked in the charcoal fire. Bai Tianci found a branch and started to stir the charcoal fire. The aroma immediately permeated the air, and then everyone ate a sweet potato, which was indeed fragrant and sweet.