Chapter 291: Recruiting a Follower

Chapter 291: Recruiting a Follower

"What are you doing?!" the leader of the group shouted.

"It was me who led you into this business. Now that there's a chance to escape, why aren't you taking it?!"

"Brother, if you don't leave, we won't either!" the short man said, his voice trembling as he continued to kowtow.

"Exactly! We agreed to live and die together! If we die, we'll die together!" the tall man chimed in.

"Second Brother and Third Brother are right!" the usually silent one, who had been quiet until now, also spoke up.

Qin Xiaoyao watched from the side, almost amused.

"Enough, did I say I wanted your lives?" he asked.

The three men who were kowtowing and the leader on the ground all froze, their faces turning stiff.

Then, their expressions turned wildly joyful.

"You won't kill us? Is that true?!" the short man immediately asked Qin Xiaoyao.

Qin Xiaoyao glanced at the short man.

"Since you haven't killed anyone, your crimes might not warrant death."

"Help him up; I have questions for you. Answer well, and I'll spare your lives."

"Thank you, hero! Thank you, hero!" the short man quickly thanked him.

He and the tall man helped the leader to his feet.

"Hero, ask whatever you want, and we will answer truthfully," the leader, now standing with the help of his two subordinates, respectfully clasped his hands and bowed to Qin Xiaoyao.

Only then did Qin Xiaoyao speak, "Where is the nearest town from here, and how far is it?"

"Also, is this the direction to the border?"

The four men didn't react much to the first question.

But when they heard the second, their eyes all flickered.

"Hero, you're going to the border?!" the leader asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Qin Xiaoyao looked at the man and nodded.

The leader immediately looked at Qin Xiaoyao with admiration, "Hero, with your skills, are you planning to join the army?" he followed up.

Qin Xiaoyao was slightly taken aback.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Yes."

"I plan to join the Second Prince's army." He added.

With so many people in the camp, even if he found the Second Prince's unit, he might not be able to join.

Joining the army and entering the camp would be the safest way to find the people he was looking for.

The leader's eyes lit up.

"Hero, can you take us with you?!"

Seeing Qin Xiaoyao look over, the leader immediately knelt on one knee.

"We are willing to follow the hero and join the Second Prince's army together!"

The other three followed suit, kneeling and bowing to Qin Xiaoyao just like their leader.

Seeing Qin Xiaoyao's puzzled expression, the leader continued, "We—actually aren't local villagers."

Noticing Qin Xiaoyao's eyes move, the leader hurriedly added, "But we are from Hua'an Prefecture, specifically Chen County, which borders Zhao County!"

Qin Xiaoyao remained silent, listening.

Seeing this, the leader felt more at ease and continued, "Last year, Hua'an Prefecture suffered from a drought, followed by a locust plague."

"The entire prefecture was hit hard, but our Chen County suffered the most."

"Villagers from all around, almost all of them, migrated, fleeing outward."

"Some went to other prefectures, while others didn't leave Hua'an Prefecture but fled to various towns."

"At that time, our families moved into the city."

"By working as laborers, we hoped to earn enough to feed our families and ensure no one starved. But—"

The leader's face showed pain.

"But food prices soared, and the money we earned wasn't enough to support our families."

"Eventually—" The leader's eyes were already brimming with tears.

Qin Xiaoyao didn't respond, but his expression showed sympathy.

During famines, starvation was common.

Even in Lingquan Town, many people were found dead from hunger during that period.

"Eventually, my mother and youngest sister starved to death to save food for the family." The leader wiped away his tears as he spoke.

"There were two fewer people in the family, and those who remained could barely survive. But then, the mountain bandits came."

"After they attacked the town, they killed anyone they saw. My father, my wife, and my three-year-old son... they all died at the hands of those beasts!" The man's eyes turned bloodshot as he spoke, and his body even began to tremble.

At the same time, the others also started crying.

Their situation was not much different from that of their eldest brother.

Wiping away his tears again, the man continued, "That's when the few of us killed some mountain bandits and left Huangjia Town."

"Unfortunately, there were too many bandits, and we couldn't beat them, so we had to run."

"Later, we found out that the bandits in Huangjia Town had been wiped out by the Second Prince."

"And it wasn't just Huangjia Town; the bandit problems in many places within Hua'an Prefecture had been cleared out by the Second Prince."

"The four of us brothers have already lost our families. When we learned that the Second Prince was stationing troops in Lingquan Town, we had the thought of joining him, so we came here."

"But who knew that by the time we arrived in Lingquan Town, we were too late, and the Second Prince had already left."

"With no other choice, we started robbing people on the roads around here."

At this point, the man looked at Qin Xiaoyao again and bowed.

"Hero, your skills are extraordinary. If you were to join the army, you would definitely be highly valued."

"We have no attachments left. We are grateful for the Second Prince's great kindness in avenging our families, and we also wish to join the army under the Second Prince's command."

"If the hero is willing to accept us, from now on, the lives of the four of us brothers will belong to the hero, and we will follow your commands!"

The other three also looked at Qin Xiaoyao, their expressions serious.

They had already agreed before that they would try to join the army under the Second Prince.

But the Second Prince had left with his army, and they thought they had missed their chance, so they stayed here, wandering aimlessly.

Now, they saw new hope.

Following this hero, they would surely succeed in joining the Second Prince's army. And maybe, they could make a name for themselves.

Qin Xiaoyao pondered for a moment.

She thought that these men had wandered for a long time and had been to more places than her.

At least in Hua'an Prefecture, they should be more familiar than her.

If she brought them along, she wouldn't get lost in Hua'an Prefecture.

Moreover, more people meant more strength.

Having people to use would make it easier for her to find others.

"Alright, you will follow me from now on."

"We'll talk about what happens after we find the Second Prince's army." Her goal this time was only to find her husband, and she didn't plan to really enlist and stay with the Second Prince's army.

Once the matter was over, she would leave the army.

The leader of the men looked pleased and didn't mind that Qin Xiaoyao hadn't fully agreed to let them follow. He exchanged glances with his three brothers.

Then, they all bowed to Qin Xiaoyao again.

"Huang Fei/Huang Shi/Huang Daqiao/Huang An pay respects to our elder brother!" they said in unison.

Qin Xiaoyao was momentarily stunned.

This scene reminded her of her previous life, leading a small team of mercenaries on missions.

Her brothers back then also looked at her like this. But they called her 'boss.'"