Chapter 139

Qu Dubian's team arrived at Ling'an Village in Bai County.

There are about a hundred people in the small village, with neat houses made of blue bricks and tiles.

It was evening when they arrived here. A fog covered the village. Dogs were barking and chickens were crowing, and the whole place was peaceful.

Qu Dubian did not go to the county government office in Bai County. Instead, he asked someone to inform the county magistrate to come directly to Ling'an Village, so the county magistrate and the village chief were both here at this time.

The village chief, along with more than a hundred villagers, tremblingly welcomed the imperial army that was sent to suppress the bandits.

"General, people from the imperial court have finally arrived. The people of Ling'an Village are saved," Magistrate Wu was quite old, with sagging skin, and even when he smiled he looked worried.

His eyes were red with excitement. "In the past six months, the villagers of Ling'an Village and the surrounding villages have suffered a lot. It's useless for me to send people from the government to guard here."

The army was stationed outside the village, with twenty people left for personal protection.

Qu Dubian followed them into the village and said, "Since the bandit problem is so serious, why don't you allow the villagers in this area to move away?" Especially Ling'an Village, which suffered the most severe persecution.

The village chief said bitterly, "How can we move? Everything we have accumulated in our lifetime is here. The land, the houses, and the crops that are ready to be harvested in the fields. We can't leave any of them behind."

Qu Watanabe: "Is it not possible to move away temporarily?"

Magistrate Wu: "It's useless. Even though several young and strong laborers have died in the conflict, the villagers are unwilling to leave."

He led Qu Dubian to a place to rest temporarily.

It was the village chief's house, the only house in the village that was well built, with dried fish drying on the fence.

When County Magistrate Wu arrived, he brought a number of county officials and soldiers, about twenty in number, who were now surrounding the village chief's house.

Qu Dubian thought about the information collected in the bandit suppression records and had a rough idea in mind.

He sat in the courtyard and gathered together Magistrate Wu, the village chief, Lieutenant General Zhang and Zuo Tianlang.

Qu Watanabe: "We will launch a surprise attack on Heitu Village tonight."

Admiral Zhang was shocked for a moment: "Tonight? Isn't it too soon? You still don't know anything."

"It's too fast, but," Zuo Tianlang frowned, "if we grasp it well, it might be an opportunity."

Qu Dubian nodded: "Yes, I have roughly understood the situation of the bandits here on the way. Launching an attack is to strike while the iron is hot."

He looked at the village chief: "What do you think?"

The village chief was embarrassed: "I don't quite understand, so please make the decision, adults. If you need anything, we will definitely cooperate."

"Let the villagers go to bed early today and don't go out."

"At this point, everyone is at home."

Qu Dubian: "County Magistrate Wu, your officers and soldiers should be familiar with this area, right? Can they lead the way?"

County Magistrate Wu: "Of course you can."

The bitter-faced old man said confidently: "They often come to this area to deter bandits. They know the way up the mountain very well."

Qu Dubian checked the simulator time and said decisively, "Okay, let's set off in half an hour. Lieutenant General Zhang, please go and organize the troops and notify the brothers."

Lieutenant General Zhang hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Yes."

A surprise attack half an hour later?

Moreover, the Seventh Prince had just arrived here and had not asked about the situation of the three leaders of the Heitu Village, but he went straight to fight. Wasn't he too impatient and too unplanned?

The governor felt that the Seventh Prince was not a dandy young man from the capital. He saw with a sharp look that they were testing him that night, so he ordered two thousand elite soldiers to come with such confidence.

But the governor didn't know whether the seventh prince could command the soldiers. He didn't know either.

However...the Seventh Prince should not be someone who does not take the lives of his soldiers seriously.

Thinking of the plague in three counties two years ago, Lieutenant General Zhang felt a little relieved.

If the Seventh Prince really does not understand military tactics, he can make his own arrangements according to what the Governor said privately.

The village chief's yard.

After Qu Dubian sent Magistrate Wu away, he pulled Xi Zixing and Zuo Tianlang into the inner room.

He whispered, "Commander Zuo, the surprise attack tonight is fake. In a quarter of an hour, you go and inform Lieutenant General Zhang. Then you take a few people and wait at the only way up or down the mountain. See if you can catch anyone."

Zuo Tianlang's eyelids twitched, "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Qu Dubian patted his shoulder and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Zuo Tianlang clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, you are too kind. I followed you to Qingzhou just to help you successfully suppress the bandits."

After saying this, he left the room and went to find Lieutenant General Zhang.

Xi Zixing was holding a blank notebook and copying the names on it. He said slowly, "It has been half a year and we haven't caught any bandits. This is too strange. Someone must be colluding with the bandits and secretly passing on information."

Qu Dubian walked around the room.

This is a folk mud house built with straw and yellow mud. The dim oil lamp casts people's shadows on the wall, and the halo of light flickers slightly. There is a clean thin mattress on the bed, which is rare to have no patches.

"Let's see how many we can catch."

-

Black slaughter village.

The boss had a bearded face and was holding a bowl of rice, chewing it.

A man dressed in the uniform of a Baixian government official stood five meters away from him and said, "Boss, I have told you everything I know. The court has sent the Seventh Prince to suppress the bandits. They will launch a surprise attack tonight... but we don't know where they will attack from, but they have a lot of people, so you can prepare in advance."

The boss took out a small piece of gold from his pocket and threw it on the ground.

The soldier immediately picked it up with a smile on his face, "Then Boss, I will go back first!"

The boss: "Be careful not to get caught. Change your clothes next time."

The soldier said, "We are short on time today, but it doesn't matter. Just pretend to be here to explore the way. It would be even more strange if you changed into other clothes."

He bowed and withdrew.

The second in command was skinny and had a long scar on his face. "What an idiot."

The eldest master finished his rice and wiped his mouth. "I thought he was a powerful man, the Seventh Prince? He was just born in a good way. If everyone was born in the mud, he might not be able to survive. He is not as good as that...that governor named Ji."

Yu Ruo hurried in after hearing the news, "Where is the person who brought the news?"

The eldest boss smiled and said, "The third brother is here! Come on, come on, sit down."

Yu Ruo: "What did the messenger say?"

The big boss repeated, "Well, it's okay. There are only four places to go up the mountain. I asked people to put rolling stones in advance, so they can't come up."

Yu Ruo took a deep breath and said, "Immediately, catch up with the person who reported the news."

The eldest boss was stunned when he saw his expression, then he became serious: "Third brother, is there something wrong?" It's no wonder that he was serious, because the third brother had been in Heitu Village for half a year and had solved many troubles from the government for them.

So they listened to everything he said.

Yu Ruo: "You don't know, but I have news. The Seventh Prince is definitely not a reckless man who attacks blindly upon his arrival."

When he heard Gu Xin say that the person who usually reported the news had gone up the mountain again, he felt something was wrong.

He didn't think that after the Seventh Prince issued the order for a surprise attack, the news would leak out from the mouth of an insider.

There is deception involved.

The Seventh Prince is clearing the eyes within.

The big boss stood up immediately, "Quick, go after him! Catch him and bring him back, detain him in the village, don't let him—"

"One soldier is missing for no reason, and the body cannot be found. It's no different from being exposed," Yu Ruo narrowed his eyes. "After catching up, just kill him directly. Send another team to attack down the mountain and pretend that the messenger was accidentally killed by the bandits."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid all the tongues we planted will be plucked out one by one."

A group of bandits immediately chased after them.

-

The village chief’s home.

Qu Dubian fiddled with the incense in the small box that Liu Liu gave him, estimating the time in his heart.

"It should be about the same."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a noise outside the village chief's house.

General Zhang and Zuo Tianlang carried a man with an arrow in the back into the yard and threw him into the yard.

The man screamed in agony, but his hands were tied behind his back, so he could only crawl on the ground.

Military Officer Zhang stood outside the courtyard and bowed loudly, "General, we really caught a thief coming down from the mountain! Fortunately, we found him in time, otherwise the arrow that shot him would have hit his back."

Most of his doubts about the Seventh Prince's ability disappeared.

From now on, he began to seriously regard the Seventh Prince, who was not even twenty years old, as the commander-in-chief of the bandit suppression force.

Qu Dubian was about to go out when Xi Zixing stopped him, "Didn't you hear? The person you caught is injured."

Qu Watanabe: "It's okay, I can hold my breath for a while with my inner strength."

He patted Xi Zixing's arm, walked out, and glanced at the officers and soldiers wailing on the ground.

"Where is Magistrate Wu, the officers and soldiers from the county government?"

Magistrate Wu was sweating profusely: "Your Highness, I am here."

Qu Dubian: "We pretended to launch a surprise attack tonight just to see if there was a spy inside the government office who was colluding with the enemy. I didn't expect there really was one. County Magistrate Wu, do you have any ideas?"

"Your Highness! This man is called Dong Tian. He is usually honest. I never thought he would collaborate with the enemy!" Magistrate Wu said angrily, kicking Dong Tian. "You are the one who betrayed me. How many people have you killed?"

Dong Tian was still quibbling: "I didn't!" He kowtowed with tears in his eyes, "Your Highness, please be clear, I just went up the mountain to scout the way for everyone!"

Qu Dubian raised his hand: "Search."

Zuo Tianlang immediately began to search him.

No one could hide anything when the commander of the imperial guards searched him, and soon the gold he was hiding was found out.

Qu Dubian: "I have seen the list of officers and soldiers registered in the county government. Dong Tian, ​​you come from a humble background and your salary is only enough to support your family. Where did you get the gold?"

"I really didn't, it's unfair, sir!"

Qu Watanabe pressed his finger against the tip of his nose: "Press it down. If you don't confess, you will be severely punished."

He turned and went into the house. Ye Xiaoyuan called someone to splash out the blood in the yard and flush it away.

Qu Dubian slowly lit a piece of incense inside the house.

Around midnight.

Zuo Tianlang just brought in a list.

"Your Highness, these are the people Dong Tian has revealed, the ones who were bribed by the bandits in the county government. There are six in total, and three of them followed Magistrate Wu here to suppress the bandits."

Qu Watanabe: "It would be strange if we could succeed in suppressing the bandits right under their noses."

"On the one hand, they are greedy for money, and on the other hand, they are afraid that if they don't agree, their families will be retaliated by the bandits," Zuo Tianlang said admiringly, "But now that His Highness has caught the traitors, our every move in the future will not be exposed under their noses."

“It’s not over yet.”

Qu Dubian handed the list to Xi Zixing and said, "I'll give you a task."

Xi Zixing: "Your Highness ordered."

Qu Dubian: "Take my warrant and a hundred soldiers and go to the county government of Bai County. Arrest people openly, and investigate Magistrate Wu privately."

Among the officers and soldiers, Dong Tian alone gave up six traitors. I'm afraid the entire yamen is not clean.

After the palace was established, the princes all had their own despotic warrants. The one Qu Dubian had was a turquoise rice seedling token with a capital number seven in the lower left corner.

Xi Zixing took the warrant and said, "Give it to me, but it will take some time."

Qu Watanabe: "We are not in a hurry here. Let's test the waters first and find out the way. It will take at least two months to fight them officially."

Xi Zixing: "It's better to be early than late. I'm leaving now. Be careful."

Qu Watanabe nodded.

After Xizi left, Zuo Tianlang asked in confusion, "Your Highness hasn't finished talking yet, so he shouldn't be referring to the county government office."

Qu Dubian walked to the window and looked at the small, inconspicuous piece of dried fish drying on the fence outside.

In the darkness, it's not very clear.

He asked calmly, "Commander Zuo, do you think that in a village that is used to being robbed, would anyone still hang food outside and forget to hide it?"

Zuo Tianlang was shocked.

…

…

Black slaughter village.

"Dong Tian is useless, and almost all the nails hammered into the county government office are useless too."

The eldest boss was annoyed: "It's almost there, Third Brother, we don't know what the government will do in the future, what should we do?"

"Even if one is destroyed, there are still others."

Yu Ruo thought: "Tell the brothers in the village to be more careful recently. If you go down the mountain, check if there is anyone watching at the foot of the mountain first."

"If they don't move, we won't move either."

The second in command said in a deep voice: "Okay, I'll be in charge."

-

Dong Tian and three other bribed spies were taken into custody.

When the villagers heard about this, they were very angry.

The one who made the biggest noise and cried the most was the old lady of the Cui family. She sat in front of the house where Magistrate Wu lived early in the morning and cried, "So it was you who informed on the bandits, so the government couldn't catch them!"

"If they had been arrested earlier, my son wouldn't have died! His body has not been found yet, he was burned to ashes alive... If the county magistrate doesn't compensate for this life, I will die here today."

"Let the masters from the capital see how you forced innocent people to death!"

All those whose family members had died gathered here, hoping to get an explanation from the county magistrate.

After hearing this, Qu Dubian asked people to gather all the people outside the village chief's house.

He leaped forward and touched the fence with his toes, allowing the hundreds of villagers to see him.

"Everyone."

Old Lady Cui's eyes were red, and she said tremblingly, "Sir, please help us! There is only one man in the family, and everyone relies on him to do the work, but he was burned to death by bandits... We already thought we were unlucky, but we didn't expect that there was a traitor in the government. How can we live like this?"

"Yeah yeah."

"Everyone, don't worry," Qu Dubian raised his hand to suppress them, "The county magistrate will compensate you for your losses. Everything will be done according to the law. I promise."

Old Mrs. Cui was not very satisfied and wanted to say something, but Qu Duanbian continued, "But now, there is something more important."

"In order to prevent the news of the army's movements from being leaked, starting today, the people are forbidden to go up the mountain. Ten families form a group and report on each other. If anyone is found to be out of the ordinary, report it to Zhang Canjun immediately."

"If one of the ten families gets into trouble, all ten will be punished. Not only will they be beaten with sticks, but their descendants will also be forever disqualified from taking the imperial examinations."

The people were talking about it.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Sir, why?"

"Why?" Qu Dubian recalled a sentence and smiled mysteriously, "Because there are bad people among the people."

-

After the order came out that if one family committed a crime, ten families would be held responsible, the atmosphere in the entire Ling'an Village became vaguely tense.

Scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans.

Not allowing future generations to take the imperial examinations has really touched the sensitive spots of many village elders.

The imperial examination is the road to success.

After a lifetime of digging for food in the fields, to put it bluntly, as long as a scholar emerges, the whole family will be transformed. If a scholar emerges, the whole village will benefit.

Whoever causes trouble at this juncture will be their enemy.

People will only do something from the bottom of their hearts when it involves their own interests.

While working in the fields, they chewed licorice roots in their mouths, wishing they could grow two eyes on the back of their heads so they could keep an eye on the movements of the people they were tied to.

Even when going to the toilet, I would ask others where they go, then find the place and smell it to check whether it is true.

Even chickens didn't dare run into the mountains because they would be suspected of being enemy chickens or bandit chickens.

For half a month.

In the past half month, Qu Dubian contacted the governor of Jeju.

-

Black slaughter village.

Two thousand soldiers were stationed in Ling'an Village, which was closest to them, but there had been no movement.

There is no news either.

It's like a knife hanging in the air but not falling. After a while, people can't help but become anxious.

The big boss stood on a high place in the village, squinting his eyes and looking into the distance.

The small village of Ling'an is almost invisible.

"Isn't that the Seventh Prince afraid?"

The Second Master said: "There has been no news. Waiting any longer is not a solution. Let's ask the Cui family to go and take a look."

The eldest boss: "Didn't the third brother say not to move?"

The second in command: "There are so many mouths to feed in the village. It's not a good idea to keep them on the mountain. We can't rob this area. Let's go somewhere else. Let's send someone to check out the situation first."

"That's fine," the eldest boss thought for a while, "Then let Cui Jiatian go back later."

"good."

-

Ling'an Village.

late at night.

After a burst of dog barking.

A black shadow climbed over the wall and entered Mrs. Cui's house.

The person knocked on the door and whispered, "Mom, it's me."

A few seconds later, hurried footsteps were heard in the room. Mrs. Cui opened the door and pulled him in without even turning on the light.

Cui Er: "Mom, why don't you turn on the light?"

Old Mrs. Cui said anxiously, "I have something to tell you. You should go back home immediately after listening to it. You are not allowed to come back again!"

Cui Er was puzzled: "Why?"

"The one from the capital..."

Bang!

The Cui family’s courtyard gate was kicked open.

The village elders rushed in with torches in hand, lighting up the yard.

"Mrs. Cui! Come out, who has entered your house?!"

There was no response from inside, and the clan elder sneered. Someone immediately kicked open the door and let the dog in.

The dog bit Cui Er's leg. Two young men grabbed him from the left and right and threw him to the ground outside. "Elder! We caught him."

The elder of the clan took a closer look at the face and said in astonishment: "You... Cui Er?! Aren't you dead?"

"Mrs. Cui said you were burned to death in the fire, how come you are still here!"

Old Lady Cui smiled apologetically: "Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! He is not dead, just injured. He went out to hide for a while and only came back secretly tonight."

The elder said: "Tie them all up, and you can explain when the adults come."

-

Qu Watanabe was woken up in the middle of the night.

He came to his senses and went to the scene of the incident.

At this time, the Cui family courtyard was already full of villagers, with twenty or thirty torches raised surrounding it, making the summer night scorching hot.

Old Lady Cui and Cui Er were both kneeling in the middle, and behind them was a woman kneeling with a child of four or five years old in her arms, her eyes full of fear.

Qu Dubian was really sleepy, so he asked someone to bring a chair for him. He sat on it, resting his elbows on the armrests and supporting his head.

"General, the householder on duty today heard the dog barking and came to check. He saw someone climbing into the Cui family yard outside, so he came to arrest them."

"Um."

After hearing the general situation, Qu Dubian glanced at Cui Er and caught a glimpse of the scimitar at his waist.

I didn't rush to ask.

He said to the woman, "Are you Cui Er's wife?"

The woman nodded timidly: "Yes."

"Then the child in your arms is his?"

"……Um."

"What's your name?"

"Xiao An."

Qu Duanbian waved his hand lazily, "Bring the child here, I'll take a look."

Cui Er's pupils shrank, and he struggled violently, but was held down by the soldier behind him, "Behave yourself."

Brigadier General Zhang brought the child over. Perhaps because the child looked too fierce, or perhaps because he was scared of being away from his mother, the child began to cry loudly.

The woman's eyes suddenly turned red.

Lieutenant General Zhang placed the child in front of Qu Dubian.

Qu Dubian held the child's hand, looked at his red face from crying and eyes filled with fear, sighed, sat up straight, and leaned forward.

"Why are you crying? Does your brother look so scary?"

He took out a candy from his pocket, placed it in the child's palm, and wiped his face with a handkerchief.

"Okay, don't cry, okay?"

The child held the candy tightly, tightened his mouth, and was not so scared anymore.

"Your name is Xiao An, right?"

"Yes."

Qu Watanabe: "Well, you are so good. Does Xiao An like reading?"

The child nodded and said affirmatively, "I like it."

"Have you ever heard of the saying that a son should pay off his father's debt? For example, if my father owes me two candies and he doesn't want to pay them back, would you be willing to pay them back for him?"

Children cannot understand the hidden meaning in Qu Watanabe's words, but adults can.

Cui Er was like an enraged beast: "You damned official! What are you doing? Come to me if you have anything to say, don't touch my child!!"

The moment Qu Dubian shouted, he used his palms to wrap up his internal energy and blocked Xiao An's ears.

He sighed in his heart. With this kind of scene and these words, people who didn't know would really think that he was a villain who oppressed the people.

Xiao An was still in deep thought when Qu Dubian said to Cui Er, "I can tell from the first glance that you are a tough guy and will not confess easily."

"But we can't just let this go. Your son has good qualifications. I will take him away later. Um... I still need someone to feed the dogs in my house."

He was talking about the boy who fed the dog, but in this case, Cui Er heard it as if he was going to feed his son to the dog.

Xiao An made up his mind: "I am willing to pay it back for Daddy. Daddy works very hard to support the family. He loves Xiao An very much. Xiao An will work hard to earn two candies."

Cui Er's tears suddenly fell.

Qu Dubian stopped covering his ears, smiled and touched his head, picked up Xiao An, and said, "Then follow me. I have a lot of candy at home."

Xiao An turned his head reluctantly, but was stopped by Qu Watanabe.

He hadn't taken two steps when he heard a hoarse voice: "I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Leave the child behind..."

Qu Duanbian then stopped and returned the child to the woman, "Let's not stay here anymore, Banban, take her to where I live and pick out a can of candy for the child."

Ye Xiaoyuan nodded, "Madam, please."

After settling everything, Qu Dubian looked at Cui Er and Old Lady Cui.

"Go ahead."

Only then did Cui Er confess the truth.

It turned out that the bandits had found them and wanted to recruit them into the village. They would then tell others that they were dead and ask for compensation from the government.

The things they looted outside could be used to subsidize their families, and when they looted, they would skip their homes and only rob others.

Admiral Zhang was furious when he heard this: "Are there any other accomplices?!"

In the crowd, a few people began to look evasive and lowered their heads, trying to leave.

Qu Watanabe: "Speak."

Cui Er: "The third son of the Liu family, the nephew of the Li family, the sixth son of the Zhang family, the grandson of the village chief..." He mentioned five families in a row.

The people who were named turned pale with worry and were attacked by their neighbors.

The melee in the village to capture people lasted for about half an hour, and all the villagers who had secretly contacted the bandits were captured.

The people holding torches stared at them with angry eyes, wishing they could lie on top of these neighbors who usually greeted them with a smile, drink their flesh and suck their blood.

Let them return all the things they looted.

If it weren't for Qu Watanabe and the soldiers keeping watch here, I'm afraid this group of people wouldn't survive until tomorrow morning.

The terrifying thing about village clans is that sometimes they respect clan rules more sincerely than legal rules.

Magistrate Wu was extremely angry: "So you asked me to pay compensation in the morning, but you were just extorting money!"

"Thanks to this county magistrate for treating you with care, all my conscience has gone to waste," he turned to look at Qu Dubian, kneeling down and said, "Your Highness, please severely punish these unruly people!"

"Come on, Magistrate Wu, you are not innocent either."

A clear voice came from the door. Xi Zixing, who had been sent out for half a month, finally came back. He held two account books and a small box of jewelry in his hands.

It fell in front of County Magistrate Wu with a bang.

Magistrate Wu's face turned pale.

Xi Zixing handed the account book to Qu Dubian and said, "Let's see how much bribes our County Magistrate Wu received from the Black Tu Village."

Qu Watanabe: "Thank you for your hard work."

Xi Zixing came closer and asked: "Am I quite efficient in my work?"

Qu Dubian pushed his head away and handed the account book to Lieutenant General Zhang.

"I am only responsible for suppressing the bandits, not investigating the case. Find someone to escort Magistrate Wu and the villagers to the governor, submit the evidence one by one, and Bai County will be under the jurisdiction of Lord Ji, so let him review it."

"The officials under his jurisdiction didn't even know they were colluding with the bandits, and I had to find out. Please ask him if he doesn't want his head anymore."

Lieutenant General Zhang lowered his head in shame: "Yes, I understand."

From the suspicion of a surprise attack at the beginning, to the sudden realization that the thief was caught, to the order for the villagers to be held responsible, and finally to the entire county government and the villagers' spies have been wiped out.

It took only half a month.

He really didn't expect that Bai County had been infiltrated to this extent. After all, it was very normal at ordinary times. He also didn't expect that the Seventh Prince, at such a young age, could be so patient and clear up the internal troubles first.

Lieutenant General Zhang was convinced.

After pulling out all the nails, Qu Dubian packed them up and gave them to Ji Huan. He stretched and walked out of Cui's house.

"I'm sleepy, go to sleep. Get ready, because you won't be so free next time."

Looking at his back, Adjutant General Zhang quietly moved to Zuo Tianlang's side and asked, "Are all the princes in your capital so powerful? Are they all cunning?"

Zuo Tianlang's expression was extremely complicated.

After all, he watched the Seventh Prince grow up and knew what he was like as a child, so the shock he felt during this period was even greater.

He said sadly: "The Seventh Prince used to be the weakest."

Lieutenant General Zhang: “?”

Zuo Tianlang turned and left, thinking and worrying about how to report the seventh prince's current situation to His Majesty.

If he wrote it truthfully, would Your Majesty believe it?