Qian Dayong hadn't even received news of Xu Yi's disappearance when he received orders.

The garrison troops were to prepare for deployment to suppress bandits outside the city.

Upon hearing this unexpected news, Qian Dayong hurriedly went to find the county magistrate.

The yamen runners inside the government office were all ready and about to set off.

"Your Excellency, what's going on? Why are you suddenly going to suppress bandits?"

Read novels on TaDu, ad-free and free online!

Xu Yi can go up the mountain alone without any problem, but if so many people go up the mountain, something bad is bound to happen. We don't want to end up with nothing to show for it.

"Vice Commander Qian has arrived just in time. Immediately gather the troops and leave the city. We will go ahead as the vanguard, and the rest of the army will follow shortly."

Qian Dayong was so caught up in the information in those words that he didn't even notice that the magistrate's gaze towards him was different from usual.

"Sir, I don't understand what you mean."

"There are only seven bandits on that mountain. After winter, who knows how many will survive."

"Besides, it's not worth sending people from the military to deal with just a few people."

"Sir, please tell me what exactly happened."

He remained inside the guard compound the whole time and didn't hear a thing.

The county magistrate glanced at him and said sternly,

"We received news that the bandits outside the city have kidnapped Commander Xu."

The original text comes from Tower & Read Novels~&

"They just sent a letter to the Xu family, demanding that they prepare ten thousand taels of silver, or they'll kill the hostage."

"Impossible!" Qian Dayong blurted out. Chunniang clearly said she was going to attack Xu Yi.

"How is that impossible?" The county magistrate looked at him strangely. "The letter has already been sent to the Xu family, and Commander Xu led his men out of the city at noon, and they haven't returned yet."

"I have already sent people to check, and there are indeed more footprints on the way up the mountain, one of which belongs to Commander Xu."

Qian Dayong believed everything the magistrate said, but...

Did those bandits really deliver a message to the Xu family?

"How could someone as capable as Commander Xu be so easily captured by bandits?"

After asking several questions, Qian Dayong finally realized that the magistrate's gaze was a little strange.

He realized that what he had said was inappropriate, so he had to offer a forced explanation.

"I just find it strange that those bandits have such audacity."

TaDu Xiaoshuo. >Say—*.—Free*No ads*>>No pop-ups, and>>-.*You can also interact with fellow book lovers>@.

"I'm afraid that if we send so many people out of the city, it will turn out to be a huge blunder."

Qian Dayong knew the truth, so he didn't want anyone to go up the mountain.

"What a blunder! The letter was definitely delivered to the Xu family. They said they would kill the hostage if they didn't get the money."

"No matter how powerful Xu Yi is, he still only has two hands; two fists can't fight four feet."

"These bandits are simply ignorant of their own limitations. I originally intended to spare their lives, but they are so audacious as to kidnap an official of the imperial court."

"We must bring them all back this time."

The magistrate grew angrier and angrier, and ignoring Qian Dayong's presence, he shouted to the constables outside.

"Let's go! Go capture the bandits!"

Qian Dayong's previously firm resolve wavered at this moment.

Perhaps the truth is just as the county magistrate said.

TaDu Xiaoshuo. >Say—*.—Free*No ads*>>No pop-ups, and>>-.*You can also interact with fellow book lovers>@.

The bandits did kidnap Xu Yi, but they didn't kill him; instead, they wanted to use him to make money.

After all, what these bandits sought in the first place was money.

Thinking about this, Qian Dayong felt even more uncertain. Just then, someone came to call him to leave the city.

"You guys go ahead, I have something to do, I'll be right there."

Feeling uneasy, Qian Dayong decided to go home to ask Chunniang, but when he got home, he found no one there.