He also suggested providing only five days' worth of rations, then sustaining the war by fighting, capturing one stronghold, looting supplies, resting for a day, and then attacking the next one.

This plan sounds a bit far-fetched at first glance: three thousand against twenty thousand, and they even bring their own three days' worth of rations.

It feels like they're just going to deliver it!

But Yao Guangxiao immediately began to analyze the situation for Lin Mo.

The nearest stronghold is only three days' journey from Shulong Mountain. There are only two thousand bandits in the stronghold. With three thousand against two thousand, and a powerful general like Xu Chu leading the charge, it would be more than enough to take it down within two days.

Bandits are different from real soldiers.

Many of the bandits were just ordinary people who turned to banditry in order to make a living.

In terms of obedience, discipline, combat effectiveness, and morale, they are not even in the same league as regular troops.

The most crucial point is: bandits are very easy to surrender!

The reason I became a bandit was simply to earn a living and survive.

Based on the map, Yao Guangxiao had already calculated the distance between each mountain stronghold and learned the troop strength of each stronghold from Qin Zhi. After careful analysis, he formulated a detailed battle plan.

At the same time, just like Zhuge Liang, he gave Xu Chu five brocade bags.

He also told Xu Chu that at each mountain stronghold, he should open one of the brocade pouches, which contained only a brilliant plan to defeat the enemy.

Lin Mo was completely stunned by this arrangement.

To be honest, if it were someone else, he definitely wouldn't believe it.

But this is Yao Guangxiao.

During the Jingnan Campaign, he assisted the Prince of Yan in leading 10,000 men to defend Beiping and defeat the Ming Dynasty's hundreds of thousands of troops sent to the north.

After some deliberation, Lin Mo finally decided to allocate four thousand elite soldiers and seven days' rations to Xu Chu, ordering him to wipe out the bandits near Xichuan. He himself would lead three thousand troops back to Xichuan City.

There are 4,000 soldiers left in Xichuan, plus the current 3,000, for a total of 7,000 troops, plus the strategist, the sorcerer monk, which is more than enough to deal with Yang Fei.

Yang Fei, upon hearing that Lin Mo had returned, was caught off guard and didn't get a clear understanding of the situation.

Thus, the rebellion ended before it even began.

Upon arriving at the gates of Xichuan City, they found countless people already gathered there. Seeing Lin Mo leading his men back in triumph, the people all knelt down and cheered loudly.

Lin Mo understood that all of this was thanks to Yao Guangxiao.

As the chief strategist of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Yao Guangxiao was a master of politics. He knew that the people of Shu (Sichuan) suffered greatly from the oppression of bandits, and they would naturally be grateful to hear that these evil bandits had been killed.

Before Lin Mo's army could even set off to return, news of the complete annihilation of Shulong Mountain Village had already spread.

For this reason, Yang Fei and others immediately summoned their subordinates to discuss countermeasures after receiving the news.

Upon entering Xichuan City, tens of thousands of people naturally saw the bandits from Shulong Mountain who had been granted amnesty.

At this moment, fear inevitably appeared on the faces of the people.

Looking at Lin Mo again, the common people had mixed feelings. "How could the King of Shu be mixing with these bandits?"

Lin Mo, his face as cold as frost, rode his steed among the people and declared in a resounding voice: "A stubborn disease needs strong medicine, and a chaotic world requires severe punishment!"

Now, the land of Shu is ravaged by bandits who commit all sorts of evil deeds and prey on the local people.

I, Lin Mo, am now the King of Shu, and I will surely grant you all a peaceful life. From this day forward, as long as I, Lin Mo, am here, not a single bandit will be left alive, neither in Xichuan nor in the entire Shu region!

Upon hearing these words, the people cheered loudly.

"Your Highness is wise!"

"Your Highness is wise!"

Lin Mo's cold gaze swept across the crowd, then he raised his hand. The people immediately fell silent.

At this point, dissenting voices arose.

"But Your Highness, the man beside you is the bandit leader of Shulong Mountain!"

"Yes, he is the head of Shulong Mountain!"

Lin Mo grinned, “Please be patient, everyone, and let me explain slowly!” He said, “The bandits in Shu are extremely rampant. Before I arrived, it is said that many officials in Shu had already died violent deaths.”

Therefore, I am determined to wipe out all the bandits in Shu.

There were five bandit strongholds in this area: Shulong Stronghold, Black Tiger Stronghold, Greedy Wolf Stronghold, Cloud Green Stronghold, and Eastern Mastiff Stronghold. Three have already been destroyed, leaving two remaining. (Yao Guangxiao is talking nonsense!)

But when I was wiping out the bandit stronghold, I learned an astonishing secret.

Many bandits were driven to their doom by the corrupt officials of Xichuan City!

These people colluded with real bandits and committed all sorts of evil deeds.

While I was leading my troops to suppress the bandits, these people in Xichuan City were even tipping off the bandits.

Indeed, the man beside me is a bandit from Shulong Mountain Stronghold, but he was once a general of my Great Xia Dynasty and the deputy commander of the Shu region. The reason he became a bandit was due to the persecution by the corrupt officials in Xichuan City.

Besides him, there were many other people who were oppressed and exploited by these people, to the point that they had nowhere to turn.

I know that you are usually afraid of the tyranny of these corrupt officials and dare not speak out. But today, with me here, you can speak out boldly and expose the corrupt officials of Great Xia!

"I, the King, guarantee your safety!"

Anyone who reports corrupt officials will be rewarded with ten taels of silver and five bushels of rice!

Upon hearing these words, the people began to whisper among themselves.

Of course, Lin Mo didn't expect any immediate results.

The people of Sichuan have been oppressed by corrupt officials for too long, and they cannot be persuaded with just a few words.

The main purpose of saying this was to smooth over the matter of offering amnesty to the bandits of Shulong Mountain. Although the people of Shu hated these bandits, they were even more ruthless to the corrupt officials who preyed on the local people.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!