Xie Yi frowned and asked the guard outside, "What happened outside?"
The person outside hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, the city guards who went out on patrol last night have returned. Several small fishing villages were attacked by river bandits."
Those river bandits kidnapped and murdered many people.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in the room changed drastically.
Xie Yi clenched his fist and slammed it on the small table beside him, coldly shouting, "Zhao Zuoling."
"Your humble servant is here." The strong man who hadn't spoken until now quickly stood up from the corner.
Xie Yi coldly said, "Tonight, you will take five thousand city guards to guard several nearby fishing villages. Make sure to capture those troublesome river bandits for me, bring them back for thorough questioning, and keep a low profile."
He refused to believe that as long as he brought those bandits back and tortured them severely, he would surely find out where they were hiding.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zuoling quickly replied, "Yes, Your Excellency will certainly capture those river bandits."
The middle-aged man standing nearby hurriedly said, "Your Highness, this is absolutely unacceptable. Those river bandits are so cunning. Several nearby cities have not been able to catch them for so long, and have even lost many of their garrison soldiers."
As a result, they can't even send troops to support Weizhou City now.
Sending Zhao Zuoling to confront the river bandits head-on at this time would be a waste of Weizhou City's military strength, wouldn't it?
"What will happen to the city if those Xiliang people make a move?"
It wasn't that he didn't care about the people in those small fishing villages; it was just that those river bandits were too cunning. They always appeared at night, catching the patrolling guards off guard and then taking advantage of the chaos to kill and massacre the village.
They were extremely fast and rarely got caught alone. Occasionally, however, the bandits were extremely cruel to their own companions and would never leave them alive.
If they rashly send the city's garrison troops there, they will only suffer losses.
Xie Yi fell silent upon hearing this, realizing that Prefect Chen's words made sense.
If the Xiliang people start attacking the city, but some of their troops are in the small fishing village, they will probably end up losing on both sides and wasting their military strength.
Jiang Yimian never expected that the Weizhou river bandits would be so rampant, especially at this time. Those people must be plotting the same thing as those in Xiliang, wanting to take over Weizhou City for themselves.
She frowned and said, "Then it's not a solution for you to just stay here like this. If the food in the city runs out, Weizhou City will probably fall before either of these two sides even have to make a move."
The reason the people of Xiliang are delaying their attack is probably the same: they are waiting for Weizhou City to starve and perish on its own.
They will be able to take Weizhou City without losing a single soldier.
Prefect Chen sighed, "Who can argue with that? We are currently grappling with this very issue. Although there is still a considerable amount of food in the city, with so many people and soldiers, it will eventually run out."
Waiting like this will actually be detrimental to Weizhou City.
But unfortunately, we haven't come up with a good solution. If we can't simultaneously subdue the Xiliang people and the river bandits, a hasty attack would surely result in disaster for Weizhou City.
Those river bandits must have been keeping an eye on Weizhou City these days. If there's any movement here, those river bandits certainly won't miss it.
Xie Yi sighed for a moment, then leaned back in his armchair, rubbing his forehead. "If these people from Xiliang want to wait, let them wait."
The people of those small fishing villages are now truly in danger. If it weren't for the city's garrison, they would only be waiting to die.
People in the small fishing villages by the sea are now living in fear, and many have recently flocked to the city.
If we don't send people to protect those people, the nearby villages will probably descend into chaos.
"Zhao Zuoling, take more men to the village to keep watch tonight."
Zhao Zuoling simply responded and left.
Prefect Chen was about to say something more, but Xie Yi glanced at him and he finally shut his mouth.
Xie Yi then looked at Jiang Yimian and her group, "If you want to leave, it may not be possible in the short term. For now, please stay at the Prince's residence."
"Prefect Chen, take them down and settle them in."
Judge Chen then responded and gestured for Jiang Yimian and the others to enter.
Jiang Yimian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, waiting like this in Weizhou City is not a solution. Since those Xiliang people have no intention of making a move, why don't we take the initiative?"
They launched a night raid on their camp, burned their supplies, and caught them completely off guard.
Without supplies, they certainly cannot continue to camp outside the city.
The worst thing on the battlefield is to lack food and weapons. Without food and supplies, no matter how fierce these Xiliang people are, they will not be able to hold out for long and will eventually flee in disarray.
Xie Yi laughed out loud at these words, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. Even Chen Tongpan, who was standing next to her, looked at her suspiciously.
“Princess, do you know how fierce those Xiliang people are? Not to mention how many guards are stationed where they store their grain and fodder.”
"I'm afraid our people will be spotted before they even get close."
Judge Chen glanced at Jiang Yimian, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Although Weizhou was some distance from the capital, he had heard of the deeds of this Princess Ning'an.
She is rumored to be incredibly powerful, having saved Wei Jinghai and defeated Tu Kun, a famous general of Tuyuhun. Each of these feats is unbelievable on its own, yet they inspire a sense of respect in people.
He had initially doubted whether the rumors were true or false, but now he no longer needed to doubt them; those rumors were definitely false.
He couldn't believe that someone so capable would come up with such a foolish idea.
What's the difference between this and sending the city's defenders to their deaths?
Xie Yi frowned slightly, a hint of impatience on his face. "Princess, this matter concerns Weizhou City. Although you have accidentally entered the city, these are matters for me to handle and have nothing to do with you."
You must be tired after traveling for so long, why don't you go and rest first?
After saying that, he waved his hand, clearly indicating that he wanted to see the guest out.
He was already overwhelmed with problems in Weizhou City and really didn't want to waste time listening to these absurd ideas.
He understands these people best; they've been pampered and spoiled since childhood, and they speak without thinking.
In the past, I would have had the leisure to play along with these people, but now I don't have the energy.
Jiang Yimian wasn't annoyed, but said seriously, "How will Your Highness know it won't work if you don't try? Weizhou City is currently in a passive situation, so why not take the initiative?"
The reason why those people from Xiliang have been hesitant to make a move is to make Weizhou City wary, and ideally, to be defeated before the battle even begins.
Now that Weizhou City is under lockdown, it is very difficult to send messages to other cities or prefectures. Even if a message is managed to get through, the distance between those cities and prefectures is a major obstacle.
By the time reinforcements arrive, it will be too late.
Weizhou City currently has both food and weapons. If we don't seize the initiative now, we will be completely worn down by the Xiliang people outside the city, and then it will be too late to save us.
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