Tang Youyou hurried forward, "Sir, I'm actually here to report to the authorities. Our village was looted by bandits, and more than a hundred people were taken away!"
She thought that this matter must be resolved with the help of the government's military force. After all, her own strength was limited, and she couldn't kill people directly.
The yamen runner's eyes widened and he stamped his feet. "When did this happen? Which village?"
"An hour and a half ago! Xiangyang Village!"
The yamen runner was stunned for a moment, "This is already the third village. Come with me to the county yamen to explain the situation!"
The two hurried to the county government office. On the way, Tang Youyou learned that the bandits had cooperated with the refugees and looted three villages in two days.
Inside the county government office, officials sighed and sat anxiously on their chairs.
"Sir, now the disaster relief grain has also been stolen, what should we do?"
"This is too chaotic, outrageous! I heard that Magistrate Bai has already fled!"
"Alas... We have to find a way to save ourselves. The people in the city are in a panic and have nowhere to go. There are also a large number of disaster victims rushing to Nanzhou. What should we do?"
"What's even worse right now is that a group of bandits arrived in our county out of nowhere. They've colluded with the refugees and robbed two villages. Sigh... If this continues, Qingshui County will never have peace again!"
The county magistrate frowned and looked at the legal advisor who had remained silent.
"Songbai, what do you think?"
Master Li sighed, "We must first deal with the refugees and bandits. Otherwise, before the next batch of refugees arrives, our Qingshui County will become a shell!"
Everyone looked shocked and looked at County Magistrate Zhang.
He looked troubled. "Ah... it's not easy at all. These people have come all the way here to escape famine. How are they any different from those vicious criminals? They're all fearless. Our county currently has only eighty soldiers, many of whom have been injured recently. We only have about thirty or so who can be used. How can we fight against five or six hundred people?"
The county magistrate also sighed heavily. "I have already written to the governor of Yuzhou next door about the situation in my county, hoping to get help. For now, we must stabilize the situation!"
County Magistrate Tong was overwhelmed. "Sir, how can we stabilize the city? Everyone in the city is in danger, the gates are closed, and now the bandits are rampant. If you ask me, while they are doing well, we should go to the villages to recruit strong soldiers. We can still fight a few of them. Otherwise, when their forces grow stronger, the consequences will be disastrous!"
"This is a great idea!" Tang Youyou's voice came.
Everyone was surprised. The county magistrate was furious and was about to reprimand them, but the bailiff bowed and said, "My lords, Xiangyang Village has just been looted!"
"Hiss!" County Captain Zhang stood up immediately.
"You dare to rob a ghost village? That's too arrogant. No! I can't swallow this! I'm going to fight to the death."
Tang Youyou suddenly had an idea and bowed slightly: "My lords, I have just caught a fish that slipped through the net. They must be celebrating now. Why not take this opportunity to catch them all in one fell swoop!"
We must catch up with that group of people immediately to reduce casualties!
The county magistrate narrowed his eyes slightly, his face showing displeasure, "You woman, you have such a big mouth!"
Mr. Li and County Magistrate Tong looked at each other, their eyes full of helplessness.
"Sir, what this woman said makes sense. This is already the third village to be affected. If we sit back and do nothing, within five days, the entire Qingshui County will be left with only the elderly, the weak, women and children!"
"Sir, we have no choice now. We must take them down even if we have to fight. I will go and call the troops!" County Lieutenant Zhang left.
Then he thought of something and looked at Tang Youyou: "Do you know where that group of people are hiding?"
"Sir, the bandits revealed that it's in the back mountain of Chengjia Village next door!"
At this point, everyone had already stood up. Master Li sighed heavily, "Now that we know the location, it's easy. Let's go and shamelessly go to the wealthy families to borrow servants! It's faster than conscription!"
The county magistrate frowned, "How can I borrow this?"
Li Shiye suddenly felt furious. With the situation at hand, the county magistrate still cared about his reputation? Didn't he know that if Qingshui County was occupied by bandits, not only would his official hat be lost, but the heads of his entire clan would be chopped off.
"Sir, the matter is urgent, so don't bother with these things. Besides, when the bandits recover, the first people they will rob will be the wealthy families in the city. Why wouldn't they lend the money?"
The county magistrate still had this hesitation, feeling very embarrassed. If he borrowed the money, he would owe others a favor and would not benefit at all.
"Or should we wait for a letter from the governor of Yuzhou next door?"
Tang Youyou rolled her eyes where no one could see. This county magistrate was too pedantic and unworthy of the responsibility. On the other hand, apart from Leng Zhubu who looked as if it was none of their business, the other three looked anxious.
County Magistrate Tong stepped forward to offer his advice: "Sir, let alone whether or not the Yuzhou prefect will lend us troops, or when, that's still unknown. At this critical juncture, we don't have time to wait!"
County Magistrate Zhang echoed, "Sir, if this county is taken by bandits, we will be blamed. At the very least, we will be exiled, and at the worst, our entire clan will be exterminated. There's no time to think about this!"
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate seemed to react and waved his hand, "Send someone to notify the wealthy families to come!"
Master Li rolled his eyes unceremoniously, "Sir, it's already late afternoon, there's no time to waste!"
I was secretly complaining: You're asking for help and you're being so arrogant? Don't you even consider the timing? How come I never noticed you were so terrible in these three years? Are you full of shit?
The county magistrate looked embarrassed and glared at him. He was about to speak when County Magistrate Tong flicked his sleeves and walked away. He could still hear his voice: "I'll go home first and ask my wife to prepare the servants!"
The other three also left quickly, leaving the county magistrate and Tang Youyou alone.
"you……"
Tang Youyou shuddered, "Sir, please send someone to go back with me to bring the others!"
The county magistrate felt that he had lost all his face and dignity today. He waved his hand and the two yamen runners left with her.
It was already early evening when they returned to the village. The two yamen runners twitched their lips as they looked at the unconscious bandit.
"You hurt him?"
Tang Youyou waved her hands quickly, "He panicked and bumped into the wall, and was injured by the adobe!"
A yamen runner sighed, "Don't be afraid, bandits have entered the village, this is legitimate defense, you won't be beaten with a stick!"
Hearing this, she suddenly plucked up the courage to ask, "What if we kill the bandits?"
"The bandits are extremely evil, and there will be rewards for killing them!"
Tang Youyou widened her eyes, finding it unbelievable. Is there such a good thing?
The yamen runner twitched his lips and said, "Bandits are not so easy to kill. Don't overthink it, or you'll bring disaster upon yourself!"
Another yamen runner echoed: "That's right, although the bandits are unforgivable, they are very aggressive. If one of them is killed, I'm sure they will massacre your entire village!"
Tang Youyou laughed dumbly. Bandits are loyal? They just share the happiness!
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