"Alright! Perfect timing! After we loot the village, we can have a big drink. Brothers, leave no one alive, kill them all!"
"Ah! Kill! Kill!"
Immediately, a group of men, brandishing knives and shouting, rushed down the mountain.
Jackal and Tiger led a group of men straight into the mansion, while Black Wolf and a few others silently followed behind them.
About an hour after an incense stick has burned, sounds of fighting began to come from the village.
"Oh no! There's an ambush! The people inside aren't villagers, they're soldiers! Everyone, evacuate immediately!"
By the time the bandits realized what was happening and tried to retreat, many soldiers appeared from all directions in the village and surrounded them.
Meanwhile, Jackal and his men sneaked into Song Anxin's mansion. A man climbed over the wall and opened the gate. Jackal and his men rushed in with knives in hand. Instantly, a large net descended from the sky and trapped them all inside.
"Boss, this is bad! There's an ambush!"
"Shut up! Cut the net right now!"
A group of armored soldiers rushed out, drawing their swords and pointing them at them. Under the moonlight, the swords gleamed coldly, and the group dared not resist any longer.
At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the village was ablaze with fire as the soldiers had tied up the bandits and were counting them.
"Lord Yan, your strategy of 'catching turtles in a jar' is truly ingenious. You've managed to capture most of the bandits from Lianshan Mountain who have been around for years in one fell swoop."
The speaker was none other than Lord Liang, the military officer in charge of Ningdu County and several nearby counties, who held the rank of sixth grade.
Previously, the bandit suppression only involved county troops from a few counties, but this time, with the large number of bandits and their well-trained nature, the county troops were no match for them. Therefore, Yan Shuping asked Lord Liang to send troops to suppress the bandits together.
At this moment, a soldier came to report: "Lord Liang, the generals of Lianshan Mountain stronghold have been captured."
"Good, good! With the inside and outside working together, the bandits of Lianshan have been completely wiped out. Lord Yan has done a great service this time!"
Yan Shuping laughed heartily: "Without Lord Liang's troops, we wouldn't have been able to split into two groups and capture so many bandits alive. Lord Liang deserves half the credit for this."
Lord Liang's face lit up with joy. He knew this was an opportunity to make a name for himself, which was why he sent troops. He had been in this position for quite some time without any movement.
The next day, Linjia Village returned to its usual bustling state.
"Oh my, the magistrate is really amazing. He managed to wipe out all those bandits in one fell swoop. Otherwise, the village would have been in big trouble."
"Yes, thankfully the magistrate knew in advance, otherwise who knows when he might have his head chopped off by bandits while dreaming about it. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine," said Gou Dan's mother, rubbing her neck and shivering.
Tu Zi's mother said, "Yesterday I hid in the cellar and secretly looked up. Oh my god, those bandits were all carrying big knives and looked so fierce and terrifying."
"Oh my, you're really brave, daring to look up..."
Under the locust tree in the middle of the village, the villagers chattered about yesterday's events, and then started talking about some interesting things happening in the village.
Aunt San Gui, the loudmouth, said, "If you ask me, the most exciting thing is that Aunt Fang Tou's eldest daughter, Liu Xiu Hong, has returned."
"Isn't that Liu Xiuhong who ran away? How come she's back?"
Aunt San Gui said, "Who knows? But Aunt Fang Tou was overjoyed to see her come back, tears streaming down her face. She dotes on her eldest daughter the most."
"With Liu Xiuhong acting like this, won't her wife, who has both a son and a daughter-in-law, start making a fuss again?"
Aunt San Gui said mysteriously, "There's no trouble. Liu Xiuhong seems like a different person since she came back this time. She doesn't ask her daughter-in-law You Sheng and You Di to do any work. She just keeps doing the work by herself all day long. Even when Fang Tou scolds her, she doesn't say a word. She's very obedient."
"Oh dear, it's good that Liu Xiuhong has become obedient. She's lucky to have such a loving mother. Even though Fang Tou scolds her, he still loves his own daughter in his heart. Otherwise, he would have kicked her out of the house long ago."
"......."
The women were having a lively discussion, while at Song Anxin's house...
Five or six men stood in the hall, led by Black Wolf, with Liu Hong'er standing to one side.
"This is your household registration. From now on, you are law-abiding citizens."
Song Anxin had Qingshan distribute several copies of the household registration to them one by one.
The group of men were extremely excited and even a little tearful when they received their citizenship certificates. They could finally live openly and honestly without having to live a life of danger.
"Thank you, Madam Hui!" the men said in unison.
Black Wolf eagerly handed the household registration book to Liu Hong'er: "Hong'er, look, I now have a proper household registration, I'm no longer a bandit, and now the three of us can live an upright life."
Liu Hong'er was also very excited.
"Yes, the child needs a father too, Black Wolf. Let's live a good life together from now on."
At this moment, Song Anxin spoke up: "Liu Hong'er, have you thought about what to do about Aunt Tietou?"
Liu Hong'er's joy froze instantly. She sighed and said, "Second sister-in-law, actually, I've wanted to be honest with Lin Gangzi's mother several times these past few days, but seeing how good Lin Gangzi's mother is to Mingzheng, I just couldn't bring myself to do it."
She turned to Black Wolf and said, "Black Wolf, wait for us, mother and son, and let Grandma Mingzheng look after him for a few more days."
Black Wolf said anxiously, "Redie, we'll have to talk about this sooner or later, so we might as well make that couple give up now."
"Black Wolf, I know, I just can't bear it. Just wait a few days..."
Seeing Liu Hong'er's behavior, Song Anxin felt that Liu Hong'er was a person of great loyalty and righteousness. Thinking of Aunt Tietou and what Magistrate Yan had told her, she spoke to the group of men:
"Black Wolf, you guys are now law-abiding citizens. What are your plans for the future?"
The men looked at each other in bewilderment. They used to be bandits, training in the mountains or hunting. They had never really thought about this issue before suddenly becoming law-abiding citizens.
After thinking for a moment, the men said, "We'll follow the second-in-command. Wherever the second-in-command goes, we'll go."
They all looked at the black wolf at once.
Black Wolf couldn't figure it out for a moment. He scratched his head and said, "Let's find a place for the brothers to stay first. We don't know what we'll do in the future. As long as we can live a good life with Hong'er and the child, that's enough."
Having made up her mind, Song Anxin thought for a moment and then spoke:
"Since you don't know where you'll go in the future, and Liu Hong'er, you can't bear to hurt Tie Tou and his wife, how about I give you an idea?"
.........
Recently, a group of six brothers from outside Linjia Village arrived. It is said that they are cousins from Aunt Lin's maternal family and came to seek refuge with Aunt Lin after their family suffered a disaster.
The arrival of this newcomer naturally sparked a heated discussion among the villagers.
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