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“This is against the rules.” Wei Yan frowned. “The general has already rushed to the governor’s office in Shannan Prefecture overnight. Once the governor agrees, we will naturally send troops to assist.”
Song Ling looked at the people in the tent and shook his head slightly. "It's not that I'm asking you generals to disobey military orders. How could I not know my place?"
"It would take at least two or three hours to get from here to the governor's mansion of Shannan Prefecture, even at the fastest speed. If the general goes back and forth, who knows how many more people will die due to poor management."
"The governor of Guangping County, where Kuli County is located, has not yet taken any action, and the other counties are also hesitant and timid."
"Ling only wants to borrow a few people from the military advisor and several deputy generals, at least to help the prefect isolate the patients to prevent the disease from spreading further."
Seeing that some of the deputy generals were moved, Song Ling bowed and said, "As for military regulations, the military advisor and all the deputy generals are here to testify. If the general blames me, I will bear the responsibility alone and will not implicate the soldiers."
“What’s this about being implicated?” Lieutenant General Li quickly stepped forward to help the man up. “Strategist, don’t worry. You need as many soldiers as you want, just get them from me. You’ve put your heart into the people of our southern border. Even if the general blames you, we tough guys will take the fall.”
Before Song Ling could even nod in thanks, Vice General Wang shoved Vice General Li aside, saying, "Let him leave through me. The general hasn't had time to punish me for what happened with Governor Wang last time, so this is a good opportunity to do it all at once and avoid any unforeseen complications."
With these two taking the lead, it wouldn't be good for the other deputy generals to remain neutral.
"Hey you guys!"
Everyone was suddenly stopped by a shout and turned around to see Shi Qing, who had been silent all along.
The man walked up to Song Ling with a cold face and said, “Currently, only my soldiers have a relatively low number of infections in the camp. Now that the general is not here, the deputy generals and military advisors need to stabilize morale and strengthen vigilance to prevent a surprise attack from the Southern Barbarians. So I’m taking a few men with me.”
Because of the heavy losses caused by Shi Qing's mistake in the battle not long ago, he was punished by General Yu and relieved of his military command for several months. His troops were also temporarily transferred to the deputy general Li for management. Now, among the several deputy generals, he is undoubtedly the most idle one.
Although he was stripped of his power, the soldiers still recognized him as their general, and leading just a few men wasn't a big deal.
"this……"
Lieutenant General Li and Wei Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes. The previous conflict between Shi Qing and Song Ling was still fresh in their minds; why had Lieutenant General Shi suddenly changed his tune?
Song Ling, however, seemed oblivious to their embarrassment, and bowed to Shi Qing with an unchanged expression, saying, "Ling thanks Vice General Shi."
Seeing this, Lieutenant General Li and the others decided not to argue any further and couldn't help but admire Song Ling's spirit.
The group rode at full speed, and when they arrived at Guangping County, they found the streets deserted and the doors tightly shut. However, they could hear groans and wails coming from who-knows-where from time to time, which was quite strange.
Song Ling and Shi Qing, along with dozens of people behind them, stood at the gate of Guangping County, wearing specially made face masks, their expressions stern.
Go knock on the door!
They called several times, but the door was tightly shut, and no one responded.
"How strange, could it be that all the servants in the prefect's mansion have fallen ill and died?"
Shi Qing glanced sideways at Song Ling, who was standing to the side. This strategist was usually so composed, how could he also lose his composure and become impatient?
Song Ling's patience was completely exhausted. She only knew that the prefect of Guangping County was inactive, but she did not know that his inaction was to such an extent.
“Since the prefect dislikes literary etiquette, we shall meet him with force,” Song Ling coldly ordered. “As for how to open the gate, I’m sure Vice General Shi is more experienced.”
Song Ling slowly walked to the side to make way, and Shi Qing immediately understood, then gave a glance to the dozens of elite soldiers behind him.
The group picked out several heavy wooden stakes and rammed them together.
*
"Master! Something terrible has happened—"
"They broke in—"
When the servants rushed in, Prefect Lin was half-undressed, lying in his concubine's room listening to music.
"What kind of work is this?!"
Prefect Lin hurriedly gathered his clothes and ran towards the main hall, his hair disheveled and not even having time to comb it. As soon as he reached the main hall, he was frightened to death by the dozens of fully armed soldiers standing neatly in front of the courtyard.
"I don't know... what is this..."
Song Ling and Shi Qing stepped forward. “Prefect Lin may not recognize us. We are here on General Yu’s orders to assist the Prefect in controlling the epidemic in Guangping County.”
"What is the prefect's opinion?"
“Hahaha,” Magistrate Lin wiped his sweat and laughed, “You don’t need to worry. I have already sent people to deal with this matter, and the epidemic in Guangping County has been brought under control.”
"As you two have probably seen, the sick person has already been isolated. Thank you for making this trip."
This Prefect Lin is indeed a seasoned veteran in officialdom; even when he was terrified, he didn't forget to be polite and take credit for himself.
"Is that so?" Song Ling sneered. "Then why doesn't the prefect meet this person first before discussing a solution?"
"Let me go! Let me go!"
Do you know who I am?
The soldiers made way, and two soldiers came forward with a man in his thirties tied up, then threw him to the ground.
These two soldiers were the two personal guards that Yu Baizhou had left to protect Song Ling. At this moment, one of them took out a small ledger from his pocket and handed it to Song Ling. There was still some lime powder scattered on it.
"Control?" Song Ling threw the ledger at Prefect Lin's feet. "Prefect Lin's control means forcing all the people to stay at home and then arresting all suspected infected people and burning them alive!"
"Is this how you, the magistrate of Guangping County, behave?!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Qing was shocked. He truly hadn't expected that Prefect Lin would be so incompetent and ruthless.
"This is a misunderstanding!" Prefect Lin hurriedly glanced at the densely packed names on the ledger, his heart sinking with each page he turned.
Didn't he tell us to destroy them first?
“Slander! This is a slander!” Prefect Lin pointed at the man on the ground. “I never gave such an order. It must be that my subordinates are deceiving me.”
The man on the ground was clearly panicked and immediately crawled over to beg for mercy, "Brother-in-law... Brother-in-law! You can't do this! You have to save me... Save me!"
There was no point in continuing this farce. Song Ling ordered the two soldiers who had just returned, "You... go and tie up this prefect."
"yes."
"Let's see who dares!" The butler led dozens of guards and rushed into the front hall, making the space feel much more cramped.
Song Ling was dizzy from the crowd, so she patted Shi Qing's arm and then turned to sit down in the main seat.
Shi Qing instantly understood, raised his head and shouted, "Take them all down! Show no mercy to those who resist!"
No matter how many or how strong the guards are, they are mostly just for show, and can't compare to the spirit of soldiers who have seen blood and killed barbarians in the military camp.
Soon, a strong smell of blood filled the courtyard. To avoid trouble, all the soldiers held back. Only a dozen or so were injured, and most of the rest dropped their clubs and begged for mercy.
"You..." Prefect Lin pointed at Song Ling, speechless. "Do you know that plotting against an official of the court is a serious crime! My brother is the Prefect of Shannan Prefecture, and only His Majesty could—"
Shi Qing didn't want to waste any more time listening to him, so he simply tore a piece of clothing from the bound steward next to him to gag the prefect Lin, and tied him up to death at the same time.
Song Ling rubbed her brows and said nonchalantly, "Find a room and throw these people in there to avoid causing any trouble."
"Also, send a few people to gather the people in the backyard and keep an eye on them so they don't escape."
Seeing that Prefect Lin's eyes were contorted with rage, Song Ling guessed what he was going to say. "Prefect, are you saying that Governor Lin will definitely not let us go?"
"Hehehe..." Song Ling smiled and pointed to the person beside her, "I won't say,"
"He won't say,"
"If they don't tell... who will know?"
"Strategist!" A soldier suddenly reported, "Deputy General Li was worried that you didn't have enough manpower, so he transferred several hundred more men over, and they have now surrounded the prefectural governor's mansion."
“Look,” Song Ling squatted down and placed a hand on the prefect’s neck, “now no one will know.”
His tone was as cold as a viper's hiss.
For some reason, Magistrate Lin sensed a terrifying signal and shook his head, trying to retreat but unable to move an inch.
Song Ling exerted force with her right hand, and he immediately fainted.
"Knock them all out and lock them up, just in case anything goes wrong." Song Ling casually ordered, startling Shi Qing who was standing nearby.
He had only agreed to help her with a tentative purpose, but now this Miss Song was constantly changing his perception of her and his preconceived notions. She was truly different from the women he had in mind.
His actions were bold, decisive, and ruthless, something most men couldn't do.
"I would like to ask Vice General Shi to come to the study with Ling to discuss matters concerning the management and control of troops."
Shi Qing followed Song Ling in a daze, amazed by her naturalness, as if she were in her own backyard.
"Has the young lady ever visited this prefectural governor's residence before?"
Song Ling smiled slightly, "No, but it's never too late to come again, is it?"
What an absurd statement! It stirred up a huge wave in Shi Qing's heart. What did she mean by that?
***
"Whoa—"
Yu Baizhou led his men off their horses and rushed into the military camp. The open space that was originally used for training and martial arts practice was now full of people, and the soldiers were lining up to receive something.
As they approached, the strong smell of medicine filled their nostrils. At the beginning of the procession, Wei Yan was leading a dozen soldiers, brewing and distributing medicinal soup.
Seeing that Yu Baizhou was also busy, he exclaimed, "The general is back!"
"Where did the deputy generals go?" Yu Baizhou looked around but couldn't see any of Deputy General Li and the others.
"The strategist said that with the outbreak of the epidemic, the southern barbarians might take advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack. Deputy General Li and a few others led a group of people to drink the medicine and have now gone to the city defenses to stand guard."
Yu Baizhou caught the words "strategist" and asked, "Has Miss Song been here?"
“Yes,” Wei Yan and the others scooped up several bowls of medicinal soup and handed them over. “The young lady said that the symptoms of the epidemic are changing too quickly, and this prescription is now having little effect, but drinking it is better than not drinking it.”
Yu Baizhou drank the bowl in one gulp. "Where did she go? Governor Lin has given his approval, so I must mobilize troops immediately."
"Then General, lead your troops there. Miss Song was worried that Governor Lin wouldn't agree, so she has already taken some people to Guangping County to take control. Presumably, by now..." the situation is under control.
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Baizhou had already thrown down his bowl and gone to gather his soldiers.
"Military Advisor Wei, it's my turn..." The soldier in front of him was sore from holding his bowl that he couldn't help but call out to remind him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Wei Yan ladled a bowl of herbal medicine for him, muttering, "If it weren't for Military Advisor Song, I don't know if we would still be alive."
Song Ling may not know that, thanks to Wei Yan's deliberate actions, she has now become a living bodhisattva in the hearts of the soldiers of the Southwest Army.
At this moment, Song Ling obviously couldn't care less about these things. She had too few people to help, and Deputy General Shi didn't understand literature. She was struggling to manage Guangping County by herself.
Not to mention, there are always some clueless guys showing up.
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