Chapter 422 "Are you Zhao Sanhe? Wang Cuihua's son-in-law? Zhao Xier's father?"
(Thanks to lazy Xingzai for the 100 reading coins!)
By the time Li Shiyue received the approval slip from General Liu that allowed her to lead troops out of the garrison, a day and a half had already passed.
Moreover, General Liu only gave her the authority to lead a team of fifty men.
According to the information provided by Brother Zhao, this group of bandits numbered at least thirty, and possibly as many as fifty or sixty.
While it might be an exaggeration to say that a regular army like the Xuanjia Army could take on ten men, it's certain that they could take on two men each.
But what Li Shiyue liked to do most was to use sheer numbers to catch the enemy off guard and win with overwhelming force after scouting the situation!
Moreover, what if the number of bandits was actually greater than she anticipated?
If it weren't thirty or fifty people, but seventy or eighty or even a hundred, how could Li Shiyue, who only led one squad of soldiers, possibly command them?
How will we rescue the kidnapped women and girls?
Li Shiyue was also more inclined to believe that there were quite a few bandits. After all, if a bandit group of only a few dozen people dared to scout ahead with just three people and then raid and kill an entire village under the cover of night, how could they have the guts?
Therefore, Li Shiyue took the approval slip and returned to Sanshan County first, where she borrowed about ten constables from the county government.
Sanshan County is a superior county because of Sanshan Port, and there are nearly twenty constables in the government office in charge of arrests.
Li Shiyue summoned away more than half of the constables in charge of arrests from the yamen at once, which was a great show of respect from Magistrate Wang and County Lieutenant Zhou.
Then Li Shiyue returned to the garrison and mustered a squad of soldiers, leading them directly towards Zhao You's house in Qingsong Town.
In the evening, Li Shiyue arrived at Zhao You's house with his men.
Li Shiyue, who used to bring soybeans to Zhao You's house to have oil pressed many years ago, now looks at the desolate scene under the big willow tree at the village entrance, empty and deserted, in the last rays of the sky. She can hardly believe that this is the same Zhao You's house that was bustling with people many years ago.
"General?"
Li Shiyue nodded to Chen Yong, who came to ask for instructions. Chen Yong and Sun Xiaoliu then led the other four men to the place Zhao Da Xiong had mentioned, the place where County Magistrate Zhou and the constable had found the footprints.
At this moment, Chief Zhao led the remaining villagers over, carrying carrying poles, sickles, and hoes, with fires lit.
Li Shiyue looked at the people in front of her and quickly counted their numbers.
"My surname is Li, my given name is Shiyue, and I am Ningyuan General, a fifth-rank general in the Xuanjia Army!"
I have fully understood the matters you reported.
I have just sent out scouts to track down the bandits.
Once the direction they fled in is discovered, this general will personally lead men to capture them!
Is this old man the clan head and village chief of the Zhao family?
Zhao, the clan chief, who was standing at the very front of the crowd, was stunned when he saw Li Shiyue, who was decisive and ruthless and who was completely different from the little girl he used to be.
It was only when the old woman next to him nudged him that he came to his senses.
"General Li, I am the patriarch of the Zhao You family!"
Among the twenty or so people standing behind Chief Zhao, the brothers Zhao Youtian and Zhao Youcai looked at Li Shiyue, who was wearing black armor in front of them, and their eyes shone with the only hope they had seen in so many days.
"Three things. First, have someone tell me in detail from beginning to end how this gang of thieves sent those three men who were begging for water. I need to know all the details."
Second, within half an hour, I need to see the household registration records of everyone in the Zhao family, including those who are already dead and those who have been abducted.
Third, tomorrow morning, the elderly and weak in the village will stay behind, while the brave men will come with me to search the mountains for bandits!
The first two things Li Shiyue mentioned were fine, but the third thing she said stunned the twenty or so people from the Zhao family.
"how?
Your mothers, wives, and daughters have all been kidnapped by bandits, your gold, silver, and grain have all been stolen, and your relatives have been killed. Don't you have any backbone? Don't you want revenge?
"General!"
"I'll go! I'm willing to follow the general to kill the bandits!"
Zhao Youcai suddenly rushed out from the crowd. He stood in front of Li Shiyue, his hands clenched into fists, and he knelt down with a "plop" in front of Li Shiyue, who was standing and looking at him.
"I'm willing to go with the general!"
I'm going to get my revenge on them!
I..."
"I'm going too!"
My brother and I both believe in the general!
We're willing to go!
At this moment, Zhao Youtian also ran up to Li Shiyue from behind and knelt down in front of Li Shiyue alongside Zhao Youcai.
Li Shiyue looked down at the two haggard-looking men in front of her. She looked closely at their faces and suddenly remembered that they were the two men who had tried to rob her and Li Qiutian on the road.
Later, Li Shiyue and Shitou brought Douzi to Zhao You's house to ask them to help her find someone to build a house in Lijiatun.
It's you!
Before Li Shiyue could finish speaking, a tall, strong man standing close behind Chief Zhao suddenly took a few steps forward and came to stand in front of Li Shiyue.
"General Li, I'm willing to go too!"
My wife Cuihua and my daughter Xier have been kidnapped by them!
I'm going to save them!
"Are you Zhao Sanhe? Wang Cuihua's son-in-law? Zhao Xier's father?"
Thinking of the clever young lady Zhao Xier, Li Shiyue's expression finally changed. "Xier, she... she was also kidnapped?"
"Waaah, General, my Xi'er has been kidnapped!"
Li Shiyue certainly remembered Zhao Xier.
After all, the school in Lijiatun has been open for so many years, and Zhao Xier is the only girl who studied there for five years!
It's not that no one sends their daughters to study, but most of them only study for a year or two, learn some characters and can do arithmetic, and then they stop coming.
Only Zhao Xi'er from the Zhao family studied for five years straight. Compared to other girls, and even compared to young men, she had to study for quite a long time.
"I vaguely remember that Xi'er had a younger brother who was seven years younger than her?"
"General! Brother Le is dead! Brother Le is dead!"
Just as Li Shiyue was looking at the man in front of her who was crying bitterly and didn't know what to say, Chen Yong and Sun Xiaoliu returned.
"how?"
"General! It's getting late, and although we can't see clearly with torches, I've still managed to find a few places..."
While Li Shiyue and Chen Yong were discussing the bandits' whereabouts, Hei Zi, who had been brought out by Li Shiyue this time, was directing fifty soldiers to set up camp, light fires, and cook.
Each of them brought enough food for three days before leaving the camp. If they couldn't get back in three days, they would have to find a way to get back.
At this moment, Chief Zhao also became perceptive and quickly directed the surviving members of Zhao You's family to carry the grain out of the cellar.
He hurried home to retrieve the family genealogy so he could explain to Li Shiyue the remaining number of survivors in the village, who had been abducted, and how many had been killed by bandits.
While Li Shiyue and the others were cooking, halfway up a mountain three hills away from Zhao You's home in a simple village, Wang Cuihua, with trembling hands, held a wooden bowl of thin porridge and brought it to Zhao Xi'er's lips.
"My dear Xi'er, open your mouth, open your mouth now, eat! You have to eat, we two have to live!"
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