Borrowing troops to suppress bandits
"My lord, my lord, something terrible has happened!"
"What's the rush? Don't scare my baby!" Li Wenkang complained that his advisor was oblivious. Didn't he see that he was feeding his precious parrot? What was he yelling about?
The clerk, Xi Juncai, rushed over in a panic, panting heavily: "There are rumors outside that the government doesn't care about the lives of the people and is unwilling to send troops to suppress the bandits."
"What do you mean by 'unwilling to suppress bandits'?" Li Wenkang frowned upon hearing this. "Tell me what's going on."
"It's still that Black Tiger Stronghold..."
The current prefect of Qingzhou City is Li Wenkang, who was transferred from the capital. He has been in office in Qingzhou for more than two years, but his performance has been mediocre. It is unknown when he will be transferred back to the capital.
When he first received the report from the caravan, he thought that suppressing the bandits was a good opportunity to show his abilities. He immediately summoned the officials and soldiers in the government office, disguised themselves as civilians, and tried to attack Black Tiger Stronghold through the mountain path. However, they were discovered by some unknown reason, and the officials and soldiers were attacked by rolling stones halfway there, losing several men in one fell swoop.
Black Tiger Village is a tough nut to crack!
Based on several encounters, this band of mountain bandits numbered no fewer than several hundred and occupied advantageous terrain. Their background and exact number of men were unknown, and the government was unable to deal with them for the time being. Several attacks failed, and the government did not want to harm its own people any further, so the bandit suppression campaign remained at a stalemate.
Furthermore, according to the informant's testimony, the bandits seemed to only seek wealth and did not harm anyone. Seeing that the matter had not escalated, the authorities had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
"My lord, rumors are flying everywhere outside, which is very disadvantageous for us!"
"If they want to curse, then let them curse for a few days!"
Gong Juncai: "But people outside are saying that you are a cruel and heartless crown prince. If we let these rumors continue to spread, it will be extremely detrimental to your reputation!"
"It's just some gossip, it'll pass and be fine, we need to stay calm." Li Wenkang seemed unconcerned.
Gong Juncai advised him, "Sir, this matter can hardly be delayed any longer. There's a huge uproar outside. If you don't take action, it will be difficult to appease public anger!"
Gong Juncai then recounted the situation outside, saying, "Those scholars are the best writers; what if the news gets to the capital..."
Only then did Li Wenkang realize what was happening, and he pointed at Gong Juncai, demanding that he find out the source.
Gong Juncai smiled bitterly. Investigate? How? The whole city is talking about this now.
Li Wenkang slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Then arrest them and lock them up in jail as a warning to others. I refuse to believe we can't shut them up."
So what if a few people are arrested and thrown in jail? This level of rumor can't be solved by killing a few people.
How can we silence public opinion?
Gong Juncai realized that Li Wenkang had spoken rashly in the heat of the moment, and offered a suggestion: "Sir, please don't be hasty! We can take this opportunity to gather our forces and wipe out Black Tiger Stronghold in one fell swoop. Black Tiger Stronghold has robbed so many caravans, they must have accumulated a lot of treasure."
"Suppressing bandits, suppressing bandits, you make it sound so easy. Do you think we can win with just this many people?"
It wasn't that Li Wenkang didn't want to suppress the bandits, but the Yanshan Mountains were densely forested, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and previous attempts to suppress the bandits had all failed. With only the soldiers in the government office, he didn't believe that he could wipe out the mountain bandits in one fell swoop, let alone anyone else.
"My lord, if you can wipe out this band of mountain bandits and seize their treasure, you won't have to worry about getting political achievements, and your transfer back to the capital will be just around the corner!"
Li Wenkang was intrigued and stroked his beard: "Let me think about this carefully."
Gong Juncai understood Li Wenkang's meaning and leaned close to his ear: "Sir, have you heard the news of General Luo Zhenhai's return to the capital?"
"What does General Luo's return to the capital have to do with our bandit suppression efforts?"
"This is a golden opportunity!"
Li Wenkang was completely bewildered.
"General Luo has rendered meritorious service in suppressing bandits in Jiangbei, and His Majesty has ordered him to be richly rewarded. He is returning to the capital to receive this reward. My lord, think about it: General Luo will pass through Qingzhou on his way back to the capital. We can borrow troops from General Luo and wipe out those bandits in one fell swoop. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"What if General Ruolu refuses to lend troops?"
Gong Juncai was confident. It was said that General Luo hated evil and it would not be difficult to borrow troops from him to suppress the bandits.
“If we ask General Luo for troops under the pretext of suppressing bandits, do you think he would refuse? He just won a battle in Jiangbei and his morale is high. Besides, if we can wipe out the bandits of Black Tiger Stronghold, wouldn't General Luo be doing even more good deeds?”
"That's right!" Li Wenkang's eyes lit up. If they had General Luo's help, their chances of winning would be greatly increased.
"Alright, alright, I'll write a letter to General Luo right away."
While delivering a letter to Luo Zhenhai, Li Wenkang gathered the merchants in the city, and Defu represented Taibai Wine Shop at the meeting.
Li Wenkang: "To be honest, General Luo will arrive in Qingzhou soon to help suppress the bandits."
Upon hearing that bandits were to be suppressed, the merchants exclaimed, "Great news! This is great news!"
"However, sending troops to suppress bandits costs money for soldiers, provisions, and weapons."
The merchants present were all shrewd people; they sensed the implied meaning and understood what Li Wenkang was planning by calling them over.
As expected, Li Wenkang spoke up: "Master Gong, can you calculate for everyone how much military expenses we'll need this time?"
"Five hundred elite cavalrymen and five hundred government officials and soldiers are needed. We also need to make some swords, bows and arrows as weapons. The required military expenses are about thirty thousand taels."
The merchants looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.
Gong Juncai: "Everyone has heard of General Luo Zhenhai, right? He personally led the troops to wipe out the bandits. We have strong and well-equipped troops, and we expect to take Black Tiger Stronghold within three days. You wouldn't be unwilling to contribute some military expenses for such a good opportunity, would you?"
Look at what they're saying! The merchants don't know how to respond, so they can only offer a forced smile.
Would Li Wenkang really allow the elite cavalry to invest their own resources in suppressing bandits? It would definitely have to be the government that foots the bill!
The problem now is, where will the funds for suppressing the bandits come from? The government office doesn't have that much silver, and even if it did... it can't just take it out! But the bandits can't be left unsuppressed... so Li Wenkang has no choice but to "reluctantly" charge the merchants!
A bearded shopkeeper tentatively said, "Your Excellency, we can't possibly cover all the expenses for suppressing the bandits!"
"Of course, the government will pay half and you will pay the other half. What do you all think?"
Li Wenkang smiled slyly and continued, "Last year's tax revenue has already been handed over to the national treasury. The government office doesn't have that much silver right now, otherwise I wouldn't have shamelessly asked everyone for help. Although the cavalry is here to help suppress the bandits, Qingzhou City should at least show some appreciation. We can't let General Luo and the soldiers down!"
It all boils down to one thing: suppressing bandits costs money, and the government office doesn't have enough funds.
It has to be said that Li Wenkang's move was really ruthless! If these merchants didn't pay, it would be considered that they were dissatisfied with the government and General Luo, so they had no choice but to pay.
A prefect, a man of such high standing, was actually pleading poverty to the merchants. He'd gone this far; there was no going back to playing dumb. If the merchants didn't pay today, soldiers would surely come to "investigate" their shops tomorrow. To avoid being retaliated against, they had to pay the military expenses.
“Penglai Residence will pay 1,500 taels.”
"Qingfeng Tower will pay 1,500 taels."
With the leader in charge, the others quickly realized that Fu Zhiqiao had warned Defu before he arrived that the prefect's invitation to the city's merchants for dinner was definitely a trap.
"Taibai Wine Shop will pay one thousand taels."
"The Jiang family's grain shop paid eight hundred taels."
“Shengji Cloth Shop will pay eight hundred taels.”
...
Li Wenkang stroked his beard with satisfaction: "I thank you all for your generosity. The people of Qingzhou will forever remember your kindness."
The fundraising meeting came to an end, and Li Wenkang stepped off the stage with a beaming smile, got into a sedan chair, and drove away.
A hundred miles outside the city, a caravan was heading towards Qingzhou.
It was the elite cavalry led by Luo Zhenhai.
Upon receiving Li Wenkang's letter, Luo Zhenhai agreed without hesitation. He was going to pass through Qingzhou anyway, and since the prefect of Qingzhou had come to him for help, it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to take the opportunity to suppress some bandits.
However, he still needed to ask Xie Zhuo's opinion. Xie Zhuo, as the heir of the Prince Duan's mansion, had made invaluable contributions in suppressing the Jiang bandits.
Luo Zhenhai told Xie Zhuo about the news.
Xie Zhuo had no objection to this.
When he thought of Qingzhou, a figure came to mind.
After parting ways at the Lantern Festival, the two never saw each other again.
Counting on his fingers, more than four months have passed. Xie Zhuo is exhausted from leading troops to suppress bandits every day. His little thoughts had almost faded away, but now that they are about to arrive in Qingzhou, those thoughts in his heart have resurfaced.
The elite cavalry marched swiftly, and the well-trained soldiers quickly reached the outskirts of Qingzhou City.
Luo Zhenhai rode at the very front, his face a pear shape, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with bright, piercing eyes. He wore beast-face armor and exuded a powerful and imposing aura.
Beside him was a young man who tilted his head and listened attentively to what the person next to him was saying, nodding occasionally.
The young man was Xie Zhuo.
At the city gate, Li Wenkang personally led a group to greet them.
Li Wenkang finally felt a little more at ease after seeing Luo Zhenhai's troops appear.
“Bandits are rampant in the Yanshan area, making it very inconvenient for the people to pass through,” Li Wenkang said with a helpless look on his face. He looked at Luo Zhenhai and continued, “I originally wanted to suppress the bandits, but I didn’t have enough troops. I heard that General Luo’s soldiers are exceptionally brave, so I came to you to ask for your help. I want to borrow five hundred of your elite soldiers to suppress the bandits and let these mountain bandits see the might of the Swift Cavalry.”
Li Wenkang's words always revolve around the common people, and anyone who hears them would be moved.
As expected, Luo Zhenhai was deeply moved after hearing this, saying, "Lord Li is wholeheartedly devoted to the people, how could we not be willing to serve him?"
He recalled the expressions of the people on the road when he entered the city; their eyes were filled with reverence, worship, and eager anticipation.
Luo Zhenhai enjoyed the feeling of being loved by the people and immediately expressed his intention to personally lead the team.
Li Wenkang was overjoyed, as if he could already foresee the scene after success.
"General, you are truly righteous!"
Luo Zhenhai laughed heartily, naturally pleased to hear such praise: "Lord Li, you flatter me. Protecting our country and eliminating evil for the people is our duty."
Li Wenkang bowed and said, "On behalf of the people of Qingzhou, I thank the general!"
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