Lu Baichuan could understand her feelings. After all, she had brought the children here expecting to leave with a full harvest, but the situation turned out to be different from what they had imagined, so disappointment was inevitable.
However, the fact that the bandits were in this situation only shows that they hadn't done anything bad. Even though they were starving, they didn't get angry and rob the villagers down the mountain, which is already quite remarkable.
"Take the person back first, and leave the specifics of how to handle them to Qin Jian."
Lu Baichuan felt that these tasks would provide Qin Jian with valuable experience, and if he handled them well, he would be promoted quickly.
Qin Jian: ...I heard that when I thanked you, you old sixth brother, you dumped all the trouble on me!
He Jiuniang laughed so hard her eyes disappeared, and said, "How could you be so wicked, hahaha, Brother Qin will definitely curse you behind your back!"
Lu Baichuan smiled, looking completely innocent, and said, "He wouldn't." Yeah, right!
But should his wife know? Anyway, his official rank is higher than Qin Jian's, so what's wrong with suppressing him a little?
When the couple returned, Lei Zi's situation had already ended. Lei Zi was still soft-hearted; seeing that they were so hungry they had no strength left, he didn't use much force, just gave them a couple of light taps, and that was the end of it.
At Lu Baichuan's command, Lei Zi and the others instinctively tied the hands of the bandit leaders, and then led a group of bandits down the mountain.
What's worse, there are children in this mountain village, and they're all quite young. They look like they're starving and malnourished.
Lotus and Youya questioned several women, assuming they had been kidnapped, but it turned out they weren't. They were originally the wives of some of the bandits who had fled here a few years ago and settled down.
The disaster a few years ago was an epidemic that killed many people. They fled here from afar, but the government officials refused to accept them, saying that they carried the epidemic and would burn them alive. Forced to flee, they hid in the mountains and barely survived by robbing the rich.
“We thought we would also get infected and die, but we were all fine after we came to this mountain, so we became outlaws here.”
One of the women spoke in a very soft voice, kneeling on the ground and pleading, "Girl, my husband and his family were forced into this situation. They haven't killed anyone or done anything wrong all these years. Please, spare our lives!"
As the woman spoke, she kowtowed to Lotus, tears falling silently. From the day they became outlaws, they had guessed that this day would come. All they wanted was to survive in this difficult world, so they had never taken a life, just so that when this day came, they would still have a way out.
This was the first time Lianhua and Youya had encountered this situation. They looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Finally, Lianhua spoke up, saying, "Don't worry, our Third Uncle is very fair. As long as you really didn't hurt anyone, he will definitely treat you leniently."
Afterwards, Lianhua went to tell He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan about the specific situation. He Jiuniang didn't say anything, but Lu Baichuan said, "Words are not enough. We will investigate thoroughly after taking them back. If what they said is true, we will make proper arrangements for them."
According to them, they were a group of refugees who were forced to become outlaws because of the inaction of the government at the time. They didn't know this before, but now that they do, they can't ignore it. There are places to settle them in Jingzhou.
Such matters are usually handled by the prefect or magistrate. The Fire Cloud Division only needs to investigate the case or arrest people. However, if the county or prefectural government fails to act, the Fire Cloud Division will still have to intervene.
Moreover, since they discovered this case, it should naturally be handed over to Qin Jian. If they can handle it well, the credit will go to Qin Jian.
Qin Jian was his brother, so of course Lu Baichuan would help him.
Hearing this, Lianhua felt relieved, and the group descended the mountain in a grand procession.
The weather was nice today, no snow, so the descent was faster than the ascent.
They didn't linger on the mountain for long. When they came down, Fang Da thought that his ancestors had failed in their attempt to break through the enemy lines and had fled in disarray. But when he looked closely, he saw that the bandit leaders all had their hands tied.
Although it was a bit perfunctory, at least they were tied up.
"Third Master and Third Madam, so fast?"
Lu Baichuan gave him a cold glance and asked, "Who are you saying is faster?"
Fang Da: ...
He Jiuniang: ...
"I misspoke, I meant..."
"Alright, enough nonsense, go check if everyone's here."
Lu Baichuan pulled He Jiuniang into the car, not giving him a chance to say anything unnecessary.
They had already given the signal while they were on the mountain, so someone should be coming this way by now. They don't need to bring the person back themselves; they just need to wait for someone to come and take over.
Not knowing how long it would take for them to arrive, Lei Zi and his companions, having nothing else to do, took out some of the dry rations they had brought with them and gave them to the children among the bandits. Seeing the children eating with great satisfaction, they no longer regretted that the battle they had been longing for had not actually taken place. In fact, it seemed that the fact that the battle had not yet taken place was a good thing.
If a fight really breaks out, it means that these bandits have indeed committed many evils and harmed many people. But at present, it is the bandits who are starving and no one else is suffering, which is the best situation.
Although the adults were also very hungry, they couldn't possibly compete with their children for food. Seeing that the children had eaten their fill, they looked at Lei Zi and his group with more genuine respect. Perhaps this time, they had truly found an honest official who cared about them, and that way they could also be allocated land and live like ordinary people in the future.
The Huoyun Division arrived half an hour later. During this time, they had been sending people to patrol the surrounding area to prevent these bandits from coming out to harm people again, so they arrived more quickly after receiving the signal.
"Third Master!"
Everyone was an acquaintance. The last time they saw Lu Baichuan was before they went to the capital. After returning from the capital, Lu Baichuan only stayed in the prefectural city for one day before going back to the village. He didn't even go to the Huoyun Division's office or say a proper goodbye to everyone. It was after the New Year that they met again, and everyone was somewhat moved.
"We can talk about it when we get back. Take these people back first, and then send a few people to check the surrounding villages."
Lu Baichuan knew what they wanted to say, but this was not the place to talk. Besides, he had originally planned to get together with them after returning to the prefectural city and say a proper goodbye. There was really no need to be sentimental at the foot of this mountain.
"yes!"
They were excited, but they didn't forget why they came. Just as they were about to drag the man away, they turned around and saw the emaciated mountain bandits, and suddenly felt a little reluctant to do it.
They've already become bandits, how can they still be in such a miserable state?
"this……"
Someone turned to look at Lu Baichuan, who said, "The situation is special. Get them some food, otherwise they won't have the strength to go back."
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