Yun Mo's expression was deep and solemn, his brows furrowed. "There were about twenty or thirty people here, and they were all quite skilled. I was careless, which is why I fell into their trap."
These bandits were extremely cunning, using innocent mountain villagers as shields, which is why he fell into their trap if he wasn't careful.
By the light of the fire, Lin Yinan looked at the three bandits tied up in the main hall.
Just by looking at them, you can tell that although they are not tall, they are all strong and sturdy, with dark skin and good quality clothes. It seems that these bandits are living a pretty good life.
One of them, seeing Lin Yinan scrutinizing them, revealed a lewd look in his eyes and began babbling incomprehensible local dialect.
Suddenly, Yun Mo leaped forward and kicked the bandit in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
As a man, even without understanding what he's saying, I can tell it's not a nice thing.
"Who can understand the local dialect?" Lin Yinan looked at Liang Wen. They were native southerners, so they should be able to understand a little bit!
Customs vary from place to place, even within short distances. Liang Wen shrugged helplessly; he truly couldn't understand a word of it.
However, thinking of one person, Liang Wendao said, "I think Young Master Chen from Yongqing City should be able to understand."
Without a second thought, Yun Mo ordered his guards, "Go and invite Young Master Chen here."
Having been traveling for days, Chen Gu, who was sound asleep and completely unaware of what was happening, said: "Thank you so much!"
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Gu was half-supported and half-dragged by the guards to the main hall of the county government.
The candlelight in the lobby was too bright, and he gradually came to his senses, only to find that everyone was staring at him.
"What's wrong? Why can't people sleep in the middle of the night?" Chen Gu yawned. Let him go, he was really sleepy.
At Yun Mo's signal, the guard kicked the drowsy bandit on the ground.
The bandit immediately screamed in pain, cursing under his breath.
Chen Gu was startled awake by the shouting and cursing. He then saw several people tied up on the ground and unconsciously took a step back.
Lin Yinan looked up at him and asked, "Young Master Chen, can you understand what he's saying?"
"What?" Chen Gu saw her serious expression and realized she wanted him to translate. He hurriedly waved his hand, "What he said wasn't anything good. Lord City Lord, you'd better not listen to it."
"Why?" Lin Yinan asked, puzzled.
Chen Gu looked at her somewhat embarrassedly, and forced himself to tell the truth, "Uh, he's insulting your ancestors."
With two sharp "slaps," Chen Gu felt a blur flash by, and the two sides of the cursing bandit's face immediately became red and swollen. He was jolted awake and all his sleepiness vanished instantly.
Damn it, the city lord's husband is so violent; he starts fighting at the drop of a hat.
Yun Mo lifted his robe, wiped his hands with disgust, and turned to the guards, ordering, "Bring them out. It's been a long time since you've done this kind of work. Are you all out of practice?"
"Don't worry, Master. We'll get all their secrets out in less than an hour."
The guards chuckled and, one by one, lifted a group of bandits and headed towards the county jail.
Chen Gu was stunned, not understanding what had happened for a moment.
Yun Mo stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder with such force that he nearly died on the spot.
"Young Master Chen, let's go and listen to what they have to say."
Chen Gu glanced at Lin Yinan, who was sitting there motionless, and she gave him a slight smile.
"Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Chen."
As he was leaving the lobby, Yun Mo turned back to look at Lin Yinan and the others sitting there.
"Anan, if you're tired, go back and rest. I'll let you know when there's a result."
"Go ahead, don't worry about me," Lin Yinan said.
After Yun Mo and the others left, Lin Yinan wanted Lin Yiheng and the others to go back and rest.
Lin Yiheng and the others said that since they were already awake, they couldn't fall back asleep until they got the results.
So everyone sat in the lobby and waited.
Pan Qingfeng found a teapot and brewed tea for everyone.
Yun Mo was extremely efficient; he returned with Chen Gu in less than half an hour.
"Second Master Yun, did the bandits say anything?" Liang Wen and Pan Qingfeng stood up and went to greet him.
Yun Mo nodded, gesturing for everyone to sit down again. He took the tea Lin Yinan offered him and drank it all in one gulp.
"I want more."
As he spoke, he handed over the cup, and Lin Yinan poured him another one.
After drinking three cups of tea, Yun Mo slowly spoke, "The matter of Longtan was revealed to the bandits by the Zhong family of Huaizhou City. The bandits are the same group we discovered in Chi'an County."
Lin Yinan raised an eyebrow slightly, slowly twirling the cup in her hand. "What did the Zhong family say to the bandits?"
"The Zhong family told the bandits that a wealthy and powerful family from the Central Plains had come to Longtan. Regardless of the outcome, the Zhong family only leaked the information to the bandits and would not interfere."
"These bandits were following orders from their leader to teach Longtan a lesson so that we would pay them tribute every year."
"You're quite the talker. What's with those mountain people you mentioned?" Lin Yinan curled the corners of her lips and put down her cup.
Chen Gu, who had fully regained consciousness and whose face was even a little pale, quickly said, "I know that. Chi'an County has many mountains and little land. Even if there is land, it is not suitable for planting. Therefore, almost all the people in the county have left. Those who have not left are the mountain people living in the mountains."
After saying that, he added, "The mountain people are fierce, and we generally don't deal with them."
Lin Yinan understood. "Judging from this, the Zhong family and the bandits have a symbiotic relationship of mutual dependence and benefit."
This kind of relationship is the easiest to break; as long as one side is eliminated or won over, the other side will be unable to collapse.
"Second Master Yun, besides the three bandits you captured, have you dealt with the others?" Pan Qingfeng asked, frowning.
Yun Mo: "No, we met on the way. There were mountains on both sides. When they realized they were outmatched, several of them hid in the forest and escaped. Except for these three, we killed the rest."
After hearing this, Chen Gu's face paled even more. "The bandits of Chi'an have committed all sorts of evil deeds because they rely on the Zhong family's backing. Given their vengeful nature, they will definitely come back."
"What are you planning to do?" Lin Yinan looked up at Yun Mo, who always acted with a plan.
Meeting her eyes, Yun Mo smiled and said firmly, "Naturally, we'll lead our men to destroy their stronghold and prevent them from having the chance to do evil again."
Yun Mo's decision was in line with Lin Yinan's thoughts.
"The end of the year is approaching, how about we go after the New Year?" Lin Yiheng didn't want his brother-in-law to be going out so close to the New Year.
"No, we need to resolve this before the New Year so we can have a peaceful holiday." Yun Mo rejected his suggestion without hesitation; he would never allow a danger to grow stronger.
Lin Yinan asked, "When are we going? I'll have the cafeteria prepare some dry food for you."
"Let Yun Er muster the troops today, and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."
"We haven't figured out the situation at the bandit's den yet," Lin Yinan said with some concern.
"It's alright. I'll bring more guards and Yun Yu's troops, plus a thousand soldiers. We'll train them for six months, and now's a good time for them to gain experience."
Lin Yinan glanced outside; the sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Daylight had broken, and a new day had begun.
"Tell the guards to prepare anything beforehand, and I'll also prepare some weapons and ammunition for you."
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