The closer they got to Maocheng, the more frequent the bandit activities became. Pei Han not only suppressed bandits along the way, but also conscripted some local soldiers and officers.
Pei Han knew very well that the bandit group that was able to capture Maocheng in one fell swoop was no small force, and the number of soldiers he had at the moment was far from enough to suppress the bandits; he needed to recruit more.
As a result, their group grew longer and longer. When they set out, there were less than three hundred people, but as they walked, there were more than five hundred.
At noon that day, a small commotion broke out at the front of the column, and the scout immediately rode to report to Pei Han.
"Sir, there are some civilians walking this way ahead. They claim to be from Maocheng."
Pei Han immediately asked, "How many people are there?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, there are approximately twenty people!"
Pei Han immediately realized that this was an excellent opportunity to learn about the situation in Maocheng. He quickly rode his horse to the front of the group and indeed saw the twenty-odd people the scout had mentioned.
These people were mostly young adults, and their clothing and appearance were quite decent.
"Sir, may I ask if this is your group? Are you on your way to Maocheng?" A young man in a plain robe asked Pei Han from the crowd.
Pei Han subtly sized the man up and down before asking, "Are you from Maocheng?"
The young man answered logically, "That's right. We are originally from Maocheng. A few months ago, bandits broke into the city and committed arson, murder, and looting, so we had no choice but to flee the city and settle here temporarily."
Pei Han pressed further, "Are you the only ones who escaped? What about your families?"
“Our families also escaped, but we ran out of the food we brought from the city, so we came out to look for food,” the young man replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
The young man knew that Pei Han was observing him, and that asking these two questions had a certain testing connotation. But he was neither angry nor offended; instead, he stood there calmly and accepted the judgment.
Pei Han nodded, having a general idea in his mind.
It seems that these people must have a certain status in the city, or have reliable sources of information, and must also have essential items such as carriages and horses, otherwise it would be difficult for them to escape in the chaos.
After this brief conversation, Pei Han concluded that what the man said was basically credible, and judging from his demeanor and speech, he should also be a scholar.
Pei Han then answered the young man's question, "We are heading to Maocheng. As you can probably guess, our purpose is to suppress bandits."
The young man couldn't help but show his joy, and the people around him were even more beaming, saying things like "Finally, we're saved," "The imperial court has finally sent troops," and "We can finally go home."
Once the young man confirmed Pei Han's identity, he immediately introduced himself, "Sir, my name is Ye Biao, and this is my elder brother, Ye Yu'an. He used to be a yamen runner in Maocheng Prefecture."
Pei Han asked, "What do you know about the bandits who occupied Maocheng?"
Ye Biao had been waiting for him to ask the question, and immediately replied, "Sir, that band of bandits is quite numerous, about a thousand or so. There are two main leaders, one named Wu Qing and the other named Sun Rui. They didn't originally have that many men under their command. I guess they must have gathered all the bandits in the surrounding area, which is why they dared to attack Maocheng."
"Why do you know so much about the bandit leader?" Pei Han's gaze couldn't help but reveal a hint of inquiry.
Ye Biao answered frankly: "Anyone with even a slight connection to the government knows that Wu Qing and his gang of bandits had a very close relationship with the former prefect, and it could even be said that the former prefect supported them."
Pei Han's brows furrowed almost into a line, and he sighed inwardly, "Absurd."
Ye Biao was not at all surprised by Pei Han's solemn expression, because anyone with a bit of backbone would not accept such a thing, let alone the adult in front of him who was clearly no ordinary person.
Unfortunately, there are too few officials like this in the Qingzhou government.
Most officials only cared about their own interests, not wanting to offend their superiors or the bandits and bring trouble upon themselves, so they chose to turn a blind eye to this obsequious and hypocritical phenomenon.
Pei Han composed himself and asked, "What was the situation with the government troops in Maocheng after the bandits entered the city?"
Ye Biao bluntly stated, "Some fled, and some surrendered."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yu'an added, "Most of them ran away; not many surrendered."
From the perspective of the lower-ranking officers and soldiers, it's not hard to understand why they would choose to run away when even their superiors had ambiguous relationships with bandits.
Pei Han pondered for a moment, "What is the reason for the bandits' sudden attack on the city? Have you heard anything about it?"
Ye Biao was clearly less certain this time. He truthfully replied, "We don't know the details either, but based on the information we've gathered these past few days, it's highly likely that the former prefect couldn't satisfy their appetites anymore."
Having gathered the basic information, Pei Han asked, "Do your families all live nearby? Approximately how many are there?"
Ye Biao hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Pei Han again. He still felt that the man in front of him was upright and did not resemble those corrupt officials. He believed that Pei Han would not have any ill intentions towards them.
Ye Biao exchanged a glance with his elder brother and, unsurprisingly, saw the affirmation in his brother's eyes. He finally replied, "There are more than a dozen households here, with a total of seventy or eighty people."
Pei Han nodded. "Have you finished all your food?"
Ye Biao answered honestly, "Yes, sir, we have been without food for more than a month."
Pei Han instructed the soldiers at the front of the column: "Go and unload some grain from the carts."
Upon hearing this, Ye Biao's eyes widened in shock. They were carrying military rations, and with their future uncertain, this official was actually going to share some with them?
Ye Biao and the people around him looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.
Only when several soldiers carried the food to them did they burst into ecstasy and kowtow to Pei Han.
"Thank you, sir!"
"Thank you, sir!"
Immediately, words of thanks filled the air.
Seeing this, Ye Biao felt grateful, but also a surge of emotion welled up inside him.
He volunteered to Pei Han, saying, "Sir, although you have brought a lot of soldiers, you are not very familiar with the situation in Maocheng, which may cause many inconveniences. I am willing to be your vanguard and go with you to Maocheng to suppress the bandits."
Upon hearing this, Ye Yu'an immediately became anxious and tugged at Ye Biao's sleeve several times.
Ye Yu'an's face was full of disapproval. Although Ye Biao was quite tall, he had only ever loved reading since he was a child and had never been interested in playing with knives or guns. If you gave him enough books and some food, he wouldn't even leave the house.
Unfortunately, Ye Biao has bad luck in the imperial examinations. He is already twenty-eight years old this year and is still only a Xiucai (a lower-level scholar). He always fails to pass the Juren (a higher-level scholar) examination.
Given Ye Biao's negligible skills, Ye Yu'an was utterly opposed to his idea of going to suppress bandits.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
