Wen Xiuyuan, the magistrate of Liucheng County, was a man in his forties. He was gentle and mild-mannered, and seemed to be someone who didn't want to cause trouble.
Because of the recent bandit incident, he hadn't slept well for several nights in a row, and looked quite haggard. He was discussing countermeasures with his advisor when he was taken aback when he suddenly heard that the magistrate of Yuncheng County was requesting an audience. His tone was surprised:
"He's still alive?"
No wonder he reacted this way; when the news of Liu Yifu's disappearance came, everyone assumed he was in grave danger!
I didn't expect this person to be so lucky...
His eyes held a complex expression as he exchanged a glance with the clerk: "Welcome in."
Before meeting Liu Yifu, Wen Xiuyuan had heard some of his deeds. After all, this Lord Liu came from Yanjing and had served as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He originally had a promising future.
I don't know what got into him, giving up a perfectly good official position in the capital to come to the countryside and suffer. Most people only come after being demoted, but he volunteered for it himself.
Wen Xiuyuan found this hard to understand. After all, they had worked hard for most of their lives, just to achieve results so that their superiors would notice and they could be promoted step by step.
The man who walked in through the door caught his eye. To be honest, Liu Yifu's appearance wasn't the kind that would immediately amaze you, but his features combined to create a very pleasing and attractive look, the kind of appearance that a scholar would like.
He was handsome and unconventional, like an unyielding bamboo, and surprisingly young.
What's even more remarkable is that he didn't have any airs of someone who had been in a high position for a long time; he was approachable and like an ordinary scholar.
All the officials in Beijing he had met before were arrogant and haughty.
Wen Xiuyuan unconsciously felt a sense of goodwill and stood up: "Lord Liu, I've heard so much about you."
After exchanging greetings, Liu Yifu took a seat at the other party's gesture. He raised his dark eyes and, seeing that the other party seemed somewhat uncomfortable, guessed the reason.
He made no mention of the previous neglect he had received when seeking help, and spoke earnestly: "I came here specifically to form an alliance with Lord Wen to jointly defeat the sand bandits."
Although Wen Xiuyuan had guessed the other party's intentions, he was still feeling complicated. If he had met Liu Yifu earlier, he might not have refused the other party's suggestion.
But his shortsightedness is his own fault; now it's too late for regrets.
Wen Xiuyuan's face was heavy, and he looked somewhat dejected and helpless: "I am very moved that Lord Liu is so forgiving, but you know the current situation. Our Liucheng garrison can only muster up to two thousand men, and Yuncheng is under the control of the sand bandits."
He frowned. "I heard that band of sand bandits number nearly eight thousand. How can we possibly fight them?"
To prevent local armies from becoming too powerful, the imperial court did not allow local military forces to become too large. In addition, Jiangzhou was a remote and impoverished area, far from other places, making it very difficult to provide support.
Moreover, if war breaks out, the consumption of resources will be enormous, and their financial resources will not last long.
“How will you know if you don’t try?” Liu Yifu was not as pessimistic as him. His dark eyes seemed to be able to soothe people’s hearts, but his words were straightforward and sharp. “Lord Wen, you have not yet seen how ferocious those bandits are. They are greedy wolves. Once Liucheng falls, the people you protect will become lambs to the slaughter.”
Although Wen Xiuyuan was timid and cowardly, he could barely be considered a good official. Upon hearing this, his pupils trembled, and he painfully covered his eyes, asking in despair and confusion:
Has the imperial court abandoned us?
"The imperial court will not abandon us."
Liu Yifu's voice was full of certainty. As he spoke, several faces flashed through his mind.
There were Chi Yan, Shen Ci, Chu Mingyu, as well as censors, the Grand Secretary...
They were all good officials who served the country and its people, and he firmly believed that his colleagues would not stand idly by and watch someone die.
He paused, then said in a deep voice, "But before that, we must not give up on ourselves."
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