Xia Chanyi laughed. “Ordinary commoners? Ordinary commoners carrying bows, arrows, and broadswords? And planning to ambush us?”
“If they were truly ordinary commoners—or even ordinary bandits—they would never have dared prepare an ambush for the Jinyang Army.”
The Long-faced Man hurried to explain, “No, we weren’t planning an ambush. You appeared so suddenly that my companions probably thought you were the enemy, so they attacked.”
Xia Chanyi sneered. “Come down!”
The Dragonshadow Guards beside her raised their Dragonfeather Crossbows and aimed them at the men in the trees. If any of them made another unnecessary move, they would be shot dead without hesitation, just like the others moments ago.
Jiang Jin found a flat patch of ground nearby where they could rest. “We’ll prepare lunch here.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Dongzhi quickly went to arrange for the cooks to prepare the meal.
This time, four to five thousand soldiers were accompanying Jiang Jin on her return journey—a considerable number.
Before long, a squad of nearby patrol soldiers hurried over.
“Greetings, my lord.”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Has this area been peaceful lately?”
The patrol soldiers knew nothing about what had happened in the mountains. One of them replied, “It’s been fairly peaceful so far. Have you discovered something amiss, my lord?”
Jiang Jin waved a hand. “Nothing serious. Don’t concern yourselves with our march. Go about your duties.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The soldiers bowed and quickly withdrew.
Shuangjiang finished arranging the patrols and other security measures. When he returned, he happened to see the soldiers leaving. “Were they the patrol unit assigned by the local garrison?”
Jiang Jin fanned herself with one hand. “Yes.”
Yun Chengxuan, ever perceptive, picked up a dried leaf and began fanning Jiang Jin with it. “Aunt, let me help you.”
Whether he had used too much force or the leaf had simply been too brittle, the moment he gave it a vigorous wave, it broke into more than a dozen pieces and drifted down like flower petals.
Jiang Jin: “…”
Yun Chengxuan was stunned. He lowered his head and stared at the leaf stem remaining in his hand.
Jiang Jin: “…”
“Go play somewhere. You don’t have to stay by my side,” Jiang Jin said helplessly.
Yun Chengxuan was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what had happened, but he had always been carefree and never wasted time thinking about things he couldn’t understand.
He flicked the stem away with one finger and declared solemnly, “I’m staying by Aunt’s side to protect you.”
Shuangjiang silently took up a position on Jiang Jin’s other side and gazed toward the distant hillside.
Jiang Jin couldn’t help laughing. “They’re probably just bandits. You two don’t need to be so tense.”
Shuangjiang’s small face remained stern. “They’re definitely not ordinary bandits. Otherwise, they would have come down from the mountain long ago.”
Jiang Jin agreed with that assessment. It had been nearly twenty days since the Jie Army had completely withdrawn from Punan Prefecture, and the Jinyang Army had spread the news everywhere.
In theory, whether they were villagers hiding in the mountains or bandits, they should have known by now. Yet these people still had not come down, which suggested that something was wrong.
Just as she was thinking this, Xia Chanyi came over, escorting several men. One of them had to be carried down.
Before they even reached Jiang Jin, the men dropped to their knees with a thud. Trembling, they begged for mercy.
“Please spare us! We only obeyed because we had no choice!”
Jiang Jin raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”
Xia Chanyi sneered. “They’ve been acting like emperors of their mountain. I request permission to go up and destroy their stronghold.”
After questioning them, Jiang Jin finally learned the truth. The Long-faced Man and the others really were mountain bandits, and they were no small group—they numbered nearly a thousand.
They had hidden deep in the mountains and occasionally robbed supplies from the Jie Army.
But the people they robbed most often were Han Chinese. They didn’t just take goods; they also dragged people up the mountain.
The women were used to satisfy their lust, while the men were forced to perform hard labor. When they ran out of food, they even ate the people they had captured.
Their leader was named Liu Ba. Imitating an emperor, he had established a harem of his own. Of course, he did not have hundreds of palace women, but he still had several dozen, all reserved for his exclusive pleasure.
Jiang Jin’s expression turned cold. “How far is your stronghold from here?”
The Long-faced Man did not dare lie. He answered in a trembling voice, “About ten-some li. It’s deep in the mountains.”
His face was swollen and bruised, clearly indicating that he had already been thoroughly dealt with up on the mountain.
Jiang Jin took out a map and studied the surrounding mountain ranges. “Does your camp have a fortified settlement or some other natural defenses?”
The Long-faced Man’s face twisted in distress. “Yes, yes, it does…”
After roughly fifteen minutes, Jiang Jin finally had a clear understanding of the situation at the Punan King’s stronghold.
That was right—Liu Ba called himself the King of Punan.
She turned to Shuangjiang and Xia Chanyi and issued her orders swiftly. “Shuangjiang, lead the main assault. Xia Chanyi, take a squad of Dragonshadow Guards and provide support. Capture the stronghold as quickly as possible. The bandits may be killed or captured as necessary. Rescue the civilians.”
Both of them were delighted. “Rest assured, my lord. We will take the stronghold.”
They quickly selected their troops, then escorted the Long-faced Man and the others back up the mountain.
Yun Chengxuan had been bored out of his mind and originally wanted to go with them. But after seeing Xia Chanyi and Shuangjiang leave, he realized that only he remained beside Aunt.
He quietly stayed behind. Near where Jiang Jin was resting, he found a tree, climbed up it, and began to sleep.
Just then, Ye Shang came riding over in a hurry. “Forgive me, my lord. Have bandits been discovered nearby?”
He had rushed over after receiving word from the patrol soldiers and had already heard about the bandits.
He was currently responsible for public security in Qinglian County. In theory, the fact that bandits had appeared in this area without his knowing fell under his responsibility.
Jiang Jin shook her head. “This isn’t entirely your fault. The bandits were hidden too deeply. But from now on, you must send people into the mountains more frequently and make certain that banditry is completely eradicated.”
Bandits hiding deep in the mountains were indeed difficult to discover if they did not come down on their own.
Besides, these two prefectures had only recently returned to their control, and there were countless affairs to deal with. Some negligence was unavoidable.
Ye Shang’s face was full of shame. “Yes, my lord. I will bear your words in mind.”
Jiang Jin gave a quiet hum. “Have you adjusted to your position in Qinglian County?”
Ye Shang had previously worked as a hidden operative. It was only after they captured Wenxia City that he had stepped into the open.
Ye Shang scratched his head. “I’m slowly getting used to it. I’ll keep learning and strive to become familiar with my duties as soon as possible.”
He was under considerable pressure. Qinglian County was in the process of building a large industrial zone, and once it was completed, its population would far surpass that of the other counties.
Naturally, public security would have to keep pace as well. If banditry like this was not eliminated, merchants transporting goods would have no guarantee of safety in the future.
His lord had entrusted such an important place to him, which showed how much she valued him. Yet he had failed to do his job properly.
Jiang Jin nodded. “Do your best. I believe in you.”
She looked toward the peaceful official road and continued, “The road construction needs to be expedited. Pay close attention to the safety of the civilians, and don’t let criminals infiltrate the workforce.”
She was currently traveling along the old official road, and this section took a considerable detour. The new road had not been built along the route of the old one.
Ye Shang answered solemnly, “Yes, my lord.”
Shuangjiang and the others did not return until well into the afternoon. They had brought back more than two hundred civilians who had been abducted and taken up the mountain, along with more than three hundred bandits captured alive—including Liu Ba, the so-called King of Punan.
Shuangjiang and Xia Chanyi came forward to report. “We have completed our mission without disgrace.”
Jiang Jin looked at Liu Ba, who was bound so tightly that he could barely move. “You’re the King of Punan?”
By then, Liu Ba no longer looked human. He truly no longer looked human.
One of his ears had been cut off. A large patch of flesh had been scraped from his face—whether from being dragged across the ground or from something else, no one could tell. His entire face was a bloody, mangled mess, making his original features impossible to recognize.
Liu Ba trembled as sweat mixed with blood and dripped continuously down his face.
“I—I’ve been wronged! We only went up the mountain because we had no choice! We’re good people, really! We’re good people!”
Xia Chanyi sneered coldly. “A good person? Why don’t you take a look at all these commoners you dragged up the mountain and ask them whether they think you’re a good person?”
A dark look flashed across Liu Ba’s eyes. “These are troubled times. I may have taken them up the mountain, but I gave them a chance to survive. If anything, I saved them.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” a woman shouted furiously at him. “What do you mean, you saved us? There were ten people in my family. You dragged us all up here. Besides my sister and me, the rest were either eaten by you or tormented to death. You call that saving us?”
