Song Qiming threw a stack of documents onto the table and stood before the map to begin his briefing.
"According to the intelligence we've gathered, there are over a hundred bandit groups of varying sizes in Suining Prefecture. Among them, the most notorious and powerful number twenty-four. They all have their own territories and strongholds scattered across the four counties. The top six are comparable to Qingfeng Stronghold, while the remaining eighteen have far fewer men. Taking them all down will absolutely not be a problem."
The current state of the prefectural office was worrying, so upon hearing Song Jinzhao's suggestion, Song Qiming fully supported it.
In fact, he was even more eager than she was, wishing he could immediately lead the bailiffs out to eradicate the bandits.
Looking at the twenty-four red dots marked on the map, Song Jinzhao formed a plan in her mind.
"You and I will each lead a team of men, spreading outward with Suining City as the center. We will split our forces into two routes and take them down as quickly as possible."
Song Qiming nodded in agreement. "Leave Yunzhu County and Qingxia County to me. I'll leave Songhe and Yanshan in your hands, Ah Jie."
Song Jinzhao said, "Let Lanxi and Qingshuang go with you. I will take Shixue."
She believed that Song Qiming could hold his own, but she still felt uneasy and had to send two highly capable people with him.
Song Qiming did not object. He sat down and began discussing when they would set off and which routes they would take. A detailed plan had to be drawn up tonight.
The lamp oil burned until midnight, and several copies of marching route maps were drawn up in the room.
They clearly marked the corresponding times and numbers of troops needed to attack each stronghold.
Song Jinzhao instructed Qingshuang, "Send our people out to first figure out the specific details of these twenty-four strongholds, especially their locations and the routes leading to them. Remember to conceal your tracks when scouting, and do not alert the enemy."
A new official must make a strong impression, and once the fires were lit, they had to yield results.
Aside from replenishing the prefectural treasury and gaining free labor, Song Jinzhao hoped even more to use this bandit eradication campaign to establish Song Qiming's prestige.
She wanted to sweep away the cowardly and incompetent image of the Suining Prefect in the eyes of the commoners, letting them know that Song Qiming was a resolute, decisive, and caring official.
After a night of discussion, Song Qiming did not immediately inform his subordinates of the plan the next day. Instead, he waited for the scouts to return with intelligence. Only on the morning before their planned departure did he officially announce the decision to wipe out the bandits.
Shi Simian was taken aback at first, then shouted at Song Qiming in disbelief, "My Lord, you want to eradicate all the bandits in Suining Prefecture? Isn't this a bit too sudden?"
Song Qiming's expression remained unchanged as he said, "The bandits in Suining Prefecture are running rampant. I have long wanted to capture them all in one fell swoop. This matter is not up for debate; we depart tomorrow morning."
Shi Simian was so anxious over his resolute tone that he stamped his feet, the veins on his forehead and neck bulging.
"My Lord, there are numerous bandits in Suining Prefecture; they cannot be wiped out overnight. If we fail and these bandits unite in rebellion, Suining Prefecture will be in grave danger!"
Youth is indeed arrogant, but rushing to make political achievements should not be done like this.
Song Qiming narrowed his eyes, staring at him with displeasure.
"Fearing the battle before it even begins, Lord Shi, you are far too cowardly."
"It is precisely because there are so many bandits that we must eradicate them. Over the years, they have blocked roads, robbed, and killed at will. How many commoners have died at their hands? Merchants do not even dare to travel the roads. If we do not kill them, more and more people will be forced to become bandits, and that is when Suining Prefecture will truly perish."
Seeing Song Qiming's voice grow louder and his expression sterner, Shi Simian took a step back, his momentum entirely suppressed.
He stammered, "Going out to eradicate bandits requires rations. Right now, the prefectural office is empty of both money and food. Where will you get so much grain, My Lord?"
Sending bailiffs out to fight meant they had to eat and drink, and the prefectural office had to provide for that.
Five hundred bailiffs would consume eight hundred catties of grain a day. Over thirty days, that would be twenty-four thousand catties, or two hundred shi.
Adding salt, vegetables, meat, firewood, and fodder, it would cost at least two thousand taels of silver. Where would this come from?
Unless Song Qiming paid out of his own pocket, the prefectural office certainly had no money.
Song Qiming spoke the words he had prepared long ago: "I, on behalf of the prefectural office, have borrowed three thousand taels of silver from Ah Jie. It will absolutely not be a problem to last thirty or forty days."
Shi Simian's pupils trembled.
"Borrowing again! We already owe three thousand taels. How will we repay so much external debt?"
Song Qiming glared and stepped closer.
"If it weren't for the fact that the prefectural office has no money, would I have the thick skin to borrow from Ah Jie?"
"The storehouses are empty. As the Vice Prefect, do you bear no responsibility at all, Lord Shi?"
"As an official of the imperial court, one should perform their duties properly. Eradicating bandits is a matter of course. Yet, it has been delayed for so many years, simply watching them grow stronger day by day, completely ignoring the lives and property of the common people. If it weren't for the fact that you have served for many years and are getting old, I would have long since submitted a memorial to the Emperor accusing you of dereliction of duty!"
The pent-up anger of these past few days was entirely vented onto Shi Simian's head by Song Qiming, terrifying him so much that he hurriedly cried out in grievance.
"My Lord, you wrong me! These were all decisions made by the previous Prefect. I could only obey."
Song Qiming put his hands on his hips and roared, "The man is already gone! You can spin it however you want!"
Seeing this scene, the guards standing nearby were so frightened they didn't dare to move a muscle, forcing down any reluctance in their hearts.
Even Lord Shi was being scolded. If they dared to say a single word of refusal, their fate would surely be miserable.
