Chapter 291: Farewell

Chapter 291: Farewell

Walking beside Xin You was He Qingxiao, with Qian Feng and Ping'an by their side.

On both sides of the mountain path, numerous yamen guards armed with crossbows stood up, a dark, countless crowd.

The surviving rebels threw down their weapons and knelt, begging for mercy.

Xin You looked up slightly, gazing at the upper part of the path piled with corpses.

Sixth Boss slid down from the side, ignoring the shocked cries behind him, and ran to Xin You, kneeling on one knee. "Young Master, I have not failed the mission!"

His kneeling caused many of the yamen guards, who were holding bows and arrows, to glance toward County Magistrate Yang.

Although they had been informed that the original bandits from Wuyun Village would cooperate from the inside to trap and slaughter these rebels, witnessing the bandit leader kneel before Xin You was still surreal.

The burly bandit leader, with his fierce face and brawny build, contrasted sharply with Xin You, who was slim and small, almost like a little girl.

Xin You looked at Sixth Boss kneeling on one knee, a hint of smile appearing in her eyes.

Sixth Boss was rough around the edges but also meticulous, a clever man.

His public kneeling was both a test of whether the officials would keep their promise and a form of pressure. Bringing a private agreement into the open meant breaking their word would make them morally wrong. Those who cared about their reputation would hesitate to break their word.

Xin You didn’t mind this small tactic and was willing to offer some reassurance, especially since trust had not yet been established between them.

"Well done, no need to stand on ceremony."

As Sixth Boss stood up and approached Xin You, Qian Feng and Ping'an moved to block him from both sides.

Xin You signaled for them to step back, then, observing Sixth Boss's cautious demeanor, asked with a smile, "Is there something else?"

He saw Jinlin Guards, yamen guards, surviving rebels, and his own brothers—a real mixed crowd.

"We're all on the same side. You can speak freely."

The young master's calm and deep gaze made Sixth Boss's heart skip a beat. He realized that given his precarious status as a bandit leader, speaking quietly with Xin You in front of such a crowd would invite all kinds of speculation.

Without another moment's hesitation, he said, "Ever since Big Boss and the others took over the mountain stronghold, we've hit several large merchant convoys and made quite a haul. Apart from a small portion that was distributed among us, most of the wealth is under their control. When Second Boss and the others abandoned the stronghold today, they likely took all the valuables with them."

After listening to Sixth Boss, Xin You looked at He Qingxiao.

He Qingxiao issued the order, "Search them."

The Jinlin Guards searched, following Sixth Boss's guidance, and focused on a few leaders. Before long, they uncovered a stash of valuables: over a thousand taels in silver notes, two bags of silver ingots weighing around a hundred taels, a bag of gold and silver jewelry, and a small copper seal worth ten thousand taels of silver.

"Lord He, please inspect."

He Qingxiao examined the items with a calm and composed expression and asked, "Xin You, what do you suggest we do with these valuables?"

"Lord He has more experience; please make the arrangements."

As Xin You said this, a few Jinlin Guards, who had been dissatisfied with their lord helping Xin You gain reputation, lost their resentment.

He Qingxiao didn't shy away from his responsibility. After a brief pause, he said, "Every participant will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. Ten small team leaders among the yamen guards will receive an additional five taels, and the head of the guards another five taels. The remaining valuables will be confiscated for future official expenditures on capturing and exterminating bandits, supervised by County Magistrate Yang. What does County Magistrate Yang think of this arrangement?"

County Magistrate Yang bowed his hands. "Lord He's arrangements are thorough. This official is impressed."

The guards who heard that they would receive at least ten taels of silver couldn't help cheering.

Ten taels of silver would be enough to cover a family's expenses for one or two years; this was not a small amount of money!

Over a hundred guards who participated were beaming with joy, thinking that this raid on the bandits was well worth it.

The officials began to handle the aftermath, while Sixth Boss stayed by Xin You's side, eagerly waiting for her instructions.

"Sixth Boss, return to the mountain stronghold first and find out how many people are willing to follow us. But there is one thing that must be made clear to them: they certainly cannot be bandits anymore. You've seen the government's determination to suppress banditry. If anyone still thinks about occupying the strategic location and continuing the old trade, don't blame us for being ruthless."

"Yes, yes, I'll explain the stakes to them when I return." Sixth Boss, who had survived under the rebel leaders, was a man with sharp judgment.

With the bandit suppression successfully completed, Xin You shared some honest thoughts with Sixth Boss, "Our trip south requires a lean entourage, so it's not convenient to bring you and your men along. You will stay in Wuyun Village and wait for us. We'll return to the capital together when I come back."

Sixth Boss looked worried. "When will you return?"

"Floods are frequent in the south, so we can't be certain. If things go quickly, it will be ten days to half a month; if it's slow, it might take over a month. Tomorrow, we'll depart from Ling County. You can select a few reliable brothers to follow me, but keep the number within ten."

Hearing this, Sixth Boss felt relieved.

"Back to the city!" The head of the guards shouted energetically once the cleanup was done.

Over a hundred guards had been summoned this time, suffering almost no casualties. They either carried the rebel bodies or guarded the surviving rebels. When they reached the place where the carts were hidden, they loaded the bodies onto the carts and marched toward Ling County in a grand procession.

By the time this massive group reached the city gate of Ling County, it was nearly evening.

The low-ranking soldier guarding the city gate was stunned and dazedly stepped aside. The commoners on the street, both fearful and excited as they watched the carts full of bodies, eagerly discussed what they were seeing.

The head of the guards at the front banged on a copper gong and shouted with all his strength, "The bandits of Wuyun Village have been wiped out—the bandits of Wuyun Village have been wiped out—"

The people in the houses rushed out, eager to see the sight.

"I thought it would take a few more days, how did this happen so quickly?"

"Yes, we didn't see any large army come to Ling County."

Some guards couldn't help but explain, "Thanks to the clever strategy of Master Xin and Lord He, we wiped out the bandits without losing a single soldier."

"Master Xin and Lord He are truly the saviors of us commoners in Ling County!" More and more commoners bowed in the direction of Xin You and He Qingxiao.

Afterward, County Magistrate Yang drafted a report about the bandit suppression to be sent to the capital. As for the rebel leaders, they were all imprisoned in the county jail to await further handling. He Qingxiao also penned a secret missive to be sent to the emperor.

With everything arranged, the next morning, Xin You and her group went to say goodbye to County Magistrate Yang.

County Magistrate Yang insisted on seeing them off out of the city, but He Qingxiao declined, "We are in a hurry to travel, County Magistrate Yang doesn't need to see us off."

County Magistrate Yang didn't argue but smiled meaningfully, saying no more.

As they walked out of the yamen, Xin You looked at the countless commoners gathered in front of the yamen and was momentarily stunned.

"Thank you, Young Master Xin and Lord He, for removing the bandit threat for us!"

The commoners knelt down all at once.

Even though Xin You had seen many grand scenes, she was a little flustered by this situation and hurriedly urged the people to stand up.

The group was escorted by the commoners toward the city gate. What would have been a ride of just over a quarter of an hour turned into half an hour. Finally, after breaking free from the crowd and leaving the city, both Xin You and He Qingxiao were drenched in sweat and hurriedly galloped away, with a somewhat disheveled air of escaping.

As they rode away without looking back, County Magistrate Yang led the people of Ling County in a deep bow to the cloud of dust, remaining bowed for a long time.