Chapter 122

Chapter 122

During the Duanwu Festival, when Emperor Yongchang hosted a banquet for his ministers in the palace, Prince Qing had just arrived at the military camp of the Jingzhou army.

He had set off early on April 21st. Apart from two days delayed by heavy rain, Prince Qing had to endure over a hundred miles of bumpy carriage rides each day for just twelve or thirteen days, which left him feeling queasy. The food at the inns didn't agree with him.

Used to a life of opulence, Prince Qing had once petulantly thought of taking a break in a bustling city for a couple of days. But the thought of his father waiting for his victorious report and the long-awaited opportunity to earn merit made him endure the hardships without complaint.

Fu Xing, the Commander-in-Chief of the Jingzhou army, along with his subordinate officers, came to welcome the travel-worn Prince Qing.

The Jingzhou army had a total of 150,000 stationed troops, with the main camp housing five garrisons and nearly 30,000 soldiers. Emperor Yongchang had assigned one of the five garrisons, specifically the Wuling Garrison, to Prince Qing for the bandit suppression. This included 2,000 naval soldiers and 3,000 infantry, led by Peng Daji, a forty-year-old military officer with over a dozen military achievements to his name, who held considerable prestige within the Jingzhou army.

The more prestige Peng Daji had, the more Prince Qing sensed his father's lack of confidence in him. However, since his father had personally appointed Peng Daji to assist him in suppressing the bandits, Prince Qing had no choice but to accept.

Prince Qing first inquired about the bandit situation in Tanzhou with these military officers.

Fu Xing, Peng Daji, and others shared everything they knew, having long hoped to lead troops themselves to suppress the bandits. However, garrison troops needed orders from the Ministry of War to deploy, and local civil officials couldn't directly request their help in suppressing bandits.

After getting the gist of the situation, Prince Qing set off for Tanzhou, over three hundred miles away, the next day with Peng Daji. Fearing they might alert the bandits, he left Peng Daji's 5,000 troops in Wuling, ready to move at any time.

Fu Xing and the other four garrison commanders stood outside the camp to bid Prince Qing farewell.

As Prince Qing's figure faded into the distance, one of the commanders muttered, "Just a thousand mountain bandits, any one of our garrisons could easily handle them. Why did the Emperor send Prince Qing, wasting over ten days?"

Another laughed, "Isn't it obvious? The Emperor wants to boost Prince Qing's reputation. With military achievements, he could be named crown prince..."

Fu Xing coughed and glanced at the four, saying, "Watch your words."

As military commanders, they should just do as the Emperor commands. As for who becomes Emperor, that's not their concern.

On the morning of the ninth, Prince Qing and his entourage, disguised as merchants, entered Tanzhou city through the city gates. The guards who arrived earlier had secured a residence for Prince Qing. He moved in with Peng Daji, and while he was bathing and changing clothes, Prefectural Governor Feng at the prefectural office found out Prince Qing had arrived and hurriedly came to pay his respects.

Prince Qing sat in the main seat, looking at the nearly forty-year-old Prefectural Governor Feng kneeling before him, and asked him about the specifics of the three bandit leaders.

Prefectural Governor Feng began his tale with a worried expression.

The bandit leader, Chen Wei, was the son of a local wealthy merchant. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and was skilled, but he had always been tyrannical and domineering. Although he had no criminal record that could land him in jail, his reputation had been tarnished early on, completely cutting off his chance to participate in the military examinations. Last year, Chen Wei took advantage of his father's business trip to have an affair with one of his father's concubines. When his father returned and discovered the affair, he was so enraged that he banished Chen Wei from the family. No one knew where Chen Wei had gone.

This year, during the Lantern Festival, Chen Wei suddenly returned with over a dozen strong men, massacred the Chen family, and took all their gold and silver.

At this point, Chen Wei and his gang were just murderers on the run. By February, Chen Wei reappeared, leading nearly a hundred men to rob a group of merchants.

By March, Chen Wei had gathered nearly a thousand followers. Prefectural Governor Feng attempted to suppress the bandits but failed. However, he captured several prisoners, through whom he learned about the other two bandit leaders, Wang Cheng and Liu Siyi.

Wang Cheng, like Chen Wei, was a ruthless murderer on the run. Liu Siyi was a scholar in his early thirties who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. According to Liu's neighbors, Liu Siyi had been neglected by his father and stepmother for years, spending all his time reading in his room. In late February, he suddenly ran away from home and returned with Chen Wei and his gang of bandits, massacring his own family, including his six-year-old half-brother.

The three bandit leaders worked together, with Liu Siyi responsible for planning, and Chen Wei and Wang Cheng leading the raids.

The bandits' hideout was in the Shifeng Ridge mountains by the Xiang River, with several tributaries connecting to the river, allowing them to appear and disappear mysteriously to attack passing merchant ships. After the merchants took detours, the gang turned to robbing nearby wealthy households and commoners, spreading fear among the people. Those with money tried to move away, and those with relatives hurried to seek refuge.

Prefectural Governor Feng trembled as he spoke, fearing that if the court did not send troops soon, Chen Wei and his gang might dare to directly attack Tanzhou city.

Peng Daji also looked grave. The two bandit leaders were ruthless enough to harm their own flesh and blood, and the bandits they recruited were certainly no kind-hearted individuals.

After a moment of silence, Prince Qing asked, "Have they committed any crimes recently?"

Prefectural Governor Feng shook his head, "Before I submitted the report, they had just robbed a town, taking a large amount of gold, silver, and grain. With notices about the rampant bandits in the Tanzhou area posted throughout Jingzhou, merchants from the north and south have been taking detours. They will probably wait until their supplies are almost depleted before coming down to commit crimes."

Prince Qing then asked if there was any way to enter the mountains.

Prefectural Governor Feng still shook his head: "There are rivers and lakes throughout the mountains, and the bandits live on boats. They might change locations overnight or set up camp on a mountain. Apart from the three bandit leaders, even the underlings don't know where they will stop for the night."

It was exactly because these mountain bandits moved unpredictably that the troops and militia led by Prefectural Governor Feng had wasted their efforts several times.

Peng Daji looked at Prince Qing.

Prince Qing said with confidence, "Since it's difficult to catch the snake in the mountains, we can only lure it out of its hole."

Prince Qing had already devised a plan in the capital to use bait to lure the bandits into a trap. He had been fine-tuning the plan as they traveled. Now that he realized how elusive the bandit hideout was, Prince Qing naturally wanted to put his plan into action.

He said to Peng Daji, "When we passed through Jiangling, I arranged for four merchant ships there in advance, disguised as merchants from Shu, heading to southern Jing for silk trade. Today, I'll have someone inform them to depart. You should head back to Wuling and stand by. When the merchant ships arrive in Wuling, you will hide four hundred naval troops on the four merchant ships and send four warships to escort them."

"Chen Wei and the other two are ruthless and arrogant. Ordinary bandits would be scared off by the government navy, but they would take pleasure in defeating the government navy."

"Outwardly, you'll have four hundred naval troops, but in reality, there will be eight hundred soldiers. Once the battle begins, Prefectural Governor Feng and I will bring a thousand soldiers to back you up. With a pincer movement, we're sure to wipe out the bandits' main force."

With eight hundred Jingzhou naval troops, a thousand archers and foot soldiers, plus himself and his twenty-four guards, Prince Qing was brimming with confidence.

Peng Daji said, "Your Highness's plan is ingenious, but it's too risky. According to Prefectural Governor Feng, Liu Siyi is cautious and skilled in strategy. I fear he might see this as a government trap. He might either avoid coming out or send part of the bandits to guard against the government's reinforcements. It would be better to have my three thousand foot soldiers come..."

Prince Qing sneered, "Three thousand foot soldiers? With such a large force, wouldn't the bandits' spies in the city catch wind of it? You know Liu Siyi is cautious. I want him to think there are only a thousand soldiers in Tanzhou and that only four hundred naval troops are escorting the merchant ships. If we bring too many troops, they might get spooked and stay hidden. What would we be fighting then?"

Peng Daji thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness makes a good point, but Your Highness's safety is of utmost importance. It would be best for Your Highness to stay in the city on the night of the operation and let Prefectural Governor Feng lead the reinforcements. Otherwise, if something were to happen..."

Prince Qing raised his hand to interrupt him, "Prefectural Governor Feng is a man of letters. This kind of violent work is better handled by me. I value your concern, Commander Peng Daji, but I have trained in martial arts since childhood, not to hide behind others when it comes to fighting. Alright, you can rest in the guest room tonight and return to Wuling tomorrow morning to make arrangements. By the way, only you and your eight hundred naval troops should know about this. No need to inform others, lest the news leaks and all our efforts go to waste."

Peng Daji replied, "...Understood."

The two of them quickly finalized the plan. Prefectural Governor Feng, who learned that he wouldn't have to be directly involved, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was truly a scholar, ill-suited for such violent matters.

Returning to his office, Prefectural Governor Feng distractedly attended to his official duties and went to rest in the evening.

Prefectural Governor Feng's wife stayed in their hometown to take care of their elderly parents and children. The rear residence of Prefectural Governor Feng's office was occupied by only three concubines. Currently, his favorite was a young woman surnamed Xia, whom he had rescued from a town that had been raided by bandits in February. She was only sixteen or seventeen years old, with fair skin and charming almond-shaped eyes, though her beauty was only considered average.

"How was it? Did you meet Prince Qing?" Xia Shi gently served Prefectural Governor Feng and asked with concern.

Prefectural Governor Feng smiled, "Yes, he is indeed a prince from the capital. He has already planned everything and hopes for a smooth operation. I can finally put my worries to rest."

Xia Shi asked curiously, "What kind of plan does Prince Qing have for those ruthless bandits?"

Prefectural Governor Feng whispered into her ear.

After hearing it, Xia Shi exclaimed excitedly, "That's wonderful! My poor aunt's family can finally rest in peace!"

Prince Qing's message was sent back to the merchant ships in Jiangling, and the ships traveled via the waterways through Wuling to Tanzhou, taking a total of nine days.

When the four merchant ships and four warships were about to pass the section of the river near the bandits' hideout in Shifeng Ridge, it was the night of May 19th. A slightly waning bright moon hung high in the sky, casting shimmering light on the river.

Prince Qing, along with the thousand archers provided by Prefectural Governor Feng, quietly made their way to the north bank of the Xiang River under the cover of darkness, hiding behind the trees along the mountain path.

The eight ships drew closer, and suddenly, a corner of a boat appeared on the tributary flowing toward the Shifeng Ridge mountains on the opposite bank.

Prince Qing's lips curled into a smile.

As the eight large ships passed the tributary and moved forward, a dozen small boats suddenly appeared on the water ahead, quickly approaching. At the same time, another dozen small boats emerged from the tributary, trapping the eight large ships in the middle.

Prince Qing quickly counted and saw that each small boat carried twenty to thirty bandits, totaling around seven to eight hundred!

Prince Qing immediately prepared to lead the archers out. The small boats had no cover, and the exposed bandits were perfect targets.

However, as soon as he moved, a whistle suddenly sounded from the hillside on the left. Prince Qing looked up and saw a line of shadowy figures rise, brandishing bows and arrows!

Prince Qing was greatly alarmed as his twenty-four guards immediately pushed him towards the riverbank.

Chen Wei aimed to capture Prince Qing alive, directing his men's arrows at the guards and the thousand soldiers surrounding him. Once these men were either killed or incapacitated, Chen Wei led a hundred of his men down the slope, chasing the fleeing Prince Qing and his dwindling entourage along the familiar banks of the Xiang River.

On the river, the bandits on the thirty or so small boats already knew that there were imperial naval forces on the large ships. Seeing that their leader's plan was going smoothly and that Prince Qing was about to be captured, they swiftly rowed away, engaging in a mere exchange of arrows with the naval forces to stall for their leader.

Peng Daji stood poised on the warship, masterfully orchestrating the battle.

On the shore, Chen Wei and his men finally caught up with Prince Qing, and a fierce melee ensued, with Chen Wei and his bandits clashing swords against Prince Qing and his seven remaining guards.

At this point, Prince Qing had no time to wonder why he had been ambushed. Realizing Chen Wei was the bandit leader, he immediately engaged him in combat.

Chen Wei was indeed a ruthless man. Seeing that Prince Qing had some skill, he was quite pleased: "Not bad, I like someone like you. It wouldn't be fun to catch a weakling!"

Enraged by the lecherous glint in Chen Wei's eyes, Prince Qing thrust his sword towards Chen Wei's vital points.

Just as Prince Qing was left with only two guards, the sudden thunder of hoofbeats erupted from behind. Chen Wei turned his head in horror and saw a group of horses charging out like the wind from the mountain path where Prince Qing had been ambushed earlier. The horses turned a corner and headed straight for them!

Under the bright moonlight, the horses were ridden by armored imperial cavalry!

Chen Wei's eyes bulged in shock as Prince Qing's blade thrust from behind, skewering the bandit leader who had besmirched his honor.