The autumn wind blows, and many trees in Qiu County begin to shed their leaves.
On Qiuxia Mountain not far from Qiu County, the maple leaves on the mountain look like they are on fire. Looking from a distance, it is extremely spectacular.
In the county government office in Qiu County, the ivy trees all over the walls began to wither away, revealing the white gray walls, making the county government office even more desolate.
In Song Qingming's room, a charcoal fire was burning vigorously.
In the tea stove above the charcoal fire, the boiling water roared and spurted out streams of white steam, making the room feel extra warm.[
Song Qingming was wearing casual clothes today, sitting on a bamboo chair, picked up the teapot, poured boiling water into the purple gold pot in front of him, and watched the tea leaves inside flying up and down in the water. There was a strong fragrance of tea and a faint fragrance.
Float away.
"Yuanshan, come here often. The taste is very different from the tea you drank in the palace."
Song Qingming smiled enthusiastically.
Song Yuanshan, who was sitting opposite him, was wearing a pair of tooth-white dark clothes and a purple gold crown on his head, looking very neat.
He picked up the teacup and took a sip, then nodded and said, "Good tea, rich in flavor, with a bit of sweetness, it's really good."
Having said this, Song Yuanshan put the tea cup on the tea seat and said loudly: "Second uncle, this time I came to Qiu County. In addition to helping Prince Weiyuan suppress the bandits, my father also asked me to bring you a message."
"Oh? What is the master's order?"
Song Qingming asked in slight shock.
"My father asked me to tell you that you must fully cooperate with Prince Weiyuan in this campaign against bandits."
Song Yuanshan smiled lightly.
"Haha, this is for sure."
Song Qingming smiled.
"Not only that, my father also said that he hopes you will cut off all ties with these bandits. He asked me to tell you that our Song family will not go into this muddy water. He told you to stop here. I hope you will take care of yourself."
Song Yuanshan's words were not polite at all. Song Qingming couldn't help but frown slightly after hearing this, but he still said with a smile on his face: "Go back and tell the family master so that they can rest assured. I will not let them down."
"That's good. Second uncle, I'll take my leave now. You're busy with official duties, so there's no need to send you off."
Having said this, Song Yuanshan stood up and walked towards the door.
Song Qingming sent him to the door and watched Song Yuanshan walk away with a bit of anger on his face.
"Hmph! Song Tianyou, do you think I, Song Qingming, am a dog?"
Song Qingming said angrily in his heart.[
"Any good thing comes from your Song family. If there is danger, you want me to be your scapegoat. Your wishful thinking is really good. It's a pity that I, Song Qingming, will not give up this time.
. It’s time to come to an end for your arrogance. As long as I succeed, I will be the head of the Song family. When the time comes, I will watch you die in my hands one by one."
Thinking of this, Song Qingming slammed the door hard.
Liu Xia and others were discussing matters in the lobby of the inn.
What was placed in front of everyone was a huge sand table.
On the sand table, the locations and models of almost all the bandit-infested villages are marked, almost reproducing them according to real scenes.
The huge Yuntian Ridge covers an area of more than 500 kilometers, with Wanfeng as the highest peak.
The entire Yuntian Ridge is wrapped in dense primitive jungle. In addition to these bandits, there are more wild beasts inside.
There are almost no wide roads leading to Yuntian Ridge, and most of them are rugged mountain roads. Most of the gangsters above live in Yuntian Ridge near the foot of the mountain, making it easier for them to enter and exit.
However, there are three large-scale cottages built deep in Yuntian Ridge.
If the army wants to enter, I'm afraid it will take a lot of effort.
Among them, there are seventy or eighty bandit cottages in Yuntian Ridge, large and small. The smaller cottages have less than a hundred people, while the larger ones easily number tens of thousands.
Among them, Heifeng Village, Tianlong Village, and Juyi Gang are the most powerful.
Heifeng Village has the longest history. Tianlong Village has only developed in these years, with less than 10,000 people. Juyi Gang is more complicated. It is an association and consists of thirty-seven people around Yunlong Ridge.
It consists of a small village and now has more than 10,000 people.
The total number of people in these three cottages is more than 30,000. If these small and medium-sized cottages are included, the number of bandits entrenched in Yunlong Ridge is at least 40,000 to 50,000.
"Your Majesty, this sand table was drawn by my Song family based on the oral accounts of the refugees on the mountain, and was made with reference to the operation of several large armies to suppress bandits. Although some places may not match the actual situation, it should be similar."
Song Yuanshan stood beside the sand table and said.
Liu Xia looked carefully at the sand table. It was the same as the map Wu Jiajun gave him. There was not much difference.
"Liu Dusi, you have been in Wuzhou for many years and you should know more about these cottages. Tell us your views."
Liu Xia said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, most of these bandits are not strong in combat effectiveness, and many of them have not received any strict training. Their combat effectiveness is average, but they occupy a favorable location and have a great influence on us. However, Your Majesty, don't worry, our military strength is more than twice theirs.
, it is difficult to accomplish anything with these rabble, it is actually not too difficult to destroy them, but the difficulty is to completely destroy them."
Liu Hongtao said this with a look of embarrassment on his face, and then whispered: "Your Majesty, the imperial court has sent troops to encircle and suppress many times before, but Yuntian Ridge is surrounded by primitive jungle. These bandits have been entrenched in the mountains and forests all year round, and they are very concerned about the terrain there.
Understood. As soon as our army arrived, they fled in panic and hid in the mountains to fight guerrillas with us. Once our army withdrew, they continued to occupy
The mountain is king. In addition, in addition to fighting guerrillas, they will also hide in Yuntian Ridge, or they will withdraw directly outside Yuntian Ridge and hide among the common people under makeup. In short, our tactics are difficult to counter
What role do they play? Even if their cottage is burned down, it won't take long for them to come back to life. It's really a headache."[
"I've guessed this, so this time we must put all our efforts into action. In addition to encirclement and suppression, I also plan to completely dismantle these bandits through edicts and pensions. I wonder what your opinions are?"
Liu Xia said calmly.
"Your Majesty, I have no objection to Zhao'an. After all, surrendering to these bandits can reduce our losses and completely disintegrate them. But I don't know what the pension is that Your Majesty is talking about?"
Song Yuanshan asked curiously.
"When I came here, I heard a lot of stories about these bandits. Many of them were forced to make a living in the mountains and became bandits. What I meant was to issue a notice asking anyone willing to put down their weapons and come out.
We will give all the bandits who surrender
An opportunity to reform. And distribute them a certain amount of land so that they have a way to survive. In this way, more bandits will join us. Zhao'an is mainly for the leaders of the bandits, and recruiting them will
More common bandits."
Liu Xia explained.
"Your Majesty is wise. If we do this, we will attack the bandits from both inside and outside. I think it won't take long for these bandits to collapse."
Song Yuanshan said.
"I hope so, but what if the bandits we recruited wait for our army to leave and enter the forest again to cause trouble? How should we deal with it?"
Liu Hongtao said worriedly.
"So, the most important thing in this suppression of bandits is the suppression. Liu Dusi, how did we deal with the bandits we caught before?"
Liu Xia asked.
"Well, most of them are judged according to their crimes. Those with minor crimes will be imprisoned or exiled, or sent to the army. Those with serious crimes will be paraded through the streets and then beheaded in public."
Liu Hongtao said.
"It's just that the punishment is too light. The so-called combination of kindness and power, imperial edicts and appeasements are kindness. As for threats, anyone who does not surrender and resist will be beheaded and whipped to death this time. Regardless of the crime."
Liu Xia said calmly.
Song Yuanshan and Liu Hongtao couldn't help but have a cold war.
Many bandits are guilty of crimes that are not worthy of death, but if Liu Xia does this, if they don't surrender, they will be punished with death. This is a thunderous method.
"My lord, although your plan is good, aren't you afraid of being criticized after you return to Longdu? After all, many bandits are not willing to die for their crimes, and I am afraid that someone will kill them indiscriminately after your operation. If that happens,
Consecrated….”
Song Yuanshan said worriedly.
"This is not what you are considering. What you have to consider is how to kill those bandits completely. As for the charges, let me bear them. These bandits have been suppressed every year, and they appear every year. If this continues
, do the people here still have a way to survive? Since they are stubborn, there is no need to think more about it. In addition, I will also rectify the officials here and restore Yuanpingzhou to its former glory. My determination is firm.
Please give me your full cooperation."
Liu Xia stood up and said.
"We are willing to follow the prince, even if we are ruined, we will not give up until we destroy this group of bandits."
Song Yuanshan and Liu Hongtao hurriedly knelt down and said.
"Okay, you two, get up. I have called you here today, and I have another thing to entrust to you."
Liu Xia said calmly.
"Please give me your instructions, Your Majesty."
"In a moment I will go to the camp to order the generals. After ordering the generals, we will implement the plan we have made now. The army is divided into three groups and will be stationed near the main road down the mountain from Yuntianling. I will go to Yuntianling first in person.
One trip to find out the enemy's situation. Before I come back, what you have to do is to defend with all your strength and surround me with Yuntian Ridge. Once I have a thorough understanding of the situation above, we will discuss the specific details of the siege."
Liu Xia said.
"Well, Your Majesty, that's inappropriate. If you want to find out what's going on above, we can just send someone there. There's really no need for you to put yourself at risk."
Liu Hongtao said.
"Well, I have heard about the situation on the mountain. Before the army officially suppresses the bandits, I, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, must understand the situation above. Otherwise, once the army blindly enters, the same mistakes will be made again. After all, these things are
Xng life is also Xng life. We all have families, young and old, and it is extremely important to sacrifice one less person. Okay, you go and prepare early. We will meet at the gate in a while. "