Chapter 97: Prefect Murong: We can suppress the bandits, but we won’t discuss food and money (25)

Huang Xin returned in defeat, and 600 of the 800 soldiers escaped, but all the baggage and food were lost.

In Qingzhou Prefecture, Huang Xin did not dare to report to Prefect Murong, and went to see his master Qin Ming first.

Qin Ming's position was the chief commander of the Qingzhou military. Commander was a positional official, and the chief commander of the Qingzhou military was a title official.

A seventh-rank military general, he can be said to be one of the most important officials in Qingzhou.

The only person with higher position and power than him was the Qingzhou prefect Murong Yanda.

In addition, he is the right-hand man of the prefect and comes from a family of military officers. There is really no other way to lure him to the mountain except to threaten his wife and children.

If he wants money, he has it; if he wants power, you don’t have it.

As a military general, he has long put life and death aside.

Qin Ming sat upright in the camp, with a mace thicker than a man's waist standing next to him. He had a full beard and was a dark-skinned, tough man like an iron tower.

"A monk from Erlong Mountain?" As soon as he opened his mouth, his voice was as loud as thunder and a bell.

Huang Xin had a bitter face, his head wrapped in white cloth, and he stood aside tremblingly, clasping his fists and saying, "Master, that monk killed my horse with a Zen stick, and knocked me flying with a punch. In that battle, it was not that I was afraid of fighting, but that monk was too strong..."

Qin Ming was furious. He slammed the table and said in a muffled voice, "He's just a bandit. Look how scared you are. You're embarrassing me. If he's really that powerful, how could you have escaped?"

"My disciple jumped into the river and escaped with his life..."

"Escape? You told me to escape in front of a master? Unless he deliberately spared your life, why would he let you escape?"

“This…” Huang Xin’s mouth twitched.

"Useless! Why would I accept a useless person like you? Are you coming to me because you are afraid of being punished by the prefect?"

"That monk..."

"Don't tell me about this monk. Even if he has some skills, can he block a few blows from my Thunderbolt Fire mace? Come with me to see the prefect... If the bandit from Erlong Mountain is really as powerful as you said, I would really like to meet him."

In the Qingzhou government office, Murong Yanda straightened his waist twice in the study and then lay down softly on the chair.

The ninth concubine quickly cleaned up the filth, helped him put on his clothes, opened the window, lit a stick of sandalwood, and then took her leave and left.

Judging from the way she walked, she was obviously not satisfied.

"Sir, Commander Qin greets you!"

"Well, let him wait for an incense stick of time."

Murong Yanda closed his eyes and rested for a while, recovering some energy, then went to see Qin Ming with a pale face.

"Hey! What happened to Supervisor Huang?" Prefect Murong looked at Huang Xin curiously.

Huang Xin bowed loudly and said, "Sir, I led the troops to attack Qingfeng Mountain, but was ambushed by the bandits and suffered heavy casualties. Please punish me, sir."

Prefect Murong raised his eyelids and asked, "Qingfeng Mountain? Wasn't it wiped out by Wu Song, the chief of Qingfeng Village?"

"Wu Song killed two of the bandit leaders, but one escaped. I guess the one who escaped came back and gathered another group of bandits."

"Is that so? Wu Song has promised me that as long as the dwarf tiger is in Qingzhou, he will be captured alive. Does he still want to be the commander of the village? Pass my order, you must break through Qingfeng Mountain within three days and capture the dwarf tiger..."

"Yes!" Someone will write the document.

Qin Ming frowned, his curly beard like steel needles, and said in a loud voice: "Sir, it was not the monks from Qingfeng Mountain who defeated Huang Xin, but the monks from Erlong Mountain. The two mountains are separated by dozens of miles. If they unite and face each other, they will become a powerful force. We must not let them become too powerful." Being able to reach the position of a seventh-rank military general, Qin Ming is not a vulgar general. Although he has an impatient personality, when it comes to using troops, he is far from comparable to Huang Xin.

Just by listening to Huang Xin's report, he had already seen through the threat posed to Qingzhou officials and soldiers by the alliance of Qingfeng Mountain and Erlong Mountain.

Murong Yanda turned his head to look at Qin Ming, put his hands on the table in front of him, and leaned forward: "They are just a group of bandits. Did Commander Qin overestimate them?"

"Sir, it will be easier to destroy them before they become too powerful. If we delay for a year or two, then..."

Murong Yanda interrupted and said, "General Qin, there is no need to elaborate on this. What do you think?"

"I am willing to lead three thousand soldiers and horses to wipe out the large and small hilltops around Qingfeng Village."

"Three thousand regular soldiers?"

Murong Yanda's face suddenly changed, and he quickly calculated the cost of sending out troops in his mind.

As the saying goes, a cannon shot is worth a fortune.

Regular soldiers are not like those soldiers who can be sent away just by giving them a meal.

How much food and grass do soldiers need to eat and horses to fight? How much money do they need to buy weapons and armor? How much silver do they need to be given if they want to fight to the death?
Three thousand people, one tael per person, that’s three thousand taels!
He was just a prefect, and how much did he embezzle every year? How could he be willing to give so much money to those soldiers?

More importantly, his sister, who was a noble concubine in the palace, wrote to him and asked him to take 30,000 strings of cash to the palace first.

Seeing the grim look on the prefect's face, Qin Ming sighed inwardly. He knew that it was impossible to send troops.

As expected, Murong Yanda forced a smile and said, "It's just a petty thief. Why does Commander Qin need to take action personally? Isn't Wu Song, the chief of Qingfeng Village, capable? Just let him take care of it."

Qin Ming still didn't want to give up. He had been like a decoration for the past two years, and was almost rusting in Qingzhou Prefecture. This time he encountered a den of thieves with some strength, so he naturally wanted to stretch his muscles:

"Sir, Qingfeng Village only has 200 soldiers. Even if we suppress the bandits, if we can't catch the leader and destroy the bandits, they will come back soon."

"Commander Qin! How long did you say it would take for that group of villains to become powerful?" Murong Yanda's face had turned cold.

"It could be as long as two or three years, or as short as one year."

"Look, the weather is bad this year, and the Yellow River is flooding again. Qingzhou Prefecture has to leave a large amount of money and grain for disaster relief. The court also wants to use troops against Xixia, so it will take some money and grain again. Next year! Next year, Commander Qin will personally lead the army to suppress them."

Ugh!
Qin Ming's face was originally dark, and there was no sign of change.

"This year, let Wu Song handle it first... You just said he doesn't have enough soldiers? That's easy. Just give him a promotion."

Huang Xin knelt on the cold ground, his whole body numb and the corners of his mouth twitched again and again.

But he was now a criminal and did not dare to speak.

"Alright!"

Qin Ming uttered two words.

"Then let him be the military commander! Huang Xin, you take a rest for a while. When Wu Song has wiped out the bandits, I will find a reason to take him off the job and let him be the commander of the camp again. Then you can be reinstated."

The bandits must be suppressed at all times, but if they ask me, their lord, to pay for their food and wages, that’s out of the question.

Murong Yanda really has a good plan.

(End of this chapter)