Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 661 The Bandits by His Side Still Dominate

After Luo Huaiyan relayed Gao Chang's remarks to Bi Zaiyu, Bi Zaiyu was half skeptical of them.

Bi Zaiyu is going to take the path of military merit, and it's good that the local powerful families have grudges against him.

After all, the military merits and local powerful families are living in harmony and harmony. What do you want to do? Do you want to collude with the locals to rebel?
But at the same time, Bi Zaiyu also had to admit that this matter was indeed a problem for Luo Huaiyan.

Since this young man is destined for a career in government, it wouldn't be good for him to be labeled a cruel official so early on.

Regardless, with Gao Chang leading the way, the two brothers, one skilled in literature and the other in martial arts, decided to show Liu Huai their abilities and began to work even harder.

The work of dividing and relocating the Kong family has already begun. Luo Huaiyan and Kong Shu have already made their relationship clear: if those few Kong family members don't leave, he will come and help them personally.

Bi Zaiyu was not idle either. He began to lead his soldiers to suppress bandits. In just a few days, they had already captured three mountain strongholds and one water stronghold.

During this process, the soldiers quickly became more valiant, and several of them were promoted to the position of captain. The number of archers also continued to expand, reaching as many as a thousand within a few days.

Although these local archers cannot fight against the regular armies, they can still easily bully mountain bandits and brigands.

Even after deducting the able-bodied young men who were eager to return home for spring plowing, there were still three or four hundred soldiers left.

With these hundreds of men at his disposal, Bi Zaiyu felt that even if he left, Gao Chang could stabilize the situation.

On February 15th, just as everything was being swiftly and decisively resolved, and spring plowing and land allocation were in full swing, someone suddenly came to report.

Near Ziyang, the capital of Yanzhou, at the confluence of the Si and Yi rivers, bandits and river pirates caused trouble and trapped a professor from the medical school.

The guards numbered only a hundred or so. At this time, they were fighting with the mountain bandits while sending people to Yanzhou to ask for help.

Bi Zaiyu was startled upon hearing this. Having spent his life in the army, how could he not know how important the army doctor was?

Medical schools capable of training large numbers of military doctors are of paramount importance.

In the past, even when these medical professors were fighting alongside the army, they were always at the rear of the main force, accompanied by elite cavalry, and could retreat at any time. Who knew that they would end up in Yanzhou and be inexplicably surrounded by bandits?
It doesn't matter if Bi Zaiyu doesn't know the inside story; he only knows one thing: troops must be dispatched immediately to provide assistance.

One hundred Flying Tiger Armored Cavalrymen mounted their warhorses again and set off with Bi Zaiyu.

Following closely behind were four hundred soldiers from Qufu, personally led by Luo Huaiyan, who sailed south along the Si River in a large boat, determined to rescue the precious students of the medical school before any major incident occurred.

It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that this was an undeserved disaster for Bi Zaiyu.

Because the more than a thousand mountain bandits and river bandits who are now showing up in Ziyang have actually been driven away by Bi Zaiyu.

There was no way around it; this guy's bandit suppression operation in Qufu was so massive that the bandits on various mountain ridges were living in constant fear and had no choice but to flee south.

Of course, expecting bandits to have the order of an army is pure nonsense.

The bandits who fled down the mountain initially numbered about three thousand. After swearing a blood oath on the southern slope of Mount Niqiu, they united their forces, assigned positions, and appointed leaders from the top to the tenth, all with the ambition to accomplish great things.

It truly is a land of heroes and talented individuals.

However, by the next day, most of the bandits had dispersed on their own.

What the hell are you talking about? A bunch of bandits, trying to do something big? The boss is going crazy, but the underlings don't want that.

The remaining thousand-plus people, led by several chieftains, went directly to Cao Jie, the high-ranking official, on the Xiaoyi River.

This fellow was originally a wealthy man who made his living by trading on the water. However, he lost his manor and land due to the southward migration of the Jin Dynasty's Meng'an Mouke. With no other choice, he built a water fortress in a strategic location between the Xiaoyi River and Niqiu Mountain. In order to protect himself, he also resorted to robbery to make a living.

He was a man of deep thoughts, and seeing so many heroes coming to join him, he immediately became ambitious. He wanted to first attack Ziyang County, and then establish himself as king in Yanzhou, raising his flag in rebellion.

But the first problem Cao Da Guanren faced was that there wasn't enough food.

He had gathered several hundred people in the water village, and with winter just over, food was already scarce. Now, with more than a thousand people arriving, food was completely insufficient.

What's more troublesome is that, due to the difference in numbers between the two sides, Cao Jie's influence has been greatly diluted in just two days.

In a few more days, who knows who will be the master of this water stronghold!

Therefore, Cao Jie had no choice but to lead 1,300 to 1,400 men away from Niqiu Mountain Water Village, venturing out in full force to plunder westward along the Xiaoyi River.

During this time, the bandits happened to encounter the large ship carrying the medical school faculty and students.

Cao Jie immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of these three large ships, not only because they were sturdy and their flags were novel, but also because there were dozens of warriors accompanying and protecting them on the shore.

This is either a wealthy family or a merchant ship transporting large quantities of goods.

Either way, it would be enough for Cao Jie to make a fortune.

No problem, men, follow me!
To Cao Jie's surprise, these three ships and the hundred or so soldiers on board were not only extraordinary, but also excessively so.

When the three waterships faced the bandits coming downstream, they did not panic. Instead, after failing to turn and flee, they immediately went ashore and tried to rendezvous with the soldiers on the shore.

The cavalry on the shore were equally formidable. Although there were only fifty men, they remained calm and composed when facing a thousand bandits. Some broke through the encirclement to call for reinforcements, some used bows and arrows to slow down the bandits, and more than ten cavalrymen even launched a counter-charge, killing the third leader of the bandit alliance on the spot, causing chaos in the bandit vanguard.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the knights and the fleet met at a dike on the Xiaoyi River and quickly set up defensive fortifications using the low walls of the dike.

The reason these villages are called "weizi" (圩子) is because they are built in a bay and surrounded by a dike protecting the farmland. The three large boats were sheltered behind the dike, and although the space was somewhat cramped, they were still protected.

Upon seeing this, Cao Jie immediately hatched a wicked plan.

He ordered the bandit alliance to attack from the front, while his main force, which was in small boats, remained stationary, intending to wear down the bandits' strength.

It would be best to kill two more leaders, then Cao Jie could rightfully annex this bandit army.

But no one expected that a mere hundred Han soldiers could defend the fort so well that even a thousand or so mountain bandits couldn't take it down when they attacked from three sides.

Now Cao Jie was even more certain that there must be some great treasures on these three ships. After sending people to persuade them to surrender failed, he immediately ordered another fierce attack.

Of course, the defending troops didn't have an easy time either.

The Han army consisted almost entirely of armored soldiers, yet their numbers were far too small.

To ensure the fortifications were secure, the entire Han army had to be mobilized, with no time for rotation.

"Hey, Commander, if it weren't for these doctors dragging us down, wouldn't we have crushed these bandits long ago?" A Han soldier, somewhere between a boy and a young man, had just started to complain when he received a sharp blow to the forehead and immediately cried out in pain.

The one referred to as the "Chief Canal Commander" was none other than Hou Anyuan.

After finishing his course at the garrison, this guy volunteered to join the army and serve as a bodyguard for the medical school professors.

Hou Anyuan's explanation for his change of heart was that he wanted to repay a debt of gratitude, using his rogue-like martial arts skills to repay Xu Erya's life-saving grace on behalf of Xiao Sun.

Of course, there were reasons why the young man admired Ai, and quite a few people could see it, but ultimately no one was so bored as to publicize the little thoughts of a wandering knight.

Hou Anyuan, after all, was a street fighter. After receiving systematic military education in the garrison, he thrived. In addition, he was a top student in the garrison school. Within two months, he had obtained the position of squad leader and was able to wear armor.

After the Battle of Shandong began, the doctors accompanied the army from south to north, and the professors of the medical school were also busy.

Yang Tan, Xu Erya, and other key members of the medical school were naturally not idle either. They carried out nursing work behind the battlefield, and the wounded who had received simple treatment at the front were carefully treated by them.

During this period, Hou Anyuan traveled all over the country with the medical school professors.

After the war on the southern front ended, medical school professors, along with their students, began a series of mobile medical clinics in the newly liberated prefectures and counties.

This was naturally supported by Liu Huai. After all, in order to let ordinary people feel the benefits of restoration, in addition to distributing means of production, providing money and food, the most important thing was to guarantee their basic living conditions.

Medical services are naturally a form of livelihood security.

Liu Huai allocated a large budget, allowing Yang Tan to get things done.

Yang Tan, wanting to be remembered in history, naturally wouldn't let such an opportunity pass him by, and thus took action.

But after taking action, Yang Tan discovered a situation that was both laughable and frustrating.

In terms of the people's livelihood in the Jin Kingdom, most of their illnesses were caused by malnutrition. Theoretically, as long as they ate a few good meals and took good care of their bodies, they could recover.

Rice is considered a panacea in traditional Chinese medicine, and this is probably why.

But these areas have just been liberated, where would they get so much food to ensure that everyone is fed without exception?

Left with no other choice, Yang Tan could only purchase a batch of grain and, along with medicinal herbs, transport it by large ship, providing free medical consultations and prescribing medicine along the way.

Hou Anyuan was unaware of the profound significance of the mobile clinic, but he understood that he absolutely could not allow anything to happen to the doctors at the medical school.

He glared at the man who had just spoken and said, "Wei San, you've really lost your mind! If it weren't for Doctor Xu, Xiao Sun might already be dead. Professor Yang and the others have saved so many people along the way! And now you want to abandon them? You really are..."

Wei San shrank back and said with a forced smile, "Commander, I didn't mean that. It's just that this kind of beating is really unbearable. The instructors at the garrison all said that it's useless to just defend. Only by fighting back and scaring the bandits can we finally settle down."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wei San received another blow to the head. Hou Anyuan simply grabbed the man's ear and said, "Is our goal to kill thieves? Wrong! It's to protect the safety of the medical school! Even if we crush the guts of those thieves outside, if we hurt even one doctor, we'll be guilty of a crime punishable by death!"

Wei San shrank back again, the iron shackles on his body rattling loudly.

The other three found it somewhat amusing to watch Wei San being scolded.

"But don't be afraid, reinforcements are coming soon, and when they arrive, I'll definitely..."

Before Hou Anyuan could finish his harsh words, Shi Wang, who was standing on guard on the roof, shouted, "Watch out! There's a thief!"

As he spoke, Shi Wang lit the oilcloth on the arrow with the brazier beside him, drew his bow, and shot it south.

With a scream, the figure hidden in the night could no longer be concealed, quickened its pace, and rushed towards the earthen wall of the embankment.

"Put on your helmets!" Hou Anyuan put down his helmet and shouted, "Ah Hong, Lao Zhao, you two just keep thrusting forward with your spears! Wei San, you hold the line on the right!"

Hou Anyuan, holding a hand knife in his right hand and a small shield in his left, turned around and shouted to Shi Wang on the roof: "Awang! Don't stop the arrows!"

Shi Wang crouched on the rooftop, leaning against a chimney. With a quick glance, he shot a bandit to the ground: "Don't worry, even if I lose a finger today, I can still shoot arrows with my teeth!"

(End of this chapter)