Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 46 Suppressing Bandits
The wood was left to dry in an open space, to be used as roof beams for building houses later.

Four live rabbits were put into cages to be kept. The roe deer meat was roasted until it sizzled and smelled delicious. The group ate the roasted meat around the campfire, their eyes shining with longing and anticipation for the future.

"Cousin Qinghe, can that Meng Liulang really succeed in leading people into the mountains to suppress bandits?" Pei Yan habitually clung to Pei Qinghe's side, muttering to herself, "He doesn't seem very reliable to me."

Pei Qinghe stretched lazily: "Most of the bandits have been killed, and there are only about ten people left in Black Bear Stronghold. With over a hundred elite Beiping soldiers entering the mountains and someone leading the way, they shouldn't be unable to take down even a bandit stronghold. There's no need to worry about that."

"To put it another way, if anything happens to them, General Meng will be furious and send troops to suppress the bandits. In short, Black Bear Stronghold must be destroyed."

Pei Yan nodded repeatedly, her face full of admiration: "Cousin Qinghe, how do you know everything?"

Pei Qinghe smiled leisurely, accepting her cousin's praise without the slightest guilt: "Think about it more, and you'll naturally figure it out. Don't be too reckless in the future; use your brain more when you encounter problems."

Pei Yan grinned and replied nonchalantly, "If you kill someone, I'll draw my sword; if you shoot an arrow, I'll draw my bow. Wherever you go, I'll follow. You're all I need to do when it comes to using my brain."

Pei Qinghe was both amused and annoyed, and rolled her eyes at Pei Yan: "There are only a little over two hundred people now, and you're following me around all day. When there are more people later, you'll have your turn to stand on your own. You can't just follow me around all day!"

“I’ll follow you!” Pei Yan declared confidently. “I don’t want to stand on my own. No matter what, I’ll follow you.”

The image of Pei Yan dying while shielding her from an arrow flashed through Pei Qinghe's mind, and her nose suddenly stung with tears. She turned her head to the side, and after a moment, turned back: "It's getting late, everyone go and rest..."

"Look over there!" a sudden exclamation rang out.

Everyone was shocked.

Pei Qinghe suddenly stood up and gazed intently into the distance.

A faint red light emerged from the forest. Soon, the red light became more and more obvious, accompanied by thick black smoke.

"Black Bear Village has been burned down!"

Pei Qinghe's brows relaxed, and a smile flashed in her eyes: "It seems that Meng Liulang's bandit suppression operation went very smoothly."

The women of the Pei family all smiled broadly.

They and Black Bear Village were now locked in a life-or-death struggle. Ideally, all the people of Black Bear Village would be dead. Now that their stronghold had been burned to the ground, things were even better.

Wu Xiuniang, however, felt a little regretful: "There must have been a lot of good things in Black Bear Village. It's such a pity that they were burned down like this."

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow and smiled: "The soldiers have to make some profit after going into the mountains to suppress bandits. We've already gotten enough money and supplies. Don't be too greedy."

This is true.

Wu Xiuniang couldn't help but grin as she thought of the grain piled up in the three thatched huts and the gold and silver in the cellar.

Thick smoke obscured the bright moon, and flames soared into the sky.

That night, countless people tossed and turned, unable to find peace because of the fire.

Master Li, filled with anxiety and worry, said, "Your Excellency, a huge fire has broken out in the mountains and has been burning all night. Shouldn't we send someone to check it out?"

Magistrate Wang drank all day long, only becoming slightly sober in the early hours of the morning. He narrowed his small eyes and said unhurriedly, "The fire is gradually weakening. As long as it doesn't reach the county seat, what's the rush?"

Li, the clerk, was speechless. He coughed and whispered a reminder: "That's the direction of Black Bear Stronghold. Every year, Black Bear Stronghold secretly sends silver and wine over." "So what?" Magistrate Wang, with a stern face, exuded a certain official authority: "Am I, the magistrate, supposed to back up a bandit stronghold?"

Master Li quickly smiled apologetically: "I misspoke, please forgive me, sir."

A charming young woman, carrying wine and dishes, gracefully approached.

Magistrate Wang tilted his head back and drank a cup of fine wine poured by a beautiful woman. In a good mood, he casually said, "Wait in the county office! With such a big fire, someone will surely come to the county office and give this magistrate an explanation."

Sure enough, after waiting for half a day, in the afternoon, two fast horses galloped to the outside of the county government office.

The two rough-looking soldiers who came to the county government office were covered in blood, and their arrogant demeanor when looking at people was no different from that of the sixth young master of the family: "We are from the Beiping Army."

"General Meng sent us to deliver grain to Peijia Village, where we happened to encounter a band of mountain bandits. The Sixth Young Master took the opportunity to wipe out the Black Bear Stronghold."

The county magistrate, who was drunk all day, tried to open his eyes wide and praised the incomparably brave Young Master Meng to the heavens. He then immediately wrote a memorial to the court to request merit for the Beiping Army.

Under Magistrate Wang's skillful writing, all the bandits of Black Bear Village fell to the blades of the heroes of Beiping Army.

As for the villagers of Peijia Village, they are all delicate, helpless, and pitiful women! How dare those bandits plot against them! They deserve to die!
……

"The village has been completely burned down."

"The bandits who led the way have already been killed by me."

"The gold and silver have been divided among the soldiers, and the grain has been taken down the mountain and is all for you." Meng Liulang, who hadn't slept for two days and two nights, had bloodshot eyes and his clothes were stained with blood, but his posture was still upright and his face was still handsome and shining: "I've sent someone to deliver a message to the county government."

"I'll take care of everything from now on, you don't need to worry."

The young man straightened his chest and unconsciously began to imitate his father's usual imposing and authoritative demeanor.

Like a leopard that is not yet fully grown, it is desperately baring its claws and fangs.

Pei Qinghe chuckled inwardly, but put on a face full of gratitude: "Thank you so much, General Meng. It's all thanks to your timely arrival; otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to handle the aftermath."

Meng Ling completely forgot the shock he felt two days ago when he saw the hanged man and the corpses scattered on the ground under the tree, and said arrogantly, "It was just a small matter, done casually, no need for thanks."

Pei Qinghe's gaze swept over the weeping women and children in the distance: "General Meng, what do you intend to do with these people?"

Meng Ling is also having a headache over these "captives"!

The Beiping army never left survivors on the battlefield. These women were all pitiful victims captured by bandits and taken to their stronghold. The children who fought back were all killed; now only toddlers remained. Killing them would be against their morals. But if they weren't killed, were they to be taken back to the army camp?

Fortunately, Miss Pei was very understanding and took the initiative to share General Meng's worries: "Pei Family Village is short of manpower for farming, so why not leave them all in Pei Family Village?"

Meng Ling's brow relaxed: "You'd better think this through. They're all from bandit strongholds, and their husbands and sons might have died at your hands. If they harbor resentment towards you, they could become a major threat in the future."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "General Meng, rest assured, they are law-abiding citizens. I will give them a way out. If they harbor resentment, I will send them to the underworld to reunite with the bandits."

Meng Ling: "..."

(End of this chapter)