My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 222 Wang Junkuo

Just then, a guest from Qingzao Village found Shan Xiongxin.

The one who led the way was an old member of Qingzao Village, whom Shan Xiongxin also knew. However, Shan Xiongxin did not recognize the person who came with him. This person was tall and mighty, with a dignified appearance, and did not seem to be of commoner origin.

The messenger who led the guest in also hurriedly introduced the guest's identity to Shan Xiongxin.

"This is Lord Feng, sent by Lord Jun to assist us. I took him to Gongshan, but then I heard that you have set up camp and gathered troops outside Bailu Mountain."

The person who arrived was Feng Li.

Feng Li sized up the burly man in front of him. Feng Li was sent by Li Jiancheng to assist Li Xuanba.

As Li Jiancheng's trusted confidant, Feng Li was not qualified to directly participate in Li Yuan and others' plans, but he still had some understanding of the prince's inclinations and demands. Li Jiancheng was not an innocent child either. Just like the second and third princes were secretly doing things, the eldest prince had also done a lot. However, due to his special status, he could do things more discreetly.

However, Feng Li was still quite surprised when he learned about the mountain stronghold from Li Jiancheng.

Feng Li knew about the mountain stronghold, but he had always thought that Li Shimin had dealings with these people. He never thought that these people were supported by his own family, let alone that the one who supported them was actually the Third Prince!
Following Li Jiancheng's instructions, Feng Li went to Yeniu Mountain to contact the people of Qingzao Village. After learning that the expansion of Hedong was being handled by Colonel Shan Xiongxin, he immediately ordered Qingzao Village to send someone to take him there.

They first went to Gongshan, where they learned of Shan Xiongxin's whereabouts, and then they went to his door.

Although Feng Li was also of noble birth, he did not have the arrogance of a nobleman. He greeted Shan Xiongxin with a very polite bow. When Shan Xiongxin learned that this man was sent by the Marquis, he did not dare to be arrogant and quickly returned the greeting.

"Just by looking at Mr. Feng, I can tell he is a distinguished person, skilled in both literature and martial arts! I really don't have much to offer in terms of hospitality, but I'll have someone bring him some fine wine and meat right away."

Shan Xiongxin spoke with a smile, his attitude quite humble in front of this important person.

"No need, no need. I'm hardly a distinguished person. Please, Captain, have a seat."

Feng Li answered with a smile.

After some polite refusals, Shan Xiongxin took the seat of honor. Once seated, Feng Lifang asked in confusion, "When I was in Gongshan, I heard that the captain had summoned soldiers from various places and required them to bring weapons and military craftsmen. Why is that?"

"Alas, Mr. Feng, you are unaware of what has happened. I have encountered a strange matter!"

Shan Xiongxin hurriedly informed the other party of the situation at Bailu Mountain in detail.

"I thought they were just ordinary bandits, so I only brought some trusted men and went into battle lightly equipped, but I suffered such a great loss! And that mountain stronghold was tall and sturdy, so I gathered everyone to try and break through it!"

Feng Li suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly said, "Captain Shan, please don't make a move yet. Let me investigate the background of this mountain stronghold first."

"check?"

Feng Li said confidently, "We still have some influence in Hedong. A few days will be enough for the captain."

Shan Xiongxin was somewhat surprised, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions. Only after Feng Li left did he pull the envoy aside and inquire about Feng Li's background. The envoy whispered, "I heard that this Marquis's brother is a confidant of the Prince of Tang. The power he mentioned should also be the Prince's power in Hedong."

Shan Xiongxin asked, "So, in the future, they will help us expand in Hedong?"

"Is such that."

"I heard that all the industries in Hedong are under the jurisdiction of Young Master Jiancheng, and there's quite a lot of stuff. You don't know, this Lord Feng didn't come into the mountains empty-handed; he brought a lot of grain. When I left, I could still see donkey carts transporting grain into the mountains, and I'm afraid that hasn't stopped yet."

Shan Xiongxin gasped, "How many shi of grain would that be?"

"I don't know either. In any case, things in Hedong should be fine without any more setbacks."

Shan Xiongxin waited in the camp for two days. During these two days, the troops sent by Qingzao Village to various places also received Shan Xiongxin's orders and gathered towards Bailu Mountain. In order not to attract the attention of the enemy, Shan Xiongxin specially chose to set up camp in a secluded place and sent many scouts to investigate the enemy situation in the surrounding area.

The people from Bailu Mountain hadn't come out for a long time, and Shan Xiongxin waited patiently.

On the third day, Feng Li returned with several men, but instead of going to the camp, he stopped at the crossroads and sent someone to summon Shan Xiongxin.

Shan Xiongxin showed no displeasure and hurriedly came out to greet him. Feng Li was accompanied by several people who all looked quite wealthy. Several carriages were parked not far away, and guards stood at a distance. When Shan Xiongxin arrived, Feng Li smiled and introduced him to them.

"This is a prince, whose family has lived in Xiuwu for generations. He is quite renowned and is known for his philanthropy."

Looking at the portly man, Shan Xiongxin knew that this must be a local powerful figure from Xiuwu. He smiled and greeted the man with a bow.

Feng Li then introduced, "This is Lord Zhang, the county magistrate of Xiuwu."

Shan Xiongxin was taken aback for a moment, but still bowed and greeted him.

Feng Li then had a mat laid out here, and sat down with everyone.

"This Brother Shan is a good friend of mine. When his men passed through Bailu Mountain, they were robbed by bandits from Bailu Mountain. He has now gathered many friends to wipe out these bandits and restore peace to the area!"

The county magistrate, Zhang, clapped his hands and looked at Shan Xiongxin with admiration, "The people of Xiuwu are extremely grateful to have such a virtuous and talented person as Lord Shan come to quell the bandits!"

These words left Shan Xiongxin somewhat bewildered, but he still replied, "I wouldn't dare. This is what we should do. How can we allow thieves to be so rampant?"

Feng Li looked at him and said, "Brother Shan, I've already told them about the matter, and they're all willing to help us quell the bandits and princes. Why don't you tell us what happened?"

The powerful man surnamed Wang stroked his beard and said helplessly, "This Bailu Mountain was originally an important town of the Qi Kingdom, called Bailu Garrison. It was one of the many garrisons guarding Jinyang, hence its strategic location and high city walls."

"Later, the State of Qi was destroyed, and the State of Zhou took over this place. After the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, the north was at peace, and many garrisons guarding Jinyang were abandoned due to the high cost of maintenance. Bailu Garrison was one such example. When the emperor had just ascended the throne, a group of bandits occupied this place and committed all sorts of evil deeds."

“Last winter, a group of horse traders somehow ended up here. The leader was called Wang Junkuo. He went into the mountains and joined the village. Somehow, he killed the original village chief and took his place.”

At this point, Wang, the wealthy landowner, looked at the county magistrate beside him. The magistrate sighed, "This bandit is even more vicious than the previous chieftain. He extorts wealthy households from two prefectures. We organized local militia to attack him, but we couldn't defeat him."

"If Brother Shan can defeat this bandit, it would be a great service to the region!"

Shan Xiongxin nodded slightly.

Feng Li cleared his throat at this moment, "It wasn't easy to defeat the thieves."

Wang, the wealthy man, spoke first: "My family has considerable wealth, and I am willing to help Brother Shan defeat these bandits! These bandits have been harassing the area for many years. If they can be eliminated, I will offer a generous reward!"

The county magistrate then said, "I would like to recommend Brother Shan for the position of Tuan Zuo. With this position, no one in the region will dare to make things difficult for your caravans, allowing them to move freely in and out of the area."

Shan Xiongxin wiped his sweat; he didn't even know what to say.

Feng Li smiled and said, "I think we can do it this way. I need a few guides who are familiar with Bailu Mountain. Besides, if the bandits on Bailu Mountain are wiped out, it's hard to say whether new bandits will come and occupy it in the future. Why don't we have Brother Shan leave some people in Bailu, and the expenses can be shared by the two counties?"

The county magistrate frowned slightly, and Feng Li added, "The heads of those thieves will all be handed over to the county government."

The county magistrate immediately laughed, "Alright, let's do it that way."

After chatting for a while, Shan Xiongxin and Feng Li saw the group off.

After they left, Shan Xiongxin asked incredulously, "Why did Lord Feng even summon the county magistrate? And why does he want us to receive government salaries?? This..."

"no need to worry."

Feng Li asked with a smile, "Where do you think the local militias come from? The county government needs manpower, and the powerful clans need to support their warriors. Those who need to travel are the local magnates, who also need to rely on the powerful clans to protect their businesses. They have to actively pay tribute to expand their power. There's no need for fighting and killing, nor do we need to regard the locals as enemies. They can even help us a lot."

Shan Xiongxin finally realized what was going on.

Damn it, when it comes to doing bad things, you have to look to these nobles!
They're even more of a robber than robbers!

(End of this chapter)