The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 103 Deng Yang's Acting Skills
Jiang Han looked at Deng Yang's nonchalant attitude and didn't bother to say anything more.

If they're exposed, they'll be the ones who suffer.

He shook his head helplessly and said irritably:
"okay!"

"Once the play is over, I'll quickly take these women back to report to the authorities. I also need to go back and tally up the spoils, and prepare to divide the money."

"I will send someone to deliver your share of the benefits in person. If anything happens, remember to contact me immediately!"

Deng Yang quickly nodded in agreement:

"Don't worry! Don't worry! I know what I'm doing!"

Having received Jiang Han's promise, Deng Yang, feeling satisfied, did not linger any longer and immediately called upon his troops to prepare to return and "report the victory."

He smugly straightened his armor, put on a sorrowful expression, and strode out of the woods to find the group of Zheng family women who were still slumped on the official road, their spirits shaken.

Deng Yang feigned deep sorrow and stepped forward to offer his condolences:

"I was a step too late! I've startled you all!"

"Is everyone alright? No one's injured?"

When the women of the Zheng family saw the government generals arrive in person, they felt as if they had found their pillar of support, and their grief surged up again, causing them to burst into tears.

"My lord! You must do us justice!"

"Waaaaah, sir, sir, you died such a terrible death!"

Deng Yang frowned as he looked at the group of weeping women, feeling a chill run down his spine.

But the show isn't over yet. We need to get them to Fenzhou Prefecture as soon as possible and hand them over to the prefect so that I can get away from them sooner.

He quickly summoned several guards, who dragged over several carriages that had been prepared beforehand. He then adopted an indignant expression and loudly proclaimed:

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please hear me out! The dead cannot be brought back to life. Please accept my condolences and take care of yourselves!"

"The most urgent matter at hand is to immediately accompany me to Fenzhou Prefecture to report to the authorities!"

"We beg Your Excellency to send troops to wipe out the bandit Shangshanhu and avenge the tragic deaths of the Zheng family, young and old!"

These words were spoken with conviction and were full of a sense of justice.

After hearing Deng Yang's words, the distraught women gradually stopped crying, helped each other, and obediently climbed onto the carriage.

Seeing this, Deng Yang breathed a sigh of relief and then waved his hand dismissively:
"Quickly! Head to Fenzhou Prefecture!"

A large group of soldiers escorted the group of "witnesses" towards the prefectural city.

……

Inside the main hall of the Fenzhou Prefectural Government Office.

Prefect Zhao Qiaosheng looked at the group of Zheng family women in the main hall, his forehead veins throbbing.

He was disturbed by the noise early in the morning! A group of women were crying and wailing, their voices blaring, making his head feel like it was about to explode!

"boom!"

He slammed his gavel down and shouted sternly:
"Silence! All of you, shut your mouths!"

The lobby fell silent instantly, with only low sobs remaining.

Zhao Qiaosheng rubbed his throbbing temples and impatiently glanced at the crowd below:

"Find someone who can explain themselves clearly! What exactly happened last night?!"

The group of women looked at each other, all silent and trembling, none daring to speak first.

After waiting for a long time, seeing that no one spoke, Zheng Yunsheng's concubine, Hua Ling, finally mustered up her courage, stepped forward, and knelt down:
"We beg Your Excellency Prefect to do justice for our Zheng family, which consists of hundreds of people!"

Seeing that someone had finally come forward to speak, Zhao Qiaosheng's expression softened slightly, and he said in a deep voice:

"Who are you? Raise your head and answer me."

"Tell me in detail what happened last night. There must be no secrets!"

Hua Ling raised her head and replied:
"Replying to your question, sir, I am Xiangling, the concubine of Master Zheng."

"Last night... Last night, my master and I were sleeping peacefully when, at the third watch of the night, a deafening roar of battle cries erupted outside the manor, and a large band of bandits arrived!"

"Those bandits were extremely vicious; once they broke down the manor gate, they killed anyone they saw!"

"In less than an hour, they slaughtered all of our Zheng family's more than one hundred servants and guards!"

Even Master Lian was hacked to death by the thieves.

At this point, she couldn't help but choke up again.

"I and the others hid in the cellar in the backyard, thinking we could escape, but who knew that the bandits would still find us!"

"They killed the two young masters and two young ladies, and then...then said they were going to take all of us back to the mountain stronghold."

At this point, she glanced at Deng Yang beside her, her eyes filled with gratitude:

"Fortunately, General Deng arrived in time with his troops and rescued us from those bandits."

After listening, Zhao Qiaosheng's expression turned solemn. He nodded and then asked:
"Do you know where those bandits come from? Who is their leader?" Hua Ling nodded:
"The bandit leader called himself 'Tiger of the Mountain,' and the flag he was carrying had a tiger painted on it."

"A tiger climbing the mountain?" Zhao Qiaosheng frowned, looked at Deng Yang beside him, and asked:

"General Deng, who is this 'Mountain Tiger'? I've never heard of him before."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in response, and said:
"Reporting to Your Excellency! This 'Tiger on the Mountain' is a band of bandits who have long been entrenched in Shilou County."

"As far as I know, their leader and core members are the defeated soldiers of the Shanxi loyalist army from a few years ago."

"After the mutiny in Liangxiang, these defeated soldiers refused to return to their unit and instead became bandits on Shilou Mountain, robbing and plundering their neighbors. They were extremely brutal!"

He sighed and continued,
"To my shame, these bandits are quite powerful and occupy a strategic location."

"I have led troops to suppress them several times, but I have failed to capture them."

Zhao Qiaosheng nodded repeatedly, but then astutely grasped the key point:
"According to the general, these bandits are so fierce and cunning. How did you know they would launch a night attack on Zhengjiazhuang?"

"And we can also ambush them on their way back and defeat them in one fell swoop."

Zhao Qiaosheng had heard Deng Yang mention this matter before, but he always felt that something was not right.

Why did the Ming Dynasty's imperial army suddenly have a change of heart? They actually took the initiative to suppress bandits!

Fifty years ago, Zhao Qiaosheng might have actually believed it, but now, it's hard to say.

Deng Yang had anticipated the prefect's question and calmly explained:
"Your Excellency, this matter is quite a coincidence."

"I just received the news that for some unknown reason, the Mountain Tiger got into a fight with a group of rebels who had fled from Shaanxi a few days ago!"

"Both sides suffered heavy losses in the battle. The Shaanxi rebels were scattered, and Shangshanhu also suffered heavy losses."

"Therefore, I concluded that after these bandits were severely weakened, they would definitely take the risk of going down the mountain to plunder in order to replenish their strength!"

He then changed the subject and analyzed:
"The villages near Shilou County have already been wiped out by them, and the only remaining target is the Zheng family in Wenquan Town."

"Therefore, I have been secretly sending out scouts these past few days to keep a close watch on the movements in the direction of Shilou Mountain!"

"As expected, the scouts reported last night that the mountain tigers have come out in full force and are heading straight for Hot Spring Town!"

"So this humble general immediately mustered his troops and set up an ambush on the road the bandits were bound to take back to the mountain, catching them off guard and also rescuing the Zheng family women!"

These words were so reasonable and well-founded that Zhao Qiaosheng couldn't find any flaws in them.

Then he looked at Hua Ling again and confirmed:

Is this true?

Hua Ling nodded quickly:

"That's right, Your Excellency."

“I have heard the master and the stewards mention that there is a bandit leader on Shilou Mountain called Shangshanhu, who is very vicious.”

"Unexpectedly, they broke in today."

Upon hearing the name of Master Zheng, Hua Ling was overcome with grief and burst into tears.

After listening to the testimonies from both sides, Zhao Qiaosheng finally dispelled his doubts.

He snorted coldly:
"These bandits are utterly lawless!"

He stood up and said sternly.
"If these villains are not eradicated in time, who knows how many more families will be destroyed and lives lost in the future!"

"I must immediately dispatch troops to wipe them out!"

Upon seeing this, Deng Yang immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in a gesture of volunteering:
"Your Excellency, please calm your anger!"

"Why should Your Excellency trouble your esteemed lord to mobilize such a large force for such a mere band of bandits? This humble general is willing to share Your Excellency's burden!"

"These thieves were scared out of their wits last night."

"If my troops are mobilized again, we will surely be able to destroy their lair, capture and kill the bandit leader, avenge the Zheng family, and rid the region of this scourge!"

These words, spoken with righteous indignation, invigorated everyone in the hall, who looked at Deng Yang with admiration.

If all the generals of our Great Ming Dynasty were like General Deng, how could we not prosper!
Zhao Qiaosheng, however, hesitated upon hearing this:
"General Deng, are you confident?"

"These bandits are fierce and have the advantage of terrain. General Deng probably doesn't have enough troops under his command."

Deng Yang immediately patted his chest and assured him:
"Don't worry, sir!"

"I have already reached an agreement with General He of Guangwu Village!"

"As long as you give the order, sir, our two forces will join forces and we will surely wipe out these bandits in one fell swoop!"

After hearing this, Zhao Qiaosheng was relieved and made the decision:

"it is good!"

"Now that you two generals have made all the preparations, the task of suppressing the bandits will be entrusted to you two!"

"This government office will await the triumphant return of the two generals within the city of Fenzhou!"

(End of this chapter)