Duke of Zhenguan

According to the information from the Hundred Cavalry Division, there were about two thousand bandits, mostly young and strong, who were hiding in a valley at the border of Xiashi County and Xin'an County. There were simple thatched huts in the valley.

The Hundred Cavalry not only found the bandits' hiding place, but also the stolen grain.

Once the robbers' hiding place was found, the rest was easy.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and even when facing two thousand bandits, Cheng Yaojin did not let his guard down. After some thought, he decided to launch a surprise attack to catch the bandits off guard.

The thousand cavalrymen had rested for more than an hour and were fully capable of continuing their journey.

The weather has been nice lately, perfect for traveling at night. We can rest near the valley where the robbers are hiding before launching our attack.

Two hundred of the thousand cavalrymen were left to guard the main camp, while the remaining eight hundred were divided into two groups. Cheng Yaojin personally led one group, and the cavalry captain led the other, rushing over overnight to attack from both sides of the valley.

Lin Chuan did not follow Cheng Yaojin. He could watch the excitement, but it was better to stay far away when a real battle broke out.

Eight hundred Right Guard cavalrymen launched a night raid on two thousand bandits. Lin Chuan silently mourned for the two thousand bandits and slept soundly in the temporary camp until the sun was high in the sky before getting up.

After washing his face and eating some dry rations, he led Zhao Fu to the barracks of Lin Chaoshan, the Right Martial Guard Commander, and politely asked:

"Commander Lin, has the General sent any news back?"

"Not yet, Military Advisor Lin, don't worry, it's just two thousand bandits!" Lin Chaoshan said with a smile.

"I'm worried about those robbers!" Lin Chuan said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Haha, I'm worried about them too!" Lin Chaoshan laughed heartily.

Although Lin Chuan and Lin Chaoshan were from the same clan, they weren't very familiar with each other. Lin Chuan was about to take his leave when he heard Lin Chaoshan ask with a smile:

"I heard from the General that Military Advisor Lin is proficient in mathematics?"

"I know a little bit!" Lin Chuan said modestly.

"I know a little bit about this too. If you're not too busy, Military Advisor Lin, would you like to discuss it with me?" Lin Chaoshan said with a smile.

Lin Chaoshan was humble, yet he harbored the intention of testing Lin Chuan, so Lin Chuan couldn't refuse and could only bow and reply:

"Please enlighten me, Commander Lin!"

The two men chatted about mathematics in the barracks until noon, when a messenger on horseback galloped into the camp, shouting:

"Good news! Good news!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuan and Lin Chaoshan greeted them with smiles.

The messenger handed the official document to Lin Chaoshan, who glanced at it and smiled at Lin Chuan, saying:

"More than a thousand bandits were killed, and the rest were all captured. The general ordered us to first go to the south of Xin'an County to set up camp. After burying the bandits' bodies, he will lead his cavalry, escorting the prisoners and provisions, to Xin'an County to meet us!"

"Yes!" Lin Chuan felt relieved and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting.

Next, we packed our things and headed to Xin'an County with our supplies.

The two places are about fifty miles apart, and it wasn't until nightfall that the group of more than two hundred people arrived in Xin'an County.

Following Cheng Yaojin's orders, two hundred cavalrymen set up camp half a mile south of the city.

As the barracks were slowly being built outside the city, the garrison troops of Xin'an County hurriedly ordered torches to be lit and sent someone to report to the county government.

Before long, the magistrate, county constable, registrar, and other local officials of Xin'an County arrived at the city wall with their men.

The large camp that had already been built in the distance looked at each other, and all of them saw a solemn expression in their eyes.

They were naturally aware of the robbery of merchant ships on the canal. In their view, it was only a dozen or so merchant ships that had been robbed. So what if they were robbed? They were just merchants who wouldn't get up early for nothing. And those robbers weren't bothering the people.

Even if they were to suppress bandits, they would at most send troops from the Luozhou Cavalry Commandery. Now that the main army has arrived in Xin'an County, they have not received any news, which means that these soldiers are definitely not from the Luozhou Cavalry Commandery.

Troops from other places are not allowed to cross the border without orders, so the troops coming here could only have come from Chang'an!

Moreover, these two hundred men, each with two horses, and carrying a lot of provisions and supplies, were likely just the vanguard.

"Your Excellency? Should we send someone to inquire?" Zhou Qun, the county magistrate of Xin'an, asked in a low voice.

Magistrate Wang Xun of Xin'an County pondered for a moment, then beckoned the squad leader and ordered in a deep voice:

"Take some men and ask them where they came from!"

"yes!"

The team leader bowed and replied.

About half an hour later, the team leader led his men back to the city wall, bowing awkwardly to Wang Xun.

"Your Excellency!"

"Didn't get any answers?" Wang Xun asked, frowning.

"Your Excellency, I was kicked out before I even got through the gate!" the squad leader said awkwardly.

"Then let's ignore them! Let's all go back!"

Wang Xun waved his hand with a cold laugh.

So what if they're from Chang'an? It's just bandit suppression. At most, a lieutenant general will come. He's a county magistrate of the sixth rank. Why would he be afraid of a lieutenant general from Chang'an?

The following day at noon, Cheng Yaojin led his cavalry, escorting several hundred prisoners, to the camp outside Xin'an County.

Upon hearing that a cavalry force of nearly a thousand men had arrived, Wang Xun, who was sitting in the county government office, could no longer sit still and led his men to the barracks to request an audience.

This time, they weren't driven away. After a soldier went in to report, he led Wang Xun to the central command tent.

Looking at Cheng Yaojin sitting high behind the desk, Wang Xun cupped his hands and said:

"I am Wang Xun, the magistrate of Xin'an County. May I ask your name, General?"

"I am Cheng Yaojin!"

Cheng Yaojin said with a smile.

Wang Xun was startled, quickly straightened his clothes, and bowed to Cheng Yaojin.

"Your humble servant Wang Xun greets the General!"

"Please rise, Magistrate Wang. May I ask what brings you here?" Cheng Yaojin asked politely.

"I've come to inquire whether the army's provisions are sufficient. If there's anything I can do, General, please feel free to give the order!" Wang Xun said respectfully.

"The provisions are plentiful, but there is indeed something that Magistrate Wang needs to handle!" Cheng Yaojin said with a smile.

"Please give your orders, General!"

"Please send someone to the Luozhou Prefectural Governor's Office to inform the Prefect of Luozhou that I have been ordered by the Imperial Court to inspect Luozhou. Please summon the magistrates of all the counties in Luozhou. I will arrive tomorrow!" Cheng Yaojin said with a smile.

"I'll go right away!" Wang Xun replied with a bow.

Upon returning to the county government office, Wang Xun didn't even have time to change his clothes before heading straight for Luoyang with his guards.

The next day at noon, Cheng Yaojin ordered his military commander to leave five hundred cavalrymen to guard the grain and prisoners in Xin'an County, while he led another five hundred cavalrymen and a dozen prisoners to Luoyang.

According to official rank, Cheng Yaojin was of the same rank as the Grand General and the Prefect of Luozhou. However, since Cheng Yaojin was carrying out an imperial decree, the Prefect of Luozhou could only obediently lead a group of assistants and county magistrates to greet him at the city gate.

"Greetings, General!"

"Greetings, Governor Wang!"

After exchanging pleasantries, the governor of Luozhou smiled and said to Cheng Yaojin:

"General, you must be tired from your journey. I have prepared a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust of your travels. Please, General, come and join us!"

"Forget about the welcome dinner, let's finish the business first!" Cheng Yaojin shook his head with a smile.

Despite being publicly humiliated, the governor of Luozhou remained composed and respectfully said:

"Rest assured, General, I have ascertained the details of the robbers and will report back to you immediately!"

"Bandits, Governor Wang, you misunderstand. A mere two thousand thieves, I wiped them out on my way here!" Cheng Yaojin waved his hand dismissively and said casually.

Seeing the astonished look on the face of the governor of Luozhou, Cheng Yaojin continued:

"Suppressing bandits was merely a side matter. I was ordered by the court to inspect Luozhou, mainly because an imperial censor impeached Luozhou for unclear accounts. Therefore, His Majesty sent me to investigate Luozhou's accounts to reassure the officials in the court!"