Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

As dusk fell, the last vestiges of gray-blue light on the horizon vanished completely.

Song led the man who had reported the crime ahead, followed by Cao Can and Fan Kuai, with more than a dozen local militiamen in a line.

The man led the way, turning from the wide road into a narrow path, and finally into a dirt path half-covered by weeds. In the middle of the path, there was only a deep ditch made by the wheels over the years, like a thin crack across the wild grass.

"It's this place..." The man stopped at a patch of trampled weeds, his voice trembling, "This is where they intercepted us."

Song also squatted down and swept the ground. The footprints were messy, but the main traces extending southward could be distinguished.

She stood up and, without saying much, followed the footprints.

The group walked through low-lying bamboo forests and dried-up streams, searching through several abandoned and dilapidated houses, but they didn't see a single person.

The thief deliberately took several detours to confuse the pursuer, and the footprints finally disappeared completely at the bottom of an inconspicuous little hill.

The hill was unremarkable, indistinguishable from the surrounding earthen slopes. If it weren't for the footprints stopping in the compacted grass at the foot of the slope, no one would have guessed that a bandit's den was hidden here.

Song also raised his hand, signaling everyone behind him to stop where they were.

Instead of approaching rashly, they stood still and listened intently. The mountain wind rustled the vines, and all around was quiet with no unusual sounds.

After waiting a moment, she lowered her voice and instructed, "We don't know how many people are inside right now. Cao Can, take a few men and go around to the left."

"Fan Kuai, go to the right and block the exit at the back of the mountain. Don't let anyone slip away from there."

Cao Can nodded and led a few people to quietly sneak to the left, hiding in the shadows at the bottom of the slope.

Fan Kuai led another group of people to walk around lightly, deliberately slowing down his usual long strides, like a lurking beast concealing its sharpness.

Finally, Song also stayed behind to hide, squatting behind the wild vines at the foot of the slope, staring through the gaps in the vines at the depression hidden by the bushes on the slope.

A wisp of smoke drifted up, almost invisible in the night fog.

Since they were unsure of the number of bandits, they planned to wait until both teams were fully in position before making their move.

In her previous life, Song also went to remote mountainous areas to help alleviate poverty. The mountains were remote and it was too dangerous for young women to be alone in them, so she specially took the time to practice Taekwondo until she reached the black belt, and also learned boxing.

But before she could wait for the right moment, a piercing scream suddenly erupted from the top of the hill.

Then came the girl's hoarse cries: "Let go of my mother... please, let go of my mother..."

The woman's broken pleas for mercy, filled with utter terror, mingled within: "Please... please..."

Following closely behind, a series of hoarse, raspy laughs from a man, full of filthy and malicious thoughts, relentlessly burrowed into my ears.

Song's pupils contracted.

The next moment, he raised his hand in a charging gesture, pushed off with his feet, and used the explosive steps of Taekwondo to rush up the slope from his hiding place.

Cao Can and Fan Kuai rushed out from the left and right sides at the same time, their footsteps crushing the fallen leaves and sending gravel and mud sliding down the slope, instantly sealing off the front and back exits of the bandit's den.

The flickering firelight illuminated six bandit faces.

Six people huddled in the pit, two of them stood on the side watching the fun with short knives slung over their shoulders, and the remaining four squeezed around the fire.

A bandit, with his back to the slope, half-squatted and reached out to pull the woman on the ground.

The woman was holding her daughter tightly in her arms, trying desperately to shrink back, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

The little girl cried in her mother's arms, her soft sobs leaking out from between her shoulders.

The bandit hadn't even had time to straighten up; his movements froze in mid-air.

Song had already rushed behind him and delivered a precise low cross kick to the back of his knee.

The next moment, the man's legs went weak and he fell forward, crashing into the gravel ground. He didn't even have time to get up.

Song chased after him like a ghost and stomped hard on his crotch.

The force was fierce, and the direction was accurate.

The man let out a short, dry scream, as if something was blocking his throat, leaving it stuck halfway, muffled and rough.

"If you can't control your lower body, then die." Song Ye said coldly.

"Aaaaah—" A scream pierced the silent night sky.

Before the remaining five bandits could react, Cao Can and Fan Kuai had already led their men to pounce on them.

Just as one of the bandits reached for the short knife at his waist, Fan Kuai struck him in the chest with his elbow, knocking the knife out of his hand.

One of them tried to escape to the back of the mountain, but Cao Can tackled him from the side, grabbed his wrist, and tied him up. The remaining three were completely terrified; some raised their hands, too afraid to move, while others lay on the ground with their heads in their hands.

The woman, holding her daughter, huddled beside the rocks, unable to recover for a long time.

The girl in my arms cried weaker and weaker, leaving only intermittent sobs.

The mother and daughter just stared blankly at Song Ye's series of actions.

Song also turned to look at the mother and daughter, softening her tone, "It's alright, you can get up now."

Behind him, Cao Can tied up the last bandit and stepped forward to report, "Sir, all six bandits have been captured, none of them escaped." After speaking, he glanced at the bandit lying limp on the ground, and then looked at the spot where Lord Song had been grinding.

"...?"

"hiss--"

I almost choked on my breath.

"What's wrong?" Fan Kuai tilted his head and looked over.

Then came another gasp of shock:

"hiss--"

Who says men can't empathize?

Here it is.

It also comes with a pain-sharing mode.

Finally, the woman regained her senses, her lips trembling as she said, "Thank you, sir! Thank you so much for saving my life!"

"Bring them all back to the county government!"

...

County government.

Torches were already burning brightly at the entrance, their light illuminating the steps in front of the door.

Xiao He stood on the steps and saw a group of people coming from the night. He was relieved and quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"My lord!" His gaze immediately fell on Song Ye, scanning him carefully from head to toe as if inspecting a precious treasure, afraid of even the slightest bump. "Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?"

"You are already frail; if you were to be injured by these desperate bandits, how would we explain it to the people of Pei County!"

Song waved his hand casually, "Don't worry, I'm fine, no one can hurt me."

Xiao He was still worried, so he walked around her to make sure she wasn't injured before he felt a little relieved and stepped aside.

But he still had reservations, and his gaze swept over Cao Can and Fan Kuai behind him.

Cao Can pursed his lips, staring intently at the cracks in the blue bricks beneath his feet, seemingly lost in thought.

Fan Kuai, standing nearby, gazed into the distance, unable to calm himself down for a moment.

Song had already entered the county government.

After her figure disappeared through the door, Xiao He turned to Cao Can, his tone tinged with reproach: "How could you keep an eye on the lady? What if she got hurt? How could we face the people?"

He paused, as if he felt that his words were not strong enough, and added, "Look at the adult's physique, she could be blown over by a strong wind, and you really trust her to be at the forefront."

After he finished speaking, Cao Shen remained silent for a moment, his gaze towards Xiao He filled with mixed emotions.

A thousand words reached his lips but he swallowed them back, only managing a dry, questioning reply: "Do you really think Lord Song is just a weak and helpless scholar?"

Xiao He was taken aback, his face full of confusion: "Otherwise what?"

Cao Shen: "..."

Fan Kuai, who was standing to the side, seemed to be still contemplating life. He only came back to his senses when he heard Xiao He's words. He patted Xiao He on the shoulder and said, "Brother, it's a blessing not to know some things."

Xiao He looked bewildered: "...?"

What on earth is going on?