This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Dick thought for a moment. The poisonous gas had been spreading in the cave for more than half an hour, and most of the 300-plus people should have collapsed. So he decided to rush in to rescue them.

He used his telekinesis to lift him up like a puppy and made him lead the way to the place where the liaison officer was being held. The entourage consisted of Red Leaf, Joel, and three private soldiers, while the rest were under Rita's command to continue guarding the main entrance to prevent any other able-bodied individuals from escaping.

The soldiers who stormed in switched to pre-prepared non-lethal weapons—iron-plated wooden clubs.

With so many bandits, there must be some skilled martial artists among them. Even if they're poisoned, they should still have some mobility. We can just whack them on the head and take them down first.

After everyone entered the cave, Dick had the prisoners point the way while referring to the map drawn by Ayane.

The smell inside the cave was quite unpleasant, a complex stench that made you instinctively afraid to try to figure out what was making the smell.

The group soon arrived at the dungeon where the prisoners were being held. Dick spotted the liaison officer, who was hanging naked, from afar. He immediately ordered his men to unchain him and then toss the bandit prisoner aside like trash, using his telekinesis to lower him down as gently as possible.

The young man was covered in wounds and had lost consciousness, but thankfully he was still breathing.

"Put him on a stretcher and get him some more clothes to wear. Hongye, go and inform Dr. Natasha's medical team to enter the front bunker; there are seriously wounded soldiers on our side who need treatment."

"Yes."

After Hongye finished speaking, she disappeared from the spot in a flash. The three private soldiers stripped the clothes off the surrounding bandits, first dressing their own comrades in them, and then picked up the stretcher to leave.

At that moment, a faint cry for help suddenly came from the prison cell deep inside the cave.

"Help! Ahh ...

Looking back into the dark depths of the dungeon, Dick cast a light spell. The flying ball of light illuminated the crudely made cells that held many prisoners, most of whom were immobilized by the poison gas.

Dick didn't let Lily prepare the deadly poison gas because he was afraid of harming these innocent people.

So Dick ordered three soldiers to take the wounded out first. The remaining threats on the way back had been cleared, and they all remembered the way.

He planned to take Joel with him to check on the situation of the prisoners.

Three flares were fired, illuminating the entire dungeon. Dick roughly counted that there were more than twenty cells in the long, narrow cave, most of which were filled with prisoners, and some were even crammed with several.

The first two cells didn't hold any living people; instead, they had two piles of human bones displayed prominently, clearly prepared to frighten the prisoners.

The two followed the cries for help and found a disheveled man resembling an Afghan hound in the middle cell. Despite being poisoned, he still had the strength to call for help, suggesting he was a martial arts practitioner, but it was unclear why he had been captured by bandits.

Dick counted the people in the cell; including this guy, there were fifty-seven in total. Most of them were in very poor condition, and a few had completely still chests, so they were likely no longer breathing.

"Hold on! I am Governor Lagug, I've come to rescue you, the aid is on its way!"

Although it was unclear how many people were still conscious, Dick shouted loudly.

According to the original plan, thirty minutes after the poison gas was released, each action team would fire signal flares (large firecrackers) and then begin to storm into the cave to capture prisoners.

Sir John, who was waiting on the outskirts, immediately led his two hundred soldiers forward.

Apart from the corps leader, the vast majority of this group were new recruits enlisted before winter. Dick did not assign them to combat operations, but planned to entrust them with the post-war task of capturing prisoners.

In Dick's own words at the pre-war meeting, it was to give these rookies a chance to observe and help the local farmers' children overcome their fear of bandits, so that when they participated in formal bandit suppression operations later, they wouldn't make mistakes because of cowardice.

Soon, the infiltrators and the follow-up cleanup team took control of the Vulture Gang's hideout.

After completing emergency treatment on the liaison officer, Natasha's medical team immediately rushed to the dungeon area to treat the wounded. Meanwhile, Black Gunner dragged a bruised and battered man to Dick to boast, pointing at the unrecognizable pig-headed figure.

"This is the bandit leader, Infidel, whom I captured!"

Dick crouched down and examined the humanoid mass of flesh for a while. His armor and weapons had been stripped off, and he was lying on the ground barely breathing, clearly having been given a severe beating.

"Did you hit?"

"correct."

"Next time, remember not to hit him in the face. The proper procedure for dealing with bandit leaders like this is to hang them in public first, then cut off their heads and hand them over for the bounty. You beat him so badly that even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. The people and the higher-ups might suspect that we killed innocent people and took credit for it."

"Uh... I'm sorry."

"It's alright, just be more careful next time. You deserve the credit this time. It's a pity, we'll have to lock this guy up for a couple of days after we catch him, and kill him after the swelling on his face goes down. What a waste of food."

Infidel, who was lying on the ground, must have heard Dick's words. He coughed several times in anger, and his crooked mouth opened and closed. Although he couldn't make a sound, he must have been cursing very rudely.

"Give the order to first bind and bind the prisoners, then give them half a dose of the antidote to restore their ability to walk. We have only brought a limited number of sleds; use them only to transport our own wounded and rescued hostages. We'll set off home at dawn. Brothers, my soldiers, this is the largest and most vicious Vulture Gang in Lagug. Now tell me, what are bandits?"

"Nonsense!" xN

Hundreds of soldiers responded loudly to Dick's question, then burst into hearty laughter, while the bandits trembled and huddled up like little girls who had just been humiliated.

Although Dick used a trick, and even some underhanded tactics, in this battle, the victory was undeniable. The recruits' morale was greatly boosted, and they gained a courage they had never possessed before. Dick would then teach them to be cautious and use strict training to ingrain obedience into their very bones.

Such an army would be considered an elite force to be proud of by most noble lords, but in Dick's eyes, it was merely barely passing.

The wounded rescued from the dungeon were handed over to Natasha's medical team, who were instructed to keep a close eye on the "Afghan Hound." Dick had just taken a closer look at the boy's clothes; although they were filthy, they were undoubtedly made of top-quality material, which confirmed that the boy's identity was definitely not simple.

However, this guy fainted as soon as he was carried out of the dungeon.

So Dick decided to check out the bandits' "treasure trove" first, to see how many gold coins they had looted.

The bandits' treasure room is usually in their leader's room. Many bandit leaders have the same habit as the legendary dragons that crossed dimensions and left this world: they sleep on piles of gold coins.

Dick led his men to Infidel's room and quickly discovered a secret passage under the large bed.

Dick went in and peeked in, and immediately saw a sister-in-law crawling into the Führer's bed... He laughed.

The enormous treasure room was truly dazzling with gold. Gold, silver, and bronze coins were neatly stacked in boxes, along with various gems, antiques that looked incredibly valuable, and even armor, swords, and magical artifacts that emanated magical energy.

The stuff in this room is probably worth 30,000 to 50,000 gold coins!

"This is a huge windfall! If I'd known the bandits were this rich, I should have made my move before winter!"

"Master, please be careful, everyone is watching."

"Hilarious! You can't be calm at all. You know how much I was worried about the funding shortfall for territory development back then. Turns out, the cure for headaches isn't here!"

Clearly overly excited, Dick hugged Rita, who had come over to advise him to be mindful of his image, and gave her a big kiss. Then, he happily began to inspect his spoils.

But as he looked around, Dick suddenly remembered something.

According to the Empire's absurd laws, while the imperial high command supported local lords in actively suppressing bandits, they also had to levy taxes on the spoils of these suppressions; otherwise, their achievements would not be recognized. And for many nobles, the achievement of suppressing bandits was precisely the only way to gain a higher rank or avoid demotion.

The empire has a rule that, except for a few founding fathers like the Best family, all nobles conferred titles after the establishment of the empire are demoted generation by generation, eventually retaining only the title of "Honorary Lord," and the fiefdoms under the family's name are taken over by the imperial family.

If one does not want to be demoted and eventually lose their fief, they must find a way to achieve merit or pay a substantial sum to the royal family to preserve their title.

Because the empire has had "friction" with neighboring countries for many years, there is no shortage of opportunities to fight. Every year, the border legions on various fronts will issue quotas for reinforcements. Inland nobles can voluntarily bring their private armies to participate in the war. Only when the number of soldiers is insufficient will the emperor order nobles in certain regions to contribute.

If it is a large-scale national war personally led by the emperor, then the whole country is mobilized, and lords are required to provide their own soldiers and provisions to support the emperor according to their rank and the size of their fiefdom.

However, foreign wars are intense and risky. Some timid nobles know their own limitations and the strength of their private armies, so as long as they are not forced to pay conscription, they will stay at home obediently and pay the royal family.

But there were also those who were cunning and, not wanting to pay the money and unable to afford to offend the bandits, killed innocent people and fabricated merits in bandit suppression. The imperial high command wasn't stupid, so they immediately amended the law, requiring a cut of the spoils from bandit suppression, and that cut was 50%.

To put it bluntly, the higher-ups don't care about killing innocent people and claiming credit, but they can't refuse to pay the nobles!

So now Dick is faced with a choice.

The Vulture Gang and Infidel were notorious bandits on the Imperial Ministry of Justice's wanted list, so eradicating them was a significant achievement. So significant that Dick could use this merit to secure a title for himself! And if the Duke were willing to lend a hand and help his youngest son, Dick might even become a viscount.

However, the price is that half of the treasure will be taken by the royal family, and because of the investiture, unless the Duke is willing to transfer Lagug to Dick, he will have to wait for the royal family to find another unclaimed land for him to invest, which is likely to be a long wait.

After a moment's thought, Dick made a decision.

He beckoned to Rita and whispered the instructions.

"Don't rush to retreat. Identify the bandits on the spot, and 'deal with' all the leaders and that Infidel. Bury the bodies somewhere secluded. Make sure the soldiers all give the same story: we didn't wipe out the Vulture Gang, just a bunch of rogues who just wandered into Lagug, the kind who are dirt poor. Oh, and tell them I'm going to distribute the bounty on the spot: three gold coins for each soldier, ten for the captains, and twenty for the knights! Everyone keep your mouths shut, and all information will be based on the official announcements from the Governor's Office."

"Understood, I'll take care of it right away."

After Rita finished speaking, she turned and left the treasure room, while Dick looked at the room full of gold and silver treasures and smiled with satisfaction.

He prefers tangible benefits to empty fame.

Chapter 033: The Succubus Governor and the Scoundrel Maid

The screening of bandits continued until dawn. A total of thirty-three lower-ranking leaders and their confidants, including the bandit leader Infidel, were selected and taken to a secluded grove, where they were bled one by one like livestock.

Dick personally used earth magic to dig a large pit in the frozen ground and buried all of these guys in it, thinking that when the weather warms up and the flowers bloom next year, the flowers and plants in this area will definitely grow exceptionally well.

As for the other captured bandits, they would be taken to the mining area and forced into labor camps to work as slave laborers until they died in the mines. Dick would wait until later and add a sentence to the bandit situation section of the daily report: "The Vulture Gang has disappeared after moving their base," thus concluding the matter.

The old duke, who had just married his fourth wife, probably wouldn't be so bored as to send someone to check on the movements of a group of bandits.

Back at the thieves' lair, Dr. Natasha reported to Dick that of the fifty-seven hostages, their medical team had barely managed to save forty-three. Eleven of them had already died before they arrived, and three others, who were on their last breaths, managed to give their final words after being rescued before passing away.

Most of the hostages were ordinary local villagers, whom the bandits captured to threaten surrounding villages. There were also a few merchants held hostage and a nobleman whose identity was still unknown.

That guy with hair as long as an Afghan hound, who claims to be the eldest son of Count Dobermann, was kidnapped by bandits on his way to study in the capital and imprisoned in this godforsaken place for two and a half years.

When Dick heard that he had been imprisoned by bandits for so long, he couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Under normal circumstances, bandits wouldn't hold someone captive for so long when they kidnap them for ransom.

Unless... they've kidnapped a "long-term hostage."

Unable to confirm the other party's identity, and with winter approaching and communication with the Shannan region proving difficult, Dick fears he won't be able to reach the Earl of Dubin's family anytime soon.

"Anyway, let's go back first, triumphant return!"

On the way back, the private army was moving slowly because they had to escort a large number of prisoners on foot. So Dick let the sled team take the weaker rescued hostages first, while he led his men to escort the strong laborers to the mine.

The accompanying soldiers were all beaming with joy. Although they didn't understand why the governor was concealing their victory over the Vulture Gang and only claiming that they had defeated a group of bandits, the reward money was indeed in their pockets. Anyone who wasn't truly stupid should know to play along with the governor and pretend to be stupid at this time.

Anyway, their young governor was very capable. The battle was fought with ease. His side wiped out the largest bandit gang in the area with zero casualties. Most of the new recruits went into the cave to tie up the fallen bandits. They didn't have to do much and got a reward of three gold coins.

It should be noted that even the lowest-ranking infantrymen only receive ten gold coins a year in military pay. This is the high salary that only the private armies of dukes can receive. The local militia of low-ranking noble families in remote and impoverished areas receive even less.

Therefore, three "gold coins" are definitely not a small amount of money.

Since the governor was so generous, whatever he said went.

Because they were traveling on foot, and most of the prisoners were still in a state of mild poisoning, it took this large group of people three days and two nights to finally reach the mining area.

The villages they stopped to stay in along the way were terrified, but fortunately, Dick's emphasis on military discipline had some effect at this moment, and in addition, he gave the villages a sum of money for lodging, so things were relatively peaceful.

When they finally arrived at the mining area, not only were the bandits half-frozen to death, but even the private army soldiers who had always been well-fed and warmly clothed felt somewhat overwhelmed.

Marching nearly 100 kilometers in this freezing weather is no ordinary ordeal.

The people in charge of the mining area had been notified long ago that the governor would personally escort a group of bandit prisoners to the mining area to replenish their understaffed labor camp, so they made preparations to welcome them in advance.

The current head of the mine is one of the very few former subordinates from David's era who were retained, but he is not a member of David's faction. Originally just a mid-level supervisor in the mine, he was oppressed by the former mine manager above him, and because he knew everything about the mine, he was promoted by Dick.

This man was also grateful and swore allegiance to Dick, becoming his retainer. He strictly enforced the new rules issued by Dick in the mining area and managed the vast mining area in an orderly manner.

After Dick and his party arrived at the mining area, the prisoners were handed over directly to the mining area guards, and the escorting private soldiers were also provided with hot soup and meals, as well as barracks where they could rest.

Dick called over the person in charge and asked him to show him around the mining area.

The person in charge immediately understood that the leader was going to inspect the work, and he had actually been looking forward to this day so that he could show his talents to the head of the family who had promoted him.

"My lord, as you instructed, I have improved the living conditions and treatment of the miners and slaves, and ordered a batch of high-quality tools from the iron merchants before winter. In addition, with the dwarf experts you invited, our mining area now only needs less than 8,000 people to produce more than 30% more than during David's time. Moreover, the workers' mortality rate has dropped significantly, and there hasn't been a single strike since."

"Well done."

"It's all thanks to your excellent reform plan, sir. I'm just an executor."

“Even the best plan needs good executors to be effective. You don’t need to be modest. I’m a person who values ​​rewards and punishments very much. I never mistreat those who are useful to me. What Laguge needs most right now is capable officials. As the governor, I am eager to find talented people.”

Upon hearing Dick's words, the person in charge immediately understood.

The governor meant he would never mistreat "those who are useful to me," not "those who have rendered meritorious service," implying that he valued both ability and loyalty. He then reminded him that Lagug was currently short of officials, which was essentially dangling a carrot in front of him. Crucially, since Dick took office, he had been decisive and efficient, extremely strict with his subordinates yet generous with his rewards; the promises he made were truly tangible.

As they walked, they soon arrived at the dwarves' secluded living quarters.

Thanks to Dick's mentor, this time they hired a supposedly very famous professional team, providing a complete package from mining to smelting and forging.

When Dick arrived, he saw several bearded dwarves arguing over blueprints, so he went over to take a look. One of the older dwarves instinctively tried to block the blueprints, but when he saw that the newcomer was the long-eared little governor he hadn't seen in a long time, he was relieved.

If Dick knew how insulting the "honorary title" this old man had given him in his mind was, he would at least retort with "Bucket Waist Oak Stump Short Giant".

"Your Excellency, what brings you here?"

"The wind is more than 30 degrees below zero... Just kidding. We captured some prisoners while suppressing bandits and sent them to the mining area to do some hard labor and reform. We also stopped by to see you guys."

As Dick spoke, he took out two large barrels of wine from his spatial bracelet and placed them on the ground. These were spoils from the Saxon family estate. Dick had selected a dozen or so of the best vintages from the hundreds of barrels in the cellar and stuffed some into his spatial ring for future use.

For example, in a moment like this, when Dick generously pulled out two large barrels of famous, top-quality Ice Spring wine, the dwarf engineers, who had initially been somewhat wary of him because of his elven bloodline, beamed with joy as if they had seen their own father.

"I can't accept this."

"It's just a small token, don't be shy, but don't drink it while you're at work."