chsdbacks Page 456
Page 456
Upon hearing this, the magistrate nodded and said:
"My lord, I am truly worried about this matter. After all, the time those guys mentioned is running out."
The deadline set by the Zhao family head was fast approaching; if his daughter couldn't be found soon, the trouble would be considerable.
You may not know that the head of the Zhao family was not just a rich man.
His identity is also somewhat troublesome; his eldest daughter is the wife of a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
The abducted youngest daughter is said to have married a powerful young man.
If something goes wrong, it will cause considerable trouble, and it might even alarm the authorities. Then...
I have no other choice but to come and see if you can resolve this in the next day or two.
If that doesn't work, then I'll have to find someone else to resolve this matter.
Upon hearing this, the general's face immediately turned ugly.
He said, "Hmph! Who told you that I have no other choice? My men have already gone to explore that mountain forest."
Once we find the location of that bandit camp, we can wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
The reason the incident happened before was simply because my people were not familiar with the mountains and forests here!
Once we find them, wiping out a rabble is a piece of cake.
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate spoke directly:
"Generals and civilians should not underestimate those mountain bandits, although I do not know the reason for their problems."
However, I have also seen some of them, and they all know some kind of kung fu.
Furthermore, I have heard that the three chieftains, especially the third chieftain, are apparently former disciples of Shaolin Temple, and are among the top-tier fighters in the martial arts world.
The second chieftain was said to be a scholar, but details were unknown. However, rumors circulated that he knew some military training methods; otherwise, these bandits wouldn't have been so troublesome!
The chieftain is the strongest among them, but we don't know exactly how powerful he is.
However, being able to suppress a top-tier fighter suggests that one's strength has likely surpassed that level considerably.
In short, this matter is no ordinary one, General!
Upon hearing this, the general frowned and said:
"Oh? According to what you said, these people are not simple."
"But what exactly is the solution you mentioned? Do you perhaps have some other method?"
Chapter 478 Mountain Bandits, Bloodstained Clothes, Red Clothes!
After hearing the general's words, the county magistrate immediately said:
"General, you may not know this, but you are a soldier, and from a family of generals. Therefore, you may not be very familiar with the ways of the martial world."
These mountain bandits, generally speaking, were mostly ordinary people who were forced to go up the mountain and become bandits.
However, there is another type of person who is different.
Those are people in the martial arts world, some of whom are born evil, you could say they are born with wicked intentions.
And these people, after learning some powerful martial arts skills and techniques, begin to have their own ideas for the sake of their own desires.
And this idea is about getting rich and power.
However, generally speaking, these people from the martial arts world are either from families with a long history, or from martial arts families.
Even though they are bad, they still possess considerable financial resources, powerful methods, and even some authority.
Therefore, they don't engage in banditry or anything like that; even if they did, they would only send their own men.
However, such people only care about money!
However, some people are different; they are the kind of guys who haven't been educated.
Therefore, these people do things entirely according to their own ideas, and sometimes they do things in an extremely ruthless and extreme way.
And now, the vast majority of bandits and the like are this kind of people.
However, there were some unexpected events.
However, the bandits we are encountering now can be considered an anomaly among them.
Among them were scholars,江湖人 (jianghu people), and a powerful chieftain whose origins were unknown.
These are the real troublemakers.
You've fought against them. What are your thoughts on those bandits? Were they really just a rabble?
After hearing this, the general pondered for a moment, then sighed and said:
"To be honest, while those people's actions weren't exactly well-organized, they were definitely trained by someone."
It's somewhat similar to the tactics used when an army retreats, even if they're a bit rudimentary.
However, if we were to start a fight while we were not familiar with each other, there was a high chance that we would run into significant problems.
There is a high possibility that both sides will suffer losses, after all, this mountain forest is a place they are familiar with.
If we launch a full-scale attack, we will likely suffer heavy casualties, while they, even if they cannot stop us, will be badly beaten.
Therefore, there are some things between us that we cannot do carelessly!
That's why I haven't rushed into action and have been sending people to investigate all this time!
After hearing this, the magistrate nodded thoughtfully and said:
"I understand, but I really don't have a good solution to this!"
However, I thought of a way: these bandits might actually be skilled martial artists from the martial arts world.
"Then I'll find them a skilled martial artist from the martial arts world to deal with them!"
Upon hearing this, the general immediately frowned and said:
"You mean, contact those江湖人士 (jianghu figures) and take action against them?"
Upon hearing this, the magistrate nodded and said:
"The situation is urgent, and this is the only way."
And coincidentally, a skilled martial artist happened to be passing by our area.
Since those bandits are members of the martial arts world, using their methods to deal with them might yield unexpected benefits!
Upon hearing this, the general shook his head and said:
"No, I disagree with this. If we alert that guy, our chances of breaking into that stronghold will be much slimmer!"
Upon hearing this, the magistrate immediately said:
"General, there's nothing we can do about this. Time is running out. If we don't resolve this quickly, then our real troubles will begin."
Even if you come from a military family, you may not be able to withstand the methods of those people.
Moreover, this time, it might not be impossible. I've heard that the red-clad swordsman, alone with his sword, has taken down many mountain strongholds along the way.
No fewer than a hundred bandits have died at his hands, and perhaps even more.
They even attacked directly along the way.
Now, the whole martial arts world is buzzing with the story of why he likes to wear red clothes.
It wasn't because he liked the color, but because the red color clashed with the color of blood, and if it splattered on him...
So, it won't affect his image. Now, some people, especially those who like to cause trouble, call him the Blood-Clad Sword Demon, not the Red-Clad Sword Immortal.
Upon hearing this, the general immediately showed a look of surprise. He said:
"Oh? There are such beings in the martial world?"
The magistrate nodded and said:
"Of course, these martial arts masters, the truly powerful ones are really very powerful."
Actually, I met one a long time ago; he was Hong Qigong, the leader of the Beggars' Sect.
Although this person is a beggar, his strength is truly terrifying.
With just his bare hands, he sent twenty or thirty bandits fleeing in disarray.
In particular, the bandit leader was beaten to death by Hong Qigong from a distance of ten feet, spitting blood.
I remember that time was when I had just been appreciated by the emperor and started to serve as an official.
I ran into those highway robbers. If it weren't for that Hong Qigong, I'd probably be buried in the wilderness.
Upon hearing this, the general pondered for a moment and said:
"Well then, since those martial arts masters you mentioned are so powerful..."
You should contact that red-clad swordsman first.
"Once we make contact, bring him over so I can take a look. If he's suitable, I can join forces with him to wipe out that mountain stronghold. What do you say?"
After hearing this, the magistrate pondered for a moment and said:
"No problem, I'll go contact the Red-Clad Sword Immortal right away!"
After saying that, he hurriedly left.
Seeing this, the general said nothing more, but turned back to his desk and began to study the map.
At this moment, the guard who had been standing not far away spoke up:
"General, why did you allow a江湖人士 (jianghu person) to interfere in our affairs?"
This time, our bandit suppression mission was only given to us after great difficulty by our superiors.
If this gets messed up, it'll be a real problem!
Upon hearing this, the general shook his head and said:
"This matter is not that simple! You simply don't understand."
The old man, though his words were unpleasant, was not wrong.