Chapter 101: The Official Order to Suppress the Bandits!

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If someone else had said what Cui Shao did, it would have sounded somewhat ridiculous. Official matters of the court were no joking matter. It was simply impossible to first submit an impeachment memorial and then immediately follow it up with another petition to the court, admitting the impeachment was mistaken and requesting its withdrawal.

If it were truly so frivolous, the court’s handling of County Magistrate Xue would be debatable, but they would certainly send someone to question Cui Shao to clarify the situation.

However, that was the rule for ordinary officials. Cui Shao was the nephew of the Prime Minister. Such a minor issue involving only a county magistrate would not even reach the emperor’s eyes; at most, it would be dealt with by the Prime Minister himself.

If it came to Prime Minister Cui’s desk, he wouldn’t reject his nephew’s memorial. If it landed with another prime minister, they would simply forward it to Cui as a courtesy.

In other words, Cui Shao truly had the authority to "withdraw" the impeachment memorial.

At most, Prime Minister Cui would send a letter privately to inquire about the matter.

Hearing this, Lord Xue immediately became furious. He said sternly, “Commander Cui, although I do not come from a noble family like the Cui clan, I do not regard the position of a county magistrate so highly.”

“If you value the position of magistrate of Qingyang that much, then take it.”

Xue Song slammed his hand on the table, his voice sharp: “I would never allow myself to be bullied by an official post, nor would I allow others to be controlled by it!”

“Furthermore, what does the phrase ‘our Xue family, father and daughter’ mean?”

Lord Xue shouted in anger, “What does my youngest daughter have to do with any of this!”

Xue Song’s reaction was so extreme that even Cui Shao was taken aback. After a moment of stunned silence, he pressed down his hand and said, “County Magistrate Xue, please don’t be angry.”

“I have come today to discuss matters with you, not to quarrel.”

He turned to look at Li Yun and said, “Captain Li, the crackdown on bandits in Qingyang has been quite effective. Since Qingyang is your hometown, then Xuanzhou should also be considered your home.”

“Some days ago, I gathered grain supplies from various counties, but just as I was about to send them to the front line in Yuezhou, they were ambushed by mountain bandits—a truly vexing matter.”

“If Captain Li could spend one or two years wiping out the bandits in Xuanzhou as well, that would be a great merit. I will report your achievements to the court, and at the very least, promote you to a military commander of the province, so you would have an official position.”

He looked at Li Yun’s expression and asked, “What do you say?”

Clearly, after the trouble transporting grain, the Governor of Xuanzhou had reconsidered his objectives and made some adjustments.

Governing Xuanzhou and ensuring the delivery of supplies to the Yuezhou front was certainly an achievement, but not a particularly grand one.

If he could completely eradicate the longstanding bandit problem in Xuanzhou within one term, not only would Cui Shao gain face, but his uncle, the Prime Minister in the capital, would also benefit.

This task, however, could not be accomplished with local personnel alone, nor with Cui’s own men.

Li Yun frowned silently.

Cui Shao frowned deeply as well. “I personally came to Qingyang.”

Only then did Li Yun look at the Governor of Xuanzhou and suddenly smile. “Commander Cui, Xuanzhou is simply too vast.”

“In Qingyang alone, there are more than ten bandit hideouts. Who knows how many there are in all of Xuanzhou? There’s no way we can do this with just the anti-bandit squad.”

After a pause, Li Yun continued, “But since you’ve ordered it, I will do my best. I heard the province has nearly a thousand troops.”

“With those thousand soldiers supporting me, I will try my utmost to rid Xuanzhou of bandits for the sake of the townsfolk.”

Mention of “nearly a thousand soldiers” made Governor Cui’s face twitch.

If he truly had that many troops, would he need to humble himself and come to Qingyang to beg for help?

“The previous provincial military commander Cao Rong has been pocketing empty salaries from the court for years,” Governor Cui said slowly.

“So now, I have scarcely any troops left to command. The few remaining will likely have to be used to escort the grain shipments to Yuezhou.”

“Captain Li, to fight bandits, besides Qingyang’s anti-bandit squad, you can only rely on the local militia.”

“I have reviewed the documents Qingyang sent to the province.”

Cui looked at Li Yun and said, “Captain Li, haven’t you always handled things this way?”

“That’s going to be troublesome,” Li Yun said slowly.

“The local militia in Qingyang are willing to fight bandits in their own county, but they may not be as willing to go to other counties.”

“Since you’ve tasked me with this, I have two requests.”

Cui Shao nodded. “Please speak.”

“First, I need an official document stamped with your seal, stating that the provincial government orders me to suppress bandits throughout Xuanzhou and permits me to act with discretion.”

“Second,” Li Yun glanced at Lord Xue and went on, “Lord Xue is a good magistrate. Commander Cui must guarantee that his position as magistrate of Qingyang will remain secure.”

“There’s no problem with either,” Cui Shao said confidently, pounding his chest.

After all, preserving Xue Song’s position was already one of the conditions he had set. As for issuing an official anti-bandit document, that was no trouble for him.

With just one official letter, he could effortlessly recruit such a “mighty general,” plus countless local helpers. It was the perfect arrangement!

Moreover, he needed this merit. Even if Li Yun hadn’t asked for the document, he would have found a way to provide it.

After all, this document would serve as proof of success in quelling bandits!

Coming from the capital, Cui Shao knew nothing of the local intrigues and never imagined that this seemingly righteous and highly respected county anti-bandit captain was actually the greatest bandit leader in all of Qingyang, even Xuanzhou.

And this document would grant the bandit leader enormous power!

“I will deliver the document to Qingyang in a few days,” Cui Shao said, standing up and smiling faintly at Lord Xue.

“Although County Magistrate Xue is stern, his captain is still a reasonable man.”

He took a couple of steps toward the door, then turned back to Li Yun and smiled: “If within two years, the bandit problem in Xuanzhou shows progress, I will personally take Captain Li to the capital to see the world.”

With that, he seemed in high spirits, turned his back with hands clasped behind him, and left without looking back at Lord Xue.

At this moment, Cui Shao was quite pleased.

What tangled complications? With a bit of coaxing and pressure, he had immediately won over a “mighty general”!

If the anti-bandit achievements in Qingyang could be replicated throughout Xuanzhou, when he returned to the capital, he would shine before his uncle!

…

After Cui Shao left, Lord Xue and Li Yun remained behind, sitting quietly in the county office.

Li Yun poured a cup of tea for the silent Lord Xue and smiled: “County Magistrate, I suppose you don’t need to leave Qingyang now?”

Lord Xue accepted the tea, looked up at Li Yun, took a sip, and said slowly, “You have a good temper. After clashing with them, you can still speak calmly.”

“It wasn’t a clash,” Li Yun smiled. “I was the one who beat them.”

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He paused, then said, “One of those two may or may not recover. If he does, he’ll probably be a lifelong invalid.”

County Magistrate Xue raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Setting down his teacup, he looked toward the direction Cui Shao had left and shook his head: “He’s too foolish, too foolish.”

“How could the Cui family, a thousand-year-old clan, have raised such a descendant?”

Li Yun smiled: “Didn’t you just subdue the County Magistrate? How is he foolish?”

“He relies solely on his position to intimidate others, and…” Lord Xue looked up at Li Yun, his expression suddenly strange.

“Besides, he doesn’t know your true background. He really thinks you’re a heroic bandit suppressor working for the people.”

Li Yun frowned. “What do you mean, County Magistrate? Am I not a hero suppressing bandits for the people?”

“You are suppressing bandits, yes, but for whom you suppress them is still uncertain,” Lord Xue said in a low voice.

“No matter what, your close ties with the Cangshan stronghold are undeniable.”

“Now that Cangshan stronghold has moved into the Lingyang Mountains, they’re essentially a large bandit group. Once you get Cui Shao’s official document, you’ll be able to operate openly throughout Xuanzhou…”

At this point, Lord Xue drew a sharp breath and murmured, “It’s not that I can’t get along with that Cui fellow; I must stop him from issuing you that document.”

Li Yun refilled his tea and smiled: “County Magistrate, you’re exaggerating. Since I returned from the north, the Cangshan stronghold no longer exists; it has been reformed.”

“In the past half year, when have you heard of them raiding or stealing anything?”

Lord Xue remained frowning and silent.

After a while, he looked up at Li Yun and sighed.

“I don’t understand what you want to do, but I must admit, my position as County Magistrate today is thanks to you.”

“You’re welcome,” Li Yun said, patting his chest. “If I say I’ll clear your name, I will.”

County Magistrate Xue was silent for a moment, then looked at Li Yun and said, “Tonight, let’s have a meal together in the back office.”

Li Yun smiled and nodded: “I gladly accept.”

That night, the notorious bandit leader Li finally sat at the Qingyang County Magistrate’s dining table.

Miss Xue was also present. After listening to their conversation, she looked at Li Yun and could not help but say, “You… you want to suppress bandits throughout all of Xuanzhou?”

“Yes,” the great captain Li said, patting his chest with a smile. “For the County Magistrate.”

“That’s all part of what I should do.”

(End of chapter)

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