Chapter Sixty: Renowned Throughout Xuanzhou!

During these ten-odd days, Liu Bo and Li Zheng had already selected another bandit stronghold for Li Yun to target. This particular stronghold was the only remaining mid-sized bandit camp within several dozen miles of the Cangshan Main Stockade.

This time, when Li Yun gathered the county yamen’s men and prepared to leave the city to suppress the bandits, the officers of the Qingyang Anti-Bandit Squad were nothing like the anxious and fearful group they had been on their first outing. On the contrary, each man seemed eager for action.

The reason was simple: whenever they followed Captain Li on a mission, they would inevitably reap some benefit—be it cash or some valuable trinket. These extra earnings could be taken straight home to supplement the family’s income, making the anti-bandit squad’s pay much higher than that of ordinary yamen officers, even those who managed to secure some illicit gains on the side!

Now, some regular officers would even approach Li Yun, requesting to join the squad, but Captain Li refused them all without hesitation. When he first recruited men for the squad, it was only because he couldn’t openly bring all the Cangshan men into the anti-bandit force. By now, the original squad members had grown familiar, half become his own people, and he had no intention of bringing in new faces to court trouble.

This campaign against the bandits went smoothly. With Liu Bo and the others scouting ahead, Li Yun needed only a single night to wipe out the stockade of twenty or so bandits.

To be precise, it wasn’t exactly a wipeout. When the squad stormed into the stronghold, the bandits surrendered before the officers could even begin fighting, tossing aside their weapons and giving themselves up.

Li Yun, who had been looking forward to stretching his limbs, was left feeling somewhat deflated.

By dawn, Li Yun ordered his men to escort the captured bandits back to Qingyang County, while he himself settled in the so-called Tiger Stockade, surrounded by the men from Cangshan Main Stockade.

The chief of Cangshan glanced at the brightening sky and waved his hand. “That’s enough. Pack up what needs packing. After this haul, we’ll rest for two or three months at least before another job.”

Cheers broke out among the men as they set about gathering their spoils. In the crowd, Li Yun spotted a familiar figure and beckoned him over. “You there, come here!”

A youth approached, head lowered, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes.

Li Yun turned to Liu Bo, frowning. “Why is Meng Hai here? Isn’t this nonsense?”

Liu Bo, seated beside Li Yun, coughed and replied, “He insisted on coming, and Third Uncle agreed, so I brought him to see the world.”

Meng Hai bowed his head. “Chief, we can’t just eat without working for the stockade. I want to do my part.”

Li Yun glanced at him, sighed, and waved his hand. “Go ahead then. But next time, if you want to come out on a job, you’ll need my approval.”

Meng Hai nodded happily and hurried off to help with the packing.

Liu Bo grinned at Li Yun. “Brother, when we first went down the mountain with our elders, we were about his age. You were even younger. There’s nothing wrong with this.”

Li Yun gazed silently eastward at the rising sun.

Liu Bo glanced around, then whispered, “Brother, isn’t it odd how these bandits surrendered so easily? Even if your name is spreading in Qingyang, that shouldn’t have been enough for them to throw down their arms.”

Li Yun snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Liu Bo. “These bandits are well-informed.”

“What news?” Liu Bo scratched his head.

“The other day, the bandits we sent to the county jail were all taken away by the authorities.”

“What?” Liu Bo’s eyes widened. “Who has that kind of influence?”

“They were conscripted as soldiers.”

Li Yun rubbed his temples and smirked. “I don’t know which genius came up with the idea, but the fact that it’s being implemented shows the authorities must…”

“Be desperately short of troops,” he finished, frowning at the stockade. “For the news to have reached here in just a few days, there must be someone in the county office passing word to them.”

Liu Bo chuckled. “Their surrender is for the best. If they’d resisted, we’d have lost a few men for sure.”

The stockade chief stood up, stretched, and asked, “Ninth Brother, how many people do we have in the stockade now?”

Liu Bo knew Li Yun meant fighting men, not including women and children. “Do you want me to count the boys from Hexi Village too?”

“Include them.”

Liu Bo did a quick calculation. “We originally had thirty-four. After a few of the older men retired, there were just over twenty left. But lately, as we’ve grown wealthier, some elders brought their sons and nephews in, and with the ten or so youths from Hexi, we have just over fifty now.”

Li Yun fell silent for a moment, then said, “From now on, be cautious about letting new people in. We also need to finish buying land and building the manor as soon as possible—recruiting farmhands is far easier than expanding the bandit stockade.”

After all, being a bandit was no honorable profession. Though the empire was in decline, it hadn’t yet collapsed. Ordinary families would gladly have their sons hired as manor guards, but as for becoming bandits, that was a different story.

Liu Bo agreed, laughing. “Then we’ll have Skinny Monkey stay on the mountain a while longer, since I still don’t have an official household registration and can’t buy land.”

“That’s easily solved. I’ll have Skinny Monkey come back soon,” Li Yun replied, then sneered, “By the way, that landlord surnamed Zhao at the foot of the mountain went to the county office to file a complaint against our stockade.”

Liu Bo was briefly stunned, then burst out laughing.

“Well, he’s come to the right place!”

A faint smile played on Li Yun’s lips. “I’ll leave things here to you; I’m heading back to the county now.”

Liu Bo rose and watched as Li Yun disappeared into the morning mist.

After descending the mountain, Li Yun mounted his horse and, ahead of the yamen officers, rode swiftly back to Qingyang. Upon arrival, he tethered his horse, took a seat, and had just begun sipping tea when Magistrate Xue walked in.

Li Yun quickly stood up. “I was just about to come see you, sir. What brings you here?”

Magistrate Xue seated himself, looked at Li Yun, and asked, “Was the bandit suppression successful?”

“Very much so,” Li Yun replied with a smile. “Many of the bandits surrendered without a fight.”

The magistrate, on the verge of drinking, paused, frowning and snorting. “So, they already know they won’t be put to death.”

Li Yun merely smiled.

The magistrate continued, “I suspect the court is preparing for a major campaign to suppress or even pardon the bandits.”

“Is it to replenish military strength?” Li Yun mused.

“Exactly.” Magistrate Xue nodded. “I don’t know whose idea this was, but these desperate criminals will fight harder on the battlefield than regular soldiers.”

Li Yun sneered. “Bandits aren’t easily controlled. On the battlefield, they’ll probably just be sent to die in the front ranks.”

Magistrate Xue shot him a glance, then continued, “In a month or two, a court edict is sure to come.”

Li Yun smiled. “No matter. The small bandit dens in Qingyang have likely scattered by now. Only a few mid-sized ones remain. In the coming months, I intend to act carefully. By year’s end, I plan to take down the Ten Kings Stockade in Lingyang Mountain.”

“Next year, there will be no more bandits in Qingyang!” he declared.

The magistrate glanced at him. “And what about Cangshan Main Stockade?”

“You may not know, sir, but after my persuasion, Cangshan Main Stockade has already mended its ways.”

The magistrate snorted softly but did not press the point, sipping his tea with a detached air.

“Once the imperial edict for bandit suppression arrives, your chance may come. Your reputation is already widespread throughout Xuanzhou. If Qingyang has no bandits left, Inspector Tian might choose you…”

“To lead the campaign against all the bandits in Xuanzhou.”