Although Qing'an County had not fallen, the damage the bandit army had inflicted upon the county town was grave and lasting.
A county town of several tens of thousands had lost a large number of able-bodied men, forcing Ye Xiangming to conscript strong young men from the villages and train them to replenish the Garrison Army's losses.
To guard against another attack by the bandits, Qing'an County's Garrison Army was also expanded to seven hundred men.
Fortunately, they had previously raided the wealthy households and made off with a hefty sum. Otherwise, they truly would not have been able to afford it.
Only after the situation inside and outside the county town had fully stabilized did Ye Xiangming send word to the prefectural city, reporting the deaths of County Magistrate Yu Heqian and the local gentry.
Another half month passed before the prefectural city sent over a letter of appointment and a commendation decree.
Ye Xiangming was appointed County Magistrate of Qing'an County, while concurrently serving as County Deputy Magistrate, taking overall charge of the county's military and civil affairs.
This meant that Ye Xiangming was not only the foremost figure in Qing'an County, but held power beyond compare.
The prefectural city had no choice either. The bandit army was raiding throughout the prefecture, repeatedly threatening the prefectural city's safety.
Under such circumstances, no one was willing to go down to the most dangerous county towns to serve as an official.
They might as well promote Ye Xiangming by half a rank and leave him and Qing'an County to fend for themselves.
To the lords in the prefectural city, nothing mattered more than their own safety.
As for the murder of County Magistrate Yu Heqian, the prefectural city had no interest whatsoever in investigating it.
Whatever Ye Xiangming said was