Return to Qing Province

"The court has sent a letter stating that unknown bandits are active in this area and has ordered me and the garrison of Anyang Prefecture to thoroughly investigate this region with elite troops."

Sun Shouren repeatedly circled points on the map, his tone filled with confusion.

He knew the situation in this area well. Logically, there weren't even many living people here, so how could there be bandits roaming?

Even if disaster refugees had turned into bandits, they would likely be fleeing towards Xingyuan Prefecture or Anyang Prefecture.

There was simply nothing worth robbing in that area. What kind of desperate bandit would choose to stay there?

Anyone wanting to steal something would have to travel one to two hundred li back and forth.

Sun Shouren couldn't understand why any bandits would be there.

Of course, in his estimation, it was more likely that bandits had indeed been active in the area, but they might have already left, and the court's intelligence was significantly delayed.

However, even if the court's intelligence was wrong, he still had to send people to investigate and demonstrate sufficient seriousness.

This was an order from above, not a request.

"You few, make preparations. Each of you will take five soldiers and travel light into this area to scout. If you encounter bandits or suspicious individuals, you may eliminate them on the spot." At this point, Sun Shouren's tone became serious.

If the intelligence was correct, bandits were active there and might have already infiltrated Xingyuan Prefecture.

As a regional commander, he would soon have to mobilize troops to suppress them.

He couldn't rely on the local garrisons of other regions; he could only depend on his personal guards and some elite soldiers trained recently.

"Understood." Mo Dao nodded and accepted the order, as did Chen Mo and the others.

"I won't be assigning any more personal guards from the camp to you. Tomorrow, new recruits will be joining the camp, and you will each select five." Sun Shouren instructed.

This reconnaissance mission wasn't very significant. They might just go through the motions and end up finding nothing.

But they couldn't refuse. This was a direct order from the court, and even if it was a futile effort, he had to show a sufficiently solemn attitude.

As a regional commander, loyalty to the court and His Majesty was paramount.

As long as he could achieve this, even if he was lacking in other areas, his career would still progress smoothly.

But if he failed to do so, no matter how capable he was, he would never be promoted or heavily relied upon.

Sending his adopted sons and nephews to undertake this task would not only allow the new recruits to gain experience but also demonstrate his seriousness about the matter. Furthermore, having more personal guards could be used to defend against the incoming bandits, making it a win-win-win situation.

Chen Mo and the others received their orders and went to prepare. There wasn't much to bring. Chen Mo packed some extra dry rations and a clean set of clothes.

As for the new clothes Zhao Yu made for him, it was best not to wear them on this long journey.

He didn't want to get the newly made clothes dirty or torn, turning them into old clothes.

The next day, over 150 new recruits who had passed the selection and assessment were gradually integrated into the personal guard camp. These new recruits were precisely those screened from various military camps.

The most outstanding performers entered the personal guard camp, while those slightly less capable could continue training under General Sun's command and could be used as veteran elites in actual combat.

The lowest tier would simply return to where they came from.

"Mo-ge!" Ma Cai spotted Chen Mo from afar and waved enthusiastically.

"Alright, you follow me. Come with me later." Chen Mo directly pulled him over.

Chen Mo wasn't familiar with others, so having someone he knew, he naturally wanted to rope him into this.

Besides, Mo Dao had also analyzed the situation with them yesterday. Those bandits might have been active there before, but now it was more likely they had entered Xingyuan Prefecture.

And their adoptive father had asked them to scout mainly to show his seriousness and let the court know how much he valued their orders.

So, compared to confronting the bandits head-on in the military camp, going out to scout was relatively safer.

Even if they encountered bandits, they were few and could run fast, so those people wouldn't be able to catch up.

"Okay." Ma Cai nodded and agreed without asking further questions. It seemed the past few months of training had paid off.

He now knew to execute orders rather than question them.

"Are there any other skilled individuals among the new personal guards who have joined? Go pick four more for me." Chen Mo ordered Ma Cai.

He wasn't familiar with these new recruits, and he hadn't participated in their training. However, since Ma Cai had trained with them, he should be somewhat familiar.

"Yes." Ma Cai obeyed and quickly selected four people to follow behind him.

Mo Dao and the others also called over a few new recruits. None of them took this matter too seriously, as it was important but not dangerous.

"Mo-ge, this is the money I owe you." Ma Cai, following behind Chen Mo, took the opportunity to hand over some loose silver.

He had money during this time but hadn't had a chance to see Chen Mo, so he hadn't been able to repay it.

Now that he finally saw him, he naturally wanted to quickly return the money and clear his conscience.

Chen Mo weighed the silver and put it into his money pouch.

"We'll take a carriage to Qingmu County via the post station, rest there briefly to gather information, and then travel light into this area to scout."

Mo Dao briefed everyone, and Chen Mo and the others had no objections.

General Sun had already instructed earlier that Mo Dao would be in charge of this expedition.

They left the military camp and headed south. This time, it was an official duty, so they didn't have to stay in the common inns. They could rest and recuperate at the post stations along the way.

Three days later, they arrived in Qingmu County. Mo Dao went to find the local County Magistrate and County Commandant to inquire about any recent bandit activity within the borders.

Under the arrangements of the local county officials, Chen Mo and the others found a place to rest properly and relieve the fatigue from their journey.

While traveling by carriage was easier than walking, the journey had been quite bumpy. Chen Mo and his companions were alright, but the new recruits were a bit worn out.

"I've spoken with the County Magistrate and the County Commandant. Qingmu County is very peaceful, with no sign of any bandits," Mo Dao informed Chen Mo and the others after inquiring about the situation.

"This means either those bandits haven't arrived yet, or they're heading straight for Anyang Prefecture," Mo Hu stated, voicing the thoughts of most of them.

Chen Mo remained silent, but he harbored another suspicion in his heart.

It was that these bandits had already entered Qingmu County, but instead of plundering, they had dispersed and hidden themselves.

However, this possibility seemed unlikely. If that were the case, then these bandits would have to be exceptionally elite, and their objective would undoubtedly be significant.

"Regardless of the specific situation, we must go and see. We'll scout the area first. If we encounter a small number of bandits, we'll eliminate them directly. If we encounter a large group, we'll evade them for now and avoid a direct confrontation," Mo Dao carefully instructed everyone.

Chen Mo didn't mention his own speculation because the probability of it being true was too low.

Great Qian had been established for three hundred and seventeen years, and it was indeed beginning its decline. The administration was corrupt, and corrupt officials ran rampant.

Qing Province had also suffered a great disaster, and countless people had starved to death.

Even now, while there were popular uprisings, there were truly no elite groups lying in wait, preparing to raise their banners and rebel.

Chen Mo also desperately hoped such a situation wouldn't occur. His own life was relatively stable. If he could just wait a few more months to take the Prefectural Examination, he would achieve some official status and transition from military to civilian service.

After discussing the remaining matters, they all retired for the night.

The next day, they officially set foot within Qing Province.