Wang Yue saw Constable Cai's body tense up as if he couldn't take it anymore, and smiled reassuringly. "Relax. Everything's under control! I just need you to help me with one thing!"
Constable Cai replied solemnly, "Third Young Master, please tell me!"
Wang Yue patted Constable Cai on the shoulder, then lowered his voice and said with utmost seriousness, "When you get back, have the prisoners in the jail build more houses near the three lakes east of Jiangling City—that is, north of Gong'an. I'll have a great use for them later!"
The three lakes Wang Yue mentioned were actually surrounded by swampland. They were muddy wastelands left behind after the Yunmeng Marsh receded.
Apart from a few fishermen who often ventured there, only bandits and poor travelers passing through would go that way.
Constable Cai had been helping capture bandits these past few days. By chance, he had also overheard Guan Yinping, Xiao Cui, and Wang Yue talking about becoming generals.
Putting that together with Gong'an, where Jingzhou's troops were stationed, Constable Cai keenly sensed that something big was about to happen.
So Constable Cai immediately said solemnly, "Third Young Master, those criminals have been living off the jail for nothing. It's about time we found them some work.
"Rest assured, Young Master. I'll see this done properly! By the time you return, I'll have houses spread throughout the entire Three Lakes region."
After Constable Cai finished speaking, he led several dozen constables and nearly a thousand bandits' elderly relatives, women, and children away. Only two hundred bailiffs and more than three hundred able-bodied bandits remained at the scene.
After Constable Cai had left, Wang Yue turned to the able-bodied bandits and said,
"Next, we'll go suppress bandits elsewhere and give you a chance to atone for your crimes.