Li Lin dared not act rashly again, put away his axe, and looked indignant.
Song Hai held Li Lin down, then turned his gaze to Lin Qian, and stared at him for a moment.
He released Li Lin, turned to face the onlookers, and channeled his Internal Skill, his voice carrying far and wide:
"The Mount Liang uprising was to uphold justice on behalf of Heaven. Anyone who dares to commit rape, plunder, or oppress the people again, no matter who it is, will be dealt with according to military law. Do you all understand?!"
The people around all lowered their heads and agreed.
Song Hai withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Lin: "Li Lin, the people from the Whirlwind Hall have violated military law. As the hall master, you must immediately take them back and punish them personally!"
Looking into Song Hai's eyes, Li Lin dared not protest any longer and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes!"
He turned and left with the people from the Whirlwind Hall.
Song Hai then looked at Lin Qian, his tone softening considerably. "Instructor Lin, this matter was indeed the Whirlwind Hall's fault. From today onwards, I will have the strategist reinstate military discipline! In any case, my resolve to uphold justice will never waver!"
His ability to become the Grand Commander stems from his personal charisma. Now, with his impartial enforcement of the law and reiterating his commitment to "acting on behalf of Heaven," the anger in Lin Qian's eyes gradually subsided.
Lin Qian bowed to Song Hai: "The Commander-in-Chief handled the situation appropriately. Lin Qian Lin Qian not have questioned the Commander-in-Chief. I was offended just now. Please punish me, Commander-in-Chief!"
"Eh."
Song Hai stepped forward, took Lin Qian's hand, and said sincerely, "We are brothers, why be so formal? What offense? On the contrary, I should thank Brother Lin for his righteous act of disciplining my subordinate. Brother Lin, as the head instructor of Mount Liang, you are not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also of the highest moral character. In the future, you will not only teach everyone martial arts, but also put in a lot of effort in cultivating their character and moral integrity!"
Lin Qian was finally moved upon hearing this.
After a conversation, Lin Qian left, completely convinced.
As the crowd dispersed down the long street, Wu Yan walked over.
"Does the President have any concerns?"
He observed Song Hai's expression and asked in a low voice.
Song Hai glanced at Lin Qian's departing figure and shook his head slightly. "Brother Lin once held a high position, and his background is different from ours. I worry that he may find it difficult to truly submit..."
Wu Yan nodded, understanding what Song Hai was worried about.
Lin Qian was once one of the chief instructors of the Imperial Guards of the Wu Dynasty, holding the rank of Fourth Rank.
Although it was a nominal title, he was still a dignified Principal Fourth Rank military officer, a world apart from the bandits of Mount Liang!
That would have been bad enough, but Lin Qian was also First Rank master, whose martial arts skills were among the best in the entire Mount Liang!
At the same time, he was well-versed in military strategy and understood the art of leading troops.
How could Song Hai not value such talent?
Therefore, although Li Lin of the Whirlwind Hall was his confidant, he did not give Li Lin face just now, but instead defended Lin Qian in public.
"Commander-in-Chief, Brother Lin has killed a high-ranking official; he can never return to the court in this lifetime. Besides us, who else can he rely on to avenge that blood feud?"
Wu Yan spoke up.
Song Hai nodded. "I just promised Lin Qian that you would be in charge of rectifying military discipline, and you must take this matter seriously. We originally planned to stay in Rong Province City for only three days before leaving, but the troops completely disintegrated as soon as we entered the city, and it took us eight days to complete the looting. If this continues, how can we talk about controlling Jiannan Circuit?"
Wu Yan cupped his hands in greeting. "Commander, rest assured, I will definitely investigate military discipline strictly from now on!"
Song Hai glanced again in the direction Lin Qian had left. "After all that commotion, I have a new idea."
"Oh?"
"The team sent to Yi Province will include Lin Qian."
"What does the President mean?"
"If Xu Nanzhi is truly First Rank expert, wouldn't it be perfect to send Lin Qian?"
"The President is wise!"
The figures on the street gradually disappeared.
Only the few corpses remaining in front of the mansion were ignored.
121 We are all gamblers
On the thirty-second day after Liaoming was killed.
Luo Heng brought the latest news:
"Commander, news just arrived from Rong Province — Mount Liang has split its forces. Twenty thousand troops are heading north towards Ya Province, and another six thousand are heading south towards Yi Province!"
Wu Shuangren looked at Luo Heng: "What is the equipment like for these six thousand men? How many are armored? How many are on horseback?"
Luo Heng had clearly done his homework, replying without hesitation, "Of the more than six thousand people, at most ten percent are armored, and no more than a hundred are on horseback. Many of them should be local militia from Rong Province."
Wu Shuangren immediately stood up. "Tell the personal guards to prepare horses; come with me to West River County."
Half an hour later, at the West River County government office.
Wu Shuangren was led into the study by Zhou Zhengqing. Guo Jiwang sat in a chair, holding a book in his hand, with a pot of wine on the table.
Upon seeing Wu Shuangren, he put down his book without getting up, but simply gestured for Wu Shuangren to sit down opposite him.
Wu Shuangren sat down opposite Guo Jiwang and went straight to the point. "Sir, are you aware of the Mount Liang rebellion?"
Guo Jiwang nodded. "I just received the news."
With the Flying Feather Hall's spies out there gathering information, Wu Shuangren, as the magistrate of West River County, could only obtain news from the outside world through official gazettes or by sending people to inquire in West River Market, which was naturally much slower.
Wu Shuangren didn't keep anyone in suspense and told them everything he had learned.
Guo Jiwang listened without any change in expression. He even picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup. He then tried to pour wine for Wu Shuangren, but Wu Shuangren waved his hand and politely declined.
"Did Militia Commander Wu come to see me today to ask for my strategy?"
"Please enlighten me, sir."
Wu Shuangren in greeting.
"It's actually quite simple."
Guo Jiwang, holding his wine glass, looked into Wu Shuangren's eyes. "There are only three choices: fight, surrender, or flee. I wonder which one Militia Commander Wu prefers?"
Wu Shuangren remained silent for a while after hearing this.
He looked Guo Jiwang in the eye. "Half of the militiamen in my local militia have their families in Bo County. If they desert, morale will collapse, and the militia will fall apart by half. Besides, if Mount Liang attacks West River Market, am I supposed to keep running? All the hard work I've put into building this empire will become a joke!"
"Um."
Guo Jiwang nodded, agreeing with this statement.
Wu Shuangren paused, then calmed down. "As for surrendering, there's no need to consider it. I'm tough; I'll never learn to bow down."
Guo Jiwang burst into laughter after hearing this.
"What a stubborn person, unable to learn to bend over!"
Guo Jiwang picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp, then gestured to Wu Shuangren, "Let's have a big toast!"
After finishing his drink, he poured himself another and asked, "That Militia Commander Wu really wants to fight, but you only have less than three thousand militiamen under your command. How can you possibly deal with Mount Liang's thirty thousand troops?"
"Oh, after fighting for so long, Mount Liang must have more than 30,000 men. Once Rong Province falls, local militias, refugees, bandits, and gangs will all flock to them. In another month, they might even be able to muster an army of 100,000!"
Wu Shuangren met Guo Jiwang's gaze and said calmly, "I don't believe that all 30,000 troops of Mount Liang are elite. As you say, most of them are just like the old Flying Feather Gang and West River Gang, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and afraid to die in battle. As for the 100,000 troops, most of them were coerced. As long as the leaders are defeated, 100,000 people are just a number."
Guo Jiwang finally stopped smiling and sat up straight. He looked Wu Shuangren over again, as if he were examining a piece of iron that had just been quenched, weighing its quality.
"Well said!"
He said solemnly, "However, since Mount Liang dared to rise up in rebellion, they wouldn't be without any strategy. There must be people among them who truly understand military tactics, and they must have trained a group of elite troops! After taking Rong Province City, they sent their main force north to attack Ya Province, which is clear proof of that."
As he spoke, he stood up and walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a piece of paper from the books, and spread it out on the table. It turned out to be a map.
Wu Shuangren carefully examined the map. The map was outlined with ink lines, marking mountains, rivers, cities, and passes. The entire seven prefectures of Jiannan Circuit were laid out before him.
Yi Province, Xi Province, Ya Province, Rong Province, Shu Province, Jia Province, Lu Province —where are the mountains and rivers, where are the cities and passes? It's all clear at a glance!
Where did you get this picture, sir?
Wu Shuangren asked in surprise.
He knew that in ancient times, not just anyone was qualified to obtain maps; they were extremely important confidential documents.
A county magistrate of West River County should not have such a detailed map covering the entire Jiannan Circuit.
"I just drew it casually when I had nothing else to do."
Guo Jiwang said it casually.
Wu Shuangren was taken aback upon hearing this. Looking at the picture, he gained a deeper understanding of the abilities of this [Mad Osprey].
Guo Jiwang pointed to Ya Province on the map. "If the imperial court wants to wipe out these bandits as quickly as possible, it can only transfer troops from Shannan Circuit. Ya Province is the gateway to Shannan Circuit. If Ya Province is occupied and the passes are locked, the imperial army will be blocked outside. The fact that Mount Liang did not immediately march south to attack Shu Province, but instead sent its main force north to attack Ya Province, shows that there are experts in the Mount Liang Army."
"But at the same time, Mount Liang also sent a detachment of 6,000 men south to Yi Province, which seems very strange. Mount Liang was able to break through Rong Province City in just a few days, which must have been due to years of preparation, coupled with a group of experts who took the lead and stormed the city walls, followed by elite troops, and tens of thousands of soldiers, which made the morale of the Rong Province defenders collapse."
Guo Jiwang spoke eloquently, his face full of confidence, "But to think that sending only six thousand men would be enough to break through Yi Prefecture City, even if the Yi Province military commander were a pig, he wouldn't be that incompetent! So there's only one possibility— Mount Liang and Mist Hidden Temple have joined forces!"
Wu Shuangren's expression changed.
Guo Jiwang looked at him and said, "The Mist Hidden Temple has been operating in Yi Province for many years, Yi Prefecture City has long been riddled with holes by their infiltration. If the Mist Hidden Temple is an inside agent, it makes sense that Mount Liang only needed 6,000 men to break through the city."
Wu Shuangren nodded, acknowledging this speculation.
But if this is true, it would be adding insult to injury for him!
Guo Jiwang pointed his finger from Yi Province towards Bo County: "This detachment's southward march probably has another purpose. Mist Hidden Temple suffered heavy losses under your command, with two top -First Rate masters dying one after another. If they were to ask Mount Liang for help, Mount Liang would probably have to consider your worth before sending anyone."
Wu Shuangren stared at the map, falling silent. The Mist Hidden Temple alone was already difficult to deal with, and now Mount Liang was added to the mix...
He raised his head and looked at Guo Jiwang: "Sir, your analysis is so thorough, you must already have a solution in mind."
Guo Jiwang didn't keep them in suspense. "The most urgent task is to stop Mount Liang and Mist Hidden Temple from joining forces to take Yi Prefecture City. As long as Yi Prefecture City doesn't fall, with this large city blocking our way, Bo County won't be the first to be attacked."
Wu Shuangren understood Guo Jiwang's meaning. "Sir, do you mean I should lead troops to Yi Prefecture City?"
Guo Jiwang at him. "What's wrong? You were just saying you wanted to fight, and now you're scared?"
Wu Shuangren naturally understood this simple provocation, and he looked directly at Guo Jiwang:
"I have the courage, but Yi Prefecture City is the territory of the Mist Hidden Temple. If I rashly lead my troops there, there's the Mist Hidden Temple inside the city and a detachment of Mount Liang outside. I have no city to rely on. One wrong step and I'll be doomed!"
By holding onto Bo County, we can at least rely on the city walls, and it's also our home ground, which has many advantages.
But if we lead troops to Yi Prefecture City, it will truly become a 'all-in' gamble, with every step a risky move!
Faced with Wu Shuangren's question, Guo Jiwang didn't reveal any surprising strategies or try to provoke him again. He simply said, "I can go with you."
His tone was casual, as if he were saying something as ordinary as "Let's go drinking tomorrow."
Wu Shuangren was stunned. Looking at Guo Jiwang's serious expression, this time he did not hesitate:
"Good!"
Guo Jiwang Wu Shuangren to sit in the study for a while before getting up and leaving.
Soon, Guo Jiwang summoned several officials from West River County, including the county magistrate, the registrar, and the county constable, to the main hall of the county government office.
He had changed into a clean official uniform, which was a rare sight, with his collar buttoned up neatly, making him look completely different from the Magistrate Guo who usually wore his clothes open and reeked of alcohol.
"I will be leaving the county for several days."
Guo Jiwang the chase, "The affairs of the county government have been handled by several of us recently."
The officials exchanged bewildered glances, and the county magistrate was the first to speak, "Your Excellency, where are you headed?"
"To do something important."
Guo Jiwang didn't explain further, "You all probably already know that Mount Liang has gathered tens of thousands of bandits to rebel, captured Rong Province, Mount Liang army will soon march south to Yi Province. If Yi Province can't hold out, Xi Province will be next."
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of several officials changed.
They were naturally aware of the news, but they couldn't help but harbor a sliver of hope, thinking that Rong Province and Xi Province were separated by a prefecture, and perhaps they would be wiped out before Mount Liang even arrived? Or perhaps Mount Liang wouldn't even come?
But hearing Guo Jiwang say so confidently that Mount Liang would conquer Xi Province shattered their illusions.
Guo Jiwang has served as the magistrate of West River County for five years, and those of you present have already witnessed his methods firsthand!
Some people respected him, some feared him, but no one dared to openly oppose him. So when Zhang He sent someone to the county government for help, several officials refused to see him.
Now that Guo Jiwang predicted that Mount Liang will attack Xi Province, none of the others dare to disbelieve him.