There were too many big tigers in Xia Zhou City. Lao Guo was in charge of the army, so he was not qualified to deal with these matters. Li An's position was also not suitable for this. According to the regulations, these letters should be handed over to the officials in charge of the administration in Xia Zhou. However, these officials in charge of the administration were not necessarily reliable. If they were involved in this matter, it would be a disaster for them.
Therefore, Ang Lee planned to pack up these seized letters and directly hand them over to the Emperor as trophies. Then, the Emperor would give an order to deal with this matter himself. In this way, it would be difficult for his subordinates to hide it from the Emperor, and the vermin in Summer Province could be cleaned up.
Of course, it would be very bad if he only brought back the letters. He also had to bring back the valuables seized from the Horse Gang's lair. At this time, he had not seized much, but there would be a lot more in the future.
"Isn't it a bit too much for Your Majesty to deal with such a trivial matter in person?"
Lao Guo said.
"So what? I don't trust those guys in the Ministry of Personnel. I'm afraid these letters will sink into the sea. It's safer to hand them over to Your Majesty. Even if you only read one letter, those guys in the Ministry of Personnel will not dare to not deal with it quickly. "
Ang Lee said.
Lao Guo nodded and said, "You're right. However, I'll have to trouble Your Majesty. I'll keep an eye on these vermin and won't let them run away."
"Wang Provincial Governor. Isn't the surname of the Provincial Governor of Summer Province Wang? He's also involved."
Ang Lee said after reading the contents of the letter.
Lao Guo attached great importance to it. He hurriedly took the letter and read it, saying, "This still can't prove that Wang Provincial Governor has something to do with it! The letter writer reassured the Horse Gang leader that Wang Provincial Governor would definitely help. This message alone can't convict Wang Provincial Governor, but it's still suspicious. "
"Yes! These vermin are very careful. They must have asked their trusted subordinates to contact the Horse Gang. However, judging from the situation in the past few years, it should have something to do with these guys. Without the help of these vermin, how could the Horse Gang be able to avoid the encirclement and ambush of the imperial court's troops every time? Especially before you came here, the local officers and soldiers failed every time. They were just putting on a show and didn't suffer any casualties. They didn't even meet the Horse Gang. "
Ang Lee said.
This kind of situation was very common in ancient times. Most of the time, officials and bandits were one family. They cooperated with each other to get what they needed. It was a win-win situation. The ones who suffered losses were the merchants and the commoners.
Officials and bandits were one family. Raising bandits for their own sake had become the unspoken rule of the ancient border bosses. Many selfish fellows would use this method to consolidate their position. This was a very bad thing for the imperial court and the people.
Ang Lee hated this kind of behavior very much. What he hated most was this kind of shameful behavior.
Lao Guo agreed with Ang Lee's analysis. However, if there was no conclusive evidence, he still couldn't convict them. This was not something he, as a general, should think about. He just let the imperial court handle this troublesome matter.
In a hidden place not far from Summer Province, 1,000 soldiers and horses were quietly stationed here. They were transferred from the capital. Although the number was not large, they were all equipped with the best weapons. Their fighting capacity was extremely strong, which was more than enough to deal with the Horse Gang.
"General, there seemed to be signs of mobilization outside Summer Province last night. Early this morning, 2,000 elite soldiers rushed to the Qiwu Mountain in the northwest. It seems that there will be a big battle."
A soldier said.
Chen Xuanli said, "We've rested for several days. What's the matter? Others went to war and left us here. No, we're going to the northwest to join in the fun. Since we've come here, we can't let it go in vain!"
"General, we haven't received any orders. If we rush there without orders, I'm afraid Assistant Minister Li will blame us."
His subordinate said.
"Blame? Should I blame him? He came all the way here and left us here. Don't worry. Listen to me. Let's go to Qiwu Mountain at once. "
Chen Xuanli was not happy and ordered.
His subordinate had no choice but to let the army pack up as soon as possible. Then, they rushed to Qiwu Mountain at the fastest speed.
Somewhere in Mount Qiwu, One-eyed was resting with a dozen or so bandits. He was leading a dozen or so bandits to seek refuge with the leader of the bandits. Because they had no horses, they moved very slowly. After walking for a long time, they still hadn't reached the lair. After all, a human's speed was just too slow. It couldn't be compared to the speed of a horse.
"Let's eat some bacon and drink some water. Take a rest before we go."
One-eyed really couldn't walk anymore. He panted a few times and said.
The Horse Gang members were very tired. They had only walked for about 20 miles and they couldn't take it anymore. After all, mountain roads weren't easy to walk on. There was a huge difference between walking 10 miles on a mountain road and 10 miles on a flat road. The two couldn't be compared at all.
"I'm so tired. How much longer do we have to walk!"
One of the Horse Gang members complained.
"Before we left, we didn't even get a horse. If we did, we would have arrived by now."
Another Horse Gang member scolded.
"It's good enough that we can leave safely. You want a horse? You're dreaming."
One of the Horse Gang retorted.
"Brother One-eye, how much longer do we have to reach?"
Foal broke a tree branch and asked as if he was venting.
The One-eye Horse Gang comforted the crowd, "Everyone, keep your spirits up. There are still more than 10 miles to go. We've already walked 60% of the way. There's only 40% left. We'll definitely reach before nightfall."
After saying that, he looked behind him cautiously. He was very worried that the soldiers would send someone to follow them. If that was the case, the Horse Gang's lair would be exposed and he would become a sinner among the Horse Gang.
He kept looking behind him. After a long time, he didn't find anyone following them. Then he closed his eyes and took a nap.
"There's still more than 10 miles. Sigh, I feel like I'm lying on the back of a horse!"
"It would be better if there was a carriage. I can have a good sleep. I haven't slept for two days and one night. I'm so tired."
"You're the only one who hasn't slept. We haven't slept for the whole night. We're all very tired!"
"Why don't we take a nap before we go? We're really too tired. "
The Horse Gang members hadn't slept since they were captured last night. They were all very tired and wanted to lie on the ground and sleep immediately. They wanted to have a good rest before they continued on their journey.
"We're in the wilderness. Be careful not to be eaten by wolf cubs. Let's go back and rest! We'll set off after a short rest. "
The one-eyed Horse Gang member said.
In the hidden lair of the Horse Gang more than 10 miles away, the Horse Gang Leader's spirit was very bad. He hadn't rested for the whole night because he couldn't sleep at all. He had originally planned to teach the soldiers a lesson, but in the end, he had lost his main force. Even the lair that he had painstakingly built for many years was lost. All kinds of food and supplies were also lost.
Only three to four hundred soldiers and horses were rescued. There were still two months' worth of food left. However, the loss of treasures was not great. The most valuable things were basically taken out and not left for the soldiers. This was the only thing that made the Horse Gang Leader feel gratified. If even these were lost, then he would really have nothing.
The main force had suffered a great loss, but this was only the second thing. The most important thing was that the remaining Horse Gang members' confidence had been destroyed by the soldiers. They were all like stray dogs and looked very dispirited. The fear of the future was the most terrible thing. There was not much food left. Although it could last for more than two months, time passed very quickly. Two months was just the blink of an eye. If the soldiers continued to block Mount Qiwu, they would starve to death. The most important thing was that they couldn't live a carefree life and couldn't do whatever they wanted.
Before Lao Guo came to Summer Province, the Horse Gang here lived a very comfortable life. Not only did they enjoy good food and drink, but they also often went to Summer Province City in disguise in groups of three or five. They went to the taverns to get drunk and went to the brothels to find the girls they liked. They lived such a comfortable life. But now, they were trapped in the mountain and had never lived a good life.
The difficulties ahead made the Horse Gang Leader want to retreat. He planned to escape from Mount Qiwu and take the Horse Gang under his command to develop in other mountains. He would come back in the future when there was a chance. But the Horse Gang Leader didn't know what to say.
Now his second brother and many of his trusted subordinates had been wiped out by the soldiers of the imperial court. This was an irreconcilable hatred. If he couldn't avenge his brothers and fled from Mount Qiwu with his tail between his legs, his prestige would be greatly affected. The Horse Gang under his command would probably refuse to obey him. In this way, his ruling position would be greatly threatened.
After all, the reason why he could be the Horse Gang Leader was that several of his brothers had always supported him. With the support of these Big Brothers, his position could be stabilized. But now, the brothers who had always supported him were basically all dead. And this time, the Horse Gang Leader suffered a great loss, which was also under his command. Losing both his prestige and his supporters at the same time, his position was naturally shaky.
At this critical moment, if he showed weakness and couldn't seek justice for his dead brothers and satisfy his subordinates, it was hard to guarantee that an ambitious guy wouldn't come out and replace him by various means. It was even possible that he would be killed by taking advantage of the Horse Gang's dissatisfaction.
Therefore, the Horse Gang Leader didn't dare to act rashly at this moment. He was now somewhat afraid of his subordinates, which was even more than his fear of the soldiers.
Although the soldiers were very powerful, as long as he hid far away, he would be able to deal with them. However, the people under him were different. These people had always been by his side. If they had any thoughts of betrayal, they could take his life at any time.
Looking at these Horse Gang subordinates gathering in groups of three to five to talk, the Horse Gang Leader felt a chill down his spine. He couldn't hear what these people were talking about. Could it be that they were talking about something unfavorable to him? If that was the case, how long could his head be kept? In short, after the death of most of his confidants, he had become paranoid. At this moment, he didn't believe anyone and didn't know what to do.
"Leader, it's time to eat."
A young bandit served the dishes with an expressionless face.
"You've worked hard. Go and rest!"
The Horse Gang Leader had lost his courage. He had become polite to a small figure.
This made the young Horse Gang member who had been serving him a little uncomfortable.
"Leader, you're too polite. Enjoy."
The young Horse Gang member said and then slowly retreated.
However, the Horse Gang Leader really had no appetite at this moment. He didn't want to eat anything that he saw. He just looked at the food quietly and found it hard to swallow.
"Big Brother, you haven't eaten yet?"
A skinny leader of the Horse Gang walked in. He didn't look well either.
"Sigh! Out of seven to eight brothers, only you and I are left. It's all my fault! Putting Second Brother and the others aside, if it wasn't for my greed, I wouldn't have let One-eyed Brother take the risk to go back. In the end, he hasn't returned yet. He was almost captured by the soldiers. It's all my fault! "
The Horse Gang Leader said regretfully.
"Big Brother, it's useless to talk about this now. Let's think about what to do in the future!"
The skinny Horse Gang member said.
The Horse Gang Leader looked at his brother and pondered for a long time. He then said, "Brother Skinny Monkey! It's all my fault for the heavy losses this time. I'm afraid that the brothers won't be convinced by me anymore. I've reached the end of my career as a leader. Why don't you be the leader and lead the brothers out of this predicament? I'll always support you. "
This was obviously a test. The Horse Gang Leader felt that he had lost his prestige. If he fell, his brother would be the best successor. After being a leader for so many years, except for seven to eight brothers, he didn't have much contact with most of the people under him. The elite Horse Gang was also led by a few brothers. In this way, the Horse Gang Leader's position became more and more stable. At this moment, almost all the Horse Gang leaders were dead. This Skinny Monkey had more than a hundred people under his command. The remaining two hundred or so Horse Gang members were the people of other brothers. With the death of these brothers, the Horse Gang Leader had become a plate of loose sand. The largest group only had a dozen people. There were twenty to thirty groups with two to three hundred people. How could these loose sand resist the unity of the Skinny Monkey's one hundred people? Therefore, if this brother had any disloyalty, the Horse Gang Leader would be finished.
Similarly, if this brother could support him, then his position would be stable. The twenty to thirty small groups wouldn't be able to make any waves. Gradually, he could walk out of the crisis.
"Big Brother, what are you talking about? Now there are only two of us left. We brothers should support each other. Big Brother, don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one dares to disobey you. Big Brother, you'll always be our leader."
The Skinny Monkey was shrewd. It wasn't that he didn't want to be the leader, but he didn't have the confidence. In case there were Axemen in the tent, his abrupt decision might cost him his life.
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