The effective time of the knockout drug was more than an hour. Within an hour, the bandit who was knocked out would not wake up voluntarily. He would need others to wake him up slowly. Moreover, he would feel weak all over. The feeling was similar to being bitten by a poisonous insect.
Chen Long quickened his pace and followed the traces on the ground quickly. Although the ground was full of fallen leaves and almost everywhere was the same, the place where someone had just walked through was still different from other places. There would be a little trace. When people stepped on the fallen leaves, there would be a sound, but as long as they did not step on dry branches, the sound would not be very loud. It could not be heard dozens of meters away. Therefore, as long as they kept a safe distance of thirty to fifty meters, they would not be easily discovered.
The bandits had limited manpower, so the hidden sentry posts would definitely not be deployed too densely. Since they had just passed through a hidden sentry post, there should not be any hidden sentry posts for the rest of the road. Therefore, Chen Long did not worry and quickly followed until he saw the bandits in front. He slowed down and followed slowly to avoid being discovered by the bandits in front.
This bandit's lair was really not close. Chen Long followed behind for a full hour before he arrived at a bandit's lair. There was a cave here. There were a few thatched huts outside the cave. The cave should not be small. He could see more than twenty bandits. There might be more in the cave and the thatched huts. The specific number could not be confirmed, and there was no need to be completely clear. After all, no matter how many bandits there were, as long as the soldiers surrounded them, none of them could escape.
The longer they stayed, the higher the probability of being discovered. Chen Long understood this very well. Therefore, after carefully observing for a while, he quietly returned. When he passed by the bandit's hidden sentry post, he found that the bandit was still asleep. Therefore, he quietly led two soldiers back along the road they came from, step by step.
When they went, Chen Long and the others followed slowly. When they returned, the three of them moved at the fastest speed. Therefore, when they returned, their speed was twice as fast, but the total time was still not short.
Although Ang Lee didn't have anything urgent and had plenty of time to wait, Chen Long had been gone for such a long time, so he was still a little worried. If he was really discovered by the bandits and lost his life, then Ang Lee wouldn't be able to explain it to his father.
If they didn't come back in two hours, Ang Lee would definitely send people to look for them. Even if they had to turn the entire mountain upside down, they would still find them.
Fortunately, Chen Long and the other two returned without a hitch. They did not disappoint Ang Lee.
"What's the situation? Have you found the bandit's lair? "
Ang Lee asked.
Chen Long said, "I found it. It's not far from here, but the mountain road is not easy to walk on. Moreover, there is a spy on the road. It's also the only way to the bandit's lair."
"How many people?"
Ang Lee continued to ask.
Chen Long replied, "I'm not sure about the exact number. I couldn't see them in the cave. There might be some people in the thatched huts outside the cave, but I could only see about 20 people."
"It seems that the total number of people shouldn't be more than 100. It's very likely that there are only 50 or 60 people. It's a small group of bandits."
Ang Lee said.
With regards to this small group of bandits, only a few hundred men and horses were needed to capture all of them. It was not difficult at all. This time, he was also very lucky. He was just casually enjoying the scenery and actually found the bandits who had changed shifts. His luck was too good. In this world, there was probably no one luckier than Li An.
"Assistant Minister Li, I'm willing to lead the army to eliminate these bandits."
Yang Saburo took the initiative to volunteer.
The Yizhou Commandant also said, "Assistant Minister Li, I'm also willing to lead the army."
Ang Lee nodded with satisfaction and said, "There's no hurry. Let me think about it. Let's go back first!"
After that, he and all the soldiers and horses withdrew from the mountain and began to return to Yizhou City.
The bandits were right in front of them. Why didn't Ang Lee send the soldiers to eliminate them in time? Of course, there were more considerations. It was daytime now, and the bandits were all active. If they were not careful, they might be discovered. It was better to act at night. In addition, Ang Lee felt that they were still too short of manpower. They could definitely defeat the bandits, but who could guarantee that there was no hidden escape path? If the bandits escaped through the path, all their efforts would be in vain. In order to prevent the bandits from escaping, they needed to deploy more soldiers and horses to block all the possible escape paths so that the bandits would have no way to escape. They could even be caught alive in their sleep.
"Chen Long, how did you deal with the hidden sentries? Didn't you arouse suspicion?"
Ang Lee asked on the way back.
Chen Long explained everything in detail. This made Ang Lee very happy. He rewarded the soldier who used the flying needle heavily.
"Assistant Minister Li, these bandits are really sneaky. They actually set up their nest so close to the trade route. It's so convenient to rob the caravan."
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "That's true. These bandits are too sneaky. Although their nest is close to the trade route, it's hidden enough. There are trees everywhere and a lot of ravines. It's not easy to be discovered if they hide in a ravine. Moreover, there may not be only one nest for each group of bandits. It's very likely that there are other nests. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. These bandits are much more cunning than a cunning rabbit. "
"It's useless no matter how cunning the bandits are. They are still too weak. As long as we send two hundred soldiers and horses, we can annihilate them all. Why don't we do it now?"
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee didn't deny that the bandits were weaker, but they still shouldn't underestimate the enemy. No matter how weak the enemy was, they shouldn't underestimate the enemy. Although the bandits were weak, they were more familiar with the terrain of the mountain. Who could guarantee that the bandits didn't prepare an escape route for themselves? In addition, would there be any traps in the mountain? When Chen Long was tailing, in order to ensure safety, he basically followed the footprints of the bandits step by step. He didn't go too far into unfamiliar areas. In unfamiliar areas, there might be offensive traps. If there were traps, the soldiers would suffer a lot of casualties if they rashly entered. This was something that had to be avoided at all costs.
"I'm afraid of casualties. Suppressing the bandits is just a small matter. If there are dozens of casualties, it won't be good. It's best if there are no casualties. That's what I want. Let's move the troops at night! Let's wait until the bandits are asleep. In addition, let Old Man Xianyu lead the troops to suppress the bandits. Anyway, he has a lot of soldiers. As long as he's careful, there won't be any casualties. "
Ang Lee said.
"It's such a good opportunity. Let him enter. We can do it ourselves."
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee said, "Forget it. This is Xianyu's territory. If there are bandits, it's safer to let him send the troops to eliminate them. Otherwise, he will think that we are here to snatch the credit from him."
"But this bandit lair was discovered by me. This credit can't be given to others! I should also have a share. "
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "Don't worry! Your credit definitely won't be snatched by others. When we move at night, you still have to lead the way. Without the three of you leading the way, Xianyu wouldn't have found the bandit lair! "
"Good. This time, I should at least take half of the credit."
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee said, "Okay, I will tell Old Man Xianyu and see if he agrees."
"Then it's hopeless. This Old Man Xianyu is a businessman. He's very shrewd. How can he give me so much credit? It's better not to fight with him and let him have it. "
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "You are still young. If you want to make a contribution, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. On the way to Dongnu Province, there will be many bandits. Especially in Dongnu Province, there will be a lot of bandits! This is all caused by the famine. "
In fact, in the simple and honest Dongnu Province, there were not many bandits. Almost all the people lived honestly and no one would rob other people's property. However, there were still a few bandits, but the proportion was much lower than in Central Sichuan. However, since the drought in Dongnu Province, the situation had changed a lot. Many simple people had lost the ability to survive. There were many people without food at home. Some people were so poor that they had no choice but to sell their children or even abandon them. Even so, the food they received could not last long. And a few rich people who had food at home would not take the initiative to take out food to help the poor. After all, people were selfish. No matter which country they were in, people were selfish. Moreover, there were too many people without food to eat. If they took out food to help the poor, then they might not have enough to eat. The imperial court could do nothing about it.
In a desperate situation, there were naturally more people who went to the mountains to become bandits in order to survive. Some even went to the Tang dynasty to make a living. In short, everyone was looking for a way out. Going to the mountains to become bandits was one way out.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li. I won't fight with Old Man Xianyu for the credit. I'll give it to him."
Chen Long opened his mouth and said.
The returning team marched majestically and soon arrived at the Yang family's farm.
Yang Saburo reined in his horse and said respectfully, "Assistant Minister Li, this is my family's farm. Do you want to go in and take a rest?"
Before this, he had already sent someone to inform his father to quickly prepare food and wine, clean the house, and make all the preparations to welcome Ang Lee. Even if Ang Lee would not go to their house in the end, they still had to be prepared.
Li An originally didn't plan to go, but since Yang Sanlang had sincerely invited him, it wouldn't be good for Li An to not go. He would just treat it as giving him face.
"Okay, let's go in and take a look."
Ang Lee said.
Yang Saburo immediately reined in his horse and went to inform his father, so that his father could come out to welcome him in person.
Soon, when Li An got off his horse, the head of the Yang Clan had already walked out of the gate. It was obvious that he had come prepared. There were quite a number of people coming out with him. There were at least a dozen of them, and they all looked quite old. They should all be relatives of the clan. There were even some old men in their seventies or eighties.
"Assistant Minister Li, your presence brings light to our Yang family's house!"
The head of the Yang family greeted him with a smile.
Li An smiled and said, "I saw this house when I was on Little Pagoda Hill. I wanted to come and take a look, but I was afraid that it would be rude. When I met San Lang just now, I found out that it was his house, so I decided to come and disturb you."
"Assistant Minister Li is too polite. You came to our field because I …"
All kinds of compliments made Li An feel like he was floating. The head of the Yang family was indeed a businessman. His eloquence was really powerful. Moreover, his mouth was particularly sweet. The words that came out of his mouth made people feel very comfortable. It was like a spring breeze.
After a round of pleasantries, Ang Lee walked into the Yang family's field. When he looked at it from the top of the mountain, he didn't think much of it, but when he walked in, he found that it was really good. The roads were all paved with good quality bluestone. This bluestone was the strongest and most suitable for paving roads. There were many flowers and trees on both sides of the road. At this moment, it was the season of blooming flowers. These flowers were in full bloom, and the fragrance of the flowers was intoxicating.
When Ang Lee looked at it from the top of the mountain, he found that the living area of the Yang family's field was only a quarter of the total area. But even this quarter was not small. At this moment, the courtyard that Ang Lee entered was one of the courtyards that took up a quarter of the total area. It was also the outermost courtyard. Its biggest feature was that it was big enough. This courtyard occupied about one mu of land. Inside, there were roads, flowers, bamboo forest, and rockery. The layout was just right, making people feel a very comfortable sense of beauty.
It seemed that the head of the Yang Family was not only a shrewd businessman, but also a person who understood life very well. These decorations were very particular. Only someone who was well versed in the art of decorations could have arranged them so well.
Connected to this largest courtyard, in addition to the main gate, there were three doorways that led to three different courtyards. Because the patriarch was leading the way, Ang Lee could not walk around at will. He could only enter one of the doorways, which was the courtyard for receiving guests. The scenery in this courtyard was better, but the area was slightly smaller. In the middle, there was a tall and spacious main hall. Outside the main hall, there were curtains made of Sichuan brocade. These Sichuan brocade were very expensive. The Yang family actually used Sichuan brocade to make curtains for the main hall. It was really extravagant. However, these curtains could be dismantled at any time. Therefore, Ang Lee guessed that these curtains would not be hung around the main hall all the time. They would only hang the curtains when there were distinguished guests. They would definitely be reluctant to hang them normally. After all, Sichuan brocade was so delicate. If it was placed around the main hall under the sun and rain, it would spoil quickly. No matter how rich they were, they could not afford to hang such a terrible thing!
At this time, tea had already been prepared in the main hall. Four maidservants in their teens were standing by the side. After Ang Lee sat down, they poured the freshly brewed tea into the cup.
In addition to the tea in the main hall, the Yang family's kitchen had also begun to prepare various delicious dishes. Whether Ang Lee stayed for dinner or not, they had to prepare them first.
The Summit
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