bullyxtreme Chapter 76 Aftermath
Chapter 76 Aftermath
Stepping out of the Hall of Righteousness, the sounds of fighting outside had already ceased.
Groups of bandits squatted on the ground, their hands covering their heads, not daring to raise them.
There were many corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, and weapons were scattered everywhere, but most of them belonged to the bandits. Among the people Li Chong brought, there were not many casualties.
That's normal. They launched a sudden attack, catching the other side completely off guard and without a leader to command them. It's only natural that they couldn't win.
"My lord." Wu Song walked to Li Chong's side and clasped his hands in a salute.
Li Chong raised his hand and patted him: "Are you hurt?"
Wu Song grinned and shook his head: "How could these thieving bastards hurt me? All the blood on my body is other people's; I don't have a single wound."
"Well done." Li Chong nodded and smiled. "Go and tidy yourself up. Don't always be so sloppy. You'll need to find a wife in the future."
Slightly embarrassed, Wu Song quickly agreed.
After taking a few steps forward, Xue Ming led his men to greet them: "Your Excellency, in this battle, our side suffered seven casualties and more than twenty wounded. As for the number of enemies killed, we are still counting them, but it has already been a great victory."
"Your Excellency's strategy is truly remarkable. You eliminated the bandits who had plagued the area for years with only a few casualties. I am deeply impressed!"
As he spoke, Xue Ming bowed and clasped his hands in greeting to Li Chong.
"Sigh." Li Chong sighed and stepped forward to help Xue Ming up. "Wen Zhao misspoke. What do you mean by only a few people were killed or injured? They are all citizens of Yanggu. Even if only one person is killed or injured, this county will feel heartbroken. Don't be so dismissive next time."
Having seen many similar dramas in modern times, Li Chong's acting skills are definitely top-notch.
Moreover, Li Chong did feel somewhat sorry for the person who died because of him.
Hearing Li Chong's high-sounding words, Xue Ming was stunned for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake: "The county magistrate is right to reprimand me, I dare not do it again."
He couldn't help but admire Li Chong to some extent.
No wonder he's a county magistrate; his ability to win people's hearts is something I can't even begin to match.
"Father is right, this Magistrate Li is indeed no ordinary man," Xue Ming thought to himself.
Seeing Li Chong's methods, Xue Ming couldn't help but feel more convinced of his father Xue Tao's choice.
Looking down at the men below, many of them showed expressions of emotion after hearing Li Chong's words.
How can one not be moved by the plight of these men who risk their lives for the people of a county?
Li Chong continued loudly, "Gentlemen, this county magistrate guarantees that those who sacrificed their lives will receive generous compensation. We will not allow our heroes to shed blood and tears!"
These words, which are commonplace in modern times, were so profoundly impactful to these ancient people.
"What a good official he is!"
"Your Honor, the Just Magistrate!"
The crowd shouted loudly and sang praises to Li Chong.
Li Chong smiled and waved, signaling everyone to quiet down. Then he began to instruct everyone to continue cleaning up the battlefield and separating the corpses.
The bandits were buried in one place, while their own people were properly settled, and they were to bring back Yanggu (a type of grain) to be buried in the ground for peace.
At this moment, Jia Zhuo arrived with Hu Changyong and asked, "Your Excellency, has that scoundrel Deng Meng confessed?"
"He confessed." Li Chong nodded. "Du Heng led the rest of his men down the mountain to ambush us, so he's not in the village."
Jia Zhuo cupped his hands in flattery and said, "It is indeed the county magistrate's brilliant strategy that allowed him to feign an attack while secretly advancing, easily luring the two thieves into his trap."
Upon hearing this, Hu Changyong couldn't help but say, "If we hadn't led the way, how would he have found this place?"
Jia Zhu patted him on the shoulder and bowed to Li Chong in apology.
Li Chong was not offended and waved his hand, saying, "Chief Hu's words make sense. Without you, this county would indeed have to put in a lot more effort."
Hu Changyong was stunned for a moment, not expecting Li Chong to admit it. After a moment, he turned his head away and stopped talking.
Jia Zhuo continued, "So what are the next steps? Has the magistrate given any instructions?"
Xue Ming poked his head out, unable to hide his excitement, and said, "Is there even a question? Of course, we should hurry down the mountain, wipe out the other bandit as well, and completely eliminate the bandit problem in the mountains!"
Jia Zhuo looked at Li Chong, wanting to know if Li Chong thought the same way.
"We must descend the mountain, but we can't rush it." Li Chong had already planned ahead. "Mr. Jia, since you are the former masters of this stronghold, and the bandits have been subdued, with your prestige, could you perhaps select some reliable people from among them?"
With so many bandits captured, Li Chong couldn't possibly kill them all. But if he divided his troops to guard them, it would add to the risks when he went down the mountain to fight Du Heng.
This is the time for Jia Zhuo and his group to shine.
Coincidentally, Jia Zhuo came here for the same reason.
He stroked his beard and smiled, "My thoughts are the same as yours, magistrate. We have come here for this very reason. There are still many of our former subordinates in this stronghold. They are all old and weak and have never done anything wrong. I would like to ask you to grant us some mercy and spare them. It would be a good deed."
Li Chong readily agreed: "No problem, I still have the same conditions. As long as they are willing to come down the mountain and start farming again, I can guarantee that they will all have land to cultivate."
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Jia Zhu bowed deeply in gratitude.
Hu Changyong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after Jia Zhuo tugged at him, he reluctantly bowed down.
Li Chong helped the two up, nodding with a smile: "This is my duty. It is also my wish for the people to live in peace and prosperity. There is no need for you two to bow."
Then, Li Chong looked at Xue Ming: "Wen Zhao, you'll assist the two of you later. Leave the less important chores to the men they brought. It's late, let the brothers rest. We have another battle to fight tomorrow."
Xue Ming hesitated.
After glancing at Jia Zhuo and the other man, he cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, I have something I wish to report to you..."
Jia Zhuo, being perceptive, immediately said, "Then we two will take our leave. Please wait, Your Excellency."
They quickly pulled Hu Changyong, who was visibly angry, away.
After they had gone some distance, Xue Ming said, "Your Excellency, those two were once bandits, and this place is a bandit stronghold. If they harbor ill intentions, I am worried they might harm us. We'll have to endure some hardship tonight, but we must not let our guard down and let the brothers be caught off guard."
"Wen Zhao is very thoughtful," Li Chong patted Xue Ming on the shoulder. "However, I have other plans for this matter. It's true that one must be wary of others. But after all, we've worked hard for many days, and we've won today. We can't not let everyone rest; how can we fight like that?"
"They've done their best along the way, so there shouldn't be any problems. I'll just have someone keep a close eye on them. After all, they've fought side by side before, so you should have more trust in them."
"But..." Xue Ming wanted to say something more.
But Li Chong simply waved his hand, and he had no choice but to obey.
The Xue family had been robbed by Hu Changyong, so it's understandable that he doesn't trust them.
Li Chong was now certain that Jia Zhuo and the others would most likely not betray him; at the very least, there was still Zhong Mei.
What they need to do now is to rest and recover their strength so they can go down the mountain to catch up with Du Heng tomorrow.