bestfiction Chapter 304 The bandits invade
Chapter 304 The bandits invade
The bright sunlight shines on the table through the window, and Lin Xiaofan lies on it lazily, falling into a daze of sleep. A gust of breeze blew by, blowing away his sleepiness. When he opened his eyes in a daze, the sight in front of him made his heart beat faster and he almost fell off the chair.
The window was opened at some point, and a secret guard was standing here. You don't need to guess to know that this was just turned in.
"It's not a problem for you to come in through the window every day. I'll arrange for you to join the Yamen as a Yamen servant tomorrow."
Lin Xiaofan took a breath and spoke with lingering fear.
"Master Lin, Duanmu Liangchuan has left the mountain and is preparing to go to the Lin family."
The secret guard nodded slightly and said expressionlessly.
Lin Xiaofan looked out the window and saw that it was already noon.
Duanmu Liangchuan's appearance was within his expectation.
"How are you doing with your intel on the three major families?"
Lin Xiaofan then asked.
"Sir, I haven't found any useful information yet, but I have collected a lot of small things."
The secret guard took out a piece of jade silk from his arms and offered it with both hands.
Lin Xiaofan borrowed the jade silk, quickly scanned the contents, and finally focused on a marriage.
A while ago, several big families held a banquet. Xiang Zheng, the head of the Xiang family, got very drunk and proposed to marry the Wang family and marry his youngest daughter Xiang Yan to Wang Tong of the Wang family.
"How does this Xiangyan look?"
Lin Xiaofan asked.
At the banquet a few days ago, he noticed a beautiful girl at the Xiang's table. At that time, he even couldn't help but look at her a few more times.
The secret guard thought for a moment and then replied:
"This... people in the town call her one of the four beauties in the town, and many people marvel at her beauty. Lin Yu from the Lin family once wanted to marry her, but was beaten back."
Hearing this answer, Lin Xiaofan burst into laughter.
"This Lin Yu doesn't even know what kind of virtue he is, and he still wants to eat swan meat. Didn't that Lin Xiao react to this?"
He was a little curious about how Lin Xiao handled this matter.
"The matter has not been mentioned since."
The secret guard answered.
Thinking about it, he still knows what his son is like. If he is really allowed to marry Xiang Yan and risk some lives, it will be difficult to restore the relationship between the two families.
Just when Lin Xiaofan wanted to ask more questions, there was a knock on the door, and Bao Tianqing's rough voice sounded:
"Brother Lin, the sulfur merchant came to Degao Town today and wants to meet you."
Hearing this, Lin Xiaofan straightened his sleeves and said:
"Bring him here."
After a while, Bao Tianqing brought someone over. This man was completely different from the common businessmen Lin Xiaofan had come into contact with in the past. His skin was bronze, his face had clear lines, distinct features, and sharp eyes. There was a dark spear behind him, and there seemed to be some blood stains on his body.
If Bao Baotou hadn't said something before, he would never have recognized this person as a businessman.
"Magistrate Lin, I have long admired your name, I am Huang Hong."
The man looked Lin Xiaofan up and down, then showed a kind smile, took a few steps forward and extended his hand.
Lin Xiaofan shook hands with him and felt that the person in front of him was not simple.
As a county magistrate, which ordinary businessman would not treat him respectfully and attentively? Even Wang Cheng, the patriarch of the big family in the city, behaved cautiously when he saw him, but this man had a completely different attitude towards him.
Such people either have a strong power background or have extraordinary strength.
"Brother Huang Hong, what's going on with you? Are you injured?"
Lin Xiaofan smelled the faint smell of blood and spoke with concern.
"Haha, it doesn't matter. I just met a group of bandits and had a fight with them. All the blood was on their bodies. Speaking of which, Magistrate Lin, I have to remind you that the group of bandits in Minfeng County seemed to We need to reach out to your county.”
Are there rogue bandits coming to Degao County to cause trouble?
Hearing this, Lin Xiaofan frowned. These rogue bandits are the most annoying. They will find a village to plunder, and then immediately run into the mountains. They are difficult to guard against and difficult to chase.
And several times, some of the surplus food that the people finally had was looted.
"But Brother Lin, don't worry. They happened to encounter me. There were about thirty or forty of them. They were all beaten back by me and my men. I estimate that they won't come over within three or four days."
Huang Hong smiled and said.
"Brother Huang Hong, I wonder if you have asked about the whereabouts of the other party?"
Lin Xiaofan asked.
Hearing this, Huang Hong shook his head slightly and said:
"I originally wanted to keep someone alive for questioning, but there were a few big bows on the opposite side, and before I could say anything, they killed all the two prisoners. But speaking of which, I remember the leader. His appearance, no hair, and a scar on his face.”
After hearing this description, Lin Xiaofan suddenly thought of an old rival.
"Is that scar from the eye to the top of the head, and is he wearing an animal skin vest?"
"Yes, yes, that bandit is also tough. He wears a vest in such a cold weather. By the way, Brother Lin, how do you know?"
Huang Hong was a little confused. Could it be that the bandit still knew Lin Xiaofan?
Hearing this, Lin Xiaofan felt certain.
Isn't that the same Langya who caused chaos in Degao County last year?
He had been hit by an arrow in the shoulder and jumped into a fast-flowing river, thinking he was certain to die. Unexpectedly, he survived.
"Before, he brought a group of bandits to my place to cause trouble, but he was the only one who was injured and jumped into the river to escape. I didn't expect that this man was still alive after suffering such a fatal fate."
Lin Xiaofan said.
Now that Wolf Fang is coming, I am afraid that firstly, he wants to snatch food, and secondly, he wants to deal with himself.
He didn't have to worry about Lijiazhuang. In order to prevent accidents when making Lian Nu, Jianfeng left some elite Qingzhou Army guards there. Although the number is not large, it is enough to deal with a group of bandits.
Those other villages were the ones that gave him a headache. There are only a hundred city guards, and there are forty or fifty villages in Degao County. You can't send two soldiers to each village to guard it, right?
While thinking, Lin Xiaofan thought of a plan.
If each county is allowed to form a convoy, it will be able to fight against rogue bandits.
However, this plan is not as simple as imagined. The first is the issue of training. Now that spring has just begun, everyone is busy farming. If they are not paid, how can they have time to train? If wages were paid, not even Lin Xiaofan could afford to raise forty or fifty escort teams.
Even if the escort team is established, will they dare to fight against the bandits with swords? When rogue bandits enter a village, the most they can do is kill a few villagers to establish authority, but if they resist, they might be massacred.