Chapter 29: Why Did Them Turn Bandits?
It was noon when the army arrived at Mount Yong. However, Lian Qingyang didn’t order the soldiers to attack the mountain and didn’t even ask someone to explore intelligence.
Long Xiaoyuan felt confused and asked, “What does General Lian want to do?”
“He probably wants to collect the detailed information about Mount Yong,” said Shi Qingzhou.
“How can he achieve that?” asked Long Xiaoyuan. “Qingzhou, what will you do if you were him?”
Shi Qingzhou said with a smile, “I’ll only make actions after getting to know Mount Yong, so I’ll find some local civilians first.”
Long Xiaoyuan glanced at Mount Yong before him and knew that the mountain was rugged. “Qingzhou, do you think the bandits are self-sufficient?”
“Yes. There is land on Mount Yong, so they can be self-sufficient, and it’s thereby unrealistic to enclose them from here,” said Shi Qingzhou. “There are several thousand bandits on Mount Yong, so they can’t rely on the people downhill to live. Even so, their self-sufficiency is limited.”
After some thoughts, Long Xiaoyuan said, “Do you think Lian Qingyang wants to enclose Mount Yong?”
Shi Qingzhou said shaking his head, “It might not be the case.”
“Ah? By the way, Qingzhou, was him your colleague?” Long Xiaoyuan suddenly thought of this.
After a pause, Shi Qingzhou nodded. “But, I’ve not worked with him for a long time, so I don’t know whether his working style is changed or not?”
“Well…” Long Xiaoyuan said while touching his chin, “Qingzhou, do you think he will send someone uphill?”
Shi Qingzhou said with a smile while shaking his head, “Your Majesty, the army is here, so the bandits must know this. It’s unrealistic to send someone uphill.”
Long Xiaoyuan blinked. “What if we know the mountain and send a messenger to summon them to surrender?”
Shi Qingzhou was surprised and said with his eyes brightened, “It’s a good idea.”
Long Xiaoyuan said with a smile, “If it goes as the plan, we may send someone uphill successfully…What if the one is good at disguises and replaces someone unimportant? After all, there are several thousand bandits, and the leaders may not remember all their followers?”
Hearing this, Shi Qingzhou deeply glanced at Long Xiaoyuan and said with a smile, “I very admire your strategies.”
Long Xiaoyuan glared at Shi. “Qingzhou, you should say, my husband, you’re smart, and I like it.”
Shi Qingzhou blinked and felt somewhat embarrassed and shy upon hearing the word “husband”.
With his cheeks slightly flushed, Shi Qingzhou coughed. “But, this plan needs improving.”
“Eh.” Long Xiaoyuan nodded and smiled again. “Qingzhou, let’s go there.”
Shi Qingzhou was astounded this time and couldn’t believe what he heard. “What did you say? You want to go there…No way!”
Long Xiaoyuan said with a sigh, “Qingzhou, Mount Yong is near the imperial city but is home to many bandits. I want to know why they turned bandits and that they are unpardonably wicked or are forced to be bandits. How do they lead a life, and what their personality is…I want to figure out those by myself. Qingzhou, I’ve made the decision.”
Shi Qingzhou fell into silence, and Long Xiaoyuan sneakily held his hand. “Qingzhou, will you accompany me?”
Shi Qingzhou took a deep breath. “If you’ve made a decision, I’ll go with you.”
“Okay.” Long Xiaoyuan smiled. “ Even if the most dangerous situation waits for me, it’s my honor to have you with me.”
Shi Qingzhou smiled bitterly with some lofty sentiments in his eyes. “I also want to know why these people ended up bandits!”