Chapter 112: Chapter 111: Rabble

The County Magistrate asked, “Qin Yao, when are you planning to set out and capture the bandit leader?”

Simply cutting off the bandit leader’s head, Qin Yao could leave at any time, but as a commoner, she had suffered under the bandits for a long time!

“May I ask, my lord, do you only want the bandit leader, or do you wish to eradicate this bandit gang completely to prevent future troubles?”

Faced with Qin Yao’s inquiry, the County Magistrate actually hesitated before asking, “If you wish to eradicate them, what brilliant plan do you have?”

Brilliant plan?

Qin Yao lowered her head with a shallow smile, and when she raised it again, her eyes were full of resolve, “I have no brilliant plan, only martial arts skills, I will break them with force!”

This time, as long as there is a chance, she would deal with the bandit threat in advance, so that she wouldn’t have to worry about last year’s encounter during the New Year’s Eve this year.

Upon hearing Qin Yao’s boastful words, the expression of the County Magistrate furrowed, “Break them with force? You alone, how can you break them?”

So many officials had been unable to deal with these elusive bandits.

The bandits hid their traces using the terrain; even if they occasionally exposed themselves, it was just a small group, the bandit leader remained unpunished, and the minor bandits continued to appear endlessly—how could they be eradicated?

At the beginning of the year, it had also alarmed the State Capital military camp, but after all, it was not their jurisdiction, and between the State Capital and the county, and between civil servants and military officers, there were indistinct divisions of interests.

As long as circumstances hadn’t become extreme, and public grievances hadn’t reached their peak, he, as Kaiyang County’s County Magistrate, was powerless.

And what about those merchants who were robbed?

Unable to exert pressure on the government, they have now formed partnerships with the escort agency, which thrives in the presence of bandits and perishes in their absence. Within their operating range, the more bandits there are, the higher their profits, inadvertently creating a tacit understanding.

In the end, with no other options, seeing the bandits becoming increasingly rampant, they came up with the idea of issuing a bounty announcement, hoping that skilled individuals from the populace would step out to solve the problem.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, after the bounty announcement was issued, no one dared to come forward to claim it.

The government office could only wait until it faded before posting a new one, waiting for a glimmer of hope.

Until Qin Yao, early in the morning, without hesitation, took down the bounty announcement!

Now, she says she wants to eradicate them, stirring feelings in the County Magistrate’s heart, but his expression remained serious, wanting to hear if her plan sounded feasible or not.

And the result was, she actually told him to break them with force?

Just her alone?

Qin Yao sneered, taking in the surroundings; there were five or six officials present, the rest were either guarding the city gates or dozing off in the empty prison cells.

She loudly questioned, “In this county government, is there not a single brave man willing to go with me to kill those despicable bandits?”

A few officials showed displeased expressions, but their resentment against Qin Yao’s low regard for them was uncontainable, they scoffed:

“That gang of bandits numbers about a hundred, while the total county officials are only thirty-six. Without the Prefecture’s support, it is tantamount to striking a stone with an egg!”

“Just a rabble,” Qin Yao retorted, “What is there to fear about a hundred rabble? First capture the bandit leader, without a leader they can’t unite, naturally they will disperse and flee. The government has thirty-six men, equipped with weapons and armor, taking them down one by one, how is it difficult?”

“This…” They actually found it feasible, what was going on?

But upon calm reflection, it is still quite challenging. One of them seriously said:

“The bandit leader rarely shows his face, surrounded by three top protectors. It’s impossible to get close. Taking his head is easier said than done.”

Qin Yao raised the bounty notice in her hand, “I took down this bounty, you just need to cooperate with me to surround and block the escapees.”

Qin Yao quickly calculated in her mind, adding, “Once I succeed, I will signal, and when you see the signal, mobilize everyone, let’s together eliminate these vile bandits in one fell swoop!”

With weapons and armor, each person can take on at least two.

What do those bandits have?

Except for those notable figures with horses and fine knives, the rest are a pile of junk metal. Some can’t even muster proper weapons, resorting to sickles, mattocks, and sticks. Once their morale is crushed, they are no match for the officials.

“Once you act, your numbers will expose you, the bandits will know in advance and relocate. That’s why I take the lead alone, first capturing the bandit leader. Then we cooperate inside and out, striving to permanently eliminate the threat this time. Lord County Magistrate, what do you think?”

Qin Yao asked politely.

The County Magistrate deliberated for a moment, then pointed to the Taishi Chair beside him, “You sit for a while; I shall return shortly.”

He needed to consult the County Magistrate to see his opinion.

After all, being a person from another place, having served for only a year and with two years left before departure, he had to weigh his options between achievement and stability personally.

Eliminating the bandits would gain him a political achievement and public support.

But simultaneously it would cut off many financial channels for others, obstructing many interests. As they say, the mighty dragon doesn’t overpower local lords, making the remaining two years likely difficult.

Only killing the bandit leader would gain public support and the favor of the local lords, leaving room for maneuver in the next two years.

Qin Yao watched the County Magistrate’s hurried back, mocking silently, and sat down on the chair.

The Steward followed suit and left, leaving only a few officials and Qin Yao in the large hall, staring at each other.

They also felt uneasy, wanting to eliminate the threat and become heroes, yet fearing their spirits might be sacrificed—very conflicted.

Qin Yao waited quietly, feeling no fluctuation internally.

After all, she’s just a commoner and has nothing to lose.

If this time doesn’t eradicate the threat, she’d only face minor troubles in the future.

But for the entire populace of Kaiyang County, life could become difficult.

Qin Yao waited for a full hour until the County Magistrate and Steward returned.

Qin Yao stood, clasped her hands in a salute, and raised her head to look at the two, awaiting a response.

The County Magistrate spoke first, “What do you need? The lord has ordered: if you can indeed capture the bandit leader, the entire county’s officials will fully cooperate to eradicate the bandits!”

The Steward promptly added, “If we’re going to act, it’s best to do it early before the bandits get wind and move deeper into the mountains where we can’t even catch a trace.”

Qin Yao raised her brows, understanding the cautious approach, assessing the odds, pressing where the winning chance is higher—truly taking no risks.

Additionally, there’s the implication in the Steward’s words: to act quickly, someone within might pass the message.

Qin Yao nodded, she understood it all, reconfirming, “If I bring back the bandit leader, the reward is one hundred taels, correct?”

Both men nodded in unison, Qin Yao felt assured, opened the portrait to take another look, seeing only a fierce-looking man, wondering if he matched the real person.

She cautiously held up the portrait and asked the sketching Steward, “Is this the real person in the picture?”

The Steward coughed slightly, awkwardly saying, “Sixty to seventy percent resembles.”

In reality, none of them had truly seen the bandit leader’s appearance; it was all drawn based on descriptions from captured minor bandits.

Qin Yao: “…”

Never mind, to ensure no errors for a hundred taels, she’ll bring back several heads to report, there will certainly be one correct!

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