Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Chen Shao naturally didn't know about Luo Wanyou's plans.

After arriving in Hongyuan County, she had no time to rest before Qi Ye, Zhao Liangzhu, Liu Chengxi, Liu Deming, Xu Xianmin, Sun Qi, Zhang Chunhua and others came to her.

After hearing the letter of surrender issued by Gu Feiyan, everyone rushed to inquire about the news and asked if there was any way they could help.

In Gu Feiyan's letter of surrender, the reason used was still to attack the rebellious Zhu and Gu families, and neither explicitly nor implicitly pointed to Luo Wanyou.

The Zhu and Gu families in Hongyuan County had already been raided. If it was really their branches in other counties causing trouble, she wouldn't have to go through so much trouble to rush back to Hongyuan County to recruit the bandits.

Therefore, with a little thought, one would know that this letter of recruitment was just a cover.

But even if Chen Shao trusted them, he couldn't tell the truth.

After drinking half a cup of tea and relieving his fatigue from the past few days, Chen Shao had a more reasonable explanation in his mind.

Glancing at everyone one by one, Chen Shaoxian gave a brief account of the Mengshe Smelting Supervisor.

Since she had no intention of dealing with Luo Wanyou openly, she pushed the matter of Mengshe Smelting Supervisor onto the Zhu family, Gu family and others, which naturally explained her intention of recruiting the bandits.

The news of the iron mine collapse had long been a hot topic. Qi Ye, Zhao Liangzhu, and the others had heard countless versions of the story, but none were as convincing as Chen Shao, a rescuer.

After letting them angrily curse the Zhu family, the Gu family and others for a while, Chen Shao deliberately changed the subject and asked about their respective situations during the months she was away.

After their emotions had calmed down, Chen Shao talked about the arrangements for returning to Hongyuan County.

It can be predicted that in the next few months, a large number of bandits or people who come to join in the fun will flock to Hongyuan County.

It is inevitable that someone will take advantage of this opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

It cannot be avoided, and we can only try our best to prevent chaos from happening.

"Don't worry, sir. I will go back and tell the people in the village to unite and resist these people with bad intentions!" Tao Ming responded loudly after hearing what she said.

Zhang Ruyuan and the others had been following her, and had gained countless benefits from her. Now that she had finally returned, he naturally couldn't miss her again.

Chen Shao glanced at him and agreed, "Someone's trying to take advantage of the situation. We can't handle it on our own, so what Tao Ming said is exactly what I want to say. When you go back, besides telling everyone in the village about this matter, so that everyone can be more vigilant, you must also keep a record of all the people coming and going from other villages. If you find anyone amiss, you must immediately send them to the prefectural governor's office."

Tao Ming was praised and answered loudly.

Liu Deming, Xu Xianmin and others looked at him, echoed him and said that they would tell the villagers the truth after returning, and then dispersed one after another.

Qi Ye and Zhao Liangzhu deliberately slowed down their pace, and only turned back and sat in front of Chen Shao again after everyone had walked far away.

Before Chen Shao could speak, the Seventh Master spoke first, "I know that recruiting bandits is far from as simple as you say. I can't help you with anything else. Those boys at home have never known how to repay you. This is a rare opportunity. I'll let them come over and listen to your orders."

"Also, the pharmacy is already on the right track. Although we don't make much money, we still have some left over. Please don't despise it, sir. We are in need of people and money right now. You can use it first and then make up for it later."

Zhao Liangzhu then said, "We've made some money in the past few months from these two markets. I'll send some of that over later."

Chen Shao thought for a moment and agreed.

Money and people are secondary. Now that chaos is coming, let them participate and jointly resist foreign enemies. When the chaos is over, they will definitely have a different sense of identity with the development and protection of Hongyuan County than before.

As long as this sense of identity remains, even if a few princes from the previous dynasty come, they will not be able to shake the foundation of Hongyuan County.

Seeing that she had agreed, the Seventh Master was afraid that she would regret it later, so he immediately stood up and said, "My Lord, you have been traveling hard for days. Take a break before those bandits come."

Zhao Liangzhu had wanted to discuss something else with her, but after hearing his words, he had no choice but to stand up and say, "My Lord, please take a rest. We will leave first."

Chen Shao was indeed a little tired, so he did not keep them. He sent them to the door, watched them walk away, returned to the house, washed up simply, ate something to fill his stomach, and then went to bed.

I slept for less than two hours when I suddenly woke up.

He tilted his head to see the pitch-black night outside and asked out of habit, "What time is it?"

When I heard Fu Jiu answer "Just after the hour of Xu", I remembered that she had already returned to Hongyuan County and Chan Yi had not followed her back.

After closing his eyes and relaxing for a moment, Chen Shao got up, drank two cups of cold tea, and walked out of the house. He looked at Fu Jiu lying on the tree and frowned, "What are you doing lying there? Get down quickly!"

Fu Jiu thought she had something to tell her, so she flew down and stood at the door.

Chen Shao looked into his clear eyes and asked, "Are you lying there in the middle of winter, starving?"

Fu Jiu scratched her head and said, "Someone's already here. I'll lie on top so I can see more clearly."

So fast?

Chen Shao was surprised: "Who are these people?"

Fu Jiu tilted her head. "They said they were bandits from Yang'an County or Tianbao County. There were about seven or eight of them. They wanted to see you, young master. I saw you were still asleep, so I asked them to wait in the lobby."

Seven or eight people are indeed not many. They are probably people sent by various bandit gangs to spy on the situation after seeing the letter of recruitment.

Chen Shao thought for a moment and then instructed Fu Jiu, "Tell the kitchen to prepare some hot soup for them to warm up."

Fu Jiu went off happily. When she came back and saw her about to leave, she immediately followed her and said, "Five more people have arrived."

Chen Shao said "hmm" to indicate that he understood.

There were eight people who came first, plus the five who came later, a total of thirteen people.

Before Chen Shao arrived, the thirteen people were scattered in groups of three or five, chatting with each other. When they saw Chen Shao coming, they immediately stood in the middle of the hall and respectfully clasped their fists to greet him.

Chen Shao nodded slightly, led everyone to the side hall and sat them down, then asked Fu Jiu to pour tea for everyone.

After the tea was poured, without her asking, the thirteen people stood up one after another and introduced themselves.

Thirteen people, from thirteen bandit gangs of varying sizes.

Just as she expected, the thirteen people were sent by various bandit gangs to gather information.

Being able to gather information meant she was willing to be recruited. The reason she didn't come directly was simply because she was afraid she would burn bridges after crossing them.

Time was pressing, so Chen Shao didn't beat around the bush. After the last person finished introducing themselves, he got straight to the point: "Since you all came here with sincerity, I won't hide anything from you. I'm sure your teams have all been recruited in recent years. To be honest, the people behind this recruitment are traitors. Their purpose is, as you all guessed, to recruit soldiers."

Watching everyone's changing expressions, Chen Shao paused for a moment before continuing, "Originally, I thought the rebels were just the likes of the Zhu and Gu families. Although they were powerful, we would have to work hard to wipe them out sooner or later. But obviously, we underestimated them."

Then, he told the whole story about the collapse of the Mengshe Iron Mine and how it was the traitors trying to cover up their collusion with the Shan State.

Everyone's faces changed drastically, and some of the hot-tempered ones couldn't help but curse.

Chen Shao knew that they were putting on a show, and their purpose was very simple, which was to tell her that they were willing to submit to her, and it all depended on whether she could give them corresponding benefits.

How many simple-minded people can there be in a bandit gang that can remain unmoved and maintain a certain level of strength despite Luo Wanyou's various "recruitments"?

Chen Shao didn't point it out, but went straight to the point. "The rebels have been entrenched in Jiannan Road for many years, and their strength should not be underestimated. Therefore, while you are here to help, we will provide you with swords, weapons, armor, food, and lodging. After the rebels are eliminated, if you still wish to serve the court, you can convert your performance during the elimination of the rebels into military merit and receive rewards accordingly. If you do not wish to join the army, you can also exchange your military merit for official positions in the various counties and prefectures of Jiannan Road."

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

Chen Shao curled his lips calmly, then raised his voice to silence their whispers, "Please listen to me until I'm done before we discuss anything. You all should be aware that the imperial court's military merit is accumulated on a rotational basis. No matter how strong the rebels are, they can't withstand the large number of people surrounding them. To prevent you from going through so much trouble only to gain little in the end, I will rank you according to the amount of military merit you have."

Under everyone's focused gaze, Chen Shao slowly spoke, "The person ranked first, if his military merit has not reached the sixth rank, will be counted as the sixth rank, and will be promoted to the rank of Upper Cavalry Commandant. He can also make an exception and serve as the County Magistrate of a lower county. The person ranked second, if his military merit has not reached the fifth rank, will be counted as the fifth rank, and will be promoted to the rank of Cavalry Commandant. He can also make an exception and serve as the County Magistrate of a lower county. The person ranked third, if his military merit has not reached the fourth rank, will be counted as the fourth rank, and will be promoted to the rank of Xiaoqiwei. He can also make an exception and serve as the County Lieutenant of a lower county."

"Of course, these are arrangements made in the event that the target is not reached. If it is reached and exceeded, an additional reward will be added based on the actual situation."

"What about the fourth and fifth place?" someone asked impatiently.

"The fourth, fifth, and following rankings," Chen Shao paused for a moment before continuing, "will all be rewarded according to their actual military merit."

Only when there is competition can we give our all.

Only by giving it your all can you achieve a quick victory.

"This……"

Some people wanted to fight for it again, but someone else quickly asked, "Where are these rebels? How can we encircle and suppress them?"

Chen Shao said, "The rebels are scattered around. The specific method of encircling and suppressing them requires you to ask your respective leaders to come and discuss and select them in detail."

As soon as he finished speaking, five people quickly stood up, said goodbye to Chen Shao, and walked away quickly.

The remaining people wanted to ask a few more questions, but when they saw this situation, they quickly stood up and followed.

Soon, the thirteen people left without a trace.

When they arrived at the gate of the prefectural government, they ran into other bandits who had come to inquire about the news, and they all remained silent in unison.

No one was stupid. Seeing these people rushing to get in, those who arrived later guessed that something had happened and quickly followed the person leading the way into the lobby.

After hearing Chen Shao's words in the side hall of the lobby, he cursed the person he had met before for eating alone, and rushed out in a hurry.

When he was leaving the prefectural government, he met people who arrived later and stopped him to ask about the situation, but he kept his mouth shut and refused to say a single word.

Are you kidding? If he wants to gain more military merits, he has to seize the initiative. He wasted so much time to get the information, why should he let others take advantage of it?

With this mentality, everyone came and left in a hurry.

Chen Shao had more than one thing on his hands. After receiving several groups of people, he left Fu Jiu behind and returned to Chengfeng Courtyard.

Less than a day after returning, a thick pile of letters was already piled on the desk.

Chen Shao picked up a letter at random. It was sent by the imperial guards who were searching the backyard of the Yunnan County Governor's Mansion.

While Sun Shoushan was impersonating Sun Guishan as the prefect of Yunnan County, twenty-one of Sun Guishan's relatives and friends sought refuge with him. To conceal his identity, Sun Shoushan murdered all twenty-one. The remains of all twenty-one have been exhumed.

Sun Shoushan was very popular among the local people in Yunnan County because of his many benevolent policies that benefited the people. When the imperial guards and elite soldiers were digging up the corpses, both the officials of the prefectural office and the yamen runners were watching in secret with a common hatred for the enemy, and they kept in touch with the people in the city from time to time.