The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Xie Chong's gratitude towards Guan Xing was heartfelt. He knew that without Guan Xing, he would not have been able to take revenge, let alone escape from Jianye Prison. He would have been stuck there, rotting and dying silently.

Death is nothing to him, but how could he face his parents, brothers and sisters-in-law in the afterlife if he died with his great revenge unfulfilled?

Guan Xing saved him from his suffering and helped him avenge his family. Guan Xing's kindness to him was like a second life, and he had no way to repay it but to serve him with his life.

Guan Xing bent down to help him up, patted his shoulder and laughed, "Now that you've avenged your great grudge, don't dwell on the past. Look forward and strive for the future. Your prime years have just begun."

After speaking, he turned around and looked at the generals seriously, saying, "Although the problem of bandits has been solved, it has not been eliminated. If we want to quickly restore stability to Wushang, we must eradicate the bandits who are harming the people. What are your opinions on the bandit suppression?"

The banditry in Wushang has become a disaster and must be resolved, otherwise the people will not even dare to leave their homes, how can they live and work in peace?

Xie Chong pondered for a moment, then turned and asked, "County Commandant Ji, you said at the execution ground that the biggest bandit in Wushang was the Poisonous Bees, with a thousand men. What about the other bandits? There can't be only the Poisonous Bees band in Wushang, can there?"

Ji Jie said with a wry smile, "Indeed, it's only the Poison Bee gang, and their weapons and equipment are no less than Wu's army."

Guan Xing said in surprise, "How is that possible? Even if Zhu Hong is stupid, he wouldn't support only one bandit group. There should be at least two or three groups to check and balance each other."

With subordinates checking and balancing each other, Zhu Hong, who came from a noble family and was also a county magistrate, could not possibly have been unaware of this.

You can doubt Zhu Hong's character, but you can't doubt his intelligence; there are no fools among the gentry.

But why is there only one bandit group? What went wrong?

Ji Jie replied, "Initially, Zhu Hong did indeed support three bandit groups to serve him. The Poison Bees were the weakest of them, but the leader of the Poison Bees, the Queen Bee, was not one to be outdone. She secretly colluded with the Mountain Yue Sect Commander and swallowed up the other two bandit groups and the petty thieves in Wushang territory."

"After the annexation, they set their sights on the nearby counties, showing great potential for rise. By the way, the queen bee's name is Yan Zhen, the son of Yan Baihu."

Guan Xing suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is."

He knew of Yan Baihu's deeds. Yan Baihu was a powerful figure in Jiangdong and a major rival of Sun Ce in unifying Jiangdong. He was defeated and killed by Sun Ce.

This man was once a hero, but unexpectedly his son has become a bandit. He's really going downhill as he gets older.

Guan Xing asked in confusion, "But I still don't understand why Zhu Hong would just watch him grow stronger without doing anything. Is he related to the Yan family?"

Ji Jie shook his head and said, "It's not that we didn't care, it's just that we failed, so Zhu Hong spent a lot of money to bribe officials in Jianye to transfer himself to Yuzhang."

"That damn Zhu Hong ruined Wushang and then just walked away. He can leave, but where can we ordinary folks go? He's a real piece of work."

This was truly infuriating, making Xie Chong grit his teeth and wish he could bring Zhu Hong back to life and chop him down again.

Ji Jie said with relief, "Fortunately, you have arrived, Captain. The people of Wushang are saved. I am willing to personally lead the way and assist you in entering the mountains to suppress the bandits."

"To be honest, although I have been unable to suppress the bandits over the years, I have not been idle. Taking advantage of Yan Zhen's reckless expansion, I have infiltrated more than a dozen spies into the Poisonous Bee organization and found out all of Poisonous Bee's strongholds. As long as we have enough manpower, we can eradicate this evil bandit group at any time."

The duties of a county constable are to maintain order and apprehend thieves; suppressing bandits is Ji Jie's responsibility.

Guan Xing said excitedly, "That's great! Everyone, get a good rest tonight, and come with me into the mountains to suppress the bandits tomorrow."

Xie Chong reminded him, "Captain, we have been traveling for more than ten days, and the soldiers are exhausted. Should we rest for two days before continuing?"

While giving the warning, he also winked at Guan Xing, the meaning of which was clear: Ji Jie could not be completely trusted. What if he colluded with Poison Bee and led us into an ambush?

Guan Xing understood Xie Chong's concerns but didn't take them to heart. As soon as he left the execution ground, he asked Ning Huan to investigate Ji Jie's character. He learned that Ji Jie had a good reputation in Wushang and had a major grudge against Poison Bee, so it was impossible for him to collude with him. He could be trusted completely.

Guan Xing said, "No, Wu Jun is definitely on his way to attack us. If we don't deal with the poisonous bees before Wu Jun arrives, we will be attacked from both sides. Go and prepare."

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Xie Chong did not try to persuade him any further, but clasped his hands in a bow and turned to leave.

Before they could even leave the main hall, two soldiers rushed in, carrying a ragged young man, and said urgently, "Captain, this man says he came down from the mountain and has important information about poisonous bees to report to County Commandant Ji."

Ji Jie took the young man from the two men and exclaimed, "Er Gou, how come it's you? Captain, his name is Wang Er Gou, he's my secret agent who infiltrated Poison Bee."

Guan Xing said urgently, "Quickly, wake him up."

The young man quickly regained consciousness, grabbed Ji Jie's clothes and said urgently, "County Commandant, something terrible has happened! The Queen Bee is gathering troops to attack the county town!"

Ji Jie exclaimed, "Attack the county seat? Has he gone mad? What is this Yan fellow trying to do? Rebellion?"

Poisonous bees are just bandits who rob and plunder outside, and the government troops are too lazy to bother with them. But if they attack a city, the nature of the crime changes, and they will be defined as rebels by the county and directly besieged and suppressed.

Suppressing organized crime requires evidence, but quelling rebellions only requires a list.

Wang Ergou shook his head and said, "This is beyond my knowledge. I urge the county magistrate to make preparations as soon as possible."

Guan Xing asked, "Which direction did you come from? Where are the poisonous bees currently gathering?"

Wang Ergou looked puzzled. He didn't know Guan Xing and had no idea who he was.

Ji Jie hurriedly scolded, "This is Captain Guan. Answer whatever he asks."

Wang Ergou quickly replied, "This humble servant came from Fuhu Mountain. The poisonous bees are currently gathering at the foot of Fuhu Mountain, waiting for nightfall."

Guan Xing then asked, "When did the Poisonous Bees decide to attack the county town? Was it today, yesterday, or even earlier?"

The timing of the attack determines the target. Guan Xing first needs to figure out whether the poisonous bees are coming for Zhu Hong or for him.

Wang Ergou replied, "Preparations began three days ago. The checks were quite strict during the preparation period, and I only found the opportunity to go down the mountain today."

It seems they're targeting Zhu Hong.

Guan Xing nodded and said, "You've worked hard. You deserve the credit for this successful bandit suppression. Send Brother Wang down to rest. Ning Huan and Ji Jie, you two go to Fuhu Mountain immediately to investigate. From now on, I need to know every move of Poison Bee."

"Here..." The two quickly left.

Xie Chong pondered, "Captain, I suggest sending men disguised as Wushang soldiers to continue patrolling the city walls, and then ordering the main force to ambush in the city, creating the illusion that we have not discovered anything unusual, so as to lure the poisonous bees into the city and annihilate them."

"If the captain is worried about harming the people, he can let them temporarily hide in the county government office and the mansions of the three major families."

The county town only had 30,000 to 40,000 people, which was more than enough to accommodate the county government office and the mansions of the gentry.

Guan Xing pondered for a moment but shook his head and said, "That's not appropriate."