Pick up a princess to be your wife

"I beg the young general to lend me a hand," Ge Desheng said.

"Go into the city to arrest them? Or go to suppress the bandits?" Xiao Yunfei asked.

"We don't need to capture anyone, but we need to wipe out the mountain bandits," Ge Desheng said.

"Tiger Head Stronghold is entrenched in Zhangxian Ridge, a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. I only have a little over a hundred soldiers, and I'm afraid I won't be able to take down Tiger Head Stronghold," Xiao Yunfei said.

Last time, Xiao Yunfei suffered a great loss at the hands of Tiger Head Village.

He was immediately restrained by Zhai Fei.

If all the members of Tiger Head Stronghold were to join the battle and fight Xiao Yunfei, he was confident that he could annihilate them.

He cannot make the same mistake again.

But Tiger Head Village would never leave its stronghold to fight.

Therefore, it was impossible for his hundred-plus men to take down Tiger Head Village.

Xiao Yunfei looked down on Ge Desheng, a merchant, but the latter looked down on Xiao Yunfei, a second-generation general.

The former thought the latter was full of scheming, while the latter thought the former was just an arrogant and incompetent fool.

"To retrieve the refined iron, we cannot rely on brute force; we must use strategy. Young general, you are well-versed in military strategy; do you have a plan?" Ge Desheng asked.

"No matter how clever we are, Tiger Head Stronghold won't come out of their stronghold to meet us. Unless we have at least three thousand troops, a direct attack would be suicide," Xiao Yunfei said.

He had carefully surveyed Zhangxianling, a place with treacherous terrain. Anyone with a modicum of sense from the people of Hutou Village wouldn't dare leave the village to fight.

Thinking about it this way, what's the use of a plan?

“Young general, you are mistaken. Difficulties are before us, but people can always find a solution. Didn’t you say you need three thousand soldiers to go up the mountain? We’ll bring three thousand soldiers over,” Ge Desheng said, squinting.

"Where are we going to get so many troops?" Xiao Yunfei asked.

Currently, the combat-capable troops of the Great Yan Dynasty are mostly engaged in fighting against the Wu rebels.

If there were truly surplus troops, how could so many bandit forces have emerged in Lingnan Province in just over three months?

“Luyang County has tens of thousands of able-bodied men; we can recruit them,” Ge Desheng said.

Ge Desheng thought to himself, "Is there no way to fight without troops?"

"Recruit soldiers? What kind of fighting power do they have? Even if you recruit three thousand soldiers, they'll just be sent to their deaths," Xiao Yunfei said.

“If I can’t get the refined iron back, I’ll just hang myself. But what about you, young general? You are the great general’s only son, the hope of the Xiao family,” Ge Desheng said.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xiao Yunfei asked.

“We only have so many chips, and we have to bet them all at once. If the young general follows my plan, we have at least a 50% chance of winning,” Ge Desheng said.

Tell me your plan.

"Now, in addition to your more than one hundred soldiers, the only fighting force in Luyang County is the government's thousand constables."

We asked Yu Rong to order the conscription, and the more than one hundred men under the young general's command, along with a thousand government officials, joined the ranks as commoners.

When we set out to suppress the bandits, we should bring plenty of weapons. Only when Tiger Head Stronghold sees our troops looking like clay chickens and earthen dogs will they be willing to come out of their stronghold to meet us.

If the plan succeeds, the young general can lead his men into the mountain stronghold, and taking Tiger Head Stronghold will be no problem.

Ge Desheng said.

Ge Desheng's plan surprised Xiao Yunfei.

How could a merchant have such a mind?

Even he didn't expect that he might not even be as good as a merchant.

"What if Tiger Head Stronghold doesn't fall for it?" Xiao Yunfei asked.

"Then let fifteen masked men lead the charge. They are well-equipped and have ranged weapons; perhaps they can break through the defenses."

If they also lose, and we seize their weapons and equipment—fifteen sets of chainmail—maybe the boss will be lenient with us.

Ge Desheng said.

"I understand what you mean." Xiao Yunfei nodded.

Find Yu Rong and ask him to order the conscription, including not only Xiao Yunfei's men and government officials, but also those fifteen people.

“There will be many variables, but as long as we keep things under control, we will definitely be able to turn danger into safety,” Ge Desheng said.

Xiao Yunfei began to think carefully.

"What does the young general think?" Ge Desheng asked.

Xiao Yunfei did not answer.

"If the young general has no better solution, then do not hesitate and come with me to the county government immediately."

Xiao Yunfei agreed anyway.

The two went to the county government office together.

Zero Money Shop and Xiao Yunfei had almost no dealings with local officials because neither of them was subject to their control.

Yu Rong was greatly surprised to see the manager of Zero Money Shop and Xiao Yunfei come together today.

"I apologize for not being able to greet you properly today," Yu Rong said, bowing with his hands clasped.

Yu Rong and Xiao Yunfei held the same rank, both being seventh-rank officials. Ge Desheng, however, was merely a merchant, holding no rank or official position.

Civil officials of the same rank are superior to military officials, so logically the two should bow to Yu Rong first.

But both of them have powerful connections.

Compared to these two people's backgrounds, Yu Rong is nothing.

“Magistrate Yu, I have a request,” Ge Desheng said.

"Please speak freely, Manager Ge."

“Not long ago, Zero Bank was robbed by Tiger Head Village, suffering heavy losses. Today, I would like to request Magistrate Yu to conscript soldiers to suppress the bandits,” Ge Desheng said.

Yu Rong cursed the other party in his heart for a while.

He already knew about the robbery at Zero Money House.

But he didn't want to get involved in such matters, and even if he wanted to, he was powerless to do so.

Xiao Yunfei had two hundred elite soldiers, yet he couldn't defeat Tiger Head Stronghold. How could Yu Rong possibly defeat them?

This is not something that can be won simply by having more people.

Recruiting soldiers is simple; it's just a matter of giving each person a knife. But what kind of fighting power could such a force have? They'd probably crumble the moment the Tiger Head Stronghold soldiers brandish their swords.

"It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that I'm powerless to do so. The laborers temporarily conscripted are simply incapable of fighting. Sending them to suppress the bandits will only add to the number of lives lost," Yu Rong said tactfully.

“Magistrate Yu, even if this matter puts you in a difficult position, we still need your permission,” Ge Desheng said.

Ge Desheng glanced at Xiao Yunfei.

“Mountain bandits are a menace to the region. As the county magistrate, you should do your utmost to eliminate them and ensure the peace and stability of the area,” Xiao Yunfei said.

He didn't want to say such polite words; even he felt disgusted by them.

Yu Rong was inwardly groaning; the fact that Luyang County was still able to remain peaceful and stable was largely thanks to him.

He was preoccupied with the affairs of Luyang County every day, and was constantly thinking about what to do after the Wu bandits invaded Lingnan Road. He had no time to worry about the gains and losses of Zero Money House or how to eliminate any mountain bandits.

Zero Money Shop is truly despicable. It has been clinging to Lingnan and sucking the blood of the people without giving them anything in return.

But now, the people of Luyang County are the ones who have suffered losses.

Yet Ge Desheng and Xiao Yunfei still managed to present their words in such a high-sounding and respectable manner.

Yu Rong never considered himself a good person.

But compared to Zero Money Shop, he felt like a saint.

The main reason he was unwilling was that he would not get any benefit from doing things for the other party, whether good or bad.