Starting with choosing a wife, creating the most powerful Xia

"Who goes there? How dare you stop Lord Chu's carriage!"

Looking at those men, each one burly and fierce-looking, Liang An suddenly sensed something was wrong. He jumped off the carriage with his sword drawn and shouted loudly.

Several constables followed him and confronted the group.

I felt a little uneasy.

They had come too smoothly and had become complacent. They never expected that just when they were about to finish, someone would block their way. This person did not seem to be a good person.

Looking around, there were probably one or two hundred people. Their bloodlust made even these constables, who were used to a life of luxury in Lucheng, tremble with fear.

Ah Leng stopped chatting, narrowed her eyes slightly, and looked at the person blocking her way.

"My lord, should I deal with them all?"

She could tell at a glance that those people had committed murder, while her own guards, apart from Liang An, were all effeminate and useless.

So he simply asked.

But Chu Xuan shook his head, seemingly sensing something was amiss, and stopped him: "No rush, let's wait and see. If there's really an anomaly, it's not too late for you to make your move."

Since Chu Xuan had spoken, A Leng had no choice but to wait and see.

After Liang An shouted, a burly man stepped out from the group and planted the broadsword he was carrying into the ground.

"May I ask if this is the carriage of Young Master Chu Xuan?"

"Since you know that, why don't you get out of the way?! I am the head constable of Lucheng. If you don't move aside, I will chop you up and no one will dare to say a word!"

Liang An's eyes widened. The fact that the other party knew their identities meant that it might have been premeditated, and his expression grew even more serious.

But to his surprise, after he finished speaking, the group of people did not move aside, but instead did something that surprised him greatly.

Upon hearing this, the burly man who had come out immediately knelt before the carriage and horses, lowered his head, and shouted loudly.

"This humble commoner, Wang Fang of Jinwo Village, requests an audience with Young Master Chu!"

"We request an audience with Young Master Chu!"

The people behind him also knelt down, shouting loudly.

Chu Xuan couldn't help but smile: "Interesting, you've come looking for me?"

He then got up and got off the carriage.

Seeing him come down like that and walk towards the group, Liang An's expression changed, and he said nervously, "Sir, these people might be remnants of bandits from the nearby mountains. They are extremely vicious and cruel. We mustn't..."

"It doesn't matter."

Chu Xuan waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so nervous, and then walked to a position three zhang in front of Wang Fang.

This distance is safe enough; unless Wang Fang and his men have powerful crossbows, they are in an invincible position.

However, if they had powerful crossbows, they wouldn't have ended up as bandits.

Now, the gun is fast from three zhang away, and fast and accurate within three zhang!

"Your name is Wang Fang? Since you're a bandit, what business do you have with me?"

Chu Xuan looked at him with great interest.

Many of the people behind Wang Fang were probably not subordinates of Jinwozhai, but came from other forces.

Otherwise, a force of a hundred or two hundred people would definitely be considered top-tier in Wuming Mountain, and would not have remained unknown all this time, to the point that even Chu Xuan had never heard of it.

"Please, young master... spare our lives!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Fang didn't even lift his head, remaining banged on the ground, shouting hoarsely.

Upon hearing this, Liang An's expression immediately changed.

Scolded angrily.

"How dare you! Young Master is always kind-hearted, how can you slander him like this? Do you really think that my knife is not sharp enough?!"

When Wang Fang said those words, Liang An knew what he meant.

These people were probably the bandits who had been recruited by Duan Yu before.

I originally planned to follow Duan Yu, but I never expected that Duan Yu would die a few days later.

As for his remaining henchmen, given their connection to Chu Xuan, Cheng Han naturally dispatched many people to capture them.

These bandit strongholds were not very powerful to begin with, and after repeated blows, they are now on the verge of collapse. It is likely that they will soon be disbanded.

The bandits, having lost their powerful backers, either fled the area or were hunted down to death by Cheng Han.

Even if they leave, it's hard to say whether they can even get out of the nameless mountain area. Besides, if they go to someone else's territory, how could there be any extra space for these homeless dogs?

In the end, all that's left is death.

That is probably why they are willing to risk their lives to stop Chu Xuan's carriage today.

Chu Xuan looked down at the people kneeling on the ground, all of whom were filled with sorrow, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

Some things don't change over time; even if they change form, the core remains the same.

Just like these mountain bandits, they have existed in every dynasty. Have you ever seen them wiped out? They are like wildfire that cannot be extinguished, and they spring up again with the spring breeze.

Chu Xuan was not wrong, because if he wanted to protect his village and ensure its continued development, he had to eliminate all unstable factors, and bandits were the first to be targeted.

Cheng Han wasn't wrong either. He had the Chu family backing him, and to ensure he wouldn't have any problems, he couldn't afford to offend Chu Xuan.

Many of these bandits were indeed from prominent families, and according to the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, tenant farmers were registered in the household register and their taxes were paid by the master family. These so-called "hidden farmers" were tenant farmers who were hidden by their families and not registered in the household register.

In this way, they can naturally pay less money, which is a common practice for large families.

Without a household registration, one has no identity. After being abandoned by those families, even if one wants to leave, one may not be able to obtain a travel permit because of the lack of a household registration.

Even if I were to find a job as a waiter, I wouldn't be accepted.

They wanted to survive, and becoming bandits was the easiest way. As long as they were ruthless and hard-hearted, they might be able to make it big.

So who was really in the wrong? It's hard to say.

Chu Xuan sighed slightly and looked at Wang Fang.

"How many of you are there?"

Wang Fang was taken aback.

He had already prepared himself for the wrath that would follow him for offending Chu Xuan, but to his surprise, Chu Xuan's voice was not authoritative at all, as if he were just speaking casually to someone.

After a brief silence, he quickly replied, "Young master, not counting women and children, there are 176 people."

"If you include the elderly, women and children, there are 298 people."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xuan remained silent, boarded the carriage, and gestured for Liang An to drive away.

The carriage started moving and passed by the crowd. Many people trembled as they looked up at the tracks passing by, instinctively wanting to stop it, but when they saw the gleaming blade at Liang An's waist, they lost their courage.

Wang Fang lowered his head in despair. Chu Xuan had finally refused. After all, the latter was a high-ranking member of the Chu family and the lord of this place. How could people like them possibly catch his eye?

Anyway, many refugees die every year, so a few hundred more won't make a difference.

But at this moment, Chu Xuan's somewhat ethereal voice suddenly came from afar, as if it came from the valley, carrying a slight warmth.

"Tomorrow, have them wait at the entrance of the nameless village. Make it clear beforehand that if they want to stay, they must obey my orders. Anyone who dares to disobey will not be tolerated by the nameless village."

Wang Fang stared blankly at the departing carriage, his eyes moist.

His head slammed into the ground, drawing blood.

"Thank you, sir!"