He Xun motioned for Ning Weizhi to sit down and talk, and then he stepped forward and took his seat as well.
As he moved, he revealed Su Nansheng behind him.
Ning Weizhi was surprised and looked up at He Xun.
He Xun understood what he meant and smiled faintly.
"My wife was reluctant to part with me and insisted on coming with me. I hope you, Lord Ning, will forgive her."
Su Nansheng almost knocked herself out on the nearby table, but her smile remained dignified as she nodded solemnly.
He's right. I really can't bear to part with him.
Seeing this, He Xun lowered his head to drink his tea, hiding the corners of his mouth that were curling up.
Ning Weizhi's beard twitched three times. There was no need to explain it so clearly.
"I was rash. I forgot that General He has just gotten married. I should have invited you to my office to talk in detail."
Ning Weizhi sighed inwardly. Youth really was wonderful. His wives wished he would stay in his office all day.
"Please don't call me General anymore. Lord Ning, please tell me about the bandit suppression. Where did these bandits come from?"
He Xun steered the conversation back on track.
It had been more than a month since he returned to the capital. He hadn't even heard much about theft, let alone bandits.
Ning Weizhi sighed and shook his head.
"The county of Changping outside the city sent a request for help to me. There have always been bandits hiding in Qilin Mountain there. Unfortunately, it's also the only way into the city. In the past two years, countless merchants and common people have suffered at their hands.
Those who were lucky only lost some goods and money. Those who were unlucky lost both their lives and their possessions."
As he spoke, Ning Weizhi let out another long sigh.
He Xun glanced at him and said,
"Changping County is adjacent to the capital. I'm sure the military forces there are no less than those in your Jingzhao Prefecture. With your assistance, it shouldn't be difficult to surround and attack them."
"General, you may not know. Qilin Mountain is high and densely forested, full of poisonous insects. It's not something ordinary people can handle. Moreover, the mountain range is vast, stretching for dozens of miles. It's really difficult to form a siege.
I once led people to suppress the bandits there, but every time our troops arrived, the bandits had already fled. As soon as we left, they would regroup and cause trouble again."
When talking about this, the frown on Ning Weizhi's forehead was so deep that it could hold fish, showing how difficult the situation was.
"If that's the case, why don't you ask the Ministry of War for help? They have a strong army. What's there to worry about in clearing the banditry?"
He Xun stared at Ning Weizhi with sharp eyes, not missing any subtle expression on his face.
He was now just a general in name only, without any troops under his command.
Instead of asking him for advice, it would be easier to submit a memorial and ask the Ministry of War to suppress the bandits.
But Ning Weizhi came to him for help. Why?
Ning Weizhi stroked his beard and didn't say a word.
Seeing this, He Xun didn't urge him. He just gently blew the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water.
Ning Weizhi didn't speak, but Su Nansheng knew why.
In recent years, the capital had been getting increasingly peaceful. So the Jingzhao Prefecture resented the Ministry of War for taking their salaries but not doing their jobs, just sitting in their positions without achieving anything.
The Ministry of War, on the other hand, thought that the Jingzhao Prefecture could only handle matters like catching thieves and murderers all day long. They were overambitious but lacked the ability.
The two sides disliked each other and had long had conflicts that were difficult to reconcile.
Moreover, the Jingzhao Prefecture had tried to suppress the bandits several times but had always returned without success. If they were to ask the Ministry of War for help now, wouldn't it just prove that their Jingzhao Prefecture was incompetent and inferior to the Ministry of War?
...
The front hall was completely quiet. After waiting for a long time and still not hearing Ning Weizhi speak, He Xun gave Su Nansheng a look.
Huh?
Su Nansheng was confused. She didn't understand what He Xun meant.
He Xun was helpless. He made a mouth shape of "leave" and then glanced at Ning Weizhi, who was lowering his head and twirling his beard.
Oh? Was it time for her, the so - called beauty who brought calamity, to step in?
Su Nansheng very artificially twirled her hair.
"Husband, I'm so tired of sitting. Anyway, you've finished your talk. Please accompany me back to rest."
Her voice was so sweet and cloying that Ning Weizhi almost pulled out his beard.
How outrageous! Didn't they see that they were discussing important matters?
Just as Ning Weizhi was about to slam the table and stand up, he saw He Xun already getting up. "Okay."
Then he looked at Ning Weizhi.
"Since you, Lord Ning, are in such a difficult situation, we might as well just drop this matter."
Ning Weizhi looked deeply at He Xun and then let out a bitter laugh.
"General, why do you need to provoke me? I'll just tell you straight. We've had a long - standing grudge with the Ministry of War..."
Only then did He Xun sit back down on his chair, looking half - smiling.
Wanting his help but not wanting to tell the truth. There was no such cheap thing in the world.
Since Su Nansheng knew the reason, she ignored Ning Weizhi's words and only worried about what was to come.
In her previous life, He Xun agreed to Ning Weizhi's request. Although he finally cleared the banditry, he got injured and had to recuperate for more than half a month.
The root cause was within the Jingzhao Prefecture.
The reason why the bandits in Qilin Mountain couldn't be suppressed after several attempts was that there was a spy in the Jingzhao Prefecture.
Every time they tried to suppress the bandits, the bandits would get the news in advance and naturally flee early.
Now that she knew this, she certainly couldn't let He Xun get injured again.
But how should she bring it up? You know, those who could enter the Jingzhao Prefecture had to have a clean family background for three generations and be upright people.
It was not good to suspect anyone, and she didn't know exactly who the spy was. What should she do?
Su Nansheng tapped the table lightly with her index finger, looking solemn.
"This matter concerns the face of the Jingzhao Prefecture and the safety of the common people. I sincerely hope that General He can lend me a helping hand. If the banditry can be cleared, I will surely remember your kindness forever."
At the end of his speech, Ning Weizhi bowed deeply to He Xun, looking extremely respectful.
He Xun supported Ning Weizhi with a false gesture.
"Lord Ning, there's no need to be so polite. Since I still hold the position of general, suppressing bandits is my duty."
"Then, regarding the bandit suppression, I wonder if General He has any good ideas?"
Seeing that He Xun agreed to help, Ning Weizhi's voice sounded much more relaxed.
He Xun rubbed the green teacup in his hand, his eyes as cold and sharp as a blade.
"Since we can't surround and suppress them, we might as well lure the enemy in. Since they always target merchants and common people, we'll send them a rich merchant. Once they take the bait, we'll capture a live one and interrogate them to find out their hiding place, then wipe them out in one fell swoop.
At that time, the bandit leader will be lingchi, and the rest of the bandits will all be beheaded. Their bodies will be hung on the city wall as a warning."
There was no expression on He Xun's face, but Ning Weizhi shivered involuntarily.
"Lingchi and public display. Isn't it a bit too cruel?"
"Cruel?"
He Xun glanced at Ning Weizhi and then lowered his head to drink his tea, not saying another word.
If they spared the lives of these bandits, that would be cruel to others.
Ning Weizhi saw what he meant and felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly said,
"They deserve to die. We really can't be soft - hearted towards these people. General's plan to lure the enemy is indeed a good one. It's just the choice of the rich merchant..."
At this point, he paused for a moment and then said,
"If we look for a real merchant, I'm afraid no one will have the courage to agree. But if we let the yamen runners pretend to be a merchant, we're afraid the bandits will recognize them.
If we ask other officials to pretend, we're afraid that if something happens to them during the bandit suppression, our Jingzhao Prefecture won't be able to take the responsibility."
A sneer appeared on He Xun's face. "So?"