“Sir, is there anything else?”
Qing Mulan stopped in his tracks.
“Regarding the bandit suppression, what are your plans?”
Jin Feng asked, “How many men will you deploy, when will it start, from where will it begin, and what tactics will you use?”
“The Qingyuan Army at Da San Pass is a second-class army, the Changxin Army at Ba Province is a third-class army, fully staffed they total eight thousand men, but some need to stay to guard the camp, so I estimate around five thousand can be mobilised.”
Qing Mulan replied, “Since we are borrowing the name of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency, we should start from the Jinchuan area, as for tactics, I also want to use the method you used against Heishuigou, directly sending men to blockade the bandits, this saves the most manpower.”
After listening, Jin Feng shook his head and said, “Mulan, this works in Jinchuan, but it won’t work elsewhere.”
Qing Mulan asked unconvinced, “Why?”
“Because the Zhao County Lieutenant behind Heishuigou and the others all know I, Jin Feng, am a madman, and they fear retaliation from Marquis Qing, so unless absolutely necessary, they dare not strike me dead.”
“But outside Jinchuan County, who knows who I, Jin Feng, am? Who knows where the Zhenyuan Escort Agency came from?”
Jin Feng said, “In this situation, if you scatter your troops, you are courting death!”
“And have you forgotten Hutou Mountain and Shuangtuo Peak? The bandits’ lairs also have small paths, you arrive in unfamiliar places, knowing neither the people nor the terrain, how can you possibly seal them off?”
Qing Mulan was stumped, thought for a moment, but still stubbornly said, “But didn’t you blockade the Heishuigou bandits?”
“How many terrains like Heishuigou can you encounter?”
Jin Feng glanced at Qing Mulan, “Even if you encounter one and blockade it, what do you plan to do next? Are you going to have the Qingyuan Army and Changxin Army stalemate with the bandits forever?”
“That naturally won’t happen, once they are blockaded, I will gather men to wipe them out!” Qing Mulan replied.
“Then why blockade them at all, why not just send men to storm them from the start?” Jin Feng countered.
“Uh…” Qing Mulan scratched his head, then suddenly showed a look of realisation, bowed to Jin Feng and said, “Please instruct me, sir.”
“Warfare requires adapting to circumstances, every battlefield is different, the personalities of the bandit leaders in command are different too, I can’t teach you specifics, I can only give you one suggestion.”
“Please speak, sir.”
“In a situation like this now, don’t think about dispersing your forces to win with fewer against more, the safest way is to concentrate your forces and create momentum!”
Jin Feng said, “I suggest you divide the five thousand men into five teams, then bring heavy crossbows and catapults, when you encounter bandits, first urge them to surrender, those who don’t surrender, crush them with the strongest and fastest means.”
“That makes sense, my brother’s goal is not to kill, but to stop the bandits from collecting annual grain, fighting a few battles like this will deter the bandits!”
Qing Mulan nodded in sudden understanding, then asked, “But if the bandits hide in the mountains and come out again after we leave, what then?”
“That’s why there is no eternal winning strategy in the world, this is the drawback of this tactic.”
Jin Feng said, “When you set out, bring Xiaoyu and the others, in every place you reach, have them mobilise the masses as much as possible to provide intelligence for you, this will make it much easier.”
“That is the only way.”
Qing Mulan nodded, then asked with an embarrassed smile, “Speaking of Xiaoyu, sir, can you lend me some men? This time is too rushed, I have no time to train the Qingyuan Army and Changxin Army to use heavy crossbows and catapults.”
“This…”
Jin Feng put on a hesitant expression, but inside he almost laughed out loud.
Actually, even if Qing Mulan hadn’t mentioned it, he was planning to bring it up later.
As the saying goes, a thousand troops are easy to get, but one general is hard to find, the same goes for grassroots officers, they must be tempered by the fires of war to qualify.
And this bandit suppression operation had tight timing and heavy tasks, yet the enemy was not that strong, it was a perfect opportunity to train the escorts and female soldiers.
If people were needed in the future, these men would become the backbone of the team, recruit some more soldiers, and the team could be pulled together.
Letting Qing Mulan take Xiaoyu was for this reason too.
“I can agree, but for every male soldier I send, you must assign two female soldiers to assist him, and after these female soldiers return, they must join the escort agency, even if you leave Xihe Bay later, you cannot take them away.”
Since Qing Mulan had raised it proactively, Jin Feng naturally seized the chance to make demands.
Qing Mulan thought for a moment, nodded and agreed, “Alright.”
Three days later, the Qingyuan Army and Changxin Army arrived in Jinchuan one after another, Jin Feng did not let them enter the village, but had them camp in the Changshegou area.
Zhang Liang also, as per Jin Feng’s request, selected one hundred elite veterans from various places and handed them over to Qing Mulan.
The army only rested in Changshegou for two days, reorganising into teams and planning strategy.
In these two days, Jin Feng gave Xiaoyu crash training, then had her take the newly recruited personnel and set off with Qing Mulan.
On the same day, the merchant caravan escorted by Tiechui finally arrived at the west gate of Bianjing.
The curtain of the carriage behind opened, the female shopkeeper Luo Lan looked at the tall and majestic city walls, her face showing more excitement and anticipation than fatigue.
Anticipating making a big splash in the capital.
Although Da Kang was corrupt, the Imperial Guards protecting the capital were still very strict, not only checking their identity plaques and travel permits, but also opening and inspecting all the goods carried by Tiechui and the others before letting them enter the city.
“Brother Tiechui, where do we go now?” Han Feng asked, “To the Duke of Qing’s mansion first, or to an inn first?”
“It wouldn’t be proper to visit the Duke looking travel-worn like this, let’s go to an inn first.”
Tiechui turned to the carriage, “Miss Luo Lan, the master said we might be stationed in the capital long-term from now on, you should look around later, see if there are suitable courtyards and shops, we can secure them first.”
“Yes!” Luo Lan nodded slightly, her eyes immediately scanning the roadside.
Not only noting shops with rental signs, but also observing the crowds by the road.
Tiechui led the group along the main street for over half an hour, finding an inn closest to the Duke of Qing’s mansion.
After washing off the travel dust and changing into fresh clothes, Tiechui took Luo Lan and Han Feng to the Duke of Qing’s mansion.
With Tiechui’s status, he was not qualified to request an audience with the Duke, but this time he brought Jin Feng’s calling card and Qing Mulan’s personal letter, in a way representing Jin Feng, and it was to deliver gifts to the Imperial Noble Consort, counting as official business.
So this time Tiechui did not seek the steward or Qing Huai’s mother, but formally submitted the calling card to request an audience with the Duke.
The Duke of Qing was busy with affairs, generally after submitting a calling card, it would take one or two days, or even five or six days, before receiving the visitor.
So Tiechui, after seeing the doorkeeper accept the card and telling him the name of their inn, left with Luo Lan and Han Feng, planning to return tomorrow to ask when the Duke would have time to see him.
But they had not gone far when the doorkeeper on horseback caught up.
“Finally caught up with you, honoured guests, the Duke invites you!”
