OBS Chapter 1240 Suppressing Bandits
Chapter 1240 Suppressing Bandits
Chapter 1240 Suppressing Bandits
The next day, early in the morning, before the dew had dispersed, Qin Hao and Bai Jiaxuan had already driven their carriage to the Zishui County Government Office. Of course, it had been renamed the County Government Office.
Two lazy policemen were dozing against the wall and only opened their eyes reluctantly when they heard the sound of horse hooves.
"Stop, what are you doing?"
Bai Jiaxuan jumped off the carriage and said, "My two lords, I am the chief of Bailu Village. I am here to see County Magistrate He regarding the training of the village's militia."
The policeman looked at the two men suspiciously and said, "Wait."
After about ten minutes, Qin Hao and Bai Jiaxuan were brought into the yamen, and the leading policeman led them to a side hall.
Just as Bai Jiaxuan was about to lift his leg to go in, he was grabbed by Qin Hao, who then grabbed the wrist of the policeman leading the way and exerted force suddenly.
The policeman let out a scream, and several policemen in black leather clothes rushed out from the side hall.
Bai Jiaxuan looked carefully and found that the person in charge was the police captain who came to Bailu Village that day.
"Damn it, you dare to act wild in my territory!"
The police captain tore off his hat and threw it on the ground, then pulled out a pistol from his waist and pointed it at Qin Hao. The other policemen also pointed the black muzzles of their guns at the two of them.
"Why aren't you crazy anymore? Go crazy again, kid."
The police captain put one hand on his waist proudly.
However, just as the police captain was about to give the order to tie up the two men, he felt a flash before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain in his wrist. He could even clearly hear the crisp sound.
By the time he reacted and was about to open his mouth to scream, the black muzzle of the gun was already against his mouth.
"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to get too close to your opponent when you have a gun in your hand?"
The police captain nodded with a bitter face and said vaguely: "Material expenses, all material expenses."
"Oh, misunderstanding? With so many guns pointed at us, it's also a misunderstanding?"
The police captain quickly shouted to his men, "What are you still standing there for? Put your guns down! Are you trying to kill me?"
"Master, do you think this is okay?"
Qin Hao signaled Bai Jiaxuan to put away all the guns. Bai Jiaxuan then woke up as if from a dream and wrapped the stack of rifles with bandages and held them in his arms.
"Weren't you very wild just now? I still like your unruly look." Qin Hao pressed the muzzle of the gun against the police captain's temple.
The latter was so scared that he almost peed his pants: "Young Master, I was wrong. Please forgive me for my mistakes. I swear that from now on, if I see anyone from your Bailu Village, I will get out of here."
Seeing that Qin Hao was unmoved, he added: "Swear a poisonous oath."
Qin Hao sneered: "Hasn't anyone told you that men who swear frequently are the least trustworthy?"
The police captain almost cried: "Whatever you want, I will do it for you as long as I can do it."
"Stop talking nonsense and take me to see your county magistrate."
"what?"
"Ah what? You want to try what peanuts taste like?"
The police captain moved his feet cautiously with a bitter face, and at the same time persuaded Qin Hao: "Young man, I will pretend that you have never been here. If this matter is brought to the attention of the county magistrate, I will not be able to make the decision."
Bai Jiaxuan finally realized: "So the county magistrate doesn't know anything about this, and you are the one trying to catch a rat here?"
As it was a matter of life and death, the police captain could only beg for mercy: "My dears, I just wanted to cheat you out of some money, who knew..."
As they were talking, a group of people had already arrived at the front hall.
A thin man with a shaved head, about forty years old, wearing a Zhongshan suit was struggling to deal with a table full of sumptuous breakfast.
Hearing the noise outside, the bald man didn't even raise his eyelids and said impatiently: "Who is it? You won't let me have a meal in peace so early in the morning."
In the end, no one answered at all. The police captain didn't dare to speak at all. Qin Hao and Bai Jiaxuan just looked at each other silently.
The bald man looked up in confusion and saw his police captain with a gun pointed at his temple. He was so frightened that he almost crawled under the table.
It was Bai Jiaxuan who spoke again: "You are County Magistrate He, right? I am Bai Jiaxuan, the chief of Bailu Village..."
County Magistrate He pretended to be calm and said, "If you are a good citizen, why do you do such a robbery? If you have anything to say, put down your gun and we can talk slowly."
Qin Hao kicked the police captain over and stepped on his chest. Then he sat down opposite County Magistrate He and said to Bai Jiaxuan, "Da, you've been traveling so early in the morning. You must be hungry. Let's eat something."
Although Bai Jiaxuan felt that this was a little inappropriate, he still sat down and told County Magistrate He what had happened.
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate He glared at the police captain, then pretended to be serious and said, "I will definitely punish this man severely, but this is not the corrupt Qing Dynasty. Everything must be based on the law. You two should put down your guns first."
Bai Jiaxuan looked at his son hesitantly, and when he saw him slap the pistol on the table, he put down the pile of rifles.
Seeing the two men put down their guns, County Magistrate He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they abided by the law, it would be fine. What he feared most was that the scholar would encounter a soldier.
"Ahem, you two, although he did do something wrong, it is also illegal for you to train without permission..."
Before he could finish his words, Qin Hao slammed a letter of appointment on the table.
When County Magistrate He saw this, he was immediately horrified and quickly put on a flattering expression: "Oh, it turns out to be Captain Bai! It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"
He turned around and slapped the police captain: "You are blind! Why don't you apologize to Captain Bai!"
The police captain was stunned, but when he saw the look in County Magistrate He's eyes, he immediately nodded and bowed: "I don't know the real master..."
County Magistrate He personally poured tea for Qin Hao: "Captain Bai, you have come from afar and have worked hard along the way..."
Qin Hao had no time to deal with him. He was woken up by Bai Jiaxuan early in the morning and ate a bowl of noodles. His stomach was empty due to the bumpy ride in the carriage.
The food was gone in a flash, and Bai Jiaxuan also plucked up his courage and started eating.
County Magistrate He was extremely embarrassed.
After Qin Hao wiped his mouth with the tablecloth, he suddenly sighed: "County Magistrate He, to be honest, it is not easy to establish the security team. The food and guns are all obtained by the villagers from their teeth. Governor Zhang also asked the security team to eliminate the bandits in Zishui County as soon as possible."
At this point, Qin Hao paused and said, "It stands to reason that bandits are rampant in Zishui County, and you are not very competent as the county magistrate..."
County Magistrate He felt nervous. Since the other party was able to obtain the letter of appointment signed by Governor Zhang, he must have a close relationship with Governor Zhang. If the other party said a few bad words about him in front of Governor Zhang, he would probably not be able to serve as county magistrate.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Well, the county's funds are tight, and we can only squeeze out 500 yuan to support the security team in suppressing the bandits!"
Qin Hao then smiled and said, "What a noble and righteous county magistrate! I would like to thank you on behalf of the people of Zishui County."
Only then did County Magistrate He heave a sigh of relief and escorted the two "plague gods" out of the county government office.
"Cousin, are we just going to let them go like that?" The police captain gritted his teeth while holding up his right arm.
County Magistrate He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Idiot, how many times have I told you to investigate someone's background before making money? You almost killed me this time!"
……
On the way back to Bailuyuan, Bai Jiaxuan held the heavy bag of money, as if in a dream: "I never thought I could get money from the government in this life."
Qin Hao laughed and said, "Otherwise, those people would try their best to become officials."
Bai Jiaxuan suddenly asked: "What do you want to do?"
Qin Hao thought about it and said seriously: "I want Da, Aunt Xiancao, Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Ling'er to live their lives happily. I want our Bailuyuan to no longer be oppressed by others."
Bai Jiaxuan was silent for a while, then patted his son's shoulder heavily. At this moment, he made up his mind that no matter what his son did in the future, he would fully support him.
When they returned to Bailu Village, Heiwa was training with the regiment warriors. When they saw Qin Hao coming back, they immediately surrounded him and asked cautiously, "Brother Hao, what's wrong?"
Although these militiamen had seen blood, that was against bandits. In essence, they were still a group of honest peasants, and their fear of the government was deeply rooted in their bones.
Qin Hao held up the bag of dollars high: "What else can we do? We have a letter of appointment signed by Governor Zhang! How dare a small Zishui County Magistrate deny it? Not only did he treat us to a big meal, but he also stuffed a bag of dollars into our pocket before we left!"
The soldiers cheered when they heard this. Someone asked, "What's on the menu? What's on the menu?"
Qin Hao chatted with them with a smile, handed the money to Bai Jiaxuan, and immediately started training.
Time flies, and three months have passed in a blink of an eye. More than 180 militiamen have been sent from various villages in Bailuyuan, and the first batch of militiamen has already acquired initial combat effectiveness. Qin Hao also began to eliminate the bandits active in Zishui County.
This was not only because of the promise to Governor Zhang, but also because these bandits were becoming more and more rampant. Since Qin Hao had raised the banner of the security group, the bandits did not dare to cause trouble in Bailuyuan, but they were not so polite to the other villages.
It would be fine if they only wanted to cause trouble for the wealthy families. But the wealthy families were well-off and knew that the world was not peaceful, so they usually hid behind the high walls and hired guards and farmhands. The bandits were also afraid of casualties, so they simply set their sights on ordinary villagers.
In the past, the villagers made some money by growing poppies, but they could not stand the repeated exploitation by the bandits. Many of them were forced to lose their families. And those gentlemen who called themselves "country gentry" did not care about the lives of ordinary villagers at all.
It is better to be exploited and bankrupted by bandits, so that they can take the opportunity to buy up good farmland at a low price afterwards - the bandits can take away gold, silver and valuables, but they cannot take the farmland!
Li Heihu from Xishui Township is the most brutal bandit leader in Zishui County. He was originally a hunter with extremely accurate marksmanship. He has more than 30 desperate criminals under his command and entrenched in Yingzui Ridge in Xishui Township.
Early that morning, Qin Hao led eighty elite soldiers and quietly reached the foot of Yingzui Ridge. The morning mist covered the steep hillside, and the blockade on the hillside was vaguely visible.
"Brother Hao, this place is easy to defend but difficult to attack." Heiwa said in a low voice.
Qin Hao nodded: "A frontal attack would result in too many casualties. No matter how cunning Li Heihu is, he will have to go down the mountain to grab food. We will set up an ambush in Hulu Valley halfway up the mountain."
The regiment soldiers followed the plan and ambushed in the dense forests on both sides of Hulu Valley. Hulu Valley is as its name suggests, with a narrow entrance, wide in the middle, and narrower at the exit, making it an ideal place for an ambush.
Sure enough, at noon, a group of bandits came down the mountain in a swaggering manner. The leader was Li Heihu, who was a burly man with a face full of flesh and two box guns on his waist.
"Hurry up!" Li Heihu shouted, "When we get to Zhaojiazhuang, we'll have delicious food and drinks, and we'll have some women to play with."
The bandits responded with laughter, completely unaware that death was approaching.
When all the bandits entered Hulu Valley, Qin Hao gave an order: "Fight!"
"Bang, bang, bang!" Gunshots suddenly rang out. The soldiers ambushed on both sides opened fire at the same time, and bullets poured down like raindrops.
"There's an ambush!" Li Heihu reacted very quickly and rolled behind a rock. But the bandits behind him were not so lucky, and seven or eight of them fell down in an instant.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Li Heihu shouted at the top of his lungs.
The bandits fled to the valley entrance in panic, but found that their retreat route had been blocked - ten soldiers with guns blocked the narrow entrance.
"Let's fight them!" Li Heihu's eyes turned red, he pulled out his two guns and started shooting.
Qin Hao saw this, leaned out from behind the cover and took steady aim. "Bang!" A shot hit Li Heihu's right shoulder, and the box gun fell to the ground with a clang.
"Ah!" Li Heihu screamed and wanted to shoot with his left hand, but Heiwa had already rushed up with his men and hit him on the head with the butt of a gun.
Qin Hao walked up to the bound Li Heihu and asked coldly, "Did you kill the six members of Wang Lao's family in Zhaojiazhuang?"
Li Heihu grinned: "So what? Those poor bastards."
"Bang!" Qin Hao shot him in the head without waiting for him to finish.
Hei Wa spat at Li Hei Hu's body and said, "Pah, this bastard got it easy by just shooting him to death."
After Li Heihu's death, the remaining bandits suddenly became chaotic and could no longer form an effective resistance. They only thought about how to escape and were soon killed or captured by the regiment's soldiers.
The battle ended quickly. Of the more than 30 bandits, 18 were killed and the rest were captured. Two of the regiment's soldiers were killed and five were injured.
Qin Hao looked at the two corpses of the regiment warriors and sighed secretly. This is how the battlefield is. Even if the situation is overwhelming, there will still be casualties.
Walking up to the remaining captives, Qin Hao asked sternly, "How many people are left in the village?"
"Less than twenty." A prisoner answered first.
Qin Hao signaled Heiwa to help untie him.
"Who's in charge?"
"The second in command, known as the Three-Eyed Leopard, is ruthless and cruel, even more cruel than Li Heihu."
Qin Hao put a hand on the other's shoulder, and then said to the remaining captives: "Whoever can cooperate with me to trick them into coming to the village gate can be spared death, otherwise Li Heihu will be your fate."
"We do."
"We all listen to you, General."
Seeing that Qin Hao and his group were well-trained and each of them had real weapons in their hands, these bandits simply treated them as regular troops and no longer had the slightest will to resist.
Qin Hao selected a few bandits from among them, and then selected a dozen regiment warriors to pretend to be bandits. The group pretended to be ambushed and retreated to the mountain stronghold.
"Stop, what are you doing?"
"It's me, Er Kuizi, open the door quickly, the soldiers are coming."