It is not uncommon for bandits to recruit people. As early as the Great Qi, there was a precedent for the court to recruit people. As this boy said, the bandits also have various styles, and everyone has their own way.

People like Ah Chen are just playing it safe. They only seek money, not life. They have also reached a tacit understanding with local officials and benefited from each other.

Except for people like them, they are the kind of extremely vicious people who plunder wealth and kill people, but Long Qi also knew that there are some more clever gangsters who have taken over the mountain and become kings, forming their own territory that even the officers and soldiers cannot invade.

They collected taxes and money on their own territory, and also occupied the land and hills. They relied on the mountains and water to support themselves.

After solving the problem of livelihood, he began to practice to strengthen himself, cling to the top of the mountain, plunder money and people when going down the mountain, and enjoy himself when going up the mountain. Once his reputation was established, there were still people who came to defect to him, the team expanded, and the people and horses were strong.

This kind of bandits who occupy the top of the mountain are very harmful. They rob people and extort relatives. If the scale is small, the court will suppress the bandits. But if the scale is too large and the cost of attack is too high, the court will turn to the strategy of recruiting peace.

But the trouble with recruiting tough gangsters is that even after they become regular troops, they are difficult to change their bad habits and are extremely difficult to manage. Long Qicai will target gentle gangsters like Achen and others. If they can successfully recruit them, it will also be a good way to increase the number of troops.

.

Ah Chen didn't know that he and his brothers had become prey in Long Qi's eyes. Mu Qiang's nature made him obey Long Qiyan now, and all of this was just Long Qi observing his nature and the possibility of obedience.

Also on this night, Song Qingming, a high-ranking official among the people, took his wife to live in Yingcheng, the center of the southwest.

Song Qingming himself was gentle, and his wife was petite and lovely. They seemed to have no offensive power, but the flying dragon army that escorted him was majestic, especially the man beside Song Qingming who was holding Shang Fang's sword for Song Qingming.

Let the prefect of Yingcheng have a weak leg.

In his plan, he will place the couple in the best inn in Yingcheng. If possible, it is best to place them in his own mansion, so that he can be close to the Song Dynasty Minister and have better control over his every move.

A move.

It's a pity that Song Qingming's route was not that of ordinary officials. He actually insisted on living with his wife at the inn, and diagonally opposite the inn was the rest stop under Qin Feng's command. After seeing the group of people entering the inn, the rest stop was also filled with excitement.

stand up.

Song Qingming not only stayed at the inn, but also declined the invitation to the prefect's night banquet. He listened to reports from his subordinates sent in advance all night long to understand the situation of the water canals, and quickly judged whether they could be closed quickly to transport water.

Rou Ji stayed alone in the room of the inn. When Song Qingming came in after finishing his official business, he heard her muttering to herself: "It turns out that there is such a desolate place in East Vietnam. It is still the most prosperous place, even half of the capital city."

but."

After entering the southwest, the number of inns decreased significantly. The villages along the way were sparsely scattered everywhere. Due to the geographical environment, the residents were scattered and the people were not concentrated. In remote places, there were only two markets a month.

Rouji saw him coming in, pointed to a box on the side and said, "This was just sent by the prefect's wife. She said it was for me to relieve my boredom. What do you think it is?"

Song Qingming was no exception to the occurrence of this situation. The winter drought was not managed well enough that the court sent people down, and the prefect's heart was in his throat. It was common for him to win over Shangfeng and conceal the report. He had encountered it before.

The difference this time from before was that he brought Rou Ji over. This was the first time that those people had attacked his wife.

Rouji looked at Song Qingming's face with interest, and after seeing his expression of relief after opening the box, she said: "It's the result of my concubine returning part of it. Don't take it lightly, sir."

Inside was just an ordinary deck of horse tags, with forty cards in total, arranged neatly inside the box.

Horse hangings are one of the pastimes used by noble ladies, but this one looks a little thin. Song Qingming thought of something, and after counting, he said in shock: "Only twenty?"

There are twenty pieces missing!

Rouji curled her lips and said: "The so-called courtesy for nothing. Your Excellency clearly declined the magistrate's invitation, but he asked his wife to bring his daughter to visit. When he entered, he said that he didn't bring any big gifts, but this box of leaf cards has a hidden secret."

"There are forty cards in a deck, and twenty of them are made of gold leaves. The size and format are the same as ordinary cards, but the material is extraordinary, let alone..." Rouji raised her eyebrows: "Bring it here

My daughter is only fifteen years old, and she is as beautiful as a flower."

After a brief inquiry, Rouji knew that this young lady was not the legitimate daughter of the prefect's daughter, but the eldest daughter of a concubine. She was beautiful and courageous. When she came in, she looked like a lady and took the initiative to pour her tea.

"Those who know know that she is here to visit, but those who don't know think that she will become an adult's woman in the next moment, and she will take on concubine and become sister, so she started to serve her in advance." Rouji didn't know where she came from.

Angry, he sneered and said: "Your Majesty is very lucky."

After a pause, Song Qingming suddenly blurted out: "Why is it so sour?"

Rouji was startled, and then she realized that her reaction was a bit big. She thought for a while and said: "You and I know everything about the situation, but the two of us consummated the marriage, and I was married by His Majesty, and the matchmaker was marrying me.

Madam, what if you are jealous?"

Song Qingming had a smile on his lips that he didn't even notice, and said, "You returned those twenty cards?"

"Of course, we are both prosperous and devastated now. How can we let them pull us into trouble? Twenty gold leaves are actually nothing, but if I accept their temptation, there will be no gold leaves next.

It’s so simple.”

There was a bit of disgust in Rouji's eyes. Along the way, she saw many beggars in ragged clothes, some of whom were carrying their daughters to sell to other families as child brides or as maids to wealthy families.

The southwest is so poor, but the visiting prefect's wife and the concubine are both wearing clothes with gold embroidery. Just a bracelet on the wrist is the ration of many families for a year. In this way, I'm afraid the prefect's wife is low-key.

dress up.

"They originally wanted to see you, sir, but you only wanted to communicate with your subordinates on official matters. They couldn't wait for a long time and had to leave. I used the excuse of jealousy to shame them so much that Jin Ye retreated.

, and mocked them a few words."

If Song Qingming had been at the scene, he would have seen Rouji putting on airs and using that sarcastic smile to mock them for trying to cling to third-rank officials and to get on the doorstep of Prime Minister Song. They were simply overestimating their abilities!

"I, Rouji, am not only the wife of the Minister of Industry, but also the princess of Nan Ying who was personally betrothed by His Majesty. You want to win me over with just twenty gold leaves? Do you look down on the adults, or do you underestimate Nan Ying's financial strength? You are a dignified Nan Ying.
Chapter completed!