Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Yang Ling frowned after hearing this. Judging from the information he had so far, the bandits were clearly well prepared. If he attacked the stronghold by force, he would probably suffer a loss, as the bandits' equipment and manpower were far superior to his own. More importantly, Yang Ling was also worried that Liu Xi would take advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters, which would be a big problem.

As the governor of Jizhou, Liu Xi controls nearly 10,000 soldiers. If he dares to take advantage of the situation, even if Liu Xi is defeated, there will be heavy casualties. Thinking of this, Yang Ling couldn't help but sigh. Now that he was alone, it was really not appropriate to take risks.

After pondering for a long time, Yang Ling decided to wait and see for the time being. He asked scouts to closely monitor the movements of the bandits. At the same time, he ordered all government offices in the city to actively cooperate in the operation and try to eliminate the thieves in the vicinity as soon as possible.

In the next few days, the city of Jeju was in chaos, and the people were in a panic, fearing that the bandits would attack the city. However, the bandits did not take any action, which made many people secretly relieved.

When Yang Ling was patrolling the city, he suddenly saw a large number of people gathered on the street. Out of curiosity, he squeezed over to check. When he got closer, he realized that it was the government that organized the people to build fortifications.

Jeju Prefecture is located on the west bank of the Ji River, with mountains behind it and Mount Tai to the east. The terrain is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Although it has been harassed by bandits many times over the years, it has always stood firm.

However, in recent years, the power of bandits has expanded, and large-scale rebellions have occurred in Jeju, including large groups of bandits.

These bandits occupied the mountains and there were no strategic locations to defend around them, so the Jeju Army would send people into the mountains to suppress the bandits every few days. However, they often never returned because these people were very cunning. They would often massacre people in the villages along the way, lure reinforcements from the towns, and then ambush the army outside the city. These people had superb fighting skills and would often run away after fighting, and the Jeju Army could not catch up with them at all.

Then these people hid in the deep mountains and forests, and occasionally came out to attack nearby villages and towns. The people in these villages and towns suffered terribly, often with dozens of casualties, or even entire families being wiped out. So the people hated this group of bandits to the core. The government organized the people to build fortifications, and the people participated enthusiastically. This situation was expected.

However, when Yang Ling saw that there were dozens of young boys and girls among the laborers building the fortifications, his eyes narrowed immediately and a certain thought emerged in his mind.

"Master Yang, what do you think?"

Yang Ling came back to his senses and said with a smile: "Master Liu, you have worked hard!"

"This is what I should do. If you have nothing else to do, Lord Yang, please go ahead and do your work. I will host a banquet for you in the evening."

"Haha, I won't disturb Lord Liu's rest tonight. We can drink some other day."

The two chatted for a while, and then Yang Ling said goodbye and left.

"Sir, this is what you asked for. It has been inspected and is fine!"

When Liu Xi saw Yang Ling coming back, he hurriedly handed over the package on the table.

"Well, I know, thank you for your hard work!" Yang Ling patted Liu Xi's shoulder.

Liu Xi smiled and waved his hand, "No, Master Yang, you are too polite."

After the two exchanged greetings, Yang Ling opened the bundle and checked the goods inside. He found that they were indeed what he asked for. He immediately ordered people to send these things to the city wall in preparation for the construction of the city wall.

"My Lord, what is this?"

The soldier in charge of transportation suddenly pointed to the bottom of the battlement and asked.

Yang Ling turned his head and saw three flags erected below the battlements. The left flag had the word "Liu" written on it, the right flag had the word "Han" written on it, and the middle flag had the word "Wang" written on it. Yang Ling remembered that this should be the flag he had proposed to boost morale, but he didn't expect that Liu Xi would use it.

"Hehe, Lord Liu did a great job this time!" Yang Ling couldn't help but praise.

"Haha, Lord Yang, thank you for the compliment. As long as Lord Yang likes it, that's fine!"

Yang Ling nodded and said, "The bandits are rampant this time. I think the refugees outside the city also need relief. Since Lord Liu is willing to help the officials of Jinan City, then help the refugees build barracks, exempt them from the need for tents, and let them have a place to stay!"

"Okay, I promise I'll get it done!" Liu Xi patted his chest and promised.

Liu Xi then summoned all the officials to discuss the matter of raising money for relief.

Yang Ling was standing on the top of the city wall and saw that the granary in Jizhou City was full of rice and flour. He couldn't help but feel surprised. Although he knew that Liu Xi had accumulated a lot of money and grain during this period, he didn't expect that Liu Xi had stored enough grain. According to Yang Ling's estimation, the granary in Jizhou City could support about 500,000 to 600,000 refugees through the winter.

When Yang Ling was wondering, Liu Xi's voice came to his ears.

"Sir, why are you standing there in a daze?"

Hearing this, Yang Ling turned his head and saw Liu Xi waving at him. The people around him also greeted Yang Ling.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something. You continue!" Yang Ling said vaguely and turned back to his office.

Yang Ling sat back in his chair and fell into deep thought. He was wondering what Liu Xi was thinking in being so proactive in organizing people to build fortifications?
Why did Liu Xi spend a huge amount of money to buy a large amount of wood and stones, but was unwilling to ask the court to allocate money and food for disaster relief? These questions flashed through Yang Ling's mind, and finally he figured out why. Liu Xi was showing his loyalty and support for him.

This means that Liu Xi did not pledge allegiance to him voluntarily, so he must have been coerced. After carefully analyzing the pros and cons of this matter, Yang Ling believed that the most likely possibility was that Wang Duo, the governor of Yanzhou, was behind it.

Thinking that Wang Duo, the governor of Yanzhou, was a close confidant of Yuan Chonghuan, Yang Ling felt that it was unlikely that Liu Xi would surrender to him. He frowned and thought to himself, "Did Wang Duo realize that Liu Xi was suspected of surrendering to the enemy?"

The more Yang Ling thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case, because Yanzhou was not far from Jizhou. To dispatch troops from Yanzhou City to reinforce Jizhou County, they only needed to rush to Jizhou County as fast as possible, and there was no need to mobilize millions of troops.

If it is true as he guessed, then Wang Duo must know more secrets about Liu Xi.

After realizing this, Yang Ling not only did not feel relieved, but instead felt a headache. After all, this involved the vital interests of both him and Liu Xi. If Wang Duo seized the opportunity to turn against him, he was afraid that there would be endless troubles in the future.

Thinking of this, Yang Ling couldn't help but sigh: "It seems that I have to be careful in the future!"

Yang Ling was pondering when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the room. Then the door creaked open and Sun Yu pushed the door open with a gloomy look on his face.

"I have seen the Marshal."

After Sun Yu came in, he bowed and saluted. Yang Ling raised his hand and said, "Brother Sun, there is no need to be polite. Please take a seat."

After Yang Ling asked Sun Yu to sit down at the table, he asked with concern: "Brother Sun, are you having any difficulties?"

Sun Yu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Nothing serious, just a commotion at home."

Yang Ling suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Sun Yu looked like this. It turned out that he was troubled by the noise at home.

"Brother Sun, actually you don't have to worry. I have already written a letter to your father-in-law, hoping he can help you persuade your wife." Yang Ling said with a smile.

Sun Yu was greatly encouraged when he heard this: "Thank you, Marshal."

"Don't be polite. Actually, this is not really helping you. It's just a small favor. Your father-in-law is a very righteous man. I believe this little thing will be no problem!" Sun Yu nodded repeatedly and then said hesitantly, "Marshal, my wife said that my father has agreed to her divorce. Does this count?"

Sun Yu's original wife was named Zhang Xiuyun, from Zhangjia Village. After marrying Sun Yu, she became pregnant and gave birth to a fat boy in eight months. Sun Yu then took her back to Jinan.

Sun Yu was tall and strong, with outstanding martial arts skills, and was highly regarded by the prefect Zhang. Zhang Xiuyun was bullied at home and even tried to murder Sun Yu's children. Zhang Xiuyun was frightened and fled overnight. After Sun Yu failed to capture Zhang Xiuyun, he was retaliated by Zhang Xiuyun's family, resulting in the loss of the function of his legs.

Although Sun Yu was angry at the Zhang family's cruel revenge, he was still reluctant to divorce Zhang Xiuyun. Until Zhang Xiuyun's mother died of illness, the Zhang family forced Sun Yu to divorce his wife, but Sun Yu still refused to agree.

"Of course it counts, but don't be too sad, Brother Sun. I can't help you much with this matter."

"No, I don't expect my father-in-law to help me make a decision. As long as my father-in-law promises not to hinder my marriage with Xiuyun, that's enough."

Sun Yu's father-in-law was Wang Duo, also an assistant official in the Yanzhou government. Although his position was not high, he was extremely powerful in Yanzhou. Wang Duo's son Wang Shizhen was a confidant of Yuan Zongdi, a favorite of Yuan Dushi, and was domineering in Yanzhou. Zhang Xiuyun was forcibly taken back by Wang Shizhen.

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Don't worry, Brother Sun. I will send a letter to my father-in-law later to let him rest assured."

"Thank you, Marshal. Thank you, Marshal!" Sun Yu stood up excitedly and clasped his fists.

Yang Ling waved his hand and smiled, "Don't thank me yet, I have something else to tell you."

"What's the matter?" Sun Yu asked hurriedly.

"Go prepare some armor, swords, and cannons, and follow me into battle later."

"The general will obey the order!"

After Yang Ling finished instructing Sun Yu, he suddenly remembered that he still lacked ammunition, so he picked up the document on the desk and said to Liu Xi: "Brother Liu, please help me find a blacksmith shop."

"no problem!"

"Yes, send someone to Yanzhou and tell Magistrate Wang about this matter. Tell him that we are going to strike while the iron is hot and capture Yanzhou. If he is willing to cooperate, then after the success, I will definitely reward him handsomely."

Liu Xi immediately understood Yang Ling's intention. His eyes suddenly brightened and he said excitedly, "The Marshal is wise!"

Yang Ling smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Go down and get ready."

"Here!"

After Liu Xi left, Yang Ling checked the list provided by Liu Xi one by one. After confirming that it was correct, he began to prepare the army.

Yang Ling deployed a total of 4,500 officers and soldiers for this expedition, including 200 soldiers from each battalion under the Three Battalion Command, plus the militia led by Liu Xi, a total of more than 7,000 people. In addition to the troops stationed in Changli, Yang Ling also had more than 600 reserve officers under his command.

Yang Ling pulled all the 2,000 reservists deployed in Changli to the vicinity of Jeju Port for training. These reservists will arrive at Jeju Port by ship in two days. As for the reservists in Changli County, they will stay there to maintain public security and order.

In Changli County, there are many local gentry and tyrants, including Chenjiawu of the Chen family.

Chenjiawu is located in the northwest of Changli County and is close to the sea. After the autumn harvest every year, many farmers go to Chenjiawu to pick mulberries or wild grapes to sell.

Although Yang Ling occupied Jeju, he did not want to be an enemy of Chenjiawu, so he ordered the troops stationed near Chenjiawu to withdraw, leaving only some patrol posts and surveillance posts. The rest of the troops retreated to Jiyang Town on the east bank of the Jishui River for rest. At the same time, he sent two fishing boats filled with supplies from the ferry warehouse to transport two thousand matchlock bird cages to Jeju Wharf.

Since there were no fortifications in Changli County, Chenjiawu did not build any defensive facilities in the city because there was no need. Since Chenjiawu was only separated from the city by a few hills, it had no defensive value at all.

Yang Ling's plan was to sneak into Chenjiawu tonight, then use the night to attack Chenjiawu, seize and control the city gate, and quickly clear out the remaining bandits in the city.

Yang Ling’s plan was very complete, but the most critical part was how to sneak into Chenjiawu.

In this cold weapon era, the only way to enter Chenjiawu is by water, and then sneak in through the mountains and forests on the south side. However, it is not easy to sneak into Chenjiawu smoothly. After all, there are checkpoints around Chenjiawu, and it is probably harder than climbing to the sky to get through.

Yang Ling thought for a long time and finally decided to sneak in at night.

After nightfall, Jeju County was silent. Occasionally, patrolling soldiers passed by from a distance, but they were in a hurry and seemed not to notice that someone was lurking in the darkness, waiting to launch a fatal attack.

Half an hour later, in the streets of Jeju City, Yang Ling and several guards had quietly climbed up the wall.

After carefully checking the surrounding environment, Yang Ling gently called out to the guards, motioning them to lie down, and then slowly climbed over the west wall of Chenjiawu.

After a while, everyone climbed over the wall and came to the west wall. Yang Ling whispered to everyone, "Remember, don't make any noise, otherwise all your efforts will be wasted!"

"Yes!" everyone said in unison.

Then, taking advantage of the cover of night, everyone crouched and moved towards Chenjiawu.

Since there were only more than 200 households in Chenjiawu, Yang Ling quickly reached the west wall of Chenjiawu.

"Marshal, what should we do?" the guard leader Zhao Gui asked in a low voice.

"Wait, I want to see who is behind this."

Yang Ling suppressed his inner anger and patiently hid in the corner to observe the situation.

About half an incense stick later, Yang Ling finally saw a few flames coming out from the eaves on the west side of Chenjiawu, and vaguely saw a figure swaying.

"Hehe, it's really a piece of cake to find it after searching for a long time. The real owner is here."

Yang Ling said gloomily, "Do it!"

Zhao Gui bent the bow, took aim, and released the string. A buzzing sound came from the bow, and the arrow turned into a meteor and flew towards the roof of Chenjiawu.

"Bang——" The tiles on the roof were shot to pieces, and then several men in black jumped off the roof, two of them fell less than 10 steps in front of Yang Ling.

"You bold traitor, prepare your death!" (End of this chapter)