Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 677 Don't
"Lord Meng has arrived." Luo Mao took a few steps forward and pulled out a stool in front of the round table for him. "Please sit down."

"Thank you."

Since Meng Changqing wasn't the focus at the moment, she stopped speaking and waited for them to continue.

Presumably, the group had already discussed things before she arrived. Zheng Jie asked Luo Mao, "Where is Old Man?"

"Right inside the county government office, I instructed the yamen runners to keep a close eye on him."

"Call him in and ask him about the situation inside Xunxian Town," Zheng Jie ordered. Luo Mao went out personally and brought Lao Man in.

This was the first time Meng Changqing had seen people from Xunxian Town. Just as Fang He had described, their clothing and appearance were different from ordinary people.

His body and face were covered in dirt, and when he saw the group of people in the room, his expression became noticeably reserved.

"Just stand here," Luo Mao instructed him. "Tell them whatever the adults ask, just tell them the truth."

Old Man nodded.

Zheng Jie then asked, "What is the layout of Xunxian Town? How many of the mountain and forest traps can you remember?"

Old Man scratched his head, unsure where to begin with this question. "I know all the traps our village has set up, but how am I supposed to know what traps other villages have set up?"

Luo Mao understood the core of Zheng Jie's question and beckoned Lao Man to the table, where a map was placed.

Meng Changqing looked over and saw that the ink on the map was still wet, and the middle of the map was mostly blank, with only some mountain and forest markings drawn around it, so it was obviously freshly drawn.

Luo Mao pointed to the only road on the map, "Assuming this is the road next to the stone tablet in Xunxian Town, where is your village located?"

Old Man quickly pointed to a spot, "It should be here."

Luo Mao picked up his pen to make a mark, and Lao Man looked at what he had drawn, "It's not as big as the circle you drew, it needs to be smaller..."

As Lao Man spoke, he took the pen from Luo Mao and started drawing. Unexpectedly, he was quite skilled at drawing, sketching out all the terrain he knew and the locations of other villages.

With this drawing in hand, Zheng Jie felt more confident. His gaze towards Lao Man softened. After finishing the drawing, Zheng Jie said, "You left Xunxian Town yesterday and don't know the situation there. What if someone finds out you've gone out…"

Before Zheng Jie could finish speaking, Lao Man said, "No one will know. No one will see me take the road yesterday." He didn't understand Zheng Jie's intention, but he insisted on proving himself.

I don't know what the point of proving it is.

Zheng Jie meant well, but since he was interrupted by Lao Man, he didn't continue.

He stood in front of the desk and carefully examined the contents of the drawing.

Meng Changqing also went over to take a look and saw that there were four strongholds in Xunxian Town. If the information above was true, then it would not be easy to take Xunxian Town.

The four villages are relatively scattered, each with its own defenses, and there are dense forests not far away, making it easy to hide.

If we were to launch a strong attack from the outside, the casualties would be enormous.

Meng Changqing regretted bringing his men along. He thought, "Please don't use the people around her to embellish your achievements, Prefect!"

She was muttering to herself when she heard Zheng Jie call out to her, "Lord Meng, have you brought your men?"

"I have done my utmost and managed to draw fifty men from the government office," Meng Changqing said.

"The personal guards chosen by you, Lord Meng, must be quite capable," Zheng Jie asked. "Who will lead and command these fifty men?"

"Xi Bei, the clerk of the Beishan County government office."

"Alright, let Xi Bei lead the men into Lao Man's village and find a way to evacuate the people from the village."

Meng Changqing said, "Sir, we still don't know if their people are willing to leave Xunxian Town."

“They’ll agree as long as I say so,” Old Man said. “They’ll listen to me.”

Such words had little credibility in front of Meng Changqing, so Lao Man said again: "As long as I take a group of people away, the rest of them will have no choice but to leave. If they end up in other villages, they will not have a good ending."