Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 160 The County Magistrate Arrives
Lu Zheng looked through the information obtained from the interrogation, organized his thoughts, and put the information away.

He then went to the courtyard where the victims had gathered to check the situation.

Those people were rescued, fed and well taken care of, and most of them had calmed down.

However, they were all tortured beyond recognition and will need more recuperation in the future.

Li Zhao held a thick stack of information for Lu Zheng to review.

While Lu Zheng was interrogating several Wu people, they did not rest and questioned the rest of the people.

Li Zhao said, "Most of these victims are from other places. We've thoroughly investigated their circumstances and can have them sent back to the county government later... We've also interrogated the bandits. Some are wanted criminals. They've committed many evil deeds. Killing them would be too easy for them."

Lu Zheng quickly flipped through it and nodded, "Well done."

Li Zhao asked, "Shall we wait here for the officials to arrive?"

Lu Zheng said, "Some of them are still very weak. The road in these desolate mountains is not easy to walk on. It's a long way to get to the county road. Let's wait here. We need to give them some time to recover."

Li Zhao agreed, "Brother Lu is very thoughtful."

Lu Zheng looked at Li Zhao's bandaged shoulder, which was still oozing blood.

He couldn't help but ask, "Do you really not need treatment for this injury of yours?"

Li Zhao grinned and said nonchalantly, "It's really okay. Don't waste the pills. I'll just stay awake for a few more days. It won't affect the action."

Li Zhao then whispered, "If I hadn't returned with some injuries, they would have really thought I was just out for fun. Now look, I've done something big!"

Lu Zheng thought to himself, if you want to prove yourself, there is no need to do this.

"Alright..." Lu Zheng respected Li Zhao's choice and added, "I just got some information. I want to search this stronghold. If there is anything, let me know."

"Brother Lu, go and do your work. We are here, so everything will be fine!" Li Zhao said, patting his chest.

Lu Zheng quickly left the yard and came across a blockhouse.

He searched the room for a while and finally found a hidden passage.

When a heavy bluestone slab was lifted, a dark cave entrance was revealed.

Lu Zheng stretched out a finger, and little stars bloomed at the tip of his finger.

With the help of this ray of light, Lu Zheng jumped down and then walked along the dim passage.

After many twists and turns, we arrived at a secret room.

The secret room is about 30 square meters in size, with gold, silver and treasures piled up on one side and various weapons and armor placed on the other side.

These equipments reflected a faint light, were of excellent manufacture and well maintained.

Lu Zheng picked up an iron crossbow. It was heavy in his hand and better than the crossbows used by the bandits before.

If those bandits were equipped with such weapons and armor, their combat effectiveness would be improved to a higher level.

It is obviously impossible for the five scholars to suppress the rebellion here.

Lu Zheng was somewhat glad that the bandits did not use such equipment.

But think about how heavy these backups are. It is impossible for the bandits to wear these equipment on a daily basis when they are active in the village.

Only soldiers fighting outside would wear armor all the time.

Lu Zheng weighed a piece of armor and couldn't help but whispered, "These people really want to wait for the right time to rebel..."

……

There are dense vegetation in the mountains and fields.

A group of officials were walking quickly in the mountains. The official in front was tall and strong, clearing the way for everyone.

The magistrate of Changchuan County was surrounded by people and walked very fast.

Looking at the vast mountains, the county magistrate couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead and said, "How far is it? These bandits are really hiding deep."

Upon hearing this, a guard nearby couldn't help but say, "Sir, why don't you rest here first? Let them go first..."

The county magistrate glared and said, "Why do you want to rest? I am old, but I am not unable to walk."

The county magistrate had received a message from Lu Zheng via Feiyan before, and he immediately summoned people and rushed over in person.

After all, some of the situations Lu Zhengxin mentioned made him feel that the situation was serious.

I won't feel at ease unless I come there in person.

To this end, he also sent out the elite troops from his home and the county government office, and asked the county magistrate and the county lieutenant to guard the county government office.

Just then, an official came back quickly from the hill ahead.

"Sir, there's smoke coming from a mountain five miles ahead!" the officer said loudly. "According to the information provided by Master Lu, that's where it should be."

The county magistrate was invigorated upon hearing this, and his pace quickened. "Go, go, go, faster!"

A group of people could move faster, but it was not a good idea to go ahead, so they all protected the county magistrate.

After trekking through mountains and rivers, the group finally arrived at the foot of the mountain village.

The county magistrate saw the village looming in the mountains and determined the location.

Seeing a small path leading up the mountain, the county magistrate took the lead in climbing the mountain, while the others were cautious and alert to the surroundings.

When everyone arrived outside the village, they found that the gate was closed and no one was seen.

On the top of the blockhouse, Qing Wan was observing the situation. Seeing the officers and soldiers approaching, she was stunned for a moment, then excitedly shouted, "The officers are here!"

Hearing the shouts, Lu Zheng and his companions hurried to the village gate.

"Mr. County Magistrate, why are you here?" Lu Zheng was slightly surprised to see the Changchuan County Magistrate running over.

The county magistrate panted slightly, stroked his beard and said, "I'm worried about you. I wouldn't trust you if I didn't come here in person!"

Zhang Bo quickly opened the gate of the village and invited all the officers and soldiers in to rest in a courtyard.

The county magistrate looked at Lu Zheng and the others with a smile, then paused with his gaze on Li Zhao, "Oh my, Master Li is injured!"

The county magistrate knew Li Zhao, the son of his colleague Li Yuan, and they had met several times before.

Seeing that Li Zhaodu was injured, the county magistrate's eyes showed worry, and a hint of fierceness flashed across his eyes.

Li Zhao waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury."

The county magistrate took Li Zhao to have a look and was relieved to confirm that his injuries were not serious.

If Li Zhao was seriously injured by someone under his jurisdiction, he would have a hard time explaining it to Li Yuan.

The county magistrate said in a low voice, "You young people, please study hard and avoid doing dangerous things. If something unexpected happens, it will be a loss for our country..."

After hearing this, several people just nodded, but did not really promise anything.

Knowing the evil deeds committed by those bandits, they all felt that what they did was very meaningful.

As Lu Zheng said, scholars cannot just read books, they must also put their words into practice.

After going through some things with Lu Zheng, Zhang Bo and the others had a big change in their mentality.

The county magistrate came to a room and sat down to rest. After taking a sip of tea, he couldn't wait to say, "Tell me about the situation here!"

Lu Zheng then told them what had happened and gave the interrogation materials to the county magistrate for review.

The county magistrate frowned and looked extremely ugly when he heard this.

I didn't expect that there would be so many shameful things happening under my rule.

Not to mention the occasional demons and ghosts causing trouble, there are actually so many Wu people causing trouble in Changchuan County.

Do you really think this is a place where you can do whatever you want?
The county magistrate was so angry that his face turned red. He slammed the table and said angrily: "This is simply lawless!"

The county magistrate turned to look at Lu Zheng again, "Take me to see the secret room you just mentioned."

So, several people went to check the secret room again.

When the county magistrate saw the equipment in the secret room, he was shocked and angry.

If the bandits in this mountain were to cause trouble in Changchuan County wearing these equipment, who knows how much trouble they would cause.

"Okay, okay, thanks to you guys!"

The county magistrate couldn't help but pat Lu Zheng on the shoulder, feeling that Lu Zheng was his lucky star.

If it weren't for Lu Zheng, Changchuan County might have been in chaos one day, and he, the county magistrate, would not have been aware of the situation.

He looked at Lu Zheng and felt more and more familiar with him.

"Come here, move the things here out and search the entire village carefully again. Don't miss a single rat hole!" the county magistrate ordered.

The personal guards who followed received the order and hurried to gather the people outside.

The county magistrate turned to Lu Zheng with a smile and said, "It's so smoky here, let's get out first."

When they got outside, the county magistrate said, "Isn't there a principal criminal who hasn't been tried yet? Bring him here."

"I'll go and bring the person over." Zhang Bo said.

The county magistrate returned to his previous room, feeling uneasy.

After a while, Zhang Bo dragged the scarred man over.

Scarface had woken up by then, cursing, "You scholars are so slow in doing things, like women. I'll kill you if I want to!"

Zhang Bo turned a deaf ear and brought the man before the county magistrate.

The man raised his head slightly and saw the county magistrate sitting there with a gloomy face.

When the man saw the old man in official uniform, he quickly realized who he was.

He was shocked. He didn't expect that the county magistrate would come here. He wanted to have a good death, but he was afraid that it would not be possible.

The county magistrate looked at the scarred man with a cold expression, "Tell the truth. Who sent you here? What was your purpose? Where did those weapons and armor come from?"

The man slumped to the ground, grinning, "I'll die if I tell you, so why should I tell you? You An people are so fussy, just kill me!"

The county magistrate said calmly, "Are you seeking death? For someone like you, death would be a blessing for you..."

The county magistrate waved his hand, and two bodyguards stepped forward and pinned the man to the ground.

The man didn't struggle and said, "Use whatever means you have. Don't be like that young man who was afraid of killing me!"

As he spoke, the man looked at Lu Zheng with a mocking expression.

The magistrate said coldly, "To torture someone like you is to dirty my hands. I'm not that kind of person, but if I don't make you suffer a little, it will be difficult for those you killed to rest in peace."

As he spoke, the county magistrate raised his hand and took out a bottle of pills.

He looked at the man and said slowly, "This county magistrate knows a Taoist friend who is good at refining pills. He asked me to refine some pills for me to use in interrogating the prisoner. These pills will not cause any harm, but the process... is to pry his mouth open."

Upon hearing this, the guard reached out and forcefully pried the man's mouth open.

The county magistrate poured a pill from the bottle and fed it to the man with his own hands.

The man was unable to struggle and watched helplessly as he was fed the pill, feeling the pill quickly melting in his body.

(End of this chapter)