My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 118 This is what a good official is!
Inside the camp at the drill ground, Commandant Zhao Puti was reading orders to the leaders of various villages.

This campaign against the bandits was led by Zhao Puti, who commanded local militia from all over the county to eliminate this group of rebels entrenched in Yeniu Mountain.

Zhao Puti was over forty years old, unremarkable in appearance, with a scar on his face, said to be from a wound inflicted by thieves when he was young. He was from Taiyuan and had been an official in Xingyang for several years, mainly responsible for the security and military affairs of the prefecture.

Zhao Pu sat arrogantly in the high seat, looking at the many officers and regimental commanders on both sides with a smug expression.

He did not live a happy life while the Duke of Tang was still alive.

When Duke Tang went into the mountains to suppress bandits, he always led his men personally, so Zhao Puti never had the opportunity to make a name for himself.

Zhao Puti believed that Li Yuan disliked him because his father was a surrendered Qi general.

Wang Zanwu from the city was from the same hometown as him. Logically, the two should have supported each other. However, because of Wang Zanwu's high social status, he always looked down on Zhao Puti. Zhao Puti didn't like him, and their relationship became strained.

After enduring so long, the Duke finally left, and with the arrival of the new Prefect, Zhao Puti had a chance to turn his life around. He quickly became a favorite of the Prefect, who put him in charge of commanding the army and taking full responsibility for the campaign against the bandits.

Zhao Puti had been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time. At this moment, he was both fantasizing about the wonderful life ahead and constantly making preparations for the battle.

Suppressing thieves and suppressing rebels are completely different. Subduing a group of thieves is certainly an achievement and can be reported to the emperor for reward, but subduing a group of rebels can lead to a change of title.

In the eyes of many officials, rebels are highly sought-after commodities, a great gift for promotion!
Of course, it can't be too frequent. After all, if you keep telling the government every few days that there are rebels in your area, the government will start to suspect that you, the local official, have gone too far and forced so many rebels to come out.

Zhao Puti looked at the crowd in front of him. The people in front of him were also very excited, and they also wanted to share some of the credit.

Zhao Puti had fought in battles. When the emperor ascended the throne, Yang Liang, the Prince of Han, rebelled. Zhao Puti participated in the suppression of the rebellion as a brigade commander. Although he did not make great contributions, he was promoted to the position of Commandant of the Prefecture after the war because he did not back down in the face of battle.

Compared to these laymen in front of him, he had more to consider.

The most important thing is how to quickly gain merit.

Killing these rebels wouldn't be difficult. We just need to advance little by little, forcing them to retreat into the deep mountains, endure the harsh winter, and then use food as bait to divide them. They would then turn on each other. However, the governor was eager to see results, and Zhao Puti was also eager to move his position.

He didn't want the war to drag on until next year.

Defeating these thieves is not difficult. They are called rebels, but they are just a group of refugees with wooden sticks and hoes. They are starving and have no strength to walk. If you catch up with them, they will die.

However, the road on Buffalo Mountain is really difficult to travel, and the most important thing is to figure out how to catch up with the other party.

At this moment, Zhao Putuo suddenly remembered Li Yuan's previous idea.

Divide your forces, occupy strategic crossroads, surround them, and then gradually whittle them down.

Zhao Puti cleared his throat and spoke.

"Gentlemen, these rebels are powerful and we must unite to defeat them. The local militia have just been assembled and are not yet familiar with each other, and their management is not perfect. Moreover, the autumn harvest has not yet arrived and there is not enough food."

"I think we should focus on training first and not rush into an attack. We can wait until the autumn harvest when we have enough food before launching our campaign."

"Starting tomorrow, send people to build the drill ground and prepare for training. After the autumn harvest, we will go and defeat the bandits."

The group was somewhat surprised and exchanged glances. Then one of them quickly stood up. "Captain! Our troops are all gathered together now, and there's no one to guard this countryside. If we continue to delay, we're afraid that bandits will rise up everywhere. Besides, the bandits in the mountains are already afraid of us. If we don't act quickly, they'll probably have to hide in the deep mountains during the autumn harvest!"

Zhao Puti said sternly, "Military affairs within the prefecture are my responsibility. Who gave you the right to speak?"

"Do as I command, or you will be punished according to military law!"

Hearing Zhao Puti say this, no one dared to contradict him, but their faces were still somewhat dejected as they bowed their heads in agreement.

Zhao Puti said this on purpose, just like Li Yuan did back then. He was just spreading rumors to make others think that he wouldn't take action, but in reality, he planned to lead his men into the mountains three days later to capture each target separately. He was a direct participant in Li Yuan's plan to divide his forces, and he remembered those key routes by heart. He wouldn't be wrong!
Just as he had dismissed these people and was preparing to take the latest plan to see the prefect, a soldier reported that the head of Changwu Village had come to see him.

Zhao Puti didn't want to see him, but considering that Changwu was closest to Wild Buffalo Mountain, and that the other party might have some ulterior motives, he let him in. Tian Xiang walked in with his head held high and bowed to Zhao Puti in greeting.

Zhao Puti paid little attention to this minor official. A village official was an official, not a clerk, which was why he could dominate a region in the countryside. However, his rank was too low; he was the lowest-ranking official in the entire Sui Dynasty, a ninth-rank official.

Of course, no matter how low the rank, they were still officials, different from clerks. They received salaries from the imperial court, were on the emperor's list, and had official status.

"This humble official greets the Commandant!"

"Ah."

Zhao Puti nodded. "What is it?"

He didn't even bother with pleasantries. Tian Xiangzheng's expression was very serious. He said earnestly, "Captain, these days, local militiamen often come and go in Changwu under the pretext of scouting enemy positions. Some of them even tried to kill civilians to impersonate thieves, but I stopped them in time."

"They are looting villages, harassing women, and running rampant in Changwu. We beg the Commandant to take action!"

Zhao Puti looked somewhat annoyed. He had thought it was something important, but it turned out to be such a trivial matter.

Let alone local militia, even real garrison troops would occasionally rob and kill civilians during marches, which was perfectly normal. What's the big deal about killing a few country bumpkins?
He waved his hand. "Okay, I understand. You can go back now."

Tian Xiangzheng, however, was very serious. “Captain, I will not stand by and watch these local militia commit crimes under my jurisdiction. If such a situation occurs again, I am afraid it may lead to deaths!”

Zhao Puti slowly raised his head and stared intently at Tian Xingjian in front of him.

Was I being too lenient? How dare this lowly village head talk to me like that?
He sneered, "What, is Tian Xiangzheng planning to stand up for the people and kill my soldiers?"

Just as the captain was about to lose his temper, a servant quickly went to his side and whispered something in his ear.

Zhao Puti's face turned even redder.

And he's a duke again.

What the attendant had just told Zhao Puti was naturally Tian Xingjian's background. His son served as a close attendant to the Marquis, a fact that was already widely known throughout the city. The county officials dared not be too disrespectful to him.

He stared intently at Tian Xiangzheng in front of him, wanting to arrest him for disrespect and report it to the prefect so that he could deal with him.

However, the words of his attendant just now made Zhao Puti somewhat conflicted. In Zhao Puti's eyes, this village head was just an insignificant official who could be dealt with at will. But in the eyes of the Duke and the Marquis of Bocheng, wasn't he just as insignificant?

The local prefect also had a close relationship with the Duke of Tang.
Zhao Puti took a deep breath and said coldly, "Go back now. I will make sure they abide by military discipline."

"Thank you, Captain!"

Old Tian bowed and quickly left.

Zhao Puti grew increasingly furious. With everyone from top to bottom being such cronies, no wonder the Sui Dynasty had fallen to this state! Even a mere village head dared to use his connection to the Duke to make trouble for him. He'd get him sooner or later!
He hurriedly returned to the city with his revised plan and reported the matter of sending troops to the prefect.

When he arrived at the prefect's residence, Yang Qing was having people redecorate it; he was staying in the very place where Li Yuan had previously lived.

Yang Qing looked around with a smile, quite satisfied with his current position.

Upon learning of the arrival of the Commandant, Yang Qing received him in the main hall. Yang Qing was quite enthusiastic towards Zhao Puti, which made Zhao Puti feel somewhat flattered. When Zhao Puti expressed his thoughts, Yang Qing was very supportive.

“I’ve just arrived here and I’m not familiar with many things. You can handle this matter yourself, Captain. I will not interfere.”

Zhao Puti was deeply moved.

That's what a good official is like!

(End of this chapter)