A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

"General, Huang Chengyue sent word that he has located several bandit strongholds in the mountains and discovered several clues."

In the northern military camp, the deputy general delivered a message to Xiao Yunling.

"Still no trace of Chen Mo?"

Xiao Yunling asked in a cold voice.

"not yet."

The lieutenant replied.

"Then let them send more men; we must surround the bandits at Black Wind Ridge."

Xiao Yunling gave the order.

Now that we have eliminated the main force of the bandits, we absolutely cannot give them any time to catch their breath.

"General, those local gentry may not be reliable. Why don't we send the Zhenbei Army as well?"

The lieutenant suggested.

"No need." Xiao Yunling shook her head. "Have the Beicheng government send some people over there to block everyone's way down the mountain."

The bandits are now fighting like cornered beasts. The government troops are unfamiliar with the terrain of Black Wind Ridge. If they rashly go up the mountain to search, it will only increase casualties.

Now that Chen Mo was surrounded, Xiao Yunling didn't believe that his band of bandits could survive on the dilapidated land of Black Wind Ridge.

In Xiao Yunling's eyes, Chen Mo's remnants were nothing but stray dogs, and their annihilation was only a matter of time.

The real threat now is the bandits entrenched in Qingfeng Mountain.

I've heard that those bandits are even more vicious than those in Lingtou Village, and they outnumber and outgun the others, making them a threat that the imperial court wants to eliminate.

"Let all soldiers rest and prepare provisions. Three days later, I, the general, will personally lead the troops to attack Qingfeng Mountain."

Xiao Yunling gave another order.

"Yes."

After the lieutenant left, the room returned to silence.

Xiao Yunling slowly removed her armor and changed into a clean set of plain clothes.

After a day of fierce fighting, she was exhausted.

Xiao Yunling lay on the bed, closed her eyes, and fell into deep thought.

Xiao Yunling naturally had his own reasons for being so eager to wipe out the bandits.

There are many people in the Zhenbei Army and the imperial court who are dissatisfied with the Yun Battalion.

The Yun Battalion should have remained in the northern border to defend against the northern barbarians, instead of being transferred to such a place to deal with bandits.

However, now that she's here, she has to quickly produce results and prove those who doubted her wrong.

……

Wang Family Residence, Shannan Town.

In the bedroom, Wang Laoqi was lying on the bed, looking very weak.

His shoulder was still wrapped in gauze.

This was a sword wound left by the female general; his shoulder still ached faintly at this moment.

"Sir, the medicine."

The housekeeper opened the door and carefully brought over the herbal medicine.

Wang Laoqi struggled to his feet and drank the herbal medicine.

No matter how bitter the medicine is, it can't compare to what Wang Laoqi has been going through these past few days.

They thought that the arrival of the new government troops would be able to vent the Wang family's anger.

Who knew that the female general was so ruthless, resorting to violence at the slightest provocation.

"Master, we just received news that Lingtou Village has been captured by the Zhenbei Army."

The butler put away the soup bowl and reported in a low voice.

"really?"

Wang Laoqi's eyes suddenly lit up; he hadn't expected the government troops to move so quickly.

"So, Chen Mo is dead?"

Wang Laoqi asked urgently.

"I heard that Chen Mo has escaped into Black Wind Ridge and his fate is unknown. However, the government has blocked all the roads leading down Black Wind Ridge, so Chen Mo definitely can't escape."

The butler replied.

This answer did not satisfy Wang Laoqi.

"Those government troops are a bunch of useless idiots! They can't even kill a single rebel! A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Wang Laoqi cursed inwardly.

He was still waiting to take Chen Mo's head to be buried with his son.

However, now that Lingtou Village has been taken over, it will return to the control of the Wang family.

"Sir, there's something I need to tell you..."

The butler stammered.

"Speak up if you have something to say."

Wang Laoqi frowned.

"Huang Chengyue's men have taken over Lingtou Village, and the fields in those villages have been handed over to Huang Chengyue by the female general to manage."

The butler said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Wang Laoqi's face darkened further. He gritted his teeth, and a sharp pain shot through his chest, causing him to cough involuntarily.

"That old dog, Huang Chengyue!"

Wang Laoqi cursed loudly.

The Wang family lost a lot of their wealth and even their son in their attempt to deal with Chen Mo, only to have Huang Chengyue reap a huge benefit in the end.

Huang Chengyue initially refused to exchange land for grain, but now that the government troops have successfully suppressed the bandits, this old dog is actually trying to reap the benefits first.

He hated Chen Mo and resented Xiao Yunling, but he was even more dissatisfied with Huang Chengyue, that old scoundrel who took advantage of the chaos.

"Don't be angry, sir. I heard from others that the female general demanded that Huang Chengyue pay 70% of the grain tax. This is not a good job."

The butler quickly added.

"Seventy percent? Isn't that a losing proposition?"

Hearing this, Wang Laoqi immediately felt better.

Since it's such a mess, let's hand it over to Huang Chengyue to deal with.

Once Chen Mo and his gang are completely wiped out, Wang Laoqi will figure out a way to take over Lingtou Village.

Now Chen Mo is like a stray dog, surrounded by so many government troops, he certainly won't live much longer.

……

A sinkhole deep within Black Wind Ridge.

At this moment, the villagers of Lingtou Village are crammed into this last refuge.

Everyone has been busy since they arrived here in batches.

Recently, it has been raining continuously on the mountain, so the villagers have had to build temporary wooden sheds to shelter them from the wind and rain.

Fortunately, they evacuated quickly enough and had moved almost all their belongings here.

However, the living environment now is incomparable to that of the village.

It was early morning, and the sinkhole was still shrouded in darkness.

Everyone got busy, setting up makeshift cooking utensils and starting a fire to cook.

At the entrance, many villagers were guarding it.

Since moving here, they have been constantly on guard against government troops.

In the middle of the open space, the able-bodied men of the village gathered together, discussing everything.

"I think we can't wait any longer. Mo and the others haven't come up the mountain for so long, and we haven't been able to find out any news. It's very likely that something has happened in Lingtou Village."

Sun Dazhu said anxiously.

His words have also sparked a lot of discussion.

"Brother Mo said he would stay for two days, but it's already the fourth day. Could it be that the government troops have surrounded Lingtou Village again?"

The bystander replied, his face showing even greater worry.

"Now that Brother Mo isn't here, we don't know what to do. Why don't we go down the mountain and take a look?"

The discussion grew louder and louder.

"Everyone, Chen Mo previously instructed us that no matter what happens outside, we must not leave here easily. Let's not panic and lose our composure. Chen Mo might be coming up the mountain soon."

Li Laogen, who was standing to the side, said in a deep voice that although he was also very worried about Chen Mo, the more anxious he was, the more likely he was to make a mistake.

Despite hearing Li Laogen's words, the crowd remained unsettled.

"Uncle Li, if Lingtou Village is really surrounded, are we just supposed to do nothing?"

Sun Dazhu sighed.

"I heard from Brother Mo that the imperial army has arrived in the north of the city. Could it be that the imperial army has already attacked Lingtou Village?"

"If Brother Mo is really alright, he should at least send someone to let us know..."

The crowd continued to discuss the matter, their voices filled with worry.

The atmosphere in the camp instantly became oppressive.