Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Sun Jizu waved his sleeve and said, "Our previous arrangements were based on this idea. Bamboo spikes, caltrops, fire ditches, horse traps, and scattered rocks and logs were all prepared in advance. These arrangements were originally calculated based on an enemy force of three or four hundred people."

His voice suddenly turned cold, like the back of a knife striking an anvil, "But even if there are eight hundred enemies, it doesn't matter!"

He clenched his fist and spoke one sentence at a time, explaining to the three of them one by one.

Once the bandits entered the ambush area, they were met with archers in front, fire ditches blocking their path behind, and iron caltrops and bamboo spikes under their feet. Archers on the earthen slopes on both sides were also firing arrows down.

Realizing they had fallen into a trap and suffered casualties, they would surely turn and run.

All the archers had to do was cling to the fleeing soldiers and chase them down.

Wherever there were people attempting to gather in rebellion, he would personally lead a team of elite archers to attack and scatter them...

After a moment, Sun Jizu succinctly and forcefully summarized, "If the enemy numbers four hundred, we can annihilate them all. If the enemy numbers eight hundred, we can rout them!"

He paused for a moment, as if giving the three of them time to process what he was saying.

"After defeating them, release the archers and inform the patrolmen, post station guards, innkeepers, and militia from nearby villages and towns. Together, we will surround and annihilate the fleeing bandits. In my estimation, even if we cannot wipe them all out, we can at least leave most of them alive."

Li Hang raised an eyebrow, hearing an unfamiliar term, "righteous warriors?"

Zhang Sanlang also looked at Sun Jizu.

He knew that there were able-bodied men in the countryside, and the household registers also recorded the number of able-bodied men in each village, but Sun Jizu never talked to him about the training in detail.

He thought it was just a straw target set up in an open space at the edge of the village during the off-season, so that the farmers could stretch their muscles.

He looked at Sun Jizu with curiosity.

Zhao Xie also fixed his gaze on Sun Jizu, equally curious.

Seeing that the three of them were looking at him, Sun Jizu smiled slightly and said, "It's normal for civil officials not to pay attention to military affairs."

He shifted the position of his one arm and leaned forward. "I've been stationed in the border county for many years and have seen many rural people who often spontaneously organize able-bodied men and ask instructors to train them during the off-season."

"Those organized around a clan are called clan soldiers. Those organized around a village are called village soldiers. Those formed by several villages are called township soldiers. When a border town is attacked, these volunteers will come to its aid."

He paused, his voice becoming warmer, "I've seen it with my own eyes more than once in the north. The Imperial Guards were blocking the way in front, while the volunteers were supplying arrows and provisions from behind. When things got desperate, they grabbed their weapons to plug the gaps. Without them, several cities might not have been able to hold out."

At this point, Sun Jizu's tone carried a hint of smugness, "Juancheng is the rear area, so it's unlikely that we'd encounter any battles there. However, on my way back home from Bingzhou, I encountered several dangerous situations."

"Only then did I realize that after the imperial army was defeated last year, many of the local militias scattered and did not return to their posts. Instead, they spread to various prefectures and counties, causing havoc, and colluded with local bandits, resulting in rampant banditry."

"After I took office, I thought of this and selected young men from various villages to train during the off-season, with the county government's archers going down to each village."

"The total number of able-bodied men in the four villages is over five thousand. In the past few months, more than two thousand of them have received training. They may not be able to go to the battlefield, but it is not difficult for them to surround and block the retreating soldiers..."

After listening to Sun Jizu's explanation, Li Hang leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

Zhao Xie was toying with the short knife, twirling it hundreds of times in his hand before suddenly stopping. The hilt struck the wooden table with a dull thud. He didn't speak, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Zhang Sanlang shifted his gaze to the table.

He did some mental calculations.

Two thousand volunteers, plus a hundred archers, plus preemptive deployment.

That account is completely different from what it was half an hour ago.

Sun Jizu looked at the three men and finished speaking his last sentence, "I am confident that I can leave most, or even all, of the invading enemy behind during the pursuit!"

Li Hang picked up the teacup, which had already gone cold. He took a sip and put it down, without mentioning the matter of reporting it again.

When he stood up, his voice returned to its usual calm and steady tone, "Everyone, go and prepare."

Sun Jizu stood up, nodded to the three of them, and went out first.

He strode along the corridor toward the county magistrate's office, his single arm swinging at his side, his steps heavier than when he came, his entire demeanor quite different from usual.

Zhang Sanlang returned to the household office, sat down behind his desk, stuffed the ration book back onto the wooden shelf, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest for a while. Less than a quarter of an hour later, footsteps came from outside the door.

Fang Zhimo pushed open the door and peeked in. "Zhang Yashi, a servant has come to say that the magistrate requests your presence in the second hall."

Zhang Sanlang didn't rush to get up. "Who else is here?"

"County Magistrate Gu, County Lieutenant Sun, and Mr. Zhao are all here. He also said that Clerk Feng, Clerk Yan, and Clerk Zhou have gone too, and you're the only one missing."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanlang's expression changed. He quickly put the brush down on the inkstone, got up, and walked out.

The doors to the second hall were wide open.

He walked to the door and glanced inside. Li Hang was sitting in the center, Zhao Xie was on the left, and Gu Yansheng and Sun Jizu were on the right. Feng Jian, Yan Shizhong, and Zhou Quan were sitting at the lower end of the table.

Feng Jian held the teacup, his round face bearing his usual smile.

Yan Shizhong maintained his indifferent expression.

When Zhou Quan saw him come in, he winked at him, then quickly looked away.

Zhang Sanlang stepped over the threshold, bowed to Li Hang and the others, and sat down in the last chair.

Seeing that he was seated, Li Hang smiled slightly and turned to Feng Jian, "Clerk Feng, as you said, everyone is here. What important matter is it?"

Feng Jian put down his teacup, stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Li Hang, and then looked around at everyone present.

His smile faded slightly, replaced by a solemn expression, as if he had something extremely important to say, yet he carefully considered his words. "Your Excellency, fellow colleagues."

"I have summoned you all today because of a momentous event that I cannot fail to report. I have recently heard that a large number of bandits have infiltrated Juancheng. There are quite a few of them, about seven or eight hundred."

As soon as he said that, the second hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The teacup in Gu Yansheng's hand stopped in mid-air.

Yan Shizhong frowned and looked at Feng Jian with a somewhat flustered expression.

Zhou Quan opened his mouth and then closed it again, his eyes wide open, and he snapped off two of his rat whiskers.

Zhang Sanlang looked at Feng Jian, his expression changing slightly, somewhat incredulous.

Feng Jian continued earnestly, "At first, I didn't believe it either, so I secretly asked a few familiar villagers to inquire. Yesterday, I received confirmation."

"These people hid in several places: one at the abandoned dock twenty miles west of the city, one at the old site of the prison camp in the north, and another near Wangjiazhuang, where they disguised themselves as day laborers during the autumn harvest."

He described the three locations clearly, exactly as Li Hang and the others had. Even Li Hang, with his composure, couldn't help but glance at Zhao Xie, then at Sun Jizu, and finally at Zhang Sanlang.

"As a lower-ranking official, I am not supposed to overstep my authority. However, this matter concerns the safety of the entire city, and I dare not delay. Today, in front of Your Excellency and all my colleagues, I present this message for Your Excellency's decision."

He bowed to Li Hang again, took a step back, sat back in his chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his fingers trembled slightly. The tremor was just enough for everyone present to see.

Gu Yansheng was the first to speak, his brows furrowed tightly. "Seven or eight hundred bandits? Clerk Feng, is your information accurate?"

Feng Jian put down his teacup and said seriously, "County Magistrate Gu, how dare a lowly official speak such a thing? If I utter even a single falsehood, I am willing to accept punishment..."