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

Zhang Sanlang nodded. "That's right. Eight hundred against one hundred, the advantage lies with the Wang family father and son. They can't figure out how they could lose, so naturally they'll use their power to intimidate others."

"He exposed the eight hundred bandits in the open, causing us to panic, so that he could confront the magistrate privately. He wanted the magistrate to serve a full term as magistrate, so that Juancheng would still be a county government under the imperial court in name, but in reality, he would be in charge of the affairs."

Li Hang's expression remained unchanged, clearly indicating that he had anticipated this, though his gaze still darkened.

Zhang Sanlang's expression also turned serious. "As far as we know, the rebels have agreed to rise up next autumn. Feng Jian cannot allow Juancheng to fall into chaos before then. If he openly attacks Juancheng, wouldn't he be completely exposed?"

"We must secretly take control of Juancheng, accumulate strength here, and recruit more troops so that we have the power to take Puzhou City next year. Taking Juancheng now would only make things worse."

"So, the Wang family father and son never intended for these eight hundred bandits to actually attack the city," Li Hang suddenly interjected.

Zhang Sanlang glanced at Li Hang and nodded.

Zhao Xie straightened up from the back of his chair, his gaze shifting between the two men: "What do you mean? What's the point of him gathering these people? With eight hundred bandits at his disposal, controlling Juancheng shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Zhang Sanlang's lips curled slightly. The smile remained on his lips, not reaching his eyes. "Mr. Zhao, if you were Feng Jian, who do you think these eight hundred bandits would listen to once they entered the city?"

"Master Wang lured them from Yizhou and Mizhou to Juancheng with money and provisions. These people were already unruly, and once they entered the city, they started burning, killing, and looting. Who could control them?"

"No matter how confident the Wang family father and son are, they dare not gamble that these people will follow their rules. If they get too caught up in the fight, they might even swallow the Wang family whole."

Zhao Xie opened his mouth, then closed it again, seemingly lost in thought.

"So the best fate for this group of bandits is to have most of them wiped out." Zhang Sanlang's gaze fell on Zhao Xie's face. "But they can't die in vain. When they die, the military strength of Juancheng must be exhausted."

"Once the archers, able-bodied men, and even the Imperial Guards who might come to their aid are all exhausted, the remaining bandits will be easier to control. Whether Feng Jian incites them with hatred or persuades them with a way out, those remaining bandits will have no choice but to obey the Wang family father and son."

Zhao Xie was somewhat unconvinced. "What if none of the eight hundred bandits survived?"

Zhang Sanlang glanced at him: "Feng Jian didn't lose either. He provided advance information, allowing the county government to take precautions. The eight hundred bandits were all wiped out; he did nothing wrong! He was the one who proactively reported the bandit information, so who would suspect him?"

Zhao Xie frowned deeply: "But he is Master Wang's biological son, he is a remnant of the previous dynasty..."

Zhang Sanlang suddenly laughed, "Mr. Zhao, apart from the four of us, who knows that he is a remnant of the previous dynasty? Besides, he was adopted by the Feng family when he was a child and changed his surname to Feng. It is clearly written in the household registration book."

"As for Master Wang, he can easily distance himself. He was first adopted by the Feng family, then became their heir... He could even claim to have put righteousness above family ties!"

"In this way, whether the eight hundred bandits survive or perish, Feng Jian will be in an invincible position. If the bandits are wiped out, he will be a hero. If they succeed, he will be the de facto master of Juancheng. Either way, he will not lose."

"The wise men of old would first plan for themselves, then for others, and only then for affairs, for the country, and for the world. Feng Jian is cautious by nature, and his actions today are also a matter of self-preservation."

"He didn't know how much he had exposed, so he wanted to reveal his hand before the Ming government could make a move. He displayed the eight hundred bandits both to intimidate the Ming government and to provide himself with a protective shield."

Zhao Xie leaned back in his chair, staring at Zhang Sanlang for a long while, his eyes filled with shock. "How can a person be so cunning?"

Sun Jizu also looked at Zhang Sanlang, his gaze carrying a strange quality.

Zhao Xie pondered for a moment, then asked, "What is the countermeasure?"

Zhang Sanlang did not answer.

He turned his head and glanced at Li Hang.

Li Hang shifted his gaze from Zhang Sanlang's face, knowing that he was even more adept at self-preservation than Feng Jian. Besides, no matter how he planned, it would ultimately come down to Sun Jizu.

He pondered for a moment behind his desk. "County Commandant Sun, if we don't deploy too many archers from within the city, how confident are you that you can wipe out these eight hundred bandits within three days?"

When Sun Jizu heard this, he straightened his back perfectly. "I'm 70% sure. But I need a few things."

Li Hang's expression softened, and he nodded: "Go ahead."

"Forty archers, from Wu Yan's squad. Also, I need to borrow He Lantou's thirty hamlets. And then there's Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Xie leaned back in his chair, his brow twitching slightly when he heard his name called: "Me?"

"There are bound to be tough fighters among the bandits. If there are any particularly formidable ones, someone will be needed to hold them off. I am good at attacking with one hand, but not at defending. I will need Mr. Zhao to help me hold off the enemy in a direct confrontation."

Zhao Xie nodded and did not refuse.

Sun Jizu stood up from the edge of the bed, walked to the desk, and drew a line on the surface with his left hand. All three understood that it represented the Guangji River. His fingertip traced the river's course for a short distance before pausing at a certain point.

"We'll attack Wangjiazhuang first. There are two hundred men there, kept under the noses of the Wang family father and son. The local people and the bandits don't know each other, which we can use to our advantage."

"The villagers of Wangjiazhuang are all long-time residents. The village head knows how many people are in each family. The same goes for the people in the nearby villages. As long as we separate the local people from the outsiders, those bandits from other places will not be able to hide."

He withdrew his hand and looked at Li Hang: "I will mobilize the five hundred trained militiamen from Linhe Township to create a disturbance on the outskirts. They don't need to engage in direct combat; just make the two hundred men from Wangjiazhuang think they are surrounded."

"Forty archers will be divided into two teams: one to block the entrance to the village, and the other to infiltrate from the flank. Anyone who dares to resist will be shot dead on the spot, without exception!"

His words were cold and harsh, startling Zhang Sanlang so much that his eyelids twitched.

Zhao Xie interjected, "What if they don't resist?"

"Those who do not resist will be tied up and detained on the spot, and dealt with after the other two locations are wiped out. Once these two hundred people are subdued, the Wang family's food supply to the other two locations will be cut off."

Sun Jizu reached his hand onto the table again, his fingertips moving back from Wangjiazhuang to the abandoned dock.

"The second site was an abandoned dock. I personally inspected the terrain there after I took office. Most of the pier was in ruins, and there were only a few old warehouses on the shore. Two hundred people were crammed into the warehouses and shacks, densely packed together, and there wasn't even a decent sentry post."

"They wouldn't have thought that anyone would dare to raid the camp at night. Mr. Zhao led his men around from the north. There is a reed bed to the north, where they can sneak up to within a hundred paces of the warehouse."

"They had plenty of oil and rockets, and the warehouse walls were made of wooden planks, so once they were lit, they couldn't be extinguished. As soon as the fire started, they rushed out, and the archers waited on the shore. These bandits were like live targets."

"However, this section of the dock was abandoned because the waterway was rerouted, and now the water is wide but not deep. These bandits will naturally run into the water, and He Lantou's men can then intercept them by boat on the river..."

Zhao Xie was somewhat worried. "The men of Helantou are mostly street thugs and fishermen, not like the archers personally trained by Magistrate Sun. Can they really block the waterway?"