Can't a girl be a traitor like Cao Cao?

He then looked embarrassed and said, "The expenses in the prefectural office are quite high, and all kinds of expenditures cost money. I don't need to see any superiors here, so I'll just have to make do..."

Wenren Tianxia found this strange and asked, "As a prefect, you can afford to change your official robes, right? Is it really necessary?"

Li Yi said even more awkwardly, "The finances of the prefecture are all in the hands of the prefectural magistrate, so I... hahaha... let's not talk about it..."

Since Li Yi said so, there was nothing more for the two of them to say.

As for Li Yi, inviting the two over at this time was certainly not to play the victim.

Instead, she asked Chi Junlin very seriously, "I heard that in the past few days, the Prefect and Instructor Ziheng have formed a bandit-suppressing army, and their naval warfare training has begun to show results. Miss Lin Jun, when do you think our prefecture's militia will be ready for battle?"

Seeing Li Yi's eagerness, Chi Junlin casually replied, "It's only just begun. If we're to fight the Water Gang, we'll need to train our troops for a while longer... What? Is the Prefect in such a hurry?"

"I'm so impatient..."

Li Yi said with a hint of melancholy, "As long as the Water Gang is not destroyed, I will feel worried. I fear that things will get worse and the counties will suffer...and more disaster..."

Upon hearing Li Yi's words, Chi Junlin realized that the psychological trauma the Water Gang had inflicted on him was far too severe.

He put down his teacup and patiently explained to him, "Prefect, don't think that suppressing bandits is a simple matter."

It appears that the group of pirates was led by a single gang leader, with twelve branch leaders as his assistants.

Its most elite core members probably number only a hundred or so.

But even if these elite bandits are killed, will the bandit problem be solved?

On the contrary, for the people in the Dongting area, those insignificant underlings in the river gangs were the biggest threat in their eyes.

If all the bandits cannot be wiped out in one fell swoop, then the remaining bandits will cause endless trouble.

Therefore, when taking action, it should be with swift and decisive force to capture the enemy in one fell swoop, leaving no one behind.

The prefect should understand this principle, shouldn't he?

Li Yi nodded, a hint of sadness in his voice, "I know... I was too hasty. I apologize to both of you, I lost my composure..."

Seeing his reaction, Chi Junlin didn't take it too seriously.

But when he turned his head, he saw a broken fan that the prefect had placed on his desk.

Then he said to Li Yi, "Speaking of which, I heard Hui Ziheng say that the Prefect once had great ambitions and wanted to wipe out the bandits of Dongting Lake and restore peace to the people."

However, after the bandit raid, the master seems to have fallen into a slump and remains dejected ever since?

Li Yi then showed a guilty expression and said helplessly, "I didn't want it to be like this either. It's just... it's just that when I think about it..."

As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at the fan placed on the table.

He sighed again, looked north, and had a dazed expression on his face.

Chi Junlin knew that the direction Li Yi was looking in was the location of the Drunken Dream Never Sleeps Tower, the headquarters of the water bandits on Dongting Lake.

Wenren Tianxia curled his lip, and although he didn't say anything, a subtle expression of disdain appeared on his face.

Clearly, anyone with eyes could see that the Prefect was troubled by love.

Some people are like that; after losing that pure land in their hearts, they fall into an abyss from which they can never escape.

At this moment, Chi Junlin asked Li Yi, "Has the Prefect ever considered that the attack on the Prefectural Office back then was actually too much of a coincidence?"

The order to suppress the bandits had just been issued when the bandits landed on the shore…

Upon hearing this, Li Yi hesitated.

He lowered his head and said, "I've thought about that too... but I just can't understand it. Even if the prefecture is attacked, who can escape unscathed? No one in Xiangshui Prefecture should oppose the bandit suppression..."

Seeing Li Yi's expression, Chi Junlin understood something slightly.

He smiled and said, "Of course, Your Excellency need not worry. The plan to suppress the bandits has been finalized. Before long, once the militia has gained strength, we will be able to officially engage in a decisive battle with the river bandits."

Upon hearing Chi Junlin's words, Li Yi beamed with joy, "That would be perfect."

At this moment, Chi Junlin stood up and went to the window of the tea room.

The terrain here is slightly elevated, near a waterway. The garrison and the entire Dongting Lake area are clearly visible from here.

Under the command of the prefectural commandant and the militia instructor, all the young men were training with great enthusiasm.

Further afield, as far as the eye could see, merchant ships crisscrossed, a scene of prosperity and growth.

Chi Junlin stood by the window with a smile on his face.

Then he turned and glanced at Li Yi.

"Speaking of which, Your Excellency, when do you think is the most appropriate time to suppress the bandits?"

"me?"

Li Yi paused for a moment, then replied somewhat awkwardly, "Of course I think the sooner the better."

"Yes. That's what I think too."

Chi Junlin nodded and looked out at the vast expanse of Dongting Lake.

"Then let's resolve this matter as soon as possible."

Chapter 266 You actually did this behind my back!

Several days later.

The militia and troops organized within the prefecture have been conducting training in an orderly manner during this period.

Furthermore, following Chi Junlin's instructions, they patrolled the waters near Xiangshui County every night to familiarize them with the feeling of naval warfare.

Strangely, Red King only instructed the sailors to be cautious and defensive.

Although they were dispatched every night, they never informed the squad leaders and sergeants of the various naval units when they would begin their operation against the Dongting River gang.

Just as Chi Junlin had previously told Hui Ziheng, the military secrets within the prefecture were kept extremely well confidential.

Almost no one knew exactly how the bandit suppression plan was arranged.

When the sailors were training on the water, they shouted their work songs very loudly.

But it seems to be merely a deterrent to the members of the Water Gang.

There has been no indication of a large-scale deployment so far.

At first, the group of fishermen were a little nervous for a few days, but after guarding day and night, they found that these fishermen who were acting as sailors were just shouting slogans and had no intention of making a formal attack.

After a while, the gang members became somewhat lax.

Furthermore, while the bandit suppression in Xiangshui County could be delayed, the Water Gang could not be dragged out for long.

The bandits had quite a few men under their command, all of whom had families with them.

If this drags on, with constant vigilance day and night, they'll eat the entire gang out of business.

So, under such prolonged and arduous conditions, it was the Water Gang that couldn't hold on any longer.

They began to be active again in the Dongting Lake area.

It's just that compared to before, it has indeed toned down quite a bit.

Clearly, they remained vigilant against the naval forces stationed in Xiangshui County and dared not relax their guard completely.

All of these arrangements were made by Chi Junlin.

The reaction from the Water Gang was exactly what she had expected.

With the time running out, Chi Junlin began preparations for the final assault on Xiangshui County in the coming days.

However, the exact plan remained only in Chi Junlin's mind.

No one else knew exactly how she had arranged it.

-

After that, it was also Huifu.

Although Chi Junlin did not give a specific explanation, the recent tense atmosphere of preparation for war made everyone in Huifu feel that a major battle was coming.

He seemed a little nervous.

These past two days, Chi Junlin hasn't been out on the streets much, spending most of his time alone with Hui Sanmei, seemingly discussing something important.

Several of the Hui family elders were somewhat uncertain.

Because they feared that the Hui family members would suffer too many casualties in the upcoming decisive battle with the Water Gang.

He then subtly inquired of Hui Zhilan about the battle from Chi Junlin.

After all, in their eyes, Chi Junlin was an important guest of Hui Zhilan, and the two had a closer relationship.

Let her ask; surely she won't be refuted by Chi Junlin?

Hui Zhilan naturally couldn't refuse.

With a helpless expression, he went to find Chi Junlin for questioning after the banquet ended.

Strangely, when she arrived at the courtyard where Chi Junlin was staying, she did not see Chi Junlin in the room.

Hui Zhilan originally thought she had gone to find Wenren Tianxia, ​​since the two had always been close and liked to practice martial arts together when they had nothing to do.

But when they went to Wenren Tianxia's room, they found him sitting alone on the bed.

She even went to Wei Ziqing's room, but still couldn't find Chi Junlin.

This made her a little confused.

Based on Hui Zhilan's understanding of Chi Junlin, if she wasn't in these places, where else could she be?

Afterwards, Hui Zhilan decided to give up and returned to her room.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Di Shanshan was playing with Hui Sanmei's daughter.

Hui Zhilan was puzzled, so she asked the girl, "Why are you here, Anan? Where is your mother?"

The little girl was playing cat's cradle with Di Shanshan when she heard this, and obediently said, "Mommy is talking to Sister Lin, and she told me to come and play with Sister Shanshan..."

"That's it..."

Upon hearing this, Hui Zhilan felt slightly puzzled.

Regardless, the whereabouts of the Crimson King have been found.

So Hui Zhilan asked Di Shanshan to take good care of her younger sister.

Then they headed toward Hui Sanmei's residence.

Halfway there, Hui Zhilan felt increasingly strange.

She wondered, why were the two of them talking about business together again today?

Do they really have that much to talk about?

It's been several days now, and you're getting together more and more often.

It's strange that Hui Sanmei didn't say anything to him.

Could it be...

Hui Zhilan thought of something, but immediately shook her head.

No... that's unlikely, isn't it?

My third sister is intelligent and has always had a strong personality. I've never sensed any particular inclination towards that kind of thing from a young age.

And wasn't her ex-husband Lai Yuanwei just hanged?

How can someone so quickly move on from a relationship and start dating someone else?

Third Sister isn't some promiscuous woman.

Thinking this, Hui Zhilan walked to the small courtyard where Hui Sanmei was staying.

Upon arriving outside the courtyard, it is customary to inquire whether the younger sister is safe and sound.

However, at this moment, Hui Zhilan vaguely sensed something.

After hesitating for a moment, he quietly entered the courtyard.

The courtyard was located in a secluded area, and the environment was quite quiet, which suited Hui Sanmei's quiet nature.

Only one room in the courtyard had its lights on.

If there is anyone there, they could only be in that room.