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After dinner, Lu Songli, Xu Zheng, Yang Wei, Lu Mingzhi, and the Qin brothers, Qin Heng and Qin Zhao, gathered again in the main hall.
Qin Sheng was not present; he was very skilled in reconnaissance. After the revelation earlier, following Qin Heng’s suggestion, he had gone to lead Hu Guangcong’s team to scout Qinglong Village.
The sky was completely dark now. There were no candles or oil lamps. In the center of the room, a fire burned, and everyone sat around it.
The importance of knowing oneself and one’s enemy is self-evident. After learning about Qinglong Village, Lu Songli had suggested Hu Guangcong gather information related to it. Along with the news she had gathered from the villagers of Qingxi Village, Lu Songli compiled a summary.
“Qinglong Village has about four hundred people, with over two hundred being young and strong. There is a village chief and four leaders. Additionally, the big chief, Qiu Hai, has a trusted confidant. These six people manage the large Qinglong Village.”
“Qinglong Village is often besieged. Each time the leaders suffer losses, replacements are promoted. The village chief always manages to escape each time, leading to a local saying about Qinglong Village: ‘The village chief is as solid as iron, while the leaders come and go like flowing water.’”
Yang Wei summarized the news he had gathered today with the previous information.
Qin Zhao hissed, “With over two hundred strong men, we can’t confront them head-on.”
“Qiu Hai seems to have some luck on his side,” Xu Zheng, being a government official, focused on the elusive Qiu Hai.
Lu Songli’s attention was on Qiu Hai’s unremarkable confidant. She didn’t believe that Qiu Hai’s repeated escapes were purely due to luck. Some luck is often a result of careful planning behind the scenes.
“Do you think Qinglong Village, knowing we are staying in Qingxi Village, might come to surround us tonight?”
“It shouldn’t. They have never failed in their raids over the past two or three years. With heavy snow for the next couple of days, they would believe we’re trapped and unable to escape. Why would they attack in such harsh conditions?” The heavy snow bought them two days.
“However, we should still increase our vigilance at night.”
The most important thing was to come up with a good plan within the next two days. Time was pressing.
“If anyone has ideas, feel free to share them. Let’s brainstorm together.”
Lu Songli asked the thoughtful Qin Heng, “Elder Brother, do you have any ideas?”
“I’ve been considering what you said earlier about uniting all possible forces for our goal. Since we can’t confront Qinglong Village head-on, can we ally with the villages that have been attacked?” Qin Heng proposed.
Previously, when he was in the northern regions, he had troops at his disposal and directly dealt with the local bandits and villainous factions. Facing a powerful bandit group with minimal troops was a first for him.
“Good idea,” Lu Songli was pleased with his thought and affirmed it. “But the villagers around here won’t work. Not to mention the possibility of spies among them, we don’t have enough time for mobilization.”
Qin Heng acknowledged this, “Yes, I considered that as well.”
Qin Zhao then suggested, “The best option would be to cooperate with the government. They follow orders strictly and are easier to coordinate with. The villagers could serve as scattered troops, adding some noise or charging in later; they could help clean up the battlefield.”
Yang Wei added, “Yes, if we could convince the government to send troops to deal with the bandits, we could slip away while they are occupied.”
Lu Mingzhi looked at him strangely. “Are you so scheming?”
Yang Wei defensively replied, “It’s survival, not scheming. Do you understand?”
Everyone agreed with Qin Zhao’s idea, but they had no connections with the local government in Gunzhou.
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Lu Songli looked at the thin file in her hand with a frown. The time was too short, and the information they had gathered was superficial and incomplete. However, there were still some gains.
“Mingzhi, do you remember Zhang Xian?”
Suddenly being called upon, Lu Mingzhi thought carefully and finally recalled where he had heard the name.
“He’s the one mentioned by Father when he was criticizing Inspector Yan Hua at Hongsheng Restaurant, right? Yan Hua’s disciple?”
Lu Songli nodded, “That’s him!”
The area they were currently in was under the jurisdiction of Gunzhou’s Tonghua County. The current county magistrate of Tonghua was none other than Zhang Xian.
However, Zhang Xian could only be referred to as Yan Hua’s former disciple. When Yan Hua, his mentor, accepted Zhang Xian, he forced him to marry his daughter. But Zhang Xian, already in love with someone else and somewhat arrogant due to his talent, refused his mentor’s request.
Later, Zhang Xian was assigned to a poor, remote county at the edge of the Great Li Empire. No matter what achievements Zhang Xian made, Yan Hua used his influence to keep him there. Essentially, they had become enemies.
Zhang Xian spent several years in that border county, and it wasn’t until two or three years ago, when he finally achieved something noteworthy, that Yan Hua’s influence could no longer suppress him, and he was transferred elsewhere, though still to a similar position.
Lu Songli was surprised to find that Zhang Xian had been transferred to Tonghua County in Gunzhou.
Tonghua County could be considered the heartland of the Da Li Empire. Being an official here was much easier than in the impoverished border counties.
But Zhang Xian probably didn’t expect that Tonghua County would be harboring such a troublesome group as Qinglong Village.
Lu Songli thought that Zhang Xian might be worth reaching out to. Surely, Qinglong Village must be a headache for him as well.
If they could collaborate, and if there was a feasible plan, he should not refuse to cooperate. Moreover, if they could completely eliminate Qinglong Village, it would be a notable achievement for him as a county magistrate.
Lu Songli first introduced Zhang Xian’s background and then shared her plan.
Yang Wei shook his head at Zhang Xian’s background, “Tsk tsk, you officials and your machinations are truly ruthless.”
Everyone present ignored his comment.
Qin Heng suggested, “Let’s write him a letter first and see what his attitude is.”
Lu Songli agreed with this plan. Although they had never met, since Yan Hua was on the list of Emperor Kang Cheng’s tomb companions, Lu Songli deduced that Zhang Xian might have a favorable impression of the Lu family if he knew this.
The key issue was how to deliver this letter to him. As a county magistrate, Zhang Xian was not someone who could be seen easily, and a letter delivered by an ordinary person might not be trusted. Lu Songli was concerned about this.
“After the letter is written, give it to me. I’ll have someone deliver it to him,” Qin Heng offered.
The Qin family had held military and noble titles for many years and had connections. Moreover, many retired soldiers from the northern borders had returned to local service.
“Alright, Elder Brother, we’ll leave that to you then.”
“Sister-in-law can write the letter,” Qin Zhao quickly added.
“Yes,” Lu Songli smiled, “Mingzhi, you do it.”
Lu Songli knew that sending such a letter would expose their identities. After all, her current status was that of a fugitive, and she had neither the capacity nor the concern for their safety across Cangshan Mountain.
Qin Zhao nodded, “It’s reasonable for Mingzhi to write the letter, given the situation.”
Thus, the letter, dictated by Lu Songli and written by Lu Mingzhi, was completed in about fifteen minutes.
After finishing, Lu Mingzhi nervously said, “Second Sister, you must send a letter to Father later to explain that the promises made to Zhang Xian were your idea, not mine.”
Lu Mingzhi’s anxiety was understandable. Lu Songli had, without much hesitation, painted a rosy picture in the letter while also involving their father in a potential problem.
Lu Songli patted his arm reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Second Sister will explain clearly. Father won’t blame you.” After all, isn’t it the role of a parent to clean up the messes their children create?