Chapter 9

Liu Jun now turned to the elder, "Sir, if I am not mistaken, the attendant who just left must have gone to inform the county town about the bandits, right?"

"Indeed," the elder nodded. "But I didn't expect the bandits to come so quickly just now."

"Yes, we can't outrun the bandits, and we can't fight them either. However, I do have a plan that might drive them away. But I need your help and cooperation, sir."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to remain so calm in the face of bandits and even have a plan to deal with them. I am quite surprised. Fine, tell me what you need me to do."

The scholar standing beside him became very anxious, "Sir, don't take unnecessary risks. This young man is still young, and who knows if his plan is real or not. How can we trust him and put ourselves in danger?"

The elder remained calm, "I think what the young man said makes a lot of sense. We can't run away in time, and we can't fight them. Since we don't want to be captured, we must find a way to save ourselves. Although the young man is young, I don't think his words are unbelievable."

"That's right. In a moment, I hope you can do this..." Liu Jun whispered a plan to the elder, who became increasingly pleased as he listened. "Very good, very good. I must praise you for your courage and wisdom. This plan is quite promising. I will cooperate with you and follow your lead."

With the elder's support, Liu Jun quickly set up the plan. Just as he finished, the sound of galloping hooves approached.

From the west, several plumes of dust grew larger, followed by wild and beast-like shouts. In the dust, several mounted bandits suddenly appeared before the group. In front of them, a group of civilians and travelers were fleeing in terror.

These civilians included men and women, old and young, all panicking and crying, their faces filled with despair and fear. The bandits seemed to be enjoying the cat-and-mouse game, chasing them relentlessly without immediately capturing or killing them.

At the roadside tea shop, Liu Jun's face was expressionless, but he was actually quite nervous. Beside him stood the elder, the scholar, and the elder's three attendants.

They stood there on the road.

The bandits, who were shouting, were very puzzled. Had these people been scared stiff? Why were they standing there like wooden stakes, blocking the road?

"Stop!" a bandit leader shouted to his subordinates.

The group of civilians being chased quickly ran to hide behind Liu Jun and the others, crying and shouting.

The small leader, wearing a chainmail shirt and holding a large spear, rode his horse with high cheekbones and a cold gaze. He stopped his subordinates and then looked at Liu Jun, who was standing at the front.

"Who are you?"

Liu Jun felt a bit relieved that the bandits had stopped. The first step of his plan had succeeded. He calmed himself, clasped his hands, and shouted loudly, "I am Liu Ye, the county clerk of Macheng. Our county magistrate has heard of your arrival and has already gathered the local militia and young men. He has also sent troops to the garrison. He intended to crush you all at once, but he is unwilling to see unnecessary casualties. Therefore, he has sent me to advise you to leave quickly."

After finishing his speech, Liu Jun took out a package he had bought as a birthday gift for the old man and had one of the elder's attendants deliver it to the bandits.

"What is this?" the small leader asked, squinting his eyes.

Liu Jun smiled and replied, "This is a small severance fee from our county. Take it and divide it among yourselves as travel expenses. Go back to your homes and live honestly as citizens of the Great Ming."

The small leader grunted but did not make a decision on his own. He spoke to a few of his companions and then rode back with the package.

Not far behind, the small leader returned to the main group, which consisted of several hundred people, including nearly a hundred mounted bandits and two to three hundred young and strong men. Additionally, there were several hundred civilians and women they had captured.

"Is that really what they said?" a middle-aged, fierce-looking man with a blue birthmark on his left cheek asked.

"Yes, there were only six of them, but they seemed very calm. The young man claimed to be a county clerk, but the old man behind him seemed even more distinguished. I suspect the old man is the real decision-maker. Moreover, the young man and the three middle-aged strong men all exude a killing aura, indicating they have seen battle. The three strong men, in particular, have definitely killed many people and were likely once part of the official army, possibly even the attendants of some military leaders."

"It seems Macheng has very good intelligence and already knows about our presence. They are well-prepared," the leader with the blue birthmark said.

"Who cares if they are prepared? How many soldiers does Macheng have? We have so many brothers. Since we are here, we can't leave without accomplishing anything. Let's attack. Even if we don't take the county, there are many wealthy merchants and gentry in Macheng. Breaking into one of their estates would yield thousands of taels."

"Use your head," the blue-faced leader said to the subordinate who wanted to attack. "Macheng is not like other places. Just the four major families—Mei, Zhou, Li, and Liu—each have over two thousand attendants. Mei Zhihuan, who retired, is bored and has established a local militia, even bringing in dozens of red-coated cannons from southern Jiangxi. His militia is even stronger than the Huangzhou garrison. The other families, though not as strong as Mei Zhihuan's militia, still have many attendants and large estates. We planned to catch them off guard, but now that the plan has leaked, this deal is off. Order the retreat!"

"Are we just letting Macheng off the hook?"

"As long as we have our troops, we can still make a fortune elsewhere. If the east doesn't work, we'll try the west. Let's go!" The blue-faced leader was decisive and immediately ordered a retreat.

Liu Jun stood on the road, his heart racing. After a long wait, the sound of hooves returned. The small leader came back, stared at Liu Jun for a moment, and then waved to his subordinates, "The boss orders a retreat!" The bandits came quickly and left just as fast, disappearing in a moment, leaving behind Liu Jun and the group of terrified civilians and travelers.

"They're gone, they're finally gone!" someone cheered.

"Bravo, Clerk Liu!" someone loudly thanked Liu Jun.

Some people familiar with the county's affairs did not know that there was a clerk named Liu Ye, let alone one so young. They were secretly puzzled about where this suddenly appearing clerk Liu Ye had come from.

Liu Jun was still tense, but the elder laughed and approached him, "Nephew, you are truly remarkable. A small trick to outsmart the bandits. Your empty city strategy was well played."

At this moment, Liu Jun truly realized that his plan had succeeded. Although it cost him a hundred taels of silver, he had successfully made the bandits believe that the county was already aware of their plans, causing them to retreat.

"Just a stroke of luck, just a stroke of luck!" Liu Jun quickly replied, clasping his hands.

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