A large flag slowly rose on the top of the mountain. At first glance, I thought it was "Xinghua Village". When the wind blew over, I took a closer look and found that it was written "Xingzilin". Bandits of all sizes showed their heads under the cover of grass and trees, wearing homemade earthen armor, and their longbows and short swords were pointed at the people below the mountain.

There was a flash of silver light on the top of the mountain. Chang Geng squinted his eyes and saw a figure in heavy armor that had been looted from somewhere standing on the top of the mountain. The person under the mask was unclear and stood like a target.

The robbery happened to Marquis Anding, and Chang Geng was totally confused and amused.

But when he looked back, he found that Gu Yun didn't smile. Not only did he not smile, his face looked very ugly. He squeezed out two words from between his teeth: "Idiot."

Chang Geng's mind quickly changed, and he lowered his voice and asked, "So the collusion between officials and bandits in Southern Xinjiang is not just a legend, it's true?"

Gu Yun didn't say anything, his expression becoming even more gloomy.

During the Daliang period, the local specialty of the East China Sea was pearls, the local specialty of Loulan was fine wine, and the local specialty of southern Xinjiang was bandits.

In the past two years, after the implementation of the farming puppet system, farmers could not find work. Some of them followed the traveling merchants to the north to make a living, and some of them, for some unknown reason, abandoned the light and joined the bandits. As things became cheaper, silver became more valuable. Fewer and fewer people hoarded goods and food, and instead hoarded gold and silver, which greatly increased the efficiency of the bandits' robbery.

Bandit culture is prevalent in this area, and there are more bandits in each nest than wild rabbits. It can be said that "wildfire cannot burn them all, and they will grow again with the spring breeze."

The Southern Xinjiang Army was originally raised by the Ministry of War as a stepmother. There was not enough funding allocated to them, so we could not afford to fight with them at all.

Although the bandits have the advantage of large numbers, their combat effectiveness is generally limited. If they are confronted with regular troops, they will be wiped out one by one. They are also very nervous when they see the garrison.

When people have money, they want to pursue peace and stability. They don’t want to have to hang their heads on their belts all day and be chased by others - bandits are also human beings.

Over time, the Southern Xinjiang Army and the local bandits formed a subtle symbiotic relationship.

The commander of the Southern Xinjiang Army, Fu Zhicheng, was originally a bandit. On the one hand, he controlled the bandits and tried his best to make them collect money without hurting people. On the other hand, the military expenditure of the Southern Xinjiang garrison was tight, and it was estimated that General Fu’s business was involved.

Collusion between officials and bandits is certainly not a good thing, but Gu Yun knows it well. In the past two years, the emperor has promoted farming puppets and opened up trade routes. These are obviously good policies to enrich the country and strengthen the people. However, no one knows where the problem lies. The national treasury is not satisfied and empty, and military spending has to be cut.

The south had just experienced a flood, and the disaster relief had not yet been completed. If a fight broke out again, bandits would run rampant in cities and villages, and the people would suffer even more. And if the court really replaced the commander of the Southern Xinjiang Army because of this incident, Gu Yun had no idea who could still control Southern Xinjiang.

When faced with two evils, one has to choose the lesser one. Gu Yun has no choice but to save Fu Zhicheng temporarily.

After these two years, the ancient Silk Road will be completely built, and Daliang's inland trade routes will be fully opened. A batch of silver from overseas will be able to flow into Daliang, allowing the country to breathe a sigh of relief. By then, not only will troops be sent, but the road from Bashu to southern Xinjiang will also be repaired to truly strengthen control over this remote place. Only by taking both approaches can the bandit problem be completely eliminated.

Unfortunately, apart from him, no one else seemed to understand these things.

In fact, they may not necessarily fail to understand it, but in their eyes, beating the drum and flattering the emperor in the future to get promoted and make money are more important.

On the way here, Gu Yun had been thinking about how to protect Fu Zhicheng, and he deliberately sent him a message without making any noise. Unexpectedly, halfway through the journey, someone did this to him.

Which bandit came out in full force to rob, even with flags rolled up and drums and gongs? The other party clearly knew who he was.

Killing the imperial envoy, what is the difference between this and rebellion?

Chang Geng has been deeply involved in the people and traveled all over the world in recent years. He is no longer ignorant of the current situation and people's livelihood. After a little thought, the cause and effect are clear. He looked at Gu Yun's expression and whispered: "Foster father, I don't think this is necessarily what General Fu meant."

Gu Yun said coldly: "Nonsense, how can Fu Zhicheng be so stupid?"

These big-headed bandits who occupy the mountains and act as kings are illiterate. If they want to find someone who can write and do math, they have to have several bandits share one accountant. They might have heard some gossip from somewhere and robbed them on their own initiative, testing their power and showing off their power so that they can show off their achievements to Fu Zhicheng later.

A bandit on the high ground waved a crude copper cannon and shouted at Gu Yun and the others below the mountain like singing an opera: "Who are you? Tell me your name!"

Shen Yi was beside him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, while pulling out an arrow from behind: "Marshal?"

Gu Yun: "Shoot it down."

The arrow in Shen Yi's hand flew out almost at the same time as Gu Yun's voice, and hit the bandit holding the bronze roar with great force. A bird screamed and soared into the sky, and the sharp sound echoed throughout the valley.

The whole valley was in an uproar.

Minister Sun saw this and didn't even bother to feel proud of himself for having caught Fu Zhicheng. He was frightened and jumped out of the carriage in two steps, saying repeatedly: "No, no, no! Marshal, we absolutely can't do this. There are at least a hundred bandits in this mountain, and there are only a few of us. All the generals have no armor on them. We are unarmed! And the Fourth Prince, his status is precious and we can't let him get away with anything..."

Gu Yun didn't even look at him, and waved at Chang Geng: "Fourth Prince, have you put down your kung fu?"

Chang Geng bowed and said, "I should be qualified to be a small cavalryman under the commander."

"Come on, I'll teach you how to go into the mountains and hunt monkeys."

After Gu Yun finished speaking, he rode his horse straight to the heights. Chang Geng did not hesitate at all and followed immediately. The soldiers of the Black Iron Camp were well-trained. As soon as Gu Yun moved, they immediately understood what the commander meant and urged their horses to move forward, leaving only the lingering scream of Lord Sun: "Marshal, this cannot be done——"

The next moment, the back of his neck tightened, and his whole body was suspended in the air. Shen Yi picked him up with the hilt of his sword and threw him onto the back of his horse.

Sun Jiao fell with a loud bang and rolled his eyes.

Shen Yi said helplessly: "Don't call Lord Sun, I will definitely keep you alive, don't worry."

As General Shen said this, he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself - Marshal Gu was born into a marquisate, and had been followed by a nanny since he was a child. He was used to being ordered around by the nanny, and when he grew up, he found that there was no nanny in the Xuantie Camp, so he simply treated Shen as the nanny. What a piece of shit.

Speaking of which, Shen Yi looked at Lord Sun who had fainted with his eyes rolled back and thought to himself, "This is the first time I've seen a minister who looks so much like a eunuch."

On the top of the hill, the little bandit said to the bandit leader, "Brother, I heard the eunuch calling the Marshal just now."

The bandit leader was completely buried in heavy armor. Upon hearing this, he pushed his iron mask aside and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! Why don't you shoot?! Surround them! Surround them!"

The trumpets in the valley sounded again, and bandits of all sizes rushed over, rushing down towards Gu Yun's "troops" of just two or three kittens.

The bandits, whether to boost their courage or for some other reason, set up a circle with great fanfare. When people on one side ran down, people on the other side would bang pots and bowls and howl as they rushed over from the opposite mountain to "surround" them, running in a mess and splashing dust. Unfortunately, most of their horses were stolen from passing caravans, so they could not catch up with the war horses of the Black Iron Camp, which were picked out from thousands of miles away. They were left behind in an instant. Gu Yun made a gesture, and several soldiers behind him immediately understood and dispersed. The targets of the arrows shot down by the bandits were scattered, and they immediately became disorganized.

Facing a group of fierce bandits, Gu Yun drew his sword indifferently, the long blade was as white as snow, and said to Chang Geng: "Remember, when it comes to the battle, whoever doesn't want to die will die first..."

Chang Geng was almost blinded by the sword in his hand.

His sword was as fast as a swimming dragon, blood splattered all over the place. He went in and out twice, and the bandits and horse carcasses on the ground rolled into a ball.

Gu Yun finished the second half of his sentence: "...even if your enemies are a bunch of good-for-nothings."

The bandit leader was looking up from a high place with a telescope. When he saw that something was wrong, he shouted angrily, "We told you to surround us. What's going on?"

The little bandit next to him said with a bitter face: "Brother, I don't know!"

At this time, a black-faced bandit ran over and said, "Brother, something bad is happening!"

But in a flash, a light cavalry rushed up to the mountain pass. Before the bandit holding the trombone could retract his neck, he saw a flash of a knife and his head and body were separated.

Gu Yun's horsemanship was superb, and he rode among the rocks as if he were walking on flat ground. He crossed a very narrow mountain path, swung the long sword in his hand, and a scream came from behind the big rock - there was actually someone ambushing there - he shook the blood off the long sword, and seemed to wait for Chang Geng for a moment, and said: "There are many obstacles in the mountains, and there are often local snakes behind the obstacles. Your martial arts are superb, but you may not be able to avoid the ambush."

Chang Geng took a quick glance and saw that the crossbow was already set up behind the stone, waiting to shoot arrows and hurt people. His horse was not a warhorse, so it was a bit difficult to follow Gu Yun, but he just felt that the blood in his body was warming up. He asked, "Foster father, how did you know?"

Gu Yun curled his lips and said, "I'm familiar with it."

Just as he finished speaking, a rock suddenly rolled down from above. Gu Yun seemed to have eyes on his head, and he squeezed the horse's belly hard. The warhorse suddenly jumped forward, and the mane on its tail almost touched the rolling rock. At the same time, Gu Yun stood up from the saddle, grabbed a vine next to him, swung quickly in the air, and hung himself up. Chang Geng heard a "puff" sound and instinctively leaned back, at least he didn't let his cruel foster father look down on him and get his face splattered with blood.

Gu Yun looked at him from above, raised his eyebrows and smiled, then blew a long whistle, and the horse immediately followed in a well-trained manner.

Chang Geng's heart was beating wildly, Gu Yun's smile almost sucked his soul away.

Gu Yun shouted at him from above: "When hunting monkeys in the mountains, remember to grab the high ground first—"

At this time, the bandits' joking "encirclement" was in chaos. Several high passes were occupied in a flash. The bandits became a bunch of headless flies, running around, and being killed by arrows falling from high places. Chang Geng hurriedly chased after them, only to see Gu Yun turn over and get back on his horse, and at the same time, he swiftly took out a special arrow from behind.

The bow and arrows were both very heavy. The longbow weighed at least several dozen kilograms, and it came with a thumb-sized box. Chang Geng's eyelids jumped, and he thought, "There's a gold box on the bow?"

The next moment, the white steam emanating from the longbow confirmed his guess. The arrow shaft seemed to be made of iron, and it made a piercing scream when it flew out of the string, as if twenty sky-piercing monkeys were rushing up to the sky at the same time - the iron arrow was like a miniature white rainbow, piercing through the sun, and a sound of metal and stone ripples in the mountains like waves, and the iron arrow hit a huge rock.

Dust rose up like the sound of a wild horse running. The big rock shook for a moment and fell down without any warning.

The monkeys scattered, but the bandit leader was hampered by the heavy armor on his body. He raised his head a moment late - before he could see anything, he and his armor were buried underneath with a "boom".

Chang Geng smiled and said, "Foster father, I know this. To catch a thief, we must catch his leader, right?"

He was protected by Gu Yun all the way, and he whizzed past hundreds of bandits without even a hair out of place, his clothes fluttering, and he still looked like a graceful and elegant young man.

Gu Yun sighed in his heart, thinking: "It's over. Next time I go back to the capital, there will probably be half as many girls throwing handkerchiefs at me."

Less than half an hour later, Gu Yun led his "unarmed" Black Iron Camp soldiers to the bandit's lair in a swaggering manner.

When most of the bandits saw that their glittering boss was dead, they immediately fled. They were familiar with the terrain, and once they scattered into the mountains and forests, they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Gu Yun brought few people with him, so it was inconvenient to give chase, so he only tied up a few of those who didn't have time to escape, and strung them together like quails.

Gu Yun sat down on the bandit leader's tiger-skin chair, but then felt something was wrong. He stood up and peeled off the tiger skin on the chair, and laughed: "King Guishan's throne is really unique."

I saw that the four legs of the majestic tiger-skin chair had been sawed off, and underneath was a pile of gold bricks covered with a layer of wooden boards.

Gu Yun: "Can you lay golden eggs by sitting here?"

Shen Yi gave a long dry cough, signaling the Marshal to speak human language.

At this time, Lord Sun, who had just wet his pants out of fear, changed his pants and returned to a decent state. Seeing this, he immediately realized that this opportunity was not to be missed. He changed his attitude of howling "No" and stepped forward, shouting righteously: "Who gave you the courage to rob the imperial envoy along the way? Who was the mastermind of this? Speak!"

Chang Geng was originally playing with Gu Yun's special bow. Hearing this, he looked up and said, "Robbery of the imperial envoy is a crime of conspiracy to rebel. As long as they are not the bandit leaders, ordinary bandits may be exiled. For exceptional heroes like you..."

He stopped talking here, just smiled meaningfully, ignoring the trembling bandits, as if he just mentioned it unintentionally, and soon turned his attention to other things, smiling and asking Gu Yun: "Foster father, your bow and arrow is really good, can you give it to me?"

Gu Yun waved his hand: "Take it."

Sun Jiao paused, unsure of what this Fourth Prince, whom he had never met before, meant. At first, he thought he was not arrogant, had a mild temper, was good at chatting, and was not cunning. Now he suddenly realized that he might have been wrong.

After hearing Chang Geng's words, the bandits were not that stupid. They immediately stamped their feet, beat their chests and cried.

"I didn't know it was the Imperial Envoy who arrived. Please spare my life!"

"It's not easy to make a living on the street. In our small place, we don't see anyone for ten days or half a month. Who would have thought that we would run into the imperial envoy as soon as we opened the business? I am innocent... No, actually it's not innocent. I have elderly parents and children to take care of. It's not easy for me!"

Sun Jiao: “…”

At this moment, a soldier from the Black Iron Camp suddenly walked in quickly and whispered in Gu Yun's ear, "General, the Southern Governor Kuai sent someone to deliver a letter saying that he heard that the Marquis was harassed by bandits in the local area, and he will bring 200 family soldiers and will be here soon."

Gu Yun raised his eyes expressionlessly and met Sun Jiao's gaze. The blood on Marshal Gu's body had not yet dried, which scared away the smug look that flashed across Sun Jiao's eyes.

Fu Zhicheng was born a bandit. Even if he surrendered and made great military achievements, it would be unreasonable to let such a person be appointed as a frontier official. However, when the Western Regions rebelled, the Nanyang scoundrels also took the opportunity to invade Daliang and wanted to rob. Gu Yun had already gone to the West, and there was really no one available in the court. So they had to treat the dying horse as a living horse and let Fu Zhicheng lead the garrison in the southern border.

But Emperor Yuanhe was still worried about him. The Governor of Nanzhong was specially appointed to contain Fu Zhicheng. He had two hundred elite generals under his command, who could be used at critical moments. Although if something really happened, these two hundred generals would not be able to fight against the garrison in southern Xinjiang, it would not be difficult for them to break through and deliver messages.

Kuai Lantu and Fu Zhicheng are enemies, and they both probably want to kill each other. The person who came here probably has bad intentions.

Gu Yun: "Just as I broke into the bandit's lair, Governor Kuai heard about it. He is more informed than the God of Land."

Sun Jiao also knew that Kuai Lantu came too quickly and didn't seize the opportunity, so he hurriedly said: "To be honest with you, Marshal, our trip was supposed to be a secret one, but we ran into the Fourth Prince on the way. How could I let the prince take the risk? I had no choice but to notify the Governor of Nanzhong to provide some support..."

"Lord Sun is thoughtful," Chang Geng said with a smile, "but how do you know that going south is dangerous?"

Sun Jiao probably knew that his backer was coming, so he straightened his back a little and said, "This time, I am the commander of the Southwest Army. I have heard that bandits are rampant in the southern border. Just in case, I asked your Majesty for a drum order before leaving. It turned out to be true. Fortunately, the Marquis has experienced many battles and remained calm in the face of danger."

Gu Yun looked at him with a fake smile and did not accept the flattery.

Sun Jiao said righteously, "This group of fierce bandits are so bold that they even dare to rob officials appointed by the imperial court, let alone the local people. If this disaster is not eliminated, the southwest will be unstable. It seems that my order to beat the drum is correct. This is the first order of Daliang, and the prize falls on General Fu."