Chapter 114 Exclude Evil

This bandit was the yellow cat civet and Wu Jiewang. They hid in the cave for a while, and then carefully came out and fled in the opposite direction of the Ming army. When they saw a group of officers and soldiers about the same number as themselves coming, and some people pointed towards this side, they mistakenly thought that they had been found and simply rushed over and wanted to escape. Unexpectedly, they met Wang Shouren.

Wang An, Wang Zhen and Wang Xiang's three servants passed through the risk of the Ganjiang River and were much bolder than before. The three of them held knives in their hands and covered their master Wang Shouren with their bodies. Wang Shouren looked at this group of bandits coldly and knew that it was a crazy bandit. He held his sword in his hand and shouted fearlessly, "If you meet on a narrow road, the brave will win! Eliminate this bandit, and our people can get here immediately. Under the encouragement of Wang Shouren, the followers launched a hand-to-hand fight with the enemy regardless of their lives.

The yellow cat and Sister Wu Wang saw that Wang Shouren, who was dressed in casual clothes, was actually a senior official here, so they shouted and rushed over. Wang An, Wang Zhen and Wang Xiang could not agree and immediately rushed to the front to start a bloody battle with them. However, the three people's martial arts skills were not high. Wang Zhen and Wang Xiang could barely fight against Sister Wu, and the yellow cat civet alone defeated Wang Shouren and Wang An.

At this moment, a small bandit rushed over from the side and stabbed Wang Shouren. Wang An couldn't care about the yellow cat in front of him and directly blocked Wang Shouren. The little bandit stabbed Wang An in the chest, and Wang An struggled to fall down. Wang Shouren waved a sword and cut the little bandit to the ground. The yellow cat and civet saw that the gap was about to swing a knife at Wang Shouren, but Zhou Ji, who was driven over, kicked him on his wrist and the knife flew out. Zhou Ji's sword cut on the arm of the yellow cat civet, and the yellow cat civet screamed, covered his broken arm, and rolled on the ground in pain. At this time, a small bandit rushed over and aimed at Zhou Ji with a knife. Zhou Ji dodged in no hurry and was slid away from his abdomen, and the blood immediately flowed down. He struggled not to let himself fall down. Wang Shouren aimed at the bandit with a sword, and the bandits were so scared that they quickly fight. For a while, the melee was endless, and it was difficult to win or lose.

At this time, a group of officers and soldiers searching the mountain heard the shouts of fighting and rushed over in time. The bandits couldn't stand it anymore and immediately collapsed. They were either killed or captured. At this time, more than a dozen soldiers around Wang Shouren had been killed or injured. Feng Xiang, the guerrilla general of the 2nd Battalion, who led the troops to reinforce, actually caught the bandit leader Wujie Wang with the help of Wang Zhen and Wang Xiang. The broken-armed yellow cat civet was stabbed again in the melee and was cut off. When Feng Xiang, a guerrilla general, saw Wang Shouren, he was so scared that he knelt down and said, "The last general's rescue was late, which shocked the lord. Please punish him."

Wang Shouren sweated his forehead and said, "You came in a timely manner. Fortunately, I practiced martial arts for a few days when I was a teenager, otherwise, I would have explained it here today.

At this time, two staff members were leaning down and shouting, "Good! With kindness! Come on, Zhou Juren is injured. Wang Shouren heard that he hurried over and saw that he had lost too much blood and his face was pale. Zhou Ji trembled and said to Wang Shouren, "Teacher, am I doing well today?"

Wang Shouren nodded and said, "The brave are not afraid - you really did it. You haven't been hurt. Go back to recuperate and you will be fine.

Zhou Ji said, "When I came to Ting and Zhang from Nanjing, I was injured after a fight. I'm afraid that I can't continue to follow the teacher to kill thieves in the future."

Wang Shouren said, "Where is life not a Taoist temple? You have experienced it very well."

Zhou Ji smiled, obediently was carried on a stretcher and left.

At this time, a cry came, and Wang Zhen and Wang Xiang helped the dying Wang An and shouted, "Brother Wang An, Brother Wang An! Wake up, wake up!"

Wang Shouren hurried over and saw that Wang An's chest was soaked with blood, and he was dying. Wang Shouren knelt down to help Wang An and said, "Wang An, Wang An, how are you?"

The call of the master allowed Wang An to return to the light. He woke up and said to Wang Shouren, "Master, the little one can't do it. I have been with you for 30 years, and now I'm leaving you.

Wang Shouren said with tears in his eyes, "No, you have to hold on, and the medical officer will come right away."

Wang An said, "I don't need a medical officer. I really have to go. Sir, I just can't bear to give up with you..." With that, Wang An tilted his head and choked.

Wang Shouren held Wang An in his arms and cried loudly, "Wang An, my good brother!" Seeing that the governor cried like this, the officers and soldiers around them all gathered around and observed Wang An's body in silence. Wang Shouren's crying echoed in the surrounding mountains.

Time: half a month later; Location: Temporary Governor Yamen in Zhangzhou Prefecture.

Wang Shouren is drafting a memorial in his study. Ji Yuanheng came in and said to Wang Shouren, "Teacher, I have done the two things you told me." Wang Shouren looked up and said, "Oh, how's it going?"

Ji Yuanheng said, "Wang An's body has been buried, so you don't have to worry about it. Yishan's injury is no longer life-threatening. I have arranged for someone to send him back to Ganzhou and transfer him back to his hometown in Zhejiang. I think it's safer to take the water now.

Wang Shouren said, "Wei Qian, thank you for your hard work. Wang An is a family member who has been with me for 30 years. He is a master servant and a brother. This time he blocked a knife for me and buried his body uneasily. My heart is uneasy! He doesn't have any relatives at home. I'm the only one who will burn a few pieces of paper for him next year. With that, he couldn't help crying.

Ji Yuanheng said, "It's a pity that Yishan could have followed the teacher to practice more and learn more skills, but he was injured in a battle and had to go back to his hometown to rest."

Wang Shouren sighed and said, "Last time I met bandits on the Ganjiang River, Yishan was a little panicked and felt guilty about this. He has always wanted to find an opportunity to prove himself again. Now he has passed the exam. It's a pity that he can't suppress the bandits with me. He could have held a position. Oh, forget it, let's not talk about this. Have you arrived yet?

"It's all here. I'm just waiting for you, teacher."

"Let's go to the front hall." Wang Shouren put down his pen, got up and straightened his clothes, and left the study with Ji Yuanheng.

Come to the front hall. More than a dozen civilian generals are still discussing something with great interest. Wang Shouren said, "Hey, why is it so lively?"

Zhong Xiang, the governor of Zhangzhou, said happily, "Your Excellency, I'm not afraid that you will criticize and flatter your officials. This suppression of bandits has won an unprecedented victory, which is really unexpected by the subordinates. To tell you the truth, I was so disappointed that the bandits messed up southwest Fujian, and even the letter of resignation has been written. Now, there is no need to put on this seal."

Wang Shouren said humorously, "So you can eat more lychees, longan and jackfruit in southern Fujian."

The officials laughed loudly.

Fujian commander Li Yin came to intervene and said, "Lord, according to your instructions and strategy, the last general will annihilate Guo Hu and You Si, the stubborn bandits who have rushed into the Bopingling area. Guo Hu, the leader of the bandit, was killed and You Si was captured. There are few bandits left.

Wang Shouren said, "Get rid of evil. I call you to come here to discuss the next step to completely clean up bandits in western Fujian and southern Fujian. Everyone, let me ask you a question first. Do you believe that the bandits who have been suffering for many years can be completely eliminated?

Tang Chun, the governor of Tingzhou, stood up and said, "The governor came to my eight Fujian land for only a month and annihilated several of the largest bandits in the territory, which was greatly beyond the expectations of the officials and the people. Now, whether it is the guards, the officers and soldiers of the institute, or the local soldiers of each county, the morale is all high, especially the enthusiasm of the good people has begun to be mobilized. For many years, bandits burned, killed and raped. **, do all evil. Now, the people have vented a sense of evil that has been in their hearts for many years, and they are very willing to assist the officers and soldiers. In the past, the officers and soldiers entered the mountain and couldn't figure out the east, west, north and south like blind people. Now, the situation is reversed. The bandits have become rats crossing the street, and everyone is shouting to fight, so at least I believe that the bandits in southwest Fujian have been completely eliminated.

Wang Shouren said: "Since ancient times, the hearts of the people have been the greatest guarantee for the country. With the support of the people, we are not afraid of bandits going to heaven and earth. Next, listen, the Chinese officer will announce several matters related to the suppression of bandits——"

All the civil and military officials stood up. Ji Yuanheng recited the order and said, "First, two-thirds of the main forces of this Fubiao Battalion and Fujian Zhangzhouwei, Tingzhouwei, Jianningwei and other officers and troops, except for one-third of the garrison, and form battalions, teams and sentries at all levels to eliminate all bandits in the jurisdiction according to the division."

Let me interrupt. Wang Shouren said, "Now there are basically no thousands of giant bandits in Fujian. But there are hundreds or even dozens of bandit thieves as many as cattle. So you must not take it lightly. After the incident, I will also inspect. If there are still bandits in each county, the following military officers, Zhizhou, Zhixian and other civilian officials will be removed from their positions on the spot. Officials above the command and magistrates will be punished in accordance with the law. Do you understand?"

"The last general (bei zhi) understands." The officials answered in unison.

Ji Yuanheng continued: "Second, all counties allow non-governmental organizations to participate in the siege and suppression of bandits, and those who have made contributions in leading the way, planning and fighting will also be rewarded according to the standard of non-commissioned officers. After the suppression of the bandits, the civilian volunteers were disbanded by themselves, and all weapons were handed over and sealed. All hunting and self-defense weapons used by hunters shall be approved and returned by the county. Third, for the recidivists who are included in the arrest list in the government's list, they must be severely cracked down, captured alive, killed, and not to leak the net. As long as they put down their weapons and have a guarantee, they can be treated with leniency so that they can still return to their place of origin and be included in the people. Fourth, it is forbidden to kill good people. The elimination of the bandits this time is no longer based on the merits of the head, but on whether the bandits are eliminated in the area, with the exception of officers and soldiers who capture and kill the thieves. Whenever my officers and soldiers robbed me. Rob people's wealth and treachery. **People's women and those who kill good deeds shall be severely punished according to the military law, and the minister will also be reduced to punishment in accordance with the law.

"Wait a minute." Wang Shouren interrupted and said, "I also know that in recent years, the military discipline of the government army has been lax, which is no better than the king's division when Emperor Taizu fought the world in autumn. However, we suppress bandits for the purpose of comforting the people, not to disturb them. If the officers and soldiers are lax, harass the people, and even kill the good, it is no different from bandits! Therefore, before Benfu came to Nan, Gan, Ting and Zhang, the Ministry of War had a proposal to suppress the armies of Jiangxi, Guangdong and Fujian provinces and asked for my opinion. This official strongly opposed it, so the discussion of suppressing the three provincial capitals was suspended. Therefore, this time we only use local guards and the garrison to suppress bandits, in order to reduce the burden on the people and reduce the harassment of the people. If there are still those who harass the people in the army, I will be severely punished.

Zhong Xiang, the governor of Zhangzhou Prefecture, stood up and said, "What you said is very true. Zhangzhou has come to several border town officers and soldiers. The burden of the people and the harassment are extremely unspeakable. Even several prefectures have been insulted and whipped by the soldiers of the border town because of the lack of timely supply of supplies. Why did our local officials hope that these soldiers with insufficient success and failure would come to help? Therefore, the adults proposed to prohibit officers and soldiers from harassing the people by using the opportunity of suppressing bandits, and the subordinates were very much in favor of it. I will definitely urge my subordinates to prevent local soldiers from harming the people.

"Yes! Yes!" Magistrates and prefectures nodded one after another, while some generals lowered their heads in shame.

Tang Chun, the magistrate of Tingzhou, came to round the scene and said, "Adults love the people like children, and the subordinates have deeply experienced it. When the adults entered Fujian this time, the standard camp was only six battalions and more than 2,000 people, but they were all elite soldiers who were accustomed to war and disciplined. There were only 2,000 officers and soldiers of Meizhouwei in Guangdong. After the war, they immediately returned to the garrison and dared not leave the camp without permission. The burden on the people is really lighter than in the past. The lord reiterated the military discipline again this time, and the subordinate thought that it would be able to be implemented without compromise. The cooperation of civil and military officials will certainly be able to eliminate the bandits together.

"Well said!" Wang Shouren said, "The three of them are of the same mind, and their profits are cut off. What's more, you are full of poems and books and can be used to fighting? This time, we hope that you will eliminate the remnants of the bandits with firm and decisive determination to eradicate the bandits in one fell swoop. Bandits drill into the ravine, we also drill into the ravine, bandits enter the cave, and we also enter the cave. No matter how we go to heaven and earth, we will chase them until we bury all the bandits in the mountains in southwest Fujian! Ladies and gentlemen, are you confident?"

"The last general (bei zhi) must do his best to eliminate the bandits." Officials answered in unison.