The Emperor was preoccupied with state affairs, and no one dared to stir up trouble at this time, seeking their own demise. Hence, the Harem remained relatively peaceful. Meanwhile, outside the palace, after several days of meticulous searching, Xia Tingfeng and his men finally understood the true nature of the bandits.
It turned out that these bandits were Southern Barbarians who had come from the south. For some unknown reason, they had suddenly chosen this place to commit robberies.
What was more peculiar was that while other bandits only sought wealth and spared lives, these bandits were after both wealth and lives!
Even stranger was that they only targeted boats carrying food, gold, and silver valuables. They would discard any other goods, regardless of their value.
Ordinary bandits would naturally take anything of value; they wouldn’t be choosy.
Therefore, Xia Tingfeng concluded, "These bandits have no simple origin!"
Tiger’s expression turned serious. "Then, Boss, what should we do?"
Xia Tingfeng narrowed his eyes. "Naturally, we capture them alive!"
Rat furrowed his brow, standing silently to one side. After a long time, he finally spoke with difficulty, "Boss... Killing them is easy, but capturing them alive is not simple!"
Having said that, he pointed to the map in his hands and analyzed, "The bandits’ lair is surrounded by mountains on three sides, all sheer cliffs. This is the only side with an entrance and exit! But these places are narrow mountain paths, where only one person can pass through at a time! One man can hold the pass against ten thousand!"
This meant it would already be difficult to successfully enter and kill them. To even think of capturing them alive and then getting them out was virtually impossible!
"Unless..." Rat’s gaze held some hesitation.
Xia Tingfeng suddenly asked, "Unless what?"
Rat hesitated for a long while before slowly saying, "Unless we go down the mountain and disguise ourselves as passing boats carrying goods! It’s just that, Boss, this method is extremely risky. The river’s current is swift, and our men are not proficient in naval warfare, let alone skilled in navigating boats under such difficult conditions! And these bandits, hailing from the south, are extremely skilled in naval combat. We... we can’t defeat them!"
No matter how skilled someone is, they must have weaknesses, mustn’t they? Attacking an adversary in their area of strength with our area of weakness is a major taboo among Soldiers!
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Xia Tingfeng’s face became very grave! "Naval warfare, huh..."
This was indeed tricky; no wonder the several Generals who had come before all returned defeated.
Within the Capital City, apart from the Cavalry and infantry, there was simply no need for naval warfare. So, who among them would be skilled at it?
Xia Tingfeng, holding the map, had veins bulging on his forehead and arms. "Could it be that we, too, are to return in defeat?"
Rat, his expression solemn, continued to study the map, wishing a solution would immediately spring to mind.
The atmosphere remained tense. With no viable solution, they all just stared blankly, no one speaking.
After a long while, Rat’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Boss?"
Xia Tingfeng also looked up. "Do you have a plan?"
Rat excitedly pointed to a place on the map where the canal forked. "Boss, there’s a fork here. If you go left, the river continues to flow broadly! But if you go right... look, this is a stretch of shallows! If we can lure the bandits here, then capturing them alive would be a piece of cake! The Southern Barbarians’ strongest tactics are in the forests and the waters. On a riverside flatland, they are weak, but we are strong!"
Looking and looking, Xia Tingfeng’s eyes brightened. "Correct! Good idea!"
"However... there are a few points. First, our boats must be fast enough. Otherwise, if they catch up to us midway, it’s all over! Secondly, we have a map, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t. If they refuse to go to those shallows, how do we lure them in?"
After some thought, Rat spoke up. "Boss, it’s actually quite simple! As long as we have something they desperately want, and in sufficient quantity, they won’t be able to resist going for it!"
Xia Tingfeng nodded. "In that case, that’s what we’ll do!" He clapped Rat on the shoulder, finally letting out a hearty laugh that hadn’t been heard in a long time. "Good man, Rat. When it comes to tactics, you’re still the best!"
Rat was far from hearty, and with a worried, serious tone, he said, "Boss, don’t be too happy too soon! The Southern Barbarians might be stronger than us, and possibly more cunning too! On the water, anything can happen, and all our men are landlubbers!"
This was the point that worried Rat the most.
Xia Tingfeng knew the stakes as well, and said, "Don’t worry. I’m not that careless, nor am I so easily outmaneuvered!"
Rat could hardly be reassured, and with a wry smile, he said, "The Southern Barbarians are vicious and ruthless; I’ve encountered a few of them myself! When they fight, if they can kill in one blow, they never use a second!"