Chapter 004: Make a Big Score

The Qingshan Town is located in a remote area, being a poor and desolate region, and is several dozen miles away from the county seat. If managed properly, it is entirely possible to stay here for a period of time and leverage the local resources for development and growth

However, the subsequent reactions of the officials within the city were excessively timid, which prevented Lin Ziran from entering the city; otherwise, it would have exposed his intentions

By the evening, Wang Jinquan and his team had already organized the personnel to deliver all the items.

It is still an era of chaos where steam engines exist and armies have begun to use firearms

Before entering the city, Lin Ziran intended to deceive and obtain provisions before leaving. He did not have a large appetite; it was sufficient for him to secure enough rations for ten to fifteen days.

Lin Ziran has already made up his mind to stay in Qingshan Town for a while, while at this moment, Wang Jinquan and the others in the city are still unaware of it

Although Qingshan Town is quite small, there are numerous surrounding villages, which together likely have a population of several thousand. With some effort, there should be considerable gains.

Although there are fewer people and fewer guns, it can still be considered that there are people and guns

Lin Ziran nodded at this moment: "There is such an intention, but it still depends on the situation"

Having sat down again, Lin Ziran contemplated the subsequent plans. It was not enough to merely express the desire to stay and make a profit; a detailed plan was necessary to achieve this.

Other subordinates also spoke one after another

Of course, he did not directly ask when he would leave

Moreover, the officials in Qingshan Town appear to be timid and weak; as long as the operations are handled appropriately, it is entirely possible to control the situation.

It is precisely because of the severe banditry near Qingshan Town that the higher authorities have dispatched me here. There is no need for Town Guard Wang to worry; once we find the traces of the bandits, we will eradicate the banditry completely

The leader is impressive

Now that he had entered the city, having seen the city wall defenses of Qingshan Town and knowing that there were not many officials and soldiers within the town, he began to entertain different thoughts.

The place where he is currently located is the Heng Dynasty in the southeastern part of the continent

Although this Qingshan Town is somewhat remote and impoverished, for the more than one hundred people living here, it is already a rare and good place

Lin Ziran habitually ignored Luo Mazi and the mindless flattery of others once again

It is nonsensical to say that they will leave to hunt down the bandits just because they have found a trace of them

Indeed, it is the group of bandits rumored to have come from the neighboring Pingdan County

What can one do to live better

As the saying goes, when the deer is lost, the world pursues it together

This is a time of chaos and turmoil.

Looking at so many things, Luo Mazi could not help but exclaim: "The leader is wise and powerful. If it were not for the leader's decision to come to Qingshan Town, how could we have obtained so much money and grain!"

Wang Jinquan said: "They are after all soldiers sent to eliminate bandits, and they cannot stay here indefinitely. We will observe the situation for a few days, and if they truly refuse to leave, we will help them find out the whereabouts of a few families at that time"

At this moment, Lin Ziran was in a good mood, no longer caring about Luo Mazi's low-level flattery. He also sighed, "Qingshan Town is a wonderful place!"

"Big Boss, whatever you say, we will do it!"

What are one's own disadvantages? Being a bandit leader, one has few subordinates and firearms, and the future is uncertain.

They only know how to mindlessly boast

With this thought in mind, Lin Ziran immediately said: "Pass the word down, let the brothers be more alert and not fall into the trap, and also strictly guard the city gates and the nearby city walls, not allowing the officials' troops to approach"

Through the fragments of the original body's memories, he has generally understood what kind of world he has arrived in

"Boss, this can't go on like this. What if they never find the bandits? Wouldn't that mean they have to stay here indefinitely?" Someone immediately expressed their concern.

Lin Ziran is currently in Nanhai Prefecture, where internal strife among local factions persists, as these warlords aspire to become the rulers of Nanhai Prefecture, and even to dominate the thirteen prefectures of the realm

If he were to establish another territory, who would dare to say that Lin Ziran is not a warlord

In such a chaotic world, how does one survive

No matter how Wang Jinquan and the others thought, they could never have imagined that the Fifth Garrison Battalion was not composed of official soldiers, but rather a group of bandits

There are always thirteen provinces, but apart from the smallest in area and population, Jing Province, which is barely under the control of the Heng royal family of the Ji clan, the remaining twelve provinces are all in a state of feudal division.

The few subordinates found this to be somewhat tricky

At this moment, they are diligently organizing laborers to transport military provisions to the 'Fifth Garrison Battalion' at the city gate barracks

Who knows when the officers and soldiers of the Fifth Patrol Camp will be able to find the traces of the bandits and then leave the city to eliminate them

This place is a parallel world that shares many similarities with Earth and is still in the period of the Industrial Revolution

Before entering the city, Lin Ziran had no time to consider this issue; he was solely focused on securing a batch of grain to stabilize the hundreds of bandits under his command before addressing anything else

Having said that, he closed the folding fan, glanced around at Luo Mazi and the other subordinates, and said in a deep voice: "This time, we are going all out!"

After the items were delivered, Wang Jinquan approached Lin Ziran and inquired in a roundabout way about when the army would depart

Although it was not stated explicitly, Lin Ziran could still understand that the guard was asking him when he would leave

However, Lin Ziran has already said, "Wang, you have no objections, right?" In this case, Wang Jinquan could not say anything further. Moreover, it is likely that the other party would directly turn against him.

However, he quickly reacted and said, "Boss, are we really staying here?"

As noon approached, various supplies were gradually being transported into the military camp at the city gate, including grain, silver, a pig, several chickens and ducks, and a batch of fruits and vegetables

Thus, he could only return first. After a journey filled with worry, he convened several subordinates upon arriving back at the garrison.

However, this great dynasty has long been plagued by internal and external troubles

Luo Mazi never expected Lin Ziran to say such a thing. Originally worried about Lin Ziran's anger, upon hearing this, he was momentarily taken aback and was left in a daze.

According to this officer Lin, it seems that their Fifth Reserve Battalion will be staying in Qingshan Town for several more days

What are my own advantages? I am also a bandit leader, with over 100 men and guns under my command

Lin Ziran remarked that the soldiers were fatigued, and therefore needed to rest. This left Wang Jinquan at a loss for how to respond.

but rather spoke in a roundabout way about the serious banditry in the mountains near Qingshan Town, expressing hope that the army could soon enter the mountains to eliminate the banditry and similar sentiments

The leader is right, this time we will undertake a major operation

However, at this moment, the situation has barely reached a preliminary level of stability, and the funds and supplies are about to be received. It is also time to consider the next steps to take.

The great leader is mighty

Even if one's identity is exposed in the future, it is still possible to forcibly control Qingshan Town and obtain what one desires

Although it was previously said that the banditry problem was severe, it was merely said in passing

The standard of a warlord is simply that one possesses guns and territory

In the face of this issue, Lin Ziran naturally would not provide any direct answers, but he also would not explicitly state that he intended to stay here for a long time; instead, he chose to adopt a delaying tactic.

Originally, it was thought that these officials and soldiers would quickly leave after receiving their money and supplies, but unexpectedly, they seem to intend to make Qingshan Town their base for bandit suppression and are preparing to stay for a longer period of time

Although there are quite a few bandits in Qingshan Town, there are actually not many who have formed a significant force. This group of people can be considered to have a relatively large influence, while the rest are mostly hiding and would not easily show themselves.

The man beside him immediately showed a look of admiration upon hearing this: "The leader is indeed a hero of our time, possessing such courage and grandeur, rare among people!"

If one has people and guns, and if things go well, one might even become a warlord in a fragmented region

Furthermore, they have also heard about a large group of bandits that recently fled from the neighboring Pingdan County, reportedly consisting of over one hundred fierce bandits. However, this is merely hearsay; who knows where those bandits are now

To put it plainly, this place and time are indeed a chaotic era

Of course, our troops have marched continuously and are utterly exhausted. We will rest for several days before taking further action. I believe, Wang, you have no objections to this, right