418: Chapter 330 418: Chapter 330 The Advisor and the County Magistrate turned green with regret upon hearing this.
They had acted without getting a clear picture first, and in the end, it was the Government Officials who regretted it the most, having been beaten for nothing!
“Oh, congratulations heroes on your achievements.
When we report this to the imperial court, you will surely be rewarded handsomely with a lot of money, haha!”
“Pfft…”
Someone in the crowd burst into laughter, which changed the expressions of the County Magistrate, the Advisor, and the ordinarily pompous Government Officials, but they had no choice but to keep smiling!
The situation became a bit awkward as they looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Faced with such powerful figures, they probably didn’t dare to make a peep, waiting to see what would happen to them!
Lai Jianlin was getting impatient, as they had spent too much time here, so he gave his subordinates a look.
Upon receiving the signal, his subordinate addressed the others:
“Enough talk for now.
Let’s first capture those bandits who have done nothing but evil, give the rescued villagers their money back, and let them return home!”
The County Magistrate was unsure how to proceed for a moment.
Should he take the people down the mountain and then give them their money back?
And then what to do with those who were captured?
For a moment, he was still reluctant to give up the idea of extorting money from the people.
If keeping these people proved useful, then once these individuals left, they could once again extort money from the villagers.
The Advisor had the same thought but was more cunning.
He wanted to clarify their whereabouts; if they had not left yet and these officials let the bandits go, wouldn’t they get beaten up once again!
“Yes, are the honorable gentlemen joining us on the mountain?
Or have you left the matter to us, considering you must be tired from fighting those bandits.”
Luo Yaxuan saw that these officials were clearly not serving the people.
They had to be watched closely; if they left and those people rose again, it would be nothing more than a reprisal against the civilians—a good deed turned bad!
It would only make life more miserable for the locals here, with them ending up in a worse situation instead of benefiting from a better environment!
“Oh, now that you mention it, I think I might stay and watch!”
The Advisor didn’t expect his words to prompt such an immediate reaction from the other party, so he spoke on behalf of the County Magistrate: “Gentlemen, we will submit official reports in your favor, assuring that those above us will reward your families generously.”
When Luo Yaxuan heard the Advisor say this, he showed a hint of a sarcastic smile, a smile that let his followers know what he was thinking!
“Ah, how laughable.
You think our young master would be moved by such a paltry reward?
We are here for the good of the villagers, not to let you oppress them again.
You know very well what you have done; heaven and earth know, the whole world knows.”
By that time, Liu Jiaojiao, who had recovered her strength after being rescued, along with her parents, were present.
She hadn’t had the chance to vent her anger on the original perpetrators, and seeing these officials’ pathetic behavior made her very angry!
Her face flushed with anger, she scolded them fiercely: “Are you officials going to do some work or not?
If not, just say so.
Any more whining, and believe me, this miss will chop you up!”
“Jiaojiao, your senior brother is here…”
Xiao Xiang tried to stop his daughter from continuing!
“Mother, one look at them and you can tell they’re not good people, not busy with honest work.
Their very appearance angers me.
I see they can’t get away from this.
Let’s capture them and report them, then see if they keep whining!”
The County Magistrate trembled with fear.
These people scared him, and the notion of rebelling to save his own life vanished from his mind.
“We will definitely comply; this minor official wouldn’t dare….”
At this point he glared at the Government Officials who still hadn’t taken any action and shouted, “Didn’t you hear what the heroes said?
Go capture the bandits now!”
Having heard the head official’s command, the Advisor dared not say another word.
His eyes roving, he decided to be ruthless.
With the bandits captured, the Stockade would surely contain a lot of wealth.
Once these goods were confiscated, wouldn’t the money end up in their pockets!
Even if they gave a little to those who had just arrived, the majority would end up in their own pockets!
The head official harbored the same thoughts.
With such powerful supporters guarding their backs, they could catch the bandits and send them to be exiled or sentenced to death, thus securing their wealth and their positions.
The reason why the County Magistrate and the Advisor were able to make such a decisive decision was partly out of fear and also because they heard that the bandit leader was dead.
The rumor was that he was the most formidable person in the Stockade.
It wasn’t that his Combat Power was frightening, but rather the potency of the drugs he could concoct.
Such a formidable person could become an object in their hands.
After all, they were also under control at the beginning, which is why they had colluded with him obediently!
In the county government office, only the head official, his family, and a few house servants remained; those with Combat Power followed the Advisor to the Stockade to imprison the bandits and transport the goods from the Stockade down the mountain in batches.
Luo Yaxuan and Lai Jianlin, along with their men, supervised the whole process, ensuring those who were imprisoned received their money and were taken down the mountain.
The villagers at the base of the mountain, especially the farmers, could hardly believe the news.
The local tyrant who had victimized many seemed too easily disposed of, could it be true?
Seeing the officials actually escorting seriously wounded bandits down, some began to believe.