As for the matter of heading toward Lingbei County, honestly, Wei Yu really couldn’t be blamed.
After all, he hadn’t expected that simply sending those idle mountain bandits—who had nothing to do after finishing the fortress construction—off to do good deeds would be so effective that even the people of Ziyang County, who had been skeptical about the bandits turning over a new leaf, started to look at them differently!
It would’ve been one thing if that was all. But somehow, this news even spread to neighboring Lingbei County, where the villagers, long plagued by banditry, actually took the initiative to send people to pay tribute to the mountain!
When the first villager from Lingbei County arrived at Oxhead Mountain, carrying a bundle and a basket of eggs, trembling and respectfully pleading for them to come deal with the local bandits, Wei Yu was completely stunned.
Asking bandits to fight other bandits?
Even in the entire world of banditry, this kind of operation was absolutely insane!
When Wei Yu first heard it, he didn’t know whether he should praise the Oxhead Army for their peaceful and kind-hearted image that had deeply moved the people, or lament how little credibility the court had left.
You have to understand, his order to “go do good deeds” had only been issued for half a month!
Half a month!
And yet in just half a month, the people would rather risk traveling on foot to beg another group of bandits for help than seek aid from the local government…Tsk.
Guo Xiu really deserved to die.
In fact, even if the villagers of Lingbei County hadn’t come to ask, Wei Yu had already planned to expand his “territory.”
After all, the pressing issues of no food and no money were still looming over him.
In such times when business is hard to grow, one must learn to sustain war through war.
Wei Yu sent Fang Sheng and his men to suppress the bandits in Lingbei County, originally to make money and expand his army while at it. He hadn’t planned on spreading the word, but someone with a loose mouth leaked their mission to the people of Ziyang County.
The people’s reaction—shocked disbelief followed by tears of joy—was overwhelming.
They had once feared the former identity of the Oxhead bandits, but now that they’d been subdued by a hero, those once-hated mountain bandits had suddenly become revered bandit-hunters!
Not just the bandits of Oxhead Mountain— even County Magistrate Hu Yong felt like he was dreaming!
Back then, when Hu Yong had sent people to infiltrate the Ding family grain shop disguised as workers, it was just to gather intel on Oxhead Mountain and figure out what steps to take next.
The result of that intel, naturally, was Hu Yong learning that the bandits wouldn’t attack the city—so he didn’t flee.
And because of the cooperation between Madam Hu and Wei Yu, Hu Yong had even been persuaded by her, firmly believing the Oxhead Army would be his stepping stone to gaining favor from his superiors!
So when Wei Yu began sending bandits into the city to do good deeds, Hu Yong not only didn’t oppose it, but was deeply pleased and promoted it enthusiastically, publicly declaring that the Oxhead Army had truly reformed and would be Ziyang County’s defense force…
That was just talk, a bit of flattery. Hu Yong’s real plan was to win the Oxhead Army over.
As for whether they were an official defense force or not—psh, they weren’t even registered in the military. It was all just words.
Hu Yong wanted to tie the Oxhead Army to Ziyang County, and ultimately make them his own power base.
As long as he could bring the Oxhead Army under his command, the entire region of Ziyang County under his jurisdiction would be free of bandit trouble!
Such a feat—who else in Ji Prefecture could claim to have done it?
It would be him, Hu Yong!
With such talent and results, surely Lord Guo, who was in dire need of capable men, would look at him differently?
Of course he would!
So.
The Oxhead Army was not Hu Yong’s enemy, but his ally.
He had to win over the Oxhead Army!
This was how Madam Hu had praised Hu Yong and coaxed him into acting like a fool.
Hu Yong was utterly convinced he would succeed.
For the sake of his grand plan, he gave the Oxhead Army plenty of conveniences—for example, when they came into the city to buy horses and mules, he even paid for half of the cost out of his own pocket! Because they didn’t buy enough, he even sent a letter to the neighboring county magistrate to have their horse traders bring horses over!
He was passionate—absolutely devoted to the Oxhead Army!
So when Hu Yong heard that the Oxhead Army was leaving Ziyang to suppress bandits in Lingbei, he was devastated.
“Madam, didn’t you say this Oxhead Army would be mine? Why are they going to some damn Lingbei now to suppress bandits?!”
As soon as Hu Yong heard the news at the yamen, he rushed back home to question his wife.
At the time, Madam Hu was calmly drinking tea in the courtyard.
Seeing the over-fifty-year-old man burst in, Madam Hu’s gaze was cold and indifferent.
But Hu Yong, whose head was spinning from the news about the Oxhead Army going to Lingbei, didn’t notice anything wrong.
He just ranted on, gnashing his teeth. “They really are lowborn scum from the mud, with no honor or trust at all! I gave them my all, even paid for their horses! And now they just leave like this? Without even a word to me!”
“Truly blind like geese pecked out my eyes! Madam, do you think they’ll come back after leaving? Right now, there might be no bandits in Ziyang, but who’s to say others won’t come later?!”
No matter how much Hu Yong ranted, Madam Hu just silently drank her tea.
Eventually, Hu Yong noticed something was wrong.
Suspicious, he looked at Madam Hu, meeting her cold face.
“Madam, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Hu Yong felt uneasy.
His wife had always been quiet—that he was used to. As long as she was gentle and virtuous, he didn’t mind.
What felt strange was that no matter what he used to say, this woman would at least respond a little, or smile at him.
But now, with that cold face and complete silence—this was a first!
Madam Hu set down her cup and slowly lifted her eyelids, her gaze landing on Hu Yong’s bulging belly and leathery face.
She stared at him for a few moments, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.
That laugh was full of mockery, and the icy, deeply disdainful look in Madam Hu’s eyes made Hu Yong, after a moment of dumbfoundedness, erupt in rage!
“Guo Yajun, how dare you!”
A married woman must take her husband’s surname and no longer deserves to use her own.
“Funny you still remember my name. But you’re not worthy of saying it. After so many years, I’m sick of being called Madam Hu.”
Guo Yajun lowered her head and calmly smoothed her dress.
Hu Yong’s eyes widened. “You—you wretched woman! How dare you talk to me like this! I am an official of the imperial court—how insolent of you!”
“Insolent?”
Madam Hu gave a soft laugh.
She stood up and looked coldly at Hu Yong. “You think this is insolence? I’ve done far worse. I was going to let you see it in a few days, but since you’ve come now, I’ll let you take a look early—what true insolence really looks like.”