They returned to the city. They hadn't encountered Ying Xiong along the way, which was quite disappointing for Fan Zehao. He hoped this fellow would stay as far away as possible if a fight broke out this afternoon, and definitely wouldn't rush into it!
Of course, it was unlikely to run into him since he had gone out to gather information at eighteen. Thinking this, Fan Zehao felt relieved.
After arranging accommodations at an inn for the people and assigning guards near his wife and children, he went to the prefect's yamen without any lingering worries to requisition troops and attempt to annihilate the horse bandits who had settled in Wuli Slope in one go!
When the prefect of Jinzhou City saw the visitor, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He immediately knelt to welcome the Former Emperor!
Trembling, he knelt on the ground, bowed his head, and stammered, "This humble minister greets the Former Emperor. May the Former Emperor live long and well!"
"This humble minister was unaware of Your Imperial Majesty's arrival and did not go to greet you. I beg the Former Emperor to forgive this humble minister!"
Fan Zehao detested this kind of empty formality the most!
Frowning, he gestured for the prefect to rise, saying, "Ignorance is forgivable. Rise!"
While the prefect was getting up, Fan Zehao said, "Assemble a thousand elite soldiers and accompany me to suppress the bandits. Today, we must thoroughly eliminate the horse bandits and restore peace for the local merchants!"
Upon hearing about the horse bandits, the prefect, who had just stood up, immediately knelt down again, his body trembling more severely than before, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Former Emperor, spare me. These horse bandits are fierce and skilled in tactics. I have led troops to suppress them several times, but we were always defeated... It is due to my incompetence. I beg the Former Emperor to punish me!"
Fan Zehao looked at the man who had knelt twice in less than fifteen minutes. The ground was paved with bluestone bricks, and this old fellow's limbs were indeed quite sturdy! He could kneel without a second thought!
"Rise. You did your best to deal with them. I know all this and do not blame you or intend to punish you. I have come this time precisely to resolve this matter. You simply need to cooperate with me!"
The prefect of Jinzhou City, Du Liang, finally felt his heart stop pounding so violently after hearing his words. After all, wherever this person went, the local officials met misfortune!
Although he didn't know the details, it had already spread like wildfire that no local official wished for his arrival. Therefore, officials in the prefectures bordering the inner city were extremely cautious, treating even a common citizen with great care!
Their Former Emperor was fond of making unannounced visits, and wherever he stopped, there was bound to be a problem!
Du Liang said, "This humble minister will certainly cooperate fully with the Former Emperor. This humble minister will immediately go to select strong soldiers and good generals to accompany the Former Emperor in suppressing the bandits!"
The repeated address of "Former Emperor" made the man in his early thirties seem several years older.
With a sigh, he corrected Du Liang, "I am the King of Zhen who was enfeoffed by the late Emperor. Henceforth, you may address me as Your Highness. Please dispense with 'Former Emperor'!"
With that, he waved his hand at Du Liang, "Go quickly and prepare the troops!"
King of Zhen?
This was not bestowed by the late Emperor?
It was clearly bestowed by the late Emperor's father, Huangfu Jintao, the Jin Emperor. However, for a king to remember the Jin Emperor's kindness was truly rare.
Du Liang bowed and exited the hall, hurrying to the prefectural yamen to take the token and head to the military camp outside the city to requisition troops!
Fan Zehao accompanied him, along with two guards. Although they hadn't been on the battlefield, they were not afraid of one-on-one combat!
As they arrived at the military camp, they saw General Shi Haoming, who was stationed in the capital, and his deputy, General Xie Changming. Beside them was a half-grown child. Upon closer inspection, it was his precious treasure!
When the two parties met, everyone present was stunned. No one had expected to see each other in this place!
"Daddy, Chunmeng wants a hug!"
Yu Meng ran towards Fan Zehao, her dark red cloak fluttering in the wind. With her hair in a bun, she wore silver armor that gleamed brightly in the sun!
Fan Zehao dismounted and instinctively opened his arms to embrace his beloved daughter, a smile stretching from ear to ear.
"Oh, quickly let Daddy hug my precious darling! Daddy misses you so much, you ungrateful child. Why didn't you say anything in advance when you returned this time? Daddy could have personally come to pick you up!"
As soon as he hugged his soft, tender daughter, the father began to chatter. The people present turned their heads away. It was unbearable to watch this father and daughter pair!
One called herself "stupidly cute," and the other called her daughter "precious darling"!
It was fortunate they were father and daughter. If it were someone else... everyone had a fleeting thought, and then they could imagine the scene of a shrew wielding a saber and chasing the Former Emperor through the city!
After they had their fill of affectionate reunion, Fan Zehao reluctantly let Yu Meng go. He gently pinched her sun-tanned face, feeling a pang of tenderness, and asked softly, "Why have you returned?"
Yu Meng smiled and patted her father's hand, giggling, "Rotation. This time we've rotated to this place. Next year, we'll rotate to another."
Base rotation!
Fan Zehao remembered that this was an unwritten rule he had implemented when he was emperor, precisely to prevent mutiny.
Since his daughter was rotating to this area this time, and he happened to be here as well, and was about to suppress bandits, it was another good opportunity for training. He didn't feel sorry for his daughter; he would definitely take her along for this bandit suppression mission to gain some experience!
He patted her relatively sturdy shoulder heavily and said sternly, "Daddy will take you to suppress bandits and test you at the same time!"
The word "suppress bandits" caused Yu Meng's eyes to flash with excitement. Seeing her delighted, mischievous expression, Fan Zehao's heart skipped a beat. Could this daughter of his not be afraid of bloodshed at all?
Before he could ask how she had fared in the past two years learning from her master, Shi Haoming and Xie Changming, who had completed their rotation, approached.
Wearing armor, their movements created a clanking sound as they walked, interrupting Fan Zehao's words.
The two men knelt on one knee, cupped their fists, and said, "Your humble generals pay respects to the Former Emperor. May the Former Emperor live long and well!"
Hearing this title again, Fan Zehao was too weary to correct them. Let them call him whatever they wished!
He raised his hand, "Rise. Since you are here, assemble a thousand men and accompany me to suppress the bandits!"
The two generals rose. Upon hearing "suppress bandits," they understood that the Former Emperor intended to deal with those horse bandits. They had already gathered information when they arrived.
Shi Haoming and Xie Changming stood up. The latter immediately went to the barracks to select elite soldiers and good generals. He felt that a thousand men were not enough, so he took it upon himself to add another three hundred.
Shi Haoming's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "Former Emperor, according to what this humble general knows, these horse bandits are skilled in archery and cavalry, and are very familiar with military strategy. General Wang, who was stationed here last time, was defeated several times in his attempts to suppress them. It seems these horse bandits are not easy to deal with!"
Fan Zehao had also learned some information in the past two days, which made him quite disheartened about this bandit suppression mission.
"When I was in the inner city, I heard about the horse bandits here, but not much. After arriving the day before yesterday, I learned more about them. These people are skilled in archery and cavalry, and use tactics. They only rob and do not harm lives. However, they endanger the merchants traveling to and from Jinzhou City and are a constant threat. Therefore, I have come personally to suppress them this time!"