Chapter 52: Interrogating Fan Shun and Discovering the Specialty Product

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However, in Lin Mu’s heart, Qingfeng Village was not as simple as it appeared on the surface. It was one of the Qinglong Villages under the command of Xu Zhao, a notorious warlord of Kuaiji Commandery. If it were just an ordinary logistics base, they would simply provide protection as they had done before, with Qingfeng Village producing finished goods for them. There would be no need to send troops to suppress such a small mountain bandit stronghold. There had to be more beneath the surface.

When Lin Mu saw Chief Gao Hai, he didn’t abruptly question the situation. Instead, he instructed Gao Hai to soothe the ordinary villagers, restore normal order, stabilize their morale, and erase the shadow cast by the Qinglong soldiers’ devastation.

The dark clouds that once loomed over Qingfeng Village seemed to have dissipated, replaced by the warm and peaceful rays of sunlight.

“Chief Gao Hai, now that control of the village has returned to us, we need you to come forward and calm the villagers. I’ll have Feng Zhong lead troops to assist you. Also, I hope you can introduce the warriors of True Dragon Village to the people here, so they won’t feel alarmed,” Lin Mu said. He hoped to avoid instilling fear and wanted the chief to be the one to introduce his soldiers, preventing any unforeseen incidents.

“All right, thank you, Chief Lin. I will immediately go out and comfort the frightened villagers. I’m ashamed that I was powerless to prevent their suffering!” Gao Hai said helplessly. Having driven away the tiger, now the wolf had come. Lin Mu’s intentions were clear to Gao Hai, but he never imagined that a mere few hundred-strong village could now challenge the mighty Qinglong Village. The world was unpredictable. Could the words of their ancestors truly be coming true? It was time to prepare. In this time of chaos, his place of refuge and survival would be True Dragon Village. Should he use that secret to secure a bright future and a good reputation?

...

Lin Mu sent Feng Zhong with a squad of soldiers to accompany Gao Hai to pacify the villagers, while his own men brought forward the captured Qinglong military leader for interrogation.

Soon, two soldiers bound Fan Shun tightly and removed the cloth gag covering his mouth. Before Lin Mu could speak, Fan Shun suddenly shouted loudly, “You thieves, who are you? Where did you come from? Do you even know who I am? I am Fan Shun, a military marquis of the Qinglong Army, an officer of Kuaiji Commandery’s troops. We came here to eradicate bandits. Are you planning to rebel?”

He fired off a barrage of questions as if to overwhelm them, hoping to assert his authority and intimidate these rural bandits.

“Heh, so it really is you!” Lin Mu muttered softly. Hearing this so-called military marquis’s confession only confirmed his suspicions.

“Hmph, whether or not you’re government officials, we common folks are oppressed by your so-called officials and aristocrats, driven to banditry out of desperation. Now that you want to wipe us out, we have no choice but to resist! Haha! You’re now in our hands—this is your fate. I have questions for you. If you don’t cooperate, don’t blame us for being rude and chopping off a few of your body parts, heh heh...” Lin Mu shouted with a fierce grin, the sinister smile sending a chill down Fan Shun’s spine as his heart pounded relentlessly.

“You... you...” Fan Shun hesitated, wanting to retort, but as a prisoner of war, he had no freedom. Trying to use his official status to intimidate them was useless. These oppressed peasants surely harbored deep resentment. If they were ruthless enough to kill him outright, it would be unjust. He did not want to die!

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“Brave warrior, ask whatever you wish. If I know the answer, I will speak frankly and fully!” Fan Shun lowered his eyes, speaking earnestly. “As an official, I have never oppressed the people. I have always cared for and protected them. I also deeply hate those greedy aristocrats and corrupt officials. I sympathize with your plight! I even used to give my salary to the poor. I hope you can treat me kindly!”

“Haha... I never expected the Qinglong Army’s marquis to be so ‘benevolent’! Haha! I will treat you well, but you must answer my questions properly. Answer well, and I’ll untie your bonds and treat you to the best food and drink!” Lin Mu mocked, incredulous at what an extraordinary specimen this Qinglong marquis was. Judging by his demeanor, he was clearly a cowardly, self-serving man.

“All right, now I’ll ask. Just answer!” Lin Mu got straight to the point.

“What’s your name? Which unit and regiment are you part of?” he asked first.

“I am Fan Shun, a marquis of the second battalion of the scout unit in the Qinglong Legion,” Fan Shun answered quietly and honestly.

“You say you’re a soldier from Kuaiji Commandery. How did you end up here in the remote Qilian Mountains?” Lin Mu asked with suspicion.

“I don’t know either. Usually, our unit idles in the barracks in the commandery city. Although we occasionally conduct raids against bandits, there is peace outside, so we rarely see battle. Most of the time we just train, but it doesn’t seem to improve our skills. Later, our commander ordered us to use a mysterious teleportation array to transport our unit here to the Qilian Mountains for training, to prepare for future situations,” Fan Shun explained. As a low-ranking marquis, he likely did not know the higher-ups’ plans.

“What kind of ‘future situation’?” Lin Mu pressed on. Although he knew the Qinglong Army had rebelled against the Han Dynasty, he lacked detailed information. He needed specifics to devise a foolproof plan.

“Spare me, brave warrior! I really don’t know!” Fan Shun chuckled bitterly, clearly troubled by the question.

“All right, if you don’t know, that’s fine,” Lin Mu relented.

“How many people remain in your Qinglong Village? You better answer carefully. If my scouts find information that contradicts yours, don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Lin Mu warned, though he hadn’t actually sent scouts—he just wanted to intimidate Fan Shun.

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“At present, Qinglong Village has 150,000 people, reaching the maximum population capacity of the stronghold. The village undergoes a rotation every year. We just completed one a month ago, so the population is at full capacity,” Fan Shun answered cautiously.

“Rotation? You rotate every year? What does that mean?” Lin Mu was very puzzled.

“Reporting to you, sir, Qinglong Village is a training ground for our soldiers. Every year, we rotate out the veteran soldiers who have trained for a year back to the commandery, and bring in new recruits to train here,” Fan Shun explained truthfully.

“What? New recruits? So the elite soldiers inside the village were all transported away a month ago?” Lin Mu’s breath quickened as he asked excitedly.

“Cough, yes, the elite soldiers who completed training were sent back a month ago—100,000 third-tier soldiers and 30,000 fourth-tier elites. But compared to your soldiers, sir, they’re just amateurs, heh heh...” Fan Shun was flustered but still managed to flatter, truly an extraordinary character.

“Haha, good, good! I didn’t expect the elite soldiers of Qinglong Village to have been transported away. Now our chances of capturing the village are even greater. Haha, heaven favors me!” Lin Mu was overjoyed upon learning this. He had already been seventy percent confident of taking Qinglong Village; now, with this information, his confidence soared to ninety-nine percent, with only a small margin left for unforeseen circumstances.

So excited, Lin Mu could hardly wait to lead his troops to attack Qinglong Village immediately.

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