When Emperor Yongchang was hosting a banquet for his ministers in the palace during the Dragon Boat Festival, Prince Qing had just arrived at the Jingzhou army’s main camp.

He had set out early on the morning of April twenty-first. Aside from two days when heavy rain delayed his journey, for twelve or thirteen short days, Prince Qing had to jostle in a carriage over a hundred li each day, bouncing until he nearly vomited. The food at the post stations where he lodged also didn’t suit his taste.

His Highness Prince Qing, accustomed to fine clothes and delicacies, had petulantly thought about resting for two days in some prosperous city, but thinking that Father Emperor was still waiting for his victory report, thinking that this was the opportunity to establish merit he had long anticipated, Prince Qing no longer minded the hardship.

Regional Military Commander Fu Xing of the Jingzhou army led the military officers under him to welcome the travel-worn Prince Qing.

Jingzhou had a total of one hundred fifty thousand garrison troops. The main camp had five guard stations with nearly thirty thousand troops. What Emperor Yongchang had transferred to Prince Qing for bandit suppression was one of the five guards—the Wuling Guard, including two thousand naval troops and three thousand infantry. The guard commander was named Peng Daji, a military general in his forties who had established over ten military achievements and held great prestige in the Jingzhou army.

The more prestige Peng Daji had, the more Prince Qing could feel Father Emperor’s lack of confidence in him. Unfortunately, since Father Emperor had specifically appointed Peng Daji to assist him in suppressing bandits, Prince Qing could only accept.

Prince Qing first asked these military officers about the bandit trouble in Tanzhou.

Fu Xing, Peng Daji and the others spoke without reservation. They had long been hoping to personally lead troops to suppress bandits, but guard station troop deployments needed to follow Ministry of War orders—local civil officials had no authority to directly request them to suppress bandits.

Prince Qing roughly understood the situation. The next day, he took Peng Daji with him to Tanzhou, over three hundred li away. Worried about alerting the enemy, he had Peng Daji leave his five thousand troops temporarily in Wuling, ready at any moment.

Fu Xing and the other four guard commanders stood outside the main camp respectfully seeing off Prince Qing.

After Prince Qing’s figure had gone far, one commander said in a muffled voice, “Just a thousand mountain bandits—we could suppress them by casually deploying any single guard. Why did the Emperor still send Prince Qing, wasting over ten days for nothing?”

Another person laughed, “Isn’t it simple? The Emperor wants to build momentum for Prince Qing. With military achievements, in the future when establishing the Crown Prince…”

Fu Xing coughed and swept his eyes over the four men, “Watch your words.”

Military officers like them who led troops just needed to do as the Emperor instructed. As for who would be Emperor, that wasn’t something they should worry about or discuss.

On the morning of the ninth day, Prince Qing’s party disguised as merchants passed through the city gate into Tanzhou City. Guards who had arrived early had already arranged a residence for Prince Qing. Prince Qing took Peng Daji to move in together. While he bathed and changed clothes, Prefect Feng at the prefectural office learned that Prince Qing had arrived, put down his official duties, and hurried over to pay respects.

Prince Qing sat in the seat of honor, looking at the nearly forty-year-old Prefect Feng kneeling on the ground, and asked him about the specific situation of the three bandit chiefs.

Prefect Feng wore a worried expression as he began his account.

Bandit chief Chen Wei was the son of a wealthy local merchant. From childhood he practiced martial arts and developed excellent skills, but from youth he was tyrannical and domineering, enjoying his power. Although he hadn’t left behind any criminal evidence that could land him in jail, his reputation had long been ruined, completely cutting off his chance to participate in the military examinations. Last year, Chen Wei took advantage of his father being away on business to have an affair with one of his father’s concubines. When Father Chen returned and discovered the situation, in a fit of anger he expelled Chen Wei from the household. No one knew where Chen Wei went.

This year during the Lantern Festival, Chen Wei suddenly returned, bringing over ten strong men to massacre the Chen household in blood and rob all the Chen family’s gold, silver, and valuables.

At that time, Chen Wei’s group was just murderous fugitives. By the second month, Chen Wei appeared again, bringing nearly a hundred people to rob a merchant caravan.

By the third month, Chen Wei had already gathered about a thousand followers. Prefect Feng’s attempt at bandit suppression failed, but he captured a few prisoners, and only then learned about the other two bandit chiefs Wang Sheng and Liu Siyi.

Wang Sheng, like Chen Wei, was a fugitive who killed like mowing grass. Liu Siyi was a thirty-something scholar who had repeatedly failed the examinations. According to Liu family neighbors, Liu Siyi had been coldly neglected by his father and stepmother for years, only knowing to shut himself in his room reading. In late February, he suddenly left home, and when he returned it was leading Chen Wei’s band of mountain bandits to massacre his own household in blood, not even sparing his six-year-old half-brother by a different mother.

The three bandit chiefs gathered together. Liu Siyi handled planning while Chen Wei and Wang Sheng led people to burn, kill, and plunder.

The mountain bandits’ hideout at Shifeng Ridge was right beside the Xiang River, with four or five tributaries connecting to the Xiang River, facilitating their appearing and disappearing like ghosts to attack passing boat merchants. After the boat merchants detoured, this group turned to robbing nearby wealthy households and common people, creating panic among the people. Those with money found ways to move, those with relatives hurried to seek refuge.

As Prefect Feng spoke, he trembled. If the court didn’t send troops soon, he feared Chen Wei and the others would dare directly attack Tanzhou City.

Peng Daji also wore a grave expression. Two bandit chiefs who could even harm their own flesh and blood relatives were ruthless and vicious people. The mountain bandits they recruited were absolutely not easy opponents either.

Prince Qing was silent for a moment, then asked, “Have they come out to commit crimes recently?”

Prefect Feng shook his head. “Before this subordinate official submitted the memorial, they had just robbed a town and taken away large amounts of gold, silver, and grain. And notices about mountain bandits running rampant in the Tanzhou area have been posted throughout Jingzhou, so merchants from north and south have all taken detours. They’ll probably wait until provisions are nearly exhausted before coming down the mountain to commit crimes.”

Prince Qing asked him again if there was a way to enter the mountains.

Prefect Feng still shook his head. “There are river flows and water marshes in the mountains. The bandit group lives on boats, sometimes possibly changing their resting place in a single night, sometimes possibly finding a mountaintop to set up camp. Aside from the three bandit chiefs, even the underlings below don’t know where they’ll stop during the day or night.”

Precisely because this mountain bandit group’s whereabouts were uncertain, the official troops and militia led by Prefect Feng had wasted their efforts uselessly several times.

Peng Daji looked toward Prince Qing.

Prince Qing said with full confidence, “Since catching snakes in the mountains is difficult, we can only lure the snakes out of their hole.”

Back in the capital, Prince Qing had already devised a stratagem to use bait to lure the bandit group into taking the hook. Along the way, he repeatedly pondered and refined it. Now learning that the bandit lair was hard to find, Prince Qing naturally wanted to put his stratagem to use.

He said to Peng Daji, “When passing through Jiangling, I arranged four merchant ships ahead of time there, disguised as merchants from Shu territory wanting to do silk business in Jingnan. Today I’ll send someone to notify them to depart. You also return to Wuling to wait. When the merchant ships arrive at Wuling, hide four hundred naval troops on the four merchant ships, then dispatch four warships to escort them.”

“Chen Wei and the other two act ruthlessly and arrogantly. Ordinary mountain bandits would be scared off by the court’s naval forces, but they’ll take pleasure in defeating the court’s naval forces.”

“Your side will openly have four hundred naval troops, but actually have eight hundred troops. Once you engage in battle, Prefect Feng and I will lead one thousand official troops forward as reinforcement. Then, attacking from both sides, we can certainly eliminate the main bandit force in one stroke.”

Eight hundred Jingzhou naval troops, one thousand archer infantry, plus himself and the twenty-four guards beside him—Prince Qing had full confidence in this.

Peng Daji said, “Your Highness’s brilliant plan, but it’s too risky. According to what Prefect Feng said, Liu Siyi is cautious and skilled at strategy. I fear he’ll see through this as the authorities’ plan to lure snakes out, and either avoid coming out, or split off some mountain bandits to guard against the authorities’ reinforcements. It would be better to have this subordinate’s three thousand infantry come…”

Prince Qing sneered coldly, “Three thousand infantry—such a grand display, won’t the mountain bandits’ informants planted in the city notice? You also know Liu Siyi is cautious. This prince precisely wants him to believe that only one thousand official troops are available here in Tanzhou, to believe that only four hundred naval troops are escorting the merchant ships. With more troops, if we scare them into not daring to come out, what bandits will you and I suppress?”

Peng Daji thought about it and said, “Your Highness speaks reasonably. However, Your Highness’s precious body still shouldn’t take risks. On the night of bandit suppression, Your Highness had best remain in the city. Having Prefect Feng lead troops forward as reinforcement will suffice. Otherwise, if there’s any mishap…”

Prince Qing raised his hand to interrupt his words. “Prefect Feng is a scholar. This kind of fighting and killing is better left to this prince himself. This prince appreciates Guard Commander Peng’s good intentions, but this prince has practiced martial arts since childhood—not to hide in the back when fighting breaks out. Enough, go rest in the guest room for a night. Leave early tomorrow morning to return to Wuling and make arrangements. Oh yes, only you and the eight hundred naval troops under you need know about this matter. No need to say much to others, lest the news leak and we busy ourselves for nothing.”

Peng Daji: “…Yes.”

The two of them discussed and settled this matter with you saying one thing and me another. Learning that he didn’t need to appear, Prefect Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He truly was a scholar and couldn’t do this kind of fighting and killing.

Returning to the office, Prefect Feng handled official business absent-mindedly and went to rest in the back at dusk.

Prefect Feng’s wife remained in their hometown caring for his parents and children. Prefect Feng’s office rear residence only had three concubines. Currently, Prefect Feng’s favorite was a woman surnamed Xia whom he’d rescued in the second month from a town that had been plundered by the bandit group—she had survived because she was hidden away, was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and though her looks could only be considered seven parts beautiful, her face was fair and clean, and her pair of limpid water-like almond eyes were very moving.

“How was it? Did you see that Prince Qing, sir?” Lady Xia gently and softly served Prefect Feng, asking with concern.

Prefect Feng smiled, “Yes, worthy of being a prince from the capital—he’d already planned everything. Just hoping everything goes smoothly, so I can unload this burden from my heart too.”

Lady Xia asked curiously, “That group of robbers who kill without blinking—what good plan could Prince Qing have?”

Prefect Feng leaned to her ear and whispered at length.

After Lady Xia finished listening, she said excitedly, “Wonderful! My aunt’s family who died unjustly can finally rest in peace!”

Prince Qing’s message was sent back to the passenger ships at Jiangling. The passenger ships then followed the waterway through Wuling to Tanzhou, using nine days total back and forth.

When the four passenger ships and four warships were about to pass through the river section near Shifeng Ridge where the bandit group was hiding, it was the night of May nineteenth. A slightly waning bright moon hung high in the sky, sprinkling glittering fragmented light on the river surface.

Prince Qing led the one thousand arrow-bearing official troops allocated to him by Prefect Feng, taking advantage of the night to quietly rush to the north bank of the Xiang River, hiding behind the forest trees of a mountain path.

The eight ships drew closer and closer. On the opposite bank, a ship bow suddenly appeared at the corner of a tributary flowing toward the Shifeng Ridge mountains.

The corners of Prince Qing’s lips curved upward.

When the eight large ships passed this tributary and moved forward some distance, over ten small boats suddenly rapidly crossed the water surface ahead, together with over ten small boats rushing out from the tributary on this side, attacking from front and back, trapping those eight large ships in the middle.

Prince Qing roughly counted—each of the mountain bandits’ small boats had twenty or thirty people, adding up to fully seven or eight hundred!

Prince Qing immediately wanted to rush out with the archers. The small boats had no awnings for cover—the mountain bandits exposed outside were all live targets.

However, just as he moved, a whistle suddenly came from the mountain slope on the left. Prince Qing looked up and saw dark figures standing up holding bows and arrows!

Prince Qing was greatly shocked. The twenty-four guards beside him had already pushed him toward the shore to run.

Chen Wei wanted to capture Prince Qing alive. His underlings’ arrows all went toward the guards beside Prince Qing and the one thousand official troops. After these people were dead or crippled, he led a hundred brothers charging down, chasing along the Xiang River bank they were familiar with after the few people with Prince Qing who were fleeing in panic.

On the river surface, the mountain bandits on the thirty-some small boats had long known there were court naval forces on the large ships. Seeing that the great chief’s plan was proceeding smoothly and was about to capture Prince Qing, they rapidly paddled their small boats away into the distance, only exchanging arrows with the naval forces on the large ships, buying time for the great chief.

Peng Daji stood on the warship, calmly and unhurriedly controlling the battle situation.

On the shore, Chen Wei’s group finally caught up with Prince Qing. One by one, wielding large swords, they fought fiercely with Prince Qing’s seven men.

At this time, Prince Qing couldn’t care about why he’d encountered an ambush. Guessing that Chen Wei was the bandit chief, he directly fought with Chen Wei.

Chen Wei truly was a ruthless person. Seeing Prince Qing had some skill, he was quite satisfied. “Not bad. I just like ones like you. If it were really a weakling, catching him would be no fun!”

Prince Qing was enraged by the lewd intent in Chen Wei’s eyes, his blade attacking Chen Wei’s vital points with each strike.

Just when only two guards remained beside Prince Qing, sudden rapid hoofbeats came from behind. Chen Wei looked back in shock and saw galloping horses charging out like swift wind from the mountain path where Prince Qing had been the mantis stalking the cicada while he’d been the oriole behind. Turning a corner, they rushed toward their direction!

The moonlight was bright—on the fine horses were armored court cavalrymen!

Chen Wei’s eyes split with rage. At the same time, Prince Qing’s large blade also took advantage of the opening to thrust from behind, directly stabbing this bandit chief who had damaged his glorious reputation straight through.