My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 64 Catching the Bandits

"Are we just going to stay here?"

There were six checkpoints set up at the foot of the mountain, none of them far apart. After inspecting all six checkpoints, the group returned to the first checkpoint guarded by the village of Mao Mao. The three of them hid behind a large rock nearby, and Lin Ziping asked Bai Xin with concern.

To be honest, Lin Ziping had mixed feelings about the checkpoints he had set up. They were all guarded by villagers from the surrounding villages. They just piled up some dirt and put some pieces of wood in the middle to block the way, and the villagers would gather together to chat. There were loopholes everywhere, and it had a plastic feel to it, like a grassroots organization. It didn't seem reliable at all.

“Just wait and see. I’ve looked around, and the other places are either steep and slippery or shady and densely wooded, none of them are suitable for running away,” Bai Xin explained. “After Inspector Chai and the others go up the mountain, the bandits are very likely to escape in this direction.”

Lin Ziping was impressed but didn't understand. Although he didn't understand why the steep slope, slippery road, and dense trees were unsuitable for escaping, and why it wasn't impossible to go down the mountain, he still admired Bai Xin.

Then, recalling scenes from television shows of elaborate, grid-like searches that left bandits with no chance of escape, he said, "Search in one direction, surround the area inch by inch, and then set up defenses in one place. This should be enough to wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop."

Bai Xin and Xiao Jiazheng looked at Lin Ziping in surprise after hearing his words.

"Did I...did I say something wrong?" Lin Ziping asked uncertainly, worried that he had said something wrong, when he saw the two looking at him.

“Bandits aren’t born wanting to be bandits. They haven’t done anything heinous, so there’s no need to be so ruthless,” Xiao Jiazheng said, turning his head.

“A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. How do bandits survive? They rob passing merchants and loot surrounding villages. These are all explicitly prohibited by law. What is considered immoral? Does it mean that only murder and arson are immoral? Is robbing merchants and villages not immoral?” Lin Ziping retorted in disagreement.

“Well, that was done by the bandit leader; the others could only follow suit.” Xiao Jiazheng looked at Lin Ziping.

“Even if others weren’t participants, they still benefited from this event, and they feel innocent. Then aren’t the people who were robbed even more innocent?” Lin Ziping said.

"No one is born a bandit, so according to you, does that mean those who make them bandits are also at fault?"

"Yes." Lin Ziping nodded.

"Ha, you can find the people to blame for man-made disasters, but what about natural disasters? The fault lies with God, the fault lies with this world. Can you really blame God or this world?" Gan Jiazheng's tone was clearly sarcastic.

Lin Ziping was taken aback, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say. Could it be that the place he used to live was one of the safest places in the world? Although society wasn't absolutely fair, it guaranteed the individual's right to live and provided a basic level of fairness; although there were natural disasters and man-made calamities, the government wouldn't ignore them or stand idly by; although he occasionally complained about the hardships of life, he didn't live in constant fear of how to survive; although he was still far from being rich and still felt resentful about collapsing at his workstation, he couldn't deny that he could survive through hard work.

Now, most people here are struggling to survive, and they generally attribute their inability to live to the state of the world, saying that the state of the world makes it impossible for them to live.

Seeing that Lin Ziping did not speak, Xiao Jiazheng snorted coldly and turned his head away from him.

“Alright, Xiao Wu, is Ziping wrong? He should be punished for his mistakes. It’s just that he’s new to Fuchun and doesn’t know much about things here,” Bai Xin said, seeing Lin Ziping’s displeasure.

"There's something going on on the mountain," Xiao Jiazheng suddenly said.

Lin Ziping looked up at the mountain and saw flickering firelight; upon closer inspection, he could also see wisps of black smoke.

“Inspector Chai has already started burning the mountain. Keep a close eye on it; someone should be coming down soon,” Bai Xin said solemnly.

Sure enough, about half an hour later, someone was seen stumbling down the mountain.

Lin Ziping wanted to rush forward, but Bai Xin held him back, saying in a low voice, "Wait a little longer."

A group of people appeared shortly afterward. Seeing that Bai Xin and Xiao Jiazheng still did not make a move, Lin Ziping also remained still.

The villagers guarding the checkpoint were startled when they saw the people coming down from the mountain, but after recognizing them, they rushed forward and surrounded them.

"Isn't this Qingzi from Huang Lao Er's family at the end of the village? Why are you running down here? Where's your brother Da Niu?"

Just then, a young voice called out, "Father."

The air paused for a moment, and then the person who had spoken earlier said, "What happened to you, child? You look so disheveled. Your face is so dark and your clothes are so tattered. People who know you will know you went up the mountain, but people who don't will think you're fleeing from disaster."

Others were people the villagers met when they came down from the mountain.

"Alright, now is not the time to talk. You should leave before the officials arrive," Huang Lizheng interrupted the group's reminiscing.

“Yes, yes, Qingzi led them that way,” the villagers of Maomao Village said.

Seeing that these people were about to leave, Lin Ziping couldn't contain himself any longer. Seeing that Bai Xin and Xiao Jiazheng hadn't made a move yet, he whispered, "They're leaving!"

Bai Xin stared at the group of people without saying a word.

Xiao Jiazheng said, "Wait a little longer, there's no rush."

This……

Unsure of what the two were up to, Lin Ziping stopped and watched the bandits descending the mountain walk away.

After the bandits left, the villagers of Maomao Village gathered together to chat, while Bai Xin and Xiao Jia stared silently at the road down the mountain.

Suddenly, two more people came down the mountain.

"Quick, grab them!" Bai Xin shouted as he rushed out.

Xiao Jiazheng also drew his sword and followed closely behind.

Upon hearing Bai Xin's voice, the villagers paused for a moment, then turned and surrounded the two people coming down the mountain.

Lin Ziping was a beat slow, but after seeing Xiao Jiazheng rush out, he also ran towards the two people coming down the mountain.

"Catch them!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, the two turned and ran up the mountain, but it was too late. Bai Xin rushed up and fought with the two. Xiao Jiazheng and Lin Ziping then joined in.

Although he had practiced martial arts for many years, this was his first time fighting someone in real combat. Lin Ziping was a bit out of his element and threw two punches. Fortunately, our side had more people than the opponent, and we were subdued in no time.

The villagers tied the two bandits up tightly, but they didn't know when the three had arrived or whether they knew about the earlier release of the bandits. Their faces showed some unease.

"You have done a great job in capturing the bandits. I will report the situation truthfully to the county government and reward you accordingly," Bai Xin said loudly.

The villagers relaxed upon hearing this, and Huang Lizheng stepped forward and said, "This is our duty."

Bai Xin waved his hand and said, "Take these two over and keep an eye on them."

Before long, Inspector Chai came down from the mountain with several constables. When he saw the two bandits who were tied up, he laughed and said, "You three are good. You have done a good job in catching the bandits. I will tell Magistrate Feng and Magistrate Feng."

Bai Xin cupped his hands and said, "It's all thanks to the villagers of Maomao Village."

Chai, the patrol officer, nodded and looked at Huang, the village head, saying, "Village head Huang and the elders of Maomao Village have worked hard. I will report this matter to the county government truthfully."

The villagers immediately knelt down to express their gratitude.