"He, he seems to have surrendered. It's said he was the one who killed Wang Xingye!"
The bailiff who came to report hurried to say in a low voice.
"What did you say? He killed Wang Xingye?"
Zhang Huai was a bit stunned. How could this be possible?
If this brat had truly sided with the new county magistrate, then this matter would indeed be troublesome.
Neihuang County had been without a magistrate for a year after the previous one drowned.
During this year, people like them had reaped considerable benefits.
His personal wealth was not much more than fifty to sixty thousand guan before.
This was the fortune he had accumulated over more than ten years through deceit and diligent maneuvering.
Yet, in just this one year, his personal wealth alone had grown by nearly ten times.
Now, thirty percent of the land in Neixiang County belonged to Zhang.
As for women, there was no need to even mention them. Any woman he fancied could not escape his grasp.
Whether they were married or belonged to esteemed families, once he set his sights on them, within a month, they would obediently be in his bed.
The daughter-in-law of the proprietor of the Wanbao Tower in the county town, because she refused to be humiliated, had her entire family framed for colluding with bandits and then all were imprisoned.
As for that poor woman, after being insulted by Zhang Huai for more than a month, she was directly sold into a brothel.
After this incident, no one in Neihuang County dared to provoke him anymore.
Having tasted the benefits, he naturally was unwilling to give up such a good business.
Therefore, he had orchestrated this matter.
But who would have known that Lü Ying, that idiot, would be so useless?
This was supposed to be a surefire kill, but now it had been messed up like this by them.
After taking a few deep breaths, Zhang Huai calmed himself down once again.
So what if Lü Ying surrendered? That guy was a coward.
Although he possessed some knowledge of affairs, those were all minor matters. With his abilities, he could resolve them all in a few days at most.
Conversely, he himself had enough to have this brat beheaded ten times over!
"What are you still dawdling for? Hurry up and help me change!"
After thinking it through, Zhang Huai kicked the woman's backside and said through gritted teeth.
"Yes!"
After the woman fumbled to help him change his clothes, Lü Ying then led his men and hurried out of the house.
Before leaving, he specifically gave a few instructions to his trusted confidants.
No sooner had he stepped out the door than someone already bound the woman's hands and feet, gagged her, and directly shoved her into a carriage.
"Your subordinate Zhang Huai greets the County Magistrate!"
When Zhang Huai arrived at the county yamen, Han Mo was already seated high in the main hall.
Looking at Han Mo's half-smiling face, Zhang Huai's heart couldn't help but tremble.
However, he quickly calmed himself down again.
"You are Zhang Huai?"
Han Mo asked with a smile.
"Replying to your excellency, this humble one is Zhang Huai!"
"I arrested a group of villains last night. According to the leader of the bandits, they were instructed by you to come and harm me. What do you have to say about this?"
As Han Mo spoke, Wu Jie by his side had already placed his hand on the hilt of his saber.
The atmosphere in the hall immediately turned tense. Looking at Han Mo's smiling expression and Wu Jie's hand on the saber hilt, Zhang Huai's body began to tremble.
A wrong word at this moment could lead to a fatal disaster. Even though he had experienced many storms, he was still inexplicably nervous at this moment.
"Your excellency, what joke are you making? This subordinate has no enmity with you, and moreover, you are my superior. How could I do something so treasonous?"
Zhang Huai forcefully pinched his own thigh, managing to calm himself down.
"Is that so? What I heard from others is different. Who is lying, you or him? Or perhaps you two should confront each other?"
Han Mo said with a light laugh.
"This subordinate has absolutely no such intention. I beg your excellency to see clearly. If a despicable person is framing me, this subordinate is willing to confront him in court!"
"Hahahaha, I was just saying that. Why are you so nervous? The villain who slandered you has already been beheaded by me with a single stroke. His head is now hanging on the flagpole outside the yamen. Why don't you go and see if you recognize him?"
"Yes!"
Zhang Huai's heart began to pound violently. This was a naked warning.
However, the pressure exerted by Han Mo and Wu Jie was too great. At this moment, he was truly starting to panic.
After responding, he directly got up and walked outside.
"My lord, why are you letting him off so easily?"
Wu Jie also interjected.
"Isn't it easy to kill him? With your martial prowess, killing him is just a matter of speaking. Why waste so much energy? I want to capture the forces behind him in one fell swoop. Otherwise, where would we have the time to mess around with him here?"
"Then what do you mean?"
"Drive the dog into a corner, let him reveal all his feathers, and then we'll catch them all!"
"But if that's the case, our current manpower seems a bit..."
Wu Jie said, and his expression also became serious.
If he had brought all the elite soldiers of the Western Army with him, he wouldn't have paid attention to these rabble. But the problem was that the people he brought were all the pampered soldiers from Bianliang City.
Although these people had made great progress in the past few days, they were still far from being true elites.
"Don't worry, we'll just plan. When the time comes to act, divine soldiers will descend from heaven!"
Han Mo smiled and said casually.
"Divine soldiers descending from heaven?"
Wu Jie's mouth twitched. If anyone else had said this, he would have slapped them.
As a military general, the only things he could trust were the blades in his hands and the soldiers under his command. As for such nonsense as divine soldiers and heavenly generals, he didn't want to believe a single word.
"Reporting to your excellency, this person is indeed the bandit leader Wang Xingye!"
While the two were talking, Zhang Huai walked back in, trembling.
"I don't know how the previous county magistrates conducted themselves, but I hope you understand one thing: I am different from them. Have you clearly seen the people I have brought with me? They are all elites from the Imperial Camp!"
Before Han Mo's words had even finished, Zhang Huai had already knelt on the ground.
He was truly terrified this time!