After Liu Jin dismounted, he immediately cupped his fists and declared loudly!
"I am Liu Jin, Tuncun of Liye Township. The day before yesterday, I slew five hundred bandits. I am now escorting their heads and a group of captives, waiting outside the city. I have come to inform the Prefect."
Everyone around them widened their eyes, seemingly unable to believe it.
A mere Tuncun, with no more than a hundred soldiers, could actually slay five hundred bandits. He felt this statement was somewhat fantastical.
The leader carefully scrutinized Liu Jin, who was dignified and burly, possessing a certain aura of a skilled warrior.
Although he didn't know if this was false information, he dared not interfere and decided it should be handled by the noblemen above.
His tone became very polite, and he immediately cupped his fists and said with a smile!
"Lord Liu, please come in quickly. I will send someone to inform the Prefect right away."
Liu Jin nodded and immediately walked inside with Zhao Ergou. Led by the soldiers, the two sat down in the hall.
Soon, a maid brought tea for them to drink.
In the Prefect's mansion, in the back courtyard!
Zheng Qian sat in the courtyard, his legs crossed, a look of satisfaction on his face. Two pretty maids massaged him, and a small maid slowly fed him fresh fruit.
Just then, footsteps approached. A guard, with a respectful expression, bowed and said!
"Reporting to the Prefect, Liu Jin, Tuncun of Liye Township, led his troops, slew five hundred bandits, and pacified several bandit strongholds in the surrounding area. He is currently in the mansion reporting this matter."
Zheng Qian, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, instantly opened his eyes upon hearing this. He sprang to his feet, seemingly unable to believe it.
He looked sharply at the newcomer and asked in a cold voice!
"Is this true?"
The guard felt the sharp aura, which made his legs tremble. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a trembling voice!
"Reporting to the Prefect, this matter was personally stated by Lord Liu Jin, and he is currently waiting in the mansion."
Zheng Qian nodded, his eyes slightly narrowed, lost in thought.
Liu Jin was not unfamiliar to him. He was recommended for the position of Tuncun in Liye Township by Prefectural Supervisor Liu Chong.
Originally, with Liu Jin's commoner status, he could at most serve as a squad leader. It would be impossible for him to become a Tuncun and an official of the imperial court.
However, Liye Township had no lucrative benefits; instead, it was a troublesome place with many bandits in the vicinity.
Anyone with a background would never choose to serve there. So, as a favor to Liu Chong, Liu Jin was appointed Tuncun of Liye Township.
Later, this fellow sent someone to report that he had killed a squad leader. Although Zhao Lei had oppressed the people, forcibly taken women, and committed many evil deeds, his unauthorized execution of Zhao Lei had already violated imperial regulations.
However, Liu Jin was sensible enough to offer him fifty thousand coins, which pleased him greatly. Therefore, he entrusted all matters concerning Liye Township to Liu Jin's full authority.
How long had it been, and now there was news of this fellow slaying five hundred enemies and even pacifying several bandit strongholds? This news was indeed quite shocking.
After all, as the Prefect, he knew very well what kind of soldiers the Tuncun of Liye Township commanded—they were simply a rabble. Forget about bandit suppression; it would be good if they could even hold onto that territory.
After a moment of contemplation, Zheng Qian decided to meet this fellow in person.
If he dared to falsely report military intelligence, even with Prefectural Supervisor Liu Chong backing him, he would still have to dismiss and investigate this fellow.
One must know that slaying five hundred enemies was no small matter; even the Prefect would be astonished upon hearing of it.
With a little manipulation, doubling the number of slain enemies to a thousand and reporting it to the imperial court would, if not lead to a promotion, at least earn imperial commendation or praise.
This would be very beneficial for future promotions.
Therefore, this matter was also extremely important to Zheng Qian.
In the main hall!
Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou sat aside, waiting quietly.
Soon, several footsteps approached. A dignified middle-aged man, with a silver seal and green ribbon at his waist, signifying he was a two-thousand-dan official, exuded a powerful aura as he slowly walked in.
Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou immediately stood up, their faces respectful, and bowed!
"Your subordinates pay respects to the Prefect."
Zheng Qian looked at the two and nodded slightly, then knelt down at the head seat.
Liu Jin and Zhao Ergou stood in the main hall and did not dare to kneel down at the side.
With their official ranks, they were not qualified to sit in front of Zheng Qian unless he explicitly told them to.
Zheng Qian's gaze swept over Liu Jin, and his authoritative voice came!
"Liu Jin, is the battle report you submitted true?"
"If you dare to deceive this Prefect, do you know what the consequences will be?"
Upon hearing the authoritative voice, Liu Jin's expression remained firm. He cupped his fists and respectfully said!
"Reporting to the Prefect, your subordinate dares not conceal anything. We indeed slew five hundred enemies."
"The heads and captives are currently outside the city. The Prefect can send people to inspect them at any time."
After hearing these words, Zheng Qian firmly believed that slaying five hundred enemies was true.
No matter how audacious this fellow was, he wouldn't dare to lie in front of him, unless he was looking for death.
The authoritative voice slowly came out!
"Send someone to investigate outside the city to see if Lord Liu's words are true."
After saying this, someone at the door bowed in obedience and went to investigate the matter.
Liu Jin's expression remained calm, without any panic or fear. The heads he transported this time amounted to over three hundred.
Adding dozens of bandit captives, rounded up, saying five hundred was not an exaggeration.
Because the military rules had always been this way: killing two or three hundred people could be doubled, falsely reporting five or six hundred slain.
As long as half the number of heads could be produced, it was generally tacitly accepted to double the number.
Some audacious individuals even claimed to have killed a thousand enemies after killing only a hundred, and those above would even approve.
However, such people had very deep backgrounds and were protected by high-ranking officials; it was not something Liu Jin could pull off, or else he wouldn't even know how he died.
Just like that, the main hall fell silent. After a brief wait.
A guard, with a look of shock in his eyes, walked in. He glanced at Liu Jin, who was standing nearby, and went directly to Zheng Qian's ear, whispering a few words.
After hearing these words, Zheng Qian's authoritative eyes were also filled with surprise. He looked at the calm and composed Liu Jin, sighing with immense emotion in his heart.
He hadn't expected this fellow to truly have slain five hundred enemies. Although there was some exaggeration, it was still extremely normal.
His authoritative demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by a benevolent expression, and he said softly!
"I never expected such a hero to exist in my Zhuo Commandery, capable of slaying five hundred enemies with merely a hundred men."
"Come, please be seated."
Liu Jin's heart rejoiced upon hearing this. It seemed that Zheng Qian was also very excited after learning the news, and had already acknowledged this achievement.
He bowed once more, respectfully saying!
"Thank you, Prefect, for the seat."
He knelt down at a nearby table, while Zhao Ergou stood behind him, bowing and lowering his head.