Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

Chapter 122 Dare to Challenge?

Yu Wanran hated the way the other person looked at her with disdain. Moreover, the matter of suppressing bandits was of utmost importance, and not explaining it clearly would also affect Xue Heyu's ability to borrow troops. She spoke coldly.

"My lord, hearing is not as good as seeing, and seeing is not as good as doing. I have already led my team to retrieve important intelligence on the bandits. How can you so arbitrarily conclude that I am merely playing games in my private quarters? Is my uncle being presumptuous?"

"Niece!"

Xue Heyu hadn't expected Yu Wanran to be even braver than him. He was very polite to Si Yuankai, but Yu Wanran directly retorted! Although he definitely wanted to protect his benefactor, wasn't Yu Wanran likely to offend him?

Little did they know that Yu Wanran had already seen through it all.

Si Yuankai is the kind of person who, at a young age, holds a high position and has an inflated ego. He might receive more praise in a single day than most people do in a lifetime. Trying to flatter or fawn over him will only provoke resentment.

Soldiers value martial prowess, so it's better to be straightforward and persuade the person with your abilities.

Si Yuankai had rarely been criticized, let alone by a woman! Every woman he had ever met was obedient and compliant.

Even though he knew that the inner quarters were far from the peaceful place he had seen, those with dirty hands who had been stained with blood were still gentle and virtuous in his presence.

He was inwardly angry. But looking at Xue Heyu's niece, he felt a newfound curiosity.

"Judging from Miss Yu's words, she seems quite confident in her abilities?"

Yu Wanran smiled slightly: "Facts speak louder than words."

Si Yuankai disdained arguing with a woman and turned to Xue Heyu.

"Lord Xue, you came to the garrison just to mobilize troops to suppress bandits?"

Seeing Xue Heyu nod, Si Yuankai forced a smile, "Two months ago, Magistrate Hao also came to me to borrow troops. He vowed that with just three hundred soldiers, he would definitely wipe out the bandits. And then..."

He hummed softly.

"I lent him 500 men, but they were ambushed by bandits at Qingling Mountain. I lost two centurions and five captains. The rest of my men were killed or wounded, more than half of them. I have no way to explain this to my superiors!"

Xue Heyu and Yu Wanran exchanged a glance, meeting Si Yuankai's angry gaze. Si Yuankai glanced at their expressions and gave a slight snort.

"While it is my duty to cooperate with the magistrate and maintain order around Decheng, the troops stationed in the city are not easy to train. Without a detailed plan, I apologize that the garrison cannot cooperate with the government's actions this time!"

In short, never fight a battle you're not confident of winning, lest you needlessly sacrifice your men!

Xue Heyu never expected that his predecessor, Magistrate Hao, would pay such a heavy price in suppressing bandits! No wonder the officials from the Ministry of Personnel looked at him strangely when he left the capital to take up his post, with a pitying expression on their faces.

At that moment, his pride flared up, and he thought the other person was mocking him for passing the imperial examination at such an advanced age and becoming an official. He completely misunderstood the other person's meaning.

Fortunately, they came fully prepared this time.

Upon being looked at by him, Yu Wanran immediately stood up. She took out a pre-prepared document and presented it to Si Yuankai for review.

Si Yuankai unfolded the document, which contained elegant handwriting detailing the situation of the bandits in Qingling Mountain. The name of the bandit leader, the number of his men, and their personalities were all noted. A detailed map was even attached, marking the location of the bandit's lair.

Si Yuankai couldn't help but look up at Yu Wanran again, his eyes showing a hint of assessment.

"Miss Yu, is this intelligence accurate? Did you lead your men deep into Qingling Mountain to gather intelligence?"

"To be honest, my lord, this intelligence was not obtained by me alone."

When he became polite, Yu Wanran also calmed down and answered calmly.

"Most of them were from a Song Dynasty scholar who, after his family was killed by bandits, was determined to avenge them. He and his sister hid in the Qingling Mountains for half a year to gather this intelligence!"

Si Yuankai nodded in approval.

"By enduring hardship and humiliation, this young scholar Song has made a great contribution!"

However, the courage of this sixteen-year-old girl who dared to participate in the bandit suppression and venture deep into the bandit-infested Qingling Mountain is equally admirable.

Si Yuankai pondered for a moment, then said to Xue Heyu, "It seems that Lord Xue has indeed made ample preparations this time and is confident in eliminating the bandits."

Xue Heyu respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.

"I implore Commander Si to lend me a hand and restore peace and tranquility to the people of Decheng and the merchants who pass through!"

Si Yuankai closed the document and handed it back to Yu Wanran.

"But I wonder how many troops Lord Xue will request from the garrison this time?"

"This……"

Xue Heyu hesitated.

The bandits are powerful, so to ensure absolute safety, the more troops we deploy, the better!

He wanted to borrow as many soldiers as Si Yuankai had under his command. But if he said that, he was afraid Si Yuankai would immediately turn hostile.

These military men have always been at odds with their civil officials. It's not a big deal if Si Yuankai beats him up, but if it delays the important task of suppressing the bandits, that would be a real problem!

"Just now, didn't Miss Yu, Lord Xue's niece, boast that she was very capable?"

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Si Yuankai sneered and tapped the armrest of the chair with his knuckles.

"How about this? I have ten centurions under my command. Call them all over! If Miss Yu can defeat a few of them, I'll borrow a few hundred of your soldiers. What do you say?"

His men could no longer be sent to their deaths because of the magistrate's incompetence! Since Yu Wanran thought so highly of herself, he became curious and wanted to see if a woman really had such great abilities.

Xue Heyu looked at Yu Wanran with concern.

Soldiers are different from yamen runners; they undergo rigorous training! They've been on the battlefield and faced life-or-death trials. How much more so a centurion selected from a hundred men?

Xue Heyu feared that Yu Wanran would not only be unable to borrow troops, but would also suffer injury and humiliation, which would be even more troublesome.

Yu Wanran glanced at Si Yuankai. The interest in his eyes greatly stimulated her competitive spirit.

Who wasn't young and impetuous at one point?

If she can defeat ten centurions and plunder the enemy's garrison, then the enemy can only wait to cry while hugging the doorframe!

Before Xue Heyu could speak, she readily agreed: "Alright! A promise made by a commander is a promise kept."

Si Yuankai's lips twitched slightly.

Back in Beijing, a group of his close friends always said he was arrogant and cocky. They should really bring those guys here and let them open their eyes wide and take a good look at this Miss Yu!

Xue Heyu secretly rubbed his forehead, quickly thinking about how to ask Yu Wanran for reinforcements if she lost the battle. He then heard Si Yuankai say coldly.

"it is good!"

He got up and went outside, ordering his men to bring in ten centurions.

These ten centurions each had their own tasks: patrolling, training, guarding the city, and taking turns resting. Gathering them all would take some effort. As evening approached, Si Yuankai wasn't in a hurry. He had someone bring the guests a fresh cup of tea, and the three of them sat in the hall waiting.

Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all ten centurions arrived and bowed to Si Yuankai in unison.

"Lord Senhu!"

Si Yuankai waved his hand, telling them to dispense with formalities, and got straight to the point without another word.

"These two are the newly appointed Magistrate Xue and Miss Yu. They've come to mobilize troops for the bandit suppression! Learning from past lessons, I've decided to give you both a chance to choose freely!"

Upon hearing about the bandit suppression, the ten centurions exchanged bewildered glances. They looked at each other, their eyes darting around nervously.

Last time, what seemed like a sure-fire military victory turned into a disaster thanks to the inept magistrate Hao, nearly resulting in the annihilation of the entire 500-strong army. Two of the centurions only got promoted because two others were killed in action.

Another bandit-suppression operation... Are you sure this isn't just sending people to their deaths?