All the officials, regardless of their inner thoughts, respectfully agreed and then reported on their respective matters.
Mo Lingxi listened with half-closed eyes.
Midway through, another副将 returned, bowed to Mo Lingxi, and whispered something in his ear.
Mo Lingxi's eyes snapped open, and he looked at the county magistrate. "I heard that the county magistrate took a beautiful concubine two days ago?"
'Plop.'
The county magistrate, sweating profusely, knelt on the ground, trembling like a sieve. "Your subordinate, your subordinate..."
Mo Lingxi took the sharp sword handed to him by the副将 and idly played with it. "Should I congratulate you? Taking a beautiful concubine at this juncture shows your charm."
Old General Fu glanced at the county magistrate but said nothing. He was indeed the main general of Chengmen Pass but could not interfere in local affairs, his primary responsibility being border security.
The county magistrate's face turned completely pale. He stammered, unable to utter a coherent sentence. He had taken the concubine in extreme secrecy, believing no one would find out, only to have it discovered on Prince Mingrui's first day.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have indulged in such lust.
Mo Lingxi said, "You look quite plump and well-fed. I presume you've been living quite comfortably."
Suddenly, the sharp sword was thrust into the ground before the county magistrate, scaring him into unconsciousness.
Mo Lingxi remained composed, showing no discernible emotion. "During a war between two nations, the county magistrate still has the mood to take a concubine. It seems the people on the border are living very comfortably."
The officials dared not breathe, fearing they would be the next to be held accountable. They had long heard of Prince Mingrui's methods, and now that they witnessed them, they could only say that rumors paled in comparison to the man himself.
Mo Lingxi continued, "Old General Fu, you will lead your men to personally search the county yamen. You are most familiar with Chengmen Pass, and I don't want any mistakes. Do you understand?"
Old General Fu understood this was his chance to atone for his mistakes. He accepted the order and retreated, taking the unconscious county magistrate with him.
Subsequently, Mo Lingxi carried out a series of rectifications and issued several orders.
These rectifications were met with widespread applause from the people of Chengmen Pass.
"We couldn't stand this county magistrate anymore. He never did any real work, only indulged in womanizing. He even used the excuse that the border army could not interfere in local affairs to prevent Old General Fu from intervening. He deserves what he got."
"With Prince Mingrui here, all those who didn't do their jobs and only knew how to flatter have been dealt with. Now, we can just focus on dealing with the Southern Jin Dynasty with peace of mind."
"Prince Mingrui is indeed good. He resolved these major issues as soon as he arrived, removing our worries."
After Mo Lingxi's thorough rectifications, even the atmosphere in Chengmen Pass improved significantly. Those who were guilty were either imprisoned or beheaded.
Meanwhile, Mo Lingxi was busy discussing strategies to counter the Southern Jin Dynasty with Old General Fu and others.
"Commander, my subordinates have investigated the areas where the Southern Jin Dynasty forces harassed us, but we haven't found any suspicious details, though I still have my doubts," said Old General Fu.
Mo Lingxi carefully examined the locations where the Southern Jin Dynasty troops had caused disturbances. He noticed they were all in different directions and unimportant areas around Chengmen Pass.
He had a premonition that this matter was not as simple as it seemed.
"What do you all think?"
Several generals offered their opinions.
"If I were the commander of the Southern Jin Dynasty, after a failed surprise attack, I would not be content. I would definitely find a way to capture Chengmen Pass. But an open attack might fail. What if another sneak attack could be carried out?"
"My thoughts exactly. Perhaps there are some hidden traps in these locations, waiting for the Southern Jin Dynasty army to feign an attack so they can catch us off guard."
Mo Lingxi had not personally surveyed the areas and could not determine the intentions of the Southern Jin Dynasty army. He planned to conduct a personal investigation.
However, he was stopped by Old General Fu. "Commander, be wary that this might be a trap set by the Southern Jin Dynasty army. I suggest you choose a different time to investigate."
Mo Lingxi had also entertained this possibility. "If the Southern Jin Dynasty army can lure the tiger into its den, can't we do the same?"
Old General Fu understood. "Commander, you mean...?"
Mo Lingxi replied, "Old General Fu, make preparations. I will go for a personal inspection immediately."
Old General Fu responded, "Yes!"
...
Mo Lingxi led a small squad of soldiers to the first location.
It was a small hillside, from which a large portion of the Chengmen Pass city wall could be seen. However, there were no important structures around, nor were there any patrolling Eastern Jin Dynasty soldiers.
"How did the small Southern Jin Dynasty forces harass this area at the time?" he asked.
The squad leader saluted and replied, "They set fire to the grass, attracting the attention of the guards. When the vanguard army pursued them, the small Southern Jin Dynasty forces fled."
Mo Lingxi looked around and noticed many patches of grass had been burned, revealing bare, somewhat scorched ground.
He crouched down and touched the ground.
Afterward, he visited the remaining few locations. Without exception, they were all elevated positions from which a part of Chengmen Pass could be seen.
These places were not burned, but the grass in some areas had been cut.
After personally surveying these locations, Mo Lingxi returned to Chengmen Pass.
He told the squad to return and wandered the streets alone, partly to observe the local conditions and partly to ponder the intentions of the Southern Jin Dynasty army.
The Southern Jin Dynasty army would not have done such things without reason; this series of events must have a purpose.
"Hey, hey, hey, you're not allowed to fly kites at the border, don't you know?"
Suddenly, he heard a woman's scolding voice. Mo Lingxi followed the sound and saw a boy of five or six years old flying a kite, with a slightly plump middle-aged woman scolding him.
He looked up at the kite in the sky.
It was a kite shaped like an eagle. It was now falling from the sky and was picked up by some children.
He narrowed his eyes, a thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly returned to the general's mansion, summoning Old General Fu and the others for a meeting.
Mo Lingxi pointed to several locations on the sand table, which were precisely the areas the Southern Jin Dynasty army had harassed. "These places seem inconspicuous, but they are elevated and can see most of Chengmen Pass. Have you gentlemen thought of anything?"
Old General Fu and the others carefully examined these locations but still couldn't grasp the key point.
Mo Lingxi reminded them, "Kites!"
Old General Fu and the others suddenly understood, as if a veil had been lifted, and immediately grasped the crucial point.
"Kites! That's right, how could we have forgotten about kites!"
"From these high points, they would descend with the wind. If it were at night, with the kites and people both black, they would be very difficult to detect, thus achieving a surprise attack."
"What a malicious Southern Jin Dynasty, to actually intend to use such a method to scheme against us."
Mo Lingxi then pointed to a few other locations. "These places seem inconspicuous, but coming from these locations, they could control Chengmen Pass in the shortest possible time."
"Furthermore, I suspect there are already spies lurking within the city, waiting to coordinate with the Southern Jin Dynasty's attacking soldiers. Therefore, why don't we try a... trap the turtle in the jar!"