"But did something happen? Or was there an unexpected discovery?"
No matter what, Jiang Yan and the others had truly rendered great service this time. If it weren't for them, it would have been impossible to fight this battle so easily.
"Young Master, there's something I must tell you. I made a decision on this matter without your approval!"
After taking a deep breath, Jiang Yan quickly recounted the day's events to Han Mo.
"Does anyone else know about this?"
Although what Jiang Yan did was indeed correct, if anyone else knew about it, then this matter would be quite troublesome, as matters involving the imperial court were never simple.
Everything had two sides. In a good light, this matter would naturally pit the bandits against each other, buying time.
However, in a bad light, it could be construed as Han Mo nurturing the bandits for his own gain.
If one were to close their eyes and speak falsehoods, it could even be said that they colluded with bandits to oppress the people.
"Only we know. Absolutely no outsiders saw anything!"
"From now on, let's not mention this matter again, as if it never happened. Alright, you take the brothers to rest first. Leave the rest to them!"
Upon hearing Jiang Yan's words, Han Mo breathed a sigh of relief. He could still trust these people.
"Yes!"
After Jiang Yan withdrew, Han Mo felt relieved.
Since there had been infighting among the bandits, they likely wouldn't be able to concentrate their forces for a counterattack anytime soon.
He had already sent someone to deliver a letter to Xu Churen. It was estimated that within a few days, there would be a response from their end.
Once the imperial army arrived, the remaining matters would become much easier to handle. With Li Mao'er and his group having lost their stronghold at Li Family Village and a large amount of supplies, it would not be possible to recover to their previous scale in a short time.
After the imperial army swept through, Han Mo's soldiers would be sufficient to deal with the remaining small pockets of resistance.
Despite the long night of activity, seeing the fruits of victory being harvested made everyone, including the soldiers, jubilant.
Of course, at this point, no one was questioning why the imperial army hadn't appeared.
"Sir, we've achieved a great victory this time!"
After an initial inventory of all the supplies, both Wu Lin and Lu Ying were extremely excited.
With just this single engagement, they had acquired at least eighty thousand strings of copper coins.
Furthermore, there were also many gold and silver treasures, items that were impossible to quantify.
As for grain and military equipment, there was even more.
"So much?"
Even Han Mo became excited after looking at the list they presented.
With money and provisions, the subsequent tasks would be much easier. Otherwise, with just these few people, no matter how strong they were, how much could they accomplish?
"The soldiers are still searching. Three silver vaults have already been discovered in the village, but they were hidden very discreetly. It seems they had hidden quite a lot of good things beneath Li Family Village!"
Lu Ying said with a chuckle.
This was his first battle after a new beginning. This victory was so brilliant, and they had captured so much money and grain; he believed his past misdeeds could finally be thoroughly washed away.
"Get some meat for the soldiers. After such a great victory, let them celebrate properly. However, this is not over yet, so drinking should be postponed until we return to the city!"
Li Family Village was not a place to linger. Regardless, the surrounding area was flat and offered no defensible positions.
With the soldiers he had, if they were to be met with a similar tactic, the joy could turn into sorrow.
"Yes!"
Lu Ying acknowledged and then turned to leave directly.
He understood inwardly that although his past misdeeds could be erased, he had not yet entered Han Mo's inner circle.
Since Han Mo had sent him away, it meant they likely had other matters to discuss.
"Allocate seventy percent of the items on this account to advance the soldiers' pay. Register the rest and create a ledger!"
After estimating the figures, Han Mo said casually.
"Yes!"
Upon hearing Han Mo's words, Wu Lin was also overjoyed.
The spoils from bandit suppression had always been a murky account. Normally, the military would take seventy percent, and the remaining thirty percent would be directly handed over to the national treasury.
Wu Lin and the others in the northwest were already accustomed to this practice of dividing the spoils on the spot. He had originally worried that Han Mo, as a civilian official, might be resistant to such unwritten rules.
Unexpectedly, Han Mo had stated it directly without hesitation, which truly relieved him.
"How long will it take to train them to be capable of fighting?"
With the issue of money and provisions resolved, Han Mo's concern shifted back to combat effectiveness.
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to ask when they could be trained into a world-class army, as any strong army in the world was forged through actual combat.
The reason the Western Army's elites were superior to all others was precisely because they were stationed in the northwest, constantly confronting the Western Xia and the Liao dynasty.
The reason the Hebei region had become so devastated was entirely due to the fact that the imperial court had not engaged in any battles with the Liao dynasty in Hebei for many years.
The situation that Wang Anshi had painstakingly created had long since vanished with his retirement.
When the person dies, their policies cease to exist; this was a common phenomenon in the current era, and even Han Mo felt helpless about it.
"To be capable of fighting, it will take at least three months!"
After pondering for a moment, Wu Lin replied again.
"Does bandit suppression also require three months?"
Han Mo asked with a frown.
"What I mean is using combat as training. Taking advantage of Li Mao'er's recent defeat, if we plan carefully, three months will be enough to exhaust them!"
Hearing Wu Lin's explanation, Han Mo finally felt reassured.
After all this talk, it turned out he had misunderstood.
"I have already written a letter to request reinforcements from Daming Prefecture. It is estimated that within a few days, the imperial army should also arrive to cooperate with us!"
"If the imperial army arrives, that would naturally be the best. Let's quickly eliminate the main force of these bandits, and then we can proceed with the remaining matters."
Upon hearing that the imperial army would be arriving, Wu Lin was also delighted.
These Hebei soldiers were simply too lacking. If the imperial army were to arrive and eliminate the large bandit forces, dealing with the remaining small roving bands would be much more convenient.