Su Jingchen was committed to the well-being of the people and aimed to benefit them. In Yangzhou, besides repairing bridges, roads, and building docks, he also joined forces with the Prefect of Yangzhou to tackle the water bandits in the Lianghuai region.
The water bandits were numerous, and they were both familiar with the waterways and extremely ruthless. They lived by robbing passing merchant ships.
If it was only about stealing goods, that might be manageable, but they also killed and hijacked ships.
If merchants weren't familiar with the Lianghuai region and hadn't bribed the water bandits beforehand, venturing to Yangzhou for trade or salt merchandise would likely result in complete financial loss.
A complete financial loss wasn't the worst; with worse luck, one could even lose their life. The water bandits of the Lianghuai region had a fierce reputation, and those who dared to travel along the Huai River were not ordinary families.
