Quote Originally Posted by Nelson
Rebels will soon turn the countryside black. This is devastation and it is Not Good.
Devastation is a factor in unhappiness. Your happiness levels will start going down in the nearby province capital if you don't do something.

Bribe them, if they consist of units you can build -- eastern peasants as opposed to barbarian peasants, for example. Those units won't disband when you bribe them. Bribed brigands sometimes cost half what the same unit would cost if you built it. Sure, they're almost all lousy units, but peasants are perfectly fine for peace-keeping garrisons. If nothing else, you can disband them in cities where you need more population.

Giving new generals experience is another excellent use of rebels. Give your rookie family member some good missile units so he can kill the whole gang without taking any casualties, and he'll sprout stars in no time.

Another option is to drive the brigands back every turn instead of attacking them, having them retreat and then attacking them again to force a battle. Drive them onto somebody else's land. The downside of this is that they will still block the road you need to trade with that neighbor.