Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 59 0056【Too late to regret】

May [-]th, evening.

Xiang Bi, the county magistrate, was enjoying the cool air in the courtyard of the county government office. There was a small table next to it, with rice wine and dried meat on the table.

The maid played the fan aside, drank some wine to the magistrate, and fell asleep without knowing it.

"Sanggong, Xianggong..." The old slave came over and whispered twice.

Xiang Zhixian was still sleeping, and there seemed to be something beautiful in the dream, with a smile on his face.

The old slave asked the servant girl to step back, lightly patted Xiang Bi on the shoulder, and said loudly, "Master, Bai Yasi has something to see."

"Hmm... oh." Xiang Zhixian finally woke up.

The old slave repeated: "Bai Ya Si asks to see you."

Xiang Zhixian sat up straight, straightened his clothes and said, "Let him in."

Not long after, Bai Chongwu came in with the old slave, his fat and fat body suddenly leaned forward, knelt on the ground and cried, "The county lord wants to be the master of my Bai family! Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..."

The magistrate Xiang was confused and hurriedly said: "Quickly stand up and speak."

Bai Chongwu was still lying on the ground: "Last night, the bandits from Heifeng Village came to Shangbai Village with open fire to rob. My family's money and food were robbed, my grandmother was frightened to death, and many people in the village were killed..."

"There is such a thing?" Xiang Zhixian was shocked.

Bai Chongwu continued: "There are two thieves who were caught by the villagers. They... they said that they were instructed by the county magistrate and master Zhu. I work in the county government, so why don't I know how the county respects people? That is absolutely unbelievable." Yes. But the rumors have spread, the villagers are clamoring for trouble, and refuse to pay any more taxes. Even in several nearby villages, the people are inexplicably terrified. They don’t believe that the county lord ordered it, but they believe that Master Zhu has something to do with it!”

"Of course not me!"

Xiang magistrate stood up awkwardly, and hurriedly argued: "I am a serious Jinshi, how could I collude with bandits?"

Bai Chongwu also said: "Li Erlang of the state judge was wounded in six places all over his body because of fighting against the bandits. Thanks to the blessing of his ancestors, Li Erlang finally recovered his life."

Xiang Zhixian, who had just stood up, felt like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, his legs felt weak and he sat back down again.

If I don't give Li Tong an explanation, my career will be ruined!

Scholars in the Song Dynasty were worthless, because there were too many of them, depending on the attributes of Jilu officials.

Xiang Bi was admitted as a jinshi in the second division, and he was first awarded official positions only from the ninth-rank general Shilang and Nanhai county lieutenant.After wandering around for several years, he also gave gifts to the officials of the Beijing Dynasty, and then he was promoted to be the eighth-rank Congzhenglang and the county magistrate of Xixiang.

Although Li Hanzhang's father is also from the eighth rank, he is Xuan Yilang.

Cong Zhenglang is just a candidate.

Xuan Yilang is a Beijing official!
The promotion speed of Beijing officials is very fast, and the dispatch has nothing to do with the rank, even from the ninth rank, they can be the magistrates.

Su Shi was the magistrate of Mizhou back then, that is, he was just a seventh-rank Beijing official.

"It was definitely not ordered by me!" Xiang Zhixian emphasized again.

Bai Chongwu gritted his teeth: "It's impossible for the county lord to do such a thing, but it's hard to say that the master Zhu is a traitor who recruited security. Heifengzhai has been entrenched for many years, and he only robs passing merchant ships and never loots nearby villages." .If the county government has no one to instruct them, how dare they do this?"

As if grasping at straws, Xiang Zhixian slapped his thigh and said, "I thought that guy was not a good person, but now he really is a thief!"

"May the county lord be the master!" Bai Chongwu cried.

Swearing to the county magistrate, he said: "I will definitely be the master of the people, and I will never allow bandits to cause harm to one side. It's just... Zhu Er has an official status, so he can't be taken down immediately, and the Bingming court can do it."

He clearly knew that Xiang Bi was delaying time, but there was nothing wrong with his words, and he really couldn't dispose of the master book at will.Bai Chongwu retreated and asked for the next best thing: "The county lords, please gather the soldiers from the township to wipe out the scourge of Heifengzhai!"

Xiang Zhixian slapped his thigh fiercely and said: "When the bandits are suppressed, the bandits must be suppressed."

Bai Chongwu also said: "You can't use all the soldiers. Zhu Er is also the county captain. He has colluded with the bandits. Either use Baojia township soldiers, or ask the state to send out inspection soldiers."

"It's feasible, recruit Baojia township soldiers, and act as archers temporarily!" Xiang Zhixian quickly expressed his opinion.

In the Song Dynasty, there were two systems similar to the police, one called the inspection department and the other called the county Weisi.

Not every county has an inspection department. In less densely populated areas, only two or three states have one inspection department.And near the capital, there is an inspection department in a county.

If Xiang Zhixian invites patrolling soldiers, he will have to alert Zhizhou, which means that the matter will become a big mess.

The county magistrate is not comparable to the county magistrate. He has a certain right to recruit troops. He said to the county magistrate: "I will order tomorrow that each township elects 260 soldiers, and the county government selects [-] soldiers. Is [-] people enough?"

Bai Chongwu said: "If it is not enough, Shangbai Village can recruit [-] soldiers. The village has been looted, and every family is wearing sackcloth and mourning. The villagers are no longer at the same level as those thieves!"

"This way, the thief will surely be defeated," Xiang Zhixian said.

He asked his servants to fetch the money and stuffed it into Bai Chongwu's hands, which was regarded as a personal comfort money for the Bai family.

After finally sending Bai Chongwu away, Xiang Biku sat in the shade of a tree in a daze.

He wanted to cry right now, but he would definitely not be able to pass this year's performance assessment.

It costs money to suppress bandits, and the landlords apportioned money and food, so how could they pay taxes honestly?

If a county magistrate wants to be promoted, he must pay his taxes in full for at least three consecutive years. If the tax amount is not enough, then forget about it.

But Li Tongjuan was in charge of tax collection, and if he offended this person, if he paid it, it would be tantamount to not paying it.It is necessary to wipe out the bandits first, to give an account to the state judge, and to calm down the hearts of the country gentry.

"Zhu Er, you bastard, why don't you die yourself!" Xiang Zhixian became more and more angry as he thought about it.

He didn't care if it was instigated by Master Zhu, anyway, he had to use someone to stand up and vent his anger, and Zhu Zongdao, who was born as a traitor, was the best candidate.

How to do?
How to do?
Xiang Zhixian was upset, got up and walked around, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration: I can't figure it out, so I can ask someone to point out the way.

"Bring Bai Yasi back!" Xiang Zhixian ordered his servants to say.

After a while, Bai Chongwu left and returned.

Xiang Zhixian stopped pretending, and asked straight to the point: "Does your father have a good plan to help me out of this predicament?"

Bai Chongwu bowed his head and said, "The people in Heifengzhai are not bandits."

"What is it if it's not a bandit?" Xiang Zhixian asked doubtfully.

"It's a rebel," Bai Chongwu said in detail, "then Zhu Zongdao was forced to recruit security, but he was still a villain, colluding with bandits and wanting to rebel. Even the man of Li Tongpan's family was injured by the rebels. The county magistrate was desperate , led the township soldiers to put down the chaos bravely, and finally wiped out all the rebels, I wish Er, the leader of the rebels, will commit suicide in fear of crime!"

Xiang Zhixian was dumbfounded.

Bai Chongwu continued: "The soldiers in Xixiang County are plagued by disasters, and the people are suffering unspeakably. They can ask the court to reduce or exempt taxes. Otherwise, there will be excessive taxation, and there will be civil disorder again."

Xiang Zhixian was silent.

He has only one choice, let Master Zhu take the scapegoat, which can not only make the contribution to calm the people and calm the chaos, but also avoid the disadvantage of tax collection.

If there are rebels under one's own rule, they can also be pushed to the predecessor and the former magistrate.

It was Zhu Zongdao who was forced to rebel by the former magistrate, and Zhu Zongdao who was recruited by the former magistrate.Now that this guy surrendered and rebelled again, although Xiangzhi County has a small responsibility, the court has no reason to blame him.

There are unruly people in the poor mountains and rivers, Xiang Zhixian is really frightened by these unruly people.He straightened his clothes and bowed his hands to Bai Chongwu: "Thank you for your enlightenment, I am very grateful to someone!"

……

I wish the house.

"Bai Zongwang is not dead?" Master Zhu asked.

The little white member said: "It is true that he is not dead, but his old mother was scared to death."

Master Zhu asked again: "Have you ever fought?"

The little white member said: "I am not too clear, the news is very confusing. Some say that dozens of bandits died, and some said that hundreds of villagers died. I sent people to Heifengzhai to inquire, but they were not allowed to enter the mountain. The bandit people there are all panicked, fearing that something serious happened, and it is estimated that the village owner Yang Jun will either die or be injured."

"That's good!"

Master Zhu clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Heifengzhai loses troops and loses generals, so it must be easy to attack. Wouldn't it be a great achievement when I gather all the soldiers and horses and destroy the village in one fell swoop? At that time, I will be majestic. Which government official would dare to be disobedient?" , which landlord dare not pay taxes?"

This guy has a vicious heart and purely uses the bandits as a weapon.

It is best to kill the old white members. If it fails, they will turn to the bandits.

The little white member's companion smiled and said, "I wish you a great plan."

Master Zhu said: "I will not forget your benefits. When the Heifengzhai is destroyed, the government will be the householder of the people. The good fields around the Heifengzhai will be sold to you at a low price, and I want some. Send the next one to the county magistrate."

The little white member said, "I want a tea mountain."

Master Zhu said: "If the tea mountain is not given to the county magistrate, I will share [-]% and you will share [-]%."

"The gentleman is benevolent and righteous!" Xiaobai member Wai was overjoyed.

If Li Hanzhang hadn't been killed by bandits, I'm afraid Zhu Zongdao's wish would have been fulfilled.Because he is also a county lieutenant, suppressing bandits is his job, and he has full authority to operate this matter.

The next day, Master Zhu was called to the county magistrate.

When meeting with the county magistrate, he asked, "Do you know that Shangbai Village was robbed by bandits?"

Master Zhu had a surprised expression: "Where did the bandit come from, but he ate the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard."

Said to the magistrate: "Right now it is spreading wildly that you are colluding with bandits."

"Never mind!"

Master Zhu was filled with righteous indignation and said: "Please allow me to recruit soldiers from the county and go to wipe out the bandits immediately. Only in this way can I prove my innocence."

Xiang Zhixian said: "You don't have to go."

Master Zhu stood up abruptly, cupped his hands and asked Ying to say: "I am the master, and it is my duty to lead troops to suppress bandits. Don't be tied up by a few rumors. County lord, if I don't kill the bandits myself, will I always be here?" Carrying the stigma of colluding with thieves? Please also ask the county lord to do it!"

Xiang County magistrate Youyou asked: "Do you know that the gentleman of Li Tongpan's family was a guest in Shangbai Village the day before yesterday? He was wounded in six places all over his body and almost died by the thieves. He also interrogated the captured thieves. The thieves said , I secretly instigated it with you."

"Li... Li Tongpan's lord?"

Master Zhu was dumbfounded. From the beginning to the end, he didn't know that Tong San's son had been to Bai's house.

Xiang Zhixian warned: "Before the bandits are wiped out, you stay at home and don't walk around at will. I also know that you are innocent, and I will intercede for you. If you walk around indiscriminately, if the bandits fail, there will be more Gossip, saying that you secretly sent a message to the thieves. At that time, even I will not be able to protect you."

Master Zhu still wanted to defend himself, but he opened his mouth and swallowed the words back, and it took a long time to hold back a word: "Yes!"

Yangzhou's general judgment is a very important person for Master Zhu.

Zhu Zongdao staggered out of the county office. Today's sunshine was particularly dazzling, but he felt chills in his vest.

How could this be?
Why did the gentleman of Li Tongpan's family visit the Bai family?

(End of this chapter)