I become a god in another world

Chapter 202: Banditry in the Mountain Village (please vote for me)

Chapter 202
It's just that Pang Zhixian himself doesn't quite agree with the character of these villagers.

The more he talked, the more he felt that this unruly man might have fled with his money, but he was just worried that Zhao Fusheng would be angry.

After all, she is a ghost controller, and the consequences of being angry are completely different from those of ordinary people.

Magistrate Pang had known her in the past, and he gradually relaxed his vigilance when he saw her smiling often. Today, as soon as he said the words and saw her getting angry, he immediately regretted it.

While he was trembling with fear and trying to think of a way to remedy the situation, he saw Zhao Fusheng sitting back down again, instead of getting furious and losing control of his emotions.

The sun was shining brightly outside, and the hall of the government office was a little quiet.

Kuai Manzhou sat quietly on his knees not far from Zhao Fusheng, with his upper body lying on the tea spoon and half of his figure bathed in the sun.

All the years were quiet, and it didn't look like a demon was out of control. The big stone in Pang Zhixian's heart relaxed.

He was the first to admit his mistake:
"If this person surnamed Guo runs away, it's because I don't know people well. The next three hundred dollars will be made up from my salary."

"That's not the problem."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand.

She saw Pang Zhixian turned pale with fright, and couldn't help but smile:
"Private versus private, public versus public, what we are discussing is business, what are you afraid of?"

Magistrate Pang forced a smile.

Even without him speaking, Zhao Fusheng could guess what was in his mind and said calmly:

"It's impossible for me to lose control just yet."

Zhao Fusheng picked up the tea cup: "But I am a human being after all. I will have emotions, anger, sorrow and joy. It is reasonable to be angry and angry. What is there to make a fuss about?"

After hearing this, Magistrate Pang stood froze on the spot, his face turning green and red for a moment, showing an embarrassed and embarrassed look.

Zhao Fusheng looked at the expression of the old county magistrate with great interest, secretly drank tea in silence, and enjoyed his confusion.

After a long while, Magistrate Pang bowed his hands:
"My lord taught me the right lesson, but I was wrong."

Having said that, Magistrate Pang's attitude suddenly became much more restrained.

If he interacts with ordinary people such as Yu Weide and occasionally argues, if the two parties disagree, they may even make a fuss.

But when arguing with Zhao Fusheng, he was like a rope around his neck, always trembling with fear, and his body's reactions were always faster than his thoughts.

Zhao Fusheng had a shrewd temperament and saw Pang Zhixian's reaction in his eyes.

Ordinary people's fear of ghost masters did not develop overnight.

Especially since Pang Zhixian, as an official, had encountered ghost disasters, his fear of ghosts was deeply rooted in his bones. How could the concepts he had formed be broken by just a few words?

She laughed, and then brought the topic back to the person named Guo mentioned by Pang Zhixian:
"Tell me more about this person named Guo."

"Yes."

The old magistrate bowed his hands and saluted. Under Zhao Fusheng's gaze, he bowed and replied:
"This man's surname is Guo, with the word "wei" in his name. He was originally from Fengmen Village and has lived in the village for generations."

Pang Zhixian has known Zhao Fusheng for half a year, and he has a general understanding of her character.

Knowing that serious matters are involved, she has a cautious temperament and likes to collect detailed clues.

Even if it is some trivial matters that may seem insignificant to outsiders, she is willing to listen patiently and will never scold others.

Magistrate Pang himself is also a careful and cautious person.

Before selecting Guo Wei, he did not spend money randomly to select people, but conducted investigations first.

At this time, after going through Guo Wei's life in his mind, he said:
"Fengmen Village is different from clan-based villages such as Kuailiang Village and Zhuangjia Village. People with multiple surnames live in the village."

Because the villagers in Fengmen Village are not relatives and do not have common interests like Huanggang Village, the villagers in the village are not monolithic.

"47 years ago, the then-incumbent county magistrate counted the population of Fengmen Village, and there were a total of 1124 people registered."

When Zhao Fusheng heard this, he couldn't help but said in surprise:
"This Fengmen Village is actually a big village."

"It counts at that time." Pang Zhixian nodded:

"But because the village has its own owner, it's fairly easy to manage."

Having said this, he added:

"However, the time for counting household registrations is too long. I checked the files in the middle and found that a ghost disaster happened in this village and many people died. Even if there are villagers still there, the household registration number is still inaccurate."

When Zhao Fusheng heard this, his heart moved:
"Have ghost cases occurred in Fengmen Village before?"

"It happened forty-three years ago."

Magistrate Pang nodded:
"The Demon Suppression Department should also have records."

The archives where past files are stored in the Demon Suppression Department had been scattered due to a ghost disaster in the government office.

Some of the files recording cases from previous years have been tainted and destroyed. However, as the Demon Suppression Division has returned to the right track in the past few months, most of the files have been compiled and included and have been put on record.

At this time, with the specific year reminder of Pangzhi County, it is very convenient for Zhao Fusheng to find past files.

She responded:
"I'll look for the files later."

Magistrate Pang bowed and then said:

"If you don't find it, I can ask Master to make a copy."

"Okay." Zhao Fusheng did not delay and nodded to him:
"Go on."

"Yes." Magistrate Pang answered respectfully, and then continued:
"Before I hired Guo Wei, I also inquired about his details. Four generations of his family have lived in Fengmen Village. In the early years, it was recorded that they were from southern Hunan and settled here after fleeing floods."

Because he was a foreigner, it was difficult to integrate into the village at first, so he was very honest.

By the time of Guo Wei's generation, the Guo family had become so honest that they were almost useless.

"They have a simple population and are not very courageous. They would not even dare to commit some crimes."

What Pangzhi County calls "criminal crime" means committing crimes by committing crimes.

Fengmen Village and Huanggang Village are close to each other. There are many people selling goods in Huanggang Village, and some young adults are often hired to work for them.

Zhao Fusheng heard from Wu Shaochun that the people hired by the smugglers were not very clean - that is to say, these villagers were not honest and good people.

Next, what Magistrate Pang said also verified Zhao Fusheng’s guess:

"These villagers farm the land in normal times. Once the harvest is not good, or if they hear that a salesman has entered the village, these villagers will suddenly transform into bandits and rob and kill the salesmen who come and go."

When Magistrate Pang said these words, his face looked a little cold.

As an official of the imperial court, he has very little tolerance for these unruly people who act lawlessly. It's a pity that Wan'an County has become increasingly depressed in recent years.

The Han Dynasty became increasingly impoverished, and the court had no money, could not afford to feed its soldiers, and could not afford to pay grain, grass, and salaries.

Wan'an County does not have an army maintained by the court. If you want to mobilize troops to suppress bandits, you need to apply to the Xuzhou Prefecture, which is the next level up.

And corruption is rife in the military.

If you want to invite these uncles and soldiers, it is essential that the county government prepares a large amount of gold and silver utensils.

Moreover, as the imperial court's restraint on the Demon Suppression Division and local garrison generals has declined, these soldiers are not good at making mistakes. If they lose control when the time comes, they may kill, loot, and harm women.

When the time comes, it will be easier to invite God than to send him away.

Although successive magistrates of Wan'an County later stated that they knew that there were bandits near Fengmen Village and that the villagers were suffering terribly, the government officials never dared to report it to the superior government departments for fear of endless troubles.

In such an environment, Fengmen Village formed two extremes:
"One is that ruthless bandits are running rampant, robbing homes and houses; the other is honest and good people, who have to pay taxes and tribute to the court, but also have to deal with bandits' plunder from time to time." When Pang Zhixian said this, he couldn't help but sigh:

"This Guo Wei is such a 'good citizen'."

"What kind of good people are these?" Zhao Fusheng stroked his forehead:

"It's almost like being cornered."

"Yes, the debt is high."

Magistrate Pang nodded:
"His family was so poor that even the local village chief didn't dare to collect the money. He was afraid that the whole family would not be able to figure it out for a while and that a piece of rope would end up making a living."

"..." Zhao Fusheng was speechless.

Magistrate Pang then spoke again:
"His family owes a lot of taxes to the court. They borrow and pay them all year round. As soon as the autumn harvest comes, debt collectors come to his house."

It is precisely because of this that Magistrate Pang chose him - because Guo Wei had no other way to go.

At this time, no one else dared to accept the three hundred coins promised by Pang Zhi County, but for the poor and crazy Guo Wei, it was pie in the sky and he dared to do any work.

"The Guo Wei family has bad feng shui and cannot support women. Several generations of his grandfather and grandson have lost their wives. Now, he lives with his wife and children and his father." Magistrate Pang probably finished talking about the situation in Fengmen Village, and then told the story of the incident. The focus is on Guo Wei:
"He and his wife had two sons and one daughter, but neither son nor daughter was able to support them. They only have a younger son who is four years old now and the couple usually takes care of him."

Pang Zhixian said:
"Fengmen Village is under the control of Changtiao Town. I found Guo Wei through the local mayor and promised him to help find people to enlist in the army. I first said that I would give him 300 yuan as a reward. If the people he recruits are good, he will be hired by the government. , I will give him a penny as a favor."

"This is a good method."

Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Pang Zhixian smiled and said:

"Guo Wei was also satisfied. At that time, he patted his chest and promised that the matter would be done. However, only ten days had passed before he regretted it and said he couldn't do it."

When the old magistrate said this, a look of embarrassment appeared on his face:

"The person who carried the message for him in the town over there said that someone in his family was missing. To be honest with you, when I first heard this, I always felt like it was an excuse."

"It's not necessarily an excuse."

Zhao Fusheng shook her head and thought for a while:

"You also said that the villagers in Fengmen are tough and tough, and there are bandits in the village--"

When Zhao Fusheng said this, her tone paused for a moment. She turned her head and looked at Pang Zhixian:
"If these gangsters are caught, according to the laws of the Han Dynasty, what will be the consequences?"

"These people kill people and steal goods, take advantage of good families, women and children. They usually burn, kill, loot and commit all kinds of evil. If they are caught, they will be sentenced to death, and their bodies will be hung at the gate of the city for half a month, allowing birds to eat them." Pangzhi County had no idea. He replied hesitantly.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he immediately realized what the problem was:
"What do you mean, sir, is that someone in the village reported this matter and Guo Wei was retaliated by the gangsters?"

These ruthless gangsters have no humanity at all, and they have a lot of blood in their hands. The government has been taking frequent actions recently, so maybe these gangsters have gotten wind of it.

At this time, Guo Wei was on the side of the government.

In his opinion, the court gave him money to recruit handymen, and the handyman got a job, while he received a reward from the government. This was a happy event for both parties;

But from the perspective of the gangsters, it is very likely that Guo Wei has become a lackey of the government, a hawk and dog of the court, helping the government to eliminate the gangsters.

Under this conjecture, the extremely vicious gangsters will definitely take risks.

If they were afraid of the government and had smart people behind them, they would not attack Guo Wei blatantly - because doing so would anger the government and bring irreparable consequences.

If Zhao Fusheng followed Zhao Fusheng's thinking, he would have kidnapped Guo Wei's family members, secretly caused trouble, ordered him not to cooperate with the court, and worked behind the scenes to mess up the matter.

As long as you use the word "drag", over time, the gangsters will be local snakes after all. The Wan'an County government has not done anything for decades, and the government's finances are empty. This "incident" may not last long.

As time goes by, things come to an end and everything disappears.

Of course, this is Zhao Fusheng's perspective.

But the gangsters may not think so.

"It's hard to talk about this."

Zhao Fusheng had her own thoughts in mind, but she was used to being cautious and careful, and did not take the lead in denying Pang Zhixian's speculation:
"Maybe it's possible, but I don't think it's likely."

"What do you say, sir?" Pang Zhixian asked.

"You also said that most of the gangsters in Fengmen Village are villagers who turned into bandits." Zhao Fusheng analyzed:
"These people are illiterate, have no insight and vision, and act impulsively. The reason why they have become bandits for so many years is simply because the Wan'an County government is too incompetent and useless!"

Her unkind words made Mr. Pang Zhixian blush.

There are many cases of farmers turning into bandits, but these people have no swords, equipment, knowledge, or training. They just rely on their bravery and cruel methods to rob and kill good people.

What makes them a scourge is that these people have two identities.

After putting down the knife, they will turn into villagers, and after picking up the knife, they will turn into gangsters. In addition, they protect each other and are difficult to identify.

When the imperial army arrives, these people will flee into the mountains. The army needs food and grass supplies and cannot fight a protracted war. As time goes by, it is difficult to completely eradicate these banditry.

On the other hand, for villagers, the consequences of being harmed by bandits and harmed by the army are probably the same.

In comparison, the disaster after the army's rampage may be even greater. Anyway, they are burned, killed, and looted. The nearby bandits also pay attention to long-term looting, but the regular army of the imperial court is much more brutal and harmful to the people. bigger.

This is also the reason why the banditry in Fengmen Village has not been completely eradicated for decades.

Ultimately, it was not that the gangsters were too cunning or knowledgeable, but that the Han Dynasty's government and military were incompetent and had lost the support of the people.

"Such a ruthless bandit believes that Guo Wei is the person who will betray them, and will most likely kill and silence him, instead of taking a roundabout way and start by kidnapping his family."

If these cunning bandits had such knowledge, the situation in Fengmen Village would not be so bad.

When Zhao Fusheng said this, he put down his tea cup and stretched:
"But this is just my speculation. It's hard to say whether Guo Wei's family had other accidents or was kidnapped and extorted by gangsters. We have to go and see it on the spot."

After saying that, she looked at the stunned old magistrate:
“Does the county have available manpower now?”

It’s the end of the month, so I’d like to grab some monthly tickets. They will be invalidated when they expire. I ask everyone to vote for me~~~