The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 396 Appearance (Continued)

Wenshui Prefecture (now Goondiwindi, Queensland, Australia) is a typical agricultural prefecture, producing agricultural products such as wool, beef, cotton, sorghum, corn, barley, and wheat. Except for a few dozen large-scale enterprises in the prefecture city, the several counties under its jurisdiction are basically small primary agricultural product processing enterprises, and the level of economic development lags far behind that of coastal areas.

However, during the rapid economic development of the entire country, Wenshui still enjoyed the huge dividends brought by industrialization. At the very least, the local infrastructure and transportation facilities have been greatly improved, and it is no longer the closed and backward appearance it once was.

Wenshui can be said to be the most typical example in Hanzhou of how people gradually gathered on a wilderness and finally formed a town.

More than 60 years ago, there was only one government-run ranch in the wilderness area of ​​dozens of miles around Wenshui, with more than 30 immigrants and hundreds of cattle and sheep. At that time, food, daily necessities and mail had to be transported from Hui'an (now Warwick, Queensland, Australia) more than 150 kilometers away.

The ranch managers agreed to allow the traders to temporarily camp nearby so that the herdsmen could trade with them. The flat area on the banks of the Wenshui River (now the McIntyre River) became a fixed camping site, and then the tents gradually turned into detachable cargo sheds and then into small bungalows.

By the 1683th year of the reign of the Han Dynasty (), there were already a large number of permanent buildings made of brick and stone. In the same year, the local post office was opened, and the following year the place was officially named Wenshui Town.

In the first year of Shaoning (1686), the first secondary school was established. Various small shops, fur processing factories, canning factories, cotton ginning mills, and residential areas were also built one after another. The government established Wenshui County here.

Later, with the increase of immigrant population, many new settlements were built in the surrounding areas. By the 1720th year of Taiping (), the population of Wenshui County and surrounding areas exceeded , so it was naturally upgraded to Wenshui Prefecture, which had five counties and one pastoral supervision area under its jurisdiction.

However, in the past decade or so, many inland areas, including Wenshui Prefecture, have experienced a population inversion phenomenon, that is, a large number of residents, especially young people, have chosen to leave their hometowns and go to large coastal cities to seek better development.

As a result, although the residents of Wenshui Prefecture maintained a relatively high birth rate, the population size began to slowly decline, which caused local government officials to lament.

"Young people nowadays, if given the chance, will not hesitate to take the train to leave Wenshui to enjoy the prosperity and bustle of the big cities." Xu Shibiao, the commander of the military mobilization department of Wenshui Prefecture, shook his head and sighed: "If this trend continues, in a few years, the entire Wenshui Prefecture will only have a few middle-aged men farming and herding, and the population will all be concentrated in the large and medium-sized cities along the coast."

Li Yanliang and his family of five arrived at Wenshui Station by train at 11 o'clock that evening, and then found a hotel with decent conditions to rest for the night.

At dawn the next day, Li Yanliang visited the local military mobilization office and asked them to provide two horse-drawn carriages to rush to Houxi Village, 20 kilometers away.

It was not that he deliberately wanted to abuse his power for personal gain, but he was worried about potential risks on the way as he was returning home to attend the funeral with his wife and children.

The mainland of Hanzhou was not like Qin, where the inland hinterland was full of villages, towns and farmhouses, and densely populated. As long as you went west over the Dadong Mountain (now the Great Dividing Range), it was all wilderness, and there was no large town or settlement for dozens or hundreds of miles.

For example, Wenshui Prefecture has a jurisdiction area of ​​more than 22,000 square kilometers, but it is scattered among five counties and more than 70,000 people. Most of the counties and towns are close to the railway line and Wenshui River.

To travel from Wenshui City to Houxi Village, you have to pass through large open fields and grasslands. There are only five or six ranches around, and there are more animals than people.

If he encountered a few bad guys on the road, he, an adult man alone, would definitely not be able to deal with them.

Although Qi was the richest and most powerful country in the world, and its people lived and worked in peace and contentment, leading a happy life that other countries envied, this did not mean that there was no dark and evil side in Qi. There were still various violent crimes and personal injury cases.

In the wilderness, in an endless open space, if you encounter one or two "fat sheep", it will arouse the desire of the daring madmen to take action.

You should know that after a series of criminal law reforms, Qi had only four capital crimes during the Taiping period, namely: murder, malicious injury, treason, and serious property infringement (including serious corruption). All other types of crimes were sentenced to hard labor and exile.

The crime rate in Qi was much lower than in other countries, and about 90% of the cases that came to the Dali Temple were property-related. Crimes such as riots, aggravated robbery, and murder were rare.

Large cities like Jianye and Daxing have a population of over 700,000 or 800,000, but there are only a dozen murderers each year.

There are many reasons why Qi had a low crime rate, such as the people were relatively wealthy, the number of poor people decreased, universal education, improved night lighting, a complete professional police force (Qi was the first country in the world to implement a modern police system), restrictions on alcohol sales, etc.

Common crimes include theft, burglary, etc. Rich people usually leave their homes unattended to take care of their property. They even leave one or two servants to look after the house when they go out with friends for a party or hunting.

In the countryside, poaching and illegal felling of trees were common crimes. According to Qi law, only by applying to the environmental protection department in advance and obtaining a permit could one hunt birds and wild animals in a designated area or cut down trees in a forest area.

Because, in theory, all resources within Qi belong to the government, including those annoying marsupials.

However, in such remote areas, there would naturally be no one keeping an eye on the "protected" birds, animals and trees. This has led many daring people to ignore legal prohibitions and engage in poaching and logging.

If they meet a lone traveler on the way, they don't mind temporarily playing the role of a bandit.

After robbing the property, they immediately rode away on horseback. When the victims went to great lengths to find the police, where could they catch them?

Wenshui is located in the hinterland and is a typical agricultural area. Usually, no important people come here. When the military mobilization officials suddenly saw a Zhaoxin Xiaowei (Colonel) officer coming to visit, they were quite surprised.

When Li Yanliang tactfully and implicitly stated that his wife was the Princess Wen'an who was conferred a title by the previous emperor and would accompany him to Houxi Village to visit relatives, he immediately attached great importance to it.

The commander Xu Shibiao immediately selected three policemen and six or seven soldiers on duty, and had them carry guns and ride on horses to personally escort Li Yanliang and his family to their destination.

An officer of the rank of Zhaoxin Xiaowei might not mean much in the city of Chang'an where there were ministers and generals everywhere, but in a small place like Wenshui Prefecture, he was a big shot.

You have to know that the highest rank of the officers who usually deal with the Military Mobilization Department is just Lieutenant Colonel.

Of course, their Military Mobilization Department is affiliated with the local government and is part of the civil affairs system. They don’t have to pay much attention to the military and there is no need for them to be so attentive.

However, this Captain Zhaoxin also has the title of Qingchuan Man, and his wife is the Princess of Wen'an County, a family of nobles. If he neglects them, who knows if he might offend some big shot with a deeper background behind them.

Li Yanliang did not sit in the carriage with his family. Instead, he rode a horse like Xu Shibiao and the local soldiers, chatting while guarding one side of the carriage at a leisurely pace.

"It shouldn't be that serious." After listening to Xu Shibiao's sigh, Li Yanliang smiled and said, "Big cities can't accommodate too many people. If those young people who rashly venture into the city can't find suitable jobs for a long time, they will definitely return to their hometowns and become farmers and herdsmen again."

"Maybe so!" Xu Shibiao shook his head and laughed at himself. "You said we are not in power, let alone a local leader, why should we worry about this? I just think that it is not a good thing that the interior of our Great Qi is so empty. Most of the domestic industry and commerce are concentrated in the coastal areas, and the population is also distributed here. If one day in the future, our Great Qi encounters a powerful enemy, wouldn't it be easy to destroy our best places all at once!"

"Haha..." Li Yanliang burst out laughing when he heard this. "General Xu is worrying too much. Our homeland of Hanzhou is surrounded by the sea. If the enemy attacks, it will be difficult to reach the shore without a stable logistics base. You know, among all kinds of wars, the most difficult one is the landing battle. If you are not careful, you will send the enemy to your door. Even if our Great Qi is weak in the future, as long as we don't have chaos inside and defend our homeland, it will be difficult for the enemy to break in."

"Really? Captain Li, don't laugh at me. Although I work in the Military Mobilization Department, to be honest, I really don't know much about battle formations." Xu Shibiao said, "But I read in the newspaper a few days ago that the French are besieging our overseas territories of Da Qi and have seized several small islands in the Governor's District of Qiongzhou (now the Bahamas). They also invaded the territory of Chen State and captured many towns and settlements. I didn't expect that France would take so many advantages as soon as the war started with us."

"This is inevitable." Li Yanliang said: "The east coast of Yinzhou and the Caribbean are the farthest places from our Qi State. Compared with France, their strength is not at all superior. After all, the French have been operating in that area for a long time and have a deep foundation. It is not surprising that they can achieve some results in the first battle. However, when our Great Qi expeditionary fleet arrives in the Atlantic and Caribbean regions one after another, the offensive and defensive situation will inevitably be reversed."

"Then will we attack the French mainland?" "Probably not." Li Yanliang thought for a while, shook his head and said, "France is not like England. The army has always been large and it has always been a military power in Europe. If we take the risk of landing and attacking the French mainland, I'm afraid we will end up in trouble."

"Oh, what a pity." Xu Shibiao sighed unwillingly, "If we can capture a French port city like we did in the last war with England, that would be much more encouraging!"

After hearing this, Li Yanliang just smiled and did not respond.

In the eyes of ordinary people, the imperial army is a symbol of victory. Wherever the dragon flag points, the army will be invincible.

In this world, except for our Great Qi Empire, the rest are just chickens and dogs, not worth mentioning.

Therefore, in Qi State, becoming a soldier is the most coveted career for countless passionate young people.

Being on the battlefield means endless glory and easy military exploits.

As for failure and death, they don't seem to be within their consideration.

How could my Great Qi Empire fail?

But in reality, more than two thousand soldiers in the imperial army died every year due to regional conflicts, accidents (including shipwrecks), and various epidemics and diseases.

In the Qi-Ying War that took place ten years ago, the total death toll of officers and soldiers (including deaths due to disease) exceeded 7,800, and the number of injured and disabled people was more than 12,000. Three batches of expeditionary officers and soldiers were rotated.

War is not just about glory, it is also about a series of cold "numbers".

"Sir, there is a pasture ahead. Do you need something to eat or take a short rest?" A police patrolman who was exploring the way ahead rode over on horseback and saluted Li Yanliang respectfully.

"Captain Li, why don't we take a break first?" Xu Shibiao suggested, "Although it is winter now and the sun is not very strong, the county lady and the young masters must be tired after a bumpy journey. Let's take a break at this ranch to relieve our fatigue and recuperate."

"Okay." Li Yanliang saluted the police inspector seriously, then dismounted and walked towards the carriage his wife was riding in.

"Captain Xu, I bet that this officer will become the youngest and most accomplished general in the empire in the future." The police inspector said in a low voice, looking at Li Yanliang's back.

"If you want to flatter someone, you should do it in front of them!" Xu Shibiao replied disapprovingly.

This Captain Zhaoxin was so young and had a title, so he must be the son of a powerful family. Relying on his strong background, it was not surprising that he quickly became a young general.

However, if you want to achieve outstanding military exploits, you need real skills.

"Captain Xu, Lieutenant Li has been on the battlefield several times and seen blood." The patrol captain muttered, "He is not some dandy kid who is just trying to gain experience."

"If he wasn't just trying to get seniority, then why was he not sent to Europe or the Atlantic region when the war between Qi and France broke out, but was transferred to India, a wealthy place?"

"When our Qi State fights France, we will naturally rely on the navy as the main force. We will not land on the French mainland and launch a large-scale land war. We will not gain any credit if we go there."

"Once we get to India, we can reap the credit?"

"What else?" The patrol captain said, "India has a lot of messy princely states, and it's time to clean them up. By then, we can massacre cities and destroy kingdoms, expand the territory, and that will be a great achievement that will go down in history."

"..."Xu Shibiao couldn't help but look at the other person deeply.

Wow, that’s quite insightful!

Since the reign of Emperor Taizu, Qi State has established a relatively complete police system, completely abandoning the ancient and traditional system of constables and yamen runners. In some large and medium-sized cities, the urban area is divided into several districts, each of which is managed by a police supervisor, who has three to five police chiefs under him, and several patrol chiefs under him. Each patrol chief has ten patrolmen under him, eight of whom are responsible for patrolling and two are stationed at the police station.

Most of the work of rural police is to serve as patrol officers in the village, and there is only one such policeman in each village or several villages. Telegraph communication can be used between police headquarters and police stations in various prefectures and cities to obtain the fastest police information.

The primary mission of the police is to maintain social order. Their job is to prevent riots, break up fights and drunken street riots, control street vendors and stop street crime.

During this period, the physical fitness requirements for police officers were relatively high. To become a police officer, one had to be tall and strong, with a height of at least 1.72 meters. Most police officers were former soldiers or seamen, and their salaries were slightly higher than the average social wage.

In addition, the police can also earn some additional gray income. For example, when they are not on duty, they will be hired to maintain order outside theaters and venues, or to confiscate goods from unruly street vendors.

They would even occasionally act as temporary guards for some dignitaries and earn a little hard work fee.

It can be said that the police in Qi State are not only knowledgeable (soldiers and sailors basically have experience serving overseas), but also have a decent income, making it a relatively popular profession.

This time, they were ordered to escort Li Yanliang and his family to Houxi Village. The three policemen were all retired soldiers. They were extremely respectful to their superior, and put in their utmost effort to protect and care for them.

"boom!"

Just as the group was approaching the ranch residence, a gunshot was suddenly heard, which startled everyone and they all dismounted from their horses. They picked up their rifles and looked around vigilantly.

"Four hundred meters to the southeast, two groups are confronting each other!" The patrol captain quickly walked to Li Yanliang and reported in a low voice.

"Send someone over to take a look, and the rest of you continue to be on guard." Li Yanliang ordered while holding a musket.

"Yes, sir!" The patrol captain then pointed to a soldier and asked him to go and check.

"It's nothing. Most of the time, there were disputes and conflicts between herders because their cattle and sheep crossed the border." Li Yanliang turned around and comforted his wife.

Cao Xi hugged her daughter tightly in her arms and looked at her husband with concern.

The two boys stretched their necks excitedly to look forward, and from time to time glanced at their father and the police who were on guard with guns, their eyes revealing an eager expression.

(End of this chapter)