Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 376: God's Proxy (two-in-one, 600 monthly tickets)

On this day, at Baishi Manor, soldiers and horses gathered, and heroes who were going to the battle gathered in the hall. After Wu Yong explained their respective goals, the generals took orders.

Arriving at the foggy place, Zhao Zhen burned a pile of paper to offer sacrifice to heaven and earth, and the fog dissipated. The four armies followed the predetermined route and rushed to various places in Shouzhang County. Speaking of Zhao Zhen's route alone, Zhao Zhen listened to Liu Huiniang's strategy and asked Lu Fang and Liu Qi to fly the flag of Dongping Prefecture and pretend to rush to the city to help. He led the cavalry to gallop straight to the county, and seized the city gate while Shouzhang County was not prepared. Hu Sanniang led the female cavalry to respond, and Zhao Zhen led 400 infantrymen, all riding in carriages, and rushed there.

Just as Liu Huiniang expected, Lü Fang and Liu Qi easily occupied the west gate of Shouzhang. It was not that Shouzhang County Road was unprepared, but the county magistrate Yang of Shouzhang was really timid. After Dongping Prefecture transferred 1000 soldiers from the county, the county's defense was empty, and Li Erseng happened to break into Shanglaozhuang Township. When County Magistrate Yang received the news, he actually asked the chief clerk to act as the county magistrate, and he took his family, a confidant and thirty or fifty yamen runners to Dongping Prefecture to seek help.

When they saw Lu Fang's soldiers at the city gate, they thought they were reinforcements from the provincial capital, so they let them in.

After Lu Fang entered the city, he immediately dispersed the army of yamen runners and local soldiers stationed at the city gate and replaced them with Liangshan soldiers. When Hu Sanniang arrived, the chief clerk He Chong was arguing with Lu Fang in front of the city gate.

When He Chong saw Hu Sanniang's team of female riders, he seemed to realize that something was wrong. He rolled his eyes and said, "General, since you are the reinforcements from the city, I will go down and prepare wine, meat, food and fodder to reward the troops." With that, He Chong bowed and was about to leave.

Just as he took two steps, a painted halberd fell from the sky and was placed on He Chong's neck.

Lu Fang said with a smile: "Master He, why are you in such a hurry? The large group of troops are right behind us. It won't be too late to talk about entertaining the troops after we meet the general."

He Chong wiped the sweat off his head and said, "Isn't this because you're afraid of neglecting the general?"

After saying that, he stole a glance at Lu Fang. Seeing Lu Fang looking at him with a half-smile, He Chong said guiltily, "Then I'll meet you, Commander. I'll go and prepare the food for the army."

Looking at the tall and strong soldiers in iron armor at the city gate, He Chong cursed himself for being too naive. He thought they were the reinforcements requested by County Magistrate Yang and let them in without verifying their authenticity. Judging from the soldiers' attire, although they did not look like bandits, they were definitely not the official troops of Dongping Prefecture. He only hoped that after getting the benefits, this team of soldiers would retreat early.

After some discussion, Lü Fang and his men divided the cavalry into four teams, with Liu Qi leading one team to guard the east gate, Hu Sanniang leading one team to guard the north gate, and Gu Dasao and Hua Baoyan leading one team to guard the south gate. The four gates were tightly closed, allowing only entry but not exit.

When Zhao Zhen arrived, the four gates of the county were in the hands of Liangshan County soldiers. A large group of troops came in. Bao Xu and Jiao Ting each led a hundred people to replace the cavalry and guard the four gates.

With the cooperation of Chief Clerk He Chong, the cavalry occupied the granaries and government warehouses. Through He Chong, Zhao Zhen learned that County Magistrate Yang Hu and his family had fled to Dongping Prefecture. Liu Hui Niang whispered to Zhao Zhen, "Sir, why not take this opportunity to spread the news that the county magistrate has abandoned his post and is on the run? We are invited by the governor of Dongping Prefecture to act as the county magistrate. For the rest of the places, please ask Chief Clerk He Chong to cooperate and select a few bailiffs to inform the places, so that we can avoid war."

Zhao Zhen took out the forged document and handed it to He Chong to read. Then he said to He Chong in a friendly manner: "He Zhubu, because Yang Hu left his post without permission, I was invited by Cheng Taishou of Dongping Prefecture to take charge of Shouzhang County when the army of the prefecture went to Qingzhou. You find a few bailiffs who are familiar with the area and go with the soldiers to Zhaodui Township, Xiaolukou Township, Dalukou Township, and Shanglaozhuang Township to inform the local authorities not to cause conflicts, so as to avoid the soldiers becoming impatient and causing killings."

After hearing this, He Chong did not dare to hesitate. He picked four bailiffs, each of whom took four soldiers from Lu Fang's army. After giving some instructions, the four teams went to various villages.

Zhao Zhen asked He Chong to write a notice and post it on the bulletin board to inform the people that the county magistrate, Yang Hu, had abandoned his post and was on the run. The people and officials in the city should perform their duties. The defense of the county would be under the acting charge of Zhao Zhen, the county magistrate of Liangshan County.

Lu Fang, Hu Sanniang and Hua Baoyan led the cavalry and patrolled the county town to prevent any unrest in the city.

In the county government office, Zhao Zhen took over the county magistrate's seal and the keys to the treasury and granaries from He Chong. Seeing He Chong's cooperation, Zhao Zhen said, "He Zhubu, don't worry. The county still needs you and others to handle all the affairs, big or small. However, I will take charge of the county affairs and eliminate the bandits during this period. You all need to cooperate well."

He Chong heard this and said quickly, "Sir, you are here to wipe out Li Erseng and his gang of thieves, so we must cooperate with you. I never thought that the thieves would invade the county as soon as Jun Jian left."

"This Li Erseng is a Qingzhou thief. He took advantage of the county's emptiness to attack our county. What's so strange about that?"

He Chong was shocked when he heard this: "With so many government troops surrounding them, how dare Song Jiang send people to rob everywhere? He is indeed a bandit who dares to rob the Grand Tutor's birthday gift."

Zhao Zhen said: "I'm afraid there are also internal forces in the county. Otherwise, why don't we see Qingzhou bandits attacking other counties when several prefectures have sent troops to suppress them?"

He Chong heard this and said, "How is this possible? This group of bandits is very cruel. After Shanglaozhuang Township was captured, seven or eight out of ten farmers in the township were killed. Moreover, colluding with bandits is a capital crime. Who would dare to do that?"

Zhao Zhen said, "Who knows? I will send in the bailiffs and captains who are good at interrogation and investigation. We will definitely investigate it thoroughly. When the time comes, I will need the cooperation of He Zhubu."

He Chong wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought: Another corrupt official, the poor people of Shouzhang will be exploited again. He said: "Don't worry, sir, as long as we can find out the accomplice of the Qingzhou thieves, the people of Shouzhang will only be grateful to you."

Zhao Zhen asked, "How many prisoners are held in the county prison? Who are they? Are there any suspicious people?"

He Chong thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "Some time ago, there was a man who used guns and sticks to sell ointments. He taught martial arts on the street. He was good at punching, kicking, guns and sticks. Because he had never visited the county and was a foreigner, someone instigated two idlers to cause trouble for him, and he beat them all down with a stick. The two reported this man to the county, and County Magistrate Yang did not make any judgment. He listened to what Zhang Nengdutou said and threw this man into the cell. Later, because Li Erseng of Qingzhou broke into Shanglaozhuang Township, the county was in a panic, and this man was kept in the cell, and no one came to question him. Could it be this person..."

Zhao Zhen heard this and asked, "How should I know? I will interrogate him after noon today. You go down and make some arrangements. Invite this Captain Zhang to the county government office and detain him for the time being. If he is responsible for attracting the Qingzhou thieves, do not let him go."

He Chong heard this and immediately agreed to it, and went to summon the officials on duty in the county government. Zhang Neng was also in the county government, and he asked Mrs. Gu who was guarding the county government to arrest him with the soldiers.

In the back hall of the county government, Mrs. Gu had her people search, and the county magistrate took away all the gold and silver, leaving only his official robes. The futou, the official uniform, the horn belt, the black boots, the locust tablets, and the official seal and the order token that He Chong was in charge of, the magistrate of Shouzhang County had a complete set of clothes.

At noon, Zhao Zhen met Wu Yong, Shi Qian, and Bai Sheng in the county government office. After greeting each other, Wu Yong said, "Thanks to the great official for sending people, the situation here at Dalukou was smooth and we succeeded in one fell swoop. Xiaolukou Township got the news and was on high alert. If it weren't for the witness of the bailiff, I'm afraid there would be a fight. I got the message from the great official, so I left Yan Shude and Lei Heng to guard Dalukou Township and Xiaolukou Township respectively, and took Shi Qian and Bai Sheng brothers to come to see the great official as soon as possible."

Zhao Zhen said: "If it is not for the sake of future governance, why would we be so cautious?"

At that moment, Zhao Zhen told Wu Yong the news he had received. After listening, Wu Yong said, "Sir, since you want to pretend to be an official, you must cooperate with the old master."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "I am worried about other people. Please go to Dongping Prefecture and ask Taishan to take good care of it. There must be no mistakes. In a few days, I will take Li Erseng's head and pass it to various villages, and then send it to Dongping Prefecture."

Wu Yong said: "The bodies at Niutou Mountain should also be dug out, the heads should be cut off, pickled with lime, and sent over as well. This way, we can ask for merit."

"In this weather, I'm afraid it has already rotted." Zhao Zhen said. Wu Yong said: "Old Master, you won't care about these things. As long as there is proof, it's fine."

Zhao Zhen nodded and wrote a letter. Then Wu Yong and Shi Qian, along with seven or eight soldiers, rushed to Xucheng County, the seat of Dongping Prefecture.

Without going into how Wu Yong made the plan with Cheng Wanli, let's just talk about Zhao Zhen's place. He Chong gathered a group of officials, holding up tooth-toothed sticks and bone flowers, beat the drums three times, and all kowtowed to the yamen.

In the county government office, Zhao Zhen, wearing a green official robe, sat behind a desk. On his left and right were Liu Qi and Lu Fang, standing in the hall with sharp knives in their hands. Behind him, the bailiffs, clerks, and public servants from various rooms stood on both sides.

There was a commotion outside the county government office. Everyone came to watch the new magistrate's court session. Zhao Zhen ordered the gates to be opened and all the people outside to be allowed in to watch.

Zhao Zhen slammed the gavel and shouted, "Where are the criminals who were fighting in the street?"

Two officials pushed a prisoner with a seven-and-a-half-jin iron shackle up and knelt on the ground. Zhao Zhen asked, "Who are you and why did you get into trouble? Tell me everything. If you have any grievances, I will explain it to you clearly."

After hearing this, the man in the hall perked up and said, "Sir, I am innocent." He then told the story of the fight.

"Sir, I was forced to fight in the street. Moreover, I did not kill anyone. Although I beat the two scoundrels, they were not seriously injured. According to the law, those who fight should be flogged forty times. Why did you put me in the shackles and put me in jail?"

Zhao Zhen heard this and asked, "Plaintiff, please come to the court."

Soon, two idlers came up to the hall and knelt down on one side. Zhao Zhen shouted, "Why did you two cause a fight? Tell the truth. If you lie, you will suffer."

The tall and thin man on the left said quickly: "Sir, I am Yang Er. I lost money in gambling with Zhang Dalang that day, and I was drunk. I thought he was a stranger and wanted to extort some money from him, so I deliberately came forward to pick a fight..."

Zhao Zhen did not wait for the man to finish and shouted, "What nonsense! How could the former County Magistrate Yang put him in shackles and locked him in a cell with just the two of you? Come on, beat him with all your strength. If I don't beat him, how can he tell the truth?"

A few officials wanted to show off their skills in front of the new county magistrate, so they knocked down the two men and beat them with twenty sticks.

The two idlers were both soft-hearted and cowardly, and seeing that the county magistrate was not someone who could be easily fooled and that officials were ruthless, they revealed what they had been instigated by the captain Zhang Neng.

The people below listened, looked at each other, and kept silent, waiting to see how the new county magistrate would deal with the matter.

Zhao Zhen said: "Bring Zhang Neng up here."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Gu brought Zhang Neng out from the side hall and kicked him in the knee, knocking him to the ground.

Zhao Zhen shouted, "Zhang Neng, you have committed a crime, why don't you confess the truth?"

Zhang Neng saw two idlers in the hall and a big man nearby, and said, "Sir, I saw that this man looked ferocious and was not a good person, so I sent him to test him. I didn't expect these two useless people to not ask about his background. I didn't want to arrest this man and put him in jail. I accept the punishment."

Zhao Zhen said, "You have a sharp tongue, and you are still gossiping here. You must not deceive me. I have already found out everything. How did you, a small captain, accumulate such a large fortune? You must have harmed the good people and enriched yourself."

"These two people have both accused you of instigating them. How dare they deny it? This must have happened more than once. Yang Er, Zhang Dalang, if you two are the first to accuse me, I will naturally forgive you. Otherwise, you will suffer. Even if you two do not admit it, the verdict in the county government has also recorded it."

Zhang Dalang heard this and said quickly: "Husband, two months ago..."

Zhao Zhen's words made Zhang Dalang and Yang Er open their mouths one after another, and they told about seven or eight incidents of harming outsiders. After hearing this, Zhao Zhen said to Zhang Neng: "Zhang Neng, what else do you have to say? These two people were instructed by you to harm so many people. I believe they harmed many people in their daily lives."

Seeing Zhang Neng acting so weak, Zhao Zhen shouted, "Master He, Sister Gu, you two should lead people to confiscate Zhang Neng's property. Inform the people in the county that within three days, anyone who has been coerced or extorted by Zhang Neng should report to the county government and the county will return the money as appropriate. Anyone who has been wronged can file a complaint and the case will be tried on a later date. Zhang Neng will be imprisoned for the time being and kept under good care. No accidents will happen to him. He will be sentenced to death in three days. Court is adjourned."

The people watching in the county government office clapped their hands and praised the new magistrate as an honest man.

During these three days, Zhao Zhen sent out soldiers to inquire about the situation in the county and received many complaints. At the same time, a large group of soldiers were mobilized, and everyone in the county knew that the new county magistrate was suppressing bandits.

That day, two fast horses rushed into the county town, shouting along the way: "Great victory, the second monk Li was killed in battle."

When the people of the county heard this, they all cheered.

Zhao Zhen ordered his men to pick up Li Erseng's head and display it to the public. Then, he ordered his men to take the pickled heads of the bandits and Li Erseng's head to Dongping Prefecture.

Zhao Zhen also heard the lawsuit against Zhang Neng. In addition to the cases mentioned by Zhang Dalang and the other man, there were also several families in the county who were persecuted, so Zhao Zhen heard the cases together.

Zhang Neng was implicated by another person, Zhang Yasi and Zhang Kongmu, who were all brothers from the same clan. It was because of the cooperation between the three that they could harm outsiders so unscrupulously. Zhao Zhen took this opportunity to dismiss all the officials of the Zhang clan in the county government. Zhao Zhen did not send the three leaders to Dongping Prefecture, but had them beheaded and their property confiscated. Those who had victims returned their money, and those who had no victims had their property confiscated.

When people in the county heard about it, they all praised the Zhang family. They said that the Zhang family was a big family, and they had people working in the county government. They had always been domineering, but now they were all behaving themselves, fearing that they would be suppressed by the county magistrate.

After handling the Zhang Neng case, Zhao Zhen called Xiao Rang. After some discussion, Xiao Rang took the Liangshan County bailiff and clerks, as well as more than ten chief officials, chief officials, and clerks from Shouzhang County, to Shanglaozhuang Township to measure the land and register the population. The rest of the townships were asked to report to the Yellow Book for measurement.

(End of this chapter)