Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 421 Enke
Seeing the three men looking at the man they had captured at the same time, Chao Gai stepped forward and knocked him over with his foot, shouting, "What, you cowardly rat? You dare not take responsibility for what you did?"

The man struggled to get up, made a "Puh" sound, and said to Chao Gai, "You are a dog that accompanies the tiger. I will never change my name or surname. I am the leader under Brother Gongming, Zhang Da Neng."

Chao Gai asked: "You are a man, why do you come to kill the angel?"

Zhang Da Neng glared at Chao Gai, turned his head to look away without saying a word.

Just as Chao Gai was about to attack, Hou Meng said, "General Chao, there is no need to ask. Since this man is the leader of the Qingzhou bandits, it goes without saying that he is here to alienate the relationship between the imperial court and Liangshan Prefecture."

Chao Gai said, "I will send someone to invite the great official here right away."

Hou Meng said, "There is no need to go to such trouble. We will hurry up and take this bandit leader to Bianjing to report our victory. With this man, the government will surely reward him. Since the prefect likes elephants, I will certainly speak frankly and make this happen."

After hearing this, Chao Gai nodded in agreement.

Hou Meng heard this and left the injured imperial guards behind, asking Chao Gai to invite a doctor to treat them. Li Yuhou was tough for once, had the arrow removed, applied golden medicine, and insisted on going back with the army. I don't know if he was worried about the consequences of staying behind, or if he went back to show his loyalty.

Not to mention that after Hou Meng left, Chao Gai cleaned up the battlefield, burned and buried the corpses, found an ox cart, covered it with hay, and sent the injured soldiers to Fan County for treatment.

Back in Baishi Valley, after several rounds of bargaining, Lai Yong'er had to agree to Zhao Zhen's conditions.

After Lai Yong'er handed over the property he had brought, he said to Xiao Rang, "Tongpan, now that we have reached a consensus, can we release this [life-seeking ghost] Wang Feibao brother so that we can attack Yizhou."

Xiao Rang said, "This won't work. Wang Feibao admired your loyalty and resented Song Gongming for not sending reinforcements when he was defending Xintai City. He surrendered sincerely and is now a deputy general in the army. He is just grateful for Song Gongming's kindness in taking him in, and doesn't want to meet you on the battlefield. If the military advisor doesn't believe me, I can send someone to call Brother Wang to confront him."

Lai Yonger sighed and said, "The great official is a man of integrity, and everyone in the world knows about it. It's a pity that we have a weak relationship with Wang Feibao and we can't work together in the future."

Xiao Rang said: "Your Excellency also knows that Song Gongming recruited heroes with the intention of recruiting them, so he does not want to kill them all. However, Liangshan has to obey the court after all, so we have to send troops."

"The master's intention is that if you can get rid of Gao Lian, it will certainly anger Gao Qiu. Then, if you can defeat the imperial guards and kill so many soldiers and horses that they are afraid even in their dreams, then you will be recruited. Otherwise, even if you are recruited, you will be regarded as grass."

Lai Yonger said, "The judge is right. If we don't show some ability, how can we expect him to care about us? Even if we surrender, we will still be looked down upon. When the time comes, we will be separated and these people will have the final say. If we can be like the great official and be the governor of a state, we can live and work in peace."

Xiao Rang said, "If that's the case, we are all from the martial arts world, and we can support each other. I wonder where the military advisor is going to take next? Qingzhou is the essence of the eastern part of Jingdong, and I'm afraid the court will definitely not be willing to make it a Jieduzhou."

"I will go back and discuss it with Brother Gongming before making a decision. According to the agreement, we will capture Yizhou by ourselves. As for Fei County, you have to do it yourself." Lai Yonger replied.

Xiao Rang nodded, and the two of them spoke to each other for a while. Lai Yong'er and Zhao Gui still pretended to be merchants, took the minions with them, said goodbye to Xiao Rang, and hurried back.

After the two men left, Xiao Rang sent someone to send all the treasures and other items to Baishishan Valley.

Zhao Zhen looked at these treasures and said, "Song Gongming is much more generous than the emperor."

All the gold and silver were of the highest quality official silver, so Zhao Yuanli was asked to send them to the treasury. The ordinary medicinal materials were sent to the clinic, and the high-quality ones were sent to Cheng Wan'er. They were also stored in the treasury along with the two night-shining pearls.

Night-shining pearl (first level, with pearls hanging on the four sides, which look like stars during the day and like the moon at night)

Effect 1: With it, you can see things in the dark.

The five kinds of precious medicines are all first-grade medicinal materials that are fifty or sixty years old. Ginseng, Polygonum multiflorum, and Ganoderma lucidum are the same as those in Zhao Zhen's hands.

Red Poria cocos (First level, called Fuling in the Records of the Grand Historian. Poria cocos grows under a thousand-year-old pine tree. The spirit of the pine tree is formed by the pent-up energy, so it is called Fuling or Fushen.)
Effect 1: Calms the soul and nourishes the mind, prevents hunger and prolongs life.

Deer antler (Level 1, yellow hairy antler, the essence of a deer lies in its antlers, and antlers are the young buds of the antlers. A hundred-year-old male deer competed for a mate, and accidentally hit a rock and fell off. The hunter picked it up and presented it to the rich and powerful.)
Effect 1: Nourishes the kidney and strengthens yang, produces essence and blood, nourishes marrow and strengthens bones.

Twenty bolts of Mirror Flower Silk and Fairy Pattern Silk were kept, and the rest were given to the generals and the adjutants of Bingzhou County. The rest was also stored in the warehouse.

A copy of the recipe was made and sent to Zhu Fu, the wine shop, for archiving and brewing. The original recipe was also stored in the treasury. World Log
Yunmen Aged Liquor (made from wheat fermented with high temperature Daqu, four highs and two longs, the pinnacle of Lujiu. The wine is clear and transparent, with a prominent sauce aroma, elegant and mellow.)
There are four spiritual plants, two [Ox Heart Persimmon] are planted in the gardens of Chu Yuan and Chu Yan, and two [Open Hawthorn] are planted in the courtyard of Hu Sanniang.

world log
Ox Heart Persimmon (also known as Small Calyx Persimmon, the fruit is bright orange-red, delicious and sweet, and the fruit shape is smooth and delicate, resembling an ox heart, hence the name. After peeling and hanging in the sun, it can be made into semi-dried soft fruit, called dried persimmon. It has a soft texture, tender flesh, thick and uniform frost, delicious and sweet taste, and is durable in storage and transportation.)
Effect 20: Eat 1 dried persimmons. If your spirit is less than , your spirit will be increased by .

Open-mouthed hawthorn (the fruit is nearly round and slightly flat, with five ridges on the top, the surface is bright and waxy, with scattered yellow-white small fruit spots. The flesh is pink, firm, and tastes sour and slightly sweet.)
Effect 15: Eat 1 hawthorns. If your spirit is less than , your spirit will be increased by .

After dealing with the gifts sent by Song Jiang, Zhao Zhen said to Xiao Rang, "There are many heroes in the state now. I plan to gather heroes from all over the country on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. First, we can share the hundred bottles of imperial wine. Second, we can also learn about the situation in each county."

Xiao Rang heard this and said, "That's what I was going to say. From a county to a state, even though the land and population of each place have been registered, I'm afraid there are still many omissions."

"Next year I plan to re-count the whole thing. I will divide the county's clerks, secretaries, and clerks into two groups and send them all to the counties. I will also exchange clerks from neighboring counties to help the county re-count the whole thing."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "The spiritual fields, spiritual seeds, spiritual plants, and special products of each county must be identified one by one. They must be redeemed or exchanged. Such treasures cannot be left in the countryside."

"The most important thing is to investigate all the brave men with martial arts skills, educated scholars, and even skilled craftsmen in each county, and make a separate list. Those who are willing to serve can be placed in the army, government offices, and workshops."

Xiao Rang heard this and said, "That's the best. The clerks in the government offices are of varying quality, and there are many students in each county. Why don't you hold a round of provincial examinations, sir?"

"Provincial examination?" Zhao Zhen asked.

"Yes, the imperial examination is divided into three levels: the provincial examination, the provincial examination, and the palace examination. The provincial examination is being held in the state. We are in a remote state, so we can hold it. Normally, it is held in August, but we can hold it before the New Year to select talents."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "Yes, I appoint officials here by myself. Now that there is a shortage of officials, we can naturally select talents by holding an examination. Not only that, we will also hold a military examination. The top three in civil and military examinations can be directly appointed as officials to attract talents. What do you think, brother?"

Xiao Rang asked, "Sir, in addition to this, do we also need to recommend and investigate at the same time?"

Zhao Zhen said, "Of course it is so. Like the imperial court, the imperial examination is the right way to recruit officials. The appointment of clerks, military merit, favoritism and bribery should all be retained. In addition, recommendation and investigation cannot be abandoned. Although this is not the right way and has many drawbacks, it is the current situation in the state. It must be retained in the future. I will personally examine the recommended people. If they are indeed capable, I can also entrust them with important tasks. I will recruit people according to their abilities and there will be no shortage of talents. I don't worry that my place will not prosper."

Xiao Rang nodded and asked, "Sir, the imperial court recruits scholars for various examinations, including the Jinshi examination, Mingjing examination, and Tongzi examination, but the Jinshi examination is particularly important. How can I apply for this?"

Zhao Zhen asked, "If we ask questions now, will it be too late before the New Year?"

Xiao Rang pondered and said, "Why not hold it in February, just in time for the martial arts exam? During this time, the news can be passed on and the students can be fully prepared."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "That's good. The exam questions still need to be discussed with the scholars, Zhu Wu, Pei Xuan and others. Be careful not to leak them."

"Sir, the first part of this provincial examination tests poetry and prose, the second part is essay, the third part is policy, and the fourth part is calligraphy. Do we have to take all of them?" Xiao Rang asked.

Zhao Zhen said: "This prefectural examination is not a normal autumn examination, and the court will most likely not recognize the selected talents. How about announcing it as a special examination and only testing policy essays? In the future, this prefectural examination will also be held in August, the same as the court, but divided into three levels: township, county, and prefecture. Finally, the best candidates will be ranked and awarded official positions."

Xiao Rang heard this and said, "That's feasible."

"So please go and prepare. As for the military examination, it is nothing more than martial arts and strategy. The court has always adhered to the principle of 'determining whether to stay or leave by strategy, and determining the superiority or inferiority by archery and horsemanship'. This is extremely unfriendly to heroes who are only good at martial arts but not strategy. This may also be the reason why many warriors with high martial arts skills can only end up in the outlaws."

"So, my principle here is that anyone who has one of the two skills can be hired. The four martial arts: horse archery, foot archery, horse spear, and crossbow, Zhang Jiaotou, Wang Jin, Lin Chong, and Pang Yi are qualified. The two strategic skills: righteousness and strategy, will be presided over by the two brothers Zhu Wu and Wu Yong."

The two discussed the details again, and Xiao Rang took his leave and returned to the provincial government to issue the document.

Zhao Zhen sat alone in the hall for a long time, thinking carefully about the future development of Liangshan.

After much thought, he still had no goal. Zhao Zhen called Zhao Ji and sent the news of holding a banquet and tasting imperial wine on Laba Day to all the heroes, asking them to arrange their itinerary in advance.

At the same time, Zhao Zhen also sent someone to pass on the message, asking them to gather early the next morning and set out to Yuncheng County for hunting.

(End of this chapter)