Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 424 Recruitment
Chen Liqing and Hua Baoyan hunted the big beast and had it carried down the mountain. They searched for it before leaving.

A piece of Grade 3 black iron weighing more than 30 jin was found in the tiger's den. The tiger's den was on one side of the valley, and there were large rocks everywhere. There was a bamboo forest around, a stream in the valley, and a pond at the bottom. The pond was full of withered lotus leaves.

Standing on the stone next to the tiger's den, you can see the pond in full view. It is the natural hunting ground for the big insects.

After watching on the mountain for a quarter of an hour, they saw two groups of wild boars, and wild foxes and rabbits of all sizes coming to drink water.

After an ambush, a group of two big wild boars and four small wild boars were shot dead by the pond.

The wild boar's howl before death and the smell of blood made the pond suddenly quiet.

Seeing this situation, Chen Liqing and others did not wait any longer and went down the mountain.

When Chen Liqing and her group returned to the village where Meng Dafu was located on the east slope, Liu Shi's group had also returned.

Chen Liqing thought her team was the first to come back, so when she saw Liu Shi and the others, she couldn't help but ask, "Captain Liu, why are you here so early?"

Liu Shi said, "Madam, I don't know whether it is good luck or bad luck. We just entered a pine forest and found a bunch of ring-necked pheasants. Fortunately, we all brought our usual hunting bows. Relying on the weak bows, we continuously drew the bows and put arrows on them, and hunted hundreds of ring-necked pheasants."

"Just after we left the pine forest, we encountered 70 or 80 weasels on a hillside. We surrounded them and hunted them. Now I can't even lift my arms."

Hua Baoyan pointed to a spot on the open ground and said to Chen Liqing, "Liqing, look there."

Chen Liqing looked up and saw a bunch of pheasants and a bunch of weasels.

Chen Liqing said, "In terms of numbers, I'm afraid you are the first among the four teams. I have heard of flocks of pheasants, but I have only heard from my father that so many weasels can only be found when they worship the moon."

Liu Shi smiled and said, "I don't know how the great official would judge, but in terms of quantity, the three of us also think we win."

As they were talking, Zhao Zhen pushed the door open and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Liu Shi repeated what he had just said. After listening, Zhao Zhen said, "There must be something wrong when things are out of the ordinary. It's still early, let's go and take a look."

As he spoke, he gathered his men. Liu Shi, Fan Ying and Fan Shi, regardless of their fatigue, led the way.

Soon, they arrived at the pine forest and saw no less than a hundred hares digging holes everywhere. When the soldiers saw this, they all drew their bows and arrows. After three rounds of arrows, they shot seventy or eighty hares, and the rest fled.

After a careful search, they found nothing special except for the newly dug caves of various sizes. Zhao Zhen also searched the place where he hunted weasels, but still found nothing.

Zhao Zhen asked, "Am I overthinking?"

Hu Sanniang said, "Sir, first there were pheasants and weasels in groups, and now there are hares digging holes. Some of the weasels hunted by Liu Dutou and his men seemed to have been blinded, so I think they had fought before. So, I'm afraid there is something here that attracts them."

Chen Liqing pointed to a withered pine tree in the pine forest and said, "If you want to say it's strange, it's the only pine tree that's withered. I heard from my father that there are often Poria cocos under dead pine trees. It can't be that they are fighting for the Poria cocos under the tree."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen ordered people to find an axe, a shovel, and a pickaxe, and had them cut down the withered pine tree and dig slowly.

Seven or eight soldiers took turns to work, and after more than an hour, they finally dug out a Poria cocos.

Yu Baosi stepped forward and weighed it, then said to Zhao Zhen, "Sir, this Poria cocos weighs at least 80 kilograms."

Zhao Zhen stood around the Poria cocos, marveling at its beauty.

Last time, Song Jiang gave him a small box of red Poria cocos, but today he dug out a whole plant of Poria cocos. After careful inspection, he found that this plant of Poria cocos was indeed a second-level medicinal material.

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "It seems that this trip was not in vain."

Everyone packed up and took the rabbit and Poria cocos back to the village.

In the village, Pang Wanchun, Pang Qiuxia, brother and sister, Lei Jiong and Ji Ji have also returned to the village.

Everyone came forward to greet him, and Zhao Zhen asked, "Brother, what have you and the other two teams gained?"

Pang Wanchun pointed to the prey piled up on the open ground and said, "Sir, we hunted eleven gray wolves, seven wild boars, and one lynx."

Lei Jiong also stepped forward and said, "Sir, we shot thirteen wild boars, two gray wolves, and one fox."

Zhao Zhen looked at the prey on the ground and said with a smile: "Brothers, your archery skills are amazing. The mountains will be much safer next year. Li Qing and the other two hunted large insects and six wild boars of different sizes on the northern slope. Liu Shi and his two companions hunted nearly two hundred pheasants and weasels..."

Pang Wanchun was surprised: "So many!"

Zhao Zhen smiled and told them what happened to them. Everyone gathered around the Fuling that was carried up and looked at it. Pang Wanchun said, "It seems that Liu Shi, Fan Ying, and Fan Shi all won."

Liu Shi said: "In terms of quantity, they are like this, but in terms of weight, they are not as good as us."

Zhao Zhen said, "No need to refuse. In terms of weight, the two brothers Lei Jiong and Ji Ji should take the lead. The three captains Liu Shi should take the lead in quantity. We didn't say it clearly before. In this case, the two groups of brothers will each pick four pieces of jewelry. I will add two more pieces of jewelry, and the remaining two groups will each pick two pieces."

"Let's stay here overnight. Pick some wild boars, chickens and rabbits, clean them up and stew them. It will be a reward for the hunting. The soldiers who have made meritorious contributions in the suppression of the mountain strongholds will return to Liangshan tomorrow and be rewarded separately." Zhao Zhen continued.

Everyone was delighted when they heard this.

On the second day, Zhao Zhen and others cleaned up the game, and the soldiers carried the remaining prey down the mountain to Yuncheng County.

Last night, a pigeon was sent to deliver the message. Cao Zheng led his knifemen to Liangshan before dawn today. He skinned the wolves and pigs in the small military camp where Zhao Zhen was resting. The cut meat was used as a reward to reward the county clerks and soldiers.

For a moment, there was thunder and everyone was happy.

Zhao Zhen was not in the camp. Accompanied by a group of female generals, he and Kong Hou went to the residence of Lady Wang in the county.

With Xu Qingniang's introduction, the atmosphere was pretty good.

When Zhao Zhen met Xu Qingniang, he discovered that the aunt Yan Shude mentioned was only in her twenties. It turned out that Xu Qingniang had married Yan Li in her early years, who was Yan Shude's cousin. The two families got along best, but unfortunately, Yan Li got an acute illness and died before the doctor could come to his house.

Since ancient times, widows have been plagued by gossip.

Xu Qingniang had no children, and the elders in the clan often nagged her to adopt a son to carry on the family line, but Xu Qingniang refused, which led to a quarrel with the clan. In a fit of anger, she returned to her parents' home in Xingren Prefecture, and the two families had less contact since then. Liu Guang recommended Xu Rongfu, and Xu Qingniang learned the Dao at Xu Rongfu's home, and then followed him.

Yan Shude was busy preparing for the expedition and only paid a hasty visit to Xu Qingniang. After returning from Yizhou, he made a special trip to Zhongdu County to visit his relatives.

Zhao Zhen did not ask Lady Wang, but turned to ask Xu Qingniang first, "Last time, the state was in need of people, and I only met your uncle Xu Rongfu twice, but never met Lady Yan. I didn't expect to meet her today at Lady Wang's house. Commander Yan Shude said he wanted to visit his relatives, but has he returned to Liangshan?"

Xu Qingniang replied, "I came here from Zhongdu County because I know Gongren. Shude escorted me all the way. Gongren heard that I was studying the inner canon with my uncle and became interested. I asked Shude to go back to Zhongdu County to get the two volumes of Buddhist scriptures I copied. He should be back today."

Zhao Zhen asked, "What scripture did Xu Rongfu compile? I also have a copy of the Gaowang Sutra in my house. I am going to Zhongdu County in a few days and will give it to Xu Rongfu to read."

Xu Qingniang said, "My uncle once said that my generation is shallow and incomprehensible, and cannot comprehend the Mahayana Buddhism. Even the practice of the Hinayana and Hinayana Buddhism is extremely difficult. However, my Buddha is compassionate and has opened a convenient method outside the three vehicles: because ordinary people cannot be without thoughts, it is called chanting Buddha's name. It cannot be without rebirth, so it is called rebirth."

"My uncle passed on to me the Ten Doubts by Zhizhe of Tiantai, the Mirror of the Roots by Yongming, the Questions by Tianru, the Treatise on the Treasure King by Feixi, the Pure Land Text by Longshu, the Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra by Lianchi, as well as the Pure Land Origin, the Essentials of the Pure Land, the Lotus School Collection, and the Treatise on the Saints and Sages of the Pure Land. All of them explain the wonderful meaning of the Pure Land and practice the method of contemplating the Buddha."

Zhao Zhen listened, nodded, and said, "I follow my senior brother to practice Taoism, but I know very little about Buddhism. Now all the temples and monasteries in the state have been registered, and I am copying the scriptures of each temple. If you are interested, you can borrow them in the future."

After hearing this, Xu Qingniang and Wang Gongren hurriedly thanked him.

Zhao Zhen added, "I came to Gongren's mansion this time because I heard from County Magistrate Kong that Gongren is a lady from a distinguished family, courageous, knowledgeable, talented and virtuous, and he wants to recruit Gongren to serve as the county magistrate of Yuncheng County."

After hearing this, Lady Wang shook her head and said, "I have never heard of a woman being a county magistrate in this dynasty."

Kong Hou said: "Let Gong Ren know that this place is a remote prefecture, and the salaries of officials in various places are all allocated by the great official, and the court does not care. This county has two positions at the same time, and there are many things that I cannot take care of. Therefore, I recommend Gong Ren to the great official."

Zhao Zhen continued, "Yes, my lady is the county magistrate and is in charge of county affairs. After the new year, General Kong will return to Liangshan to take up his post. Besides, I am short of talents here, and I will not be able to hold an imperial examination until February after the new year. Therefore, I will only consider talents, intelligence and virtues, and I will appoint men and women. Even in the army, there are many female generals."

Zhao Zhen pointed at Chen Liqing and said, "During the expedition to Yizhou this time, it was Liqing who fought with the [Flying Centipede] Wu Qian in front of the battle line and killed him with one shot. During the expedition to Yuntaigang and Duozishan this time, Liqing and Hua Baoyan shot and killed a big insect."

After hearing this, Lady Wang and Xu Qingniang looked at Chen Liqing, Hua Baoyan and others in amazement.

Hu Sanniang said, "In Xintai County, Yizhou, the official has just recruited a battalion of soldiers. The commander is Zhao Xin, and his wife Gao Liang is the deputy commander. There is also a female commander in Dulonggang, named Wu Sanniang. She is very good at riding horses and is now also the commander of the cavalry."

Xu Qingniang also advised, "Sister Wang, since the great official values ​​her so much, why not give it a try? This woman is not new to being an official. In the previous dynasty, Shangguan Wan'er was highly valued by the Wu Zhou Emperor at the age of fourteen because of her intelligence and literary talent. She was in charge of drafting imperial edicts in the palace for many years and was known as the 'female prime minister.'"

"Further back, Han Lanying, a talented woman in the Southern Dynasty, was also appointed as a doctor because of her talent and learning. She taught knowledge to the harem and served as an official in the court. She served under two dynasties and seven emperors, and was called 'Han Gong'."

"Sister Wang is well-educated, so she can naturally be a county magistrate."

Lady Wang said, "Qingniang, you are not inferior to me in knowledge, why don't you come out and do something?"

Zhao Zhen said: "Today, I came here to invite Gong Ren to take up the post, and also to invite Xu Qingniang to take up the post. The state is short of talents, and Liangshan County has never arranged officials, and it is all managed by the state. I also invite Xu Qingniang to Liangshan to be a county magistrate."

Xu Qingniang said: "Sir, I have no experience in governing the country, how can I..."

Zhao Zhen interrupted, "This is where the Liangshan Prefecture Office is located. The affairs of the county and the prefecture can all be seen. It is just right for you to go here. With the guidance of the prefect Xiao Tongpan and others, you will be able to take charge of your own affairs within half a year."

Xu Qingniang hesitated for a while, but finally agreed. Seeing that Xu Qingniang agreed, Wang Gongren no longer refused and agreed to take the position of county magistrate of Yuncheng County.

world log
Name: Xu Qingniang (hero, the reincarnation of Liuli Fajie Jingxiu Yuanjun)
Nickname: Xiao Yueying (well-informed, resourceful and decisive)
Race: Terran

Reputation: 20 (Xu Family Talented Woman)
Main occupation: boudoir scholar

Secondary occupation: Layperson
Official position: none
Level: Level 2 and Level 7 (Strength 10, Commander 25)

Attributes: Strength 15, Constitution 20, Agility 27, Spirit 38
Skills: Chanting sutras and mantras 3 levels (open up wisdom, purify the mind, spirit +3), planning 2 levels (planning and calculating, spirit +2), identifying people 2 levels (distinguishing people from being unfavorable, spirit +2), persuasion 1 level (understanding how people deal with things, spirit +1).

Commander Skill: Troop Deployment Level 1 (Morale +1)

Martial Arts: None
Weapon: none
Props: none
Name: Wang Gongren (hero, the incarnation of Zixia Xianque Miaoming Yuanjun)

Nickname: None
Race: Terran

Reputation: 30 (Yuncheng County noble family)

Main occupation: Lady
Secondary occupation: Layperson
Official position: none
Level: Level 2 and Level 9 (Strength 10, Commander 30)

Attributes: Strength 14, Constitution 18, Agility 24, Spirit 39
Skills: Planning level 3 (calculation and planning, spirit +3), Foresight level 2 (far-sighted, spirit +2), Chanting sutras and chanting mantras level 1 (open wisdom, purify the mind, spirit +1).

Command skills: Leadership level 1 (morale +1), Inspiration level 1 (words touch people's hearts, morale +1)

Martial Arts: None
Weapon: none
Props: Liangshan Map

Xu Qingniang said, "Sir, there is a man in my family who is rich in finances and well versed in military strategy. His talents are far superior to mine. Perhaps you can invite him to take up the position."

Zhao Zhen asked, "I wonder who this person is?"

Xu Qingniang said, "He is also my uncle. His name is Xu Huai and his courtesy name is Hulin. He now lives in Wuqiao Village in West Lake and is planning to go to Bianjing to take the imperial examination."

Zhao Zhen clapped his hands and said, "It would be great if we can recruit her. Please ask Qingniang to write a letter and I will send someone to invite her."

Xu Qingniang waved her hand and said, "It would be better to let my uncle write this letter."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "It would be best if you two each wrote a letter and I sent someone to deliver it."

Xu Qingniang did not refuse. She immediately asked for paper and pen, wrote a letter, and gave it to Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen also sent people to Zhongdu County to explain the situation to Xu He. After receiving Xu He's family letter, he sent people to Hangzhou to invite Xu Huai together with Xu Qingniang's family letter.

After persuading Wang Gongren and Xu Qingniang to take up the position, Zhao Zhen immediately took his leave and planned to lead his troops back to Baishi Manor.

(End of this chapter)