That night, a major incident occurred in Zhongling County.
Nearly a hundred heavily armed “bandits” arrived at the city gate, engaging in a fierce battle with the government troops before breaking into the city for the first time, and then began a rampage of looting and arson.
Almost all the wealthy merchants and landlords in the city were attacked, although they resisted, but their ordinary guards were no match for the bandits, resulting in heavy losses, with some even losing their lives.
The sudden disaster didn’t last long, and the bandits left the city in less than an hour, shouting that they would return after spending their loot.
The cries and curses filled the air, and the entire city of Zhongling was sleepless that night.
It wasn’t until the next morning that these wealthy merchants and landlords, who had suffered losses, finally gathered their strength to settle their households and went to the county government to demand an explanation.
“My child! You died so miserably! I, your father, will personally avenge your death!”
“Where is County Lord Wang?! We want to see him!!”
“What are the government troops doing?! Can’t they even handle a few dozen bandits?!”
“Don’t worry, Master! I won’t let you die in vain!”
“Waaah, my property…”
“Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!”
The drum at the county government gate was almost broken, and the crowd gathered outside grew larger.
However, if one paid close attention, it wasn’t hard to notice that all those who came to report to the government were wealthy merchants and landlords from the city, with not a single common citizen among them.
Of course, this was quite reasonable, as the bandits wouldn’t waste their time on small, poor households with little to plunder.
“Squeak~”
Amidst the wailing and shouting, the county government gate was finally pushed open by two bruised and battered officials, but it wasn’t the county lord who stood behind them, but a white-haired old man.
“Teacher! Where is County Lord Wang?”
Someone immediately shouted: “There’s been a major incident like the bandits breaking into the city! You can’t tell us he didn’t know about it!”
“Let County Lord Wang come out! We want to confront him face-to-face!”
“He can’t be thinking of hiding like a turtle, can he? If this matter isn’t resolved, we’ll report it to the provincial government!!”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, please listen to me!”
Facing the crowd’s questioning, the white-haired old man shouted with a sorrowful face: “County Lord Wang personally led the troops to fight the bandits last night, but unfortunately, he was injured by a bandit’s palm strike and can’t even get out of bed now!”
“What do you have to say to us?”
“What do you mean what?!”
Someone shouted loudly: “Of course, we want the government to compensate us for our losses last night and send troops to capture the bandits who committed the crime!”
“Right!”
“Exactly!”
This person’s words immediately received a chorus of agreement, and the white-haired teacher didn’t speak in haste, waiting until everyone had shouted themselves hoarse before sighing and saying:
“Gentlemen, you are all from Zhongling County and should be most aware of the county’s situation.”
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“For years, the bandits have been unstoppable, and if the government really could eliminate them, why would they have waited until today?”
“In fact, the bandits never entered the city before not because they feared the authorities, but because we were simply lucky!”
“Now that the surrounding villages have been plundered, it’s likely that this county will suffer frequent harassment from the bandits in the future…”
The teacher’s words conveyed a clear message—
The government is incapable of dealing with the bandits, so they might as well give up.
This irresponsible attitude naturally sparked outrage, with angry criticisms erupting even more fiercely than before.
“What?! Is this the government’s solution?!”
“As the father of the people in Zhongling, King Wang is abandoning his duties and leaving the people to suffer!”
“Hmph! Fellow villagers, since King Wang doesn’t care, we might as well go to the provincial government to file a complaint!”
“…”
As the teacher listened to the threats, he shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself that people are often deceived by others, and horses are often ridden by others.
While it’s not uncommon for people to file complaints against the government, it’s rare to see such open and brazen threats.
However, this couldn’t be blamed on others; the real problem lay with their own officials being too soft and too concerned with the people’s welfare…
Remembering the words of Wei Changtian, the teacher waited for a while, feeling that the time was ripe, before bowing to the crowd and saying with a sigh:
“Gentlemen, I won’t hide it from you anymore.”
“In fact, you don’t need to file a complaint; County Magistrate Wang has already acknowledged his mistakes and is preparing to resign and return to his hometown.”
“With King Wang gone, it’ll take at least a year or so for the new magistrate to arrive, and even then, can the new official really pacify the bandits?”
“Gentlemen, listen to my advice.”
“This Zhongling County will likely never know peace again; you should… pack your things and leave as soon as possible!”
“…”
This time, there was no uproar, no anger, and no dissatisfaction.
The teacher’s words left everyone at the door stunned.
Who would have thought that the usually composed and gentle County Magistrate Wang would actually resign and leave?!
They didn’t need to file a complaint; the official was quitting voluntarily!
But while the magistrate could leave, they couldn’t…
These people’s livelihoods were all in Zhongling; who would be willing to give up their comfortable lives and start anew in an unfamiliar place?
But if they didn’t leave… wouldn’t they have to wait for the bandits to come and plunder again?
“County Magistrate Wang can’t leave! I’m willing to donate silver to eliminate the bandits!”
Someone suddenly shouted, and after a brief silence, the chorus of agreement erupted.
“Yes, yes, yes! King Wang can’t resign! My family is also willing to donate!”
“Didn’t the county magistrate say that with enough money, they could request the provincial government to dispatch troops to eliminate the bandits? We’ll raise the funds! We can’t let the bandits take over Zhongling County!”
“That’s right! County Magistrate Wang is a rare good official! My family is also willing to donate!”
“Wan Chang Rice Shop is also willing to donate!”
“For my deceased son, I’ll donate too!”
“We’ll all donate…!”
“…”
The scene outside the county government office suddenly changed, with the group of people who had been demanding justice just moments before transforming into socially responsible citizens, eagerly vying to offer donations to eliminate the bandits.
The teacher watched this unfold, marveling at the cunning calculations of that Wei gentleman, while his face showed a troubled expression.
“Gentlemen, this is… fine! I’ll inform County Magistrate Wang of your decision…”
“Teacher, you must persuade County Magistrate Wang not to resign!”
“Ah, yes! Money is a good mediator! This official can’t be dismissed no matter what!”
“Previously, we didn’t want to donate money to suppress the bandits because we were muddled! Please, Master, tell the county magistrate that we’ve realized our mistake…”
“Alright, alright, I’ll definitely convey your words truthfully…”
White-haired Master responded to the crowd while waving his hand to the nearby yamen runner.
The latter saw the signal and quickly retreated, and soon a horseman emerged from the back door of the county government, heading straight for the southern part of the city.
…
An hour later.
Over a hundred riders in green armor stood sternly on the official road in the southern part of the city, while the thin county magistrate knelt down before Liang Zhen and Wei Changtian, his nose running and tears streaming down his face. It took several people to finally help him up.
“Lord Liang! Young Master…”
“Old, old me really doesn’t know what to say, such great kindness and virtue, the people of Zhongling will definitely remember it in their hearts…”
“Haha, Governor Wang, no need to be polite, it’s just a small favor.”
Liang Zhen laughed heartily, his mood clearly very good: “Since those rich merchants are willing to donate money, we should also set off. Governor Wang, no need to see us off, we’ll meet again in the future.”
“Lord Liang… I have one more impolite request.”
The thin county magistrate looked at Wei Changtian, asking very seriously: “May I be so bold as to ask the young master’s surname and full name?”
“…”
Wei Changtian hesitated for a moment before proudly introducing himself: “The Wei family of the capital, Wei Changtian.”
“Wei Young Master, thank you… what!”
The thin county magistrate’s body suddenly trembled violently, and he stood frozen in place.
“You… you’re that…”
“Yes.”
Wei Changtian wasn’t surprised by the county magistrate’s reaction, smiled, and exchanged a glance with Liang Zhen before preparing to leave.
However, he turned back after a few steps and asked loudly:
“Governor Wang, I know you’re a clean official, but I don’t know if you’re serving for the people or your own reputation?”
“Naturally, it’s for…”
The county magistrate, who had regained his senses, subconsciously wanted to answer, but the second half of his sentence remained unspoken.
The urgent sound of horse hooves echoed, announcing the end of Wei Changtian’s short detour in Shuzhou.
The thin county magistrate stood frozen in place for a long time, then suddenly straightened his somewhat hunched back, dusting off the dirt on his worn-out official robes.
He stretched out his arms like embracing a circle, raised his hands to his forehead, and deeply bowed to the rising dust on the road.
“Thank you, Young Master.”