Early morning.
Zhang Guangdao and Chen Ziyi led the team back to the county town to resume their duties, and Ju Ming personally escorted them to the riverside.
Then, Zhu Dutou, who was seriously injured, returned to Heifeng Village... and returned to Daming Village to recuperate.
Chen Ziyi stood on the bow of the boat: "Brother Zhu is so talented, what does it mean to be nesting in the mountains? With just a few hundred farmers, he can still make flowers?"
"I don't want to be oppressed by the government, I just want to be free." Zhang Guangdao said.
Chen Ziyi said: "Both you and Brother Zhu are capable. Why don't you follow me to Qinfeng Road to join the army? When a man is alive, he only gets his fame and fame from his horse. Let's give him a wife and a son."
Zhang Guangdao looked disdainful: "How can you get a better deal in the army? We are all on the same side as the government, and they are all stupid people. If Brother Chen joins the army, he will definitely feel cowardly."
Chen Ziyi said: "I have the ability, who dares to make me angry?"
"Haha." Zhang Guangdao smiled but said nothing.
Everyone returned to the county town by boat, and the heads were carried ashore one by one. The bandits were escorted to the school grounds one by one. People from the whole city came to watch the excitement.
Several groups of archers remained on the shore, guarding a ship full of rewards.
Whoever dares to rob must fight tooth and nail!
Perhaps because he was going to join the army, Chen Ziyi did not show off when he entered the city and went to the school ground to report honestly.
When Xiang Zhixian received the household registration and field list sent by Ju Ming, he was so angry that he laughed on the spot and threw it to the household registration department and said: "You can make the registration list."
He Tiesi was speechless for a while after reading the household registration and field records.
It's so nonsense, I don't even know how to complain.
No matter how much population and land he hid, at least Ju Ming made it clear that he wanted to be an honest and good citizen, not a king in Heifeng Village.
It is better to do less than to do more. The county government can only cooperate.
Is it possible that we need to send troops to fight over it?
What's more, the bandits' stronghold was pacified and the county government gained more household registrations and more acres of land. This can be considered a small political achievement.
Xiang Zhixian then told the Military Affairs Bureau: "Send those archers home today. I don't want to see them for a moment. Don't give them any unfinished military pay. These Qiu Ba must have money in their hands!"
Cao Shoufen said angrily: "More than money! The rewards they received had to be loaded on boats, and now they are parked by the river."
When all the government officials heard this, their eyes turned red with jealousy.
But no one dared to do anything. The archers had not yet dispersed. To seize their rewards at this time would be to force hundreds of archers to rebel.
Bai Erlang doesn't talk much. His family has already benefited, so it's best to keep silent and make a fortune.
Take your time, the summer grain collection date has not yet expired.
When the archers are disbanded and return to their hometowns, they will go to collect taxes according to the roster. At this time, there is no need to urge more. When the autumn grain is collected, the taxes will be collected harshly. By then, the archers will be in disarray.
Hu Tiesi, who was responsible for the military affairs, was ordered to come to the school grounds and select a few teams of miscellaneous soldiers to stay and be responsible for escorting the bandits to Yangzhou. He said to the remaining archers: "You will disperse and go home immediately, so as not to miss the farming season."
Is it over?
The archers stood there stupidly, they still had no pay for their troops.
And for such a great contribution, why should I give out a few rewards?
Chen Ziyi was thoughtful. He always felt that Ju Ming wanted to cause trouble, but he didn't think about rebellion. He didn't care about it at the moment. He rode his horse out of the city to get the reward from the ship and hired a few coolies to carry the reward home.
The archers made a lot of noise in the school grounds, but they didn't really cause any trouble.
Zhu Dutou gave a lot of rewards. They had already made enough money. If the government didn't give it, they wouldn't give it to them. It would be safer to take the money home early.
These people went out of the city in twos and threes, boasting about the process of suppressing bandits along the way. It seemed that all of them were Lu Bu alive.
Of course, in their mouths, Ju Ming was the most powerful, killing the village leader Yang Ying alone.
It is said that even the tiger cannot pass through the tiger's mouth. Now Zhu Dutou has a nickname: Tiger with Wings!
Ju Ming, the winged tiger, hmm... that's okay.
By the river, an official ship docked.
Lu Tixue disembarked with a dozen of his entourage and found that the dock was very lively. He listened carefully for a while and asked: "Is this Ju Ming who suppressed thieves the same as the Eighth Route Army scholar Ju Ming?"
What the hell is the Eight-Hand Scholar?
A scholar with eight legs like a crab?
The archers hadn't even heard of it.
Lu Tixue asked again: "Is this Zhu Ming called Cheng Cheng?"
"I don't know?" Several archers shook their heads. They only knew Zhu Dutou and Zhu Dalang.
Lu Tixue became increasingly confused and took his men to the city to study in the county.
When the county professor heard that the academic envoy was coming, he hurriedly came out to greet him and sent someone to the county government office to report the news.
"Teacher?"
Xiang Zhixian forgot everything in an instant and shouted: "Quickly get the money from the minister's treasury and arrange the banquet. The rest of the subordinate officials will follow me to welcome the academic officer!"
There was a lot of excitement in the county government office, and a group of petty officials followed the magistrate and went to the county to study without any image.
Arriving at the gate of the county school, everyone arranged their clothes and walked in gracefully and calmly.
"Xiang Bi, the lower official, pays homage to Lu Tixue!" Xiang Zhixian bowed and bowed.
Lu Tixue was chatting with the county professor. He turned around and said with a smile: "Are you the parents of this county? Professor Qian and I were talking about the Eight Elements Scholars. He didn't know that there was a child prodigy in our county who had mastered the three classics."
"Through the Three Classics? Is it Zhu Chenggong?" Xiang Zhixian was speechless.
That guy surnamed Zhu is not a scholar, he is just a living bandit!
Lu Tixue stroked his beard and smiled: "That's Zhu Chenggong."
Xiang Zhixian probed: "How does Lu Tixue know this person?"
Lu Tixue said: "When I was in Yangzhou, Li Tongpan mentioned it many times, so I came here to personally test his knowledge during this trip."
Since it was recommended by Li Tongpan, how dare you say bad things to the magistrate?
He could only answer: "This man was injured while fighting bandits and is recuperating at home."
"Senior scholar from the Eighth Line of Arts is going to suppress the bandits?" Lu Ti's interest in learning greatly increased. "As expected, he is both civil and military, so I will recommend him to the Imperial Academy! Since An Yang is seriously injured, I will come personally. Professor Qian..."
"exist!"
The county school principal responded quickly.
Lu Tixue ordered: "You will bring the top ten students in the county's quarterly examination, and then call some scholars from the county to visit Zhu Chenggong together in two days. I heard that Xixiang is rich in fine wine and tea, and it will be a good time for boating.
Isn’t it a pleasure in life to make tea and discuss scriptures on the Han River?”
This is not an inspection of the Eighth Route Army Scholars. It is obvious that they are going to visit mountains and rivers.
I complained secretly to the magistrate because Xixiang County was too small and the public money allocated by the court was almost nonexistent.
As for the money in the minister's treasury, it has been almost used up.
If you want to entertain the scholar envoys well, you probably have to pay the magistrate himself.
He has to go bankrupt again!
Xiang Zhixian quietly summoned Bai Chongwu and whispered: "Immediately send someone to notify Zhu Chenggong and ask him to apply makeup and powder and pretend to be seriously injured. Don't let the Ti Xue Envoy see the clues."
Damn it, he had to help Ju Ming cover it up.
The more I thought about it, the magistrate became more and more angry, but there was nothing I could do.
Can he still say that he and Ju Ming made money together and got more benefits than Ju Ming?
…
Shangbai Village.
Tian San took the boat and walked with the archers, and when they arrived here, they docked.
He asked a villager who was working in the fields: "Where is Mr. Zhu's house?"
The villagers asked: "Why are you looking for Mr. Zhu?"
Tian San said: "I'm here to report the news, Zhu Da...Zhu Xiucai destroyed the bandit stronghold. From now on, Heifeng Stronghold will be called Daming Village, and the county magistrate has rewarded Zhu Xiucai there."
To be continued...