Just as Shang Yi stepped up his training of the militia, Zhou Shaoqing returned to Qingshui Village with a letter of commendation from Zheng County. However, compared with the last time he returned to the village, Qingshui Village was also much deserted. Not only did he not see Shang Yi and the militia,
Zhou Shaoqing also discovered that even his uncle Tang Zhen and his younger brother Zhou Shaohuan were not in the village, and only his father was at home.
Seeing the commendation letter from the county, Zhou Shiqi didn't even bother to open it and threw it on the table. Then Zhou Shaoqing asked: "Dad, where are the militiamen?"
Zhou Shiqi smiled and said: "Now the scale of the militia has expanded a lot, and they can no longer survive in Qingshui Village, so they have moved to Wangjiadatun. The place there is bigger, and after being plundered by bandits, it has
There are a lot of free rooms in the area, which can be used for the vigilante group to live in, so as not to stay in the village and cause trouble."
Zhou Shaoqing was stunned for a moment and murmured: "The scale has expanded again?" He suddenly asked: "Dad, what are your plans? What is a militia group doing on such a large scale? Now even the county is spreading rumors
Our three-village militia group."
Zhou Shiqi looked at his eldest son and said calmly: "What rumors have you heard?"
Zhou Shaoqing said: "People in the county say that the militia in our three villages are more powerful than the official army. If the robbers cannot be dealt with by the army, our militia will go out and immediately eliminate them. Some people say that we have done a good job, but others say
We don’t take the government seriously. It’s the government’s business to resist bandits and destroy villages. We’d better stay less involved and make peace.”
Zhou Shiqi snorted and said: "What do you know? If the government can count on it, why do we have to work so hard to set up a militia? When the bandits came to rob our village, the government and army were there, and the government did more
What? We defeated the bandits by our own strength and defeated the bandits’ boss. But when someone starts making irresponsible remarks, ignore them. Let them say whatever they like."
Zhou Shaoqing was still a little worried and said: "Dad, I think we have gone too far. What if we really arouse the suspicion of the government?"
Zhou Shiqi shook his head and said: "Don't worry, our militia has always abided by the law so far. We have neither bullied the weak nor harmed the countryside. The credit for suppressing bandits has also benefited the county, so the government will not do it now."
Come and take care of our militia. On the contrary, I'm afraid they still hope that our militia will continue to operate, at least to ensure the safety of this side. You have to remember that these are troubled times. In troubled times, no one can be relied on and we can only rely on ourselves.
Strength. If we get to a time of peace and prosperity, I will take the initiative to disband the militia without you having to say anything."
After listening to his father's words, Zhou Shaoqing felt a little relieved, but still a little doubtful, and said: "Dad, this principle is good, and you think well, but I always feel that leaving the militia to an outsider will always be in charge.
It's a bit worrying. Even if we just want to protect the village and the people, I'm afraid Shang Yi has other ideas. If he causes other troubles in the future, I'm afraid it will implicate us. I think we should find our own people.
It is better to manage the militia."
Zhou Shiqi said: "You are too worried about this. I don't think Shang Yi is such a person. Besides, besides him, who else can serve as the chief teacher? Don't worry, dad is alive.
At such an old age, I still have a good eye for people."
Although Zhou Shaoqing was still a little worried, seeing what his father said, he couldn't say anything else, so he had to say goodbye and go back to his room to rest.
After Zhou Shaoqing left, Zhou Shiqi couldn't help but sigh. In fact, he had already thought about what Zhou Shaoqing said, and he had discussed it with Tang Zhen. But on the one hand, no one can replace Shang Yi, including Tang Zhen. Zhou Shiqi himself knew this very well. In less than two months, the militiamen were able to form their current combat effectiveness and continuously defeat the bandits. They not only successfully defended the village and the people, but also wiped out the bandits and lifted this threat. The worries in the area and the accumulation of valuable property and materials were entirely handled by Shang Yi. Therefore, Tang Zhen also clearly told Zhou Shiqi that once the militia was without Shang Yi, it would immediately spread its influence and become a piece of loose sand. .
On the other hand, Shang Yi has not shown any ulterior motives so far. He respects the three village chiefs who initiated the militia. This series of actions has gained the support of the three village chiefs. It is carried out only after consent. Within the militia, everything is discussed with the three deputy chief teachers and each team leader to unify everyone's views and make decisions before proceeding. There is no arbitrary intention.
Moreover, Shang Yi did not embezzle the trophies gained from annihilating the bandits privately. Except for the part he received for himself, the rest was recorded in the public treasury of the militia. Although all the money, food and materials were used by him, But every account was recorded meticulously, and a detailed account book was handed over to the three village chiefs every month.
Although the vigilante group has now been moved to Wangjiadatun, which shows some signs of being out of control, it is also reasonable and reasonable. After all, it is a vigilante group in three villages. It is not good no matter which village it is placed in, and that village cannot accommodate the expanded vigilante group. Therefore, it is acceptable for every village to place it in a convenient location.
At the same time, when the size of the league members was expanded this time, the promoted and appointed captains, whistle commanders, and Shang Yi also held an impartial attitude and were appointed based on their talents and merit. The selected people can basically be recognized by the members of the militia. He did not take the opportunity to promote his direct relatives who supported him. He also established a clear system of discipline, rewards and punishments.
Not only that, but Shang Yi has now established a high prestige both in the militia and in the village. Both the regiment soldiers and ordinary villagers, including Tang Zhen and his son Zhou Shaohuan, have a great impression of Shang Yi. .
It can be said that everything Shang Yi did was for the benefit of the militia and the village, and was also based on better protecting the interests of the village. It was almost impeccable.
Therefore, Zhou Shiqi never thought of replacing someone. He even vaguely felt that Shang Yi's achievements were more than just a small militia chief teacher. Maintaining a good relationship with him was not always the same. A good thing.
However, the very next day, Zheng Zhixian County sent another confidant to Qingshui Village to tell Zhou Shiqi and Zhou Shaoqing a major event. Zeng Hualong, the governor of Denglai, received the official document of victory in suppressing bandits from Yishui County and was very happy, so he drove Linyi Shui County inspected the results of suppressing bandits. At the same time, Zeng Xunfu was also very interested in the three villagers' regiment mentioned in the official document that assisted the government and army in suppressing bandits, so he also named him to come to Qishui Village to inspect and meet with the members of the militia. Awarded in person. The government tour group will arrive at Qingshui Village three days later. Zheng Zhixian asked Zhou Shiqi, Zhou Shaoqing, and the militia groups of the three villages to prepare for the reception.
Even Zhou Shiqi couldn't help but be surprised at this, and Zhou Shaoqing was even more confused at the time. You must know that the governor is a local official who controls the military and political power of a province. The governor of Denglai was in the first year of Tianqi (1621), for
In preparation for the Hou Jin Dynasty going south by sea, it was separated from the governor of Shandong, and the two prefectures of Dengzhou and Laizhou were subordinate. It was also called the governor of Shandong coastal defense, and the coastal islands in Liaodong were also under the jurisdiction of the governor of Denglai.
In the seventh year of Tianqi (1627), Qingzhou Prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Shandong was placed under the jurisdiction of Governor Denglai. So far, there were six prefectures in Shandong Province in the Ming Dynasty. The Governor of Shandong and the Governor of Denglai each had jurisdiction over three, and Denglai
The governor's jurisdiction covered the entire Shandong Peninsula and reached the Liaodong coastal islands and their sea areas in the north, with an area comparable to that of the entire Shandong Province in later generations.
Zhou Shaoqing is just a small county magistrate, and he is not qualified to see Denglai Xunfu. For him, there is basically no difference between the Xunfu and the current emperor. Anyway, they are basically impossible for him to see.
The big shot's mind was in confusion for a moment, and he could only ask Zhou Shiqi repeatedly: "Dad, what should we do? Is it because the governor is dissatisfied with our militia, so..."
Zhou Shiqi looked calm, waved his hand and said: "Don't make random guesses, whether it is a blessing or a curse, you will know what happened when the governor comes. You go back to the county tonight and come with them."
"
In fact, Zhou Shiqi is lying if he is not nervous. He may not take Yishui County magistrate seriously, but he is still frightened by the Denglai patrol. Even when he was an official in Qingzhou Prefecture, he only saw people at that time.
Yang Wenyue visited Denglai Prefecture for the second time, and he only visited with other officials, without even saying a word. I am afraid that Yang Wenyue would not remember him at all at that time.
However, Zhou Shiqi had seen some stormy people and was much stronger than his son. He immediately began to think quickly. Governor Zeng would not come to a small village for no reason. Judging from the report of the reporter, it was this time that the militia were annihilating the Qing Dynasty.
It was caused by the bandits in Langfeng. At this time, Zhou Shiqi really regretted it. He did not expect that a small militia group in his village would alert the governor. If he had known this, he would not have gone to attack Langfeng at that time.
But it's too late to say anything now. Let's think about Governor Zeng's attitude towards the militia. Zhou Shiqi first thought that if the governor was dissatisfied with the militia's actions, then there was no need for him to come to Qingshui Village in person.
The official document was sent to Yishui County, and you can do whatever you want with it. And judging from the reporter's account, although Zeng Xunfu didn't say much to the militia, it didn't seem to have any dissatisfaction. On the contrary, he even said something about it.
Here are some words of commendation for the vigilante groups.
This seems to be a good thing. However, Zhou Shiqi does not dare to be so optimistic. After all, a small militia group assisted the government in wiping out a group of bandits. Although it is worthy of commendation, it can only be entrusted to the county.
At most, it is enough to recruit members of the militia to the state capital to meet the governor. It is not necessary for the governor of a province to come to the countryside to commend him. Zhou Shiqi even came up with the idea of stabilizing his own army first if this was to stabilize the army.
.
Thinking of this, Zhou Shiqi also smiled bitterly. He hurriedly sent Zhou Shaoqing back to Yishui County, and then ordered people to rush to Wangjiadatun immediately to invite Shang Yi and Tang Zhen back. At the same time, he sent people to bring Zhao Bingyi and Huang Dongshan back.
Please come too.
After everyone gathered together, they were all surprised. It was not uncommon for a provincial official to visit the village. Although Zhao Bingyi and Huang Dongshan were both well-known people in the village and county, they couldn't help but feel uneasy when they wanted to meet the governor.
I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse.
Because after listening to Zhou Shiqi's analysis, everyone was even more confused and at a loss. Later, Shang Yi suggested that it was useless to think too much, and that it was better to prepare for the reception. As a result, whether it was a blessing or a curse, they had to listen to fate.