Jiangzhou, later known as Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, is located at the strategic point of water and land, connecting Jiangnan Road and Huainan Road, and being adjacent to the Xunyang River and directly connected to the Yangtze River, Pengze, and Poyang. It is now the most prosperous and famous state city along Jiangnan West Road in the Song Dynasty. . There are also natural and historical monuments such as Bailu Cave and Lushan Mountain in the territory, attracting tourists, scholars and businessmen.
But to say that the person who really made Jiangzhou city famous in ancient and modern times is the line "Jiangzhou Sima's green shirt is wet" in the pipa line written by Bai Juyi, the poet king of the Tang Dynasty, when he was an official here. Just this sentence made many literati and poets come to Jiangzhou to pay tribute to their ancestors and have a look at the stunning beauty of the pipa girls here.
But when Sun Tu and his official ship finally docked, and saw that the area near the dock was slightly deserted, with only seven or eight large and small ships floating on the water, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised: "As far as I know, Jiangzhou is located in a deserted area. The land and water fortress has always been prosperous in trade and commerce, so why is it so deserted at the dock now?"
Naturally, the few people who came from Tokyo with him couldn't answer this question, but because the sound was a bit loud, it reached the ears of an old fisherman with gray hair on a small fishing boat nearby, and he heard him reply with a smile. : "Several guests who have come from afar obviously don't know the current situation in our Jiangzhou area, because there is a group of water bandits on the Xunyang River that is the most ferocious. They not only steal people's money but also kill people and leave their bodies. This has made many merchants feel guilty in the past six months. I don’t even dare to come to Jiangzhou by water.”
"In my territory of the Song Dynasty, under the bright and clear world, something like this happened?" Yang Zhi frowned quickly when he heard this: "Don't the local officials want to suppress the bandits and calm the people?"
"Government? They did send a few troops to suppress the bandits, but in the end they fled back in embarrassment after losing their troops. Because of this, the merchants did not dare to travel by water. They would rather go around dozens of miles of mountain roads and choose to take the Entering and exiting Jiangzhou by land. Only old men who have no money and rely on fishing for a living dare to go to the river at this time." As the old fisherman spoke, he tapped the bamboo pole in his hand. He was about to set off in the small boat. At the end, he sighed and said: "It is extremely lucky that these guests can come to Jiangzhou by boat safely. Please don't take any more risks when leaving." After saying this, several people did not wait for their responses. , already boating away.
Sun Tu and others all looked at each other in shock after hearing this story. No one thought that Jiangzhou City, which should be prosperous and lively, would encounter such a problem. It seems that the vacancy for the team training position here should be related to the rampant trend of The water bandits on the river have something to do with it.
The ones who were more panicked than them were the boatmen on the official boat that had sent them all the way from Tokyo. Thinking that they and others were lucky enough to come all the way from the Xunyang River safely, they were frightened for a while, and at the same time they were worried about what would happen next. The question of how to go back: "A few officials, young people..."
"Don't worry, the old fisherman can't recognize our identities, but that doesn't mean that the water bandits can't recognize us. When we were boating on the river before, the Sa family found some unknown boats lingering around along the way. We just wanted to check I understand, they all dispersed again, obviously they recognized us as people from the government, so they didn't dare to take action. When you go back tomorrow, those water bandits will not dare to act arrogantly." Ruda immediately spoke to comfort him.
After his reminder, several people also remembered the strange things on the river before, and couldn't help but admire Luda's caution. The boatmen finally felt a little relieved and no longer pestered Sun Tu and others to help them escape. .
When he said this, Tang Feng was already working diligently to help Sun Tu and the others get their horses and luggage from the boat. Apart from their mounts, the others only had their own luggage, but Sun Tu and Ya'er The two of them brought several large boxes of things, which looked really heavy.
Fortunately, although there were few ships near the pier, there were still people waiting to work hard and make money. As soon as they saw a few people moving a lot of things, a few men came up to them with smiles and asked in Mandarin with a clear local accent. : "Are the guests going to the city? We have a car that can take you into the city. As long as you give us a hundred coins, we can help you get your things to your accommodation and settle down."
When Sun Tu heard that the price was so cheap, he immediately agreed. You must know that this hundred cents can almost only be used to hire an idle man to carry some groceries in Tokyo, but here there are three people plus two large cars. And now Sun Tu has made a lot of money by selling sportswear, shampoo and other things on consignment in Tokyo. Now he has a net worth of several thousand yuan. Although he is not rich, it is enough for the few of them to live in Jiangzhou City. He could live comfortably for several years without having to worry about food and drink.
Seeing Sun Tu nodding, the men were even more happy. They quickly helped them load all their luggage into the car. They also invited Ya'er, who couldn't ride a horse, to sit in the car, and then drove to the front of the car. The donkey led the way towards Jiangzhou City, which was about ten miles away.
Along the way, Sun Tu finally saw a lot of merchants and pedestrians coming and going, but most of them were traveling in groups of more than seven or eight people. This made him curious and asked those men: "Why, besides the water, there are thieves in Jiangzhou." Bandits, aren’t even the land routes peaceful?”
"Actually, it was fine on land. There were only two or three cases of robbery on the road. However, the merchants were scared and felt uneasy even if they couldn't gather more than ten or twenty people to go on the road together. Hey, those water The bandits are really hateful. This is forcing us brothers to go to a dead end. If the government can't suppress the bandits, we people will really be unable to get business in a few months." One of the men said with a bitter look on his face.
Sun Tu nodded lightly and had secretly made a decision in his heart. Since he had become a local regiment trainer, after establishing a firm foothold and training his troops, his first task was to wipe out the water bandits who had been causing trouble for so long.
Once the conversation started, the man relaxed a little and asked casually: "Are these guests coming from nowhere? Are they coming to Jiangzhou to do business?"
"No, we are here to visit relatives. I have an elder who is an official in Jiangzhou. I wonder if I have heard of him. He is a local official..." Sun Tu was moved and simply inquired about Yuan Wang's local status from the side. Reputation and reputation.
When the men heard that he was Yuan Wang's junior, their faces immediately showed excitement: "It turns out he is Yuan Tuiguan's nephew. No wonder he is so handsome and looks so polite to me."
"Oh? It seems that my uncle is considered a good official in everyone's eyes?"
"Of course Yuan Tuiguan is a good official. He is really dedicated to making decisions for the common people like us. Some of the rogues who run rampant in the city were arrested under Yuan Tuiguan's order. This makes Jiangzhou City's moral code very big." It's getting better. Also, he never accepts bribes. As long as we, the common people, have grievances to complain about, Yuan Tuiguan will definitely try them carefully and give us justice..." When Yuan Wang was mentioned, these people couldn't stop talking, and immediately He talked endlessly about what he had done since he took office seven years ago.
Many cases handled by the people.
Finally, someone else mentioned: "It was because of the rampant bandits on the Xunyang River this time that Yuan Tuiguan sent officers and soldiers several times to clear them out. However, our officers and soldiers here are really useless, which is why this situation has happened."
Sun Tu listened to what they said quietly, and he understood Yuan Wang a little better in his heart. This man had been an official in Jiangzhou for many years and had really done a lot of practical things for the people. As a result, he had an excellent reputation and even made the people I only know that there is Yuan Tuiguan in Jiangzhou, but I don't know that there is Grand Administrator Cai. This may be the reason why Cai Jing wants to get rid of Yuan Wang on behalf of his son. After all, as an official now, the most important thing is reputation and reputation. Without these, it is not easy to get promoted.
As he spoke, more than ten miles passed by in a flash, and soon everyone arrived at the foot of Jiangzhou City. This city is naturally far inferior to Bianliang in Tokyo. The city walls are only about four feet low and are made of rammed earth. The city gate can only accommodate two carriages traveling towards each other. Only the top of the city gate has the Toujiang River. The word "zhou" is full of strength, and it seems to have been written by a famous artist.
Unlike other prefectures and counties in the Song Dynasty, which were almost completely exempted from the city gate tax, I wonder if it was because of the obstruction of trade routes. At this time, there were officers and soldiers guarding the city gate. Not only did they have to check and interrogate the luggage of people entering the city, but they also charged ten The city tax for literati.
Seeing this, Tang Feng wanted to reveal his identity, but was stopped by Sun Tu with a wink. He paid more than a hundred yuan of city gate tax for himself and his party, and then asked the other party, seemingly unintentionally, why the government I want to set up a card here.
But the officer and soldier lazily pouted at Sun Tu: "This is an order from above. We just obey the order and guard the door. We don't dare to ask more questions. Enter your city quickly. If you dare to make any noise again, be careful that we will treat you as a fool." The thief and spies caught him.”
Sun Tu could only smile when he saw this, and then he entered Jiangzhou with everyone. Until then, looking at the crowded streets, he felt that this was consistent with the Jiangzhou he imagined.
Afterwards, Sun Tu asked Luda, Yang Zhixian and Ya'er to find a nearby inn to settle down, while he himself took Tang Feng and went directly to the state government office to meet his direct boss Yuan Wang.
Although he had just entered Jiangzhou, he did not want to be criticized for his etiquette. After all, his identity was here, and it was hard to say that the other party would use this as an excuse to find fault with him. Anyway, as a subordinate who is performing his duties, it is the greatest respect for his superior to go and see him as soon as possible.
There is no need to ask for directions, just follow the main road in the city. When you arrive in the middle of the city, you will see a large government office standing next to the market. There are several soldiers standing with guns at the door, which is quite impressive. majesty.
When Sun Tu and the others came near and stated their identity and intention, a soldier went in to report. After a while, a middle-aged man dressed as a scribe came out and said, "It turns out that Sun Tuanlian is here, and Qin Fang, who is a low-ranking official, is here. The governor of the state government has failed to welcome you from afar."
"There is no need to be polite, Chief Qin. I am here just to see Yuan Tuiguan. Is he free now?" Sun Tu asked with a kind smile at the other party. In fact, he was just saying this politely. Logically speaking, it was still early in the day, so Yuan Wang, as the superintendent, should be able to receive him readily.
But it turned out that he miscalculated, and Qin Fang immediately said with a look of embarrassment on his face: "Sun Tuanlian excuses me, today Zhou Tui went to Laocheng Camp early in the morning and has not returned yet, so... How about you come back tomorrow?"