() Qin Mu went to Zhoutian Town to mine salt, but he didn't expect that others would come to Huichang to poach his talents.
The person who came to poach his talents was Wang Gong, the governor of Ganzhou Military Preparations Department.
The Bingbei Dao was an authority between the province and the prefecture, similar to the regional administrative office in later generations.
If the governor's office undermined the power of the provincial government agencies, such as the provincial governor's office, the military commissioner's office, and the provincial prosecutor's office, then the military preparation department also weakened the power of the provincial government to a great extent.
The military preparation office was usually not located in the provincial capital, but was set up in the military strongholds of each province according to the actual situation.
Huichang borders Fujian to the east and Guangdong to the southeast. It is located at a strategic junction of three provinces. The imperial court originally set up the Ganzhou Military Preparations Office in Huichang.
Wang Gong was eager to gain merit in Nanshe Mountain, so he fell for Ma Yongzhen's strategy of luring the enemy and forced Ganzhou Guard Commander Zhu Teng to attack. As a result, Zhu Teng lost his life and Wang Gong himself broke his leg while escaping.
Although he survived, he was still in bed recuperating when Qin Mu left Ganzhou. Qin Mu thought it would take at least one or two months for him to recover, but he didn't expect this guy to be so proactive and return to Huichang with injuries, and as soon as he came back, he started to interfere in Ganzhou affairs.
When Qin Mu was away, Tian Yimu, Wu Wangcai and others were ordered around by him. Huichang Qianhu Division was the focus of his interference. He placed several of his confidants in there as general flags and centurions. After learning that the Huichang Qianhu Division had as many as 2,000 soldiers, he immediately ordered Ma Yongzhen to cut down the army.
Although Ma Yongzhen gave him some soft knives, Wang Gong was a prefect after all, with a higher rank than the prefect, and his authority was to rectify the military preparations. Ma Yongzhen and Huo Sheng had some concerns, so they sent someone to report to Qin Mu urgently and let Qin Mu make the decision.
Qin Mu had no choice but to temporarily entrust the matters of Zhoutian Salt Mine to Ning Yuan and hurried back to Huichang County.
Along the way, Qin Mu thought over and over again about how to deal with Wang Gong. Although this guy was a criminal, the court did not remove him from his official position. There was probably only one possibility: this guy must have some foundation in the court and was covering for him.
With this guy messing around in Huichang, if things go wrong, it might bring me into big trouble.
Given the current situation in Huichang, it would not be difficult to sideline Wang Gong, but he would certainly keep reporting things to the authorities, and the matter of the salt mine would certainly not be kept secret for long. With such huge benefits as an inducement, I am afraid that even the governor's office would do everything in its power to get involved.
Of course, it is not impossible to find a reason to make this guy disappear, but if the monk temple is still there and Wang Gong disappears, the higher-ups will probably send someone else to be the Taoist priest. If someone more difficult to deal with than Wang Gong comes, then the gain will outweigh the loss.
Therefore, making Wang Gong disappear is only a last resort and should not be used unless it is absolutely necessary.
Somehow, the people in the city learned the news of Qin Mu's return in advance, and many people spontaneously flocked to the South Gate, wanting to take a look at this official who could talk to the sky.
Since Qin Mu took office, various policies have been very effective. He recompiled land registers, distributed land, resettled disaster victims, and stabilized military morale. Although Huichang was still in a state of disrepair and people's lives were still very difficult, various policies had been implemented, order had been stabilized, and the people who had suffered from the war had seen hope. Those who had been allocated land were even more grateful to him.
In addition, during the spring prayers and sacrifices, there were natural phenomena and clouds gathered. He could actually talk to the sky and really found the salt mine. This mysterious ability made people awe-inspiring and he quickly established a high prestige in the hearts of the people.
So when they learned that he had rebelled against the city, many people spontaneously flocked to the South Gate to welcome him.
"The magistrate is back."
"Thank you for your hard work, County Magistrate."
"Mr. Magistrate."
"Mr. Magistrate."
When Qin Mu rode his horse into the city, there was jubilation on both sides of the street. Some people presented him an egg, some presented him a cup of wine, and the people expressed their respect and love with their meager abilities.
All this was completely beyond Qin Mu's expectations and caught him off guard. After all, he had only been in Huichang for ten days and had never expected that the people of Huichang would give him such high courtesy.
Qin Mu was immediately moved by the pairs of eager eyes and calls from the street.
"Fellow villagers, the county wants to tell you that the salt pond has been found. Although it is not clear how big the salt pond is, it should be able to supply Huichang. The county will soon have people transport the salt here to lower the high salt price. You can rest assured."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
"Fellow villagers, there is no need to welcome me like this in the future. I am not worthy of it. Now that my country is prosperous and all industries are in a state of decline, people's livelihood is in a difficult situation, and we need you to work hard and not waste time welcoming me. You should spend more time working and doing more to make your life better as soon as possible. This is more important than anything else. Go back, fellow villagers, go back quickly and do what you should do."
After just a few words, many people on the street were moved to tears, which made Qin Mu feel a little puzzled. In later generations, many star-chasers would cry with excitement when they received a look from their idols, but those were only young boys and girls who dreamed all day long. The people of Huichang couldn't even fill their stomachs now, so they wouldn't bother chasing stars.
In fact, Qin Mu still underestimated the importance of land in the hearts of the people. After hearing his words, people not only did not disperse immediately, but many people who had just received the land even knelt down and kowtowed to him.
Qin Mu quickly jumped off his horse and helped them up one by one. This scene made more people shed tears and made Qin Mu more convinced of his conclusion: as long as the Chinese people have fields to farm, they will have hope and will not rebel. They will be able to endure the heaviest suffering and live forever.
"Lord Qin really loves his people like his own children."
Qin Mu was helping the kneeling civilians when he suddenly heard a sarcastic voice from behind. Qin Mu turned around and saw Wang Gong sitting on a sedan chair carried by two servants. It seemed that he had just returned from outside the city.
Qin Mu's face immediately showed a smile, the wind was clear and the moon was bright, he bowed and said: "This humble official greets the military officer. The military officer is injured, but he still works hard for the people all day long. What this humble official has done is not even a fraction of what the military officer has done. How can I say that I love the people like my own children? This humble official is really ashamed."
"County Magistrate Qin, you're back just in time. I have something I wanted to ask you about."
"This is not a place to discuss official business. Sir Bingxian, please, let's go back to the yamen to discuss anything." Qin Mu extended his hand to invite the people on the street and said loudly, "Go back, folks. As long as everyone does not give up and keeps striving for self-improvement, I believe life will get better soon. Go back quickly."
"Farewell, Your Excellency."
"Farewell, Your Excellency."
“… ... ... ... ... ... .”
The voices of the people were not in unison, but were chaotic and seemed very sincere. However, they seemed to have omitted Wang Gong intentionally or unintentionally, which made Wang Gong's face turn black. He snorted and went to the county government office.
When Huichang was captured by the rebels, Wang Gong ran away quickly, and the Bingbei Dao Yamen was used by the rebels to vent their anger and was burned down. Now only a few ruins are left. After Wang Gong returned to Huichang, he squeezed into the county government office to work and took over the office.
As soon as Qin Mu entered the county government office, he learned that Qiao'er had been ordered by Wang Gong to move to the dormitory on the east side of the government office, and the residence in the back of the government office that originally belonged to the county magistrate had been occupied by Wang Gong.
Before Qin Mu had time to get angry, Wang Gong started to shout as soon as he entered the government office: "Thank you for the salary, Lord Qin! Qin Mu, you are so bold that you dare to let the soldiers shout like this one by one. What do you want to do? Rebellion?"
Qin Mu found a chair and sat down calmly, and replied calmly: "When Wang Bingxian was here, the soldiers could not get their pay. After so many years, the soldiers rarely get their pay, so they are inevitably a little excited. It is inevitable to say a few words of gratitude. Why is Wang Bingxian making a fuss about it?"
"You..." Wang Gong's face turned redder. Qin Mu's words were like saying that he embezzled military pay. How could he bear this? "Qin Mu, the court has its own rules. You are just a small magistrate. When did it ever get your turn to overstep your authority and pay the soldiers? You are clearly trying to buy the hearts of the soldiers and have evil intentions. This is a serious crime that will punish all of your clan!"
After Wang Gong's big hat was put on him, Qin Mu suddenly had an idea and found a way to deal with Wang Gong. He stood up and bowed his hands and replied: "My lord, the soldiers in Huichang are mostly newly recruited soldiers. If these people are not paid and appeased as soon as possible, I am afraid they will rebel again. The consequences will be disastrous.
As for the issue of food and salary, it is not my turn to interfere. I am also suffering a lot because I cannot count on the food and salary from the court. I am worried that the soldiers will rebel again after being appeased. So I borrowed money from everywhere and managed to collect some food and salary to appease the army. Wang Bingxian came at the right time. From now on, I will rely on Wang Bingxian for all the military affairs. I hope they will not rebel again. "
Wang Gong was choked. He knew very well why the soldiers rebelled last time. Qin Mu's words were not empty words. These people had already rebelled once and had just accepted the amnesty. If they were not properly appeased, would they mind rebelling again
I had a lucky escape last time, would I be so lucky this time? Wang Gong looked at his broken leg and felt a lingering fear.
"Qin Mu, even if you have no choice but to pay the soldiers, then why is Huichang Qianhu overstaffed by nearly a thousand people? Now Huichang is like an iron plate, and everyone follows your lead. Don't tell me that you don't know about this."
Qin Mu flicked his sleeves and replied, "Wang Bingxian, you are probably asking the wrong person. I am just a small magistrate. The affairs of the Qianhu Division are not my responsibility. The number of additional troops in the army is something that Wang Bingxian should be in charge of. Why are you asking me this?"
Wang Gong was extremely angry. Logically, this matter should not be blamed on Qin Mu, but was it really the case
Wang Gong was not stupid. He had encountered difficulties everywhere during the past two days since he came to Huichang. However, both the military and civilians were extremely supportive of Qin Mu. He was sure that there must be something fishy going on.
But at the moment, Qin Mu was making excuses and there was no solid evidence against him. Wang Gong's arrogance diminished a lot. He soon understood one thing: although Qin Mu was only a small county magistrate, he was not someone he could control at will.
While Wang Gong was thinking about countermeasures, Qin Mu continued, "Wang Bingxian, the court has its own rules. This county office is originally my office. Wang Bingxian's forced entry is no different from occupying the magpie's nest. Please move back to your own Taotai office immediately. We can each return to our own positions and perform our duties in order to avoid violating the court's rules."
Wang Gong was so furious after hearing this, but the label of "imperial regulation" was too heavy for him to bear.
Moreover, he was the one who first brought up the court regulations. Qin Mu immediately used his own method to retaliate against him, making him tremble all over and unable to utter a word.
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ps: I have something to go out tonight, so I'll post this chapter first. Please support me with rewards, votes, ahaha, please give more.
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