About to take office, Fatty was very nervous and kept asking questions on the way, but Nanfeng had never been in contact with an official before, so his knowledge was very limited and he couldn't tell anything.
Since he didn't know the situation in Yu County and the rules of the officialdom, Nanfeng couldn't predict what he would encounter after taking office. Without knowing the situation, he couldn't think of countermeasures in advance. However, he knew one thing. As the saying goes, the three things a new official should do when he takes office When the two of them arrived for the first time, the county government officials would definitely bully them. As long as someone dared to get into trouble, they would immediately take the opportunity to establish their power, and they must not be weakened by those people.
The two spent the night at dawn, and arrived at the boundary of Yu County four days later. It was evening, and there were people enjoying the shade on the street. Nanfeng went over to talk to those people. There are nineteen towns in Yu County, and each town There are another ten to twenty villages. This place is located on the southwest border of the Western Wei Dynasty. Most of the people live by farming. Because it is surrounded by mountains in the north and west and water in the south, some people make a living by fishing and hunting.
The land here is relatively fertile and there is a lot of grain produced, but the people live a very miserable life. The root causes have nothing to do with natural disasters, but are all man-made disasters. One is exorbitant taxes and heavy taxes, the other is extortion and exploitation by officials, and the third is plunder by bandits. .
It was the evening of the same day when we entered the boundary of Yu County, and it was the evening of the next day when we arrived at the county town of Yu County. The county town is less than ten miles in radius, not very big but not very small either. Because it is located on the border, walls are built around the city.
Originally the city gate was not closed, but upon seeing the two men arriving, the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate slowly pushed and closed the city gate. Nanfeng shouted loudly, and the officers and soldiers guarding the gate stopped closing the door and waited for the two men to arrive.
There were four officers and soldiers guarding the city, all holding spears. One of them lazily said to the two of them, "You are late. The city gate is about to be closed. Come back tomorrow."
Nanfeng understood the ways of the world and knew that the officers and soldiers were extorting money, so he took the money out of his pocket and asked before delivering it, "Is it really past the closing time?"
"It's over a long time ago." The older officer said casually.
Nanfeng raised his hand to signal the fat man not to speak, and handed over the silver. The officer and soldier accepted it and waved it off.
Nanfeng led the horse into the city. After entering the city, he helped the fat man off the horse, turned around and walked towards the officers and soldiers who had just picked up his silver coins.
The officers and soldiers didn't know what was happening and looked at each other with frowns.
Nanfeng walked up to the crowd, took out the official certificate from his arms, pointed the fat man and said to the crowd, "This is the newly appointed Magistrate of Yu County, Mr. Ji."
The few officers and soldiers guarding the city were not frightened. They raised their hands to the fat man in the distance and said, "I have seen you, sir."
The officer and soldier who had taken the money earlier raised their hands and pointed north, "Go straight north, and you'll find the county government office." After saying this, he muttered in a low voice, "Here comes another one."
"What's your name?" Nanfeng asked the officer and soldier who took the money.
The officer and soldier did not answer, but glanced at Nan Feng, then reluctantly took out the piece of broken silver from his arms and handed it to Nan Feng.
Nanfeng took the silver, took advantage of the situation, twisted the officer's arm, and kicked him to the ground.
The officer and soldier was furious, yelling and trying to get up. Nanfeng walked over and kicked him again, knocking him down again. He rubbed his left foot and picked it up. He took the spear in his hand and pierced the officer and soldier's thigh. Go down.
He used all his strength this time, and the spear directly penetrated the officer and soldier's thigh, leaving two feet of soil intact.
The other three people wanted to come to help, but when they heard the screams, they were instantly frightened and backed away.
Nanfeng looked around the three of them and spoke calmly, "The guard at the city gate neglected his duty and let people into the city knowing that the time had passed. This person must be a mountain bandit. Let's keep him alive first, and then behead him after Lord Ji comes to court." Display to the public.”
The three of them knew that Nanfeng was taking advantage of the opportunity to establish his power, but they had nothing to do. Who let themselves be at fault and be caught by others
Nanfeng pointed at one of the officers and soldiers, "You go to the county government office and ask someone to come and greet Mr. Ji. If you don't arrive before dark, it will be because I can't afford it."
At this time, the officer and soldier who had been stabbed in the thigh were still screaming. The three people did not dare to disobey Nanfeng's orders, so they turned around and ran away.
"One will go, and the other two will stay." Nanfeng called to stop the two officers and soldiers who wanted to escape.
The two officers and soldiers could only stay where they were, and did not dare to go over to save the shouting person. They bowed their heads timidly and panicked.
"After the closing time, you didn't close the door. Such dereliction of duty will inevitably lead to imprisonment." Nanfeng said coldly.
When the two officers and soldiers heard this, they were so frightened that they fell to their knees and begged for mercy.
"Lord Ji is here. I am just a warrior sent by the imperial concubine to protect him." Nanfeng pointed at the fat man who came over. He was trying to make a banner out of a tiger's skin. The emperor has too many concubines. Who can go? Check whether Jizhonglin is an incomparable relative of any imperial concubine.
When the two officers and soldiers heard this, they hurriedly turned around and went to the fat man to beg for mercy. The fat man also knew that Nanfeng's move was to help him establish his authority, and he was not tolerant. He coughed twice and said, "This is a small matter, and it is up to the master to make the decision."
When the two heard this, they came over to ask for help from Nanfeng. Nanfeng asked casually, "Who are the registered officials in the county government? How many officials are there?"
The shorter officer and soldier was very articulate and hurriedly reported that there was a county magistrate in Yu County, who was in charge and supervised the paperwork, taxes, people's livelihood and other matters. There is a county captain who is in charge of the outside world and is in charge of city defense, prisons, and public security. These two people are the right-hand men of the county magistrate. In addition, there are scribes, lingshi, chief ministers, Zhiyin, hall officials, gouya, dutou, public servants, treasury and other officials, totaling more than one hundred people. These are all under direct jurisdiction. Counting the township officials in each township, the number exceeds 300.
The screams of the injured officers and soldiers alarmed the nearby people. A large number of people gathered in the distance and looked at Nanfeng and others inside the city gate.
After the short officer and soldier finished speaking, Nanfeng did not ask any more questions, but stood side by side with the fat man, waiting for the county government officials to pick him up.
The first waiter didn't come, the second waiter didn't come, and even when it got dark, no one came out to greet them. Even the officers and soldiers who had gone to report the news didn't come back.
"What to do?" The fat man was at a loss.
"Get on your horse and go to the county office." Nanfeng raised his hand and pointed north. He had made it very clear before. If he didn't come before dark, he would be looking down on Master Ji. Looking at this posture, everyone made it clear that they wanted to give them a blow.
The fat man got on his horse, and Nanfeng led the horse forward. When he arrived at the county government office, it was already the time to hold the lamp. He showed his official certificate and the concierge let them in.
There is a large square in front of the county government office. There is a brick retaining wall five feet in front of the county government office gate. The county government office gate is bifolded with three steps. There is a big cowhide drum on the left side of the gate.
The entire county government office is composed of three courtyards. The first entrance is the lobby, the left and right are the side rooms where officials work, the second entrance is where the meetings are held, and the backyard is the county official's inner residence.
At this time, the county government compound was dark. Except for the concierge, there was no one in the county government office.
"What's going on?" The fat man couldn't laugh or cry.
"The door is closed and you are showing off your authority." Nanfeng curled his lips and sneered. Officials who came from other places to take up posts were often squeezed by their resident government officials. To put it bluntly, they were bullying students.
"Did something happen?" The fat man felt guilty.
Nanfeng shook his head, "No, just to undermine our prestige."
"What should we do now?" The fat man asked for advice.
Nanfeng thought for a while and asked, "Do you want to solve it as soon as possible or do you want to ease it?"
"What do you think?" The fat man had no idea.
Nanfeng didn't answer and walked quickly to the north lobby. The door of the lobby was open at this time. He went straight into the lobby and came to the official platform where the county magistrate went to the court to ask questions. There was a yellow cloth package on the wooden platform. He opened it. Then there is an official seal inside.
Nanfeng took the official seal and a mighty stick. After coming out, he took the fat man with him and asked about the county magistrate's residence along the way. He searched all the way until he came to the county magistrate's hospital and kicked in the door.
A servant came to stop him, but was kicked down by Nanfeng. At this time, two middle-aged men were sitting in the main hall. Hearing something strange in the courtyard, they left their seats and went out to check what happened.
"Who are you?" One of the men in brocade clothes asked loudly.
Nanfeng didn't answer, pushed the two of them away and strode into the house. After entering the house, he showed his official seal and shouted to the fat man outside, "Mr. Ji, the stolen official seal has been found!"
At this time, not only the two middle-aged men were confused, but also the fat man. He was stunned and did not answer.
"Who is the owner of this place?" Nanfeng asked loudly.
"This is my official residence, who are you?" the man in brocade clothes asked loudly.
Nanfeng didn't answer. He took a step forward and swung his mighty stick to knock down the man in brocade clothes. "Stealing the official seal is a serious crime."
The stick hit the head, knocking the man in brocade to the ground and convulsing.
Nan Feng turned to look at the frightened middle-aged man beside him, "Who are you?"
"Young Wang Zhongsu is the tax collector of this county." The middle-aged man was so frightened that he trembled all over.
Nanfeng nodded and pointed at the fat man in the courtyard, "This is the newly appointed Lord Ji. You are here. Did I bring this official seal, or is it originally in this room?"
The tax collectors already understood what was going on. They really wanted to frustrate the new officials so that they could exploit power and make money in the future. However, they never expected that the newly appointed magistrate would bring such a fierce retinue.
"Huh?" Nan Feng glared.
The tax collector trembled in fright and fell to his knees, "Sir, the official seal was found in his room."
"Yes." Nanfeng nodded, threw away his stick, turned around and walked south, "Sir, I think this man is very loyal and can hold a big position. Can he take over the post of county magistrate?"
"This is a small matter, you can take care of it." The fat man responded casually.
"Wang Xiancheng, call all the officials to rush to the county government office. Lord Ji is going to court to investigate the case." Nanfeng pulled the fat man and turned around and went out.
"I've offended so many people when I first came here. I'm afraid my life will not be easy in the future." The fat man was worried.
Nanfeng snorted coldly, "I'm not afraid of offending my people, and I'm not afraid of offending him either..."