Dinghai County was originally known as Wanghai County.
Haiding can only be Boning, and its implication for Ningbo House is self-evident.
But today's Dinghai County has changed from the prosperity of the previous dynasty, but it appears to be very depressed.
Xue Tingxiang and his party went south to Zhejiang from Tongzhou via the Canal, and stayed in Shaoxing for a while before changing boats and heading for Dinghai. When we arrived in Dinghai County, there were still a few days before the March period, which was neither too early nor too late.
The current county officials are reassigned, and the former county officials can leave after the officials of both sides hand over the seal. When Xue Tingxiang and his party arrived at the place, Hu San originally said that he ordered someone to go to the county government first to notify, but Xue Tingxiang stopped him.
The group walked and walked, enjoying the scenery of this unfamiliar place along the road. After walking for three or four days, they arrived at Dinghai County.
Dinghai is a large county, with ten townships and ninety-six li under its jurisdiction, with more than 30,000 households and hundreds of thousands of people.
The local people make a living by fishing and farming. There are four salt farms in Dinghai. The salt produced in Guangdinghai county accounts for nearly 40% of the entire Ningbo prefecture.
Of course, this is only superficial. In fact, since the establishment of the Dachang Dynasty, the imperial court has ordered several times to move inland. First, the people near the Zhoushan Islands were forcibly moved to the mainland, and then in the 25th year of Chengtian, they moved inland for 50 miles. Today, there are no fishing boats in the coastal area, and even the salt pans have been forced to stop at two places.
Along this journey, I saw that most of the common people were doing nothing, some in ragged clothes and sackcloth and linen, while others were well-dressed people who did not go to the city.
Even Zhao'er can see some clues, and there are inevitably some people in the market who carry swords with them, and it is not good at first glance.
If you want to know the folk customs, it is useless to go directly to the county government, you have to go deep into the people.
This suggestion was the suggestion of Bao Yixing, the master of Qianliang invited by Xue Tingxiang in Shaoxing before. Xue Tingxiang also listened to his words, listened more and read more along the way, and was not in a hurry to go to the county office to hand over.
Looking at it this way, it is indeed very rewarding. After all, whether in dreams or in reality, Xue Tingxiang has never been to Zhejiang.
To Zhejiang, to Dinghai County, and even to those smuggling maritime merchants, he just listened to what others said. Even in that dream, he had received many benefits from these people, but he only saw silver, but he did not know what was in it.
Now that he was born as an official of his parents, Emperor Jiacheng must have a deep meaning when he threw him into such a place without saying a word. And this deep meaning has to be solved by Xue Tingxiang himself, in order to cut a bloody path from the embattled.
As for the master Bao Yixing, Xue Tingxiang specially invited him to Shaoxing.
Shaoxing is famous for its outstanding people. There are many local masters who are active in the local officialdom. Visible.
In that dream, Xue Tingxiang suffered the hardship of being a newcomer and single-handedly, and he would definitely not make the same mistake again.
So before coming to Dinghai County, I went to Shaoxing. It wasn't because I was not afraid. Anyway, no one expected him to go to Shaoxing. And the world is all for profit, as long as you can afford a big price and promise a good future, there are enough vassals to flock here.
In terms of silver, Xue Tingxiang is not short of it. As for the name, just the six yuan and the second of the world's first experience is enough to attract many people.
So don't look at Bao Yixing standing here at this time, in fact, he can come to Xue Tingxiang's side, or he has to go through a lot of fighting before he can win the title of Qianliang Master, the magistrate of Dinghai County.
There is also a famous criminal master named Hou Wanqian, who is also a talented person in Shaoxing. Now that these two masters have just arrived, they are also fighting fiercely. They don't seem to be showing off the scenery. In fact, in order to snatch the first person by Xue Tingxiang's side, the two have already fought for several rounds.
Xue Tingxiang probably knew all of this. As for Zhao'er, I saw that this fat master appeared today, and tomorrow was the thin master.
In order to win the appreciation of the new owner, these two masters have spent a lot of effort, ranging from the past to the past, to the local people's livelihood, and various current affairs.
Anyway, let Zhao'er see that this month's 22 taels of silver is worth it.
Yes, these two masters were invited at a high price. The price is higher than that of the magistrate Xue Tingxiang. You must know that he, a seventh-rank imperial court official, is not as good as these two masters when his monthly salary is converted.
"Ordinary people can carry swords and swords at will, so is there no government control?" Zhao'er asked in surprise.
Bao Yixing explained: "My wife doesn't know something. This place is different from the mainland. From time to time, there are pirates harassing the border. They carry swords for self-protection, and there is no official government to take care of them."
"Pirate harassment?" This was Zhao'er's first time hearing about the pirate, and he couldn't help but be surprised. She looked at Bao Yixing, and then at Xue Tingxiang.
Xue Tingxiang glared at Bao Yixing secretly before saying to Zhao'er, "Don't listen to him, this is just an isolated phenomenon. In broad daylight, how can there be so many pirates..."
Before he could say this, he heard a commotion in the crowd.
"The Japanese pirates are here, run away..."
With their dull faces, they saw that the shops behind them all closed, and some small vendors picked up important things on the stalls, and Sa Yazi ran away.
In an instant, the people on the street disappeared without a trace, leaving only the messy ground and the shaky pretense, telling that there were still many people here before.
"Everyone has run away, shall we run too?" Zhao'er said, reaching out to drag Xue Tingxiang.
But it was already late, and I heard the sound of horses' hooves, along with some strange shouts, galloping from a distance.
These people are dressed in strange clothes, most of them have disheveled hair and can't see their faces clearly. They are wearing strange clothes and shoes made of wood. The weapons in their hands were all kinds, including swords and sticks, and a few kitchen knives that were probably stolen from some household.
Only the two leading horses were holding sharp and slender Japanese swords.
Done! Zhao'er thought to herself, subconsciously pinched Hong'er in his arms, and then stretched out his hand to pull Xue Tingxiang to his side.
On this street, they were the only team that stood out.
There were more than ten people in the group, the old and the young, as well as a dog and a few girls. Zhao'er saw those people stop and looked over with terrifying eyes.
"There's a flower girl here..." The group of people, who I don't know who, said in a strange accent.
Bao Yixing's legs went weak with fright.
Shaoxing and Ningbo are adjacent to each other. On weekdays, I only heard that there are pirates coming ashore from time to time to harass them. Who would have thought that it would be so unlucky. As soon as I got there, I came across this.
However, he also knew that it was too late to run, so he could only take courage and stepped forward: "If you are interested, hurry up and leave, do you know who my master is?"
The people on the other side laughed. These people's laughter is also different from ordinary people, all kinds of extremely unpleasant, some are like old owls, some are like night owls crying. Zhao'er was afraid of scaring her son, so she hurriedly reached out to cover his ears.
Besides, Hong'er didn't let her hide it. She pulled her mother's hand, only showing a pair of big eyes, and looked at those strange people with energy.
After laughing, someone said in a weird tone: "Then do you know who we are? You are quite brave. I think you are quite fat. If you kill it and use it for stew, you will definitely be full."
Bao Yixing's face turned pale, and there were several female relatives such as Zhao'er. As for Hu San, they stared at these people eagerly. Except for Hu San, the other attendants were also a little timid, but they knew that they would not be able to solve the problem now.
Only Xue Tingyan didn't seem to hear these words and didn't look at them. Instead, he looked at the street not far away and muttered why he hadn't come yet.
His anomaly was naturally seen by those on the opposite side, and one of them couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at?"
This man could speak Chinese, but as soon as he spoke, he was glared at by the leading man.
Soon they knew what Xue Tingxiang was looking at.
At the intersection of the street, a man in the official uniform of Luqibuzi came hurriedly.
This person is Liu Bichang, the magistrate of Dingyuan County, and behind him are the yamen of the brigade, almost thirty-four people.
Liu Bichang ran out of breath, and when he stood still, he glared at the pirates, and said, "Xue Zhixian, this official is late, and you are frightened."
At the same time, the yamen behind him were furious and devastated: "Don't beat me! These people dare to disturb Mr. Xue, and they will be executed after they are caught."
Following his scolding, the yamen shouted "kill", pulled out the big swords around their waists, and charged towards the Japanese pirates.
The two sides fought in one place, and the fight was inexorable.
A Japanese man fell heavily on the stall on the side of the road, making a huge bang, and he shouted: "I'm hurt!"
At the same time, there were many others who shouted like this. The leading Japanese pirate glanced at the officers and soldiers, and ordered, "Withdraw!"
Then the group of Japanese pirates quickly withdrew.
The yamen in Dingyuan County chased after him for a long distance, until Xue Tingxiang and Liu Bichang both politely went back and forth a few times, and then someone came back and said: "My lord, those Japanese pirates are so cunning, they actually hid their horses outside the city, and their subordinates are so cunning. Incompetent, let them run away."
He was limping along with a few yamen officers behind him. He seemed to be badly injured. At first glance, he did his best.
Liu Bichang sighed: "Well, you all have worked hard. It's not that you are incompetent, it's just that Japanese pirates come and go like the wind. After that, I will report this to the Dinghai Guard and let them send troops to kill these people."
After a long sigh, he said to Xue Tingyan: "Master Xue, come back to the yamen with me, this time you are frightened, I have to set up a table to catch the wind and dust for you."
Xue Tingxiang winked at Hu San and asked him to protect Zhao's mother and son, and then took the lead in following Liu Bichang all the way to the county office.
Dinghai County Yamen is not far from here, the two talked while walking.
Xue Tingxiang asked: "Master Liu, does this happen often here? I saw that they just entered a no-man's land, and the people's avoidance can see that this is not the first time they have experienced this, you must know that this is Dinghai County. , not the small towns below."
Liu Bichang sighed and said: "Master Xue, you don't know, these people are just robbing things, and generally they won't hurt anyone. Because Dingyuan County is adjacent to the sea, it is inevitable that some pirates who can't make a living come ashore to snatch one. Fan. Speaking of which, this official is also a magistrate of the county, but unfortunately the county government has limited troops and is really stretched."
"Oh, so that's the case." Xue Tingyan's eyes flashed, but he didn't ask any more questions.
Afterwards, Liu Bichang briefly introduced the local affairs and other matters to him. Halfway through the conversation, we arrived at Dinghai County Government Office.
This county ya is no different from the general county ya. It may be because it is located in the coastal area, and inevitably there are typhoons and tsunamis. Therefore, this county ya is very strong, and you can see that a lot of effort has been put into it.
There is a screen wall in front of the county government office, and behind the screen is the archway. The eight-character wall is used to post some official documents such as notices and bulletins, and the so-called eight-character yamen comes from this.
Going further inside is the Yimen, the center is the main door, and the two sides are the corner doors. Behind the Yimen is the largest courtyard in the county government. A small pavilion is erected in the courtyard, named 'Jieshi Pavilion', on which is engraved 'Erban Erlu, the people anoint the people's fat, the people are easy to abuse, the heaven Difficult to bully' sixteen characters.
Under the stone tablet, there is a corridor to the north. When you reach the platform, the court where the county magistrate handles the case is on the platform.
After the court, there are two halls and three halls, and on both sides are the offices of the sixth office of the county government office, as well as the Ma Ke, the Chengfa room, and the shop chief department. As for the three halls, the inner government is the place where the magistrate lives. The residences of officials such as county magistrates and registrars are also here, usually attached to the left and right sides.
Liu Bichang welcomed Xue Tingxiang to Santang, where a sumptuous table of wine and dishes had already been prepared.
The Dingyuan county magistrate, the chief clerk and other officials were all accompanied on the left and right sides. Except for Bao Yixing's two masters and Hu San, Zhao'er and others had been taken to the inner ya for placement.
After some food and drinks, Xue Tingxiang had already made up with these people.
He drank a lot of wine, and Sven's face was flushed. Seeing this, Liu Bichang couldn't persuade him any more, and ordered someone to help him to the inner ya for resettlement. As for the handover of the Great Seal, we can only wait for tomorrow.
After Xue Tingxiang left, Liu Bichang's face turned gloomy.
"These people don't know how to do things. When the new magistrate took office, the trouble was so loud that it took a lot of words for this official to perfunctory him."
The county magistrate said with a bitter face: "Sir, this matter is not under our control. Who would have known that Xue suddenly made such a scene, and he ordered someone to come to deliver the letter after he arrived at the county seat."
"Yeah, we're not ready at all."
Liu Bichang glanced at these people: "You can handle this matter for yourself. Anyway, after tomorrow, this official will leave here. As for whether the sky in Dinghai County will be sunny or cloudy, whether it will collapse or sink, it will all depend on this official. It doesn't matter."
The following people looked at each other in dismay, and backed away silently.