Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

What he really meant by saying that was implying that there was some unconventional way to resolve the matter in a way that would satisfy both of us.

Zheng Jie understood this implication and wanted to say something, but noticing Meng Changqing beside him, he changed his mind and said, "I don't have any good ideas for the time being. General Song, why don't you share your thoughts?"

“This entire Hongjia County, from top to bottom, should learn a lesson.” Song Qingfeng first stated his position, then turned slightly toward Meng Changqing and said, “It is all thanks to Magistrate Meng’s timely report that a major disaster was averted.”

Although some things are embarrassing to say, they still have to be said. Song Qingfeng gestured for Zheng Jie to take a few more steps to the side, mainly to avoid Meng Changqing. "Prefect Zheng, I have a request to discuss with you. Although the mistake is obvious, it hasn't caused any major disaster. So, is it unnecessary to explain it to the court?"

Zheng Jie did not express his opinion, but instead said, "If you and I don't say anything, will the court not know?" He looked at Meng Changqing, and Song Qingfeng naturally understood what he meant.

Song Qingfeng said, "Magistrate Meng is a reasonable person; we can discuss this with him."

Even though Meng Changqing didn't follow them, she had excellent hearing and still heard what the two were saying.

If you ask Meng Changqing what she thinks, she's just watching the show.

She doesn't necessarily need the imperial court to know about this. What would the court do if they did find out? Who knows what kind of mess the proposed solution would be made and passed down to the lower levels.

For Meng Changqing, she had no grudge against these guards and didn't necessarily want to deal with them; she just wanted a good outcome.

In this era, even if the procedure is just, the outcome is not always satisfactory.

"General Song, Prefect Zheng, the most important thing right now is to get the vacant guards back in position as soon as possible," Meng Changqing said.

“Magistrate Meng is right,” Song Qingfeng said to Zhao Chuan, who was kneeling on the ground. “Should I go and invite them one by one?”

"No, no, no, this subordinate will take care of it right away." Zhao Chuan personally handled the matter, while Wang Shancai, who was directly in charge of the city wall's border defense, remained kneeling.

Song Qingfeng took two steps forward and stood in front of Wang Shancai. "What's your name?"

“Wang Shancai is a petty scoundrel.”

"Wang Shancai," Song Qingfeng said sarcastically, "should I say you're audacious, or that you're brainless, or that you're a spy from an enemy country..."

Wang Shan quickly denied it.

"I'm convicting you of dereliction of duty, do you admit it?" Even when convicting someone, Song Qingfeng still spoke in a conciliatory tone.

"I admit it, I was confused for a moment. I loosened my grip and told them they didn't have to strictly adhere to the rules and could relax a bit, but I didn't expect them to dare to be so presumptuous." Wang Shan then shifted the blame downwards. He was wrong, but his subordinates were even more wrong.

In the short time that followed, Zhao Chuan had already urged people to go up the wall to stand guard.

When the guards passed by Song Qingfeng and his companions, their expressions were very varied, showing guilt, embarrassment, and fear.

With most people in place, Zhao Chuan bowed his head and stood next to Song Qingfeng, displaying a very good attitude of admitting guilt and accepting punishment.

Song Qingfeng berated Zhao Chuan and Wang Shancai, and then gave them their punishment: "All the soldiers guarding the border of Hongjia County will have one year's salary deducted. Zhao Chuan and Wang Shancai, you will each receive ten strokes of the cane. Go and receive your punishment."

Such punishment was acceptable to Wang Shancai and Zhao Chuan. At least they wouldn't lose their heads or go to jail. However, they would not receive their pay for a year, but they would still have to collect the ten lashes themselves. They could just pretend to be recovering from their injuries.

It's just a bit embarrassing on the surface, but it doesn't actually harm their interests. Even without military pay, they still receive tributes from others.

But these garrison soldiers, if they aren't paid, they really have no income. "General, I have something to say."

“Magistrate Meng, please speak freely.”

Meng Changqing didn't believe his nonsense and lowered his voice to say, "In my opinion, soldiers without pay should not be sent to guard the border. If Your Excellency wants to punish the guards for this, then you should replace them with a different batch of guards."

“What Magistrate Meng said is true.” These were Zheng Jie’s words. “The border is not like other places. If they don’t understand, the consequences will be something we can’t bear.”

“Indeed. Although Hongjia Camp is under the jurisdiction of Weishan Camp, it is not easy to handle such a sudden change of so many people.” Song Qingfeng was obviously in a dilemma. “Moreover, such a complete change of personnel must be recorded for reasons, and the records cannot be falsified.”

Song Qingfeng changed his tone and continued, "Although these people have made mistakes, they are willing to admit them, so it is still necessary to give them a chance to correct them. Prefect Zheng, don't you think?"

Before Zheng Jie could express his opinion, Zhao Chuan, who was standing to the side, quickly stated, "We will definitely change. I will personally supervise them and make sure they don't slack off again."

Zheng Jie looked at Meng Changqing, "What is Magistrate Meng's opinion?"

"Military defense is ultimately General Song's responsibility. Outsiders can only offer suggestions, but the final decision rests with General Song himself." Meng Changqing continued, "If we don't replace him, it's not appropriate to withhold military pay for a year."

Song Qingfeng nodded, "Since Magistrate Meng thinks it's too serious, then let's change it to one month." He spoke as if he took Meng Changqing seriously, "I believe they've learned their lesson this time and will certainly not dare to do it again. What do you think, Prefect Zheng?"

Before Zheng Jie could even finish reading, Meng Changqing, as if possessed by a drama queen, suddenly realized his own position and felt that he shouldn't interfere in the affairs of other counties. He immediately wanted to leave, saying that he had abandoned his official duties in Beishan County to stay here for most of the day, which had delayed many things, and he had to hurry back.

Without waiting for their permission, he took his men and left.

Song Qingfeng was caught off guard by Meng Changqing's move, who simply dumped the two of them there and ran away.

Although there's nothing wrong with him, it was actually a bit awkward for him to face Zheng Jie without Meng Changqing intervening.

I never expected to lose so much face in front of the new prefect, especially such a lewd one.

Even in the torchlight, Prefect Zheng looked exceptionally charming.

"I'm sorry you had to see this." In front of Zheng Jie, Song Qingfeng adopted a humble attitude. "In the end, it's my fault for being careless. I knew that Lord Hua had retired to his hometown and that Hongjia County had been leaderless for some time, but I didn't make a special trip to inspect it."

In truth, it was only because there hadn't been any enemy attacks for several years that these soldiers had let their guard down; otherwise, they would never have acted this way just because their commanding officer was absent.

Song Qingfeng is about to give a summary.

Zheng Jie said, "It's a good thing that there hasn't been a war for several years, but since they are the defenders, they shouldn't distinguish between wartime and peacetime."

This is not only General Song's responsibility; I also know that the magistrate of Hongjia County is not here.

Fortunately, it can still be salvaged.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingfeng thought that Zheng Jie was quite sensible and thought the same way as him. However, Zheng Jie then said, "I am too young. Perhaps if someone else were in charge, these people would not dare to be so outrageous."

Zheng Jie hadn't said much before, mostly just listening, but now that he fully understood the situation, he finally spoke.

However, his opening rebuke was, "What kind of place is this? Who are you people? With what you've done, do you even deserve to be called a garrison? Do you even deserve to be called sons? Disregarding national security, disregarding the millions of people behind you, what are you trying to do? Are you going to invite the Yan army to invade? Are you going to let these millions of people die under your iron hooves?!" (End of Chapter)