Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 549 Dragon Qi
Without mentioning that Feng Cheng, Xiong Tinglin and others were familiar with the government orders in Liangshan County, it was only said that Zhao Zhen no longer worried about it after handing them over to Wang Gongren. Although there were still Feng Cheng and the other five who had not surrendered, Zhao Zhen did not take it to heart. This matter had to be done willingly by oneself, so as to avoid complaints in the heart, and fooling around in the future, which would damage Zhao Zhen's reputation.

Nowadays, all the counties in the prefectures are governed by the prefects themselves. Although the other four people, namely the county magistrate, the county magistrate, the chief clerk and the county lieutenant, are not fully staffed, one or two of them have been deployed to take charge of the affairs.

For example, in Ju County, there were four people in the county. After Mrs. Lu became the county magistrate, the former magistrate Zhao Shuhuai was transferred to be the magistrate of Jiaoxi. Another example is that Zhao Zhen held imperial examinations to recruit scholars. Although the top three in the imperial examination did not have great abilities, they became county chief clerks. The first place, Li Qiwen, even became the magistrate of Boxing County.

For the officials who stayed in office, as well as newcomers like Li Qiwen, they were all the key places for inspection by the prefectures. Especially for those who stayed in office, as long as they were not extremely angry with the people, they were transferred to other places and temporarily appointed to a half-official position to maintain the operation of the county government. There was no rush to appoint a county lieutenant, and the work of catching thieves was temporarily performed by a militia envoy appointed by each state. After all, in addition to commanding the patrol soldiers from the three cities to the first battalion, the county lieutenant also had doormen, jailers, grooms, constables, sedan chair bearers, lamplighters, storekeepers, warehousemen and various other yamen runners.

Zhao Zhen has issued an order that all prefectures and cities should recommend talented and virtuous people, and all of them, together with those who have been recommended by the prefectures and cities, should meet in Liangshan County in June. Then they will be assigned to various posts without having to go to their hometowns.

Now the situation is very good, those who were reluctant to take office before now began to contact the prefecture, and many of them donated grain and treasures. Many scholars and candidates from various prefectures and counties applied for prefecture and county official positions, and many people flocked to Liangshan County to buy property.

After Zhao Zhen was appointed as the pacification envoy, he spread the word that he would hold another imperial examination to select talented and virtuous people for official posts. People from nearby prefectures had already rushed to Liangshan to wait.

That day, Shi Qian returned to Liangshan and reported the letter of surrender in Bianjing to Zhao Zhen. Zhao Zhen only ordered the scouts to focus on the situation in Lingzhou and did not intend to ask about it.

Wu Yong asked, "Brother Shi Qian, is there anything new in Bianjing?"

Shi Qian said, "The day I arrived in the capital, I heard rumors in the streets: On the 11th day of the fifth month, Taibai appeared in the daytime. People all say that when Taibai appears in the daytime across the sky, a strong country will become weak, and a weak country will become strong. If Taibai loses its balance and the sky changes, there will be a turmoil on all sides, and if nothing is done, the barbarians will invade. The world will be in chaos, the government will change, the king will change, the people will flee, abandon their children, and leave their hometowns."

"It just so happened that Fang La proclaimed himself a country, changed the reign title to the first year of Yongle, and called himself the Holy Lord. As a result, the officials in Bianjing were all discussing Fang La in Jiangnan."

Wu Yong frowned and said, "Fang La is so bold. He is the number one of the four great bandits in the world. If this is the case, I'm afraid the court will send troops to attack him now. Have you heard what the court will do?"

Shi Qian said, "I only heard that a part of the imperial army in the capital was dispatched to follow Tan Zhen, the governor of Liangzhe, and was ordered to lead the army to the expedition. A part of the western army was also dispatched to the south, but I didn't find out who led the army."

Wu Yong said: "Sir, it seems that the court will still use gentleness and appeasement to treat us. Although there are personnel changes in Zizhou, Qizhou, and Xingren Prefecture, it is just to prevent unexpected events."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Now it seems that we have to thank Fang La for taking power in Jiannian, otherwise, I'm afraid these three places will definitely cause trouble. We can take this opportunity to stabilize the local areas."

"Husband, perhaps we can go a step further." Wu Yong said after thinking for a moment.

"How can we go further?" Zhao Zhen asked.

"Sir, Liangshan Prefecture has been operating for a long time. Now there are nearly 200,000 households and more than 800,000 people. It has the largest population among the eight prefectures and the most loyal people. As a ruling center, it is in a remote corner. Why not find a reason to annex Puzhou and Jeju in the south? In this way, Liangshan will have a shelter in the south and will not be directly attacked by others."

Zhao Zhen frowned and said, "I'm afraid it's not a good idea to take action. If we start a war without any reason, the current peaceful situation between the two sides may not be able to be maintained. After all, it will take some time for the various states to get things in order."

Liu Hui Niang said, "Sir, I think what the military advisor said makes sense. Apart from anything else, the south side of Liangshan County is the border of Puzhou Juancheng. Once someone leads troops to attack Liangshan County, regardless of victory or defeat, it will be a big blow to the morale of the soldiers."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "If there is a reason, then of course it's fine. I'm just afraid that if I make any move here, Ji Anbang of Xingren Prefecture will raise troops to stop me."

"Don't worry, sir. I plan to go to Puzhou and Jizhou in disguise with Brother Fan Rui to see if there is any opportunity. If it is convenient, the army will be divided into three groups and take the three counties in one go. By then, the rice will be cooked and there is no need to worry about Xingren Prefecture sending troops. Jizhou is separated by the Guangji Army, and distant water cannot save nearby fire. What is worrying is that there is no reason to send troops."

Zhao Zhen thought about it and wondered if he could wait until he reached the border after reaching the third level, then he could take the opportunity to attack the surrounding prefectures and counties, set a date, and materialize the fantasy world.

Zhao Zhen had an idea in mind and said, "This is a risky matter after all, so don't force it. If there is no chance, we have to wait for the right time. We must not be labeled as a traitor and provoke the court to raise troops to attack. For now, we should focus on stability. I remember that the four captains of the Yongyi Battalion of the Infantry, Zhang Chi, Ba Zeng, Ji Guang, and Lu Duo, are from Juye, Jeju. Let them go with us so that they can take care of us."

Wu Yong listened and nodded. Wu Yong, Fan Rui and others went to Puzhou to inquire about the news.

Just now, Baishi Manor welcomed another group of people, who were Li Jun who came home to visit his relatives.

When Li Jun left Qingzhou, he felt that he had betrayed Song Jiang and was ashamed to see him. Secondly, he felt that he was alone and had no one to help him. He could not survive on his own. So he planned to return to his hometown in Jieyang Town to recruit brothers.

Li Jun returned to his hometown, relying on his past reputation and the name of Zhao Zhen, and recruited a group of young brothers who used to be his companions on the river. Although these people were not very skilled in martial arts, they were very good at sailing. After a meal, everyone responded.

In addition to Li Jun's uncle [Sea Dragon Horse] Li Fu's two apprentices [Water Rhino] Zhu Xiaoba, [Diving Kun] Yu Gui, there are three others, one called [Golden Carp] Shi Quan, one called [Sea Ghost] Hu Yong, and the other one [Oil Stick] Wang Er.

Together with Li Fu, they escorted their families all the way to Liangshan Prefecture.

After greeting, Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Brother Li Jun, we are finally able to meet today. Brother, you are so kind and have saved Qingzhou from a naval battle. I have already mobilized ships, sailors, and soldiers to form a naval battalion, named [River Patrol Battalion], and we are just waiting for you to take up your post."

Li Jun bowed and said, "I was ignorant and didn't like the way the government worked, so I failed your kindness. Now that I can serve you again, I will serve you wholeheartedly in the future."

world log
The hero is born with dragon spirit, and he is very powerful in troubled times.

In June, Li Jun pledged his loyalty and obtained a wisp of dragon energy.

Dragon Qi: A snake in the grass may appear like a gray line, but its veins may be hidden for thousands of miles. Once it gains power, it may turn into a dragon.

As he spoke, he introduced Li Fu and the other six people.

Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "Other naval forces have their own captains to help them. Now that we have this group of brothers, the [River Patrol Camp] is no worse than other places. Mr. Li is old, and it is not good for him to join the army to work hard. If you can't stay idle, how about being a naval instructor in Liangshan?"

After hearing this, Li Fu quickly stood up and thanked him.

Everyone was happy to see that Zhao Zhen, despite being in a high position, was still so humble and valued loyalty.

Everyone followed Li Jun here, feeling uneasy. However, Fang La in Jiangnan was now powerful, and the government was imposing heavy taxes. A new man named Zhang Kui came to Jieyang Town, colluding with Ma Xiong, the Black Evil God, and Ma Ying, the clerk of Jiangzhou Yamen, to dominate Jieyang Town and control the business in the river, not allowing others to interfere. Everyone was really struggling, so they made up their minds to leave their hometown and rush to Liangshan.

At that moment, Zhao Zhen held a banquet to entertain Li Jun and his group.

During the dinner, they inevitably talked about how Mu Hong and Mu Chun were poisoned by Song Qing. Li Jun burst into tears after hearing this: "There were four of us waiting for half a year, and now I'm the only one left. If I had known this would happen, I would have regretted it."

Zhao Zhen consoled him, and Li Jun stopped crying. He asked, "Sir, where are the two brothers buried? I must pay tribute to them."

Zhao Zhen then told him that the two men's bodies were cremated, and Song Jiang took away a jar of bones for burial, while the rest were buried on Fufu Mountain, two miles southeast of Linqu County.

After hearing this, Li Jun insisted on going to pay tribute, so Zhao Zhen had no choice but to agree.

(End of this chapter)