Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 9 Ge Qiting

By simply executing three criminals, Yan Yi easily gained the gratitude and trust of the refugees.

These refugees originally planned to leave Wucheng, but now they changed their minds and prepared to settle down in Geqiting.

The bodies of the three convicted soldiers were moved to a field far from the official road and covered with linen, waiting for the county government to send someone to collect them. If their bodies were claimed by their families, they would be taken home and buried; if not, they would be taken to a wasteland near Shicheng Mountain and buried.

Except for the head that Si Qing took away, Yan Yi ordered the other two heads to be put in boxes and displayed in various township pavilions to serve as a warning to others.

As the cavalry drew closer to Geqi Pavilion, the farmlands on both sides of the official road began to increase. The fields connected like blocks of tofu, with paths crisscrossing and green fields flat, a scene brimming with vitality.

The farmland in Wucheng County is mainly used for growing rice, which is harvested twice a year. A small amount of wheat and corn is also planted, and some farmland even practices wheat and rice intercropping.

There are many captives and farm slaves in the fields. April is the sowing season, and with the influx of refugees from Danyang, these captives and farm slaves are not only working but also guarding the seedlings in the fields to prevent them from being trampled by the refugees.

"I never thought that Geqiting, with the smallest population, would have so much fertile land. It's truly a rich place!"

Yan Yi was riding on his horse, feeling deeply moved. No wonder Yan Baihu could support 10,000 soldiers with only one county. Wucheng was truly a farming and fishing area.

At this time, a five or six meter high stele appeared in front of us, which looked particularly abrupt among the surrounding rows of houses.

Huabiao is a sign to identify the path. In the countryside outside the city, Huabiao is usually only built in pavilions and houses for officials, travelers, and common people to identify.

We have arrived at Ge Qitingshe.

At this time, seven or eight carriages and baggage carts were parked in the open space to the left of the pavilion, with the Yan Mansion's mark on the wheels.

A servant of the Yan Mansion was sitting outside the pavilion gate, his chin resting on one hand, watching a group of ants fighting a caterpillar. When he heard the sound of horse hooves, he looked up and suddenly became excited, shouting, "Young Master is here!"

The shouts and the sound of approaching horse hooves immediately alarmed the people in the pavilion. A burst of hurried footsteps was heard, and more than 20 people walked out from the front and back yards of the pavilion, most of whom were servants of the Yan family.

Everyone lined up on the official road in front of the pavilion and waited.

The servants of the Yan Mansion stood on the left, and the headman Du Qiu stood on the right with several subordinates. More than twenty pairs of eyes were watching the horse team that raised a large cloud of dust.

Du Qiu was about seven feet tall, with an ordinary appearance, and was wearing a straight-hem shirt that was neither new nor worn.

Seeing the cavalry halt, he straightened his clothes and was about to step forward when a man suddenly stepped out from behind him. He sprinted to the front of the white horse, bowed and saluted, a hint of flattering smile on his plump, fair, round face. "Greetings, Young Master. Ever since I had the honor of witnessing your heroic presence years ago, I have often reminisced about you. Seeing you again today, you are even more impressive than before."

Yan Yi dismounted and looked at the short, fat man with a strong merchant aura in front of him: "Who are you?"

"I am Wang Mai, a minor official, and I am the assistant of Renfeng Township." Wang Mai's round eyes narrowed into slits due to his smile.

Like the pavilion, the township is a grassroots administrative unit under the county. However, the pavilion is responsible for catching thieves and maintaining public security, while the township is responsible for household registration. There is no subordinate relationship between the two.

The administrative area of ​​a township is larger than that of a pavilion. A township often includes two or three pavilions, or even more. Geqi Pavilion is within the geographical scope of Renfeng Township.

The manager of a township is the township official or the township official. A large township appoints an official, while a small township appoints an official. The former has a salary of 100 shi, while the latter is a minor official with a salary below 100 shi. The township assistant is the deputy of the official or the official, responsible for assisting in handling township affairs.

Yan Yi's eyes softened as he looked at Wang Mai. "Are you, Wang Xiangzuo, here to check the household registration of the refugees?" Wang Mai smiled and said, "Indeed, I arrived the day before yesterday. There are so many refugees coming from Danyang this time that I have to get up at cockcrow every day and it takes me until the second watch to finish the paperwork for the day."

Yan Yi nodded approvingly, exchanged a few words with Du Qiu who came to pay him a visit, and then walked towards the pavilion.

The pavilion has two entrances, front and back, with more than twenty rooms in total, and is quite large. The front yard is for several of Du Qiu's subordinates to live in, while the back yard is where Du Qiu himself lives. The post station is also located in the back yard.

Yan Yi walked slowly around the front yard and saw that the main room on the left was empty. There was nothing in it except a few paint-chipped low tables and three wooden boxes.

On both sides of the main hall are four simple side rooms. The north side room, close to the backyard wall, is a prison where criminals are imprisoned. At this moment, the prison door is half open and there is no one inside.

On the right side of the front yard is a stable, in which two skinny horses are leisurely eating grass. A chicken coop is separated on the wall next to the stable. On the wall of the school room to the left of the chicken coop, there are twenty or thirty yellowed portraits on paper.

Yan Yi watched very carefully, and Du Mai and others followed closely behind him, with nervous expressions on their faces.

"It seems that the security here is very good. With so many refugees pouring in, there is not a single criminal." Yan Yi paused at the gate of the An Prison with a meaningful smile on his face.

Wang Mai's bean-sized eyes flickered over Du Qiu. Du Qiu took two steps forward with an unnatural look on his face and whispered, "A few days ago, there were a few criminals, but their crimes were minor, so they were detained for a few days and then released."

Yan Yi stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly walked to the front of the school room and looked at the portraits with interest: "When did these criminals become wanted?"

Du Qiu said respectfully, "Last September, the commander-in-chief ordered the cancellation of the previous wanted notices. These are all wanted notices from last September to now."

"In just a few months, there are so many wanted criminals?" Yan Yi frowned. "Where are they from?"

Du Qiu's face turned bitter. "Most of them are from Wucheng, but there are also a few prisoners who were asked for help from the governors of Wu and Kuaiji."

Yan Yi's expression changed instantly. How terrible must the public security be in such a small city like Wucheng? Was someone going to rebel next?

He felt the collapse of the world firsthand. In the original owner's memory, the pavilion used to post wanted notices from all over the country, but now there were only wanted notices from Wucheng County, as well as Wujun and Kuaiji, which had close contacts with Yan Baihu.

It's really a case of everyone going their own way.

"Among these criminal husbands, are there any who are particularly famous or talented?" Yan Yi asked again.

Du Qiu thought for a moment and shook his head, "No. However, last year, Sheng Xian, a renowned scholar in Jiangdong, was wanted by the Xu County Magistrate. The wanted notice was only posted for half a day before the commander-in-chief ordered it removed. This incident had a huge impact at the time, and I still remember it vividly."

"Sheng Xian." Yan Yi repeated the name silently several times in his mind and looked away.

He had read the comments about this person in Yuedanping and knew that he was a very influential person in Jiangdong and the former prefect of Wujun. If he had not resigned due to illness, Xu Gong would not have been able to take the position of prefect of Wujun.

I just don’t know what kind of conflict these two people have that has escalated to the point where they are wanted.

Yan Yi was secretly curious. He touched his hungry belly and suddenly smelled the aroma of meat coming from the backyard.

(End of this chapter)