The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 99 The Magistrate Who Was Doing Nothing

Upon hearing Zhao Sheng's suggestion, Deng Yang's eyes widened in surprise, and he was incredibly excited.

With money coming in and "victorious battles" at the same time, it's like getting promoted and making a fortune at the same time!

Deng Yang had been working in Kulong Pass for almost ten years, and he knew very well that if he wanted to get promoted, having a lot of people to kill wasn't enough.

If he didn't bribe his superiors, he'd probably be stuck as a garrison commander in this desolate wilderness for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, the mountain tiger only dared to prey on the poor, as there was no profit to be made from it.

He could only worry.

Who wouldn't be envious of those nouveau riche, officials, and wealthy families who are rolling in money?

Even if Deng Yang had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to openly rob someone.

Those are all influential figures. If he were to be recognized by accident and the matter were reported to higher authorities, he would lose his head!

Now that a group of ruthless bandits from Shaanxi are leading the charge, he's happy to see it happen.

But Deng Yang still had some concerns, so he lowered his voice and asked:
"That's true, but when the fighting starts, won't we need to report off heads as a reward?"

"Those officials who verify merits are very shrewd; you can't fool them with just words!"

Zhao Sheng smiled slightly and explained:
"General Deng is overthinking it! We have plenty of heads!"

He pointed to the human head on the ground, then gestured towards the door with his chin:

"Don't forget, besides the Mountain Tiger, aren't there seven or eight hundred bandits on Stone Tower Mountain?"

"Don't worry, the heads of these people have all been cut off and carefully preserved with lime. They're currently in the cellar, so they won't rot anytime soon!"

"When the general needs as many heads as he wants, just send someone to collect them!"

Hearing that Zhao Shenglian had even prepared the heads of those who had contributed to the victory, Deng Yang's last bit of worry vanished.

He nodded and made the decision:
"Okay! Let's do it!"

Looking at Zhao Sheng in front of him, Deng Yang found him more and more pleasing to the eye, and took the initiative to say:

"I know He Lei from Guangwu Village well too!"

"In that case, I'll immediately send a trusted bodyguard to accompany you!"

Zhao Sheng was overjoyed to hear this, as it would save him a lot of trouble.

Sure enough, with Deng Yang's introduction and a generous sum of money to pave the way, He Lei, the garrison commander of Guangwu Village, became very easy to talk to.

This guy was even more direct than Deng Yang. His eyes lit up when he saw the silver, and he agreed without much hesitation.

He Lei even patted his chest and said that he would personally select the richest family in the area and guarantee that Zhao Sheng would not be disappointed.

Having dealt with the garrison commanders of Kulong Pass and Guangwu Village, Zhao Sheng set off without stopping for Shilou County.

According to the plan, he also had to visit the local official, Fang Huai'an, the magistrate of Shilou County.

Zhao Sheng had already heard about this Magistrate Fang from Zhao Jinzhong.

This person was from De'an, Jiangxi Province. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Wanli era. Logically speaking, he was a legitimate candidate for the imperial examination and had a promising future.

Unfortunately, Fang Huai'an was already over sixty years old when he passed the imperial examination and had little future to speak of, so the court sent him to the remote Shilou County.

After taking office, he felt hopeless about his future, so he simply ignored his official duties and lived a life of debauchery. He was a typical incompetent official who held a position without doing his job, was greedy for money and lustful.

Zhao Sheng was very polite and respectfully presented his visiting card, along with a generous gift. Sure enough, money paved the way, and he easily met Magistrate Fang in the flower hall of the county government's back residence.

The magistrate, Fang, reeked of alcohol in broad daylight, his face was pale, and his steps were unsteady; it was clear that he had been weakened by wine and women.

Zhao Sheng secretly despised him, but he still put on a smile and started chatting with Fang Huai'an.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhao Sheng was about to get down to business, but Fang Huai'an impatiently waved his hand, interrupting him:

"Alright, alright, I already know why you've come."

He leaned back lazily in his chair, looking at Zhao Sheng:

"I have only one request: you must not attack the county seat! Furthermore, you must not lay a hand on the officials of my Shilou County government or the families of officials within the city!"

"As for those country folk outside the city, or the estates of local tyrants and bullies, let them do whatever they want! I'm too lazy to care, and I can't care!"

This completely baffled Zhao Sheng!
He had prepared a whole host of arguments, thinking about how to coerce and entice, and how to outwit and outmaneuver this county magistrate!
Who would have thought the other party would be so easy to talk to? They agreed on the spot.

Seeing Zhao Sheng's bewildered expression, Fang Huai'an revealed a mocking smile:

"What's so strange about that?"

"It used to be Shangshanhu and his gang causing trouble, but now it's you bandits from Shaanxi who are causing it."

"What difference does it make to me?"

"Shilou County is located at the border of two prefectures, and it is neither loved nor cared for by its people. Our county was abandoned here and has been neglected ever since, just wasting its time."

He yawned, seemingly extremely sleepy.
"You want to get rich, but I don't care."

"As long as you don't offend me or make things difficult for me, I'll pretend nothing happened."

Zhao Sheng immediately realized what was happening and quickly climbed up the pole:

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency!"

"In that case, there is one more thing I would like to trouble Your Excellency with a small favor."

"What is it?" Fang Huai'an asked impatiently.

Zhao Sheng cupped his hands and said:
"We would appreciate it if Your Excellency could write a letter confirming that a major battle did indeed take place near Shilou Mountain some time ago."

"The fierce bandit Shangshanhu, who was entrenched in Shilou Mountain, encountered Jiang Han's Shaanxi rebels who had fled into the area, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle."

"Shangshanhu relied on the terrain to put up a stubborn resistance for several days. The rebel leader Jiang Han personally braved arrows and stones to lead his troops in a strong attack, but unfortunately, he was killed by a stray arrow in the chaos of battle!"

"Upon seeing their leader fall in battle, the remaining troops were thrown into chaos. Leaderless, they scattered and fled, their whereabouts unknown."

After listening, Fang Huai'an's cloudy eyes flashed with surprise, but he didn't ask any further questions.

As long as it doesn't affect his official position and enjoyment, what does it matter to him whether it's Jiang Han or Shangshan Hu who dies?
"Alright, it's no big deal."

Fang Huai'an nodded, walked to the desk, and hastily wrote a battle report according to Zhao Sheng's instructions. Then he took out a seal from the drawer and stamped it with a "snap".

After drying the ink, he casually handed the battle report to Zhao Sheng, waved to indicate that the guest should be seen out, and then staggered back to the inner courtyard to continue his life of debauchery.

Zhao Sheng carefully put the "death certificate" into his pocket, and then took his leave.

Things are progressing even more smoothly than he expected! The three parties—Kulong Pass, Guangwu Village, and the magistrate of Shilou County—have all been appeased!
On his way back, Zhao Sheng made a special detour to Guangwu Village.

The garrison commander He Lei was indeed a "warm-hearted" man. He had already found an excellent target for him and was just waiting for him to return and mobilize his troops so they could make a fortune together!

(End of this chapter)