The Ming Dynasty: Starting with bandits, it swept across the land.

Zhou Dezhao was from Wuchang Prefecture. Wuchang is located on the Yangtze River and controls the Han River. It is a hub for water transport to Sichuan and the south of the Yangtze River, and on land it is a hub connecting the southwest and the central plains. It is a place with great commerce.

Zhou Kai, the father, initially made a living selling silk, and later opened a weaving workshop. Because of his good business acumen, the family became very wealthy.

By the time Zhou Dezhao was born, the family was no longer short of money, and Zhou Kai hoped that a scholar would become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) to bring honor to the family.

Zhou Dezhao was intelligent from a young age, so his father spent a lot of money to hire famous teachers to teach him carefully.

In the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, he passed the imperial examination and ranked fifth in the second class. Chen Weixin, who later died for his country, and Li Ruolin, who surrendered to the Qing dynasty, were his classmates.

When the news of the results reached their hometown of Wuchang, Zhou Dezhao's father hosted a ten-day lavish feast, where anyone who came and went could eat and drink. The entire neighborhood knew that the Zhou family had produced a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

The fifth place in the second class is indeed something to be proud of, and ranking eighth in the entire Ming Dynasty is truly remarkable.

In previous years, this score was basically enough to pass the imperial examination and enter the Hanlin Academy as a probationary official. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he could enter the cabinet after thirty years and be called a Grand Secretary.

However, the cabinet selection in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign was different.

The cabinet election that year was chaired by three people: Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao, Second Grand Secretary Gu Bingqian, and Zhu Guozhen. Ye Xianggao and Zhu Guozhen were the leaders of the Donglin Party, but both of them only wanted to protect themselves. On the other hand, Gu Bingqian, a member of the eunuch party, had just entered the cabinet and was full of momentum.

Zhou Dezhao was born in Wuchang Prefecture and was considered a reserve force of the Chu Party, but his teacher Chen Shu had a past relationship with Gu Yanwu.

He wasn't really interested in factional strife. His family's only requirement for him was to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). They didn't care how high a position he held afterward.

Having one Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) as an official was enough to take care of their family business.

Although Zhou Dezhao himself had ambitions for an official career, he had been well-off since childhood, and he couldn't bring himself to do something like Li Ruolin, which involved groveling before Wei Zhongxian.

Besides, with his grades, as long as the higher-ups want to save face, there's no way he'll be rejected.

Then he was eliminated.

This was the first lesson the Ming Dynasty's officialdom taught Zhou Dezhao: First, don't take yourself too seriously; second, if you don't care about politics, politics will come to care about you.

He was then appointed as the magistrate of Yijun County.

Before Zhou Dezhao came to Yijun, he had heard that Shaanxi was often drought-stricken, with seven droughts in ten years being common, but he never thought it would be this bad. After three years in office, he had almost forgotten what rain was.

Yijun County was originally a barren land, but it was geographically important, guarding the north-south passage and serving as a key point connecting Guanzhong with border towns such as Yansui and Ningxia.

Whether it was the border troops marching south or supplies from Guanzhong heading north, they all had to pass through this place.

Therefore, trade once flourished.

However, since the drought began, border trade has decreased.

The people of Yijun call him "Old Drought Zhou" because he has been here for three years and has been suffering from drought for three years.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Dezhao tore off two strands of his beard.

But he didn't say anything. What could he do? He was just unlucky to have run into this situation.

Even in years of severe drought, taxes in the three border regions of Shaanxi cannot be stopped; the higher authorities always require him to collect taxes, grain levies, and grain quotas.

Even in years of plenty, Yijun's output is not much, let alone in years of famine. He has come to terms with it and tries to avoid the miscellaneous fire-related expenses imposed by his superiors whenever possible.

The gentry and common people in the city all called him "the upright and just magistrate".

But the bandits haven't arrived yet. He only summoned everyone to the county government office, but not a single one showed up. This is really disrespectful to him.

"Suhe!"

The constable Su He, who was waiting below the hall, was startled and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Sir."

Zhou Dezhao instructed, word by word: "Take three shifts of yamen runners, and a few archers from the patrol office who can move, and go door to door to invite them."

From the Yang family in the south of the city to the Liu family in the north, invite all families with official titles, land, or more than three shops.

"I want to see someone in the main hall in an hour."

Su He looked troubled: "Master, it's not that I don't want to go. The Yang family is a local power in Yijun, and they have a long-standing reputation; the Liu family has a general in Suide Town. If we insist on inviting them like this, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?" Zhou Dezhao interrupted him. "Wang Er, that bandit, has already occupied Kuquanpu. He might be in Yijun tomorrow. After the city falls, what use will their reputation and connections be?"

He stared at Su He, his voice low and menacing: "Su He, you are a native of Yijun, and your family is also in the city."

If your negligence has delayed the crucial task of defending the city, do you think I will first prosecute you for the crime of delaying military operations according to the "Great Ming Code," or will Wang Er break down the gate first?

Su He shivered.

The bandits were deadly, but the Master Zhou in front of them was even more deadly.

This county magistrate was usually quite lenient with his subordinates, but the resolute look in his eyes at this moment made him have no doubt that the other party really dared to kill someone to establish his authority.

Suhe quickly replied, "Yes, sir, I understand, I'll go right away!"

He dared not delay any longer, quickly gathered his men, and rushed out of the county government office.

Finally, everyone arrived.

A somber atmosphere permeated the entire county government hall. A dozen or so prominent gentry from Yijun City sat on either side, most of them with their heads bowed and no one took the initiative to speak.

Zhou Dezhao sat at the head of the main hall, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Gentlemen, the situation is urgent, so I will keep it brief. Kuquanpu has been occupied by the bandit Wang Er. Tomorrow, the bandits will be at the city gates."

Yijun City is small and poorly defended; it is absolutely impossible to hold it with just yamen runners and patrolmen.

Defending the city is not only for the sake of the imperial court, but also for the sake of everyone's lives and property.

I invited you all here so that you might join me in this shared hardship, contributing your strength and resources to weather this storm together.

Yang Shenzhi, the head of the Yang family in the south of the city, with white hair and beard, sat upright to one side.

His ancestors were the registrar of Yijun County during the Chenghua era. Counting from then on, they had been established in Yijun for nearly a hundred years and could be considered a prominent family in the area.

"My lord, it's not that we don't want to do our best, but the walls of Yijun have been in disrepair for years. A section of the north wall has been collapsed for several years and has not yet been repaired. If the bandits come tomorrow, how will we defend ourselves? It would be better to evacuate them as soon as possible."

"Yes, what Old Master Yang said is true."

"The city walls aren't even intact; aren't we just sending them to their deaths?"

"Yes, how can we defend it?"

The gentry began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Zhou Dezhao also regretted it.

The year before he took office, Yijun experienced half a month of heavy rain, and a section of the city wall a zhang wide collapsed due to the rain.

When he first took office, he wanted to repair this section of the city wall, but the treasury was empty. He tried to conscript people, but the gentry objected, saying it would harm people's livelihoods.

Moreover, the world has been at peace for a long time, and you are in the heart of the country, so where would there be any war?

Later, a severe drought struck, and many people, lacking food and clothing, went into the city to steal.

That gap in the city wall became their passageway.

Zhou Dezhao had a row of wooden fences built to block the way, and after that, he forgot about the incident.

Little did anyone expect that this would become a fatal oversight.

"Then we'll work on it tonight!" Zhou Dezhao said fiercely. "Use bricks! It has to be blocked!"

"Your Excellency," Liu Chang, the head of the Liu family sitting to his right, spoke quietly, "Building a wall overnight requires bricks and stones. But where will these bricks come from? There's no time to fire them now."

"Yes, there aren't even any bricks," Zhou Dezhao said, momentarily speechless.

At this moment, a somewhat young voice suddenly came from below the hall:

"Dear teacher! Why worry? There are plenty of bricks!"