Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

Shi Wenbin, the magistrate of Yuncheng County, was not a particularly good official, but he was certainly diligent.

He knew perfectly well that he had no powerful connections or backing, and he dared not make the slightest mistake in this officialdom.

If he makes a mistake, no one will vouch for him. Not only will he lose his official position, but he might also be dismissed and end up in a miserable state.

That day, after finishing his trivial matters at the county government office, he took off his official robes, changed into casual clothes, picked up the cool tea on the table, and was about to have a quiet drink, take a breather, and relax.

But just as he took a sip of tea, he heard the sound of the grievance drum coming from the entrance of the county government office.

"Damn it!" Shi Wenbin slammed down his teacup, cursing angrily as his face instantly darkened.

He had served as the magistrate of Yuncheng County for so many years, and the grievance drum had long since become a mere decoration; no one had dared to beat it for many years.

He secretly grumbled to himself that if he encountered a fool or a simpleton who didn't know the rules and randomly banged the grievance drum, he would definitely give him a good beating and then drag him out to be displayed throughout the county as a warning to others.

Despite his complaints, Shi Wenbin had no choice but to put his official robes back on and hurriedly walk from the backyard to the front office.

As soon as I entered the front office, I saw several people kneeling on the ground, all covered in sweat, their faces full of anxiety and fear, not daring to lift their heads.

Shi Wenbin's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself that this was no small matter. Judging from the scene, it was probably not a trivial matter. Otherwise, no one would dare to beat the grievance drum and bring so many people to file a complaint.

The one leading the group was Wang Er, who was kneeling at the very front. Upon seeing Shi Wenbin enter, before he could even catch his breath, he immediately crawled a few steps on his knees and cried out in pleading:

"Your Honor, help us! The Liangshan bandits have plundered our Wangjia Village, burning, killing, and looting. We fought desperately to resist, but we can't hold on any longer. Please, Your Honor, send troops to rescue us immediately!"

"What?" Shi Wenbin's body stiffened, thinking he had misheard. His brows furrowed sharply, and he took a step forward, his tone incredulous. "What did you say? The Liangshan bandits?"

Wang Er immediately kowtowed and loudly repeated, "I am a fisherman from Wangjia Village. Today, bandits from Liangshan suddenly broke into our village, looting and harming our villagers. My master sent us to risk our lives to break through the encirclement and come to the county government to ask for help. Please, Your Excellency, save Wangjia Village!"

Shi Wenbin knew that a group of bandits were hiding in Liangshan Marsh. Although they didn't usually cause trouble, it was always a worry for him.

That's why he specifically instructed Zhu Tong and Lei Heng, the two constables in the county, to strengthen the defenses around the county town and guard against bandits coming down from the mountains.

But to his utter surprise, these bandits were so arrogant that they dared to openly attack Wangjia Village.

He composed himself and asked in a deep voice, "Who is the leader of the bandits? How many men do they have?"

He knew perfectly well that if it were the main force of the Liangshan bandits, it was simply not something a mere county magistrate like him could handle.

Liangshan is located at the junction of three prefectures, and the terrain is complicated. If he really wanted to suppress the bandits, he would have to report to his superiors and ask the Jizhou Prefecture to send troops. He could not bear this responsibility.

However, the details that need to be asked must be clarified. Only by understanding the situation can one absolve oneself of responsibility and avoid getting into trouble if mistakes are made in the future.

Wang Er hurriedly said, "The leaders are the three Ruan brothers, who originally lived in Shijie Village. They are all skilled swimmers! The number of people... there are probably several dozen, maybe even over a hundred. We were in such a hurry that we didn't have time to count them carefully."

In fact, he had his own ulterior motives. He was afraid that if he said there were too many bandits, the government would find it difficult to handle and would be unwilling to send troops.

But if they said there were too few people, they were afraid the government wouldn't take it seriously and it wouldn't serve its purpose of seeking help, so they could only give vague answers.

Upon hearing this, Shi Wenbin's face hardened abruptly. He slammed the gavel down on the table with a loud "bang," the sound echoing throughout the entire courtroom. He then shouted sternly:

"Guards! Beat them! These people dare to deceive me, fabricate lies, and disrupt the county government!"

Wang Er trembled with fear, his face turning deathly pale. He kowtowed repeatedly, loudly protesting, "Your Honor, I have not deceived you! Everything I have said is true. Whether it is true or false, Your Honor can find out by sending an officer. I beg Your Honor to investigate!"

"Damn scoundrels!" Shi Wenbin's anger flared even more. Pointing at Wang Er, he shouted angrily, "Do you think I'm a fool? Do you think I don't know about Liangshan? There are only three leaders among the Liangshan bandits. Where did these three Ruan brothers come from? How dare you mock me like this! Give each of you twenty strokes of the cane first, and see if you dare to spout nonsense again!"

The constables standing nearby were already close to the end of their shift, and their good time had been ruined by this grievance drum. They were already seething with anger, but dared not show it.

Upon hearing the magistrate's words, they immediately perked up, stepped forward, pinned Wang Er and the others to the ground, picked up their fire sticks, and mercilessly swung them down.

"Clap clap clap—"

The sound of clubs hitting his body was incessant. Wang Er howled and convulsed as he was beaten, but he still refused to give up, wailing and crying out loudly:

"Your Honor, I truly did not lie! My master, Wang Jin, serves as a clerk in Jizhou Prefecture. You may verify this, Your Honor. I would never dare to deceive you. I beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly!"

"Wang Jin?" Shi Wenbin was taken aback when he heard this. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was for a moment.

He turned to look at Zhang Wenyuan, who was standing to the side taking notes, and asked in a low voice, "Who is this Wang Jin? The name sounds familiar."

Zhang Wenyuan quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Reporting to your master, there is indeed such a person. This Wang Jin is a clerk in the Jizhou Prefecture government office, in charge of the prefecture's documents and archives. I have seen him a few times when I went to the prefecture office on business in the past."

Shi Wenbin was startled and quickly waved his hand, shouting, "Stop! Stop right now!"

The constables who were swinging their batons immediately stopped when they heard the order, stood aside with their hands hanging down, and dared not say a word.

Shi Wenbin's tone softened slightly, but he remained wary as he asked, "Are you sure you're not lying to me? I do know that Liangshan has three leaders, so how come the three Ruan brothers suddenly appeared?"

Although he didn't pay much attention to Liangshan, he still knew some of the basics. Liangshan originally only had three leaders: Wang Lun, Du Qian, and Song Wan. He had never heard of the three Ruan brothers.

Wang Er lay on the ground, looking as if he were in unbearable pain, and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, I don't know about this. Perhaps... perhaps they are newly arrived leaders. In any case, they are using the Liangshan banner, and they have brought dozens of boats and hundreds of men, all armed with knives and spears, and are attacking Wangjia Village. I dare not utter a single falsehood."

Just then, Zhang Wenyuan stepped forward, approached Shi Wenbin, and asked in a low voice, "Your Excellency, there is something I don't understand. If the Liangshan bandits really wanted to plunder, why did they only attack Wangjia Village out of so many surrounding villages? In all these years, I have never heard of the Liangshan bandits plundering any villages."

Upon hearing this, Shi Wenbin immediately realized what was going on.

Zhang Wenyuan's words struck a chord with him.

Even if it really was Liangshan bandits coming down from the mountain, it absolutely cannot be exposed in Yuncheng County.

Once the matter is reported, his superiors will only blame him for failing to take adequate precautions. At best, he will be fined; at worst, he will be dismissed from his post. He doesn't want to lose his official position because of this.

He cleared his throat and deliberately said, "Over the years, I have never heard of any Liangshan bandits plundering villages. In my opinion, they are just a bunch of desperate refugees hiding in Liangshan Marsh to beg for food. They would never dare to come down the mountain and cause trouble."

Wang Er was dumbfounded, lying on the ground, his face full of confusion and despair.

He never expected that even though he had risked his life to come for help and everything he said was true, these people just wouldn't believe him.

Seeing this, Zhang Wenyuan added, "Tell me honestly, is there a personal grudge between your Wangjia Village and the Ruan brothers of Shijie Village? Was it because of a dispute over the fish caught from Liangshan Marsh that you deliberately fabricated the lie of Liangshan bandits plundering, hoping the government would help you get revenge?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Wenbin's eyes lit up instantly, and he nodded repeatedly.

Yes! That's it!

If a village were to engage in a private fight over its catch of fish, the impact would be far less significant than the looting by the Liangshan bandits.