Lord: Start with a copy of Water Margin

On this day, troops and horses gathered at Baishi Manor, and heroes from the expedition gathered in the hall. After Wu Yong discussed their respective goals, the generals took their orders.

When he came to the foggy place, Zhao Zhen burned a lot of paper to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. The fog dissipated, and the Fourth Route Army followed the planned route and rushed to all parts of Shouzhang County. Speaking of Zhao Zhen's route, Zhao Zhen listened to Liu Huiniang's plan and asked Lu Fang and Liu Qi to use the banner of Dongping Prefecture and pretend to be a prefectural city to rush for reinforcements. He led the cavalry to gallop straight to the county seat, and seized the city gate before Shouzhang County was on guard. Hu Sanniang led her female cavalry to meet them, and Zhao Zhen led 400 infantrymen, all riding in carriages, and then rushed there.

Just as Liu Huiniang expected, Lu Fang and Liu Qi easily occupied the west gate of Shouzhang. Shouzhang County Road is not defenseless, but the Shouzhang County Magistrate Yang is really timid. After Dongping Prefecture mobilized 1,000 soldiers from the county, the county's defenses were empty. It happened that Li Erseng broke through Shanglaozhuang Township, and Magistrate Yang received the After reporting the news, he actually asked the chief registrar to take charge of county affairs. He took his family, his confidants, thirty or fifty government officials, and went to Dongping Mansion to ask for help.

When they saw Lu Fang's group of soldiers at the city gate, they thought they were reinforcements from the city, so they let Lu Fang's group of soldiers enter the city gate.

After Lu Fang entered the city, he immediately dispersed the sergeants composed of government officials and rural soldiers stationed at the city gate and replaced them with Liangshan soldiers. When Hu Sanniang arrived, the chief secretary He Chong was arguing with Lu Fang in front of the city gate.

Seeing Hu Sanniang's team of female cavalry, He Chong seemed to realize something was wrong. He rolled his eyes and said, "Since the general is the reinforcement of the city, I will go down and prepare wine, meat, food and grass to reward the army." With that, He Chong handed over his hands and was about to leave.

Just after taking two steps, a painted halberd fell from the sky and was placed on He Chong's neck.

Lu Fang smiled and said: "Master He, what are you so anxious about? The large group of people is right behind us. We've seen the general. It's not too late to talk about the labor force."

He Chong wiped the sweat from his head and said, "Aren't you afraid of neglecting the general?"

After that, he glanced at Lu Fang secretly, and when he saw Lu Fang looking at him with a half-smile, He Chong said with a guilty conscience: "Then I've met the general, and I'll go prepare what's needed to reward the army."

Looking at the tall and sturdy soldier in iron armor at the city gate, He Chong cursed in his mind that he had been fooled by the lard and thought they were reinforcements requested by Magistrate Yang. He let them in without distinguishing the authenticity. Judging from the sergeants' attire, although they don't look like thieves, they are definitely not Dongping Mansion officers and soldiers. I just hope that this group of sergeants can leave early after getting the benefits.

Lu Fang and others discussed and divided the horse army into four teams. Liu Qi led one team to guard the east gate, Hu Sanniang led a team to guard the north gate, and Gu Sister-in-law and Hua Baoyan led a team to guard the south gate. The four doors are closed tightly, only people are allowed in, not out.

When Zhao Zhen arrived, all four gates of the county were in the hands of Liangshan County sergeants. A large group of troops came in. Bao Xu and Jiao Ting each led a hundred men to replace the dismounted troops and garrison the four gates.

Ma Jun, with the cooperation of Chief Secretary He Chong, occupied all the warehouses and treasury. Through He Chong, Zhao Zhen learned that the county magistrate Yang Hu and his family went to Dongping Mansion to seek refuge. Liu Huiniang whispered to Zhao Zhen: "Officials, why not take the opportunity to spread the word that the county magistrate has abandoned his official position and is on the run. We are here to act at the invitation of the prefect of Dongping Mansion. County affairs. Please ask Chief Registrar He Chong to cooperate with other departments and select a few guards to inform them so that weapons can be avoided. "

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen took out the forged document and handed it to He Chong to read. Then he said to He Chong in a friendly manner: "Master Chief He, because Yang Hu left his post without permission, I was invited by the prefect Cheng of Dongping Prefecture to take charge of Shouzhang County when the military generals of the prefecture went to Qingzhou. Find a few people who are familiar with the place. "Advisor, follow the sergeants to Zhaoqudui Township, Xiaolukou Township, Dalukou Township, and Shanglaozhuang Township to warn the locals that there should be no conflicts, lest the officers and men become impatient and cause massacres."

After hearing this, He Chong did not dare to hesitate. He selected four escorts, each with four sergeants from Lu Fang's army. After giving instructions, the four teams went to various villages.

Zhao Zhen here asked He Chong to write a notice and post a notice to inform the people. The county magistrate Yang Hu had abandoned his official position and was on the run. The people and officials in the city each followed their duties. The defense of the county was acted by Zhao Zhen, the magistrate of Liangshan County.

Lu Fang, Hu Sanniang, and Hua Baoyan led the horse army and patrolled the county town to prevent anyone from causing trouble in the city.

In the county government office, Zhao Zhen took over the county magistrate's seal and the keys to various government treasury and warehouses handed over by He Chong. Seeing He Chong's cooperation, Zhao Zhen said: "Master Chief He, please be at ease. You and others are still needed for all matters in the county. However, you and others must cooperate well while I am taking care of the county affairs and exterminating the bandits."

He Chong heard this and said quickly: "My husband is here to destroy Li Erseng and this group of thieves. We must cooperate with each other. I never thought that thieves would invade as soon as the county army left."

"This Li Erseng is a Qingzhou thief. Taking advantage of the emptiness in the county to attack the county, there is nothing strange about it."

He Chong was surprised when he heard this: "With so many officers and soldiers surrounding us, Song Jiang still dares to send people to loot everywhere? He is indeed a big bandit who dares to plunder the Grand Master's birthday card."

Zhao Zhen said: "I'm afraid there is an internal response in the county. Otherwise, several prefectures have sent troops to attack, but why don't we see Qingzhou thieves attacking other county prefectures?"

He Chong heard this and said: "How is this possible? This group of thieves is very cruel. After the Shanglaozhuang Township was conquered, the number of villagers in the village was reduced to seventy-eight. Besides, having an affair with bandits is a crime of beheading. Who dares?"

Zhao Zhen said: "Who knows this. When I transfer the guards and captains here who are good at interrogation and investigation, they will have to do a thorough investigation. When the time comes, I will need the cooperation of the chief secretary."

He Chong wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought: Another corrupt official, poor people in Shouzhang will be exploited again. He said: "Don't worry, Mr. Xian. As long as we can find out the inner ring of the Qingzhou thieves, the people of Shouzhang will only be grateful to Mr. Xian for his kindness."

Zhao Zhen asked: "How many prisoners are imprisoned in the county's prison camp, and who are they? Are there any strange people?"

He Chong thought for a while and said hesitantly: "A few days ago, there was a man who used guns and sticks and sold plasters. He taught martial arts on the street and was good at using fists, kicks, guns and sticks. Because he had never visited the county and was a foreigner. So someone ordered two people to do it. The idle man made trouble for him and he knocked him over with a stick. The two of them reported the man to the county, but Magistrate Yang did not make any distinction. He listened to Zhang Nengdu's words and put the man in jail. Later, when Monk Li from Qingzhou broke into Shanglaozhuang Township, the county was in panic. This man has been kept in a cell, and no one dared to question him..."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen asked: "How do I know? After noon today, I will come to interrogate him. You go down and make arrangements. This Zhang Dutou, please come to the county government and detain him for the time being. If it is because of him, he will be summoned." If you kill the Qingzhou thief, you won’t be able to spare him.”

After He Chong heard this, he quickly agreed and went to summon officials from all over the county government to be on duty. Zhang Neng was also in the county government office, and asked Mrs. Gu, who was guarding the county government office, to detain him with the sergeant.

In the back hall of the county government office, Sister-in-law Gu ordered people to search. The county magistrate took away all the gold, silver and soft goods, leaving only an official robe. Futou, Zhanjiao, official uniform, horn belt, soap boots, locust slips, together with the official seal and order talisman held by He Chong, the Shouzhang County magistrate's outfit is complete.

At noon time, Zhao Zhen met Wu Yong, Shi Qian, and Bai Sheng in the county government office. After the greetings, Wu Yong said: "Thanks to the officials who sent people, everything went smoothly here at Dakou. We succeeded in one fell swoop. Xiaolukou Township won. According to the news, the security was much tighter. If it hadn't been for the witness of the police officer, I was afraid that there would have been a fight. I got the information from the high official, leaving Yan Shude and Lei Heng to guard Dalukou Township and Xiaolukou Township respectively, taking Shi Qian and Bai with them. Brother Sheng, hurry up and come to see the high official."

Zhao Zhen said: "If it wasn't for the sake of easy governance in the future, there would be no need to use such a rat-proof weapon."

At that moment, Zhao Zhen told the news he had received here. After hearing this, Wu Yong said: "Official, since you want to pretend to be an official, the boss must cooperate well."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "I don't worry about this matter, so I would like to ask the scholar to go to Dongping Mansion and let Taishan take care of it, so that nothing goes wrong. In the next few days, I will take Li Erseng's head and pass it to other towns, and then Send it to Dongping Mansion."

Wu Yong said: "The corpses from Niutoushan must also be dug up, the heads chopped off, pickled with lime, and sent there together. In this way, we can ask for credit."

"With this weather, I'm afraid it's rotten." Zhao Zhen said.

Wu Yong said: "Sir, you don't care about this, as long as you have proof."

Zhao Zhen nodded and wrote a letter. At that moment, Wu Yong and Shi Qian took seven or eight sergeants and rushed all the way to Xucheng County, the seat of Dongping Prefecture.

Not to mention how Wu Yong made a plan with Cheng Wanli, but here at Zhao Zhen, He Chong gathered a group of public servants, held up their canes and bones, beat the three-way drum, and all shouted to the Yamen.

In the county government office, Zhao Zhen was wearing a green robe and was sitting behind the case. On his left and right were Liu Qi and Lu Fang standing in the hall holding sharp swords. Behind him, there were secretaries, handwriting, and company officials standing on both sides.

There was a lot of noise outside the county government office. When they heard that the new county magistrate had been promoted to court, they all came to watch. Zhao Zhenrang opened the gate of the county government office and let all the people outside to see.

Zhao Zhen was stunned and shouted: "Where are the prisoners who were fighting in the street?"

I saw two men pushing a prisoner up with a seven-and-a-half kilogram iron leaf pan-headed shackle, and he knelt on the ground. Zhao Zhen asked: "Who are you in the hall and why are you in lawsuit? Please tell me one by one. If there is any grievance, this county will explain it to you clearly."

After hearing this, the man in the hall perked up and said, "Mr. Sir, this villain has been wronged." He then told the story of the fight.

"My lord, I have made it clear that the scoundrels are forced to fight in the street. Moreover, the scoundrels have never killed anyone. Although the two scoundrels were beaten by the scoundrels, they were not seriously injured. According to the law, those who fight others will be whipped forty times. How? Put the villain in the shackles and put him in a cell."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen asked: "The plaintiff comes to court."

After a while, two idle men came to the hall and knelt down. Zhao Zhen shouted: "Why are you two disturbing others and fighting with others? I'll do it for you. If you make lies, you two will suffer."

The tall and thin man on the left said quickly: "Mr. Yang Er, I lost the bet with Zhang Dalang that day and drank again. I thought that this was a foreigner and wanted to extort some gold and silver from him, so I deliberately went to him. Looking for trouble..."

Zhao Zhen didn't wait for the man to finish speaking, shouted loudly, and said: "That's nonsense. How can you let the former magistrate Yang restrain him and lock him in a cell? You and I are the only ones who can fight." How can you be willing to tell the truth?"

A few public servants wanted to show off their skills in front of the new county magistrate, so they knocked them down and beat them twenty times with them.

These two idle men were both soft-boiled and afraid of hard work. Seeing that the county magistrate was not easy to fool and that he was not ruthless when doing business, they revealed what Zhang Neng had instigated.

After hearing this, the people below looked at each other and remained silent. Everyone is waiting to see how the new county magistrate will deal with it.

Zhao Zhen said: "Bring Zhang Neng up."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Gu took Zhang Neng out of the side hall and kicked Zhang Neng in the crook of his leg, knocking Zhang Neng to the ground.

Zhao Zhen shouted: "Zhang Neng, you have committed a crime, and you still haven't punished me for it."

Zhang Neng met the two idle men in the hall and the big man beside him, and said: "Mr. Sir, I saw that this man looked ferocious, and it was not a good idea, so I used this to make people test me. I just didn't want these two to be useless, so I didn't do anything. I asked him about the details of this person. If he doesn’t agree, he will be sent to jail. I will accept his punishment.”

Zhao Zhen said: "You have a sharp tongue, and you are still gossiping here. You must not deceive me. I have already found out clearly, how did you, a small captain, accumulate such a large family fortune? It must be because you harmed the good people and enriched yourself."

"These two people have pointed out that they were instigated by you. How dare they deny it? This must have happened more than once. Yang Er, Zhang Dalang, if you two are the first to accuse, I will naturally forgive you two. Otherwise, you will suffer. Even if you two do not admit it, the verdict in the county government has also recorded it."

After hearing this, Zhang Dalang hurriedly said: "Sir, two months ago..."

Zhao Zhen's words made Zhang Dalang and Yang Er speak one after another, and they said seven or eight things that harmed outsiders. After hearing this, Zhao Zhen said to Zhang Neng: "Zhang Neng, what else can you say? These two people were instructed by you to harm so many people. I believe they have harmed many people in their daily lives."

Looking at Zhang Neng who was so soft, Zhao Zhen shouted: "He Zhubu, Gu Dasao, you two take people to confiscate Zhang Neng's property, and inform the people in the county that within three days, those who have been coerced and extorted by Zhang Neng should come to the county government to file a complaint, and the county will return the money as appropriate. Those who have been wronged can submit a complaint and choose a day for trial. Zhang Neng will be imprisoned for the time being and kept under good care. No accidents should happen. After three days, he will be executed. Adjourned."

The people watching in the county government applauded after hearing this. They all praised the new county magistrate as an honest man.

During these three days, Zhao Zhen sent soldiers to inquire about the situation in the county everywhere, and received a lot of complaints. At the same time, a large group of soldiers were mobilized, and everyone in the county knew that the new county magistrate was suppressing bandits.

On this day, two fast horses rushed into the county, shouting along the way: "Great victory, [Iron-footed monk] Li Erseng was beheaded in battle."

The people of the county cheered when they heard this.

Zhao Zhen ordered someone to pick up Li Erseng's head and show it to the public. Then, he asked someone to take the pickled bandit's head and send it to Dongping Prefecture together with Li Erseng's head.

Zhao Zhen also tried the complaint against Zhang Neng. In addition to the cases mentioned by Zhang Dalang and Zhang Neng, there were also several families in the county who were persecuted, and Zhao Zhen tried the case together.

There was also a Zhang Yasi and a Zhang Kongmu implicated by Zhang Neng. The three were brothers of the same clan. It was because the three cooperated with each other that they could harm outsiders so unscrupulously. Zhao Zhen took this opportunity to dismiss all the officials of the Zhang family in the county government. Zhao Zhen did not send the three leaders to Dongping Prefecture, but had them beheaded directly, and their property was confiscated. Those who had suffered had their money returned, and those who had no suffering had their money confiscated.

When the people in the county heard about it, they all praised the Zhang family. The Zhang family was a big family, and someone worked in the county government. They had always been domineering, but now they were all keeping their tails between their legs, fearing that they would be suppressed by the county magistrate.

After handling the case of Zhang Neng, Zhao Zhen called Xiao Rang. After some discussion, Xiao Rang took the Liangshan County bailiff and clerks, and more than ten chief officials, general officials, and clerks from Shouzhang County to Shanglaozhuang Township to measure the land and register the population. All other townships were asked to report to the yellow book for measurement.