The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 78 I Want to Meet King Gong
Wu Jialiang was delighted when he saw the archers practicing their boxing seriously.

This group of archers are becoming more and more competent. There is no need to worry about the bandit problem. In the future, when the imperial court defeats the Jin bandits and welcomes back the two saints, and Shandong area is stabilized again, I, as a county lieutenant, will have made great contributions and will be promoted to a higher rank. Maybe I can become a regular civil servant, which will make my reading of the sages' books worthwhile.

Unfortunately, his happy thoughts were shattered after a few days.

The letter from the Laiyang County Magistrate came back. The tone of the letter was polite, praising Cui Weihua to the skies, saying that he cared about the people and was a good official. However, there was no mention of the bandit suppression, as if he had never read Cui Weihua's letter at all.

Wu Jialiang was very anxious and quickly asked Cui Weihua to write a letter to raise the matter again.

This time, the Laiyang County Magistrate could no longer pretend not to see it, so he wrote back to accuse Cui Weihua and Wu Jialiang, saying that the Laiyang bandits were originally Jimo bandits and were not under the jurisdiction of Laiyang County. It was because Jimo did not manage them well that they ran to Laiyang. Jimo County should find a way out on its own and not bother him.

Cui Weihua wrote back, saying that Jimo County was willing to take care of it. As long as Laiyang County cooperated and sent some archers, the two sides could work together to encircle and suppress the bandits and eliminate them on the border.

But the magistrate of Laiyang County said that he had no money, no food, and no archers, so he could not take care of the matter.

Wu Jialiang's heart sank.

After thinking carefully, I remembered what kind of officials I had come into contact with when I was following Song Jiang.

When he followed Song Jiang and roamed around, local officials acted as if they were blind and could not see them, allowing them to sweep across hundreds of miles. Wherever they went, local officials did not actively try to eliminate them, but instead hoped that they would quickly rob enough and move on to another place to rob.

Sometimes they were active in the border area between two counties, and the county magistrates and county lieutenants of the two counties would argue and shirk responsibility with each other, saying that Song Jiang and his gang should be the responsibility of the neighboring county and it was none of their business.

How can we eliminate the bandits if we keep pushing the issue back and forth?
Song Jiang and his gang lived a comfortable life. Later, they even had a fleet of ships, which they loaded with food and sailed along the river. Whenever they came across a small town or village on the river, they would stop and rob it, then load the loot onto the ship and move on to the next place.

It was not until the fierce man Zhang Shuye took action that Song Jiang was defeated and reluctantly accepted the amnesty.

When he was a thief, he couldn't understand the whole story. Now that he is an official, he wrote several letters to the Laiyang County Magistrate and finally figured out how the government handled the suppression of bandits.

After much thought, I decided that I couldn't just let this matter go like this!
He is not a corrupt official. He also has ideals and ambitions. How could he just sit in office and do nothing like those mediocre officials?
Wu Jialiang, with a gloomy face, called over an old and trusted brother.

This old buddy had been with Wu Jialiang since the Song Jiang era and was extremely loyal and reliable. He was also the one who had had a long and awkward conversation with the rebel scouts in Mengjiazhuang not long ago.

Wu Jialiang called him into a quiet room, closed the doors and windows, and then lowered his voice and said, "Luo Tuimao, you had a chat with King Gong's people last time in Mengjiazhuang, right?"

Luo Tuimao replied, "Yes, although the scout from King Gong was a bit treacherous, he didn't intend to attack me, so I just chatted with him for a while."

Wu Jialiang: "You've been out in the countryside a lot lately. What do you think of Prince Gong?"

Luo Tuimao lowered his voice and said, "Brother Wu Yong, please don't blame me for saying something wrong." Wu Jialiang said, "Damn it, what can't we say between brothers? Even if you curse the emperor a few times, I will join you in cursing. Can I still arrest you and send you to the authorities?"

Luo Tuimao then boldly said, "King Gong is not an ordinary bandit. He does not have the thief's aura that ordinary bandits have. The villages under King Gong's protection are all well-organized. King Gong not only does not steal their food, but distributes it to them."

Wu Jialiang: “…”

Luo Tuimao continued, "At the Guanhai Salt Field, Chengyang Coal Mine, and Wangjiazhen Iron Mine, King Gong's men have always traded grain for ore and salt, never cheating the miners or salt workers. They have an excellent reputation. I'm going to say this disrespectfully, but King Gong manages things much better than the old emperor. The old emperor is always collecting taxes and levies, making it impossible for people to survive. But King Gong always considers the people."

Wu Jialiang whispered, "I remember you said last time you came back that Prince Gong's people were solely dedicated to resisting the Jin army?"

Luo Tuimao nodded: "That's what the scout said! I saw his expression when he said it, and it didn't seem fake."

Wu Jialiang made up his mind and said, "Tell me, if we contact Prince Gong privately and ask him to send troops to help deal with the Laiyang bandits, will they be willing to send troops?"

Luo Tuimao: "Scared?"

Wu Jialiang said, "I hold an official position and cannot go to Laiyang County to suppress bandits. That's a taboo in officialdom. But Prince Gong doesn't have that problem. He's a bandit just like us before, so why should he abide by any rules? He can kill wherever he wants, completely free. If we can persuade him to cross the county border and eliminate those Laiyang bandits, then the last few troubled areas in Jimo County will be completely peaceful, and I, the county lieutenant, can finally rest easy."

Luo Tuimao had a strange expression on his face, thinking: Even if we've pacified the Laiyang bandits, we haven't pacified King Gong yet, so how can we really call it peace? It seems his brother, deep down, has long felt that King Gong is no longer a threat.

No wonder!
Ever since Cui Weihua, Wu Jialiang and his party took office in Jimo County, King Gong has never caused them any trouble. He has been guarding Dongmiaozi Village obediently and has never gone out to burn, kill or loot. Even if there is some movement occasionally, he is helping the government to suppress bandits and maintain local security.

In Wu Jialiang's heart, he had gradually come to regard Gong Dawang as a local squire, and no longer as a ferocious thief.

The last time Zheng Hao and Zhang Jiaozi led their troops and threatened to attack the county town, they were stopped by Gong Dawang's men halfway and not a single soldier was able to reach the county town. Several days later, Wu Jialiang heard from local villagers that Zheng Hao and Zhang Jiaozi were killed by Gong Dawang and their soldiers were sent back to their hometowns to farm.

Having seen such an incident before, Wu Jialiang naturally thought of King Gong when he couldn't deal with the Laiyang bandits this time.

He lowered his voice and said, "Luo Tuimao, go find that familiar bandit scout and try to strike up a conversation with him. Then... make an appointment with King Gong. I want to meet him."

Luo Tuimao was shocked: "Brother Wu Yong, if people find out that you are meeting with the bandit chief in private, you will be demoted."

Wu Jialiang: "What the hell are you afraid of? We used to be able to do business that would get us killed, but now we don't even dare to do something as simple as being demoted? As long as no one knows about it, I've never seen a bandit chief."

Luo Tuimao nodded and chuckled, "That's right! I've been a bit timid for a long time now, and I've become a bit of a joke to my brother. He's waiting for good news from me in the county town. I'm going to go around the villages and try to get in touch with King Gong's scouts."

(End of this chapter)