I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 57: Generosity and Rewards and Punishments

The Song Dynasty emphasized culture over military power. If a passing military officer like Yang Zhi had wiped out a group of bandits in the county and brought the head of the bandit leader to pay homage, County Magistrate Huang would not have been so surprised.

But Zhao Zicheng was also a civil servant. Although his rank seemed to be half a level lower than his, one could tell from his dignified appearance and extraordinary bearing.

He can also chat with you politely and throw out a thief's head while talking and laughing.

The contrast and deterrent effect are far beyond what Yang Zhi threw out.

"This... is this the head of the bandit leader Fan Rui? This bandit has been wreaking havoc in Mangdang for years! Because of the high mountains and dense forests, and his remote location between Feng, Pei, and Dangshan counties, the government troops have repeatedly failed to eliminate him! How could County Magistrate Zhao actually kill him in a single battle?"

Magistrate Huang stared at the head for a long moment, his eyes fixed on it. The awe in his voice was palpable.

He was stunned for a long moment, then licked his dry lips before confirming, "May I ask how many troops were there in the rebel army at that time? And how many guards did County Magistrate Zhao bring with him?"

Zhao Zi said he had already answered this question, but had simply given an approximate number. Magistrate Huang repeatedly confirmed this, naturally wanting a more precise number.

Zhao Zicheng had no choice but to be more specific: "If we only count the combat troops, there are probably about 700 or 800 bandits. I have 60 soldiers with me, but including these officers and myself, there are a total of 70 people who can take up swords and fight in battle."

County Magistrate Huang was stunned. Even if they were well-armed and fighting in formation, engaging in defensive counterattacks, destroying an enemy force that was more than ten times their number in one go, killing and capturing so many people, was still astonishing enough.

And from the way he spoke, he included the number of officers and even himself in the count. Doesn't that mean he also killed the enemy personally?

Thinking of this, County Magistrate Huang couldn't help but confirm it again.

"The war situation was urgent at that time. In order to protect myself, I had to kill several bandits with my own hands." Zhao Zicheng answered affirmatively, as if he was talking about eating and drinking water.

"Brother Zhao, you are truly... I have been an official for over ten years and have never witnessed anything so bizarre. I wonder what your background is? Did you practice martial arts before you entered school?"

Magistrate Huang was completely confused, especially since the other party looked so young, how could he be so versatile.

Zhao Zi said: "I just started practicing martial arts this year. I am a member of the imperial family, a descendant of Emperor Taizu, and a descendant of the Prince of Qin and the Duke of Ying."

The other party fell into complete silence, and only after a long time did he ask him how he dealt with Fan Rui's magic.

Zhao Zicheng simply explained that he read the books of sages and sages, and never discussed supernatural phenomena. He possessed a righteous spirit, which prevented evil spirits from harming him. His soldiers, moved by his righteous spirit and fearless of evil, were able to break his opponent's evil spells. He also slew and destroyed snakes, insects, and poisonous creatures that the opponent used to harm him.

Zhao Zi said that he was very cautious in his wording. He did not explicitly emphasize that he killed the snake in Fengxi Lake, and he would never induce the other party to make associations, but there was no need to cover up what he had done.

Magistrate Huang was completely stunned by him, and finally asked him tactfully how the matter would end, and whether he needed to accompany him to report the merits.

Killing the bandit leader of Mangdang Mountain is at least a political achievement. The three surrounding counties have not been able to solve the problem for several consecutive terms. If he kills the bandit leader during his term and can get some credit, he may be promoted early.

It's not that this achievement alone is significant enough to warrant a direct promotion; the key is that Magistrate Huang has been here for two or three years without incident. With a few more achievements to bolster his position, and some financial support, there's still hope.

Zhao Zicheng said, "I don't care about my achievements. I was just passing through on my way to take office. I don't interfere in matters outside my position. If I report my achievements to the court, it would be difficult to explain. I only made some minor plans and gathered the people's morale to break the evil law. The real fighting was mainly done by Commander Yang. He and I are friends, we traveled together and supported each other."

If Brother Huang is willing to truthfully report Commander Yang's achievements in the fight, I can ignore my contribution to the strategy. Brother Huang should also know that as a member of the royal family, it is not good for me to show off too much in this regard. But..."

County Magistrate Huang was delighted to hear that Zhao Zicheng was not taking credit for the victory. Yang Zhi was a military officer, so his contributions in the battle were certainly worth mentioning, but he was just passing through, so his contributions to the county's operations and coordination were certainly also worth mentioning. Zhao Zicheng was essentially giving the civil servants a share of the credit and quietly giving it to himself. Where else could one find such a good opportunity?
After secretly rejoicing, County Magistrate Huang quickly realized that the other party must have a backer. A seventeen or eighteen-year-old royal family member with such ability was not someone he could bully. If he wanted the other party's planning and assistance, he would definitely have to pay some price.

He then carefully asked, "Brother, you are so generous. How can we repay you? Is there anything we can help you with?"

Zhao Zi said, "It's nothing, but when I defeated the bandits, they were so numerous and the battle was bloody and fierce. I had no choice but to use psychological tactics and persuade several leaders to surrender in the middle of the battle. This turned the tide of the battle.

So, among these bandits, some were captured by our army, and many more were recruited and surrendered by me. I can't go back on my word, so I have to give them some background. This is Brother Huang's territory, can they help me with these trivial matters? In fact, I don't want them to follow me, but only to follow Commander Yang.

Magistrate Huang felt a little nervous upon hearing this. He knew, of course, that such actions smacked of the suspicion of raising private soldiers, a practice that required caution in the Song Dynasty. But then he thought, the other party possessed such powerful charisma that, with just a few words before the battle, he had persuaded a force ten times his own to surrender. How domineering, how extraordinary was this?

In this special situation, it was only right to help take some responsibility and make the other party keep their word. Moreover, the other party had already made a move, so they could make it all Yang Zhi's fault and have nothing to do with him.

Magistrate Huang gritted his teeth and said, "It involves a lot of people, but it doesn't matter. It only requires one or two hundred people. I will find a way to handle it. Even if I have to go to the provincial capital to mediate, it will be on me!"
However, these procedures will take time, so I'd like you to stay in this prefecture for a while to rest and recuperate your wounded soldiers. The county will also invite the wealthy families here to express their gratitude."

This matter was not decided by a single magistrate alone; he would have to contact the Xuzhou magistrate and complete the necessary formalities. Both the magistrate and the magistrate would have made a killing, but compared to their own achievements, the heavy losses they had inflicted on the Mangdang Mountain bandits, and the relief of their grave concern, it was all worth it.

Not only that, County Magistrate Huang was also very sensible and realized that he must gather the wealthy families in the city to reward and provide relief to this group of foreign heroes who came to eliminate the bandits.

Since ancient times, how could one suppress bandits without paying?
If you don’t get the money, you can’t leave the city, and if you can’t leave the city, you can’t suppress the bandits. This is the natural law.

Zhao Zicheng had already done the work first and collected the money later, which was so honest that it was hard to tell where he was going. And County Magistrate Huang took the opportunity to help Zhao Zicheng raise money so that he could get some money too.

Zhao Zi said that he originally wanted to find an excuse to stay in Xuzhou for a while longer so as to wait for news from Lin Chong and let him surrender.

Now that the Fengxian government has taken the initiative to invite him to stay for a longer period of time, he has an excuse and just goes with the flow.

However, considering that Fengxian was out of the way and Xuzhou was closer, Zhao Zicheng offered a compromise: "It's fine to stay for a while, but I enjoy traveling and can't stand staying in one place for too long. Then, let Commander Yang stay here with the captured and surrendered troops, and I'll go to Xuzhou to explore."

Magistrate Huang immediately agreed: "These are all trivial matters, my dear brother, please do as you please."

……

After County Magistrate Huang reached an agreement on the deal with him, Zhao Zicheng and his officers were properly accommodated that same day and moved into the best mansions of wealthy families in Feng County. Ordinary soldiers who were originally members of the imperial guards also lived in inns.

The remaining newly surrendered bandits were temporarily placed near the training ground where archers and militiamen were trained in the county.

In the following days, the wealthy families in the county took turns to host banquets every day, providing food and drinks. They also raised a sum of money, probably thousands of strings of cash, to give to Zhao Zi as rewards and pensions for his troops.

Zhao Zicheng didn't refuse, but he distributed most of the money among his subordinates. Yang Zhi and Lu Da were the most meritorious, so naturally they received the largest rewards, while the other officers might receive one or two hundred strings of cash for their merits.

Li Gun, who turned against his own side in the battle, was also given a hundred strings of cash because he killed Fan Rui with his own hands, but the ordinary bandits who surrendered in the end received no reward.

The sixty veterans Zhao Zicheng brought with him, including the Murong family's retainers, were each given at least twenty strings of cash as a reward. The retainers also received additional benefits, which was justified. Imperial guardsmen had an obligation to defend their country, while retainers had no such obligation, so their willingness to contribute was even more valuable.

Zhao Zicheng paid 100 guan (approximately 100 strings of cash) for each veteran who died in battle. Fortunately, most of his men were well-equipped, so only a few died. At least 80% of the casualties were wounded. Depending on the severity of the injury, each soldier received an additional 30 to 50 guan (approximately 100 strings of cash) for medical expenses.

Zhao Zicheng himself did not refuse to take anything, but he also took 70 strings of cash as a symbol. When others asked him why, he just said that he had killed the three thieves with his own hands and also killed some snakes, insects and poisonous creatures that Fan Rui used to harm people.

This is the true distinction between rewards and punishments.

When the wealthy families in Feng County heard about this, they were filled with respect for him. Zhao Zicheng's reputation also spread to a small area in Xuzhou.

Within ten days, all the counties in Xuzhou were talking about a passing hero in Feng County. His surname was Zhao and he was a descendant of Emperor Taizu. Although he was only an eighth-rank civil servant, he remained calm in times of crisis, and was clear about rewards and punishments. Moreover, relying solely on his righteous spirit, he defeated the evil bandits who had been plaguing Mangdang Mountain for several years.

No evil spirits, snakes, insects or poisonous creatures can harm you.

Especially the wealthy and gentry in places like Feng and Pei knew the legend passed down by the local elders. Who wouldn't know about the story of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, who slew a snake in Fengxi Lake? Fan Rui, a man skilled in using poisons, snakes, and insects to perform sorcery, had he used those venomous creatures to bite Young Master Zhao? How could Young Master Zhao not retaliate and kill him?

Therefore, even though the government did not publicize the story of Zhao Zicheng beheading the snake, and spoke of it in a vague and obscure way, it did not affect his reputation among the local people, which spread rapidly and became quite legendary for a while.

After hearing the news, some frustrated people in the surrounding area also came to try to join the army, hoping to see if they could make a living.

(End of this chapter)