Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"Who is that prefectural judge? He is a confidant of the former Song Dynasty's transport commissioner of Jingxi Road."

"And who is the Transport Commissioner of Jingxi Circuit? A relative of the treacherous minister Cai Jing!"

"The transport commissioner's official residence was in Luoyang, and he was also responsible for the reconstruction of the Luoyang Imperial Palace. The current imperial palace was renovated by him."

"In order to make the palace walls look beautiful, this fellow first ground cow bones into powder to mix with mortar, and slaughtered all the oxen around Luoyang!"

"Later, they heard that human bones were even better, so they went to mass graves to collect human bones, and even dug up graves to collect bones, causing widespread resentment in Luoyang..."

“Our Ming emperor lightens taxes and levies in Luoyang, while the former Song transport commissioner digs up graves and desecrates bones in Luoyang.”

"Comparing the two, who is more benevolent? Even a fool knows! If the former Song Dynasty didn't perish, who would?"

"If the Ming Dynasty doesn't prosper, who will? Besides, His Majesty has been appointed to Jinzhou... wait, where was I?"

Some students were already bowing their heads, trying not to laugh.

This prefect is not only old, but he also drank too much when he was young, which probably damaged his brain and made him forgetful.

The teachers and students said in unison, "His Majesty saw farmers in Jinzhou panning for gold during the spring planting season."

Shao Yi suddenly remembered: "Yes, yes, yes. His Majesty told the farmers, 'You should go back to your fields and I will take care of everything here.'"

"He then brandished his sword and official badge, dispersed the local troops supervising the gold mining, and rushed to Hengkou Town to question the tax collectors..."

The old man spoke eloquently, and his storytelling was actually quite captivating.

But the teachers and students were drowsy; they had heard it too many times and were extremely familiar with the emperor's rule over Jinzhou and his uprising.

Moreover, Shao Yi boasted excessively, exaggerating how he assisted the emperor.

Especially at the beginning of Zhao Yuan's uprising, he only appointed four county magistrates, and Shao Yi always said that he was the head of the four county magistrates.

Because he was the magistrate of Pingli County, which was closest to Jinzhou City.

It is also said that Zeng Xiaoduan, the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was only the magistrate of Xunyang County at that time, which was even further away from Jinzhou City than he was.

It is also said that the wrongful conviction in Zeng Xiaoduan's family was overturned only because he assisted the emperor.

The teachers and students were all thinking to themselves: You're so capable, yet at your age you're only the prefect of Yanshan, while others have already become the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Suddenly, a subordinate official rushed over and whispered in Shao Yi's ear, "Prefect, an imperial envoy has passed by and is resting at the inn outside the city."

Shao Yi quickly stood up and said to the teachers and students, "Students, please go back to your studies. Professor Zhang, please come with me out of the city to welcome the angel."

"Respectfully seeing off the Prefect!"

The teachers and students were overjoyed, as if they had been granted a pardon, and happily saw the prefect off.

Back in the classroom, a student sighed, "How could someone so fame-seeking, utterly incompetent, and incoherent become a prefect? ​​Alas!"

“It’s all about timing and fate,” another student laughed. “He was a meritorious official who followed the emperor into battle, one of the four county magistrates when His Majesty raised his army.”

"If they really had any skill, would they be in such a remote place as Yanshan?"

Chapter 3851 Implicated by Family Members

"Didn't you see the other three county magistrates at the time: one was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, one was the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and one was the Left Provincial Governor of Shanxi?"

Another student asked, "The four county magistrates are all in this state, but why hasn't Prefect Shao, who was appointed by His Majesty, mentioned it?"

"The governor mentioned it when he let it slip,"

An insider whispered,

"The prefect of Jinzhou at that time was Liu Shiren. He also moved to Daming Township and lived there for a few years. He was the first prefect of Hanzhong promoted by the retired emperor."

"Later, he got involved in a major national case that year and was demoted and transferred. I don't know what official position he holds now."

"If Liu Shiren hadn't been implicated, he would at least be a Minister now, and might even have joined the Grand Secretariat."

The students sighed, "This is really bad luck. It's just a demotion and transfer, which means the case isn't very serious. He was probably implicated by his family."

"To lose one's position as cabinet minister in this way is truly tragic and lamentable!"

At that time, there were three villages in Daming Township, including the Liu brothers.

One succeeded Meng Zhao as the village school principal, and the other was one of the village chiefs of Daming Township.

During the time when Zhao Yuan was transferred away from Jinzhou, Liu Shiren assisted Wen Huanzhang in preparing for the rebellion.

After the uprising and capture of Jinzhou, Liu Shiren was put in charge of all the government affairs in Jinzhou.

Later, after conquering the entire Hanzhong region, Liu Shiren became the first prefect of Hanzhong.

The imperial court remained tight-lipped about the matter, and Zhao Yuan handled it with great discretion.

He was relegated to a remote area as a prefect, and his current position is Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guangxi.

……

The usually disorganized Prefect Shao was incredibly energetic when he saw the imperial envoy. As soon as he entered the post station, he burst into laughter: "The imperial envoy has arrived, why didn't you send anyone to inform us?"

The county magistrate, who was already receiving Zongwu at the post station, introduced him, saying, "This is Prefect Shao. When His Majesty raised his army in Jinzhou, Prefect Shao was one of the four county magistrates appointed by His Majesty."

"Haha, those are all old stories," Shao Yi waved his hand smugly, "not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

Upon hearing this, Zongwu dared not be negligent and respectfully bowed, saying, "This junior scholar, Zongwu, pays his respects to the Prefect."

The magistrate then introduced, "This angel is the grand-nephew of Grand Secretary Zong."

Shao Yi became even more enthusiastic, taking Zong Wu's hand and saying, "So it's you, Young Master Zong."

After exchanging pleasantries, Shao Yi wanted to host a banquet and invited Zongwu to drink at the government office, but Zongwu politely declined, saying he was in a hurry to get back to work.

Shao Yi asked, "Where is Young Master Zong going?"

Zongwu cupped his hands in the direction of Luoyang: "By imperial decree, I am going to the Linhuang Protectorate to reward the meritorious soldiers there."

Shao Yi said, "The journey will be difficult."

"Why?" Zongwu asked.

Shao Yi explained, "The people in the mountains along the way have all come down to settle down and have their land distributed to them."

"They sought refuge in the mountains during the Liao and Jin dynasties. Who would want to live in the mountains during times of peace?"

“Even the Liao Kingdom’s Beian Prefecture (around Luanping and Chengde) has very few people left now, and the Ming Dynasty doesn’t even have a single county.”

"Without human habitation, jackals and wolves roam the land; the wild beasts in the mountains are extremely ferocious."

Zongwu asked doubtfully, "Since the Liao Kingdom can establish prefectures, there must be many places there that can be cultivated, right?"

Shao Yi said, "The Jin dynasty adopted a scorched-earth policy, taking all the people with them, and many starved to death on the way."

"Later, when the Jin dynasty was destroyed, those people settled in Dading Prefecture and were unwilling to go back to Beian Prefecture by going into the mountains."

"I heard from officials returning from the north that the capital of Beian Prefecture is completely empty."

Chapter 3852 Jackals and Tigers

"There was only one post station there, where two hundred soldiers and their families were stationed, as well as about a hundred families who had fled into the mountains and then returned."

"At most, there are only about a thousand people, all living in the city or the suburbs."

"If you go a little further away from the city, you'll encounter jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards."

Zongwu sighed, "I'd rather be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos."

"A whole prefecture, yet only a thousand people remain; how difficult it must be for the people's livelihood."

Shao Yi laughed and said, "The people there don't have to pay taxes. They only need to contribute some grain to support the local post station officials. They live a very comfortable life."

“It’s really comfortable.” Zongwu said, both amused and exasperated.

The reason they don't have to pay taxes is naturally because it's too remote and has a small population, so even the tax collectors are too lazy to urge them to pay.

Shao Yi said, "Once the registered population increases to five thousand, the imperial court will re-establish Xinghua County there. Did the imperial envoy bring any troops?"

Zongwu said, "I brought more than ten imperial guards, as well as some laborers from Baoding Prefecture."

Shao Yi instructed, "When passing through Miyun, take plenty of food. Tell the Imperial Guards to be on high alert, as there are indeed ferocious beasts roaming the mountains."

"Thank you for informing me, Prefect." Zongwu bowed.

As Shao Yi chatted, he started bragging again: "Back in the day, I was a clerk in Xicheng County, Jinzhou..."

……

Luanping, Chengde, Chifeng, Kuancheng, Qinglong, Suizhong, Jinzhou, Yixian...

These places were all under the jurisdiction of Dading Prefecture, but were temporarily assigned to Liaoning Province by Zhao Yuan.

The reason is simple: the population is too small.

Only Dading Prefecture (the capital of the Liao Dynasty) and Jinzhou were somewhat intact; the rest of the city was completely destroyed.

Most of the territory under the jurisdiction of this prefecture used to be the territory of the Xi people.

From the moment the Xi chieftain betrayed the Jin dynasty and declared himself emperor, the central region of Dading Prefecture was thrown into chaos.

Then came Zhang Jue, a Han Chinese leader, who rebelled against the Jin dynasty in the Liaoxi Corridor, turning the southeastern part of Dading Prefecture into a desolate wasteland.

Then came the Ming-Jin War.

Today, 45% of the people living in Dading Prefecture are descendants of those who migrated from Liaodong during the Jin Dynasty.

Forty-five percent were people who migrated from Liaodong during the Ming Dynasty, while only one-tenth were people whose original hometown was here.

Zongwu and his party encountered wild animals seven times just on their journey from Miyun to Chengde.

Two of the animals were tigers, who stood far away by the roadside, watching people come and go.

If only a few people pass by, the tiger will most likely pounce, and many humans have been eaten by wild animals.

At Fugu Station, Zongwu encountered a caravan heading south.

The caravan also hired several veterans as bodyguards. The leader told Zongwu, "This place used to be very wealthy; you can tell from the name Fugu Station."

"Now there are only a dozen or so households left. They were all people who secretly hid in the mountains and then returned home when the Jin Dynasty implemented a scorched-earth policy."

"Not far to the north, there used to be a Guihua County."

"It's not working now either. There are only about a hundred households in and around the county town. I don't know when the county can be re-established."

At this point, the caravan leader took out a tiger skin: "Not long ago, a tiger came into the city looking for meat and killed a child. The local people joined forces to beat the child to death."

“I happened to receive that tiger skin when I went north to do business this time.”

"If you like it, my lord, I can sell it to you at a low price."

Zongwu shook his head: "This thing is ominous; it's tainted with the lives of children."

Chapter 3853 Unable to Sell at a High Price

"Then I'll transport it to Zhen Ding Prefecture to sell; it definitely won't fetch a high price in Yan Shan Prefecture." The merchant carefully put the tiger skin away.

Zongwu asked, "Are you going to the Linhuang Protectorate to do business?"

The merchant said, "Linhuang is too far. I'll sell the tea in Dading Prefecture and come back. Other merchants will then resell the goods to the grasslands."

"Was Dading Prefecture also inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples?" Zongwu asked again.

The merchant said, "They are all from Liaodong. Some were migrated from the Jin Dynasty, and some from the Ming Dynasty. The majority are Bohai people, followed by Han people, and the fewest are Jurchen people."

"They all speak Mandarin, with a Liaodong accent, mixed with some northern Han accents."

Zongwu then asked about other things he had seen and heard, and the merchant recounted them in detail, which broadened his horizons considerably.

Continuing their journey, they arrived at the outskirts of Dading Prefecture, where Zongwu discovered that the population was actually larger than that of Yanshan Prefecture.

This was a deliberate act by the imperial court, involving the relocation of the Bohai and Han people to Liaodong.

Let them merge into a new Northern Han people, so as to control the Linhuangfu grassland further north.

Hearing that an imperial envoy was going to the grasslands, three caravans approached Zongwu, saying they wanted to travel with him.

Salt, tea, and ironware are all controlled commodities, and special licenses are required to transport them to the grasslands. In addition, there are annual maximum limits.

Fabrics and the like don't matter; they can be sold freely to the grasslands.

Zongwu continued on his journey while exchanging words with the merchants.