The first county magistrate in history

Xia Mochu and Li Qiuhan followed Qin Zheng out of the county government office, but found that the people were still doing what they were supposed to do as usual, and there was no tension of the coming war.

Some even chatted with Qin Zheng:

"Sir, are we going to meet the enemy?"

"Sir, come to my restaurant for a drink after the battle. You haven't been here for a long time."

"Sir, could you give me a few scimitars from the spoils? I'm short of iron, and I want to make some farming tools..."

The two girls looked at each other in shock.

This Hongtong County is so strange. Not only is it not afraid of war, it seems to be absolutely sure of victory in the war.

The gates of Hongtong County were open and not closed.

However, only entry is allowed, not exit.

The county lieutenant named Wang Cheng only brought 500 soldiers to guard the city gate.

Qin Zheng took the two women to the city wall.

It was the first time for Xia Mochu and Li Qiuhan to climb the city wall. They found that the ramps and corridors of the city wall were extremely wide, and two carriages could pass side by side more than enough.

There were not many soldiers on the city wall, only about five hundred.

According to the law, the number of troops stationed in a county town shall not exceed one thousand.

The imperial court also wanted to prevent the stationed troops from rebelling.

The two girls were very surprised. Just these few people?

They had previously thought that Hongtong County, where every citizen is a soldier, would mobilize all the people to fight the enemy.

Xia Mochu was most eager to see what Hongtong County, where everyone was a soldier, would look like, but was greatly disappointed.

"County Magistrate Qin, are these the only people?" Li Qiuhan couldn't help but ask.

Qin Zheng smiled slightly: "That's enough!"

Li Qiuhan looked at Qin Zheng. Where did he get his confidence from? There were five thousand soldiers.

Xia Mochu was also suspicious, but she kept silent. She had already made preparations. At worst, she could reveal her identity and scare off the Xuanzhou prefect.

Qin Zheng took the two women to inspect the city wall.

The two women discovered that every hundred meters on the city wall, there was a large object covered with red cloth, and they didn't know what it was.

When asked about it, Qin Zheng just smiled and said, "It's a secret for now."

After the inspection, the three of them came to the city wall of the South Gate.

"Sir!" County magistrate Zhang Mingli walked over with a red flag in his hand.

Qin Zheng nodded: "Go!"

Even though Zhang Mingli is over fifty years old, he has a steady pace. He is not afraid at all, but rather very excited, and quickly climbs up the tower on the city wall.

There are eight towers on the city wall, located in eight directions.

At this moment, the two women discovered that people on other city walls were also holding red flags.

"What are they doing?" Li Qiuhan couldn't help but ask.

Qin Zheng said: "They are the commanders, and the red flag is the command flag. The soldiers act according to the flag signal."

"Flag signal?" Li Qiuhan didn't understand.

Xia Mochu didn't understand either.

Qin Zheng explained, "During battle, sending someone to deliver an order wastes time and misses opportunities. The noise is too loud, and commands can be unclear or inaudible. However, the soldiers can see the command flags on the city walls. Based on how the flags wave, they know what to do."

Xia Mochu narrowed her eyes slightly. This method was simply too good to be true. If applied to a battlefield at the border, it would definitely increase the odds of victory.

Li Qiuhan sincerely admired him and said, "County Magistrate Qin, you are also a military strategist. It's a pity that you don't contribute to the court."

Qin Zheng was startled. "Miss Li, Miss Xia, please don't tell anyone what you saw today. If the Empress knew, she might force me to enter the court!"

"No, no!" Li Qiuhan laughed. Silly boy, the Empress is right beside you.

Xia Mochu asked expressionlessly, "What if the Empress issued an edict allowing you to enter the court?"

Qin Zheng said with a bitter face: "Even if your head is on the line, you have to go. Otherwise, you will lose your head anyway."

Phew!

Li Qiuhan laughed dumbly: "You know when to advance and when to retreat."

Xia Mochu couldn't help laughing and thought to himself, Humph, I'll issue an edict when I get back!

How could they know that whether Qin Zheng gave face to the empress or not depended entirely on his mood.

Suddenly, a snow-white dove flew from the southern sky and suddenly landed directly above the city wall, landing on Qin Zheng's shoulder.

Li Qiuhan was puzzled: "Haha, the little guy is actually not afraid of people."

But Qin Zheng grabbed the pigeon and took a note from its leg.

Only then did Xia Mochu and Li Qiuhan notice that there was a small bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg.

The two women were surprised!

They all came over to look at the note in Qin Zheng's hand, which read: The enemy is five miles away, and the prefect Cai Bulun is leading the team!

Xia Mochu was shocked: "Can pigeons deliver messages?"

In her impression, aren't pigeons just playthings for those playboys?

Qin Zheng nodded: "This is the carrier pigeon I trained. It can deliver information from thousands of miles away."

Xia Mochu was extremely shocked: "A message sent over thousands of miles? It won't get lost?"

Qin Zheng smiled slightly. "Pigeons navigate by geomagnetism, not their eyes. When they flap their wings, they cut through the magnetic lines of force, generating an induced electromotive force. The magnitude of the electromotive force generated varies depending on the direction they fly. They use these differences to determine direction."

"Geomagnetic navigation?"

“Electromotive force?”

Xia Mochu and Li Qiuhan were once again exposed to their blind spots in knowledge.

Qin Zheng had no choice but to explain.

However, the two girls still didn’t understand.

Qin Zheng was also helpless, after all, they were not from the same world.

Soon, dust rose in the distance, the sound of horses' hooves clung to the air, and the earth shook.

"Here it comes!" Li Qiuhan was a little nervous.

Xia Mochu already had the Empress's token in her hand.

Five thousand provincial governors' troops, wearing iron helmets and armor, rode on armored war horses and galloped forward with great momentum.

Xia Mochu glanced at Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng stood still, his expression unchanged, calmly watching the 5,000 soldiers coming back.

Looking at the soldiers in Hongtong County, they also seemed fearless in the face of danger.

Xia Mochu was convinced. Just this calmness was unmatched by ordinary people!

How did Qin Zheng do this? How were his soldiers trained?

The 5,000-strong army stopped advancing one mile away.

Several war horses surrounded a blue-roofed carriage and arrived at the foot of the city.

The curtain of the sedan chair was opened and a person came out.

This man had a face like a donkey, gray hair on his temples, a fat body and a big belly.

He was wearing a prefectural official robe embroidered with gold and silver threads.

The black gauze hat was covered with gold edges and in the middle was inlaid with a ruby the size of five copper coins.

Around his waist was a belt inlaid with crystal clear and colorful gems.

The gems sparkled and dazzled the eyes.

Extremely luxurious.

Li Qiuhan's eyes widened. "Miss, he's dressed so extravagantly, while the people of Xuanzhou are living in poverty. He must be a corrupt official!"

Murderous intent and anger flashed in the depths of Xia Mochu's phoenix eyes.

Suddenly asked Qin Zheng: "How much do you know about him?"

Qin Zheng replied, "This prefect's name is Cai Bulun. He acts in a domineering and extremely harsh manner towards his subordinates and the people. He is greedy and exploits the people's wealth, disregarding their suffering. His jurisdiction is plagued by excessive taxes and levies, leaving the people living in dire straits. Meanwhile, he regularly hosts banquets in his mansion, entertaining the rich and powerful, and spending money recklessly. He also spares no effort in using the money he collects to bribe officials."

Li Qiuhan frowned: "Is there no one to treat him?"

Qin Zheng smiled bitterly. "This prefect is skilled at flattery and fawning, and he does everything he can to fawn over his superiors. He plays both sides, forms cliques for personal gain, and uses whatever means necessary to exclude his political opponents. He exploits his power to amass wealth, sell official titles, embezzle, and accept bribes. Yet, no one has ever stopped him."

"This kind of official deserves to be killed!" Li Qiuhan glanced at Xia Mochu.

Xia Mochu didn't say anything.

Qin Zheng said, "He deserves to be killed. His mansion is extremely luxurious, comparable to an imperial palace. He has numerous wives and concubines, all of them as beautiful as flowers, adorned with gold and silver. He indulges in wine and women all day long, neglecting state affairs. Under his rule, the social atmosphere in Xuanzhou has become increasingly corrupt, with bandits rampant and the people living in misery."

Suddenly, he sighed, "Although he committed numerous evil deeds, his methods were sophisticated, his network of connections was vast, and his umbrella of protection was powerful. The emperor is far away, and if his ministers concealed his crimes and didn't report them, how could the empress know?"

At this moment, Cai Bulun, who was below, looked up at Qin Zheng on the city wall and said with a chuckle, "Master Qin, how are you?"

Xia Mochu frowned: "You are a subordinate, why is he so polite to you?"

Qin Zheng was proud: "Back then, I put my hands in my pockets and beat him up."

"Ah?" Xia Mochu was shocked: "You dare to attack Shangfeng?"