Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

Yuncheng.

In the past two days, County Magistrate Shi Wenbin has felt quite frustrated.

Although he was a county magistrate, he was very diligent in his work and conscientious in his duties.

However, in Yuncheng County, his approval rating as magistrate did not seem to be very high.

From the moment he took office, his presence among the people was very weak. When he wasn't wearing his official robes, even if Shi Wenbin strolled through the busiest market in Yuncheng, he was unlikely to be recognized.

As for government affairs... well, the major events among the people of Yuncheng are basically not for Shi Wenbin to handle, because they will all go to Liangshan and find professionals there to deal with them.

That's right, we're talking about the Mediation Division under Pei Xuan's jurisdiction, which is specifically responsible for mediating disputes between people in Liangshan and the surrounding areas. They are not only quick to process cases, but also very fair.

With Pei Xuan, an upright and incorruptible man, in charge, the Liangshan Mediation Office dared not deceive anyone. Although there had been a few scoundrels in the Mediation Office who wanted to extort benefits from the people, Pei Xuan discovered them in time and sent them to the Liangshan execution platform. Their heads were smeared with lime and hung in the Mediation Office courtyard for several months. After that, no one dared to cause trouble again.

This is also a major reason why people are willing to travel a long distance to the Liangshan Mediation Office instead of going to the yamen (government office).

Although Shi Wenbin had posted notices to the people saying that they could come to the yamen for important matters, the response was generally lukewarm. As time went on, Shi Wenbin got used to it. He thought that if he couldn't handle the big matters, he could at least handle the small ones!

As a result... he couldn't get many small jobs a month. Apart from the tasks assigned by the imperial court, he was basically in a state of having no work.

In other words, Shi Wenbin was a decent person. When there was no work, he would find work for himself. He cultivated a vegetable garden behind the county government office, grew vegetables, and would occasionally go to the village to help the villagers with farm work.

As a result, he was mistaken by villagers in several villages for a professional day laborer; they simply didn't believe he was a county magistrate.

Fortunately, Shi Wenbin was able to persevere. After a period of time, he gradually gained some recognition, and some people began to believe in him.

Although it's not as efficient as going to Liangshan, it's at least close by, so it's a backup option.

If this situation continues, in two or three years, Wenbin might actually gain the trust of the people.

However, the imperial court did not give him time. Tong Guan led his troops directly to attack, levying exorbitant taxes and plundering the people along the way. As a war zone, Yuncheng was naturally not spared.

Tong Guan demanded that Yuncheng unconditionally cooperate with his army's actions. As a result, Yuncheng was forced to provide a large amount of grain, fodder, gold, and silver. The people had painstakingly saved up some money, but as soon as Tong Guan arrived, eight or nine tenths of it was plundered.

In this way, all of Shi Wenbin's previous efforts were wasted.

In the eyes of the common people, Tong Guan represents the imperial court, and you, Shi Wenbin, also represent the imperial court, so you must be birds of a feather! All crows under heaven are black!

Shi Wenbin had no way to express his bitterness and could only hope that Tong Guan would win. After all, his good brother Qiu Yu had said that he was going to Liangshan as a spy, but... so long ago, he had been missing without a trace.

Shi Wenbin even wondered if Qiu Yu had already been captured by Liangshan. Otherwise, there would have been some news about him.

As a result... Tong Guan actually suffered a major defeat at Liangshan!

Others may not know, but Shi Wenbin knows very well that Tong Guan's hundreds of thousands of troops were all wiped out at Liangshan!

And most importantly, when news of this defeat reached Yuncheng, the people of Yuncheng were all clapping and cheering!

Is this Yuncheng the Yuncheng of the imperial court, or the Yuncheng of Liangshan?

Sometimes Shi Wenbin wondered if it was worth it to just give up on suppressing Liangshan. They had lost 200,000 men and gained the support of the people of Yuncheng and the surrounding areas.

In the last two days, something even more frustrating happened to him.

First, Zhang Shuye, who was in Jiangnan, sent a messenger on horseback overnight with a message that he was preparing to meet with Ren Yuan, the leader of the Liangshan bandits, in Yuncheng. He hoped that Yuncheng County would cooperate with his work and be on high alert throughout the county. If possible, he wanted to capture Ren Yuan in Yuncheng!

Shi Wenbin was dumbfounded. Capture Ren Yuan in Yuncheng? In a dream! What was the difference between this mission and capturing Zhao Ji in the Rui Si Hall?

He, Shi Wenbin, was merely a county magistrate, and a rather unappreciated one at that. The entire army defending Yuncheng was in the hands of the county lieutenant, who was elected by the locals themselves.

Why was the county magistrate of Yuncheng elected by the locals? Because it was an election personally organized by Liangshan, and the name was submitted before the previous county magistrate left.

Shi Wenbin had no ability to mobilize the troops under the control of the county magistrate.

Moreover, you said you wanted to arrest Ren Yuan in Yuncheng, Lord Zhang, do you not want to leave Yuncheng County intact?

What frustrated Shi Wenbin the most was that when he arrived at the county government office this morning, he found that there were already several people in the main hall.

A hero who looked extraordinary was sitting in his seat, flipping through the documents he had recently reviewed. He was so engrossed in reading that he didn't even notice that Shi Wenbin had arrived.

"Good morning, Lord Shi!"

A lean man stood at the entrance of the lobby, smiling and greeting Shi Wenbin.

Upon seeing this person, Shi Wenbin was stunned. After a long while, he responded with a wry smile:

"How dare I call myself Lord Shi Qian, the Flea on the Drum of Liangshan?"

That's right, the lean man who greeted him was Shi Qian!

The person sitting in Shi Wenbin's seat reading the documents was naturally Ren Yuan.

"I wonder what brings Chief Ren to my Yuncheng today? Is it not enough that you defeated Privy Councilor Tong, Chief Ren, that you also intend to take down me, the magistrate of Yuncheng?"

Shi Wenbin looked at Ren Yuan, who was still staring at the documents, and said somewhat angrily.

Ren Yuan, although I know that Yuncheng and your Liangshan have a good relationship, on the surface, I am the magistrate of Yuncheng. Now you have come to the county office in a blatant manner, sitting in my seat and looking at the documents I am reviewing. You, you are usurping my position!

Besides, do you even understand it?

"The county's planning is very clear, the people's affairs are handled in a timely manner, and some wrongful convictions have been overturned. It seems that Magistrate Shi is not someone who is just occupying a position without doing his job."

"After the defeat, your first thought was to pacify the people. Even at the risk of being punished by your superiors, you insisted on obtaining relief funds and grain from the state government. Magistrate Shi, you are indeed a good man."

Ren Yuan did not answer Shi Wenbin's question, but put down the documents in his hand and looked up at him.

“I have read all your documents, and they are indeed quite good. It is clear that you are a person who cares about the people. Moreover, compared with the previous magistrate, your administrative ability is much stronger. Qiu Yu did not exaggerate your abilities.”

"So, Magistrate Shi, are you willing to cooperate with Liangshan?"