Chapter 248 The County Government Wants to Suppress Blackwater Village
Ning Jinli smiled and nodded, "That's right, all of them."
Hei Er was so happy he almost fainted, and he quickly grabbed Hei Da's arm to steady himself.
Subsequently, under Xiao Qidi's organization, the Hei siblings, Hei Da and Hei Er, led dozens of their men to unload the moth-wing grass from the ship in an orderly manner and then load the grain onto the ship.
They worked until dark, and finally all the dozen or so tons of moth-wing grass were unloaded.
The people of Blackwater Village rowed their boats, loaded with the grain they had received that day, and happily returned to Rotten Boat Fortress.
This approach proved to be effective.
Ning Jinli immediately adjusted the follow-up plan with the special operations team and decided to ask the people of Blackwater Village for help to jointly build several large warehouses.
The special operations team formulated a construction plan, Ning Jinli delivered tools, materials, and supplies, and the people of Blackwater Village carried out the construction.
Over the next few days, the people of Blackwater Village worked hard to harvest moth-wing grass, and Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi were paid with food every day, and then gradually the tools were provided.
This made everyone extremely happy.
All you need to do is pick grass to get food that you never dared to dream of before, as well as all sorts of farm tools that you've never seen before but are very useful.
The hoes, shovels, sickles, and the like were far more powerful than their pile of broken and tattered weapons used for robbery.
Without having to risk their lives to rob and survive, they could eat their fill and had handy tools for work, so everyone in Blackwater Village worked with increasing enthusiasm.
Ning Jinli also sent the collected moth-wing grass to the medicine factory as soon as possible.
With Lu Jueming managing the pharmaceutical company, its efficiency is naturally high.
In addition, after learning about the situation, Shangguan Ying directly sent a complete set of equipment for producing Bismuth sustained-release agent and also sent a relevant team to assist in the production.
This major event concerning the social well-being of the Chinese people has finally made significant progress.
All that's left is to keep things running smoothly. Both sides are racing against time to break Shanpota's absolute monopoly on Bis-Release inhibitors worldwide.
In this way, we can thwart the attempt by the Kingdom of Sanpota to double its prices starting in January next year. In the long run, we will no longer have to let the Kingdom of Sanpota choke China and bleed us dry.
Xiao Qidi had found a solution to the problem of the moth-winged grass, and estimating that Lin Sui's mission to You Kingdom should be nearing its end, so he returned to the Great Xuan Royal City.
Ning Jinli continued to deliver supplies to Blackwater Bay.
——
On the other side.
In the capital city of Zeguo, several ministers who had just finished court rushed to a luxurious prince's mansion to report on their court session to the mansion's owner.
"Lord Enze, His Majesty mentioned Marquis Xing and General Xing."
"It seems His Majesty feels the previous punishment was too severe and is hesitant about whether to lighten it, after all, this father and son are the cornerstone of the Great Swamp Army..."
Seated before them sat a richly dressed, white-haired old man, whom they called Lord Enze.
Enze Gong sipped his tea and said calmly, "What do you think?"
The group quickly stated that they were the ones who impeached the Xing family father and son, and they would definitely not allow the Xing family to recover. Moreover, they were well aware that the Xing family's advice to the emperor to implement reforms was a great disrespect to the nobles and princes of Ze Kingdom, and they, as subjects, were aware of this.
Duke Enze nodded in satisfaction. “Don’t worry, the king is just grateful for the Xing family’s past contributions. What’s this about a cornerstone? Without those two, does the great Daze really not have a decent commander? I will recommend someone to the king later to put his mind at ease.”
At this moment, a servant walked quickly over and whispered a few words in Duke Enze's ear.
Duke Enze frowned slightly and said to several ministers, "I still have matters to attend to. Please take your leave."
The ministers hadn't even had a chance to sit down properly, but they all tactfully bowed and took their leave.
After they left, the servants immediately brought two men in black to Duke Enze.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!" The two men in black knelt down and prostrated themselves in worship.
Duke Enze offered the two men seats and asked them to explain the situation.
Upon hearing the two men say that there might be survivors from the Xing family, he jumped to his feet, his eyes wide with anger. "Aren't you the most skilled assassins in Daze? How could you possibly have any survivors!"
The two men in black hurriedly knelt down again.
"Your Excellency, the situation at the time was truly beyond our expectations."
"Everything was going smoothly at first, and we even cut off General Xing's head. But unexpectedly, the two weakest ones, Madam Xing, who was heavily pregnant, and Uncle Fu, the steward of the Marquis's mansion, escaped."
"The men immediately gave chase, but unexpectedly, a girl and a man suddenly appeared on the way."
"The girl was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but she was extremely cunning. She rescued Madam Xing and Uncle Fu, and the man beside her was extremely skilled in martial arts, which caused us a lot of trouble."
"In the end, we chased them all the way, watching them escape into Blackwater Bay..."
“The other five of us brothers also went after them, and then… just like those guys, we never came out again.”
After hearing these details...
Enze Gong narrowed his eyes and asked, "What about the heads of the rest of the Xing family? Have they all been brought back?"
The man in black replied respectfully, "They've all been brought and handed over to your people, who are verifying them one by one."
"Hmm...where's the body?"
"The bodies have all been destroyed, please rest assured, Lord Enze."
Duke Enze was quite satisfied with this aspect, but the thought of missing Madam Xing and Uncle Fu made him feel uneasy.
Although one was a heavily pregnant woman about to give birth and the other was an elderly man, they couldn't survive without each other's support.
But if someone suddenly comes to your rescue, that's a different story.
"What kind of place is Blackwater Bay?" Enze asked.
The man in black explained to him that it was a remote place, which, due to its proximity to a river and the numerous tributaries that flowed through it, formed a large area of dense forest and swamp.
Many years ago, there were still many fishing villages in that area, but later, as the river flooded, it gradually became a barren land and was occupied by a group of river pirates.
“I think I’ve heard something about it,” Enze asked again, “so which county does Blackwater Bay belong to?”
The man in black said, "It seems to be within the jurisdiction of Ting County, but it is far from the county seat, so the local officials don't care."
Enze paced back and forth, continuing to learn about the situation of the pirates in Blackwater Bay.
According to the man in black, the band of pirates were vicious and numerous. Since Madam Xing, Uncle Fu, and the mysterious person who rescued them had entered Blackwater Bay, they should not be able to get out.
Duke Enze's face darkened. "Could it be that those river pirates rescued them?"
The man in black immediately stated that, according to the investigation, the Xing family had no connection whatsoever with Blackwater Village. Such a possibility was extremely slim. It was basically certain that two completely unrelated people had intervened to help someone in need, and then, while being chased, they had wandered into Blackwater Bay in a panic.
They said this to dispel Enze Gong's doubts and worries; otherwise, they would have to bear the responsibility.
If Lord Enze punishes them for failing in their duties, or orders them to venture deep into Blackwater Bay to find Madam Xing and Uncle Fu, they will both lose their lives.
Enze fell silent, turned around and returned to his seat, slowly sitting down and closing his eyes to think.
The two men in black knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads or even breathe heavily.
After a long while, until they were soaked in cold sweat, Duke Enze finally spoke slowly: "Is it just the two of you left?"
This question came out of nowhere.
But the two answered truthfully, saying that there were seven of them in total, and the other five had probably already perished in Blackwater Bay.
"Alright... I feel really bad that you brothers have suffered such heavy losses, so I must treat you two well."
"Your humble servant thanks you greatly, Your Excellency!"
The two men in black were overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly.
Duke Enze summoned the steward and several servants, and in front of the men in black, instructed them: "Take the two of them downstairs, arrange the best rooms for them to rest, and find a few beauties to keep them company. Do not neglect them."
Upon hearing this, the two men in black were overjoyed and thanked him profusely before leaving with several servants.
No sooner had they left than Duke Enze made a throat-slitting gesture to the steward.
The butler understood immediately and followed.
Not long after, the bloody heads of the two men in black were placed at the feet of Duke Enze.
Duke Enze asked the steward, "Have the heads those two fellows brought back been verified?"
The butler said, "Everything has been verified. Except for the missing heads of Madam Xing and Uncle Fu, the rest of the Xing family members are correct."
“Alright…” Duke Enze gently kicked the two men in black on the head. “Take these two away and destroy them. Come to my study in half an hour.”
"yes."
The butler picked up the severed head and hurried away.
Enze Gong entered the study, took out a piece of silk about half a foot square, pondered for a moment, picked up a brush and wrote on it with great speed, and then stamped it with his seal.
Next, place it near a candle flame to dry slightly, then roll up the silk, stuff it into a delicate little bamboo tube, cover it with the bamboo tube lid, and finally seal it with wax.
After doing all this, exactly half an hour had passed.
The butler entered the study on time.
Duke Enze handed the letter to his steward and ordered, "Send someone to deliver it to the magistrate of Ting County and his superior, the prefect, by express courier, which must be done within 800 li. Do not delay."
——
Two days later, in the middle of the night.
The magistrate of Ting County was awakened from his sleep by his servant.
The magistrate flew into a rage, "Are you courting death! Disturbing my peaceful slumber! Get out and receive twenty strokes of the cane!"
"Master! The Prefect has sent someone to see you!" the servant urged. "Please get up quickly, don't keep him waiting!"
The magistrate of Ting County instantly snapped out of his daze, hurriedly dressed, and ran to the main hall.
There was someone waiting in the middle of the main hall. The magistrate immediately recognized that the person was indeed a trusted confidant of the prefect, who was directly under his command.
The magistrate, all smiles, was about to step forward and exchange a few polite words.
The other party waved his hand and said, "No need for nonsense, have your men leave first."
Seeing the other party's serious expression, the county magistrate dared not be negligent and hurriedly dismissed his attendants.
The prefect's confidant pulled out a bamboo scroll from his robes. "This is the prefect's order to suppress bandits. Take a look."
"Suppressing bandits?" The county magistrate took the document and glanced at it. It was all official procedure and wording; for details, he would have to ask his trusted confidant. He asked in bewilderment, "My county of Zixing has always been peaceful and stable. Where did these bandits come from..."
The prefect's confidant said, "The Blackwater Bay area is under your jurisdiction, isn't it?"
The magistrate's expression changed slightly, and he forced a smile, saying, "Many years ago, that place was called Blackwater County. However, due to rampant natural disasters, it was gradually neglected. Later, it was nominally incorporated into my Ting County, but—"
“As long as it’s your territory,” the prefect’s confidant interrupted. “The prefect has ordered you to spare no effort to wipe out the pirates entrenched in Blackwater Bay!”
The county officials were dumbfounded.
I thought the higher-ups were just putting on a show for some reason, but I didn't expect them to actually do it.
"How am I supposed to wipe them out completely?" the magistrate said with a worried look. "There is a gang of villains in Blackwater Bay who call themselves Blackwater Stronghold! There are at least eight or nine hundred... no, over a thousand! Maybe there are two thousand now. Even if I count all the constables, police officers and soldiers under my command, it's not enough to cover a fraction of their numbers."
"In short, this is the prefect's order. You can decide what to do!" The prefect's confidant said this and turned to leave.
The magistrate, clutching the bamboo slip document, slumped to the ground, looking utterly lost. He muttered to himself, "What kind of mess is this... Of all things... bandit suppression... It's over, I'm finished..."
After a moment of panic, he gradually calmed down, scrambled to his feet, and shouted, "Prepare the sedan chair! Send me to the county government office and call the clerk over!"
That night, the magistrate and his clerk pondered in the county office until dawn.
The two managed to come up with a feasible solution.
Since the higher authorities neither provided funds nor personnel, the only recourse was to conscript able-bodied men within the county to collect taxes for bandit suppression. It was impossible for the county magistrate to have to foot the entire bill for bandit suppression out of his own pocket.
At daybreak, the tax collection order was spread by the yamen runners, and at the same time, all the constables were mobilized to arrest any man they saw, leaving no one untouched except the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled.
For a time, the people of the entire county were in a state of panic and chaos.
Li He and Fang Hui were unaware of what had happened and were hiding in the roast chicken shop, peeking out through the crack in the door.
A group of yamen runners, acting like bandits, rushed into the gate and looted everything they could. There were also groups of constables who arrested any men they encountered.
Fang Hui muttered under his breath, "Have these bastards gone mad? They've started openly robbing ordinary people?"
Li He's expression was serious, but she still joked to comfort him, "Don't be afraid. Whether it's your place or my home, we're both dirt poor. There's nothing to rob."
Fang asked, "What about the silver you have left, and the things Sister Jinli gave you..."
Li He's expression changed slightly, and then she thought to herself, "I've already hidden in that dilapidated temple. Under normal circumstances, even dogs wouldn't go to that shabby place, so the officials wouldn't bother to search it, would they?"
"Open the door! Open the door!" Several yamen runners arrived in front of the roast chicken shop and banged on the door loudly.
Li He and Fang Hui quickly shut their mouths.
At this moment, Constable Sun came over and said something to the constables, after which they went to the next house.
Li He opened the door a crack. "Officer Sun, what's going on here?"
Head Constable Sun looked around, strode into the shop, and closed the door again. "The higher-ups have issued an order for our county to suppress bandits. The county government is short of both money and manpower, so this is the only way. You two lads... you're both under sixteen, aren't you?"
Li He and Fang Hui quickly shook their heads.
Constable Sun said, "That's relatively safe. These days, we only arrest able-bodied men who are sixteen to forty years old. But I suggest you two stay out of the way unless necessary. If another constable catches you and insists you're over sixteen, I'll have a hard time protecting you. Alright, I'm going to continue arresting people. You two be smart!"
After saying that, Constable Sun hurriedly left.
"Phew..." Chairman Fang breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, we've escaped a disaster."
Li He's expression suddenly changed drastically, "Oh no!"
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