Chapter 3064 Village Head
The servants ran back to their own homes, but did not lie down to sleep immediately. Instead, they stayed together.
They suffered a great shock tonight, and their hearts are still pounding, which makes them feel very uncomfortable.
As a result, just as they gathered together and had no time to say a few words, there was a sudden bang outside. The yamen runners were knocking on the bangs and shouting for everyone to come out and gather.
The servants who had just returned from a fight tonight were feeling uneasy and had to leave the house.
Yamen runners and guards stood guard at various locations, holding their swords at the hilt. They seemed scattered, but they firmly controlled every entrance. Seeing them emerge, one of the runners immediately ordered, "What are you standing there for? Go get the firewood over there and build two fires here and there! Hurry!"
The fire started to rise, and with the torches lit all around, it instantly illuminated the area as bright as day. The expressions on the faces of the sixty people who were called up were clearly visible, but at least their expressions were visible.
Bai Shan brought Bai Erlang and Yin Huo forward. Now they were no longer afraid that these conscripts would rebel again.
Since they didn't dare to move just now, they are even more afraid now. They must have been scared out of their wits by Bai Shan, okay?
Bai Shan had a very good memory, and he had guards beside him. After the sixty guards were standing in line, he pointed to the side and said, "The thirty-four people who just arrived outside the county house, please stand on this side."
Everyone was hesitant and unwilling to move, so Bai Shan just watched them quietly.
County Magistrate Fang shouted, "Do you think the adults won't know who they are unless you step forward? The adults just called out their names one by one!"
Everyone just remembered it now and became even more panicked. They lowered their heads and secretly exchanged glances with the people next to them, and could only move aside.
They were extremely regretful at this moment. If they had known this would happen, they should not have listened to them and joined in the commotion. They should have just lay in the house and nothing would have happened.
After they all stood over, County Magistrate Fang stepped forward to count the people and check their faces. After a while, he came back and said to Bai Shan, "It's all correct."
Bai Shan then lectured them with a cold face, "Since the conscription order was issued on September 20th, this county has issued two orders, conscripting a total of 1,868 men. I can't say that all the fortifications you've built are flawless, but for things like yours, even our horses can tell the ground isn't solid enough. Your mile is the only place with poor quality."
"The other forty conscripts from your village finished their service the day before yesterday and returned home. Since they come from the same village as you, the county magistrate conducted a thorough investigation, but the road they built was flawless," Bai Shan said. "So, the county magistrate is wondering, were you inherently cunning and dishonest, or did you pick up bad habits after arriving here?"
The yamen runners in charge of this group of servants broke out in cold sweats, knelt down one after another, and dared not say a word.
Bai Shan glanced at them coldly and did not ask them to get up.
As responsible yamen runners, they not only had to ensure the food and safety of the conscripts during their service, but also had to ensure the quality of their service.
If the last section is built in such a shoddy way, when it rains next year and there are more cars and horses passing by, the road will be bumpy again in less than two years.
Do you really think that building roads depends solely on the county government’s mouth?
"You are at fault for this problem, but the yamen runners who supervised you are also guilty. Originally, the county didn't want to discuss punishment during your renovations, but since you are so impatient, the county doesn't mind issuing a verdict now."
The servants all lowered their heads.
Bai Shan's face was gloomy and serious, his gaze slid across their faces one by one like a knife, and he said, "You are all citizens of this county. As for me, I have also seen the hardships of conscripts since I was a child, so this service is so different. Not only will we ensure that you have enough to eat, but we will also try our best to ensure that you don't get cold or overwork. This county believes that we have been good enough to you and that we care about you enough..."
Bai Shan spoke these words slowly, but everyone present knew that he was angry, and the servants lowered their heads in shame.
"Rewards are for merit, punishments are for fault. The county originally wanted to punish you with ten days of forced labor in the government fields, but County Magistrate Fang said that was too light. We didn't think that was the case, but after tonight, we think he was right." Bai Shan said, "Therefore, all the laborers who slacked off this time will be fined twenty days after the road is repaired, and they will all go to Longchi to build the wharf. The thirty-four people who caused a disturbance tonight will be fined an additional twenty days, for a total of forty days. You can return when you have completed your service."
Bai Shan's eyes fell on the kneeling yamen runner, his face stern. "The supervising yamen runner is guilty of the same crime. He shall be fined three months' salary and forced to serve forty days."
This punishment was even heavier than that of the laborers. The three yamen runners kneeling on the ground turned pale, but they did not dare to argue or shirk it. They kowtowed in response.
Even the yamen runners accepted the punishment, and the servants dared not say a word. They all knelt down and responded "yes".
Seeing that they were honest, Bai Shan nodded slightly to County Magistrate Fang.
County Magistrate Fang ordered the laborers to retreat, "No more gathering and making noise without reason. If anyone does this again, the punishment will not be as simple as hard labor."
After all the servants had returned to their rooms, County Magistrate Fang went to find Bai Shan and asked, "Sir, is this matter over?"
Although County Magistrate Fang loved the people, he did not indulge them blindly. He said that they dared to disturb the county magistrate late at night. Even if they just surrounded him, it was a form of coercion and they should be severely punished.
Bai Shan, however, did not like the punishment of beatings. He wanted to achieve his goal in a more cost-effective way. He said, "Send the village head here tomorrow. The county magistrate wants to see him in person."
The laborers did not sleep well the night before, and when they woke up the next morning they felt listless and had dark circles under their eyes. However, they did not dare to be lazy today. As soon as they had breakfast, they took their tools and went to repair the road, not daring to delay at all.
After receiving the news, their village headman quickly rushed over from the village. When the servants saw the village headman, they felt even more nervous for some reason.
Sure enough, during lunch, the village head called them together and scolded them bitterly, saying, "You have made me lose all my face. You just take advantage of the county magistrate because he is young and think he is easy to bully."
"Do you really think he's kind just because he's giving you good food and drink?" the village head said angrily, "That's because the county magistrate feels sorry for you peasants. If he didn't feel sorry for people, look at those people in Dajing Village and Xiaojing Village. Dozens of them. He chopped them off and exiled them without a second thought. Did he ever blink?"
"How dare you go over here and surround the county magistrate in the middle of the night? Are you guys crazy?" The village head cursed, taking out all his anger today on them. After cursing until his mouth was dry, he said, "Today we're all famous. I've lost my face, and neither of you can expect to regain it. This matter has been made public in the village. To prevent it from happening again, we'll have to put it on the notice..."
See you at 10pm
(End of this chapter)
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