The power of the military nobles was not enough to qualify them to get the travel routes of the imperial envoys. Even if a few of them colluded with local officials and knew the routes, they did not have the ability to attack the post stations under the protection of the soldiers of the Imperial City Division.
So they can only use the stupid method.
First go to the camp where your subordinates are to be investigated. If you meet them, see if there is a suitable opportunity on the road. If you don’t meet them, wait near the military camp and wait for them to come.
Although officers such as battalion commanders were transferred away, there were still some small officers such as lieutenants and squad leaders who could be used.
As long as we find out where the imperial envoy lives, there may be an opportunity to take advantage of him.
"Never mind, let's go first."
Another person said, "This job is a life-or-death one, but we've all been with the Yaneis through thick and thin. If they fall, we'll all be dead too. This is the only way."
With a wave of his hand, everyone immediately followed, hired a boat at the ferry, and crossed the river in a mighty procession.
By June 11, Wang Anshi had passed Liyang and entered Daming Prefecture.
The magistrate of Neihuang County and the commander of the Imperial City Division came to greet him. He then stayed at the Neihuang Official Posthouse for one night and set off again for Daming City on June 12.
At the Maling Road outside the south city of Daming Prefecture, the Yellow River had not yet burst its banks at Shanghukou and was still following the old course of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Therefore, Daming Prefecture was located on the plain and was not submerged by the Yellow River after it changed its course.
The vast plains are full of barren land, some of which are even close to desertification. The imperial court on both sides of the Wei River is organizing people to build canals, irrigate the land, and create new arable land.
In the area of Maling Road Crossing, more than 20 military camps were built side by side in the wilderness along the west bank of the Wei River. They were surrounded by layers of fences on the outside, and the barracks inside were made of wood.
There is a market town nearby, only a few kilometers away from Daming City. You can vaguely see a street around it, which seems to be quite prosperous and bustling.
When Wang Anshi's troops were in Neihuang, the Neihuang Imperial City Administration had already notified the Damingfu Imperial City Administration. As an important place in Beijing, Damingfu had a Imperial City Administration Qianhu Division, which was in charge of the entire Damingfu and more than 200 people in the city.
Commander Yao Bin, Imperial Censor Wang Tengyun and Daming County Magistrate Song Hui came to greet him. Although this mission was a major task valued by the Constitutional Council, Wang Anshi's rank was not worthy of the presence of high-ranking officials of the fourth rank, such as the prefect of Daming Prefecture, the governor of Hebei East Road, and the transport commissioner.
"Your Excellency has come a long way, and you must have worked hard."
"You three have worked hard too."
After the two sides exchanged greetings, they introduced themselves.
Then Song Hui said enthusiastically, "Why don't you go into the city and rest at the posthouse for a night, and then go to the camp tomorrow."
Wang Anshi smiled bitterly and said, "It's my duty. There's nothing I can do. You two still need to receive other envoys. Just escort me to the camp."
The more than 300 envoys naturally did not set out together. Some came earlier and some later. Local governments might receive a wave of them every few days, so it was indeed quite busy, and he did not want to disturb the local officials.
"In that case, we will escort the envoy into the camp."
Song Hui didn't argue any further. Since the other party was unwilling to go into the city to eat, it would save some money.
Now everyone headed towards the camp.
At this time, the troops in each military camp had already gathered and started training with a lot of laughter.
Although the lower-level soldiers had no connections, they had been hanging around here all year round, working, doing business or going out to play during the day and returning to the camp to sleep at night. Naturally, they also got to know many local officials.
These officials were well-informed and knew quickly when the mission was assigned from above. Considering that their superior had recently been transferred and they also knew that an imperial envoy was coming, they naturally had to put on a show.
But this is obviously a bit funny. Everyone knows what the local army of the Song Dynasty is like.
Yao Bin saw the cavalry camp in the distance, filled with dust and smoke, seemingly engaged in training. He scoffed and said, "These guys, the envoy has arrived and they've already started training."
"The garrisons across the country are all the same. We have the Jianchang Army and the Linjiang Army around Linchuan. I saw them when I was studying abroad. The barracks were empty during the day and only went back to sleep at night."
Wang Anshi smiled bitterly and shook his head. "No wonder the Chancellor wants to vigorously reorganize the army this time. These redundant soldiers are already very numerous, and military discipline is so lax. If it weren't for the good army that Minister Fan trained himself back then, I'm afraid that if they were sent into battle, the Song Dynasty would be in danger."
Song Hui smiled and said, "One good thing is that these people are quite honest. Even when they enter the city, there are few troublemakers."
"Oh? Are they so obedient?"
"If you don't obey and are fired, won't your superiors have the vacancies to embezzle and steal?"
“Hahahahahahaha.”
Wang Anshi was almost amused. He didn't expect that this could be considered a contribution to local public security.
But this was something that everyone knew at the time.
Since the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, civil officials in the court often submitted memorials complaining about "inaccurate military records" and "the removal of old numbers without further verification", resulting in "no records to verify military numbers" and "waste of resources on generals requesting to be accepted" and other problems.
Therefore, during the Jingde period of Emperor Zhenzong, the specific number of troops was checked.
But now, under the rule of His Majesty, the number of troops has grown too fast. In just twenty or thirty years, the number of imperial guards has doubled from more than 400,000 to more than 800,000.
Coupled with factors such as chaotic military registration, poor supervision, and a large number of deserters, the number of vacancies has skyrocketed.
This time the court sent them here to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Several people were walking and chatting.
After a while, they arrived at the military camp.
At this time, all the officers in the camp had been transferred away, and only some scattered guards and team leaders remained.
Wang Anshi and the censor Wang Tengyun, who was in charge of supervision, stayed with more than ten guards and moved into the barracks of the former battalion commander to begin inspection.
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