The process of suppressing the bandits was quickly determined.
That is, the Qinghe and Qitianzhai militias divided the regions to encircle and suppress bandits. Simply put, in the first phase, the Qinghe militia cleared out the bandits in Xichuan south of Qinghe, while Qitianzhai was responsible for clearing out the bandits on both sides of the transportation line from Qitianzhai to Mengyang, Cambodia. As for the various mountain kings in the hundreds of miles north of Qinghe all the way to Qiongdu, in Lin Hai's words, "In the first phase, we still need their presence, but in the second phase, they can decide for themselves whether to exist or not."
After discussing with Wang Liang and several of his sworn brothers in charge of military affairs, Lin Hai decided to complete the first phase of the bandit suppression effort before autumn arrived, to prevent the war from impacting the crucial autumn harvest. Furthermore, the newly opened transportation routes would allow for the transport of more food from Cambodia in the autumn, as a large portion of the weapons and iron ingots for Cambodia had already been prepared.
To this end, Wang Liang, as the nominal highest official of Qinghe, took the official document written by Lin Hai to Li Yong, the prefect of Xichuan in Jinguan City, and two carriages full of gifts, and left Qinghe County early the next morning to lead his team to Jinguan City to report on his work.
After handing the official documents and a thick envelope to the concierge, Wang Liang prepared to find a nearby teahouse to sit and wait for news. Honestly, there were quite a few teahouses like this near the prefect's residence. After all, no one knew when the prefect would meet with whom, and the concierge would at most shout "Is so-and-so here?" at the door. They wouldn't notify you a second time, so if you missed the meeting, you missed it. Therefore, anyone who wanted to see the prefect had to wait in one of the several teahouses across the street from the prefect's residence. The waiters would squat outside the door, listening for their customers. Of course, if they brought back good news, the customers would reward them.
Looking at the crowded teahouse and the tea price which was ten times more expensive than outside, Wang Liang felt that this business was much more impressive than being a county lieutenant or county magistrate. A little inquiry would reveal that if you wanted to open a teahouse here, you would at least need to have a beautiful sister to marry the prefect as a concubine, and you would also have to bring a dowry of tens of thousands of taels of silver. Otherwise, you would be thrown into jail the next day because someone had a stomachache after drinking your tea.
Perhaps the prefect was really busy with government affairs today, or perhaps the prefect finally remembered that there was a Qinghe Village under his jurisdiction (the prefect had not yet officially recognized Qinghe's county-level organization), or perhaps the prefect was simply curious about a group of veterans who had been pioneering in the wilderness surrounded by mountains and bandits for almost two years. In short, Wang Liang was summoned by the prefect after waiting for only six hours, which made others envious.
After throwing a small string of copper coins to the waiter and handing a packet of change to the prefect's doorman, Wang Liang finally entered the backyard of the prefect's mansion.
The Xichuan Governor's Mansion of the Daliang Empire was actually a redevelopment of the former Xichuan Garrison Commander's office during the Chen Dynasty. However, Daliang, founded on military power, was not known for extravagance and was much more frugal. The original Xichuan Garrison Commander's office was quite sprawling, occupying at least one-fifth of the inner city, even within Jinguan City. It encompassed everything from the office lobby and prison cells to the garrison commander's personal residence, as well as quarters for the guards and servants. There was even a training ground for the garrison commander, a seasonal garden for leisure, and lakes and forests for fishing and hunting.
Upon assuming office, Li Yong, the first governor of Xichuan in the Liang Empire, set aside half of the Xichuan garrison's office for auction, using the proceeds to renovate Jinguan City. This move not only earned Li Yong praise from the imperial court, but even the Liang Emperor praised him during a morning court session as "loyal, capable, honest, and reliable." Deeply moved, the local gentry and common people of Jinguan City, upon seeing that Li Yong's family of hundreds had been left without housing due to the auction of his office, generously donated money to buy back the portion of the office that had been sold at a high price, thus providing housing for Li Yong, his fifty-plus concubines, seventy-plus children, three hundred maids, and five hundred guards.
Of course, everyone knows that when the palace was auctioned off, it was purchased by a brother-in-law of Lord Li for one tael of silver. This tael of silver was later fully invested in the reconstruction of Jinguan City, and everyone only spent a mere 500,000 taels to redeem the auctioned portion. As for the memorial to the imperial center, everyone should just talk about this matter. As for the specific amount of money spent, please don't mention such vulgar things to avoid polluting His Majesty's ears.
Wang Liang couldn't recall how far he'd walked. It felt like the distance from the prefect's residence's back door to his study was even longer than the distance from the city gate to the back door. As a veteran, Wang Liang had initially diligently surveyed the mansion's topography and layout, hoping to discern some clues from the layout of the attics and rockery, perhaps reassuring himself that a mansion of this size wasn't just for enjoyment; it could also serve as a sturdy fortress in the final moments. But as he continued to look, Wang Liang became dazzled and disoriented. Even as a soldier with many years of travel, he couldn't remember the paths he'd taken or the sights he'd seen.
After giving the doorman another small bag of change, the doorman took Wang Liang out of the prefectural government office after meeting with the prefect. Wang Liang calculated that if Lin Hai hadn't insisted that he bring more dry food, with the money he had left, he would probably not be able to get back to Qinghe.
Recalling the situation when he just met the prefect, Wang Liang could only say that having such a Xichuan prefect was indeed a misfortune for the Daliang Empire, but a blessing for Qinghe County.
At first, Wang Liang, kneeling on the ground and forbidden to look up, methodically described their progress in the Qinghe River settlement. While he couldn't reveal the true state of the steel mill, cement plant, glass factory, and Qitian Village, he could at least describe his efforts in rebuilding the county town, gathering refugees, developing farmland, and suppressing bandits—all tangible achievements. Less than three minutes into his speech, the governor's impatient voice echoed from behind the screen:
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