Chapter 142 [The County Magistrate]
The southwest coast of Haizhou Island in front of us is basically a primitive jungle!
It was also the first time that Wang Zifu, the head of the yamen runners, took the fugitives to Cangsha Ferry.
Wang Zifu looked at the desolate ferry and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He had to wait for the He family's merchant ship to return and then take it back.
Wouldn't he have to spend a miserable time on Haizhou Island during this period?
This is not just a punishment for the fugitives, but also for the yamen runners!
He had already looked at the map several times and considered that the southwest coast was far away from the mainland, unlike the north coast, which had several counties of varying sizes with permanent residents. But he still couldn't help but ask, "Is the route wrong?"
The helmsman said firmly, "I'm following the blueprints you gave me. How could I dare make a mistake? My life is in your hands!"
Seeing the helmsman say this, many people had only one thought in their minds: it's over.
I originally thought that this exile island would at least not be as easy to freeze to death or starve to death as being exiled to Ningguta, and at least there would be fish and seafood.
Now it seems that they were too naive. Such a pristine island is a favorite habitat for these animals and birds of prey. If the tide rises, they can only run from the shore to the mountains, which is fatal!
The third in command, Rong Yi, saw that the island was still desolate and his face was not very happy. He wondered if these pirates would be captured by Jiang Lili and used to reclaim this primeval forest. Oh my god!
"Three years ago, I heard that the imperial court also established a Dan'er County on the southwest coast and opened a new wharf, the Cangsha Ferry."
Rong Yi felt his life was hellish. "I had been hoping there might be ships coming and going here, so I could squat there and take advantage of the situation. But after five or six days, I didn't see a single merchant ship, not even a fishing boat."
"We sailed along the southwest coast, and guess what? We didn't see a soul! We'll never come back to this damn place again."
Jiang Lili couldn't help but hold her forehead with her hand. There were hardly any people here three years ago, and now it's still in such a horrible state. It seems that there has been no development at all.
The imperial court probably just set up an administrative district symbolically and then left it alone.
As the two ships gradually approached, the true appearance of Cangsha Ferry became clearer along the winding coastline.
This dilapidated place seems to have been forgotten by time and is extremely desolate.
The setting sun was like blood, shining on the mottled wooden boards and rotten pillars on the pier.
The wooden board eroded by wind and rain is full of pits and holes, as if it will break with a gust of wind. The words "Cangsha Ferry" can be vaguely recognized on the board.
The anchormen of the two ships observed the situation at the berth and then dropped anchor.
Two boatmen lowered a ladder from the boat with a rope, and finally jumped from the ladder to the dock, and tied the rope to the pier on the dock to fix it. They were all a little afraid that the wooden pier would break at any time, so they called on everyone to get off the boat quickly.
The longboard extended from the boat, and the people on the boat stepped onto the dock one after another.
Jiang Lili was led off the boat by Xin Che, and she was still a little uncomfortable standing on solid ground.
After seeing the situation near the dock, Jiang Lili was overwhelmed.
A few lonely masts were abandoned on the shore, the two small boats parked there were riddled with holes, and weeds were growing wildly on the dock.
Jiang Lili looked to the north with the telescope in her hand. About five or six miles away from the pier was a dense forest.
This is completely different from the deserted island I imagined.
The deserted island that Jiang Lili imagined was similar to the island where she had stayed to avoid the storm.
There were some coconut trees growing on the wasteland, which was similar to the underdeveloped islands she had seen on fishing boats in modern times.
Jiang Lili only now realized how difficult it was to develop a pristine island.
Even the modern appearance of the semi-developed island was achieved after consuming a huge amount of manpower, material resources and financial resources.
A row of seagulls flew by, and their cries made this deserted place even quieter. Everyone felt like they were abandoned by the world.
Jiang Lili couldn't help but ask Wang Zifu, who had the most official information, "Does anyone really live here?"
Wang Zifu looked at the coastal map in his hand, searching for the location of the Dan'er County government office. "Yes, the Dan'er County is set up here to govern the mountains and forests, and the county government office and the county governor are here!"
"Hey, let's go!" Wang Zifu took the lead and led the way: "Dan'er County is less than four miles away from the dock. Let's go to the county government office first to report."
The pirates were tied up by Master Cen and his men and waited at the Cangsha Ferry, while the fugitives reported to the county government first.
The fugitives followed Wang Zifu in silence towards Dan'er County, hoping that the area would become more prosperous once they reached the county government office.
Yang Yunzhao took great pains to teach He Jing. He had originally thought that when he got there, he would pool money with the Yang family and find someone to rent a large house in a good location to live in. But when he got there, he saw that in this shabby place, how could he rent a house with three entrances?
Yang Baoshan's face turned extremely ugly, and he felt cheated. "This is such a desolate place. I'm afraid the county governor must have been demoted! He feels like he's not even as good as the local county magistrate."
Is there anyone in this damn place who will take care of their family? He shouldn't have believed those people's lies. Now he has to fend for himself here!
The children didn’t have as many concerns as the adults. They looked at the magnificent primeval forest in the distance and the seagulls flying in the sky, and they were just curious about everything: “Wow, we’re going to live by the sea!”
"It's December, and the weather here is so warm."
"I heard that children at the beach can go to the beach to catch seafood. Can we also go to the beach to catch seafood in the morning?"
Comforted by the chirping of children, Jiang Lili and her group arrived at the Dan'er County Government Office.
Seeing the county government office in front of them, everyone fell silent, even the chattering children stopped.
The environment in front of him was no different from the one at Cangsha Ferry just now, and the so-called government office was just three thatched bamboo houses with tattered roofs, as if several layers of thatch had been blown away by the wind.
Four people were playing mahjong in front of the thatched hut. A little further away from them, a simple barbecue grill made of stones was built, and three black things were being grilled on wooden sticks.
Sitting in the main seat playing cards was an old man with a silver beard. He was wearing woven straw sandals, and his silver hair was pinned crookedly with a wooden hairpin. The sleeves of his tattered clothes were almost as short as his elbows.
This old man gives people the feeling that he is on the verge of madness.
The other three were much younger than the old man, but judging by their clothing and living conditions, they weren't much better off. "Old man, play your cards!"
"Stop struggling, I win this time!"
The old man with the silver beard frowned, then rolled his eyes and hurriedly put down the cards in his hand: "Oh no, I don't want to play anymore, my bat is going to burn!"
Mo? What's roasting on the fire?
Jiang Lili looked at the black things on the wooden skewer, and they really looked like bats!
She got goosebumps.
The other three saw that the old man with the silver beard had given up playing and started cursing and accusing him, "Old man Hu, you just saw you were going to lose, so you made an excuse to slip away!"
The silver-bearded old man, known as Old Man Hu, took down the wooden skewers and sniffed the grilled food on them: "So what? I'm the most powerful official in this place, and you all have to do what I say!"
Jiang Lili was speechless. Could this crazy old man be the prefect of Dan'er County?
When the other three heard the old man's words, they looked at him with sympathy, and said helplessly as if coaxing a child: "Okay, okay, you are the county magistrate, you have the final say."
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