Chapter 458 Heroes Deserve Reward
"Speak! Where did you get this medicine from?" came a stern shout.
Hear thunder in the silence.
His voice was neither loud nor arrogant, yet it sent chills down one's spine.
The kneeling magistrate broke out in a cold sweat.
He had seen these people before. Yesterday, when he went to the yamen to register his household, he asked the clerk a question. The clerk said they came from the southwest and their homes had been burned down by the Western Liao people, so they simply settled here.
Is there something wrong with their identities?
Scarface and his gang were being held down by the neck, their eyes filled with fear. They wanted to laugh but found their faces were already stiff.
“Tell us, we’ll tell you. We found it on a military officer. He was hacked to death and lay by the roadside. Spare us, spare us…”
The magistrate breathed a sigh of relief.
Then the cold voice said, "Very well, I will have someone check your place of origin. If it does not match the household registration record, I will tear you apart and expose your identities. Deceiving officials and forging identities will result in the death penalty and the punishment of your families!"
Upon hearing this, the men's pupils dilated in fear, and they trembled all over.
Soon, one of them confessed: "I'll tell the truth!"
"Wang Da!" Scarface's voice was shrill.
"Brother, don't blame me. You have no family, but I do. It doesn't matter if I die, but I can't drag my family down with me."
Scarface went limp.
Faced with the menacing team, he didn't even dare to think of resisting.
He smiled bitterly, thinking he had found a way to escape unscathed, but little did he know he had walked right into a trap.
The county magistrate was also paralyzed.
These people's identities are actually questionable!
Why didn't he ask more questions back then? That muddle-headed clerk!
We all had a great time together this time!
Zou Laili and a group of neighbors were also dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed at the men who had been so proud in front of them, who now looked like a lump of mud, utterly useless.
"Sir, the wound medicine was stolen from the soldiers of the Gu family army. We are the garrison of Gucheng," the man confessed.
The garrison at Gucheng consisted of those who defected when the Western Liao invaded!
They abandoned the people, ignored Ji Ruyan's distress signals, and fled the city without a fight.
"After abandoning the city, we fled all the way and became bandits in the mountains. Soon the Western Liao were defeated, and Gu Chengzhou went up the mountain to fight his way up.
We fled again, but the number of people dwindled. When we reached Hanshan County, we were so hungry we could barely walk. We lied and said we were from the Gu family army. Unexpectedly, this butcher bought us a bag of grain, and these people even gave us clothes and eggs.
Zou Laili and his neighbors: "..."
So, those hundred or so poor soldiers weren't from Gu's army; they were tricked!
At that time, those people's faces were dirty and covered in blood, so they really couldn't tell what they looked like.
So, these are some of them.
Unexpectedly, after giving them food, they turned around and took over Lao Zou's shop!
Looking back now, it's no small matter that Lao Zou's pork caused health problems for people!
They said that they had been eating pork for decades and the Zou family's meat had never had any problems!
"We didn't escape for long before Gu Chengzhou found us again, and in the end, only a few of us managed to escape."
We realized that as long as we were deserters, we would never have a stable life, so we decided to change our identities and become law-abiding citizens.
Hanshan County has a small population, making it easy to settle down. It's not a major border town and isn't far from the northern border, so Gu Chengzhou probably wouldn't have thought of it.
Besides, the people here are simple-minded and easily deceived, and the county magistrate is a shrewish and unassuming man, so we came here.”
Enraged, the magistrate kicked the man.
You're the one who looks so listless!
He just felt that Hanshan County was too small, with so few people, and nothing much happened, so he became lazy.
Zou Laili snapped out of his daze and angrily demanded, "Did you tamper with the pork in my house?"
"Yes, we've taken a liking to your location. The other two companies have already sold, but you're the only one that won't."
"You did give us food, after all, and we didn't go too far. We only put some medicine in a few pieces of pork, nothing seriously poisonous."
Yes, only five people who bought his pork experienced problems after eating it, suffering from weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Because everyone trusted Lao Zou, they went to him, and after Lao Zou quickly took the person to the clinic, no one pursued the matter any further.
However, Zou Laili was out of money and had to sell his shop to pay for the medical treatment.
He had lived his whole life in Hanshan County, and had argued and fought with his neighbors, but he had never encountered such a treacherous person.
He thought that the pieces of meat were poisoned because he hadn't smoked them properly and they'd been bitten by rats...
"What kind of soldiers are you? You deserters and harm people, you have disgraced your parents!"
Knowing that they were doomed, Scarface and the others were no longer so afraid.
His face was full of regret.
Yes, if I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to have gone and killed the Western Liao people.
Even if it costs you your life, you can still earn the title of hero.
Now, after running away like a rat for half a year, he still cannot escape his inevitable death, and has brought shame to his family.
"Take these men to the northern border and hand them over to General Gu for disposal!" Ji Ruyan ordered.
The remaining county magistrate, prostrate on the ground, was also reprimanded.
"If you can't be the county magistrate, then don't be! There are plenty of vacancies for talented people with a patriotic spirit!"
Hanshan County is a small place with few people. You haven't even been able to feed the people enough or clothe them properly. They are not ambitious and the management is lax!
Today it's deserters settling down, but what if the Northern Barbarians come tomorrow?
The magistrate was terrified and covered in cold sweat, and was also deeply ashamed.
"This humble official knows his mistake! This humble official has failed the Emperor's trust and has failed the people."
"Your Excellency..." The crowd knelt on the ground, speaking softly on behalf of the magistrate.
"The magistrate is actually quite good. He helps look for things that are stolen, and he tries to calm people down if they get into fights. He's just a bit lazy, and he always seems to have trouble keeping his eyes open..."
County Magistrate: "..."
I'm not lazy, really not.
I just sleep with my days and nights reversed; I'm energetic at night and sleepy during the day.
Ji Ruyan glanced at the county magistrate's patched official robes but did not punish him severely.
"I'll give you one more chance. Go back and reflect on your actions, and thoroughly rectify the loopholes in the county government."
Although Hanshan County is small, it is an indispensable part of the great cause. Only by ensuring that the people live without worry, become increasingly prosperous, and that the population grows can you prove your ability as an official.
"Six months from now, I will send someone to check again. If you still haven't achieved anything, then you can go back to your hometown and farm."
The magistrate kowtowed.
He then asked gratefully, "May I ask who you are, sir?"
"If you live up to expectations and achieve something, you will know it one day."
"Yes, I will certainly no longer live a muddled life."
Zou Laili also knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Excellency, thank you, Your Highness. My son only did what he should do, but he has received such a grace from Heaven. From now on, I will pray for Your Highness every day and wish Your Highness a long and healthy life."
Ji Ruyan ordered people to carry the signboard into the shop and then helped the person up.
"A hero deserves to be rewarded, and his family should also enjoy their later years in peace."
There's one more thing; would you be willing to do it?
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