Baoding Prefecture, Hengshui County.
Shortly after the beginning of autumn, a light rain hit this county. It cannot be said that the rain hit the banana trees, but it can only be said to slightly moisturize the long-dried land.
Zheng Sen pressed his sword, wearing a rare military uniform with a layer of leather armor, which looked majestic under the sunlight.
At this time, he was not like a county magistrate, but like a general. His burly figure was extremely conspicuous.
He stood on a small mound for a long time, watching the troops pouring in on the road. The soldiers' boots stepped on the wet dirt road, but they still raised dust.
Apparently this light rain is just an itch.
The breeze was filled with the unique smell of earth, and the petals were quickly trampled into the mud.
There are about 300 patrol battalions, and they are basically trained according to the intensity of one exercise every seven days. The officers come from many sources, but the battalion commander comes from the Beijing camp.
Therefore, under his usual training, the entire Hengshui patrol camp seemed to be in good shape.
On the other side, the 500-strong young militiamen were disorganized and very lively, like a vegetable market.
The patrol camp was assembled in about a quarter of an hour, but the militiamen who arrived from each village were still in a mess after two hours.
The rural policemen, who had just been appointed and dismissed for half a year, were shouting at the top of their lungs. It took half an hour to assemble, and they could barely make out a team.
As for why they didn't let the patrol battalion help, not to mention whether they knew him or not, he just spoke in a shabby dialect. It would probably take up to two hours of work.
"When we were in Huguang, we trained the people for more than a month every winter. With such an endless supply of elite troops, it seems that Hebei has a long way to go!"
Zheng Sen looked at the two armies in front of him and was quite disappointed.
Is the patrol battalion a Beijing camp or a local army? But when he thinks of the elegance of the Beijing camp, he is always disappointed.
As for the militia, let alone that.
"Your Majesty, the county's patrol camp and militia have been assembled."
Zhao An, a tall man in his 40s with a tired look on his face, bowed his hands.
"Um!"
Zheng Sen's expression remained unchanged and he said, "Let this exercise begin!"
The rural policemen looked at me with fawning expressions on their faces.
After saying that, he sat on the high platform and watched the local armed exercise, but his eyes drifted to the sky.
After the appointment of the three elders, his prestige as a county magistrate reached the countryside. Naturally, he wanted to achieve great results.
Nowadays, Hebei has a three-and-a-half-year tax and the area is sparsely populated. He has no chance whether it is education or taxation.
Since there are no opportunities, create opportunities.
Zheng Sen had already found out that there were hundreds of boat people in the reed swamps in Hengshui.
When there is nothing to do, he makes a living by fishing. When he encounters something good, he turns into a water bandit and lives a happy life.
Moreover, Hengshui leads directly to the salt pond and is also a traffic artery for salt ships, so it must be tidied up.
And these water bandits are the minions of the private salt, and they serve as a cover.
In the past, county officials had no choice but to ignore these water bandits who could not be beaten or caught, and who were so fast that they relied on the favorable geographical location.
But Zheng Sen is different. A dignified commoner who is devolved to a local official must make political achievements. Otherwise, how can he be promoted?
There were so many reeds in Hengshui that it would be impossible to catch him, but Zheng Sen had another idea.
That's the lockdown.
Completely seal off the reed swamp area and prevent a grain of food from flowing into the river. Then it will appear.
Naturally, there were not enough soldiers and horses in the patrol camp, so he focused his attention on the militiamen.
"Your Majesty, although these mud-legged guys look good, they don't have the guts to go into battle and kill the enemy. Let's let them transport food!"
Zhao An sighed and confided helplessly.
"That's not possible." Zheng Sen shook his head and said, "We still need to practice some more, otherwise if we encounter thieves, we will be dragged down."
"We don't require them to be skilled in battle formations, but they need to be more familiar with them."
Using the food provided by the county government, Zheng Sen practiced for three days and finally let this group of people know what a flag is and what a team is.
Afterwards, a thousand people dispersed in the villages and towns along both sides of the river, but there were only a few people on the road.
Nothing but food.
The weather in the north changes in an instant, and winter will begin in a few days. Even water bandits have to buy food, and they can't survive just by eating fish.
Zheng Sen arranged for militiamen to be stationed in large villages and townships with a radius of hundreds of miles, just to limit food and grass.
As for places further away, there is absolutely no need.
Once the water bandits come ashore, their combat effectiveness plummets, let alone leaving their hometown to buy food in other counties.
As soon as the cabinet decree was issued, the governor and the Sansi (customary name) Yamen immediately asked each county to establish three elders to regain control of the villages that had been separated for many years and establish order.
Therefore, when the three elders came, the road guide system was revived again. Whenever you leave the county, you must have a road guide.
In this case, the water bandits fell into the quagmire and could not escape.
"County Lord, do you want to recruit them?"
Zhao An sat aside and had a little more respect for the magistrate in front of him. Who wouldn't be frightened by this strong-backed man who could ride a horse faster than himself?
"So the province has said that it will establish water patrol inspections, but this group of water bandits has harmed many people."
Zheng Sen said in disgust: "There is a salt pond nearby. Let them do inspections. Isn't this like letting a cat watch the fish?"
"Furthermore, inspections are the government's business, and eradicating water bandits is our credit. The two cannot be mixed."
"Yes, suppression of bandits is the key to success!" Zhao An said repeatedly, excitedly: "I heard that in Shandong and Shanxi, the suppression of bandits is very lively. There is a county magistrate who was promoted after just one and a half years of experience."
"Do your own thing." Although Zheng Sen's eyes were hot, he understood that this matter could not be rushed.
In official circles, it is customary to do more than to do less.
If you can succeed, that's all. If you fail, your future will be bleak.
Regarding the suppression of water bandits this time, Zheng Sen was very confident.
After working as a secretary in the cabinet for several months, I compiled hundreds of memorials, including countless ones about suppressing bandits. After reading more, I gained experience naturally.
After checking the villages and towns, Zheng Sen was also afraid that the time would drag on and the militiamen would eat up all the food in the county warehouse, so he made a besiege with three and one missing.
A few villages were deliberately left out for the water bandits to capture, and then they would be captured in one fell swoop.
Sure enough, the bandits had prepared food for the winter, which meant that they were short of cotton cloth, vegetables and meat. The two sides had been facing off for nearly half a month, and the water bandits could no longer bear it.
After a sneak attack, they picked out the weak points and saw the food all over the ground. Just when they were feeling proud, the whole group was surrounded.
The men were captured, and the women and children naturally had no choice but to surrender.
Most of the banditry in Hengshui was solved in one go.
The locals kept praising him, but Zheng Sen muttered: "This battle depends on the three elders."
Without the three elders, the countryside is like a sieve. The water bandits collude with the people and come and go as they please.
With the help of the three elders, suppressing bandits is just a matter of time.
"Your Majesty is truly a god!" Zheng Sen expressed his sincere gratitude and admiration.
Later, when he heard the news about Shui Nian being cleared out in Shuntian Mansion, his heart immediately moved.
In the midst of all the fanfare, Zheng Sen even demolished the water mill above Hengshui.
At this time, Zheng Sen became famous in Hebei and spread to the cabinet in an instant.
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