pappabearbooks Chapter 25 Escort
Chapter 25 Escort
With Xue Tao stepping forward, many wealthy people who were on good terms with him also generously donated money.
Ten or twenty strings of cash are nothing to these wealthy families. If they can truly eliminate the bandits of Dafeng Mountain and ensure that the official road to Daming Prefecture is unobstructed, this amount of money is nothing.
Daming Prefecture, as the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, was the most prosperous city in the entire north. If you could do business there, you could earn more copper coins.
They can still make sense of this.
Inspired by the wealthy, many people who had been cheated by bandits also tentatively donated money.
According to Li Chong's request, civilians who were unable to pay could register their names so that they could help with logistical work when the bandits were suppressed.
For a time, the hottest topic in Yanggu was the suppression of bandits. Everyone was watching Li Chong, wanting to see how well this newly arrived magistrate would perform.
That morning, Li Chong finished hearing the case in court and returned to his office.
To be honest, Li Chong was a little nervous at first about holding court and trying cases, always worried that he wouldn't do a good job.
But once he actually got started, he realized that, in essence, this job was not much different from that of a modern neighborhood committee.
Even the occasional serious cases are just part of the job of a local police officer.
Either these two families are having a conflict over land, or it's something like petty theft.
As for any criminal cases involving murder or death, Li Chong has not yet encountered any.
This job isn't difficult, but it's a waste of energy and doesn't bring any benefits. No wonder Yang Chengde passed the task to Li Chong.
Back in the inner office, Li Chong removed his official hat and casually ordered, "Hurry up and bring me tea, I'm dying of thirst."
A pot of tea was quickly brought to Li Chong, along with Cui Shi.
Li Chong glanced at him: "What? You need something from me?"
Since the copper coins were put into storage, Cui Shi had been avoiding such menial tasks whenever possible, spending his days guarding the money.
If Li Chong hadn't checked the accounts every day, he probably would have already reached out and taken the money.
There must be something fishy about this sudden attentiveness today.
Cui Shi smiled broadly, looked around, and pointed to the nearby constables: "Sir, they..."
Li Chong understood, and after a moment's thought, waved to the others.
When only the two of them were left in the room, Cui Shi straightened his back subconsciously, took two steps forward, and sat down directly in front of Li Chong.
Li Chong was already used to this.
Li Chong picked up the teacup, poured himself a cup, took a sip, and said, "Now that there's no one around, you can speak, right?"
"Hmm~~~"
Cui Shi hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Brother Li, there are almost a thousand strings of copper coins in that warehouse now. You're just going to leave such a large sum of money here? You said you were going to suppress bandits, but I haven't seen you touch the money."
"Are you in a hurry?" Li Chong glanced up. "You know how many years those thieves have been running rampant in Yanggu. I need to think of a safer approach and plan this carefully. Anyway, they won't expose our identities anytime soon, so it's not too late to wait."
Li Chong remained inactive because the time was not yet ripe.
To accomplish great things, money alone is not enough; the most important thing is to have the right people.
Although everyone in the government office is envious, nothing has changed yet. Li Chong needs to wait a little longer; there are still three months to go, so there's no rush.
but……
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chong glanced at Cui Shi. This kid was suddenly so enthusiastic. Could it be that he was instigated by someone?
Could it be that an opportunity has arrived?
Li Chong secretly made a guess.
Across from him, Cui Shi nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, we should be more cautious. But since we're going to wipe out the bandits and eliminate witnesses, shouldn't we arrange some preparations in advance? For example, forging some weapons and getting some leather armor. I'm free right now, so I can help with the purchasing."
After saying that, Cui Shi looked at Li Chong with a smile on his face, his eyes full of flattery.
Looking at him meaningfully, Li Chong slowly put down his teacup.
"Thump."
The bottom of the teacup hit the table with a crisp sound, and Choi Si subconsciously flinched.
Li Chong leaned back and asked bluntly, "Who gave you this idea?"
Cui Shiqiang chuckled twice: "What do you mean by that? I can't just say that..."
"Stop talking nonsense." Li Chong raised his hand to stop him. "You've only read a few books with that Li Chong, how could you possibly know what to do in war? Did someone else give you these ideas? Are you some kind of self-taught genius?"
Choi Si fell silent, speechless at Li Chong's words.
Many things that modern people take for granted may not be so in the eyes of others.
In the modern age of information overload, even those who have never actually fought a war can still gain some understanding of the ins and outs from watching a lot of TV dramas and reading a lot of books.
However, in ancient times, people who had not truly experienced it could not possibly have this awareness.
How could Choi Si, a servant who serves his master, possibly come up with such an excuse out of nowhere?
Therefore, when Choi Si made the request, Lee Chong realized something was wrong.
Seeing that he remained silent, Li Chong warned him in a deep voice, "Cui Shi, don't forget, we're both in the same boat. This position of county magistrate was given to me by you; it's half mine and half yours. If you're fooled, it will harm the interests of both of us. Think it through."
Cui Shi looked up at Li Chong, then looked down for a moment.
Finally, he spoke: "It was Clerk Sun. Yesterday, he treated me to drinks at Zuiyun Tower. During the meal, he told me all this, and said he had connections and could arrange everything properly, so I..."
"Sun Jun?" Li Chong looked thoughtfully at the roof beam. "Inviting you to Zuiyun Tower for drinks must have cost quite a bit. Interesting."
A clerk was considered a respectable figure in the county government. For example, Song Jiang in "Water Margin" was a clerk, and he was even nicknamed "Timely Rain" because of it.
However, as far as Li Chong knew, this Clerk Sun was not like Song Jiang; he was known for his low profile in the county.
His limelight was completely overshadowed by Zhu Binghe, who was in the same grade as him.
Could it be that he approached Cui Shi at this time because he was after that money?
Seeing that Li Chong remained silent, Cui Shi began to panic.
He leaned forward and hurriedly explained, "Listen to me, I originally went to the banquet hoping to get some information from him. But at the banquet, he told me to learn how to help you and even instructed me to say it this way. I thought that if I prepared early, I would have a better chance of success, so I agreed."
"If it doesn't work, it doesn't work..." Choi Si gritted her teeth, "I'll just push him away and ignore him."
"No." Li Chong shook his head. "What he said is indeed true. Making preparations in advance can certainly relieve my worries. When it comes to suppressing bandits, the more secure the better."
Choi Si-sil paused for a moment, then asked, "Huh?"
Li Chong waved his hand at him: "Go and call Clerk Sun over for me. Tell him I have something to discuss with him."