Chapter 49: The Barbaric Wilderness

  Guangxi has always been a land of turmoil. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Jintian Uprising broke out in Guangxi, almost destroying the Qing Dynasty. Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was suppressed, the fierce folk customs of Guangxi still frequently erupted into small-scale peasant uprisings. When Li Tong and Wang Xia'er met with the Provincial Military Commander in Nanning, Guangxi, the commander couldn't believe his eyes - this young county magistrate had actually volunteered to come to Guangxi to take office in Ningming County.

  As for Li Tong's ambitions, the Governor-General was very impressed and highly praised Li Tong's courage. With the edict of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, he naturally gave him much attention. After Li Tong and Wang Xiao'er finished their procedures in Nanning, they rushed to Ningming County. On this day, about 20 miles away from Mingyuan County, Wang Xiao'er ordered a rest. This time, Wang Xiao'er followed Li Tong on his mission. According to Deng Zixuan's arrangement, he would not be able to leave for a short period of time. The reason was that Guangxi was too chaotic and he had the responsibility of protecting Li Tong's safety. In addition, he also had the mission of building an estate and opening up the upper road.

  A line of ten horse-drawn carriages stopped by the roadside, with the mountain paths on both sides being extremely mysterious and eerie. After leaving Nanjing, Director Li had been uneasy due to a single sentence spoken by the Commander-in-Chief. As they rested by the roadside, Wang Xia'er noticed that Li Tong looked gloomy and knew what he was thinking: "Director Li! The Commander-in-Chief was just trying to scare you. Look at how we've traveled this far without encountering any bandits, so there's no need for you to worry. Our guide informed us that from here, it's still 20 miles to the county town, and after a few more hours, we'll arrive. Please put your mind at ease, sir!"

  Seeing Wang Xia'er's careless appearance, Li Tong forced a smile and said: "Wang younger brother, to be honest, Mr. Deng told me about the situation in Guangxi before, but I didn't expect the banditry to be so severe. Think about it, every day there are bandits causing trouble, how can we do anything else? We have to be on edge all day, afraid to even leave the county government office. How can I understand the people's feelings? Moreover, with bandits roaming around, the common people's lives are unimaginable, no wonder they rebelled."

  Wang Xia'er comforted him, "Lord Li, I came this time to assist and protect you, don't worry if the bandits come, we're not afraid." "With just a few dozen of you, what can you do?" Perhaps fulfilling Li Tong's words, a group of mountain bandits suddenly appeared from the nearby hillside. This group of people shouted loudly like jumping monkeys, surrounding them in a flurry. Li Tong saw this and his face turned pale with fear, many of the cart owners jumped off their carts and ran towards the opposite mountain. Wang Xia'er saw this and reached into his waist to grip his gun handle, the other brothers also put their hands into their waists.

  This group of mountain bandits were dressed in tattered clothes, holding large knives and long-haired weapons. Each one was baring their teeth and brandishing their claws. At this time, the leader, a dark-faced man with an ominous expression, said: "According to the rules, leave your goods behind and we'll let you go unharmed. If you resist, we'll kill you all." As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xiaoyu swiftly drew his gun and fired a shot. The leader's forehead was hit by the bullet, and he fell backwards, face up in the sky.

  Suddenly, the mountain bandits were stunned, "Drop your weapons and surrender!" Two of them saw that things were not going well and tried to escape by sneaking away. Two gunshots rang out from behind, and the two bandits fell to the ground, struggling for a few moments before dying. "None of you are allowed to move! Your legs can't outrun the bullets in my hand, those who want to live, squat down!" The mountain bandits saw that more than 20 people were holding the same kind of foreign guns they had never seen before, and immediately dropped their weapons, covering their heads and squatting on the ground.

  His subordinates quickly dispersed and surrounded the mountain bandits. Li Tong suddenly came to his senses and said, "Brother Wang, you originally had foreign guns in your hands, why didn't you tell me earlier?" "Lord Li, if you knew we had guns, would you have let us carry them? You must be afraid of being investigated by the government!" "You're telling the truth, what to do with these mountain bandits?" Wang Xiao'er turned around and began to glare at the mountain bandits.

  A fourteen or fifteen-year-old half-grown child was discovered, and Wang Xia'er signaled him to come over. Half a dozen children stood up trembling, at which point a mountain bandit in his fifties suddenly stood up and blocked the child's path, saying: "Your Honor, he's just a kid, please let him off!" Wang Xia'er suspected that this half-grown child must have some connection to this elderly mountain bandit, so he said: "Old fellow, if you identify the leader of the gang I'll let this kid go!"

  Silence! After a long time, the old mountain bandit gritted his teeth and began to identify, and soon five or six of the bandit leaders' confidants were pulled out and executed by firing squad. Then Wang Xia'er ordered the mountain bandits to bury all the corpses. "Wang, what about these people?" "Of course, take them away!" "Also good, put them all in prison and report to the provincial government!" "Li Daren, where did you go? I just happened to be short of hands, and now they've arrived. I want to form a security team!" Li Tong was stunned when he heard this. At this time, Che Lao Ban, who had run away to hide in the distance, returned, and the group continued on their way.

  After several hours, they arrived at the county seat of Ningming. The county seat of Ningming is known as the provincial capital, and its jurisdiction includes Pingxiang, Longzhou and other places, making it a large county. The local customs are rough and it borders Vietnam, so historically it has been a troubled area, making it a difficult task to serve as an official appointed by the imperial court here. As soon as the horses entered the city gate, the soldiers guarding the gate immediately reported to the county government upon hearing that they were the new county magistrate taking office.

  The outgoing county magistrate heard that the successor had arrived, and immediately dressed up to go out and greet him. This county magistrate was over 60 years old and had been struggling here for more than a decade without being promoted. He was finally allowed to retire and escape danger. When he heard that the new county magistrate had arrived, he was naturally overjoyed. "Haha! I didn't expect Magistrate Li to be so young. This is a harsh and cold place, but in the future, Magistrate Li will surely have unlimited prospects!" As soon as they met, the old man flattered him endlessly and praised him excessively.

  "It's really hard for the adults, I heard that bandits and thieves are rampant here, and the people are complaining. You've managed to govern until today, and I'm deeply impressed!" Li Tong said politely. Seeing the mountain bandits being escorted in, the old man asked and praised: "Lord Li is indeed young and promising, actually capturing a group of fierce bandits alive, I admire you. I believe Lord Li will definitely make Dingming County a paradise!" In fact, the old man was clear-minded, knowing that within the county, bandits and evil people were rampant, especially among ethnic minorities who were particularly difficult to handle.

  Both sides exchanged pleasantries while handing over the county government. The old man left hastily that day, seemingly having been prepared for a long time. Fortunately, after checking, there were more than 2,000 taels of silver in the county treasury, which made Li Tong feel much more at ease. That night, Li Tong and Wang Xia'er discussed, "Wang, I have no objection to you forming a security team, but it's not appropriate for you to recruit these mountain bandits. They're used to killing people and setting fires, who knows if they won't do evil things again in the future!"

  Wang Xia'er smiled and said, "Lord Li, I've been through the way before, driving these people is no problem. This bunch has no retreat, they will follow me to the death. In a few days, I'm going to open up the commercial road from Ningming County to Fangchenggang, managing the estate, it's impossible without a security team. As our business expands, the security team must also gradually expand. Lord Li, you can rest assured! All of this is Mr. Deng's order!"

  As soon as Deng Zixuan was mentioned, Li Tong had nothing to say. After a moment of silence, Li Tong involuntarily took out the letter written by Deng Zixuan. He had read this letter so many times that he almost knew it by heart. "National policy, national policy!" Li Tong muttered to himself, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

  Next, Wang Xiao'er walked into the room where the mountain bandits lived. When they saw Wang Xiao'er coming in, they were immediately frightened and jumped from the kang to the ground, lowering their heads and waiting quietly. "Damn it! You are all evil-doers, originally you should all be locked up in prison. But on the other hand, if there was a way out for you, you wouldn't become bandits!" "Sir, you're right. We were also good people before, but we really couldn't make a living so we became bandits!" The old fellow said nervously.

  "I'll give you a way out, are you willing to follow me?" The crowd of mountain bandits all knelt down: "Sir! We're willing to follow you!" "Following me is fine, but you must obey my rules." Wang Xiao'er then issued several orders and continued: "From now on, whoever disobeys the rules will be beheaded without pardon, do you understand?" "Sir! If we disobey the rules, we'll willingly accept death and won't complain!" The mountain bandits all pledged their loyalty.

  This afternoon, Li Tong arranged the various checkpoints at the county yamen. In the afternoon, Li Tong ordered the yamen runners to post a proclamation outside the county yamen gate, mainly outlining his own policies after taking office. The contents of the proclamation included two important decisions: one was to reduce and exempt agricultural taxes, and the other was to implement an enlightened ethnic policy. These two most important measures spread rapidly in Dingming County like heavy bombs.

  Exempting taxes is not a joke, no court official has ever been so bold. Li Tong clearly has Deng Zixuan as his strong backing, he can be fearless. After the business route opens, the profit from commodity transactions can fully compensate for and support Li Tong's expenses and tax payments. Moreover, implementing policies that respect ethnic minorities, eliminating their hostile behavior, is even more popular with the people, knowing that ethnic minorities account for 70% of Dingming County.

  A new official takes office, and no matter how good the governance measures are, they are just empty words. The common people need something real. A few days later, a civil case appeared before Li Tong. On that day, someone beat the drum, and Li Tong hastily ascended to the court. Soon, an old man and a young man wearing Zhuang costumes entered the main hall. As soon as they entered the main hall, they knelt down quickly. The old man said: "Great heavens, sir, we common people came into the city to sell firewood, but when we entered the city gate, the soldiers guarding the gate forcibly confiscated our firewood. Please, sir, investigate and do justice for us poor people."

  Li Tong said, "Are you telling the truth?" "Would a humble commoner dare to deceive and willingly accept punishment?" "Guards! Summon the soldiers guarding the gate immediately!" Li Tong didn't hesitate. Before long, two soldiers guarding the gate entered the main hall, extremely surprised that the county magistrate hadn't knelt down, with an attitude of disdain. One of them saw the two elderly villagers kneeling on the ground and immediately understood what was going on.

  "Sir! These two ignorant people have spoken out of turn and disturbed you. Our requisition of hay is in accordance with the rules, please investigate clearly!" One of the soldiers said insolently. "Nonsense, kneel down!" Li Tong shouted loudly. The two soldiers saw that on both sides there were dozens of sturdy men staring at them fiercely, their hearts trembled and they knelt down. In fact, they didn't care about the constables on either side. "Do you know your crime?" "Sir, requisitioning hay was ordered by our commander, what crime do we have?"

  "Detestable! How dare you slander your superior and add to the crime? Give me 20 big slaps at once!" "Yes, sir!" It seemed that the yamen runner was used to being bullied by the soldiers, but now he had found an opportunity for revenge. "Sir, you can't do this!" "We're innocent!" Along with a series of ear-piercing screams, the 20 slaps from the heavy rod left their skin torn and bleeding. "Do you know your crime?" "Yes, sir, we know our crime!" "Please spare us, sir!" The two soldiers begged pitifully, their previous arrogance gone without a trace.

  Li Tong walked down to the front of the old and young and said, "May I ask? How much is your hay worth?" The old man was a bit nervous and said, "In total, 20 cents!" Li Tong ordered the treasurer to give the money to the old man and said, "Is this handling satisfactory to you?" "Your Honor is a mirror of justice, impartially judging the case, we commoners are grateful and respectful!" The old man said. "You can go down now!" The old and young were somewhat frightened, bowed and withdrew.

  The sound of horseshoes came from the front of the county government office, and a Qing army officer rushed in with his men. "Commander, we are wronged!" "Commander, please do justice for us!" The two soldiers were overjoyed to see their superior, as if they had been revived. The commander looked up proudly and said, "We have received orders from Lord Feng to prepare food and grass, but you, a small county magistrate, dare to punish my subordinates. If this delays the suppression of bandits, what crime will you be guilty of?"

  Li Tong smiled and said, "I've long heard that Lord Feng is a skilled military leader who doesn't harm the innocent. If it's true that your subordinates are taking things by force, what's the difference between them and bandits? I believe Lord Feng would never do such a thing." The battalion commander was somewhat stunned - how could this new county magistrate be so calm and collected? Could he have some connection with Lord Feng? "Lord Kuang, Lord Feng is leading his troops in an all-out effort to suppress the bandits. If grain supplies are not available, I won't be able to complete my task. With our silver reserves depleted, we have no choice but to resort to this inferior plan."

  "We must eliminate the bandits, but we cannot disturb the people. I know it's difficult for you. We are both working for the imperial court and as local officials, we should be helping each other. However, we can't on one hand eliminate the bandits and on the other hand provoke the people's resentment. What is called 'officials forcing the people to rebel' will lead to endless bandit troubles. Someone, give General Ba a thousand taels of silver as a contribution for collecting grain." General Ba was taken aback at first, then overjoyed, and immediately threw out the two wrongly accused soldiers.

  "Thank you, sir! I will report your great assistance to Lord Feng. Farewell!" The general made a bow with his hands and ordered the two soldiers to be carried away. As he watched them leave, Li Tong removed his official hat, revealing cold sweat on his forehead. There were over 200 soldiers stationed inside the city, and if things really got out of hand, it would be difficult to control. Fortunately, nothing had happened, and Li Tong let out a sigh of relief.

  Li Tong's first move was perfectly timed, and the news spread like wildfire. The prestige of the great master began to resonate. Soon after, Feng Zicai wrote a letter highly praising Li Tong's actions and expressing his gratitude for his support, unintentionally pulling him into a relationship with Feng Zicai. Later, Li Tong announced to the entire county that all rebels within its borders would be granted amnesty as long as they laid down their arms.

  Two months later, Wang Xiaoer assisted the government army and eliminated the banditry in Ningming County. During this period, Wang Xiaoer's subordinates built two manors and established a transportation team. The commercial road from Ningming County to Fangchenggang was opened, and a large number of goods poured into Ningming County, forming a new situation in the desolate border town.