Chapter 11: A Show of Power
Liu Zheng walked around several times, but still no one answered!
Only the old man at the city gate opened his toothless mouth and smiled brightly.
"Son, this..."
Liu Dahao was sweating profusely.
Liu Zheng's eyes had turned cold. A few days ago, he had hired a fast horse to deliver the news that the county governor was about to take office to Yinzhou.
Logically speaking, the letter should have arrived three days earlier than them. They were delayed in Yangzhou for another three days. By then, Yinzhou should have received the news.
But now it seems...
"The county lord has arrived!"
Liu Zheng didn't believe it and continued to ride on his horse and roar.
"Young man, where can we find a county marquis in Yinzhou?"
The dark old man laughed, with a mocking look on his face. Many passers-by also pointed at Liu Zheng.
Liu Zheng shouted, "The new county magistrate sent by the imperial court is about to take office, but there is no one in the city to welcome him? Do you think the imperial court is beneath your eyes?"
The new county magistrate?
The people of Yinzhou were quite surprised when they heard the discussion.
Yinzhou is a desolate place. No one has come to the county for many years. The government has no idea how dilapidated it is. So they looked at these people very strangely, as if they were looking at monkeys.
Just then, several carriages finally drove into the city.
Liu Zheng looked at it coldly and couldn't help but snorted.
Although Yinzhou is poor, it is the most likely place to breed some local noble families and landlords. Especially in an inhospitable place like Yinzhou, these noble families have actually become the real rulers here because they own land! In this era, land is the primary productive force. They control the best resources in society, and naturally control the life and death of these people.
So, in this vicious cycle, the poorer the farmers are, the richer they become!
Although Yinzhou is small, it is also a county with a population of 300,000.
In recent years, four prominent families have emerged in Yinzhou, namely Chen, Wang, Cao, and Zheng. These four families have almost divided up the power of the entire Yinzhou. Liu Zheng knew that his and his father's arrival would make them unhappy, but he thought that at least it should be acceptable in terms of face. Unexpectedly, they actually let the three of them be exposed to the scorching sun for an hour!
The four carriages were extremely luxurious, and they looked out of place in the environment of Yinzhou. The evil men led the way, arrogant and domineering. The people on the road dared not speak out and gave way.
Liu Dahao couldn't help but mutter, "Wow, they all have eight-horse carriages, they are even more impressive than your father was back then?"
Liu Zheng snorted again.
These people who exploit the locals are the real cancer of Yinzhou's poverty.
The yellow carriage stood steady at the city gate, and an old man in brocade clothes jumped off. He clasped his fists and walked over with a smile: "My Lord, please forgive me! My donkey was startled, and I went to catch it. I am only a few steps late!"
This was said in a ridiculous and rude manner, showing that he did not take the new county lord seriously at all.
Everyone laughed even louder after hearing this.
Especially the servants around the old man, they looked at the three people sideways and sneered.
County Marquis?
This Yinzhou has long been the territory of four prominent families. How could they be happy about the sudden arrival of a county marquis?
Liu Dahao suppressed his anger and laughed, "It's okay, it's okay. Who are you?"
Before the old man could say anything, another person jumped off the green carriage next to him and snorted, "Mr. Chen is really in a good mood. He's going to catch the donkey himself. Aren't you afraid that the donkey will go crazy and kick you to death?"
The old man surnamed Chen snorted, "What does this have to do with you, Cao Zhen?"
It seems that these two people are Chen Kui from the Chen family and Cao Zhen from the Cao family.
Two people also got off the other two carriages, they were Wang Zengming from the Wang family, and Zheng Liang from the Zheng family.
The four of them laughed at each other for a while, and then slowly, with a large group of servants behind them, pretended to welcome the county marquis.
Liu Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
Is this a way to intimidate yourself?
Each of these four guys brought with them at least fifty servants, all of whom were burly and strong.
And there are only three of us on our side.
The difference is obvious.
Therefore, the ridicule and disdain on their faces became more obvious and undisguised.
"The donkey was frightened?"
Liu Zheng suddenly smiled coldly.
The four old men were pretending to greet Liu Zheng respectfully with their fists clasped together, but when they heard Liu Zheng's words, they all looked angry.
"Who are you?"
"Where did this little kid come from?"
Liu Zheng was furious. He knew that if he didn't establish his authority today, he would not be able to enter the city gate of Yinzhou. Even if he did, he would be doomed to live under their tyranny. He immediately shouted angrily, "I ordered you to wait at the city gate at 3:45 every day. You all made excuses and refused to come. How can you commit a crime of insubordination?"
"What do you want to do? "
"How dare you insult my master?"
"Give me your life, you bastard!"
Before the masters of the four prominent families could speak, the servants who usually committed crimes could no longer hold back, and several of them stretched out their hands to grab Liu Zheng. The masters did not stop them, but watched with a sneer. They were also happy to be able to show off their power to the county marquis' family at the city gate.
The three of them came to Yinzhou and wanted to change the situation in Yinzhou, so they had to ask the four prominent families first!
Although these servants were dressed as servants, they were actually the private soldiers of these prominent families. They were well-armed, strong and sturdy, and were much stronger than the horse bandits encountered in Yangzhou.
The people saw this and cried out in surprise, fearing that the boy would suffer a great loss.
Unexpectedly, just as they arrived in front of Liu Zheng's horse, Qin Changfeng beside him shouted: "How dare you hurt my master!"
clang!
Qin Changfeng pulled out the long sword and kicked the horse's belly. The horse neighed and galloped over. Before the servants could make a move, the long sword was already in front of them.
Bang bang bang!
Qin Changfeng was thoughtful before he attacked. He did not use the blade, but the back of the blade to knock down the seven or eight people who rushed up to the ground.
A man and a horse stood in front of Liu Zheng, eyes wide open, murderous intent in sight!
"this……"
"This young man is so fierce!"
"What a good fellow!"
The people were amazed by what they saw.
The masters of the four prominent families looked pale and ashen.
The servants refused to believe it and stood up to fight, but Qin Changfeng hit them on the back several times with his long sword. Before they could pick up the weapons on the ground, they fainted.
The scene was silent.
"Who else?"
Qin Changfeng was the only one guarding the pass, with an incredible momentum.
The other servants were afraid to act rashly, and although they glared at him angrily, no one dared to step forward!
"Stop it, my dear man! Don't hurt the harmony!"
"Your Excellency, we are late. I will leave the punishment to you!"
The four masters were so frightened that their legs were shaking and their faces turned pale.
For a master like this, it would only take a moment to kill them.
Liu Dahao quickly dismounted, supported the four people and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's just a small matter. Officials shouldn't mobilize so many troops. My son is too serious. Let's go, let's go into the city!"
The three of them were still guests when they first arrived in Yinzhou, so a slight slap in the face would be enough. If the conflict was too intense, it would be counterproductive.
Liu Zheng didn't say anything either.
The four prominent families felt as uncomfortable as if they had eaten a fly, but the common people who were watching were amazed.
It is rare for a new county marquis to dampen the morale of the four prominent families in this way.
He has just arrived, but he is so domineering and unyielding. I'm afraid that Yinzhou City will be much more lively in the future.
With Qin Changfeng holding a knife at his side, the masters of the prominent families accompanied him along the way and were very enthusiastic.
The situation inside Yinzhou City is indeed similar to that outside.
The streets were full of potholes and the buildings were in tatters. At first glance, the people on the street were all malnourished. But Liu Zheng could see that the people in Yinzhou were tough. Although the noble families had ruled here for so many years, facing these four noble family masters, many people on the street still showed open hatred in their eyes.
This is a good thing!
After the trip, Liu Zheng already had a plan in mind.
"Since the county marquis has just arrived in Yinzhou, the Chen family should show their hospitality to us!"
Chen Kui invited enthusiastically.
The other three families were no less enthusiastic and had to hold a banquet to celebrate the arrival of the county marquis.
Liu Dahao was afraid that it was another Hongmen Banquet, so he quickly declined, saying, "You are all kind-hearted, but I have just taken office as the county marquis, so I should stay in ."
"County Marquis' Mansion?"
The four masters tried to hold back their laughter, and the atmosphere was very strange.
"Haha, okay, let's go to the county mansion!"
The four men led the way to the county mansion, and when they arrived at a dilapidated courtyard, they stopped moving.
Liu Dahao was stunned and said: "What are you guys doing..."
Chen Kui laughed and said, "Sir, this is the county magistrate's mansion!"
"What?"
Liu Dahao's face changed.
This yard had probably been uninhabited and unmaintained for decades. It was not small, but at first glance, it was clear that it had fallen into disrepair, with broken doors and windows, and even one of the rooms had lost its roof. The wooden buildings were really gnawed by insects and rats, and looked like they would collapse at any time.
Even the windows let in the wind.
Spider webs covered the house inside and outside, and the yard was overgrown with weeds.
There is no one living here.
"puff……"
The servants couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Wang Zengming also pretended to shake his head and said, "Sir, why don't you stay at my Wang's house first? Let me ask my servants to help renovate this mansion."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"This yard is definitely not as good as my doghouse!"
"He is a county marquis, oh really!"
The servants were all mocking him, and the common people were also shaking their heads.
"Thank you for your trouble, we will just live here!"
Before Liu Dahao finished speaking, Liu Zheng said with a smile.
He didn't want to fall out . If he went to live in their homes, no one knew what would happen.
“Okay, okay!”
"Since the county lord insists on doing this, we will take our leave first!"
The four prominent families clasped their fists and left.
Suddenly, only these three people were left, looking at the dilapidated yard with a confused look on their faces.
For a prefecture or county, the county magistrate’s office is the face of the city.
Simply put, the dilapidated county mansion is not only a shabby place for the three men to live in, but also makes the mansion and the county marquis have no dignity. How can a government without dignity rule?
Right now.
Three people and three horses stood here, and the dark-skinned old man moved a bench and sat beside them to watch the fun.
"Young man, they are all laughing at you!"
The corner of Liu Zheng's mouth twitched.
Are you the one watching it with the most interest?
