In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

"Brothers, this is a fat sheep, slaughter it for the New Year, charge!"

"We are the team of Uncle Wang Mazi, we want money but not life, leave the things and let you live."

"Stop the boat immediately, do you hear me, stop the boat immediately. Otherwise, when we get on the boat, we will all kill you."

More than 20 small boats on the river bank approached quickly, and the speed of the small boats and speedboats was much faster than their big boats.

In addition, they came from upstream and went downstream, and it didn't take long before they were less than 20 feet away.

Zhao Jun could even see that the leading man had a face full of flesh and pockmarks, and he was full of banditry.

I think this is the bandit leader Wang Mazi in the mouths of those pirates.

"Is the problem of banditry in the river serious?"

Zhao Jun saw that the well-trained guards had come out of the cabin with rifles in their hands, so he didn't care, but asked everyone casually.

Yang Gao said: "Not only the big rivers, but wherever there are rivers and lakes in the country, there will be pirates."

"Oh?"

Zhao Jun frowned and said: "There are pirates all over the country?"

"Yes."

Yang Gao said: "And many of these pirates are local fishermen and civilians, or even the captains of the ferry boats. When ferrying passengers, once they find that the passengers are carrying a lot of valuables, they may kill and rob."

Zhao Jun frowned even deeper.

Yang Gao continued: "For example, when I was the magistrate of Jiangzhou, there were pirates on the Yangtze River who killed merchants and sank their boats into the river. Later, the real culprit was caught. It turned out that the local ferryman saw that the merchant had a heavy bag and was tempted by the money."

"Yes."

Su Huan also said: "I once took a boat from the Yangtze River to Bianliang to take the exam. I encountered pirates several times on the way. If I had not had no extra money, and if I had money, I would have been drowned at the bottom of the river."

Hearing their words, Zhao Jun sighed: "If we want to truly have peace and prosperity, we have a long way to go."

Speaking Jiang Dalang came over and asked, "Minister, what should we do?"

"These river bandits are entrenched here. I don't know how many people they have harmed. Wait until they get close before fighting. Don't let any of them escape. It's best to catch them alive."

Zhao Jun said calmly, "When the time comes, we will interrogate them to see if there are any fish that have escaped the net and whether there are still people in the old nest. We must not let any of them go. We must wipe out this cancer."

"Yes."

Jiang Dalang agreed and immediately went to command the troops. According to Zhao Jun's instructions, wait until they get close to the boat before fighting.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

After a while, gunshots were heard.

Followed by various screams.

"Ah ah ah!"

"What is this?"

"Run."

"Jump into the river."

The pirates were caught off guard by the sudden musket fire, and most of them were killed or injured in an instant.

Jiang Dalang then said, "Come on, those who are good at swimming, follow me to their boats and catch them alive. Those who are not good at swimming, don't come. Do you hear me?"

"Yes."

Then many soldiers of the Southern Imperial Army who were good at swimming followed Jiang Dalang down the deck and jumped onto the enemy's boat to capture people.

Jiang Dalang was born as a coolie at the dock. He floated along the Bian River all year round and went to the water when he had nothing to do. He may not be very good at swimming, but he is very flexible on the boat.

In a short while, he caught several pirates, tied one up tightly, and with the help of the rest of the soldiers, sent them all to the deck.

Seeing that many bandits had been arrested, Yang Cha said, "Minister, Daozhi just said that many bandits are ferry bosses. Will they be involved in the fact that we carry so much luggage?"

He also glanced at the captain, sailors and others on the boat.

Zhao Jun traveled with a lot of carriages and horses. In addition to some daily necessities, many of them were soldiers' weapons, wrapped in cloth, so it was difficult for outsiders to see anything, and it was easy to disguise as a businessman.

If this matter is really related to the captain, it is very likely that they saw Zhao Jun and others with a lot of carriages and luggage, and they might have evil intentions to collude with bandits.

They might even be bandits.

But Zhao Jun was not so arbitrary, he just smiled and said: "Don't make assumptions or arrest people indiscriminately before you figure it out."

"What if it is related to them?"

Yang Cha asked again.

"What you said is not unreasonable, but the Song Dynasty must rule the country by law, and it is definitely wrong to arrest people indiscriminately, but this matter does require their cooperation in the investigation."

Zhao Jun thought for a while and said: "So, after getting off the boat, contact the local government and the Imperial City Department, and let them come and take the people away first. The bandits will be arrested, and the captain and others will be taken to investigate. As long as they are sure that there is no problem, they will be released."

"Yes."

Yang Cha responded.

The matter ended quickly, and the boat approached the ferry while the captain was trembling.

But the people did not get off the boat, but sent people to Ji County to find people.

Su Huan asked: "Governor, this is Ji County. There are hundreds of pirates in the area. The local officials failed to manage the area well and offended the governor. Should we hold them accountable?"

"I don't really want to hold them accountable."

Zhao Jun shook his head and said: "Unless the investigation shows that the pirates are in collusion with them, they can't be blamed."

"The governor is still too kind."

Su Huan sighed.

In fact, they also knew that it was really difficult to blame the local officials for the pirates.

Because as Yang Gao said, the pirates and bandits in many places are local fishermen and villagers. They fish and farm during the day, and become bandits at night, coming and going without a trace.

Even if the government wanted to eradicate them, it would be difficult to find evidence. The bandits were hidden in local villages. Without direct evidence, it would be difficult to convict them.

Secondly, in many places, the entire village or even several nearby villages are full of bandits, so we can't massacre the village.

So this kind of thing is really not easy to solve.

certainly.

It would be normal if Zhao Jun wanted to convict them. After all, they had collided with the highest-ranking officials of the Song Dynasty, so the local officials could only admit that they were unlucky.

And Zhao Jun has no accountability now, so he obviously really understands them and is very kind.

But in fact, although Zhao Jun did not move around too much among the people, official documents and memorials all over the world often talked about mountain bandits, road tyrants, and water thieves. It was not impossible for him to understand the difficulties of eradicating them.

And the most important and main point.

In the 1980s and 1990s, even though it was a new era, our country was not without such things, especially in places with many mountains and rivers, where there were countless bandits and bandits.

This phenomenon still existed in large numbers until the beginning of the new millennium. Drivers who run long-distance passenger and freight transportation should have deep experience. It is normal to encounter several cases a month.

The bandits will really disappear completely. Basically, it will be completely over until after 2010, when a large number of Skynet systems are popularized, and wherever there are people living, there will be surveillance, even on rural roads.

But now, in ancient times, not to mention monitoring, even the grassroots government officials were seriously insufficient. It would be difficult to eliminate this phenomenon where the entire village is a bandit.

Therefore, it is naturally impossible for Zhao Jun to blame the local government.

Otherwise, local governments all over the world will be held accountable, which would be too unkind.

However, this phenomenon was also kept in mind by Zhao Jun.

When he goes out for inspection, he wants to personally understand the local situation, discover problems, and solve problems.

There are no more rebel armies in the world.

But thieves are everywhere.

Those people may occupy mountains and become kings, gather in rivers and plunder, or hide among the people. How can this be done?

It's hard to say that we should still learn from the great man and his elders and launch a nationwide campaign to suppress bandits.

Zhao Jun thought to himself.

While thinking about it, it didn't take long for officials from Ji County to come in a hurry and board the boat to see Zhao Jun.

At this moment, the county magistrate, county magistrate and the local imperial city commander, all sweating profusely and with expressions of fear and uneasiness on their faces, came up to pay tribute.

"The lower official (lower position) has met the zhiyuan (zhisi)."

Each of them was trembling with fear, and the magistrate of Ji County and the commander of the Imperial City Division were constantly wiping the sweat from their foreheads.

When they found out about this, they almost went into cardiorespiratory arrest.

joke.

The magistrate was robbed in his own jurisdiction.

In addition to proving one's own incompetence, what else can it prove?

Let’s not put aside the problems of poor protection and failure to manage the area well, which led to the proliferation of banditry.

Just saying that the magistrate's court was robbed is a serious crime in itself.

Even if he is not imprisoned and questioned, he will probably be serving as an official for the rest of his life.

So everyone was frightened.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jun smiled and said in a generous voice: "Well, don't even bother."

Before he could finish his words, the magistrate of Ji County knelt down and kowtowed in horror: "The lower official's poor governance has frightened the magistrate. The lower official deserves death!"

"The lower official (lower position) deserves to die!"

When the other local officials and the commanders of the Imperial City Department saw the county magistrate kneeling, they all hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed. Everyone was filled with fear.

"Okay, get up, am I so terrible? I don't blame you."

Zhao Jun said helplessly.

"Thank you for your knowledge, thank you for your knowledge."

Hearing that Zhao Jun had no intention of blaming him, the magistrate of Ji County stood up from the ground while wiping his sweat.

But my legs are still a little weak.

It should be said that he was also born in the same class as Jinshi, and he was also a scholar after all.

The Song Dynasty did not like to kneel down in worship, so there was no reason to do so.

But I'm afraid of death if I can't stand up to the county magistrate.

I have long heard that Zhiyuan is small-minded, and those who offend him often end up dead.

Even a civil servant with a Jinshi background is not a talisman. Countless corrupt officials died in his hands, including even prime minister-level officials.

He was a county magistrate with the same background as Jinshi. In the eyes of the people, he was a great official, but in the eyes of the magistrate, he was no different than a sesame mung bean.

So the magistrate of Ji County panicked at that time, fearing that Zhao Jun would be angry, and ordered him to be killed on the spot.

Fortunately, what he never expected was that Zhao Jun was not angry, but his tone was very easy-going, which made many officials, including the magistrate of Ji County, breathe a sigh of relief.

"Take the person back and examine him carefully first, Da Lang."

"exist."

Jiang Dalang came over.

"Send some people to investigate with you and check if there is anyone behind the scenes. We must do our best to eliminate the evil."

"yes."

"You guys come with me to the county government office."

Zhao Jun looked at the officials of Ji County and said: "As long as this matter is not found to be related to you and there is no instigation from you behind it, I won't blame you. However, we still need to pay more attention to local matters, even if they are not completely To solve it, we need to investigate more.”

"Yes Yes."

The crowd responded like quail.

Only then did Zhao Jun get off the boat and look around.

Jixian County was a large plain in later generations, but during the Song Dynasty, the Yellow River flowed through this place and formed many tributaries.

On the banks of these tributaries, reeds grow thickly and inhabit many villages.

The village is built on the river. There are hills, hillsides, woods, fields and large and small rivers nearby. It is easy to farm and fish. It is not difficult to fill the stomach, but it is not easy to make a fortune.

It seems that these Yellow River bandits originated from some local lawless people who were restless and coveted the rich assets of passing merchants.

The group arrived at the county government office.

Zhao Jun only summoned the local commander of the Imperial City Division and asked him to report the local situation. Afterwards, he did not meet other local officials, but waited in the county government office.

Everyone gathered in the backyard of the government office and sat around the stone table. It was dinner time, and everyone talked while eating.

"We have gained a lot just after entering Hebei this time."

Zhao Jun ate a few dishes and felt that he had no appetite. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and sighed: "We have lived in peace for too long. We often think that as long as the people are well fed and live a worry-free life, it is the kingly way. But we forget that we must also pay attention to the safety of people's lives and property. In the past, many such situations were reported from various places, but I did not pay attention to them. This is my dereliction of duty."

Yang Gao hurriedly said: "The anti-gang and anti-evil campaign of the Zhiyuan has greatly improved local public security. These bandits are not like those evil elements who smash, loot and burn, and are easy to identify. They hide among the people and hide in the countryside. They are ordinary people on weekdays, and they are bandits when they rob. They are extremely difficult to detect, so how can they be found? How can we blame the governor?"

"Yes, just as the governor can't blame the local officials, the responsibility of this matter is not to blame anyone, but we can't tell who is the common people and who is the bandits."

Wang Anshi also said: "They ran away after killing and robbing. Not only can there be no evidence, but even a suspected criminal can't be found. This time, these people ran into the hands of the governor. If they were ordinary merchants, they would not be able to resist, and the local government could not arrive in time. It would be helpless. "

"The blame lies with those bandits, and it has nothing to do with others."

"That's right."

"That's indeed the truth."

Everyone talked at once.

It's not to excuse Zhao Jun, but it was the way it was.

Zhao Jun also understood this point.

He nodded and said, "Well, but it's true that I didn't take it seriously before. It's a great harvest to meet it this time. When the time comes, we must formulate a plan to eliminate the bandits in the world. Even if we can't completely eradicate them, we must strike a blow to their arrogance. Otherwise, it's really unreasonable to come to the official road ferry in broad daylight."

Although such a phenomenon existed in the 1980s and 1990s in later generations, it was often in deep mountains and old forests, especially in the south where the mountains are high and the forests are dense, making it very easy to hide.

Among them, the National Highway is a place frequented by these people.

The slightly more civilized ones set up checkpoints to charge tolls, and the less civilized ones directly get on the car with weapons and rob.

It is relatively rare in the north.

The North China Plain has a flat terrain, convenient transportation, and very few places to hide. Once chased by the police, it is difficult to get away.

Now Zhao Jun is on the North China Plain in the north, robbing in broad daylight at the official road ferry where people come and go very prosperously. It can be seen how rampant the bandits were in ancient times.

Zhao Jun knew that it was impossible to eliminate it, unless the technology of the Song Dynasty developed to the point where there were cameras all over the country.

But reduce the frequency of such incidents.

And it should be possible to ensure the safety of the main roads.

For example, increase the expenditure on grassroots public security, set up yamen runners on the main official roads, and let each county arrange patrol teams on the main roads in its jurisdiction.

This is difficult in later generations, because the roads in our country have been built in all directions. There are countless township roads, county roads, national roads, and highways in any county. It is almost impossible to do this.

But it was much easier in ancient times.

Because there were not so many roads in ancient times, often a county had only one or two official roads, and no more than four or five at most. It was no problem to organize a patrol team or even hire local farmers during the slack season to ensure the safety of the official roads.

But this can basically only guarantee the northern plains. In the south, there is really no way.

"Minister, ask clearly."

Zhao Jun was thinking in his mind when Jiang Dalang came in and reported to him: "There is indeed a traitor."

"Oh?"

Zhao Jun asked: "Is it the local officials or the passenger ship that has problems?"

"It's the passenger ship."

"The captain?"

"No, it's the captain's men."

Jiang Dalang said: "When we were on board to transport the goods, the news was sent to the pirates."

"Yes, it's expected."

Zhao Jun nodded.

Ferrying passengers in places like the Yellow River and the Yangtze River belongs to the transportation industry.

Although there is a saying that "carriages, boats, shops, and foot teeth should be killed even if they are innocent", the boats in it refer to such ferry boats that kill and rob goods.

But that generally refers to ordinary small ferries. When it comes to the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, if there are many ships, it belongs to a large fleet.

For example, the captain hired by Zhao Jun this time has two large passenger ships, hundreds of people plus so many carriages and goods, and he has to pay hundreds of strings of money at one time.

If you encounter a big and arrogant merchant with a lot of goods, it is not impossible to make thousands or even tens of thousands of strings of cash in one crossing of the river.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, for the sake of this one-time deal, a boat captain with a little bit of brains will not risk killing the goose to get the eggs and choose to cooperate with the bandits.

But the clerk is different. Anyway, it is not his business. If he encounters a fat sheep, he can make more than the clerk earns in half a lifetime.

"How is the interrogation of the bandits?"

Zhao Jun asked again: "What's the situation over there?"

"It's two villages on the bank of Xishui River, a tributary of the big river. The people in the village have been fishing and ferrying for a living since ancient times, but they often kill people and rob goods. Over time, they have united together and specialize in this kind of business."

Jiang Dalang said: "And they are very smart. They never pick small and individual customers. They often target those big ship merchants. When they make enough money, they stop and hide for several years or even more than ten years. They will go back to their old business when the money is spent or the news is over."

"According to the investigation and interrogation of the local county government, it was found that the last time they did it was four years ago."

He continued: "Four years ago, a group of silk merchants disappeared when crossing the river in Ji County. Their families found Ji County and the county government also investigated. Many people said that they saw them boarding the ship, but the ship did not reach the other side, so they thought they encountered a storm and the ship sank to the bottom of the river. The family members could only blame themselves for their bad luck. Unexpectedly, it was this group of people who did it."

"It seems that the carriages and horses when we boarded the ship attracted their covetousness."

Zhao Jun sighed.

Then he asked, "Did their families and relatives participate?"

"It has not been investigated yet."

Jiang Dalang said, "But they made such a big fuss. I think even if they didn't participate personally, they at least knew about it."

Zhao Jun's eyes flashed with a cold light and said, "Two villages, hundreds of people. Even if they are not bandits, they know about it. It's really shocking. Tell the county government to let Huang Sanlang take a hundred people to act together and arrest them all."

"Yes!"

Jiang Dalang nodded and went out.

Zhao Jun narrowed his eyes.

The whole village committed a crime together. Although it is known that such things were not uncommon in ancient times, it is still shocking.

In the Song Dynasty, only the counties and cities in various places have done a good job in eliminating gangs and evil.

But there is no telling how much dirt is hidden in the countryside and forests.

I want to clean it up.

It's a long way to go.

Maybe.

It's time to clean up the house.