pdf-ebookys Chapter 16 Something is wrong
Chapter 16 Something is wrong
The situation in Heshan is somewhat special.
In terms of regional division, Heshan belongs to Ningyang County. Geographically, Heshan is located in the northwest corner of Ningyang County, bordering Wenshang County of Jining to the west and south, and Tai'an Prefecture to the north. You can reach Tai'an Prefecture by boat across the Dawen River, which is quite far from Ningyang County.
The reason why Heshan got its name is because, according to legend, an immortal once rode a crane away from here.
Whether there are really immortals or not, no one knows, and no one has ever seen them, but after actually arriving at Heshan, Yang Shaofeng felt that he was about to pass away first.
How come there are so many mountains!
Seeing that Yang Shaofeng's face was getting darker and darker, Yang Er, the head of Heshan Village, said cautiously, "Sir, why don't you rest for a while? Heshan looks close, but it's actually quite far."
Yang Shaofeng grunted in acknowledgment, dismounted, found a rock, took out a flatbread from his pocket, broke off a piece, and handed it to Yang Er, the head of Heshan Village. After eating a few bites, he asked, "Since there are so many mountains in Heshan, are there many pheasants and small animals in the mountains?"
Yang Er said, "It's a lot, but not a lot either."
Before Yang Shaofeng could ask any questions, Yang Er explained, "The reason I say there are many is because there are indeed quite a few pheasants and small animals in the mountains, and we can still see them occasionally now."
"The reason it's considered low is because in previous years the Mongol Yuan dynasty levied excessive taxes, and the little grain the people grew wasn't enough to pay the taxes, so they had to go to the mountains to hunt pheasants and small animals."
"But as time went on, the pheasants and small animals outside fled to the deep mountains and forests where people dared not easily set foot, making them very difficult to catch."
“Another thing is,” Yang Er hesitated slightly before continuing, “the Tartars have done too much harm, too many people have died, and some wild dogs have eaten human flesh. They ran into the deep mountains because they couldn’t be hunted down in time. Now they’ve become almost like wolves, and they will attack and bite anyone they see.”
Yang Shaofeng cursed "the barbarians who swore in," then looked up at the mountains and saw that the terrain was not very steep, just one mountain after another, with trees of varying heights growing up the mountainside. It was indeed a dangerous place that ordinary people could not easily set foot in.
The reason why it is not easy to set foot in the mountains is not only determined by the steepness of the mountains, but also by the dense forests. In an era when navigation was scarce and wild animals roamed freely, ordinary people could easily lose their way after entering the deep forests. If they could not find their way out, the lucky ones would become a pile of bones, and the unlucky ones might become dinner for wild animals.
Especially those wild dogs that Yang Er mentioned are extremely dangerous; encountering them is even more perilous than encountering wolves.
Yang Shaofeng shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat disappointed.
Several days ago, the soldiers guarding the gates of Ningyang County said that some people had already dared to enter and leave the city.
The presence of people coming and going basically means that Ningyang County is gradually regaining its vitality.
In particular, as the fodder industry gradually unfolds, people will slowly accumulate more copper coins.
Yang Shaofeng would certainly not do something as despicable as collecting taxes on people entering the city, but he did hope that some people would dare to bring their goods into the city to sell.
Firstly, if people dare to enter the city, it means that the county magistrate is competent enough, at least not so frightening that people dare not enter the city.
Secondly, he could also buy things he wanted from the people, such as pheasants or small animals, to satisfy his appetite.
Thirdly, with more people selling goods, the number of people buying goods will gradually increase as well, thus revitalizing the county's economy. As the county magistrate, I will be able to collect commercial taxes openly and legitimately, and the county will have more funds available, so it won't be as tight as it is now.
Now, the people of Heshan dare not go into the mountains to hunt pheasants or small animals, so Yang Shaofeng had no choice but to give up the idea.
Yang Shaofeng sighed, stood up, and said, "Let's go."
Seeing Yang Shaofeng stand up, Bo Wu and Yang Er also quickly got up and set off.
Not long after they set off, Limpy Five suddenly exclaimed "Eh!", reined in his horse, greeted Yang Shaofeng, then dismounted and walked toward a patch of wild grass nearby.
Curious, Yang Shaofeng reined in his horse, dismounted, and walked over to Lame Five, asking, "Brother Lame Five, what's wrong?"
Limping Wu pointed to the pile of weeds and said, “Your Excellency, look, many of the weeds here are flattened, and most of them are broken at the root. This is either because they were trampled by wild animals or because someone passed by here.”
Drawing his knife, Limping Wu cautiously stepped into the haystack, squatted down to examine it carefully, and then carefully retreated: "Your Excellency, the weeds here were not trampled by wild animals, but rather someone passed through this area."
Limpy Wu, knife in hand, stood protectively in front of Yang Shaofeng, then looked at Yang Er, who had just approached, and asked, "Will the people of your Heshan Village come here?"
Yang Er shook his head, looking bewildered, and replied, "There's no village or shop in sight here. How could villagers possibly come here?"
But as soon as he finished speaking, Yang Er's expression turned ugly.
Limpy Wu sneered and said, "This place is quite a distance from Heshan Village, and the people of Heshan Village wouldn't come here. So who would have carved out such a path? And why would they have chosen such a place to carve out a path?"
Turning his head to look at the path that had been trampled out in the pile of weeds, Limpy Five continued, "If it were a path that had been trampled out openly, that would be fine, but judging from the appearance of these weeds by the roadside, I'm afraid the person who made this path probably didn't want to be discovered."
Yang Shaofeng's face was now so gloomy it looked like it could be wrung out of water.
In later years, Yang Shaofeng once saw a news report about a group of Ming Dynasty loyalists who, unwilling to accept the rule of the Qing Dynasty, hid in the deep mountains and forests and still retained their Ming Dynasty clothing and attire after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
If some people were able to hide in the deep mountains for more than two hundred years after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, are there no people hiding in the deep mountains and forests now?
It's important to understand that one crucial reason why Emperor Zhu Chongba could appoint even illiterate peasants as officials, and why Chang Yuchun appointed Yang Shaofeng as a county magistrate without hesitation after meeting him, treating him like a valuable asset, was that many scholars still longed for the "benevolence" of the Yuan Dynasty and were unwilling to acknowledge Emperor Zhu Chongba as the legitimate ruler, let alone serve as officials.
Seeing that Yang Shaofeng's face was getting worse and worse, Lame Wu said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, something is not right. Why don't we go back to the county town first and have Chief Yang organize the young men in the village to be on guard? Tomorrow morning, I will bring the brothers from the county government to come and take a look."