Yancheng County was originally Yandu County, which was under the jurisdiction of Huaian Prefecture, Southern Zhili. Most of the county are waterways and densely covered with mudflats along the coast. The reeds grow taller than people.

In the first year of Shunzhi, Liu Zeqing, the Dongping Bo of the Southern Ming Dynasty, harmed Yancheng County. Later, Prince Yu of Qing led a large army to fight south. Because Yancheng was in the Ming Dynasty during the time of Yancheng, the local area was naturally slaughtered by the army. Once or twice, Yancheng was really sparsely populated. When Shunzhi reported to the Ministry of Revenue in the third year, the population was only more than 24,000, but when the previous dynasty had not passed the large army, the population was more than 150,000.

With sparsely populated, dense rivers and tidal flats, it is naturally suitable for fugitives from the north to hide. At first, Yancheng County turned a blind eye to fugitives and did not care about them, and they produced and reproduced on their own in the territory. The reason for this is that if there were too many fugitives in this territory, there would be more Dingkou. If there were too many Dingkou, people would plant this land. If there were too many land planting, the tax would naturally be more collected. If there were too many taxes, they would be better for the Ministry of Personnel’s assessment next year. Wouldn’t it be nice to raise the adjustment as appropriate in the future? Where can I find such a good thing?

However, in just two or three years, the court suddenly issued a strict order, prohibiting local governments from hiding and concealing fugitives, and not allowing them to be transferred to the fugitives as well-registered citizens. However, after discovering that all officials and people would be executed. The reason is that the fugitives are the lifeblood of the Manchu masters, and the masters all count on these slaves to farm and produce for them. If all the slaves escape, who will support them?

In those years, Yancheng County did the most to catch fugitives. In order to avoid being arrested by the government, fugitives in the territory hid on the coastal tidal flats and cooked salt to make a living. In this world, if they can survive, but they can protect the safety of the family, there must be desperate people. The fugitives roared in the mudflats, gathered with salt stoves, or called large groups, three stoves, or called salt warehouses. From time to time, fugitives fought with officials. After several times, the government did not intend to force these fugitives too much, and there was no decision on the left and right sides to rescue the fugitives to return north, so if you can handle it, why take risks?

Time flies ten years later. The current Yancheng magistrate named Zhou Dalang. This man was from Haizhou in the north. In the twelfth year of Shunzhi, he reported to the Ministry of Personnel as a Juren. Later, he used some money to get Xiaxian County in Yancheng to be the Marquis of Baili.

Although he was a juren and had to spend money to get an official position, Dalang was quite capable this year. After several years of his management, Dingkou, Yancheng County had more than 3,000 yuan. God also took care of him and the weather was good. Therefore, Dalang's performance in all aspects was excellent. According to the news from Huai'an Prefecture, perhaps Dalang will be promoted to the prefect next year, and Tongzhi, but he doesn't know where the specific promotion will be.

It is naturally a good thing to be promoted, but Dalang does not want to go to Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Jiangnan, because there are still wars there. Today is the Qing Dynasty, and tomorrow it may be the territory of the Ming Dynasty. It is not safe to hold this official position. I think so, but where to transfer it to is not Dalang can decide. It depends entirely on the mood of the official of the Ministry of Personnel. At this moment, he can only ask the Bodhisattva for blessing.

Last year, the situation in Jiangbei became tense. Although Zhou Dalang was just a magistrate, he knew nothing about the outside world except for the matters in the county. He only knew that the Qing emperor had personally led a large army to march south and could pacify the Ming army in the south soon and unify the world. Dalang had not failed to inquire about the news in Huai'an Prefecture, but the mansion was also in chaos and was even more unclear about the situation of the war. After investigating several times, without a clear letter, Dalang simply did not waste his energy. He was just a small magistrate. He was not the turn to worry about the major affairs of this country.

It is the end of March now, and the county is busy urging the people to prepare wheat harvest and summer planting, and also patrolling the river embankment and sea embankment to avoid floods after summer, affecting the autumn harvest and making mistakes and grains. Therefore, Dalang has been very busy and tired recently and has gone to the countryside several times in succession. Every time he comes back, he has a sore waist and legs. However, thinking that he can get promoted by doing this, no matter how hard or tired he is, it is worth it.

Unfortunately, the weather was not as good as the wind and rain. Before Dalang could be promoted, the Huaian Prefecture changed its owner, and the Ming army was placed on the top of the city. The city was lost, and there was another county below who dared to resist the Ming army. After the Ming army occupied Huaian Prefecture, it divided its troops to each county. A hundred households of the Ming army brought a hundred soldiers and drove to Yancheng County, ordering Zhou Dalang in the city to open the city and surrender immediately.

Yancheng County has green camp troops stationed, but only more than 100 people. In addition, there are more than 300 strong men recruited by the county. In addition, there are dozens of idle gangs under the command of a few captains. The number of people is more than the Ming army outside the city, but who dares to be determined to stick to the city from below Zhou Dalang?

Zhou Dalang told his side in daily life that he was the most proud in his life and was particularly loyal. As long as it was beneficial to the country and the court, he would sacrifice his life and would never avoid it because he might be harmed.

In order to strengthen one's integrity and become a model for subordinates, Dalang called himself "Proud Gu Gong" and took the word "Tiexin", which means that the official is proud and has a strong heart than iron stone. No matter how difficult or dangerous it is, it cannot scare me!

A tactful minor official in the yamen wrote the words of the magistrate into a poem, "If it benefits the country's life and death, how can it avoid it because of misfortune and good fortune." After reading it, Dalang was deeply satisfied and asked someone to put this poem in his collection, saying that this poem will be passed down through the ages with Zhou Dalang's name in the future.

However, Zhou Dalang, who was proud and had a heart of iron, was about to come to an end, but failed to repay the king with his own death. Instead, he opened the city gate with his subordinates.

In this regard, Dalang explained that a hero would not suffer the loss at the moment. Although I surrendered now, I was in the Ming Dynasty and was in the Qing Dynasty. I also brought out the story of Goujian lying on firewood and tasting gall in Yue State during the Spring and Autumn Period to cover up his gifts. After a clever statement, my subordinates thought that the magistrate was a real man who could bend and stretched. What happened later made the subordinates speechless. This Zhou Dalang not only accepted the appointment of the magistrate of the Ming Dynasty, but also flattered the hundreds of Ming families who came and flattered him. If the old wife was not able to show off, she would have given her wife to bed.

Zhou Dalang's well-behaved performance made the Taiping Army's hundreds of households who came to take over Yancheng County satisfied. When he reported to Huai'an, he said a lot of good things about Zhou Dalang this time, which caused the thousands of officials in Huai'an to report Zhou Dalang to Nandu as a typical capable official. If nothing unexpected happens, Zhou Dalang will definitely be promoted to the next year.

As Huai'an returned to the Ming Dynasty, the situation in Jianghuai became more and more prosperous. Zhou Dalang was vicious and was a juren. He served as a county magistrate for several years. How could he not know the principle that those who know the current affairs were heroes and did his best to deal with government affairs? However, after receiving the document of anti-smuggling salt from Huai'an Prefecture that day, Zhou Dalang felt that this matter was very difficult.

Yancheng County is named after salt, and the natural salt industry in the territory is prosperous and developed. The more prosperous it is, the more dealers smuggled salt. In addition, many fugitives from the north have potentially engaged in salt cooking in Yancheng for more than ten years, making the private salt business more dangerous. Those fugitives from the north and local salt dealers are all outlaws. Zhou Dalang could not solve them in the first two terms. After he took office, he refused to ask about the idea that it was better to have less than more things.

It should be noted that this salt smuggler is not as friendly as the peddler who travels through the streets and alleys, but is really brave and fierce, and does not accept Wang Hua at all. He can kill people for profit and even dare to gather people to attack the government. Therefore, it has always been strictly prohibited for each dynasty. If you catch it, you have to re-operate it. Yancheng is named after salt. There are also the branch inspection and inspection departments of Lianghuai Salt Administration in the territory. Official and private salt dealers fight hard. Fortunately, since the Ming Dynasty, Yancheng County has an unwritten rule, that is, the county is in charge of civil affairs, regardless of salt administration. Therefore, although those private salt dealers are rampant, it is not related to Dalang's affairs. It is all the Lianghuai Salt Administration in charge. Therefore, as long as Dalang does not commit any trouble, it will not affect the county's public security, it is too lazy to care about it. There is also Lianghuai Salt Administration in charge of this matter. Why bother with rats and others?

But now the superiors are going to rectify the salt administration, saying that it was a handwritten by the King of Qi himself, and the official document of Huai'an Prefecture is even more harsh. If Dalang cannot rectify the salt administration in the country, he will punish him. This makes Dalang a headache and can't help but scold the bastards of Huai'an Prefecture for being incompatible. Don't they know about the Yancheng matters? When those private salt dealers gave benefits to Lianghuai Salt Administration, they didn't forget to bring you a copy. Now you are fine, just pat your butt and just push them to Yancheng County. Isn't this explicit embarrassing me!

Whether it is a headache or a scolding, this matter can be tied to his own life. Dalang doesn't want to be slashed by the court in a daze. I heard that the Taiping Army is a fierce god who kills people without blinking and cannot be disturbed.

Things must be solved, but what is a solution? If you really want to arrest those fugitives who sell private salt, Dalang has very little power at hand. Dalang can only use more than 300 people, but there are thousands of salt dealers, and they are really fierce and are despised.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng, who used an isolated city in Gaoyou to resist the millions of Yuan Dynasty troops, was born as a private salt dealer in Yancheng County!

With Zhang Shicheng's previous lessons, Dalang had to take this matter carefully. He did not dare to anger the salt dealers. If these outlaws launched a murderer and gathered people to attack the county town, if the county town was really wrong, he would be the end of his official position. But it would not be possible. The wording of Huai'an Prefecture was harsh. The news he sent to the prefecture also said that if the salt administration could not be rectified this time, the King of Qi would kill people!

Dalang thought about it, but he had an idea. Since the salt dealer was in Yancheng County, there was no reason for him, the foreign magistrate, to take responsibility. He immediately summoned a group of gentry in the territory and first told them the official documents issued by the government so that they could know the greatness. Then he would reason with them and let the gentry persuade those hidden fugitives to come to justice on their own, and then pay for money to help the county government to deal with the salt dealer.
Chapter completed!