Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 148 Harvest
After Liang Qi communicated with Chen Qiyu, he sent people to collect all kinds of information about the Huai'an Salt Lifting Division while waiting for the arrival of Fengyang Guard and Xuzhou Camp.

As for Huai'an and Linqing, Liang Qi didn't plan to move for the time being.

This is not because he has figured out that he can't be used by Chen Qiyu as a gunman, but because it is the busiest season of the canal transportation, and a large number of tank boats and merchant ships are constantly coming and going on the canal. Even if the imperial court re-selects manpower and rushes to Huai'an and Linqing, who will collect the merchant tax for the passing merchant ships during this period?
Although Beizhen Fusi's subordinates are eager to make contributions, Liang Qi is not a reckless person. He would not act hastily without sufficient preparation. Anyway, the subordinates of Chaoguan and others do not know that they have been targeted by Jinyiwei. Let's keep it there first.It is the iron law of the Jinyiwei that the public cannot be abolished for private reasons.

After waiting for several days, Fengyang Wei, who was closer, arrived in Huai'an first.After reorganization of 2000 people, more than 300 people were lost when they participated in the Battle of Shouzhou.Chen Qiyu's performance was approved by the court, and after returning to Fengyang, he recruited again.After receiving the warrant from the governor, the new commander Tao Dayong led the team to wait for Chen Qiyu's dispatch.

Li Shuchun, who took the lead in besieging the eunuch guarding the mausoleum in Fengyang, was ordered to commit crimes and make meritorious service because Chen Qiyu knew his talents and praised his righteousness. Huaian.

Although the original Huai'an Guard has long existed in name only, its barracks in the city still exist. Although it is in a state of disrepair, it is more than enough to accommodate 2000 people after cleaning up. After all, the Huai'an Guard at its peak was full of 500 people. The barracks are also configured according to the number of people.

And the hundred cavalry led by Liang Qi, who had arrived earlier, put on the cotton armor of ordinary officers before entering the city, and entered the left camp barracks in the city in the name of the governor's standard battalion transferred by Chen Qiyu.There were more than 1000 old and weak in the Zuoying camp originally composed of [-] people. They were driven by Chen Qiyu to the Youying camp, where they lived with the remaining [-] people in the Youying camp.

The people in the city didn't care about these things, and besides, they didn't understand the various titles of the officers and soldiers. Two officers and soldiers were stationed in the city one after another, without attracting the attention of others at all.Only when Fengyangwei entered the city, many people in the city came to watch, it was just out of curiosity.For the people in the south of the Yangtze River who have been at peace for a long time, war is too far away. Although they have heard of bandits wreaking havoc on the Central Plains, in many people's minds, they are just a few local bandits with a large number of people, and they can't make a difference at all.As for the establishment of slaves in Liaodong, except for businessmen traveling north and south, the vast majority of people said they had never heard of it.

After receiving the news from the fast horses of the Xuzhou camp that they would arrive in three days, Liang Qi led fifty Tiqi and two hundred Fengyang guards to leave Huai'an and head straight for Yangzhou.Yang Rui and his co-prompter Huang Can of Huai'an Salt Promotion Department put their families in Yangzhou. Qi, with the cooperation of Fengyang Wei, arrested and searched separately.

"Merchant Hexia is the most luxurious, and the windows are all pasted with Xiguang gauze. Yanke is rich and rich, and sings and sings every night until dawn."

In the most prosperous area of ​​Xiaguan in Yangzhou City, there are many rich salt merchants from Shanshan and Huizhou.There are all kinds of brothels and restaurants in the surrounding area. It is silent during the day, and every night, ordinary people have already rested. Here, the lights are brightly lit. Officials and merchants come and go. Event scene.

Because it is very close to the Transshipment Salt Envoy of the Huaihe River and Yangzhou Chaoguan, and it is not far from the canal. Thanks to the salt merchants of the two yamen, they are vying to buy land and build houses here. Over the years, a huge rich area has been formed.

The houses of Yang Rui and Huang Can from Huai'an Salt Lifting Department are also located in this area.

After the two passed the examination, Yang Rui stayed in the Ministry of Household Affairs to watch the government for a year, and after passing through Wang Yongguang, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, he was sent to Huai'an to earn a lucrative post.Huang Can was released as the county magistrate of Hong County, Fengyang Prefecture. After his term of office expired, he joined the Judiciary through Zhang Zhifa, then Minister of Rites.

Yang Rui has been in office for many years. Because he holds real power, he is the object of the salt merchants' scrambling to curry favor. After two years in office, he spent 5 taels of silver to buy a big house with five entrances in Yangzhou.Although Huang Can has only been in office for more than two years, he also bought a three-entry house for 2 taels, and the two live only a few hundred steps apart.

The light mist in the morning has not yet dissipated, and Xiaguan, which has just passed another sleepless night, is quiet and peaceful. On the narrow streets, there are only dung man hired by the government.They would go door-to-door every day around Mao, and while cleaning up the filth, they would also clean up the streets and alleys by the way.

Suddenly, a booming sound broke the tranquility of the morning. Dozens of knights appeared on the street, and the hoofs of the horses trampled on the alley paved with bluestone slabs, making a crisp sound.

Then hundreds of soldiers wearing red cotton armor and holding long guns and firecrackers appeared. Led by Li Shuchun, the commander-in-chief, they followed the knights in front and moved forward with neat steps.

Under the astonished eyes of the dungmen who hurriedly hid aside, the brigade stopped in front of Yang Rui's house.

Liang Qi lifted his cloak, dismounted angrily, and waved his hand. Several Ti riders who had explored the surrounding terrain led the way. Two hundred soldiers were divided into two groups. One team surrounded Yang Rui's house, and the other team followed more than ten Ti riders. He rode to the yellow mansion not far away.

Liang Qi stood under the steps in front of the door with his hands behind his back, and the two riders rushed up the steps and began to knock on the door vigorously.

After a long while, the corner door on one side opened from the inside, and a servant in clothes came out of the door yawning, still muttering something in Yangzhou dialect in dissatisfaction.

Without waiting for him to come back to his senses, the two riders went up to him, tied him up and threw him aside. One rider had already entered through the corner gate and opened the door. Dozens of riders surrounded Liang Qi to enter house.

Yang Rui's house is extremely exquisitely built.After entering the gate, there is a spacious compound. Behind the pond of about half an mu is a rockery made of Taihu Lake stones, which is several feet high. Half of the lotus is planted in the pond, surrounded by vigorous green bamboos.After mid-autumn, only the remnants of the lotus and fallen leaves remained, and a hanging lotus pod was naturally folded down in the water. In the sparse shadows, there seemed to be a faint fragrance.

Liang Qi was also amazed in his heart, this Jiangnan civil servant really enjoys it, the house is quiet and elegant, with a few steps and a scene, it shows the beauty of Jiangnan, it is much better than those noble houses in the capital, when can I have such a house Enough.

After bypassing the pond, enter the second courtyard, which is the residence of the servants.

Several servants who got up early suddenly saw so many strangers with knives and guns coming in, they were frightened and stood on the spot.

A Tiqi shouted loudly: "Jinyiwei is on business! Don't move around! Turn your back on the wall! Anyone who doesn't obey orders will be executed!"

Leaving a few people to guard the servants of the second, Liang Qi first walked through the hall separated by the backyard, and entered the third courtyard of the Yang family.

After entering the third courtyard, Liang Qi stopped in front of the main hall, which is where Yang Rui usually meets guests. The courtyard is also very enlarged, and various rare and precious bonsai flowers are placed around, giving people a pleasing feeling.

The fourth entry is the inner house. More than a dozen Tiqi entered the inner house through the screen behind the lobby, and after a while, a woman's exclamation came out.

A Tiqi brought out a rosewood chair from the lobby, Liang Qi lifted his cloak and sat down, crossed his legs and began to enjoy the scenery in the courtyard.

There were more than [-] servants in the Yang family, most of them were still asleep at this time, and it didn't take long before the steward of the mansion was brought to Liang Qi from the second courtyard.

The steward, who was about forty years old, was trembling with fright, his face was pale, and he stood in front of Liang Qi like a quail.

Liang Qi grinned and said, "Don't be afraid, as long as you tell me everything you know, I guarantee you will be fine; if you dare to hide it, I will cut off your chicken and send it to the palace! Tell me, you Where is the master's money hidden?"

A few days later, Liang Qi led his team back to Huai'an from Yangzhou by boat.In addition to transporting the Tiqi officer army, the long fleet also had more than ten ships loaded with Yang and Huang's family property. Each ship was covered with a tarpaulin and had a deep draft. It looked like it was carrying a very heavy cargo thing.

Although Chen Qiyu is the governor, he has no right to know how much he gained from the house raid, but when he saw that the Tiqi were all excited, he knew that this group of people had made a fortune again.

The 3000 Xuzhou battalion, led by Xuzhou deputy general Guo Tai, arrived in Huai'an a few days ago and stationed in the left and right battalions respectively. There are also many vacant barracks.

Yang Rui and Huang Ze have separate properties in Huai'an Mansion, and they each live in Huai'an with their concubines. They only go back to Yangzhou by boat during their annual leave.

Although the salt merchants keep offering gifts, the gifts are the most generous at the end of each year. Carriages with all kinds of antiques, calligraphy, paintings and silver came to the two people's mansion in an endless stream. Then it is transported to the warehouse cellar for storage.

The two of them, together with the subordinates of Huai'an Yanti Judiciary, were all surrounded by Fengyang Wei in the yamen and captured by Tiqi after they went to the yamen at Chenshi.When they heard Beizhen Fusi's name and saw the criminal department's driver's note, both of them collapsed to the ground.

More than 50 people from the Tijusi Yamen, as well as more than a dozen ambassadors and deputy envoys from the saltworks, were taken away in one pot, and nearly [-] people were arrested in total.

Except for Yang Rui and Huang Can who settled their homes in Yangzhou, the rest are all in Huai'an Fucheng.

Liang Qi took away 50 Tiqi, and the remaining [-] people couldn't be busy at all, because the ransacking of the house must not be done by others, Fengyang Guard can only cooperate with it.When Liang Qi returned from Yangzhou, there were still more than a dozen houses in Huai'an that hadn't been checked. It took two days to check the rest after the staff was assembled.

After the property inspection of each family is completed, a detailed list will be made after inventory, and the property will be transported to the vacated Huaiyan warehouse. The Tiqi will lead the team, and Xuzhou Camp and Fengyang Guard will send troops to guard it.

Officials who committed crimes were detained in the prison of Huai'an Mansion, guarded by Jin Yiwei alone, and no outsiders were allowed to visit. The torture masters of Beizhen Fusi interrogated the prisoners in turn, in order to obtain as much evidence as possible about the officials and businessmen.

After a thorough investigation, a stack of thick checklists and the prisoner's confession were carried back to the capital by a Jinyi General Banner, along with ten grain tankers carrying some of the stolen money.

Ninety riders are responsible for escorting the silver tael along the way, and they will never return to Jiangnan.This inspection allowed everyone to get enough money. This kind of fat job known to Jin Yiwei had to be dispatched in rotation. The next time he left Beijing to come to Huai'an would be another Tiqi.

Liang Qi and ten Tiqi stayed in Huai'an, waiting for the emperor's order. The stolen money they had privately retained was packed into wooden boxes, and the Tiqi who returned to Beijing handed over to their families.

Of course, there is also the tribute to commander Luo Yangxing and other senior officials at all levels, everyone has a heavy share.

This kind of thing is an open secret in Jinyiwei, everyone in Weili knows it well, everyone is like this, as long as it is not publicized.

　Thanks to the book friend 160223094822338 for the reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)