The Soul of the Han Dynasty in the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 705
In the freezing season, the vast majority of Shengdou people have nothing to do.

The "Red Banner Army" used work as relief, and organized 50 young and middle-aged men to mine, quarry, and build stones to repair the pass. At the same time, all those who intended to report to the customs were detained for interrogation.

When the crackdown on Shanxi merchants and corrupt officials' extortion of money and food came to an end, the court was in a cloud of mist, only feeling that Shanxi was unusual, and didn't know what was wrong.

It was not until the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, half a month after the campaign against local tyrants in Shanxi, that many civil servants and generals suddenly realized.

Because they learned that three days ago, Jin Yiwei took action against Wan Xiaowei and his gangsters to confiscate the assets of collaborating Shanxi merchants in the capital and Gyeonggi, and arrested the suspects.

On this day, Yang Sichang, who had been under house arrest for more than [-] days by Huang Han, was freed. Huang Ang brought dozens of mouthpieces for the Xuanda Governor to review.

After reading three copies, Yang Sichang began to sweat. The Qing army escaped from his defense area. He should be responsible, but he was able to find a reason to excuse him.

After all, there were tens of thousands of Qing soldiers who fled, far more than he could mobilize. Going to fight the Qing army is equivalent to letting the Ming army die. His decision is wise, and the emperor who wants to trust him may not necessarily go into it .

But the confession he saw was clearly written, how many benefits he, his servants and aides have received from Shanxi merchants over the years, and even how much bribes his father Yang He, who had just died, received in the last ten years is clear.

There are very few non-corrupt officials in the frontiers of the Ming Dynasty, and the Yang family's buttocks are not clean.

In order to clear up the relationship, Shanxi merchants were all-pervasive. They spent a lot of money just after learning the news that Yang Sichang was appointed Governor of Xuanda. Therefore, even though Yang Sichang did not go to the post while he was in Ding You, he did not delay receiving gifts.

The vast majority of businessmen are very shrewd and know how to put a long line to catch big fish. Dealing with court officials may not be for the immediate benefit.

Huang Han had no intention of dealing with Yang Sichang, and put him under house arrest only for the convenience of searching the properties of Shanxi merchants, and for the convenience of the "Red Banner Army" youths to collect evidence of Shanxi merchants collaborating with the enemy and bribing civil officials and military generals of Ming Dynasty. evidence.

Half a month has passed since the full-blown operation. Under the round-the-clock full-load interrogation, no Shanxi businessman can stand it. Now it can be said to be solid evidence.

Wu Xiang was originally a corrupt official plus a businessman, and after being named by Huang Han to collect evidence of civil officials above the fourth grade in Shanxi Province, he did everything he could.

He is smart, knowing that to deepen the relationship, following the leader to do a hundred good deeds is not as good as partnering in one bad deed.

After Fan Yongdou and his son suffered a lot from Wu Xiang's hands, they found that Wu Xiang was a real expert. In the end, they confessed everything in the bamboo tube and poured beans, and only wanted to save their lives.

At the moment of the showdown, Huang Han saw that Yang Sichang was no longer full of arrogance as when he just met, not only did he not dare to hold it, but also began to sweat on his forehead, and said with a smile:

"My lord Yang, it is not easy for me to promise the emperor five years of flattening the Liao Dynasty. There is so much shortage of food and salaries. According to preliminary calculations, less than 3000 million taels of silver is not enough for expenses.

Therefore, it was decided to crack down on the traitorous Shanxi merchants in Shanxi and punish the civil and military generals who colluded with the Shanxi merchants. "

The ironclad evidence was so strong, Yang Sichang didn't defend himself, and asked in a low voice: "Duke Liao, I wonder how you plan to deal with the lower officials?"

Huang Han said: "Your Excellency misunderstood. There are almost no officials in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty who are not corrupt. You don't have too many yellow and white things in your pocket. In order to raise soldiers, I want money and food but not life. I didn't think about killing all the officials in Shanxi. Including Master Yang."

Hearing Huang Han's statement, Yang Sichang's eyes lit up, and he followed the voice: "My lord has shouldered the important task of flattening the Liao Dynasty for five years, no matter what you do in Shanxi, it's not too much.

If you notify the subordinate officials in advance, the subordinate officials will definitely do their best to assist the Duke in taking down those traitorous businessmen and the officials and officials who are collaborating with them. "

Yang Sichang is indeed a hero, because he is so knowledgeable about current affairs, Huang Han asked: "Does Master Yang imply that this lord has done the right thing?"

Justice is in the heart, and Yang Sichang is also a talented strategist. He doesn't know that the collusion between officials and businessmen in Ming Dynasty has become a common practice. He is powerless to change the status quo and can only choose to follow the trend.

Now that he learned that General Zhenglu had wiped out Shanxi merchants, civil servants and military generals, he was in admiration in his heart. He really believed that money and food being held by the "Red Banner Army" would definitely benefit the country and the people.

Yang Sichang said without hesitation: "Reporting to the general, of course you did the right thing. The imperial court's finances are stretched, and money and food are needed everywhere for the people's safety, military support, and disaster relief. It is very good to take down these Ming moths at this time."

Huang Han said: "That's very good. During this period of time, Master Yang was wronged due to the difficulty of distinguishing between the enemy and us. Today, you and I are open and honest. I believe that Master Yang is a fellow. Xuanda and Shanxi are now devastated. You must continue to perform your duties without error."

Yang Sichang is definitely a smart man. He bowed to the ground and expressed his attitude: "My lord, don't worry, the subordinate officials will firmly stand by your side. If you find any remnants of Shanxi merchants who dare to confuse right and wrong, you will definitely be punished severely!"

The goal was achieved, and Huang Han burned several confessions accusing the Yang family of being corrupt and breaking the law in front of Yang Sichang.

At the same time that Yang Sichang started working, more than half of the civil officials in Shanxi also resumed work.

The officials who were released from house arrest have suffered a lot, and many people trembled with distress, because the fertile land they occupied and the food they hoarded were all confiscated, their family money was also confiscated, and even a few jars buried in other courtyards were confiscated. "Red Banner Army" was found.

There are many people and strength, and the benefits of strengthening education are reflected. After continuous literacy for veterans, the literacy rate in the "Red Banner Army" is 100%, and all young soldiers can write and count.

Most of the young officers with impeccable loyalty come from orphans adopted in the past few years. These people have a natural hatred of corrupt officials and profiteers, and dig out their wealth to raise military pay for the "Red Banner Army".

Coercion, lure and intimidation, without interrogating the current officials, deal with the officials' housekeepers, servants, book boys, and bed maids, without much effort, and the property of corrupt officials will be revealed to the world.

The "Red Banner Army" teenagers who interrogated Shanxi and Xuanda officials calculated their legal income based on their salaries and the time they were officials, deducted necessary expenses, and finally returned only tens or hundreds of taels of silver.

The civil servants and military generals who were close to going bankrupt felt extremely resentful, but they had been pinched by the general who conquered them, so they could only choose to swallow their anger.

Huang Han is not afraid that these people will come back, because the money and food have been obtained, and the main purpose has been achieved.

(End of this chapter)