At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 108 I Can Gather Hundreds of Thousands of Soldiers, You Can Rebel

Hearing this, Zhu Bao felt that his head could not turn around.

After a long time, he said angrily: "Sophistry, sophistry, you are sophistry, there is no substantive evidence at all!"

Zhou Qi spread his hands, walked to the gate of the county government office, and said loudly: "My actions and judgments are all in accordance with the laws of the Han Dynasty, and there is absolutely no selfishness. If the county magistrate feels that the judge's judgment is wrong, he can go to the magistrate's office." Appeal, I will never stop you!"

The people watching outside the door were completely stunned by Zhou Qi's coquettish manipulation.

No one could have imagined that the new county magistrate Zhou Qi could carry out such a beautiful counterattack, and achieved the final victory with sophistry without violating Han law at all.

Although the county magistrate Zhu Bao is still stubborn, everyone can see that in this war without gunpowder, the new county magistrate Zhou Qi has achieved complete victory.

Faced with Zhou Qi's aggressive attitude, Zhu Bao quickly calmed down, turned his head to look at the staff who were sweating profusely, and asked, "Is the county magistrate's actions in line with the law?"

The staff member wiped the sweat from his face and said tremblingly: "Although it is sophistry, it is all done in accordance with Han law, and there is nothing wrong with it."

With a cold light in Zhu Bao's eyes, he walked up to Niu Er who was trembling, and said to Zhou Qi: "The county magistrate is really wise and powerful, I admire him very much."

"Since Niu Er is guilty of rape and murder, and is sentenced to death for both crimes, I also ask the county magistrate to execute it as soon as possible to comfort the deceased."

When Niu Er heard this, his body trembled more and more, and he suddenly raised his head to look at Zhu Bao, with a begging look on his face.

Zhu Bao stared at Niu Er fiercely.

Niu Er's eyes were filled with tears, and finally he could only kneel down on the ground, sobbing: "The grass people plead guilty."

Zhou Qi watched everything with cold eyes.

Although he knew that Niu Er might be unjustly accused, since the other party was willing to be Zhu Bao's minion, Zhou Qi had no need to hold back.

If it were normal time, Zhou Qi would never be able to use sophistry to exploit legal loopholes without any evidence and convict people so easily.

Even the rest of the local governors would most likely not approve of the use of such sophistry.

However, Zhou Qi's current opponents are very formidable. They will resort to any means to achieve their goals. Naturally, Zhou Qi cannot fight against them in a regular manner. It is inevitable to use surprise to win.

Seeing that Niu Er pleaded guilty, Zhou Qi did not immediately send someone to behead him, but said: "Put him in prison for now, let's find a good day and then behead him for public display."

Zhou Qi did this, but he also had his own calculations.

He looked at the people watching outside the door, and said to everyone: "Since I come here to serve as the county magistrate, I will naturally become a good official who avenges the people's grievances. If you have grievances, you can come and complain. I will never favoritism." !"

The people naturally applauded when they heard the words, but no one really dared to appeal.

The so-called county magistrate who destroyed the family and the sheriff who destroyed the family, the people of Anfeng County were too cruelly harmed by the former county magistrate.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi didn't say much anymore, knowing that freezing three feet is not a one-day cold, and it is not easy to gain the trust of the people.

Although the trial of this strange case failed to break the people's fear of the powerful, it also made Zhou Qi famous in the entire Anfeng County.

Many people know that this county magistrate is unusual and does not compromise with the powerful.

That night, the patriarchs of the three major families gathered together again, and the county magistrate Zhu Bao said angrily: "I wanted to use this strange case to discredit Zhou Qi, but I never wanted to make Shuzi famous instead. I am really angry! "

County Lieutenant Huang An also said angrily: "That guy Xiang Hong was so cruel that he beat a brother of our clan to death in public. Unless he gets rid of him, it will be difficult to relieve the hatred in my heart."

The head of the Peng family played with a jade ring and said with a smile: "Zhou Qi is not an ordinary person, and there are three minions under his command who are all extraordinary people. If they cannot be cut off, how can Zhou Qi be afraid of us?"

He turned to look at Huang An and Zhu Bao and said, "How about we get rid of one person from each family and see which family has better methods?"

"Without these minions, no matter how powerful Zhou Qi is, he can only be at our mercy."

The words of the head of the Peng family were immediately approved by everyone.

Zhu Bao was the first to say: "It was me who underestimated Zhou Qi before, which made him famous. I, the Zhu family, have to get up from wherever they fall. Leave that Zhou Zhan to me."

"This time, I want personal evidence and complete physical evidence, and I want Zhou Qi to personally order the killing of his right-hand man."

"I don't believe that he can turn defeat into victory this time!"

Speaking of this, Zhu Bao's eyes were full of evil spirits.

The Patriarch of the Peng family clapped his hands and laughed loudly when he heard the words, and said: "The county magistrate is so courageous, even if that's the case, I don't want to be a successor, so leave that Xiang Hong to my Peng family."

"I will let him live but not die, and force this person to take the initiative to break the law."

"I also want to see how Zhou Qi's right-hand man will deal with it."

It has to be said that the two of them were so bad that they wanted to kill people.

Not only were they planning to kill Zhou Zhan and Xiang Hong, but they also wanted Zhou Qi, the new county magistrate, to personally kill his siblings. This was simply trying to force Zhou Qi to death.

Unexpectedly, Huang An, the county lieutenant, was unhappy when he heard this and said: "This Hong has a grudge against me, so he should be handed over to my Huang family. Why are your Peng family joining in the fun?"

But the head of the Peng family said with a smile on his face: "Our Peng family is naturally not as prominent as the county captain's family. It is better to deal with people like Xiang Hong. Dianwei is not easy to mess with. Only the Huang family where the county captain belongs can do it." To solve it, please be accommodating."

When Huang An heard this, his expression softened a little, and he said, "In that case, Dianwei will be on my Huang family."

"But the head of the Peng family must promise me that Xiang Hongqiu will not be able to live or die. Even if he dies, he will die in the hands of Zhou Qi."

"Only in this way can I relieve the hatred in my heart!"

In the county office, Zhou Zhan frowned immediately after learning what happened during the day.

He got up and bowed to Zhou Qi: "It's only the first day, and the other party has already gone mad to such an extent, which shows their arrogance. He was defeated in the first battle, and he will never let it go. I'm afraid we will have more troubles in the future. "

Zhou Qi also had a solemn expression, not feeling happy about the day's victory at all. Instead, he said to several people: "Since you can't get any news in the countryside, don't leave the county for the next few days, and don't leave alone. County government."

"I'm worried that they will set up a trap against you next. You must be careful and never be careless."

"Wait until Zhong Kang and others arrive with their troops, and then we will decide the outcome with the Zhu and Huang families."

That night, Niu Er inexplicably died in prison.

Although Zhou Qi had expected it, he still felt numb because of the cruelty of the Zhu and Huang families. However, Niu Er's death was not a bad thing for Zhou Qi.

Now people may succumb to the power of these big families out of fear.

However, first the granddaughter of the old man who took the blame was raped and killed, then Huniu, who was responsible for giving perjury, was killed in the hall, and Niu Er, who came out to make false accusations, died inexplicably in prison.

These things all show the madness of several big families.

If they can always have prominent power, it will be nothing to do.

Once there is a flaw in these people, those who are vacillating will think of the fate of cooperating with these big clans, maybe they will hesitate, maybe they will fall to Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi didn't order Niu Er to be killed, but waited for Zhu and Huang to do it themselves, which is exactly why.

In the next few days, Zhou Qi and others never left the county government office except for eating. Even if they ate, they would always be together.

Seeing that they could not find the opportunity to make a move, several major families could only lie dormant in secret.

Little did they know that Zhou Qi was not only waiting for the arrival of his own song, but also for an unknown variable.

Seeing that it has been the sixth day since Zhou Qi came to Anfeng County, and it was snowing heavily, Zhou Qi took Dian Wei and others out of the east gate of the county early in the morning, and came to the bank of the Jueshui River, where they saw Zhou Jin again.

"Five days have passed and my original intention has not changed. Please help me."

The variable that Zhou Qi was waiting for was none other than Zhou Jin, the water bandit.

Zhou Jin bowed to the ground when she heard the words, and said excitedly: "I already know what the county magistrate has done, and I am willing to follow the left and right."

"The county magistrate will go with someone to see someone. If this person can help, then peace and prosperity can be settled and the matter can be settled."

Hearing Zhou Jin's words, Zhou Qi became interested and asked, "Who has this ability?"

Zhou Jin's face showed a look of reminiscence, with reverence and pain.

"The county magistrate has seen this person and naturally knows about it."

In this way, under the leadership of Zhou Jin, Zhou Qi and others arrived outside a dilapidated courtyard in the east of the city.

Before Zhou Qi entered, he heard intermittent coughing coming from inside.

"Dong dong dong."

"Brother, I'm Zhou Jin."

"Crench!"

The slightly shabby door was opened, and a young man wrapped in thick clothes appeared in Zhou Qi's sight.

The young man was thin and pale, as if he was suffering from a serious illness, but his demeanor was quite magnanimous and gave off a faint bookish air.

When the young man saw Zhou Qi and the others, he nodded to Zhou Jin first, then looked at Zhou Qi, and said with a smile, "I've been waiting for the county for a long time, please come in and talk."

The young man asked Zhou Jin to take Dian Wei and others to the guest room to rest, but he led Zhou Qi to the bedroom alone.

The two of them gathered around the campfire. The young man tightened his clothes and poked the firewood in the basin with a stick. The fire suddenly became more intense.

Zhou Qi had been sizing up the young man secretly since he entered the room.

He could feel a kind of suppressed prey from the young man. Every time he inadvertently looked at the young man, it was as if he saw a poisonous snake lurking in the dark, and he had a creepy feeling.

"Anfeng County does not seem to have any historical celebrities. Who is this young man?"

Zhou Qi couldn't hold back the doubts in his heart, and asked: "It's my first visit, and I'm a bit presumptuous. I don't know the name of my husband yet, so I hope you can let me know."

The young man continued to fiddle with the brazier without even raising his head. He just said lightly: "I have three questions. If the county magistrate's answer is as I wish, I should tell you my name."

"If not, please ask the county magistrate to leave on his own."

Good guy, Zhou Qi called him a good guy, and couldn't help complaining in his heart: "Are all scholars in the late Han Dynasty so arrogant? This guy is too arrogant. Even when Jia Xu really sees him, he must at least give him a superficial appearance. It's a courtesy."

After complaining, Zhou Qi became energetic.

Although he knows that many people like to play tricks on purpose, some scholars with real talents are full of arrogance in their hearts, and they are not willing to commit themselves to others easily.

Obviously, the young man's next three questions were Zhou Qi in the exam.

Zhou Qi sat upright and wanted to see if the young man in front of him was just pretending or if he had real talent and learning.

"Excuse me, sir."

No matter what he thinks in his heart, Zhou Qi at least looks very humble on the surface.

The young man finally put down the fire stick, looked at Zhou Qi, and asked: "If local disasters occur frequently, the court increases taxes, and the people are unable to pay, they feign death and flee into the mountains to reclaim land in secret. As the county magistrate, what will you do?" How to deal with it?”

The young man's first question immediately surprised Zhou Qi.

He didn't expect that this young man who seemed to be putting on airs could actually ask such a sharp question.

The problem seems simple, but it involves such sharp contradictions as taxation, hidden land, and hidden households, which makes people's scalp tingle.

After pondering for a while, Zhou Qi finally spoke his mind and said: "The people are the most important, the country is the second most important, and the king is the most important. If the life of the people in the area is really unsustainable, it is the responsibility of the court and the official." responsibility."

"As a result, they faked their deaths and fled into the mountains and forests to reclaim land secretly. I will not stop them, but will provide necessary help. If they live a stable life and have some surplus at home, they will be re-naturalized to avoid becoming refugees and illegal households. , not protected by law.”

The young man looked at Zhou Qi in surprise, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

He got up and poured a cup of hot water to Zhou Qi, and continued to ask: "If the local wealthy family embezzles the people's land, and the procedures are all legal, how should the county magistrate deal with it?"

This problem has been difficult to solve since ancient times.

Zhou Qi held the hot water that the young man had just handed over, but he didn't know how to answer.

In fact, he already had the answer in his heart, but he had some scruples and didn't dare to say it rashly.

But the young man seemed to have seen what Zhou Qi was thinking, and said: "Today, there are only you and me in the room. If it comes out of your mouth and enters my ears, it will never be known to a third person."

Hearing this, Zhou Qi looked at the young man carefully again, still hesitating whether to say what was in his heart.

He was also weighing whether the young man in front of him was worth spending such a high price to recruit.

However, when he thought about the two very pointed questions raised by the young man before, he finally felt that this person was worthy of his sincere confession.

He took a long breath, looked directly into the young man's eyes, and said: "The country and your majesty are not as noble as the people, let alone a local big family. If the people have no farmland, how can they survive?"

"I don't care whether their methods of embezzling land are legal or not, and it is a crime to make people lose their land and cannot survive."

If Zhou Qi's words were spread, he would definitely become the common enemy of the wealthy families. It was for this reason that he had been hesitant before.

However, Zhou Qi could vaguely feel it.

If I do not confide in the youth, I may lose a great opportunity and a counselor who can be of great benefit to me.

It was for this reason that Zhou Qi decided to abandon all his worries and speak from the bottom of his heart.

If the young man is still unwilling to take refuge with him in the end, Zhou Qi doesn't mind killing to silence him in order to keep it secret.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on the young man's face again, and the sinister look in his eyes seemed to dissipate slightly.

He stood up and bowed solemnly to Zhou Qi, saying: "The county magistrate has a heart for all people, so he will definitely be a good official."

Zhou Qi stood up and returned the salute, and said, "Please tell me the third question, sir."

This time, the young man was silent for a long time. After all, he still stared at Zhou Qi with burning eyes, and asked: "If the emperor is stupid, the court is immoral, the officials harm the people, the people have no clothes to cover their bodies, no food to eat, and sell their sons and daughters, is it easy?" Children eat each other."

"What would you do if you were one of the common people?"

Hearing this, Zhou Qi shook his hand holding the hot water, and looked at the young man with a little horror.

These words were a bit outrageous, and they almost scolded the current emperor and the court without naming names.

What was the question he asked at the end?
What are you doing?
Rebellion?
This topic is too sensitive.

Even though Zhou Qi is full of rebelliousness, he has never dared to talk about this matter with anyone to this day, and even pretends to serve the country and the people.

Because Zhou Qi knew that even though the Han Dynasty was declining, if he really wanted to raise an army to rebel, it would definitely be a dead end.

He took a deep breath, tried to calm down the fear in his heart, looked at the young man carefully again, and asked in a deep voice: "Do you know what you are talking about?"

The young man smiled slightly, picked up the fire stick again, and fiddled with the brazier to make the fire inside become more intense.

After a long time, he looked up at Zhou Qi and said very seriously: "Of course I know."

Seeing the young man behave like this, Zhou Qi frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

The young man smiled and said: "The county magistrate will answer your questions first. If you can satisfy me, I will tell you without reservation."

Zhou Qi looked at the serious young man, but gradually calmed down, and said in a deep voice, "You ask this question and force me to answer it, so you know what will happen?"

The young man put down the fire stick in his hand, threw another piece of firewood into the brazier, and said softly: "Perhaps today, only one of us can leave this house."

"Perhaps, it will also implicate Ah Jin."

The young man's voice was very calm, as if he had already put life and death aside.

Zhou Qi put down the water glass, pulled out his sword and stuck it on the ground. He said in a deep voice: "I will give you one last chance to choose. Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Truth."

Without any hesitation, the young man said firmly.

Zhou Qi looked at the young man for a long time, then with a fierce light in his eyes, he said: "If a man dies, he will die. How can he die of freezing in a ravine or starving in a manger?"

"If Zhenmou has fallen to this point, when will it be?"

After speaking, Zhou Qi got up and drew his sword, stared at the young man calmly, and said, "Give me a reason not to kill you."

The young man laughed happily when he heard the words.

He got up and stared at Zhou Qi with burning eyes, and said, "I can gather one hundred thousand troops, so can you rebel against me?"

(End of this chapter)