I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 281: Capture the thief first and capture the king first

"Do you have any other words to say, Shiyi?"

Huang Gai replied: "Back to the general, my subordinates were ordered to accept the food and wine offered by him. Shi Yi left quickly."

"Nowadays, everything in Cangwu is in chaos, but Shi Yi can lead the village elders to serve wine and food to the army. It's not easy!" Zhu Jun said with a sneer.

After saying this, Zhu Jun took out a map made of silk from the shelf behind him, spread it on the table, and said, "The Duke is here to take a look."

Huang Gai stepped forward and looked at it, and saw that it was the map of the Jiaozhi Governor's Department. There were red marks on it, connecting from the most densely populated place to other places.

The one with the most dense markings was Cangwu County, and the one with the most connections. The first thing Huang Gai saw was the Shi family in Guangxin County.

"Shi Huang died of illness, and there is no trace of the envoy I first sent to Nanhai County."

When Zhu Jun's words came to his ears, Huang Gai didn't react immediately.

Then he remembered that Shi Huang was the prefect of Cangwu.

"Knowing that Shi Huang was still alive, I immediately sent another envoy to see him, but failed to see him for the last time... However, I learned that the envoy I originally sent had met the Nanhai Governor and must have met with misfortune on his way back. "Do you believe this is a coincidence?"

Huang Gai said firmly: "I don't believe it!"

Zhu Jun said: "A harsh government forces the people to change, and it does not happen overnight. Since Gongfu said that he had never heard of any harsh government before, would Gongfu believe that there was no interference from local big families in the civil uprising here?"

"Don't believe it!" Upon hearing this, Huang Gai felt his scalp numb and his whole body trembled.

He suddenly felt his mouth was dry and swallowed subconsciously.

Huang Gai seemed to understand what Zhu Jun was going to do.

He said: "General, the local big families are deeply entangled, especially Shi Xie, the prefect of Jiaozhi."

Jiaozhi County is the most populous and richest county in the Jiaozhi Tribunal. Its population is twice that of Cangwu County, which is second only to him in the Jiaozhi Tribunal.

"So, we should complete our work in one battle." Zhu Jun pointed directly at Guangxin County, which is jointly governed by Cangwu County and the Jiaozhi tribe, with a determined expression: "I intend to invite the prefects of all counties in the Jiaozhi tribe to come and see me! Capture the thieves first. King, the rest can be decided by decree!”

"I am willing to die for the general!" Huang Gai responded enthusiastically.

Such coincidences and doubts are enough for Zhu Jun to strengthen his determination.

In the following time, Zhu Jun gathered all his troops and headed for Guangxin County.

Only garrison troops were left at the passes and cities to protect the grain route from Jingzhou.

Along the way, Zhu Jun raised his banner to appease the innocent people, but he showed no mercy to those who had clearly participated in the civil uprising, regardless of whether they surrendered or not, just as he did when quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

In fact, this is already a disguised form of tolerance. After all, given the situation in Cangwu County, it is difficult to determine the guilt itself.

Zhu Jun led his army with strict military discipline along the way. Therefore, when he arrived in Guangxin County, Guangxin North had apparently calmed down, and the rumor that "Zhu Jun wanted to massacre all the people in Cangwu" was naturally disproven. .

Zhu Jun knew that as he took action against the powerful local wealthy families in Cangwu County, this rumor would be brought up again, but he didn't care.

Long before arriving in Guangxin County, Zhu Jun used official documents to summon the prefects of various counties to see him with the seal of the post-general.

However, if the prefects do not want to rebel, or are too ill to move, they must come in person. This is a conspiracy.

Among the seven counties of Jiaozhi, the first ones to arrive were the prefects of Nanhai and Yulin counties. After the prefect of Hepu, Shi Xie, the prefect of Jiaozhi, finally arrived. Judging from the distance, Shi Xie did not delay at all. Zhu Jun did not take action immediately, but chose to continue waiting for the arrival of the governors of Jiuzhen County and Rinan County who were further away.

Before that, Zhu Jun had banquets with a group of prefects who arrived early every day and talked about classics. He is young and eager to learn, and is not a simple martial artist.

After the six county governors had gathered together, Zhu Jun had a banquet with them for two more days.

On the third day, when the banquet was in full swing, Zhu Jun suddenly asked Shi Xie: "Wei Yan once taught Liu Taogong to govern Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals. I dare to ask what loyalty is."

Shi Xie immediately changed his expression, stood up, held his sword and asked, "What does the general mean by this?"

The other prefects present were nervous, surprised, or angry.

Zhu Jun had no reaction to Shi Xie's behavior and only asked: "I heard that Wei Yan privately expanded the county's troops to five thousand. I wonder if this is the case?"

Shi Xie's hand was still resting on the hilt of his sword: "There are barbarians under the rule who are causing trouble. The governor is not around now. I have already written to the court. Why not?"

"It seems that I, the general, mistakenly blamed Wei Yan." Zhu Jun added, "However, I, the general, accepted the report and heard that the Guangxin Shi clan was training private soldiers and hiding armor. Does Wei Yan deny it?"

When Shi Xie heard this, he knew that nothing could be done better today. Since Zhu Jun led his troops into Cangwu County, he ordered his tribesmen to put away their armor, and the villagers who originally wanted to guard against thieves also went back to their homes.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, if you really want to check the private soldiers and armors, it will only be a few for any large clan with a large population, let alone a place like Jiaozhi that can be called a foreign land.

But on the outside, his expression remained unchanged, and he only said: "It's just a frame-up by a villain!"

Zhu Jun shook his head: "General, I certainly have real evidence."

After that, Huang Gai led a group of soldiers and escorted the people in. Shi Xie looked at it and became angry instantly. The people who came were all his brothers and clansmen, and they were all gagged.

On the other side, a group of soldiers came in carrying some worn-out armors and piled them in the open space next to them. Some of the armors were still covered with straw.

"If you want to accuse me, why bother? I am two thousand stones, how can I allow you to slander me wantonly! You have no right to deal with me! I want to write a letter of impeachment!" Shi Xie shouted.

"Take it!" Following Zhu Jun's order, a soldier soon stepped forward to grab Shi Xie who drew his sword and wanted to attack Zhu Jun.

For Zhu Jun, according to his original plan, if everything went well, he would not mind doing less killing and slowly find out the truth. If it was Zhu Fu's fault, he could accept it calmly and return to the capital to bow his head and confess to the emperor.

But things did appear during the process that shouldn't have appeared, such as private soldiers and armor... Then no other evidence was needed.

Zhu Jun waved his hand, and Huang Gai quickly commanded the soldiers to escort Shi Xie's brothers and tribesmen away, leaving only Shi Xie alone.

"The prefect is worth two thousand stones and needs to be treated well." Zhu Jun emphasized to Huang Gai.

Next, comes the interrogation.

After Shi Xie was led away by Huang Gai, Zhu Jun looked at the five prefects present and asked: "Among the gentlemen, there are no accomplices of Shi Xie, right?"

The five people denied it in unison.

"In that case, let's drink another glass of water and wine!" Zhu Jun said, "I still have some people who need to be arrested. Why don't you guys help me?"

The five prefects looked at each other, but none of them dared to refuse directly.

Not long after, Zhu Jun excused himself and left, leaving the five prefects sitting there. There were also soldiers and servants present. They wanted to communicate, but they were worried that trouble would come from their mouths.

(End of this chapter)