The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 358: Settlement of Accounts after Autumn
In the main hall, there were more than a dozen large boxes placed around Qin Shou, and inside the boxes were files, but no one knew what was recorded inside.

"Have you seen these files? They are all evidence of crimes committed by the aristocratic families of Jizhou, ranging from small acts such as beating others to murder and arson. It is difficult to list them all. This is only the situation during the Jian'an period. If we investigate the files before that, I am afraid there will be more."

Li Ru and the other two then realized that Qin Shou had called them from Chang'an just to deal with these powerful families. Calculating the time, Qin Shou must have been prepared a long time ago.

Thinking of this, he was secretly horrified. Others were taking one step at a time, but the young man in front of him was probably taking ten steps and looking ten steps ahead. The other party had already started planning before Jizhou was even in his hands.

"Prime Minister, now that Jizhou has just been stabilized, we should focus on appeasing the people and unite these aristocratic families. Isn't it a little too early to take action against them now?" Wang Yi hesitated.

"Actually, that's not the case. I think that now is the right time to take action. The world has just been settled, and all forces have been affected. These people originally depended on Yuan Benchu, and they were traitors. My lord only arrested those criminals and spared them the crime of treason. This is already very merciful."

"My cavalry is strong and powerful, who dares to resist?"

Li Ru sneered.

"Dong Zhuo had a strong army back then, but what could he do in the end? Wasn't he still killed by Lu Bu?" Wang Yi snorted coldly.

Li Ru's face changed when he heard this, but he didn't know how to answer.

"Well, national laws are above everything else. Especially at this time, we should let the world know the majesty of national laws and warn the world that although it is a chaotic time now, we still have to abide by national laws. If someone doesn't even abide by national laws, then is he still a subject of the Han Dynasty?" Qin Shou snorted coldly.

After hearing this, Shisun Rui raised the corner of his mouth with a hint of disdain. In this vast world, the number one rebel is Qin Shou. You are about to rebel, but you still want others to abide by the laws of the Han Dynasty. Isn't this a huge joke?

Who would dare to follow you, a person like this?
But Shisun Rui didn't dare to say it, and wouldn't even mention it. As a senior official, he knew even more clearly that these laws had no effect on Qin Shou. These laws were even meant to serve Qin Shou.

Look, what he wants to do with the aristocratic families in Jizhou now is to hold high the banner of law and reap the aristocratic families. Anyone who does not obey orders and does not respect Qin Shou as the master will not have a good end and will be liquidated by Qin Shou.

In his heart, he had to admit that Qin Shou's move was powerful. He used national laws to suppress the world. His actions were fair and just. No one would say anything about it. He could even get praise from the common people.

It’s just a pity for the noble families in Jizhou. They will probably suffer heavy losses this time.

Ask the noble families in the world, which family has not committed some crimes? Now all of these have fallen into Qin Shou's hands, and it is unknown what the outcome will be.

It was unknown how many noble families were wiped out, but Shisun Rui seemed to see countless money and grain being transported into the national treasury, and countless people cheering in the fields.

"Lord."

Chen Dao walked in from outside and said loudly: "The army has surrounded the target and is waiting for the prime minister's order."

"Prime Minister!"

Everyone's faces changed when they heard this, and they looked at Qin Shou in surprise. They didn't expect Qin Shou to act so decisively. Just as they entered the city, the army on the other side began to besiege the city.

"The noble families are not allowed to have private soldiers. You all know this principle, right? The noble families in Hebei all have private soldiers, ranging from a few hundred to a thousand. These private soldiers are distributed outside the city and in the countryside. Once something happens, they are immediately summoned and armed. They are soldiers." "When they are inside, they are civilians, and when they are outside, they are soldiers. What do these noble families want to do? Tell me?"

Qin Shou clearly remembered that in history books, Sima Yi raised thousands of private soldiers and established the later Jin Dynasty. It was just like now. If enemies appeared outside the city or the noble families inside the city rebelled, these people would be able to cooperate inside and outside in an instant, and could recruit a large number of troops in a very short time and then capture the city.

Private soldiers, money, food and land are the three things that Qin Shou cannot tolerate. He will use courtesy first and then force. If they refuse to obey, he will kill all the private soldiers.

Shisun Rui and Wang Yi's faces changed after hearing this. They heard a strong murderous intent in Qin Shou's words and immediately realized that these wealthy families could not escape the fate of being weakened.

No matter how unwilling these people are, they can only accept the arrangement of fate.

"Prime Minister, what should we do if an official breaks the law?" Shisun Rui asked again.

"The list of all criminals is in here. Your Excellency the Minister can make the judgment according to the law. Those who should be killed should be killed, and those who should be exiled should be exiled." Qin Shou handed the list to Shisun Rui.

Shisun Rui didn't find anything at first, but soon he discovered the problem. People who surrendered to the court, such as Xin Ping, Xin Pi, and Su You, were not on the list. Even though there were a few familiar names, Shisun Rui believed that their crimes should not be serious.

The guy in front of me is so cunning.

Those who were arrested were probably just some small fry, and none of the main characters were involved, or in other words, they were waiting for these people to come and beg for mercy.

Thinking of this, Shisun Rui knew Qin Shou's plan, which was to attack those people openly. Poor Hebei family, no one knew how many people would be there this time.
"I will handle this impartially." Li Ru didn't care about that. As long as it was an order from Qin Shou, he would carry it out meticulously.

The Zhen family mansion was also surrounded by the army. Zhen Yan and Zhen Zhang looked pale. The elders of the Zhen family gathered together, their faces all looked pale.

Looking at the soldiers outside the mansion who were eyeing them covetously, they began to blame each other. They all believed that the Zhen mansion was under siege because of the incident of supporting Yuan Shao with grain and grass.

Zhen Zhang and Zhen Yan, the main responsible persons, were the targets of public criticism. It was believed that if it were not for the two of them, the Cavalry Army would not have sent troops to besiege the mansion.

"What are you arguing about? You all agreed to support Yuan Shao. Why didn't you refuse the money you got from selling grain?" Zhen Zhang sneered, "You were so happy when you were counting the money, but now that something has happened, you start to shirk responsibility? Let me tell you, you are dreaming."

It would have been impossible for Zhen Zhang to be in charge of the Zhen family for so many years without some skills.

"Madam, the Prime Minister's troops are now outside the mansion, we have to come up with a plan!" An old man in brocade clothes and a goatee, his eyes flickering with a hint of shrewdness.

"Zhen Yin, what do you want to do? What can you do? The prime minister's troops are outside. Do you want to break out?" Zhen Zhang looked at the other party with disdain.

He is a man who only knows how to talk big and doesn't care about the other person at all.

(End of this chapter)