Great Han Empire

Chapter 213
Li Hong sat in the big tent and carefully looked through the latest interrogation records.

Xian Yufu, Xu Rong, Qu Yi and Zuo Yan walked into the large tent while chatting and laughing in low voices.

Li Hong put down the bamboo slips in his hands, asked the four of them to sit down, and said straight to the point: "I invite you to come here, I just want to discuss with you, should we continue to dig deeper into this matter of Xiliang's corruption, or should we stop it?"

Qu Yi smiled and said, "Master, don't you think enough is enough?"

Li Hong pointed to the file on the case table and said: "In the past few days, we have arrested more than 40 people. Counting, we have arrested [-] officials from Xiliang in various periods. However, Judging from their confessions, there are far more corrupt officials in Xiliang's prefectures and counties in different periods. If we continue to arrest them, it is very likely that we will wipe out all Xiliang officials." Li Hong paused and looked at the four of them. , continued, "Some counties and counties in Xiliang will soon enter the restoration and reconstruction period, and the governments of each county will soon be re-established. At this time, if we arrest all the people, the consequences will be serious, yes The rebuilding of Xiliang is also a blow."

Li Hong walked back and forth for two steps with his hands behind his back, and said with a wry smile: "Have you noticed that up to now, all we have arrested are some county magistrates and subordinate officials of various counties and counties? Zuo Chang was not arrested because he was killed by the tiger head. This situation is very abnormal. Whether it is Cheng Qiu or others, they seem to have a tacit understanding. It's over."

Li Hong glanced at Zuo Yan, and said bluntly: "Mr. Zuo is in charge of the interrogation, and there is no gain in this aspect. Did you not put enough energy into it?"

Zuo Yan hurriedly stood up and said: "Your Excellency, you misunderstood. According to the law of my court, the cases of officials with more than [-] shi must be tried by the Tingwei Mansion, so even if we have evidence of their corruption, we cannot arrest them. We can only use these The evidence will be submitted to the Tingwei Mansion, and the Tingwei Mansion will report to His Majesty. After His Majesty agrees, the Tingwei Mansion will notify the local government to arrest the person, and the local government will send the criminal to the Tingwei Mansion for interrogation. If we do these things on behalf of the Tingwei Mansion , is completely against the law and will be beheaded."

"So you don't ask?" Li Hong asked.

"It's useless to ask about things we can't handle by ourselves. To be honest, even if we send these evidences to the Tingwei Mansion, His Majesty will not see it. I heard that the Tingwei Mansion and the traitor are in the same group. Your Excellency ..." Zuo Yan cupped his hands and said, "With the authority of the adults, it is meaningless for us to continue digging. I think we should concentrate on sweeping out the little corrupt officials in Xiliang, so that the harvest will be greater. ,and……"

"Then how will Zuo Chang and Qingwu deal with the aftermath?" Li Hong interrupted Zuo Yan with a wave of his hand, and said dissatisfiedly, "Although Zuo Chang is a governor with a rank and salary of [-] shi, the governor has great power. He has to be taken to Tingwei's Mansion for trial after he has passed the law, but we have already killed him. Although Qingwu is nominally the property of Zhang Rang's younger brother, Zhongchang servant Zhang Rang, it is actually Zhang Rang's personal property, and we have confiscated him. Now we Even if you want to stop it in moderation, it won’t work, and that’s not what I mean when I say stop in moderation.”

Xian Yufu stroked the three long beards and asked, "Sir, if we continue to dig deep, where will we end? What do you mean when you say enough is enough?"

"It's pointless to catch another hundred of these little people. What I mean is that we should stop spending our energy and time on these little people, and start to catch the big ones, and catch a governor or prefect. Arrest a hundred of these petty officials. Take a look at Zuo Chang's family property. He is a governor with a salary of [-] shi. He doesn't eat or drink all his life and doesn't have [-] million yuan. Where did he get so much property?" Li Hong With a murderous look on his face, he swung his big hand down and said loudly, "Resist arrest? If he doesn't resist arrest, he will be executed everywhere."

Xian Yufu, Xu Rong bowed his head and remained silent.Zuo Yan had a frightened look on his face.Qu Yi was a little excited.

"In the future, a limit will be set, and those who have corrupted more than this limit will be arrested as subordinate officials, otherwise forget it. We will concentrate on arresting high-ranking officials." Li Hong looked at Zuo Yan and smiled, "Mr. Zuo is afraid?"

Zuo Yan smiled wryly, shook his head, and said, "Yes. Following you is more terrifying than following the Yellow Turban Army, and life is more difficult."

Li Hong laughed, he patted Zuo Yan on the shoulder, and said: "I counted. In the past few decades, there have been more than 100 prefects and more than 30 governors in Liangzhou's prefectures and counties. The long one is more than a year, and the shortest is only two months. So many people..." Li Hong clenched his fist excitedly, shaking it in front of Zuo Yan, "That is a huge fortune."

"Okay." Qu Yi shouted loudly, "My lord, dig deep until you reach the eunuch in the court."

Xu Rong glanced at Qu Yi with an excited expression, and said slowly: "It's not just a traitor, I think it's going to dig up to the door of Sangong Jiuqing's house. My lord, you're not asking for our opinions here, you're simply forcing us. What are we doing with you?"

Xian Yufu laughed lightly, and said to Xu Rong, "This time it's a complete death."

Li Hong smiled and said, "I said before, we are in a boat, and no one can get away."

"My lord, if we have evidence, we will arrest it and not send it to Ting Wei's Mansion?" Zuo Yan asked tentatively.

"No." Li Hong said decisively, "If we don't arrest them, we will have no evidence that the court's dignitaries are corrupt and perverted the law; Go down? Stretch your neck and wait for them to chop off your head?"

"But we don't have any evidence now?" Zuo Yan said, "The petty officials we have caught are all cunning people who have been in the officialdom, and they are all smelly and hard. Although Mr. Tie's torture is very severe, these people higher levels of lying."

Li Hong waved his hand casually, and said: "Don't waste time, drag them all out of the camp. Those who don't want to tell will be cut in half; those who lie will be killed; those who are willing to tell, after confessing everything, they will be beaten [-] times." "

Xian Yufu and the others immediately changed color.

===

Fu Xie was very unhappy.

After receiving the letter from Taiwei Zhang Wen, he rushed to Pingxiang Daying overnight.He was the first to witness the brutal and bloody scene.He couldn't believe that Li Hong ordered his subordinates to raise their sabers and beheaded 37 people in one go.He stared wide-eyed in horror, and didn't dare to say a word.

The 37 arrogant and corrupt officials became bloody two in a blink of an eye. They didn't believe that Li Hong would really kill them until their death.Because according to the law of the Han Dynasty, a criminal must go through the trial of the government before he can be convicted, and those who commit capital crimes must be reported to the Tingwei Mansion for approval before they can be beheaded, so they always thought that they would be rescued by the old master soon and enjoy life again, but Li Hong's butcher knife shattered their dreams.

Li Hong welcomed Fu Xie into the tent.

Fu Xie angrily questioned Li Hong again and again.Li Hong listened silently, without saying a word.

"Why do you arrest the disciples of the family bureaucrats? Don't you know that we have to rely on these family bureaucrats to resist the attack of the traitor? You have offended both the traitor and the family. If they join hands, you will die immediately." There is no place to bury you, do you know? When we offended the family, we actually lost the support of the Taiwei, the bureaucrats of the court, and without their support, how can we continue to investigate the corruption and perversion of the law in Xiliang?"

Li Hong smiled and said: "My lord, ever since my subordinates beheaded Zuo Chang's family in Chang'an and bloodbathed Qingwu in Maoling, I have no way out. You don't think that the gangsters have fallen, and this group of bureaucrats can still do it." Make me a general?"

Fu Xie's expression changed.

"They will definitely kill me." Li Hong said calmly, "I have killed too many people, who can tolerate me?"

"So you just burn the boat and put it to death to survive?"

Li Hong smiled and said, "Did I do something wrong?"

Fu Xie let out a long sigh, shook his head and said, "If I had known this, I wouldn't have helped you. I didn't mean to harm you, I just wanted to use your power to kill a few corrupt Xiliang officials and do something good for the people of Xiliang. To avenge a few friends who died. I didn't expect things to become like this, and it would become so complicated. My people..."

Li Hong waved his hand at him, and said with a smile: "My lord is thinking too much. I am saving myself, and it has nothing to do with you. There is still no movement in the court, and there is no imperial decree from His Majesty. I still have time to find the dignitaries in the court. Evidence of corruption and corruption."

Fu Xie smiled bitterly.

"Why, are you still having this dream? Forget it."

Li Hong ignored Fu Xie's frustration and asked, "Can your lord provide some evidence of corruption by the previous prefects of Xiliang Prefecture?"

Fu Xie looked at him vigilantly, and asked, "What do you want to do again? I've already told you everything I know."

Li Hong said with a smile: "Since we started, let's go to the end. What are you afraid of? Give me evidence."

Fu Xie shook his hand vigorously, and said with a sigh, "I'll give it all to you."

"Do you have Bian Zhang?" Li Hong continued to ask.

Fu Xie squinted at him, and asked in surprise, "You won't go to see the old man, will you?"

"Tell me one more thing." Li Hong stood up suddenly and shouted vigorously, "I want time, I want to grab time..."

Fu Xie looked at him coldly, and after a long time, he uttered two words, "Meng Tuo."

===

Li Hong suddenly received an edict from the emperor, which made him excited and made him cry.

In the fall of the year before last, when he returned to the Han Kingdom after a bloody slaughter, he only thought that he was a Han, he wanted to defend his country, he wanted to find his parents, and he wanted to return to his homeland.He never thought that he could still be an official, lead a group of life and death brothers to fight fiercely on the battlefield, receive imperial edicts from the imperial court, receive the favor of the current emperor, and see the emperor send him off on a fast ride of eight hundred miles. Here comes the edict.Holding the imperial edict written by the emperor in yellow silk in both hands, Li Hong felt his blood boil all over, wishing he could immediately dedicate his life for the emperor.

The emperor made it very clear in the edict that Li Hong was fully responsible for the corruption in Xiliang. As long as the evidence was convincing, he could be killed first and then played.All the money copied will be confiscated into the state treasury and shall not be used for other purposes.The official documents will be sent to the Taiwei Mansion immediately.

===

Li Hongfei rushed into Zhou Shen's military tent.He was so excited that he couldn't control his emotions, danced and danced, and told Zhou Shen the great news in eloquence.But Zhou Shen's expression made him a little unacceptable.

Zhou Shen didn't smile at all, he looked at Li Hong as if he wanted to see a dead person, and he didn't say a word from the beginning to the end.

"General..." Li Hong murmured, and asked cautiously, "General, are you unhappy?"

Zhou Shen slowly closed his eyes and sighed.

"General..."

Seeing Zhou Shen's expression, Li Hong knew that something was wrong, and the joy in his heart disappeared immediately.He sat beside Zhou Shen in frustration, very dazed.

He didn't know why things in Xiliang were so complicated. This world seemed very far away from him. He was like a child who had just stepped into the world. He didn't understand anything. He felt that he should completely lose his memory. Instead of recovering a part, suffering from the pain and torment of this world.He fought from Xianbei to Lulongsai, from Youzhou to Jizhou, and from Jizhou to Liangzhou. He had never felt helpless and weak like this moment.

Zhou Shen seemed to be asleep, breathing evenly and long.

Li Hong sat dumbly, like a sculpture.

===

The rapid sound of horseshoes suddenly rushed into Li Hong's ears.

Li Hong woke up with a start, and stood up abruptly.

Zhao Yun almost volleyed in from the horse, and the rolled up curtain rose into the air, making a low sound of piercing through the sky.

Li Hong felt a burst of suffocation, an extremely depressive suffocation.

"We had just captured Meng Tuo's Wubao, when Ma Teng's cavalry suddenly appeared and caught us off guard. Hutou's army suffered heavy casualties."

Li Hong's blood surged up, and his anger spewed out immediately. He punched in the air and shouted: "Kill!"

Zhao Yun bowed slightly, rushed out of the military tent, and galloped away.

The passionate sound of horns and the mighty sound of war drums resounded through the camp in an instant.

Li Hong glanced at Zhou Shen who had woken up, and retreated with a salute.

"The people..."

Li Hong stopped, turned around and looked around.

"My people, if there is no such edict from the Son of Heaven, the matter in Xiliang will at best be a struggle for power among the various factions in the court, and you still have room to maneuver. But with this edict, the matter in Xiliang will be your Majesty's weakening of the court. The power struggle of various factions intending to regain control of the court, you are the enemy of all, and there is no chance of survival."

Li Hong suddenly understood.

He smiled proudly, waved his hands and said: "I am a citizen of a big man, I should be loyal to a big man, loyal to your majesty, death is not a pity, and death is not a pity."

"kill……"

Li Hong roared, turned around abruptly, and strode away.

===

Zhongchang served Song Dian, Zhijinwu (Jinwu led the Northern Army of the capital, and was in charge of the patrol guards of the capital) Zhen Ju, accompanied by Jingzhao Yin Gaixun, arrived in Yongxian County.

Not long ago, Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong proposed to the emperor to send Song Dian to Xiliang to supervise Li Zhonglang's anti-corruption actions, so as not to be framed by others.The emperor agrees.

The ministers headed by Situ Cui Lie immediately confronted each other and recommended Zhi Jin Wu Zhenju to go with him in the court.The reasons for the ministers are very good. Most of the officials in Xiliang are disciples of treacherous eunuchs. It is unfair to let Song Dian be the supervisor of the army alone.The emperor will play immediately.

Song Dian received news from Zhang Rang yesterday, saying that he already knew that Li Zhonglang had sent people to arrest and arrest many disciples of aristocratic bureaucrats who were officials in Xiliang.Zhang Rang told Song Dian that he must investigate this matter clearly to see if Zhang Wen was afraid, so he resorted to tricks, shirked responsibility, and deliberately blamed Li Zhonglang.But if this matter was indeed done by Li Zhonglang himself, Zhang Rang thinks that there are only two possibilities, one is that Li Zhonglang is crazy.Zhang Wen originally wanted to take advantage of him, but was hit back by this lunatic.Zhang Wen stole the chicken but lost a handful of rice, and threw a stone at his own foot.The second is that Li Zhonglang may have followed His Majesty's secret decree and deliberately used Xiliang's affairs to punish them.

Zhang Rang told Song Dian in a letter that His Majesty has been unusual recently.I and Zhao Zhong and others have advised His Majesty to be careful of the comeback of the Qingliu Party members in person many times, and to attack Zhang Wen as soon as possible, but His Majesty pretended not to hear it, and turned a deaf ear to him. From the left and right, he did not mention the word Xiliang at all, and , His Majesty looked at them like looking at thieves, with contempt on his face.So Zhang Rang suspected that His Majesty was using Li Hong to deal with various factions in the court.Now the factions in the court not only don't listen to His Majesty, but also less and less give him face, His Majesty may be angry.

Because things in Xiliang had changed, Zhang Rang asked Song Dian to first find out the reasons for Li Zhonglang's vigorous efforts to crack down on corruption in Xiliang. Other things, including securing Chengqiu's departure and looking for evidence of corruption by the sons of bureaucrats, should not be done for the time being. .

After Zhang Wenwen and the three exchanged pleasantries, they immediately accepted the order.

The emperor first praised the soldiers of Xiliang, and then ordered Zhang Wen to immediately find a way to appease the rebels, completely calm down Xiliang, and return to the court as soon as possible.General Zhou Shen specially allowed him to return to Beijing to heal his injuries because of his serious injuries.

Zhang Wen accepted the imperial edict.Under the warm reception of Sang Yang, Song Dian first sat down in the hall.Zhang Wen, Zhen Ju and Gai Xun walked behind, chatting quietly.

Zhang Wen asked about food, grass and military resources.

"Your Majesty said that officials in Xiliang are corrupt and perverting the law. Their homes are full of money and they are very rich. If the army has no money, let Li Zhonglang lead the army to raid their homes. It is impossible to count on the treasury to allocate money. Zhen Ju laughed and said, "So, Mr. Taiwei, you should ask Li Zhonglang to find a way to solve it."

Zhen Ju is from Jizhou, and he came from a noble family. His family is one of the most wealthy and wealthy in Jizhou.This Zhijinwu was sold to him by the emperor after he donated 1000 million yuan to Wanjintang in Xiyuan.He is in his 40s, of medium build, and looks very ordinary, even a little ugly.

Zhang Wen smiled wryly, and said, "The army is spending a lot, and that little money is a drop in the bucket."

"Li Zhonglang's army raided several houses in Chang'an every day. How could he have no money? Did he fill his own pocket?" Zhen Ju said.

"Now Li Zhonglang is crazy about arresting people. He arrests everyone, even my disciples. In the past few days, several patriarchs of the aristocratic families in Guanzhong have come to me to complain and beg for mercy, hoping that I can rescue their people. Gai Xun said angrily, "What does this person mean? The traitors are also arrested, and our people are also arrested. Which side does he help?"

Zhang Wennong frowned and shook his head.Now he regrets recommending Li Hong to take full charge of the anti-corruption operation in Xiliang, so that now he is very passive.Li Hong's counterattack caught him off guard. He felt that he had been deceived by Li Hong. Moreover, he gradually felt that he could neither control Li Hong nor the situation in Xiliang. The crisis in Xiliang was getting worse and worse. Big, the consequences are increasingly unpredictable.

Sun Jian suddenly came out from the side door.After Zhou Shen led his troops back to Pingxiang Daying, he returned to the Taiwei Mansion.

"My lord, Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, wrote that Li Zhonglang copied the Wubao of Meng Tuo, the former governor of Liangzhou, and severely attacked Ma Teng's cavalry army. Now he is confronting General Dong's army in Lueyang."

(End of this chapter)