Xu Qing's eyes narrowed after hearing Xu Chen's words.
Let the three families of the Huang family, Liu family, and Duan family be related to the rebels who are planning to rebel...
No wonder the signal sent out by the wise king at the beginning was to suppress the rebellion rather than to suppress the bandits.
The crime of treason is a major crime against the Nine Clan.
Is the King Xian planning to eliminate the three powerful families that dominate the feudal state?
Xu Qing looked at Xu Chen and asked, "Why?"
Xu Chen said: "The three families of the Huang family, the Liu family and the Duan family intermarry with each other and are in-laws to each other. They all control a lot of land in Fengzhou and jointly dominate one area. Sometimes they even ignore the orders of the government.
Sometimes even the governor has to discuss with them and give them good advice so that the decree can be implemented."
"Especially due to last year's natural and man-made disasters, many farmers could no longer survive, so they purchased their land at extremely low prices in order to gain some respite from their meager income. However, the rents of the three tenants under them have not been reduced.
The increase resulted in tenants who could not pay their rent and were forced to sell themselves into slavery."
"Today, the Huang family, Liu family and Duan family have controlled most of the fertile land in Fengzhou. As a result, many land-buying farmers can only rent their land, but they have increased the rent again and again. The people on Funiu Mountain
The bandits are many farmers who have taken away their land and cannot afford to rent it or farm it."
"However, they raise domestic dogs and dogs at home, and allow their children and subordinates to be arrogant and domineering. The people are complaining and suffering unspeakably."
Xu Qing asked: "Since these three families are full of evil, why are they not tried according to law?"
Xu Chen said: "Although they forced good people into prostitution and forced people into slavery, they still have the deed of sale in their hands, and they also have the land deed in their hands when they buy farmers' fields at a low price. The law cannot control what you and I want to do."
"Even if you allow your subordinates to hurt others, bully men and women, and act tyrannically, it's just a matter of being slapped with a few boards and locked up for a period of time. These mistakes are not painful and can't cause any harm to them."
At this moment, Xu Qing already understood what Xu Chen meant. In this era when the imperial power did not go to the countryside, if the local gentry did not cooperate with the local officials' decrees, it would be impossible to implement them. These three families were arrogant and domineering and did not take the government seriously.
To despise the government is to despise the imperial court, and to despise the imperial court is to despise the imperial power.
The mere act of contempt for the imperial power was a violation of the virtuous king's will.
Moreover, they purchased land at very low prices. Because of their power, small landowners did not dare to compete with them. Those poor farmers could only sell their land to them at low prices in order to obtain the pitiful money they could survive.
The land in the hands of these three families will also increase. More than half of the land in a state is concentrated in the hands of three local powerful people, and the number is increasing. Landless tenants can only rent their land.
The high rents make it difficult for both tenants and farmers to survive. As the situation becomes more and more urgent, more and more people will be displaced. If they cannot survive, they may rise up.
This is a terrible vicious cycle.
Although they were guilty, it was a trivial sin that did not lead to death.
But they had to die.
If they die, they will benefit all people. If they don't die, they will lay a huge hidden danger in Fengzhou.
But the wise king could not easily find a reason to punish them, because simply punishing and killing a few people would not be able to shake the land in their hands and the power they controlled, and hasty punishment would also endanger the entire landlord and gentry class in Chu State.
, and even formed a group to compete with the imperial power.
The stability of imperial power is inseparable from the gentry, so naturally they cannot be punished simply.
If simple punishment is useless, the only solution is to uproot it.
And if you want to uproot them reasonably and legally, you must have a reasonable and legal crime.
There were many cottages in Fengzhou, and because of last year's disaster, there were many thieves and bandits, so King Dexian saw hope and a reasonable charge.
Perhaps not all of these three families are arrogant and domineering, and perhaps they are also kind. But at the wrong time, for the sake of the overall situation in the minds of the few at the top of the Chu State pyramid, their few good deeds must also follow.
sacrifice.
King Xian taught Xu Qing a long time ago that he must be ruthless. This ruthlessness is not just directed at bad people, but also at people who stand in his way.
And these three powerful families undoubtedly blocked the path of the wise king.
For the stability of the hundreds of thousands of people in Fengzhou, for the stability of the imperial court, and for the stability of the imperial power, they must die.
Xu Qing looked at Xu Chen and said, "Has your mission been completed?"
Xu Chen said: "Since I went up the mountain, my subordinates have tried every means to win over the surrounding bandits, and they have gathered the bandits into a force that even the local government cannot ignore. Although the head of Funiu Mountain has never had the intention of rebellion, in the
A big flag was erected on the mountain to uphold justice for heaven. Regardless of whether they actually rebelled or not, with this flag, whether they rebelled or not can be regarded as rebellion."
"Afterwards, my subordinates began to come into contact with the arrogant and arrogant younger generations of the three families who bullied men and women. They were not strong-minded and did not have a deep city, so it was easy for them to get together and get involved. Then, through these dandy children, they came into contact with the three families.
People from this family, if there are some things that are not convenient for them to do themselves, they will ask their subordinates, who they think are people in the world, to do it. During this period, I also exchanged several letters with them."
"These letters are physical evidence. As long as they admit their guilt, their guilt of treason will be confirmed, and my subordinate's mission will be completed."
Xiao Ye on the side heard this and said: "Since the evidence is conclusive, let's send the imperial army to arrest them for questioning."
Xu Chen said: "Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, although I have exchanged letters with these three families, these letters have neither paper stamps nor the seals of their clans. The handwriting is very easy to forge. Just rely on such letters.
It cannot be regarded as evidence, and witnesses need to see them acknowledge these letters with their own eyes before these letters can be used as evidence."
When Xu Chen said this, he looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing noticed that Xu Chen suddenly turned his head to look at him, and couldn't help but said: "What are you looking at me for?"
Xu Chen cupped his fists and said, "Third Commander, I still need your help in this matter."
Xu Qing's throat moved and he said: "I remember the prince said that it won't take half a month to wipe out the rebels and return, right?"
Xu Chen lowered his head and said: "Commander Three, from going up the mountain to annihilating the bandits, it did not take you half a month, and you are indeed in the city now and have returned to the city."
Xu Qing emphasized: "I said the return journey is the journey."
Xu Chen scratched his head: "The city of Lucheng? That's right. But should Lucheng be within the Zhou Kingdom?"
Xu Qing's eyes widened: "You are also playing this trick with me, right?"
Xu Chen quickly lowered his head and clasped his fists and said, "I don't dare! I'm just executing the prince's order."
