As time goes by, twilight gradually envelopes the earth, and a light mist rises above Yanghuli. The night wind blows, bringing a slight coolness, accompanied by the pungent smell of blood.
After all the traffickers were arrested, Li Si led the officers and soldiers, as well as some resolute women, holding torches and inspected Yanghuli from beginning to end to ensure that no one was left alive.
Soon, a horrifying statistic was drawn. There were more than 700 women trafficked in Yanghu, and more than 200 of them had died or committed suicide after being rescued.
Li Si had always thought that the most trafficked people in Yanghu were Wei people, but after statistics, he discovered that the most trafficked people were actually Zhao people, and they were from Linhe County.
Nearly one-third of the more than 700 people are locals from Linhe County. Think about it, how can a group of human traffickers, who are worse than animals, show mercy to their fellow villagers.
Before, Li Si had some hope for the officials of Zhao State, thinking that they were at least better than Chu State. Now he is completely disappointed. The world is as dark as crows. Without the protection of these officials, this group of human traffickers would never be able to do this.
In addition, the officers and soldiers also found some money, accounts and letters.
Li Si opened the letter and found that Yanghuli not only colluded with officials from Zhao, but also with officials from Wei, Wei, and Qi. Many officials and squires from the three countries assisted Yanghuli in human trafficking.
The interest exchanges there are astonishingly large, and it’s hard to imagine that this is something done by just one person.
Judging from the handwriting, these letters should all be written by one person.
But it’s normal. It’s good if there are one or two literate people in a group. If everyone is literate, they will either not be able to do this kind of thing, or they will do something bigger than this.
"Bring them all back and interrogate them one by one. We must arrest everyone and never let a trafficker go." Li Si walked up to the group of women and bowed deeply, "It was Zhao who failed to protect you.
I would like to apologize to you all. I don’t want to mention your past events, but if you have any clues about human traffickers, please inform me as soon as possible.”
"Sir,... the common people know that a person may be a human trafficker." A man wearing coarse clothes and bare feet squeezed out of the crowd, glanced at Li Si, quickly lowered his head, and put his hands on his body.
I rubbed it in front of me, looking a little at a loss.
Xiulan held the man's right arm and bowed to Li Si, "Xiulan thanks you for saving your life."
The man's name was Liang, who was Xiulan's father. After Li Si rescued Xiulan, he sent people to Weiguo to pick up Liang so that he could testify as a witness.
But it was not used in the end. With the court's order and the appointment letters from the four countries, there was no need for such trouble.
Let alone a group of traffickers without official positions, even officials, Li Si could kill them first and then punish them.
"I, the State of Zhao, am sorry for you, so I can't help you with my life-saving grace." Li Si shook his head, walked up to Liang, and bowed, "If I have any clues about the traffickers, please tell Si. Si will be very grateful."
"Sir, this person is in Weiguo..." A look of embarrassment appeared on Liang's face. He wanted to catch the trafficker more than anyone else. It would be best to kill him with a thousand swords. But Li Si is an official of Zhaoguo, how can he manage Weiguo's affairs?
.
"I have been appointed as a special envoy by the four kingdoms of Zhao, Qi, Wei and Wei. I am fully responsible for this matter. Not to mention in the Wei Kingdom, even in the Qi Kingdom, I will lead people to arrest the traffickers." Li Si held up the seals and ribbons of the four kingdoms and said loudly.
Not only tell Liang, but also tell others.
Some people are afraid of being retaliated by traffickers later, and even if they know about it, they dare not tell them. Li Si is here to save them from worries.
With Li Si's guarantee, Liang quickly told the information he knew, and everyone also spoke.
According to the letters and what everyone said, Li Si learned that there are still several villages in Linhe County that make a living through human trafficking, but compared to Yanghu County, there are not many concessions. As the saying goes, a nest of snakes and rats is working together.
In addition, there are also officials, squires, businessmen, and some famous families involved.
There are also many officials and squires in Qi and Wei who colluded with Yanghuli. The women they abducted were not only sold to bachelors as wives, but also sold to Onezawa, where there were many water bandits. Without wives, they could only buy from outside.
Buy a wife.
When the Qi State was strong and prosperous, it severely cracked down on the Onezawa water bandits, causing them to disappear for a time. Later, when the Qi State declined and was unable to govern, the Onezawa water bandits once again grew like weeds.
In addition, Zhao State occupied the west of Jishui, and Dayezawa became the border between Zhao State and Qi State, which had a natural advantage for water bandits.
Unless all of Ohnozawa belongs to one country in the future, no matter how hard we attack, we will never be able to finish it.
Before leaving, Li Si ordered a fire to be set on fire in Yanghuli.
The flames soared into the sky, illuminating half of the night sky with blood red. Under the blazing fire, Li Si led the officers, soldiers and women, and walked toward the county government office, suppressing the traffickers.
It was approaching midnight, and it was supposed to be quiet at night, but the people near Yanghuli could not sleep because they had received the news early. People stood on both sides of the road.
Along the way, people kept throwing stones, smelly socks and other objects at the traffickers, while yelling curses. As for eggs, they were reluctant to throw them at these beasts.
The officers and soldiers escorting the traffickers didn't have a good look on them either. They would punch and kick them from time to time, and would whip them if they walked a little slower.
"Please stop beating them to death and rely on them to find other traffickers." Li Si listened to the voice coming from his ears, a faint sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, and turned around to warn.
Doesn’t “don’t beat me to death” mean that as long as I don’t beat me to death, everything else is fine?
With Li Si's guarantee, everyone felt more at ease.
Some experienced guys even began to teach others how to hit them more painfully without causing harm to the traffickers. The officers and soldiers around them learned extremely seriously.
"Sir, when are we going to kill these human traffickers? We won't arrest them and then let them go after a while." A loud voice came from the crowd.
Suddenly, the crowd that was originally just yelling at the traffickers began to become noisy, with all kinds of sounds coming out.
"Don't worry, everyone. I, Li Si, hereby guarantee that all traffickers will not be spared. I will tell you all when the execution time comes. Don't forget to come and watch." Li Si said, cupping his fists.
He understands people's worries very well. To put it bluntly, it means distrust of the government, because the government has done too many things to disappoint them.
Therefore, if Shang Yang wanted to carry out reforms, he had to establish trust in the wood. If he could not establish trust, the so-called reforms would be nothing more than a moon in the mirror.
Fortunately, the environment in the State of Zhao was at least much better than that of the State of Qin. Coupled with Zhao Kuo's hard work for so many years, most of the people were willing to believe in him and then the government.
"We are relieved by your words. We will never forget them. If you need our help, just ask." A powerful man said with his fists clasped.