The case in Huainan is complicated, so the first thing to investigate is naturally the smuggling of salt.
In just two days, it was confirmed that the smuggling was true. Because there were so many people involved, many officials were frightened into confessing directly.
Except for the members of the Shahe Society who had a murder case in their hands, the other members also confessed truthfully. Because they were ordinary boatmen, coolies, trackers, etc., who were forced to join the Shahe Society in order to make a living.
To make money from cattle and horses.
One of the gang members confessed like this:
"The small people used to carry bags at the pier of Beishen Town and earn a living by working hard... If you don't join the Shahe Association, you won't get any work at all. If you bypass the Shahe Association to take the work, you will be beaten... The small people also have to support their families, no.
If you enter the Shahe Party, you will starve to death..."
"We also know that it is illegal salt, but we can't transport it without help... Carrying two hundred kilograms of salt for dozens of miles, going around the bank at night to load it in the dark, working hard to get thirty cents, it's not as good as before
I was carrying bags at the dock... Later, I changed to a trolley, which saved me some energy. I could transport more in one trip, but my wages dropped to twenty-six cents..."
"You have been working all night, and it is all manual work, and you are only paid twenty-six cents. Who is willing to do it unless you are forced to do it?"
"We also got together to make trouble, but the thugs used sticks to deal with us. One of my village neighbors even had his legs broken."
"I guess I thought the cost of labor was too high, and I wasn't so afraid of the government, so I later changed the private salt route. I first pushed the cart around Chaoguan for a few miles, and then, under the nose of Chaoguan, I used a small fishing boat to head north.
Transport it and finally load it onto those merchant ships."
"In the end, the small fishing boats were no longer needed. There were empty boats waiting north of Chaoguan, and the private salt was loaded directly from the warehouse..."
"Ah? Do the officials at Chaoguan know? They are not blind, they must be able to see..."
"How did the private salt get out of the official warehouse? It must not be the official warehouse. My husband built a private warehouse... It must be against the rules. We all coolies know that private warehouses are not allowed near the bank, otherwise it would be too much for tax evasion and smuggling.
It’s easy…but those private warehouses are being built and the officials don’t care, so what can we coolies say?”
"How to transport private salt now? Before entering the banknote, the goods are unloaded under the eyes of the government, transported several miles in a wheelbarrow to the private warehouse, and then transported to the river for reloading. The unloading ship does not pass through the customs from the south, and the loading ship does not pass through the customs from the south.
If the ship doesn’t pass through the customs from the north, the men at the customs will be too lazy to take care of it..."
"Is there anyone smuggling through the banknote customs? It's hard to say... I also asked someone why Mr. Li went to the trouble to bypass the banknote customs? I heard that although the local government can also control the banknote customs, it is actually sent by the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Directly in charge. I also heard that although the officials in Chaoguan are not high-ranking, they are all young scholars. In the past, something happened..."
"What happened? I heard about it too."
"About seven or eight years ago, there was a cash customs official named Meng. Because he found out that a cash customs official was helping smuggling, he arrested him on the spot and took him to the prosecutor's office for punishment. I heard that he even arrested the two cash customs officials at the imperial court...
Members were executed, and more than twenty were exiled and imprisoned. From then on, the censor often came to investigate the Mokou Chao Pass, and Mr. Li never dared to think about Chao Guan again..."
"The way I see it, if nothing happens this time, I will have to listen to Master Li in a few years."
"Some of the subordinate staff at Chaoguan were also recruited to join the Shahe Club. They have been helping the private warehouses as spies. They will report any trouble. When there is another money-grubbing chief of Chaoguan, Chaoguan will start from there.
Everyone from top to bottom will help with the smuggling, and we don’t have to push it in wheelbarrows anymore..."
Judging from the confessions of this gang member, Huainan salt smuggling is constantly evolving.
Moreover, there were twists and turns in the process. He encountered a ruthless bank supervisor, which caused the last bank to be targeted by the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Supervisory Office. For several years, Li Xiaojian did not dare to directly involve the bank. Instead, he adopted a step-by-step approach.
Corrupt the grassroots tax collectors at the bank checkpoints bit by bit, and wait for the limelight to pass before dragging the officials into the water.
If there is no strict investigation this time, it will be a matter of time before everyone at Mokou Checkpoint becomes corrupt.
"Whose are those empty ships north of Chaoguan? I don't know, but the boatmen are from Henan. They transport serious goods from Henan, declare customs and pay taxes at the end, and then wait to load the smuggled salt and transport it away... I didn't ask.
However, those Henan boatmen are very tight-lipped and won’t say anything when asked..."
"The private salt ship south of Chaoguan? It came from the Salt Canal in the east... It's either a water ship or an ordinary cargo ship... Who dares to use a water ship to engage in smuggling? The imperial court conducts strict inspections every year, and the use of water ships to transport private salt is long gone.
I lost my head..."
"Well done, gentlemen, I'm just a coolie... Is it a crime to not report the knowledge? I, I, I... Who of the people of the Chuzhou Canal generation don't know that smuggled salt is being transported? And who dares to report it to the official?
?You might as well arrest all the people..."
…
Jiang Kuan, the leader of the Shahe Society, was eventually arrested and was taken to the provincial capital by enthusiastic people.
On the night of his escape, General Li Jiang dispatched 3,000 troops and landed in various villages along the canal by boat to search for him.
Although no one was caught, the news of Li Xiaojian and Jiang Kuan's accident quickly spread throughout Shanyang County.
This guy is so notorious that not to mention the common people at the bottom, even many gentry and landlords are eager to eat his flesh and drink his blood!
The rural gentry teamed up with the security chiefs to proactively cooperate with the government in arresting people, and asked people in each village to pay attention to suspicious persons.
Countless people responded positively. Even if a stranger entered the village, the villagers would be alert and report the news.
Some high-ranking members of the Shahe Association were often sent to the government by the common people because they often visited fish and meat villages.
"Master Bao, Aunt Yu Liu went to the river to hunt pigweed, and she saw a man who looked like a beggar... He didn't go to the village to beg for food, but stole melons in the sand fields by the river. Aunt Yu Liu had never seen anyone named Jiang, either.
I pretended not to see it and came back to report..."
"Quietly go and ask Chief Wei to summon the young men. Call our servants as well. Remember not to make any noise, so as not to scare people away..."
Jiang Kuan's life was very difficult.
The government's investigation was too tight and there were too many soldiers searching for him.
Not only were they searching for him, they were also searching for officials who were absconding in fear of crime, as well as senior members of the Shahe Gang.
Not to mention going to the town to buy food, he didn't even dare to go to the grass market in the countryside.
Every day I could only walk day and night. When I finished eating the dry food I brought with me, I would steal food from the fields I passed by.
He planned to disguise himself as a beggar and flee to Shandong, and then to Hebei or Liaodong. He would lurk there for a while and wait until the news passed before spending money to buy property. He heard that Liaodong was a vast land with few people and it was easy to settle there.
Jiang Kuan was munching on a cantaloupe.
This is a relatively fertile sandy land, where melons and vegetables are grown but no grain is grown. It is estimated that the landowner wants to sell it to Chaoguan or Beishen Town.
He heard someone coming and hurriedly lay down in the ditch to hide.
An old country woman passed by with a willow basket on her back, and soon came back again, which made Jiang Kuan, who was chewing a cantaloupe, feel murderous.
But I heard the old woman shouting: "Third son, please bring me my sickle quickly. I forgot to bring my sickle when I was hunting hogweed... This bastard only knows how to play around with the cows, and it's as if he's deaf!"
Jiang Kuan let down his guard and continued to eat.
There are no mountains or groves nearby, so it would be difficult for him to hide during the day. The wheat has also been harvested, so let's see if we can find a cornfield to hide in.
After eating two cantaloupes, Jiang Kuan lay prone and moved slowly.
The cornfield is quite far away. After all, this is a river. Except during the dry season, water cannot be obtained from the canal for irrigation. In normal times, no one cares about the water. Who would want to grow corn in fertile land close to the water source?
"Right over there, the old woman saw him lying in the ditch!"
"It's gone. A few melons were picked, but the stems are still fresh."
"They must not have gone far. People of all ages, including men, women and children, are here to search. We have to arrange for people to stand guard at every Taguchi!"
"The official surnamed Jiang offered a reward of three hundred dollars. Everyone cheered up and shared the reward together if they caught him."
"Look at the wheat fields over there. People can be hidden behind the haystacks."
"..."
The footsteps of the crowd were getting closer and closer. Jiang Kuan was so frightened that he lay down behind the wheat straw and did not dare to show his head.
"Auntie, there's someone here!"
A childish voice sounded. I don’t know when it came. The child walked without making any sound.
Jiang Kuan ran away and soon fell into despair.
But I saw villagers coming from all directions, both men and women carrying sticks, hoes and the like.
Although he was carrying a short knife, if he really dared to hurt anyone, he would be beaten to death by the angry villagers in minutes.
Jiang Kuan pretended to be a fool and said with a crooked mouth and squinting eyes: "I'm hungry... I need to eat... I need to eat..."
He pretended to be quite similar, and before escaping, he specially changed into a pair of rough and old linen clothes. In the past few days, he had become stained with dirt and looked like a private beggar.
The villagers didn't care how many there were, they rushed over, held him down, tied his limbs with ropes and carried him away like a pig.
A rich country man came late and ran out of breath: "Wash his face and pull up his hair!"
Soon, the dirt on Jiang Kuan's face was washed away, and his loose hair was pulled into a simple bun.
The rich man had obviously seen Jiang Kuan, and he laughed loudly and said: "This is the guy, I have seen him several times in Beishen Town. You bastard is also like this. You forced my in-laws to sell hundreds of acres of land at a low price, and even I
The in-laws’ house outside Beishen Town was also occupied. Even the house and the paddy field were transferred with only a few dozen coins. What’s the difference between it and an open robbery?”
"Executive member Bao, is it really Jiang Kuan?"
"That's him, with a scar on his forehead."
"I'm rich! There is a reward of three hundred guan. Take him to the government to collect the reward."
"Everyone has a share, everyone has a share."
"Excuse me, fellow villagers, when you return to the village, my Bao family will hold a flowing water banquet to celebrate. No gift money is required, just grab a handful of rice and treat it as gift money, and eat the flowing water banquet with open belly!"
"Master Bao is benevolent and righteous!"
"..."
That night, the interrogation was held overnight.
But Jiang Kuan knew he was dead, so he said nothing and pretended to be dead in the interrogation room.
The officials transferred from Shandong and Nanjing had not yet arrived, so Yan Tao himself and the officers transferred from the army were responsible for the interrogation.
"Many of your men have already confessed. It doesn't matter whether you recruit them or not," Yan Tao said, "but in such a big case, the more confessions that can be made, the better, so don't force me to use torture. The court said that torture is not allowed.
You have to force a confession, but as the censor, we have a way to get you to talk."
Jiang Kuan still didn't speak.
Yan Tao said in a cold tone: "If you confess, you can safely wait until the case is concluded and be beheaded. If you don't confess, you will be tortured and then beheaded. You choose a way to die."
Jiang Kuan finally raised his head: "You're ready to be beheaded?"
"Is it necessary to lie to you?" Yan Tao asked back.
Jiang Kuan said: "Before beheading, I want to see the flesh every time and drink a pot of wine every day."
"One meal of meat for five days, no wine," Yan Tao ordered, "First give him a roast chicken."
In the middle of the night, the roast chicken restaurant in the city was called open.
Jiang Kuan, who hadn't eaten much in the past few days, wolfed down the roast chicken and said, "Ask me."
Yan Tao asked: "How did private salt start?"
Jiang Kuan said: "About ten years ago, businessmen from Yancheng came and asked Shahe Society to help them transport private salt. Shahe Society was only responsible for transporting private salt from the upstream town of Baoying to Huaiyin.
Hongze Town, and later simply transferred it to the north of Mokou Chaoguan Pass. At that time, Li Xiaojian was not involved and did not know about the deal."
"Then it got bigger and bigger, and Li Xiaojian discovered it. The guy was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he told us not to do this business, saying that we couldn't afford it after the incident. Hey, how can we stop the business of beheading? Li Xiaojian later
He acquiesced, and then started making noises about sharing the money, and finally even snatched away the private salt business."
"Which merchant in Yancheng? Whether they are transporting salt or producing salt, the top five Huainan salt merchants have a share. The Huainan salt transport envoy must also know about it. He has no idea how much salt is produced every year?"
"Who is picking up the goods in Henan? I really don't know that very well. I only know that the merchant ship comes from a company called Taixiang Yun, and the ship owner in charge of the connection is called Lu Xiao. I don't know if it is his real name..."
"Really, that's all I know. Shahe will only be responsible for transshipment. We don't care about things upstream and downstream."
"The previous Commander-in-Chief? He must be involved, otherwise we would have been arrested. Three consecutive Commander-in-Chiefs, only the first one did not take bribes, but for the sake of the Li family, they did not conduct a strict investigation. We also cooperated at that time
, he was anti-smuggling from time to time, we gave him credit for his performance, and he was quickly promoted and transferred. The next two terms helped smuggling, and they were all paid..."
"Inspector? I don't have much dealings with this. It's all Li Xiaojian who is in contact. Many of our brothers who were arrested were released directly, and some were imprisoned and had their sentences commuted. Basically, there were no beheadings or exiles..."
"Officials at the prefecture and county levels? The court's investigation is very thorough. Some of the chief officials and assistant officials are willing to receive money to cooperate, but some want to be upright officials and turn a blind eye. Some seem to be upright officials, but in fact they are related to Li Xiaojian. This one I
I'm really not sure, I'm a dirty person and they won't contact me personally."
"What I can confirm...let me think about it. Zhou Lian, the former magistrate of Chuzhou, must have embezzled money...Why do I know? I got his concubine! Whose family did I think Li Xiaojian fell in love with?
My daughter, it turned out later that she was sent to the government office as a maid. She was said to be a maid, but she was actually a concubine. The court did not allow officials to take wives and concubines in the place where they worked."
"Also...there is the current householder Cao Dingchou. When he first came here, he was just pretending. Later he became a frequent visitor to the brothel. I don't know how much money he made, but I often met him in the brothel.
In order to please a famous prostitute, he would spend dozens or even hundreds of guan at a time. He would not redeem the prostitute's body and take a concubine, but insisted on hanging out in a brothel..."
As the case in Chuzhou Mansion became more and more in-depth, the court finally changed from undercurrent to ups and downs.
A letter of impeachment memorial was sent to Dongxi Garden.
Officials from various civil servant factions impeached Li Hanzhang.
As for Li Hanzhang's punishment, Ju Ming only revealed the details privately and has not made it official yet.
