But Zhu Qizhen shook his head and said: "Catch thieves and seize stolen goods. I have no evidence. How can I punish them?"
Shi Heng was a little confused. He had a vague feeling that there was something in the emperor's words, but he didn't know what it meant.
Since we know that the Japanese are behind the trouble, according to common sense, we must consider how to deal with them next. Why are we saying that there is no evidence now?
Since this kind of thing involves the diplomacy between the two countries, of course who has the right to speak has the right to speak. Is there any evidence...is it important?
"I wonder what kind of evidence the emperor... wants?"
Shi Heng thought to himself, maybe you want me to help you collect evidence before making a decision?
That's fine, at least it won't be true.
But, it’s really not necessary...
Zhu Qizhen shook his head with a smile and said: "I don't want any evidence. Even if I have evidence that proves that the Japanese are really funding the Japanese pirates behind the scenes, what can I do? Should I issue an order or send troops to attack?" p>
Shi Heng was even more puzzled. Since you know that the evidence is useless, why are you talking nonsense?
Zhu Qizhen waved to him and motioned Shi Heng to look at the map.
Shi Heng followed the position of Zhu Qizhen's finger and saw that there was the coastline of the Ming Dynasty, and across the sea was the Japanese Kingdom.
Zhu Qizhen pointed to the map and said: "Since the Japanese pirates have no direct relationship with the Japanese country, of course, they have nothing to do with our Ming Dynasty. These people are pure desperadoes. Logically speaking, they should commit crimes everywhere. But
, why do they only focus on looting along the coast of the Ming Dynasty?"
Shi Heng was stunned. Wasn't this asking questions knowingly? Of course it was because the Japanese pirates had something to do with the Japanese country!
Could it be that they could turn around and plunder the Japanese country?
To take a step back, even if these people really don’t recognize their relatives, how can the Japanese country compare with the Ming Dynasty?
There is a rich man and a poor man. Who has lost his mind and goes to rob the poor man?
"The emperor does not know that the Japanese country is actually very poor, not to mention that between them and the Japanese pirates, secretly..."
"What I am saying now is that the Japanese country has nothing to do with the Japanese pirates!"
Shi Heng's face was full of questions, and he secretly thought in his heart, what exactly do you want to say?
Zhu Qizhen saw that he didn't understand, so he further said: "Since it doesn't matter, it stands to reason that the Japanese pirates are so vicious that they should also attack the people along the coast of Japan, don't you think?"
"It stands to reason... that's the case, but..."
Just as Shi Heng was about to explain, he suddenly seemed to understand something.
His frown slowly relaxed, and after thinking for a long time, he said: "The emperor is right. Since there is no subordinate relationship between the Japanese country and the Japanese pirates, these thieves will definitely attack the coast of the Japanese country."
Zhu Qizhen nodded with satisfaction and said, "Have all those Japanese pirates been wiped out?"
"Back to the emperor, the Japanese pirates are not a whole group. Shen Lang, the three-headed dragon that was wiped out this time, is the largest Japanese pirate leader. However, there are some other forces on the sea. These people will not dare to attack rashly when they see that my Ming Dynasty's troops are invincible.
We can only set our goals elsewhere, such as... the Japanese country..."
Zhu Qizhen said with a smile but not a smile: "When the Japanese pirates attack the Japanese country, there will be a good show!"
Not long after, Shi Heng came out of the Forbidden City and saw Li Zhen head-on.
"Gong Rui Guo..."
Li Zhen waved her hand and said: "Stop talking nonsense, just ask for as many people and weapons as you need!"
Shi Heng was secretly happy and said tentatively: "Mr. Rui Guo, I heard that your Type 15 rifle..."
Li Zhen looked at him with disgust and said: "The Type 15 rifle is the latest, so you can't take it out casually! If it falls into the hands of the enemy and is copied, wouldn't it be a big deal?"
Shi Heng thought for a while and realized that this was indeed the case, and then said: "You have to get me something good, otherwise, how can you give them a deterrent effect?"
Li Zhen pondered for a moment and said, "Let's do this. I'll give you two hundred Type 14 guns and twenty light cannons. Is that enough?"
The Type 14 has been discontinued and is basically used as a training gun. Even if it is picked up by someone, the loss will be smaller.
Shi Heng nodded repeatedly. If equipped with new firearms, Japan's defense power would not be enough to fight!
"In terms of personnel, I have three hundred people on hand, which is roughly enough, but those broken ships are too small. I heard that the Quanzhou Shipyard is building treasure ships. Please tell the emperor to get us some ships!"
Li Zhen frowned and said: "The treasure ships in Quanzhou were used to sail to the Western Ocean. They are all given to you. What will happen to the Western Ocean?"
Shi Heng said: "You should get one at least. The voyage to the West is important, but our affairs here are also very important!"
"Okay, I'll get you one, just one!"
"Don't worry, I only need one!"
Li Zhen asked again: "As for money and food, if you want as much as you want, just ask!"
Shi Heng chuckled and said: "That's not necessary. Shen Lang still has many years of savings on Zhoushan Island. I can't say the exact amount. There are always hundreds of thousands of taels. What's more, our mission is to give it to the emperor.
Grab money..."
"What are you trying to steal money from?"
Li Zhen suddenly became cautious and said: "What you did has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty court or the emperor. You must remember and don't discredit the emperor!"
"Yes, yes, it doesn't matter!"
Shi Heng clasped his fists in salute, smiled meaningfully, then turned and left.
At this moment, he only has two words for the emperor: admire!
…………
In Nanjing Zhao Prison, Yuan Bin has begun to interrogate Wang Gongming.
This Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was a Jinshi during the Yongle period and a veteran of the four dynasties. He was expected to go home and take care of himself after spending two years in Nanjing, but now he has been tortured into shape.
It’s not that Yuan Bin is violent by nature, it’s just that you can’t deal with such a person without stretching your muscles.
Scholars have such a temper. The more polite you are to him, the more enthusiastic he will be, and he will be punished directly, which will make him more honest.
So when Wang Gongming saw Yuan Bin, he howled: "Spare my life, spare my life!"
Yuan Bin first took out a few books and threw them aside, and said: "I just took a look at the article you wrote. It is very literary and has integrity, but for some reason, you want to collude with the Japanese pirates?"
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When Wang Gongming heard this, his eyes flashed and his face turned red to the ears.
Yuan Bin continued: "You already know the crime you committed. You can't escape from this kind of thing. How does the emperor deal with rebellious ministers? You must also know what the consequences will be for those officials suspected of treason.
Do you need me to say more?"
Wang Gongming's face became even more ugly. Ever since the emperor suddenly appeared in Nanjing, hundreds of people have been arrested in just a few days, including those who were beheaded, those who were imprisoned, and those who were exiled...
The four major Hongwu cases were nothing more than this, right?
Thinking of this, his face could not help but become paler, his whole body was trembling, and he was speechless.
Yuan Bin said again: "The population of your family... let me see..."
As he said that, he picked up a densely packed booklet on the table and said, "There are more than a hundred people. This is really a big group of people."
Wang Gongming was so frightened that he kowtowed quickly and said: "Please forgive me for your life, please forgive me for my life. I... I... I admit that I am greedy for the Japanese pirates' money..."
"Just silver?"
Yuan Bin stared at him, his eyes originally calm, but suddenly turned cold, and said sharply: "Your current crime is not corruption and bribery, but collaboration with the enemy and rebellion!"
Wang Gongming trembled: "I...I...I am willing to correct it!"
Yuan Bin said: "Then it depends on whether you are sincere and whether the emperor is willing to give you a chance to correct yourself."
Wang Gongming hurriedly said: "I am absolutely sincere, and I would like to ask the commander to say a few kind words in front of the emperor, and I will... definitely express my gratitude."
Yuan Bin smiled and said, "All your family property has been confiscated. How can you thank me again?"
"I...I...still have money. There are several commercial banks in Ningbo. Although they are not in my name, they are also my assets. And..."
Yuan Bin nodded and said: "Tell me all your assets truthfully. In addition, who else is colluding with you? Tell me their place of origin and names. This is the only way to save the lives of your family."
, but if I conceal anything, then I’m sorry!”
Beads of sweat dripped from Wang Gongming's forehead, and he seemed to be struggling inside.
He knew very well that once he said it, he would really have nothing.
However, if you don’t say anything, this old life will be gone...
Moreover, the whole family will be buried with him.
Seeing his hesitation, Yuan Bin said: "I still want to interrogate other people. I don't have much thought on you. Your crime has been confirmed. It's up to you whether to recruit or not!"
At this point, it seems that it is obvious to Wang Gongming where to go.
He cried and said: "If you want to speak, I am willing to say it."
Yuan Bin said: "Come here, give him pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and watch him write. Remember, this is the only chance to save your whole family. If you have something to hide and someone else recruits you in the future, then... things will not be the same."
It’s easy to handle, don’t blame me for saying ugly things first.”
Wang Gongming said hurriedly: "Yes...yes..."
At this moment, his heart was in pain.
Under this pain, he confessed all those who had business dealings with him, those who had dealings with Japanese pirates, and those suspected of smuggling.
There were actually more than fifty people reported this time.
As expected of a Jinshi, I could even write down all the evidence of these people’s crimes just from my memory.
When Zhu Qizhen saw this list, he had to admire this guy. He is really a damn talent.
It's a pity that wisdom is not used in serious places.
Most of these fifty people are either rich or noble, but the problem is that Jin Yiwei's previous screening did not find any clues.
Even Wang Gongming was arrested only because a servant stole an East Pearl and followed the clues.
This matter is very thought-provoking!
Judging from Wang Gongming's confession, these people have long been united in private and formed an monolith.
They usually smuggle. Although they have some relationship with Japanese pirates, they do not completely rely on Japanese pirates. They have their own fleet and their own routes. They buy goods from Jiangnan and then transport them to Japan, Luzon, Annan, Champa, Siam, etc.
Land for sale.
Then he purchased spices, cane sugar, ivory and other materials from the local area and returned to Daming to sell them.
After such a round trip, the profit of a ship can reach several thousand taels of silver.
Moreover, Wang Gongming does not seem to be the speaker of this group. They are more like a board of directors, and Wang Gongming is just one of the directors.
Their power has penetrated into every field and is almost pervasive. As long as they take strict precautions, they can avoid the pursuit of Jin Yiwei.
Zhu Qizhen became angrier as he watched and said angrily: "These people shout every day that our ancestors' laws are immutable and that I want to open the sea. They do everything possible to stop them, but they secretly engage in smuggling business and monopolize huge profits from the sea."
The pots are full, I’m so embarrassed, do you really think that I am some good man and a believer, and I don’t dare to use the knife on them?”
Yuan Bin said with lingering fear: "Your Majesty, we have dealt with many people these days. If we deal with them again, I am afraid... it will have a bad impact on you. I suggest you keep an eye on them secretly and kill them one by one."
..."
"What are you going to do with all that effort? Why am I still afraid of the repercussions? At worst, I'm called a coward or a tyrant, so what?"
Zhu Qizhen didn't seem to care about reputation at all, and continued: "Not only must we catch them, but we must also catch them all quickly. No matter who is involved, they will be severely punished!"
That night, all Jin Yiwei were dispatched.
They were divided into several small teams, and according to the list, they invaded the houses and then picked out the influential local officials or gentry one by one.
All of a sudden, the city of Nanjing once again heard the sounds of crying for father and mother.
At the same time, the troops of the Three Thousand Battalion began to go to various counties in southern Zhili, and even began to attack Jiangxi and Zhejiang areas.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and in just a few days, hundreds more people were arrested.
They were then tortured severely. The beatings made them anxious, and they began to confess more people.
When he saw the piles of confessions sent by Yuan Bin, Zhu Qizhen was shocked and sighed: "There are so many, how many people are there?"
Yuan Bin said seriously: "There are almost a thousand people!"
There was no way. In order to save their families, some people just confessed to their accomplices at first. Later, they were afraid of being dissatisfied and knew that sooner or later others would also confess to them, so they started confessing to various other crimes. Who knows?
I have killed people, but who is greedy...
People are like this. Once they start confessing, they are like a piece of crotch. If you have too many debts, you don’t have to worry about it.
"Thousands of people... damn, how come there are so many..."
"Your Majesty, this is just the beginning, I'm afraid there will be more!"
Zhu Qizhen thought for a while and asked: "How do these people react? Are they tough-talking?"
Yuan Bin said calmly: "Many of the charges can be corroborated by each other. They know that they cannot deny it, so most of them confess. Some of them are tough-talking, and they will be convicted after a little torture."
Zhu Qizhen asked again: "This time...how many people may be involved in the end?"
"At least thousands..."
Zhu Qizhen took a breath of cold air and then asked: "Is it all the crime of confiscating the house?"
"Nine times out of ten."
At this moment, Zhu Qizhen suddenly felt that this result was not bad. These people had accumulated countless amounts of money through smuggling on the sea. If all their homes were confiscated, tsk tsk...