Seeing Song Yi carefully writing about the crimes of Wang Kuan, the prefect of Gongchang, and Wang Rong, the Marquis of Dingxi, Xiao Chen felt relieved.
No longer disturbing him, he slowly walked out of the door.
Behind him, Duan Tianming followed.
He must report to Xiao Chen what he saw and heard in the caravan.
"Have you captured the prefect of Gongchang?" Duan Tianming asked in a low voice.
"The disaster in Gongchang can almost be said to have been caused by him. Although at this juncture we should mobilize all possible forces and focus on disaster relief first, this person has committed a heinous crime and must be taken down." Xiao Chen walked with his hands behind his back.
While saying.
"Since we have captured the prefect of Gongchang, let's capture the caravan as well."
"Oh?" Xiao Chen was stunned and turned around, "What did you see at the caravan station?"
"Everywhere in Shanmen Town is occupied by caravans. Although it is located in the hinterland of the Qinling Mountains, the various buildings are extremely luxurious. Before taking action, I asked the mountain people about the situation of the caravans with the mountain people some distance away from Shanmen Town. The tone of their words
, full of envy and yearning for the caravan."
"The caravan has money, popular food and spicy food, and the people are envious of their life. This is normal." Turning around, Xiao Chen slowly walked forward again.
"I'm worried that the people are so envious of the days of caravans that they don't even think about farming anymore. If this situation continues to spread, will anyone be able to farm this land in the future? By then, there will be no food but money, and money can't make up for it.
Full stomach." Duan Tianming said a little worriedly.
"The influence of the caravan is only so large. How can he infect the people of the entire Ming Dynasty? Having said that, there is nothing wrong with living a good life. The imperial court really hopes that everyone can live a good life.
, the popular ones drink the spicy ones.”
"Most of the activities in the caravan station are young people. They have absorbed young people into the gang. What about the old people and children at home? No one is filial to those who should be filial, and no one is raising those who should be raised. The whole area
In this region, people's lives have become deformed."
"Alas." Xiao Chen sighed, "This situation is really difficult to handle. If you don't go out and work hard, you will never get ahead by guarding those acres of thin fields. Go out, there is no one at home, young and old.
Take care of it. There is no problem with the operation of the caravan. Even if it helps people transport goods, they earn hard-earned money. However, colluding with the government to bully the market and suppress the weaker freight teams is a bit too much. We are both common people at the bottom, and we are fighting against each other.
Why be in such a hurry?"
"The lower class people? The caravan is not the lower class people now." Duan Tianming said.
"No matter how much money they have, no matter how luxurious the buildings are, in the eyes of the government, they are still ordinary people, just ordinary people living at the bottom. The only difference is that the government may be more polite towards them. After all, Baihuahua
Silver must be squeezed out of them.”
"What do you mean, this caravan cannot be banned?"
Xiao Chen shook his head: "We can't ban it, but we must manage it well. This is also the first thing we need to do after we complete the disaster relief and vigorously rectify the Gongchang Mansion. The emperor sent Zheng He and Eunuch Zheng to take the fleet to the West to promote
The trade between the Ming Dynasty and Western countries, and the land trade route from Fengxiang Mansion to the west cannot be interrupted. However, it seems that this caravan has been privatized and has become a tool in the hands of some people. This can
no."
"Are you talking about Dingxihou?"
"Yes." Xiao Chen nodded, "In the past few days, I have also collected information about Dingxihou. Just as Song Yi, the leader of the caravan, said, Dingxihou is a low-key man and loves the people like his own son. He loves himself.
Son, it’s a bit too much.”
"Then how should we treat him?"
"Secretly providing gunpowder to the caravan has violated national law and should be punished. Although the caravan used his gunpowder to deal with us, as long as he can continue to love the people as his son, I still intend to hand him over to the emperor for decision.
In the next few days, he will come to Gongchang Mansion. If he can give up Wang Kuan, the prefect of Gongchang, Dongchang will not target him. If he has no position for his son, then take away his marquis and kill them all with one shot.
Already."
Taking small steps, Xiao Chen said calmly.
Dongchang was ambushed in the valley this time. Xiao Chen originally intended that all the people involved would be buried with him.
But after seeing the current situation of the refugees in Gongchang, we know how important it is to have local officials who are considerate of the people.
Dingxihou provided gunpowder to the caravan, but his purpose was not to let the caravan target Dongchang. The culprit of this matter was Wang Kuan, the prefect of Gongchang.
Wang Kuan could not escape the pain of peeling and cramping.
The Marquis of Dingxi still hated Dongchang in his heart. As long as he was more sensible and continued to treat the people well in Dingxi, Xiao Chen wouldn't mind letting him go.
"Then what should we do with this caravan leader?" Duan Tianming asked.
"what you think?"
"This is Guanyi. We still have major disaster relief work to do. Taking him into custody will definitely be a waste of manpower."
Xiao Chen turned around and winked at Duan Tianming: "That's not what you are thinking, is it?"
Seeing that Xiao Chen guessed his inner thoughts, Duan Tianming simply stopped being secretive: "The caravan is attacking us, and I want to kill him."
"Do you think I will keep his life?" Xiao Chen chuckled, "Keeping him is just to prepare for Dingxihou. After taking Dingxihou, you can do whatever you want with this person."
Duan Tianming's face felt awkward: "I always feel that we are not honest about this matter."
"Why is it not authentic?"
"He has surrendered and written a confession. He should be punished according to the laws of the court. You just said that you would let me do whatever I want."
"In the end, he must be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the imperial court. However, before the treatment, it is the process of Dongchang's torture and confession. If he doesn't confess, won't you have to go through the trouble?" Looking at Duan Tianming, Xiao Chen squeezed again.
Wink your eyes.
"Yes, he hasn't confessed yet." Duan Tianming understood instantly and smiled with big white teeth at Xiao Chen.
Raising his hand, Xiao Chen patted his mouth and yawned again.
"I was very sleepy just now, and I have been thinking about you all the time. Now I feel better, and I feel relieved. I went to the house next to me and stared for a while, and I didn't sleep for several days."
"Go ahead, I won't disturb you if you have nothing to do." Duan Tianming waved his hand and turned to leave.
At this moment, on the official road of Yuntian Town, forty miles away from Gongchang City, a carriage was slowly traveling.
The carriage was very old. At first glance, it didn't look like a carriage belonging to a wealthy family.
However, the dozen or so guards surrounding the carriage were tall and energetic, and their armor was shining in the sun, making people have to think about this old carriage.
The curtain of the carriage was opened, and the head of an old man was revealed. It was Wang Rong, Marquis of Dingxi.
"How far is it from Gongchang City?"
Hearing this voice, a guard walking close to the carriage raised his fists and looked at the carriage respectfully: "Back to the Marquis, we have just passed Yuntian Town, and we are still about thirty or forty miles away from Gongchang City."
"Oh." Ding Xihou retracted his head and put down the curtain of the carriage.
The day after Wang Kuan left, Marquis Dingxi planned to set off to meet the imperial envoy sent by the imperial court for disaster relief to Gongchang Mansion.
But thinking about it, Wang Kuanwan returned 50,000 shi of food, which allowed him to make achievements in the disaster relief process. He would have the confidence to speak again when he came here.
In the carriage, there was a small light yellow wooden box beside Ding Xihou.
With no expression on his face, Ding Xihou opened the box and looked inside.
Inside the box, there were ten gold ingots weighing almost half a catty. On top of the gold ingots, there was a pile of silver notes. The face value of the silver notes was all 10,000 taels.
Dingxi Hou was not very clear about what Dongchang actually was. But the fact that Dongchang's purple-clothed lieutenant beheaded Cangcheng, the Minister of Punishment, in public shocked him at the time.
The highest administrative department of the imperial court is undoubtedly the Six Ministries. Any minister among the Six Ministries is the pillar of the country.
Needless to say, the courage of the purple-robed captain who killed Cang Cheng in public. The most important thing is that the emperor actually acquiesced. Judging from this matter, the purple-robed captain's status in the emperor's mind is self-evident.
Wang Kuan ambushed the opponent. I'm afraid this matter is really difficult to resolve.
Fortunately, there were no casualties on the other side. I just hope that these gold and silver can help the other side calm down the fire and let Wang Kuan go.
Unknowingly, the tall city wall of Gongchang City had appeared in front of the carriage.
