This morning, Zeng Guofan was reviewing the emergency document from Daozhou when a regiment rushed into the Judicial Bureau and reported,"
"Lord Zeng, something big has happened!"
"What's the matter? Why are you so panicked?" Zeng Guofan looked away from the emergency document and stared at the group of men.
"Sir, someone is snatching the rice." The soldier hurriedly replied. He had yet to recover from his nervousness.
"Is there such a thing?" Zeng Guofan was surprised. In the past few months, although there had been many disturbances in Changsha City, there had never been any rice robbery.
It had appeared before. He realized the seriousness of the situation and could not help but feel a little anxious." Which rice store did you rob? How many people are there?"
Zeng Guofan's ferocious expression shocked the envoy. He was speechless for a moment and could not answer.
"Hurry up and tell me!" Zeng Guofan glared at the group of men again and cursed in his heart, A useless pushover!”
The soldier composed himself and stammered,"Little West Gate, no, I'm wrong. It's the Great West Gate's Grain Harvest. people are very
Many, many. There were probably one to two hundred, but there could also be two to three hundred.”
"Zeng Guobao!" Guo Bao hurried over to his elder brother's side. Zeng Guofan ordered decisively,"Gather all your personal guards."
Together, he brought them to the Great West Gate's Grains and Rice Store and captured all the Sunset Disciples who robbed the store. a covered
Those who resist will be executed on the spot!"
"Yes, sir!" Guo Bao agreed and turned to leave.
"Stop!" Zeng Guofan called out to Mandi," Tell Peng Yuju to ride a fast horse and go to Luoshan Camp to mobilize a hundred regiments to support him."
You!"
After Guobao left, Zeng Guofan changed into civilian clothes and put on sunglasses. He was protected by Kang Fu and Jiang Yili and quietly left the interrogation room.
At the police station, he took a small path and ran towards the Great West Gate. The Criminal Investigation Bureau was not far from the Great West Gate. They arrived in 25 minutes. Zeng Guofan saw the grain before the rice
There was a sea of people. Other than those who were watching the show, there were hundreds of people carrying rice bags, wooden buckets, and washbasins. Most of them surrounded the rice store.
It was the elderly and children. Someone was giving them rice. The crowd burst into laughter. It was a mess around the rice store.
"These lawless bandits!" Zeng Guofan cursed in a low voice. Wouldn't it be a rebellion to open the granaries and release grain?”
At this moment, Zeng Guobao led the 60th regiment of his personal guards and rushed over from the north. Peng Yuju led the 100th regiment of Luo Shan Camp.
They rushed over from the south and surrounded the rice store. When people saw this scene, they were scared out of their wits. Many people threw down the rice in their hands.
Bags and wooden barrels fled in panic. The regiment members caught dozens of old people and children carrying rice, shouting and punching violently.
The person knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and begged for mercy. He cried and called out for his mother. The scene was very miserable. Zeng Guofan ordered Jiang Yili to pass on the order,"Surround and watch."
Those who were carrying rice were not arrested. Those who were in the lead and those who were snatching rice were all arrested and brought to the Judicial Bureau.”
After saying that, she quietly left the scene with Kang Fu and returned to the yamen.
Two hours later, Guo Bao came to report," Thirteen criminals were arrested. Zeng Guofan instructed Huang Tingzan to interrogate him immediately. After a while,
He thought of something else and took out a piece of paper from the drawer." Brother Shu Kang: Please pay attention during the interrogation.
A member of the Syndicate, or someone who has connections with the Syndicate.”
After he finished writing and sealed it, he asked Jing Qi to give it to Huang Tingzan. Then, he took out the emergency document that he hadn't finished reading in the morning and focused on reading it.
Late at night, Huang Tingzan came to report on the interrogation.
Wu Xingang, the owner of the Five Grains Rich Rice Store, was a greedy, mean, and vicious businessman. Over the years, he has used many illegal methods
They squeezed out several nearby peers and monopolized the rice industry from the south gate to the big west gate. They often raised the market price and replaced the inferior ones with the good ones.
A pound less than two, harm the people, amass thousands of ill-gotten wealth. The commoners called him heartless behind his back. This "Heartless" is biased
He also knew how to curry favor with the government and find a backer. Even though the citizens hated him to the bone, there was nothing they could do. This was Changsha City.
When there was a shortage of rice, Heartless bought a batch of rotten rice from other places at a low price, mixed it with good rice, and sold it to the citizens at a high price.
The townsfolk were all cursed by this. At this moment, a man was annoyed. This person's name was Liao Renhe, and he lived outside the Great West Gate.
A foot on the dock, a tall and strong man, good at fighting injustice. With a shout, he led more than ten men and rushed into Wugufeng.
Mi Xing, give Heartless a good beating. The onlookers clapped their hands and cheered. Someone shouted,"Brother Liao, why don't you just take all the rice in the warehouse?
Give it to the people and vent your resentment!"
The crowd echoed. Liao Renhe had suffered a lot from being "heartless". Thinking about this ill-gotten wealth, the common people took it.
So, he agreed to everyone's request. The nearby commoners all came forward to divide the rice, causing a huge commotion!
Zeng Guofan quietly listened to Huang Tingzan's interrogation report. His eyes were half-closed and his face was expressionless. He was thinking in his heart.
How to handle this case. This was clearly a punishment for the profiteers. Profiteers like the boss of Wugufeng were everywhere.
Zeng Guofan believed that the interrogation report was true. But this case was so big that the people of Changsha
If they were not severely punished, the criminals would follow suit and rob rice stores, shops, and banks.
Heavens? To completely cut off the idea of copying others, they must be severely punished! Having made up his mind, Zeng Guofan asked Huang Tingzan,"Brother Shu Kang, you
How should we deal with this matter?"
Huang Tingzan thought for a moment and said," Wu Xingang is a treacherous businessman. The people have taken the initiative to punish him.
From the perspective of laws and regulations, it is detrimental to social stability. No matter what, this trend could not be allowed to continue. In my opinion, these 13 troublemakers are the leaders.
Liao Renhe was beaten with a hundred sticks and paraded through the streets for three days. The rest of the people were beaten with fifty sticks and released home.”
Huang Tingzan's handling of the matter was completely in line with the laws of the court. But now it's chaotic, chaotic
People in the world can't follow the rules when handling cases. "This bookworm is just a little pedantic.”Zeng Guofan said in his heart.
Huang Tingzan was indeed pedantic. Zeng Guofan knew this when they were classmates at Yuelu Academy. It is precisely because of the roundabout way,
He was not doing well in the officialdom. In Jiangsu, he waited for three years. Later, he had already taken up his post, but he had never been able to do so.
In fact, she was short of food and clothing. She was extremely shabby. When her mother died, she didn't even have the money to go back to her hometown to attend the funeral. It is precisely because of the roundabout way,
But Zeng Guofan took a fancy to him. Zeng Guofan liked this kind of person who would not play tricks and was down-to-earth. He thought that the current corrupt officialdom
Because there were too many crafty people and too few pedantic people. Zeng Guofan entrusted Huang Tingzan with the daily affairs of the case investigation bureau.
The other committee members also had to be examined by Huang Tingzan. Huang Tingzan was grateful to Zeng Guofan and did his best.
In most cases, Zeng Guofan would follow Huang Tingzan's opinion, but this matter could not be handled according to his opinion.
Zeng Guofan didn't deal with this matter seriously, and it would cause adverse consequences. He analyzed it to Huang Tingzan and finally made him pay.
Huang Tingzan was convinced.
"A heavy sentence is fine. The leader was imprisoned for three years, and the accomplices were imprisoned for three to six months.”Huang Tingzan proposed a heavy prescription.
Case.
"Do these people have any connection to the Hall?”Zeng Guofan didn't agree with Huang Tingzan's plan, but he asked another question.
Question.
"After receiving Daren's personal order, this humble servant focused on interrogating this matter. Liao Renhe, who was called the head, had some connections with the skewers.
Yes, but there's no evidence."
"Other than Liao Renhe, who are the other twelve?”
"The twelve of them are staying in the Great West Gate area. Four of them had been captured by Long Hair to become a long corpse, and three of them were originally stationed in Wuchang.
Camp, after Wuchang was captured by Long Hair, he escaped back. The other five didn't have a fixed occupation, and three of them were pressed because they had beaten up others.
The Inspector's Office sent a message."
"That's right." Zeng Guofan nodded." I was wondering why these people are so lawless. So they are not bandits.
Hooligans, not a single one of them was a good citizen. To deal with such a person, it was not too much to kill him.”
"Behead?" Huang Tingzan was shocked. No matter how heavy it was, it couldn't be beheaded!
"Who is it?" As they were talking, Zeng Guofan saw a figure flash past the window." Jing Qi, go outside and take a look."”
After a while, Jing Qi came in with a paper cover and said,""I didn't see him. I only saw this thing at the door. Like a letter
The cover is very heavy." As he spoke, he handed it over with both hands.
When Zeng Guofan looked at it, it was a letter cover. He pulled it open with force and saw a shiny short knife fall straight out from inside.
It was inserted into the floor, and the hilt was swaying slightly. Huang Tingzan was so scared that his face turned pale. Zeng Guofan was also shocked, but he quickly calmed down.
"Who sent me such a sharp knife?" he asked with a forced smile.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper from his envelope. Huang Tingzan leaned over to look and saw two lines of words written on the paper: "Release
If you don't let go, the knife won't recognize you.”Next to it, he used red, blue, and black pens to draw three overlapping circles.
"This was done by the people from the Chuanzi Association!" Huang Tingzan exclaimed.”
"How did you know?" Zeng Guofan asked.
"This three-colored circle is the symbol of the Chuanzi Association.”Huang Tingzan had personally interrogated many cases in the past few months, so he knew a little about it.
The hall was dark.
"You want to threaten me with death? Humph!" Zeng Guofan sneered disdainfully." The headquarters was once an official of the Ministry of War, so why would they be afraid of these grass?"
Kou!"
"I heard that there are two to three hundred people in the Chuanzi Guild.”Huang Tingzan's heart was still beating.
"How about two or three hundred people? We have more than a thousand soldiers, why should we be afraid of them turning the world upside down?”Zeng Guofan suddenly became excited.
He said excitedly," Brother Shu Kang, you just said that there was no evidence of Liao Ren's connection with the Hall of Meeting. Now, the evidence is here. if
Liao Ren and these guys were not from the Chuanzi Gang, so why would they send this threatening letter?”
"Your analysis makes sense, sir," Huang Tingzan said."It looks like Liao Renhe is from the Chuanzi Association."”
"If it's someone from the Chuanzi Association, then the sentence should be even heavier. Let's not waste any more time. I think we should take these people to the Red Archway tomorrow morning.
Go and behead them."
"All beheaded?" Huang Tingzan asked in surprise.
"Kill them all." Zeng Guofan's face darkened.
"There's a seventeen-year-old child and a sixty-two-year-old man.”
"Regardless of age! If such a person was left behind, it would be a hidden danger. It's better to kill now than to harm society in the future
It's over."
Zeng Guofan's attitude was so firm that Huang Tingzan did not dare to say anything more. He only muttered,"Kill more than ten at a time
Since the establishment of the Judicial Bureau, there has never been such a case in Changsha. It's best to inform Luo Zhongcheng first and invite Wang Qi to kill him.
People, save yourself the trouble of attracting gossip in the future."
"What you said makes sense. If we didn't have this threatening letter, we should have told Luo Zhongcheng to invite Wang Qi. who did not
If they could do things according to the rules, the sooner they killed, the sooner they would be at peace. What if a bunch of people rushed into the Criminal Investigation Bureau tomorrow night to rob her? Kill this kind of hall
Luo Zhongcheng wouldn't disagree with being a gangster.”
"I think Wu Xingang, the boss of Wugufeng, should also be arrested. If we don't arrest him, we can't appease the public's anger.”Huang Tingzan asked another question.
Zeng Guofan pondered for a long time and remained silent. Huang Tingzan seemed to be encouraged and said excitedly,"Sir, the riot is about to happen.
However, corrupt officials, profiteers, and scoundrels must also be punished.”
Zeng Guofan nodded and said,"Brother Shu Kang, your words hit the nail on the head, but I have no right to do this right now!" I just
One was the assistant minister, temporarily ordered to help the regiment, only able to suppress the bandits, but had no right to punish corruption. not in one's place
Ah!"
Zeng Guofan stroked Huang Tingzan's back and stared at the dark night scene outside the window. He paused for a moment and said softly,"Brother Shu Kang, yes.
If the court can be a governor of any party, we will definitely ask you to help. We will work together to eliminate corrupt officials and crack down on unscrupulous merchants.
Stick, start from yourself, work conscientiously, be diligent and frugal, work for the emperor, be a role model for the provincial officials, rectify social order
To reverse the bad atmosphere, to do a great cause of changing customs and casting the world, we will live up to our original achievements in Yuelu Academy.
Study hard at the cold window."
Huang Tingzan's blood was boiling. He held Zeng Guofan's hand tightly and said excitedly,"Good! At that time, Ting Zan will definitely bow.
I'll do my best until I die."
After Huang Tingzan left, Zeng Guofan pulled out the short knife from the ground, carefully looked at it, touched it, then put it in the letter cover and locked it together.
He entered the cabinet. That night, Zeng Guofan did not stay in his original bedroom. He chose the most inconspicuous small room in the yamen to sleep in. It was called Kang.
Fu, Jiang Yili, and the others were sleeping beside him.
The next day, when the sky was not fully bright, Zeng Guofan ordered Guo Bao to lead 150 regiments to escort Liao Renhe and the others.
The three prisoners who robbed the rice shop went to the Red Archway. "Big Brother, it's not dawn yet. Can't you be a little later?" Guo Bao asked, puzzled.”
"You're still young and don't understand the complexity of the world." Since these people are associated with the Chuanzi Association
Yes, it was hard to guarantee that the skewers would not stop them midway, and they had to be wary of them robbing the execution ground, so the earlier the better. As soon as you get to the Red Archway, you'll die
Tuan Ding blocked the intersection of the four directions, not allowing a person to come in. As soon as they handed it over, they ordered the execution.”
Not long after Guo Bao escorted the prisoner away, Jing Qi came in in a panic to report,"Milord, there is a large group of people kneeling outside the yamen.
A group of people kept saying that they wanted to see Daren.”
"Who are they?" Zeng Guofan became alert and thought to himself, Could it be that the people from the Chuanzi Association are here?”
"Most of them are old men and women. They don't seem to be bad people.”Jing Qi replied," Or, Sir, you can order Kang Fu to lead the group.
Ding Hong, just leave." Seeing that Zeng Guofan was hesitating, Jing Qi took the initiative and said,"I'll go call Kangfu." With that, he turned around and left.
"Come back!" Zeng Guofan roared. He was very angry at Jing Qi's action. Jing Qi stood in place in fear, waiting for the lecture.
However, Zeng Guofan did not reprimand him. He only ordered," Tell Kang Fu to bring Jiang Yili, Xiao Qijiang, and the others with me. I want to personally go to the hospital."
See them."
Zeng Guofan straightened his clothes and walked out of the yamen with steady steps. As expected, he saw dozens of people kneeling outside.
An old man and an old woman with white hair. When they saw Zeng Guofan come out, they shouted,""Lord Zeng, Lord Zeng." head
He kept knocking. Zeng Guofan said with a pleasant face,"Dear fellow villagers, I wonder what you have called me out for?"”
An old man with white hair and beard, wearing an old cloth robe, stood up with a walking stick and said,"Lord Zeng, everyone has recommended this old man to say,
A few words."
As soon as the old man opened his mouth, he started coughing. Zeng Guofan shouted,"Jing Qi, bring a stool and let the old man sit down."”
The old man hurriedly said that he didn't dare. Seeing that Jing Qi had really brought a stool over, he also sat down. Kang Fu also moved an armchair for Zeng Guofan, but
He did not sit down.
"All the villagers said that Lord Zeng has been suppressing the bandits in the past few months, and the atmosphere in Changsha has improved greatly.
The credit. However,"the old man coughed again and spat out a mouthful of phlegm." Yesterday, the matter of snatching rice in the Great West Gate was actually caused by the profiteer Wu.
It was newly forced out. Liao Renhe and the others fought for the victims and opened the granaries to release grain in response to the people's demands. And Wu Xingang in the warehouse
The rice that had been piled up was all obtained from exploiting the citizens over the past few years. It was not illegal to return it to the citizens now. This year
He was eighty years old and had studied for a few years when he was young. The Book of Rites said: "If you harm the people, you will be punished." Wu Xingang has always harmed the people, Liao Renhe
It is also in line with the ancient precepts to punish them. I hope Your Excellency will have mercy on the rice robbers for a reason, forgive them for their improper actions, and release Liao Renhe and others.
People are used to fulfill the expectations of the people. In addition, the hundreds of people who got the rice yesterday were also in a panic and begged for mercy.”
After the old man finished speaking, the kneeling people shouted in unison,"Lord, please show mercy!"
Zeng Guofan coldly glanced at the crowd and cursed in his heart,"A bunch of muddle-headed people!" He suppressed his anger and continued to use
"Dear fellow villagers, I have been ordered by the imperial edict to organize the regimental training. The purpose is to suppress the riots and protect the people. just now
According to this old man, the atmosphere in Changsha had improved in the past few months. Thank you for your support. Wu Xingang, the owner of Wugufeng, is greedy.
I have heard of the harm done to the people. If the rice snatcher yesterday was really out of righteous indignation, even if his actions were improper and caused a riot, I can do it.
Consider leniency. Zeng Guofan raised his voice and his tone became cold.
They had all been deceived. Liao Renhe and the other 13 criminals were not brave heroes, but criminals in the hall! they're all a
Those heartless bandits!"
The crowd below the steps were all extremely shocked and began to whisper to each other.
"The headquarters have irrefutable evidence." Zeng Guofan turned to Jing Qi and said,"Take the threatening letter and the short knife that was sent by the Chuanzi Association last night."
Come out and let these kind-hearted elders experience it.”
Jing Qi took out his saber and letter. Zeng Guofan raised his knife and said,"This is the skewer that was sent last night. They threatened to assassinate the headquarters."
Tang's short knife." He picked up the letter again and said," This is their threatening letter. Everyone, please take a look.”
The letter was circulated among the crowd. Some sighed, some nodded, and some shook their heads. Everyone was stunned by this letter.
"Dear fellow villagers, these people have never been good people who know their place. They are the backbone of the Chuanzi Association.
Resentment towards the Grain and Rice Trade, taking the opportunity to do such illegal things, trying to disturb people's hearts and destroy society in order to rise up in the chaos and rebel.
Long Hair. If we don't kill these bandits, how can we appease the people's anger and appease the society? As for the commoners who didn't know the truth yesterday and were greedy for small profits..."
Zeng Guofan stopped and changed to a more gentle tone." Please tell them to relax. The headquarters will not do anything."
Investigate. Everyone, go back!"
Seeing that the person below the steps didn't stand up, Zeng Guofan suddenly said loudly,"Everyone, go to the Red Archway to watch the fun.
The bandit's head had been hanging there for half a day!”
Everyone was panic-stricken. They then stood up and ran towards the red archway. The old man who spoke just now shook his head as he walked.
"It's really strange. Why are there so many meetings? I've never heard of it before!"”
An old woman next to him said," Amitabha, what a sin, what a sin. To chop off thirteen heads at once, this killing is like
It's like shaving your head."
Another old woman said angrily,"Master Zeng, I shaved my head!"”
The old woman inadvertently gave Zeng Guofan a nickname. From that day on, the word "once shaved" was heard in Changsha.
The news spread everywhere.
After a few days, Wu Xingang, the owner of Wugufeng, bought a few feet of yellow silk and made a huge umbrella for the people. He brought more than a dozen rice bags with him.
The waiter came to the Judicial Bureau to meet Lord Zeng, thank him for saving the rice line, and ask him to order the collection of the rice that was distributed that day.
When Wang Jingqi told Zeng Guofan about Wu Xingang's intention, he was so angry that his eyebrows were vertical, his triangular eyes were on fire, and he said fiercely,
He said,"This profiteer, the headquarters won't touch him for the time being, but he has raised his dog tail!" Why would the headquarters want his Myriad People Umbrella! You go and warn
If he didn't turn over a new leaf in the future and did business honestly, the headquarters would seal up the rice store and punish him severely!”
After Wu Xingang heard Wang Jingqi's stern warning, he was so scared that he didn't even bother to take the Wanmin Umbrella and fled with his men. had
Guofan ordered to burn the Wanmin Umbrella outside the door.
Beheading and burning the umbrella of the people, the citizens of Changsha could not figure out the thoughts of this regimental training minister, Zeng Shatou.
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