sjar Chapter 1055 Isn't this yet another major case involving tens of thousands of people?
Chapter 1055 Isn't this yet another major case involving tens of thousands of people?
Seeing Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu looking as timid as quails, Yang Shaofeng chuckled inwardly and continued, "Actually, before you two came to Xinghua, I had discussed with His Highness the Crown Prince that after the Censorate was reorganized, each of you would lead a department."
"Or, the two of you could jointly serve as the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Discipline Inspection Commission, with the Yangtze River as the boundary. Mr. Xixue would lead a group to inspect the officials south of the Yangtze River, and Mr. Xilu would lead a group to inspect the officials north of the Yangtze River."
"After all, both of you are descendants of the Duke Yansheng, orthodox Confucian scholars. To clean up corruption in the officialdom and rectify the atmosphere of the literati is both legitimate and a way to fulfill your duties as subjects."
"I wonder what you two are like..."
Seeing Yang Shaofeng's expression that said, "I completely respect your opinions," Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu almost cursed out loud.
You surnamed Yang, you're nothing but a living Yama in human skin!
What does it mean that the Southern School investigates the area north of the Yangtze River, while the Northern School investigates the area south of the Yangtze River?
What does it mean to be both legitimate and able to fulfill the duties of a subject?
So you're forcing both the Southern and Northern factions to offend all the officials, gentry, and scholars of the entire Ming Dynasty, and we should thank you for that?
Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu exchanged a glance, pondering how to politely decline this life-threatening task, when a burst of laughter came from outside the house.
"happy!"
"But it's not satisfying enough!"
Li Wenzhong, fully armored, strode into the room and bowed to Zhu Biao, saying, "Your subject Li Wenzhong greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhu Biao was overjoyed.
Originally, I was planning to scare Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu with my brother-in-law.
Unexpectedly, my cousin, who had led troops out a few days ago, also rushed back at this time.
Wouldn't this utterly scare Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu to death?
Zhu Biao stood up, first smiling and saying, "Cousin, there's no need for such formality." Then he had a stool brought over and asked, "I just heard you say that it was enjoyable, but not quite enjoyable. I wonder what's going on?"
Li Wenzhong said with a smile, "Didn't they say that 30,000 rebel troops came to attack Xinghua these past two days? Didn't I take a centurion from the Imperial Son-in-Law's residence to quell the rebellion?"
Zhu Biao nodded, and Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu also quietly pricked up their ears.
Li Wenzhong raised a finger and said with a hint of pride, "More than 30,000 rebels, I only led a centurion from the Imperial Son-in-Law's mansion, and I wiped them out completely, beheading over a thousand and capturing more than half. They are now awaiting Your Highness's decision."
"What I mean by 'exhilarating' is leading the Imperial Son-in-Law's personal guards into battle. They charge into battle and kill the enemy, and each one of them is valiant and decisive."
"If the Imperial Son-in-Law's personal guards had been placed under my command earlier, I would have dared to lead them on a thousand-mile raid on the Hu Yuan royal court."
"As for whether it wasn't satisfying enough..."
Li Wenzhong smiled and said, "It's just that the rebels are too weak, so there's not much point in fighting them."
A mere centurion of the Imperial Guards broke through 30,000 rebel troops?
They beheaded over 10,000 and captured more than half of them, and then complained that the rebels were too weak and that fighting them was not interesting.
The key question is, do you really want to lead the personal guards of the Prince Consort's residence on a long-distance raid on the Hu Yuan royal court?
No way, what the hell are you trying to portray here as a myth of a hundred riders defeating ten thousand enemies?!
Even if Hu Yuan is weak, he is still a formidable figure with a million archers under his command. No matter how powerful the guards of the Prince Consort's mansion are, can you really rely on the thousand or so men of the Prince Consort's mansion to kill Hu Yuan?
But after glancing at Li Wenzhong, Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu suppressed their newly arising doubts.
Since Li Wenzhong began leading troops into battle, he has never suffered a defeat.
In the twenty-fifth year of the Zhizheng era, Li Wenzhong led three hundred cavalrymen in a direct charge against Zhang Shicheng's two hundred thousand-strong army in the Battle of Xincheng.
A few years ago, during the Northern Expedition against the Yuan Dynasty, Li Wenzhong led 5,000 cavalrymen to chase the remnants of the Northern Yuan for over a thousand miles and captured alive Ayushiridara's eldest son, Maidelibala, also known as Marquis Chongli Liu Dingbei.
Li Wenzhong had even charged into enemy lines with dozens of riders before.
If you really gave him a thousand elite soldiers, he might actually dare to charge into Hu Yuan's royal court.
Sending such a ruthless man with a single guard of a hundred households to fight 30,000 ragtag rebels is not just using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, it's more like Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts – too easy for him to handle.
Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu unconsciously swallowed, completely abandoning their desire to "politely decline" the invitations from the Southern School to Cha Jiangbei and the Northern School to Cha Jiangnan.
Zhu Biao glanced at Kong Xilu and Kong Xixue with a smile, then said to Yang Shaofeng with a smile, "Brother-in-law, is it better to send these more than 10,000 prisoners to Liaodong or Dengzhou Prefecture?"
Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "Let's send it to Liaodong instead. After all, Liaodong is more harsh and cold, and it requires more manpower for road construction and city building."
"In comparison, Dengzhou is more livable. Sending them to Dengzhou would actually be a bargain for them."
Zhu Biao hummed in agreement, then turned his gaze to Xia Yu: "Commander Xia, have you figured out all the officials and gentry behind these 30,000 rebels?"
Xia Yu took out a memorial and handed it to Zhu Biao, replying, "Your Highness, we have thoroughly investigated the officials and gentry behind this rebellion."
"The officials and gentry involved in the case include one principal officer of the Sichuan Department of the Ministry of Revenue, one supervising censor of the Zhili Circuit of the Censorate, one former assistant prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture, two assistant prefects, one judge, one clerk of Gaoyou Prefecture, the registrar and clerk of Xinghua County, as well as ten gentry from Xinghua County, fifteen gentry from Gaoyou Prefecture, and six gentry from Yangzhou Prefecture."
"I have already dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest him."
"The fastest local gentry from Xinghua County will be apprehended and brought to justice before sunset today."
"The furthest are the Sichuan clerk of the Ministry of Revenue in the capital and the supervising censor of Zhili Province in the Censorate. They are expected to be apprehended and brought to justice within three days."
"All relatives and family members of those involved in the case are also among those to be apprehended."
"..."
Zhu Biao nodded again and said, "Hand these people over to the judicial authorities for trial. Apart from those sentenced to death by beheading, hanging, or slow slicing, the rest will be sent to Liaodong and placed under Hu Weiyong's arrangement, either to build roads or to mine. They will be pardoned if they are granted one."
At this point, Zhu Biao turned his gaze to Yang Shaofeng: "Brother-in-law, do you think we should still have the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate their crimes and evidence?"
Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. These people, once in the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, will remember even the few times they wet the bed as children."
“If necessary, the Embroidered Uniform Guard can even make them admit that they burned down the Epang Palace.”
"Besides, with me here as a target, there will be more officials and gentry jumping out to 'purge the emperor's inner circle' in the future, so it doesn't matter if one or two of them come along."
Zhu Biao and Yang Shaofeng's nonchalant attitude completely terrified Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu.
The rebel army that attacked Xinghua County numbered more than 30,000. According to Li Wenzhong’s statement that he had just “captured more than half”, he alone had captured more than 15,000 rebel soldiers.
In addition to their entire family, even their nine generations of relatives, plus a host of officials and gentry and their nine generations of relatives involved...
Isn't this yet another case involving tens of thousands of people?
The key point is what Yang Dianfeng said.
Could the Embroidered Uniform Guard get officials and gentry to admit that they burned down the Epang Palace?
Listen to this! Is this even human language?!
Just as Kong Xixue and Kong Xilu were cursing wildly in their hearts, Zhu Biao looked at the two of them with a smile and asked, "By the way, what do you two think of your brother-in-law's suggestion just now?"