Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 1080 1075 [The Power of the Masses]

The case in Huainan is complex, and 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 Shahe Gang who had a murder case in their hands, the other gang members also confessed truthfully. Because they were ordinary boatmen, coolies, trackers, etc., they were forced to join the Shahe Society in order to make a living. They were engaged in the business of decapitation but received the money of working as cattle and horses.

One of the gang members confessed like this:

"Young 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 go around the Shahe Association to pick up the work, you will get beaten... You also have to support your family, 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 currency checkpoints at night to load it in the dark, working hard to get thirty pennies, 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, and I could transport more in one trip, but the 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?"

"We also got together to make trouble, but the thugs used sticks to deal with it. 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 on 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 store? It must not be the official store. The husband-in-law built a private store warehouse... It must be against the rules. We all coolies know that private stores are not allowed near the bank pass, otherwise tax evasion and smuggling will be too much. It’s easy... but those private warehouses are being built, and the officials don’t care, what can we coolies say?”

"How to transport private salt now? Before entering the banknote pass, 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 did Mr. Li bother to go around 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 managed. I also heard that although the officials in Chaoguan are not high-ranking, they are all young Jinshi ministers who have had troubles before..."

"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 the person on the spot and took him to the police. I heard that he even arrested the imperial court... Two cash customs officials After that, more than 20 people were exiled and imprisoned. From then on, there were often censors coming to Mokou Chaoguan to investigate, and Mr. Li never dared to think about Chaoguan again..."

"The way I see it, if nothing happens this time, I will have to listen to Mr. Li in a few years."

"Some of the subordinate staff at Chaoguan have also been drawn to join the Shahe Club. They have been helping the private warehouses as spies. They will report any trouble. When there is another money-hungry 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 met 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 drag the bank into trouble. Instead, they adopted a step-by-step approach, eroding the grassroots tax collectors at the bank checkpoints bit by bit, and waited for the limelight to pass before dragging the officials down.

If there is no strict investigation this time, it will be a matter of time before everyone at Mokou Chaoguan becomes corrupt.

"Whose are those empty boats north of Chaoguan? I don't know, but the boatmen are from Henan. They transport serious goods from Henan, and they honestly 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 was 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. The use of water ships to transport private salt has long been I lost my head..."

"Well done, gentlemen, I'm just a coolie... Is it a crime not to 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 want to eat his flesh and drink his blood!

The rural gentry teamed up with the chief security officer to proactively cooperate with the government in arresting people and alerting people in each village to suspicious persons.

Countless people responded positively. If a stranger entered the village, the villagers would be alert and report the news.

Some high-ranking members of the Shahe Society were also sent to the government by the common people because they often visited the fish and meat village.

"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 Bao 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, but 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.

They can only walk day and night every day. When they finish eating the dry food they brought with them, they steal food from the fields they pass by.

He planned to disguise himself as a beggar and flee to Shandong, and then to Hebei or Liaodong. I lurked there for a while and waited for the news to pass before spending money to buy property. I heard that Liaodong was a vast land with few people and it was easy to settle there.

Jiang Kuan was chewing 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. It's as if his ears are deaf!"

Jiang Kuan let down his guard and continued to eat.

There were no mountains or groves nearby, making it difficult for him to hide during the day. The wheat has also been harvested, let's see if we can find a cornfield to hide in.

After eating two cantaloupes, Jiang Kuan lay down and moved slowly.

The cornfield is quite far away, since this is the riverside after all. Except for the dry season when water cannot be obtained from the canal for irrigation, no one is responsible for the water during normal times. Who would be willing to grow corn in fertile land close to the water source?

"Right over there, the old lady 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. All men, women, and children are here to search, and people should be arranged at every Taguchi location to keep watch!"

"The official surnamed Jiang offered a reward of three hundred dollars. We all cheered up and shared the reward together if we 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, and I don’t know when it came. There was no sound of footsteps as the child walked.

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've 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 is also occupied. Even the house and the paddy field are 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's a reward of three hundred guan. Quickly 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 a gift, and eat the flowing water banquet with open belly!"

"Master Bao is benevolent and righteous!"

"..."

That night, the interrogation took place 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 have not yet arrived, and those responsible for the interrogation are Yan Tao himself and the officers seconded from the army.

"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 answered, the better, so don't force me to use torture. The court said that torture is not allowed. You’ll have to force a confession, but we, as censors, 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 just waiting to be beheaded?"

"Is it necessary to lie to you?" Yan Tao asked.

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, some businessmen from Yancheng came and asked the Shahe Society to help them transport private salt. The Shahe Society was only responsible for transporting the private salt from the upstream town of Baoying to Huaiyin. Hongze Town, and later changed to the north of Mokou Chaoguan. At that time, Li Xiaojian was not involved and did not know about the transaction. "

"Later, it got bigger and bigger, and Li Xiaojian discovered it. The guy was so frightened that his legs went weak and told us not to do this business, saying that we couldn't handle it after the incident. Hey, how can we stop the business of beheading? Li Xiaojian later He acquiesced, then started making noises about sharing the money, and finally even snatched away the private salt business. "

"Which merchant in Yancheng? Whether they are salt transporters or salt producers, 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 named 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 former Commander-in-Chief? He must be involved, otherwise we would have been arrested long ago. Three consecutive Commander-in-Chiefs, only the first one did not embezzle, but for the sake of the Li family, there was no strict investigation. We also cooperated at that time , he worked against smuggling from time to time, we gave him credit, and he was quickly promoted and transferred. The next two terms, he helped smuggling, and they all got 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 serious. 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 they are actually 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?" It turned out that the daughter was sent to the government 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 take concubines in the place where they worked. "

"Also...and there is the current household Cao Dingchou. When he first came here, he was still 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 win the favor of a famous prostitute, he would spend dozens or even hundreds of dollars at a time and would not buy her body as 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.

An impeachment memorial was sent to Dongxi Garden.

Officials from various civilian factions impeached Li Hanzhang.

As for Li Hanzhang's punishment, Ju Ming only revealed the details in private, and it has not been officially announced yet.

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