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"Go into the house and check the property of the profiteers."

After Chen Zheng said these words, Pan Chengji, the right commander, immediately commanded the lieutenant generals and stepped into the Fan family compound. Thick hats and helmets poured in from the Fan family gate, and voices of despair could be heard from inside. screamed.

In Jiexiu, there were more than 500 people from the three divisions of the White Tiger Camp of the Yongyi Army, and there were more than a thousand from Pan Chengji's troops, for a total of only 500 people.

The Cavalry Division of the Chinese Army is responsible for inspecting military discipline, the other two divisions are guarding various city gates, and the Right Division A Division is responsible for inspecting the Fan family's shops in the city.

Therefore, the only people responsible for searching Fan's house were the nearly [-] troops of Division B on the right.

After entering the gate, soldiers from the White Tiger Camp of the Yongyi Army searched each house one by one, picking out the Fan clan members from each house one by one. They cried and screamed, and brought them to the halls of each courtyard to gather them. They were densely packed, and more and more people gathered.

Several clan elders were also in front of the major courtyards, together with other clan members, but Fan Yongqin, the elder of the wealthy clan, was missing.

Some people say that Fan Yongqin joined Yongning Bo of Xuanfu. In order to preserve his family and inheritance, he sold all his clan property to Qiu Ba from Xuanfu.

Of course, some people say that Fan Yongqin, an old man from a wealthy family, took advantage of the opportunity of leaving the city to negotiate with Qiu Ba from Xuanfu, abandoning his clan and absconding with money alone...

When people are in a dangerous situation, they will always speculate on others as victims, and even erase other people's efforts and call them perpetrators.

Not long after, people discovered that Fan Yongqin, an old man from a wealthy family, had hanged himself in front of his ancestral tablet in the ancestral hall in the backyard. There was nothing around him except two suicide notes.

First, he advised his son to live a peaceful life from now on, treat his mother well, advise his children, and never think about revenge for him. He also said that everything he did today was his own fault and not the fault of others.

The second is to persuade all the Fan family members not to get into trouble with the brave army who came to ransack their homes, let alone to resent Uncle Yong Ning. All the troubles were caused by the Fan family themselves.

In this suicide note to warn all clan members, he also advised all Fan clan members that in the future, whether they are officials, farmers, or businessmen, they must always remember the majestic kindness of the emperor, put the country before the family, and never do anything that will disgrace the family again. Come.

"When a man is about to die, his words are good!"

In order to leave a glimmer of hope for the Fan clan, Fan Yongqin was willing to bear the grievances of his clan members and reached an agreement with General Chen Zheng of the Yongyi Army to hoard silver in exchange for the safety of his clan members.

Although he thought about it carefully, he thought that even if he did not tell the whereabouts of his family's hidden silver now, Fan Yongdou, who was far away in Zhangjiakou, might not be able to withstand the Xuanfu army's torture to extract a confession. The hidden silver accumulated by these families for generations would eventually be lost. All fell into the hands of Yongningbo Zhang Cheng.

And in that case, the tribesmen on Jiexiu's side who were arrested were destined to be tortured. It was really hard to say how many tribesmen would survive in the end.

In fact, the Fan family's collection of silver began with the generation of Grandpa Fan Yongqin. It has gone through the efforts of three generations, especially the two generations of Fan Yongdou and his son. The Fan family's business has been booming, and the hidden silver has also increased significantly.

Among the entire Fan family, only the wealthy family elder Fan Yongqin and the head of the family Fan Yongdou knew about this matter. Even the other four clan elders and Fan Yongdou's son Fan Sanba and others knew nothing about it.

Yes.

Naturally, the fewer people who know about such a secret, the better. Fan Yongqin was originally the head of the Fan family, but when he was 35 years old, he accidentally caught wind and cold outside the Great Wall and suffered from a persistent lung cough, so he passed on the title of head of the family. To his younger brother Fan Yongdou, he became the wealthy elder of the Fan family.

According to the original intention, it was to be left to future generations for the continuation and re-emergence of the family when they suffered disasters. Now Fan Yongqin uses it in exchange for the safety of his clan members so that the family can continue to pass on it. It can be considered a good use of it!

Of course, these are all things for later. People in the Fan clan have not yet discovered Fan Yongqin's body, so naturally they don't know about his suicide, and they are secretly scolding him.

Chen Zheng was sitting in the lobby of the main courtyard with his majesty and golden sword. On his left and right were Han Guangqing and other three family heads, as well as Jiexiu County Prime Minister Zhong Jingnan and others accompanying him.

Zhong Jingnan still looked arrogant, as if the hardships suffered by the Fan family had nothing to do with him, and he leisurely drank the tea on the table in front of the table.

In fact, it really has nothing to do with Zhong Jingnan. After all, the Fan family has been going smoothly over the years, and their business has grown bigger and bigger, even in Beijing, not to mention Fenzhou Prefecture and Shanxi Province, not to mention he is a small person. Mr. Chen, the magistrate of Jiexiu County and Jiexiu County Magistrate, has never been seen by the Fan family several times.

However, the three heads of the family, headed by Han Guangqing, looked refreshed at this moment. The resentment and resentment accumulated over the years had finally been completely vomited out today. How could they not be secretly happy in their hearts? Too lazy to show off.

Han Guangqing even smiled and greeted Chen Zheng and said: "General Chen still did not forget to catch traitors and traitors when he was on his way to help Henan Province to suppress traitors. He is really worried about the country's affairs and is really the pillar of the country. If all the generals of the Ming Dynasty were like General Chen, In this way, why worry about the rogues being unstoppable and the Tartars being immortal!"

The two heads of the Zhang family and the Meng family also echoed incessantly. Even Zhong Jingnan felt that these words were too much, but Chen Zheng seemed to enjoy it very much.

Yes.

Who doesn't like to be praised?

As the saying goes, "Lifting one's energy nourishes one's body." Chen Zheng is no longer the low-ranking postmaster of Baihu. Since the 12th year of Chongzhen's reign, when Zhang Cheng left the town's North Road, he has been leading an army alone. Ma Qianzongjun.

After being promoted to the general officer of the Dushi Infantry Camp on the North Road, he also replaced Zhang Cheng in the North Road many times when he led his army into battle, and he was promoted to the rank of general officer of the White Tiger Camp.

He was a serious military officer of the third rank in the imperial court. Compared with a mere hundred households, he could be said to have reached the sky in one step. He was in charge of more than ten people from guerrillas, Qianhu, and deputy Qianhu, and even had thousands of troops under his command. He is almost comparable to the deputy commander of other towns.

Not to mention that the generals and sergeants under his command respected him extremely. Looking at the entire Yongyi Army system, there were very few who could compare with him.

Among the generals of the Sixth Battalion of the Yongyi Army, only Zhang Guangda, Zhang Guodong, Wu Zhizhong and others can compare with them, let alone those local petty officials, and merchants from all over the world are even more attracted to them.

In fact, many local officials and wealthy merchants not only took the initiative to curry favor, but also how many of them rushed to send their beloved daughters to Chen Zheng's house to serve as concubines, just to get close to this brave man who was rising in the army. The rising generation of generals.

This trip to Shanxi to arrest a profiteer who caused harm to the country can be said to be Chen Zheng's first solo action since he led the army. The entire arrest mission in Shanxi Province was led by him, with Zhang Guodong as his deputy.

Although he also led the army to garrison in Changling Mountain alone during the Battle to Aid Jin, that was part of the entire Battle to Aid Jin. To put it bluntly, everything was still under the control of Commander Zhang Cheng.

But this time, it is different from before. This time, we are thousands of miles away from Xuanzhen. We are neither sitting in charge of looking after the house nor sticking to the mountain. Instead, we are completely independent in our actions, independently studying and judging the specific methods of action, and independently solving the problems encountered. various issues.

In fact, Yongning Bo and Zhang Cheng did this deliberately, just to give them a chance to practice, so that when they have the opportunity to go out of town in the future, they can truly share their worries.

The flattering words of Han Guangqing and others did not make Chen Zheng feel happy, but he did enjoy it very much. The pleasant words were as delicious as eating, and listening to them was like a spring breeze.Chen Zheng was seen leaning back on the big golden nanmu chair, with his legs crossed, holding a very delicate blue and white teacup in his hand, and sipping the fragrant tea.

Outside the hall, the whining and crying sounds of the Fan family's children could be heard faintly. They were surrounded by fierce warriors wearing armor and armed with murderous intent. They were frightened into silence. Although they did not dare to cry loudly, they wiped their tears secretly. Inevitably, there were sobs that could be heard faintly even in the hall.

However, several people in the hall did not feel any discomfort about this, but continued to talk and laugh.

The head of the Meng family even said with a look of gloating: "Fan Yongdou really forgets his ancestors. In fact, Meng has also heard about his smuggling and smuggling to support the enemy, but he has no real evidence for the time being."

The head of the Zhang family also echoed: "That is, treason to the country is a heinous crime. He only confiscated the family property and did not kill the nine members of the Fan family. This is the most benevolent thing."

Han Guangqing also smiled and said: "Uncle Yongning is so sharp that he noticed Fan Yongdou's treason and treason, and then used thunderous means to uproot the traitor. It is really a blessing to the people of Jiexiu, a blessing to Shanxi, and even more What a great blessing for the country!”

"I never expected that Fan Yongdou would be so heartless and crazy. He is really a scumbag in the business world."

"This scum, Fan Yongdou, has ruined the face of my Shanyou merchant. He should be cut into pieces with a thousand cuts!"

"That's right, this traitor should be punished when everyone finds it!"

"It's true that 'good deeds will be rewarded with good deeds, and evil deeds will be rewarded with evil deeds'. It's not that there will be no retribution, it's just that the time has not come yet..."

Here, Chen Zheng had not yet answered, but Jiexiu County Prime Minister Zhong Jingnan said: "Even if Fan Yongdou is indeed a slave and traitor, smuggling and collaborating with the enemy, General Chen led the Xuanfu army and horses to cross the border to our Shanxi Province. They arrested him and searched the Fan family's property.

But I can't produce the official document from the governor's office. Is there something wrong in it? "

In the end, he directly asked: "What's more, the matter of Fan Yong's fight against slaves is currently only the word of General Chen's family, but there is no evidence to show to us. Isn't it strange!"

Although Zhong Jingnan did not have much power in Jiexiu, as soon as he said this, Han Guangqing and the other three family heads immediately shut up. Obviously, they did not want to completely offend the second official of Jiexiu County.

What's more, what Zhong Jingnan said is indeed true. The Fan family's business has been booming in recent years and their financial resources are rolling in. Everyone said that they made profits from the Zhangjiakou border trade business, but no one knew the inside story.

But the matter of treason and smuggling to support the enemy is indeed Chen Zheng's word, and no one has seen any evidence. If this matter is repeated in the future, wouldn't they be guilty of words.

Therefore, the three heads of the family, Han, Zhang and Meng, chose to keep silent at the same time. They only quietly tasted the tea on the table in front of them, exchanged glances in private, and secretly looked at Chen Zheng to see how he was doing. say.

"Hahaha……"

Chen Zheng did not rush to answer Zhong Jingnan's question. Instead, he burst into unbridled laughter. He looked at Zhong Jingnan with cold eyes and asked in a deep voice: "You want evidence?" ?"

Facing Chen Zheng's intimidating momentum, Zhong Jingnan was also panicking. However, the scholar's arrogance had already penetrated into his bones. He just stood on his seat with passion and forced himself to calmly reply: "If General Chen can Bring out the evidence, I just want to see it."

How could Chen Zheng not understand the timidity revealed in Zhong Jingnan's words, but he just didn't want to get too entangled with him at the moment, so as not to cause trouble.

"Humph."

Chen Zheng snorted coldly and said in a majestic tone: "Even the magistrate of Jiexiu City is not qualified to ask for evidence from this general."

His eyes were full of disdain, and he added lightly: "You deserve it!"

Although Zhong Jingnan was already timid in his heart, how could he endure being so inexplicably insulted in an instant? He stood up from the chair, raised his finger and pointed at Chen Zheng, about to speak, but Chen Zheng smiled darkly. Said: "It's an insult to politeness, it's an insult to politeness."

"you……"

Zhong Jingnan became even more angry, but he had to be polite and decent. He put down his hands with great difficulty, shook off his sleeves, turned around and ran out of the lobby quickly.

"...When I meet the soldiers,...I can't tell..."

Just as Zhong Jingnan stepped out of the door, Chen Zheng vaguely heard these few words, drifting from afar and into his ears.

"General Chen, don't worry, Zhongxian Cheng is just like that, very stubborn." Seeing Zhong Jingnan leave angrily, Han Guangqing hurriedly came out to smooth things over.

The head of the Meng family was also a smart man, and he hurriedly added: "That's right. I don't even think about how high-ranking an official I am, how dare I ask for evidence from General Chen here."

The head of the Zhang family also added at this time: "General Chen has traveled thousands of miles to arrest profiteers. Naturally, there is conclusive evidence..."

He continued with a charming smile: "Really, General Chen?"

Chen Zheng smiled and said nothing to their flattery and temptation.

…………

With Fan Yongqin's active cooperation, the inspection of Fan's property went very smoothly.

The officers of each team in the White Tiger Camp led their respective soldiers to take the books and seal the Fan family's shops door to door. They checked them one by one, but they did not encounter the slightest resistance.

On the contrary, when the Fan family compound was searched, some of the Fan family children were like misers, willing to give up their lives rather than their wealth. However, after a few screams, no one dared to face the swords, guns and cannons of the White Tiger Camp soldiers.

When preparing to inspect the property of the profiteers, special personnel entered Baihu Camp and explained some key points to the commanders, team officers, chief executives and others, especially the methods used by these wealthy households to hide their wealth.

In addition to their open warehouses, there are also countless secret cellars of all kinds, and all kinds of unbelievable methods and methods that the soldiers have never heard of. (End of chapter)