I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 208 The Bewildered Yangzhou Officialdom
The governor of the Grand Canal, Wang Yi'e, took a thousand men from the Fu Biao Battalion on a speedboat and headed south overnight, heading straight for Yangzhou.

When we were still more than twenty miles away from Yangzhou, we saw a column of black smoke rising from the city of Yangzhou, reaching up into the blue sky.

Wang Yi'e, who was standing at the bow, stamped his feet repeatedly.

"Damn it! These bastards got ahead of us again."

He looked at the black smoke in silence for a while, then gave the order without turning his head.

"Immediately urge the Fu Biao Camp behind to rush here, except for the troops guarding Duke Hai and Duke Mengquan, and station outside the city, ready to be ordered at any time.

Send someone to Shanghai immediately to tell Yang Jinshui, the co-director of the Southeast Office of the Coordination Bureau, that something might happen in Nanjing and ask him to be careful.

"Yes!"

Half an hour later, the fleet docked at the pier, and the prefect of Yangzhou and the magistrate of Jiangdu, who had rushed over after hearing the news, greeted them at the pier.

"Your humble servants, Wang Wanyang, the prefect of Yangzhou, and Pu Yongan, the magistrate of Jiangdu, pay their respects to the Supervisor."

"Get up." Wang Yi'e waved his hand, then pointed at the black smoke that was still rising in the city but was beginning to become smaller and asked, "What's going on with this black smoke?"

Wang Wanyang and Pu Yongan looked at each other, and Pu Yongan stepped forward and answered respectfully.

"Let the Inspector General know that when the Right Censor-in-Chief of Nanjing and the Admiral Caojiang Wu Censor led the Jiang Defense Battalion to patrol the river, he discovered a group of pirates and immediately pursued them. Unexpectedly, the pirates fled from Guazhou into the Grand Canal and headed north.

Censor Wu led his troops in pursuit, but the pirates were so fierce that they took advantage of the chaos to enter the vicinity of Jiangdu City and broke into the house of Han Youmao, a big salt merchant. Censor Wu, together with the city's officers and soldiers, and the Lianghuai Transportation Bureau's salt workers, blocked the pirates in their fields and houses and killed them all. However, the pirates were so brutal that they killed Han Youmao's family and set fire to Han's house.

Wang Yi'e chuckled, "Jiangdu also encountered pirates? Lord Gangfeng, Lord Mengquan and I also encountered pirates at Zhangjiagou Wharf. I didn't expect that the land and sea routes in Yangzhou are so unstable."

Wang Wanyang and Pu Yongan didn't know how to answer.

To say that everything was peaceful was a lie. The black smoke was still rising behind them, and the three officials encountered pirates in person in Zhangjiagou.

If it is true that things are not going well, then as local officials at the prefecture and county levels in Yangzhou, shouldn't the two of them bear responsibility?
This responsibility could be big or small, and it immediately made Wang Wanyang and Pu Yongan very worried.

I cursed in my heart, you salt merchants, I took so much silver from you, and I still have to risk my life to clean up your mess!
Pu Yongan was alert, his eyes rolled, and he thought of an excuse, "Hu Butang led the heroes to the southeast to suppress the Japanese pirates, and wiped out all the bandits in the southern Zhili area. The military and civilians lived in peace for several years.

Later, our Ming Dynasty established new navies in the North Sea, East Sea, and South Sea to stabilize the seas and pacify the four directions. The bandits who escaped the net on the sea fled into the inland rivers and hid.

It's just that after a long time, they need to find some money to fill their stomachs. Now it's the end of the year, and there is a custom in Yangzhou and other places to spread wealth and gather blessings, so these thieves are ready to act, waiting for an opportunity to commit crimes, but they didn't expect to run into the governor, offend the tiger's majesty, and deserve to be killed.

It is a pity that the Yangzhou area had been peaceful for a long time and was caught off guard. Fortunately, Censor Wu, Prefect Wang and Envoy Qu fulfilled their duties, bravely stepped forward, and wiped out the Yangzhou bandits in one fell swoop. "

Wang Yi'e smiled even more generously, pointing at Pu Yong'an and said, "Good, wonderful! Pu County Magistrate is really a wonderful person with unlimited future! However, Yangzhou City is also under the jurisdiction of this governor, and there was an incident of water bandits invading the city, killing people and destroying families. This governor wants to go to the scene to take a look.

Walk! "

"Please, Mr. Governor!"

Pu Yongan hurriedly asked Wang Yi'e to walk in front, and then took the opportunity to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

The three sedan chairs, escorted by five hundred officers and soldiers from the Caodufu Battalion, soon arrived at Han Youmao's residence.

Han's house is located outside the south gate of Yangzhou City, with its back against the canal and overlooking the Slender West Lake.

Hundreds of soldiers from the Jiangfang Camp were carrying corpses outside. An official in a scarlet official uniform was giving orders loudly, asking the soldiers to separate the bodies, putting the bodies together for the bandits and the farmers.

Another team of soldiers were going in and out, fetching water and putting out the remaining flames.

There were also two teams of salt guards guarding the intersections and docks around Han's house.

When the officers and soldiers of the Fu Biao Camp rushed over, the salt workers were so frightened that they huddled together.

The scarlet-robed official who had been giving the orders loudly came forward, his face covered in beads of sweat and traces of smoke and fire.

Another official in a scarlet robe came out from nowhere and came forward. His face was gloomy and his eyes flickered.

"I, the Right Censor-in-Chief of Nanjing and the Admiral Caojiang Wu Shilai/Lianghuai Transport Commissioner Qu Wenshou, pay my respects to the Governor-General."

Wang Yi'e chuckled and raised his right hand slightly, "Thank you both for your hard work." He stood at the door of Han's house.

The door was wide open and the inside was a mess.

"Wu Qianxian, have the pirates been completely eliminated?"

"Reply to the governor's words, kill them all."

"No one escapes?"

Wu Shilai hesitated for a moment before answering, "No one escaped."

"No one survived?"

Wu Shilai swallowed quietly, his voice a little hoarse, "The pirates were fierce and stubborn, and in the end more than ten of them committed suicide, leaving no one alive."

Wang Yi'e was amused. "What kind of pirates are these? Tian Heng's five hundred soldiers?"

There was silence.

"What about the Han family?" Wang Yi'e continued to ask.

"In reply to the governor, Han Youmao and his wives, concubines, and 17 children were all killed by the pirates. More than 30 servants and maids were also killed."

Wang Yi'e nodded. "Almost all those who knew something were killed. The ones who survived in the Han family are all ignorant."

The muscles on Qu Wenshou's face trembled a few times, and he asked in a deep voice, "Why do you say that, Governor?"

"The Governor, Lord Gangfeng, Lord Mengquan and I were attacked by a group of pirates in Zhangjiagou the night before last. We were killed by the officers and soldiers of the Fu Biao Battalion. The leader confessed that he was ordered by Han Youmao."

Wu Shilai, Qu Wenshou, Wang Wanyang and Pu Yongan's faces changed drastically.

Wu Shilai glanced at Qu Wenshou from time to time.

Wang Wanyang's face was pale and there was more sweat on his forehead than Pu Yongan.

A fierce light flashed in Qu Wenshou's eyes, and then he forced himself to calm down.

"Excuse me, Governor, did the bandit leader confess personally?"

Wang Yi'e nodded and replied, "Yes, the leader of the Gaoyou Lake bandits is called Banbiantian. His real name is Han Zizai. He is Han Youmao's nephew and also the leader of the private salt dealers he supports.

He has confessed everything, signed and sealed it, and now he and his important followers have been taken to the capital by this governor."

"Capital? This case can be tried in Yangzhou Prefecture." Panic flashed across Qu Wenshou's face and he glanced at Wang Wanyang.

Wang Wanyang quickly said, "Governor, Gaoyou Prefecture is under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou. I will investigate the case and report it to the Nanjing Ministry of Justice."

Wang Yi'e replied without comment, "Han Zizai is too bold to attack and kill three high-ranking officials. I am worried that Yangzhou Prefecture cannot conduct a trial. So I will simply send the case to the capital and ask the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple to conduct a joint trial. I may even have to ask the Western Court for an imperial decree to order the Jinyiwei to assist in the investigation."

Jinyiwei assists in the investigation? !

Wu Shilai, Qu Wenshou, Wang Wanyang and Pu Yongan all had faces that were either ashen, pale or deathly gray. Wang Wanyang, the most timid one, couldn't help but tremble with his legs, and he almost collapsed because of the urge to pee.

Wang Yi'e took note of the expressions of the four people.

Haha, I'll scare you guys first. Anyway, the news of Banbiantian's death has been strictly sealed, and it's difficult for outsiders to know whether he is alive or dead.
It seems that my attempt to scare the enemy has worked. Well, we can move on to the next step.

Wang Yi'e walked around the entrance and front yard of Han's house and was about to go back to the city.

Wu Shilai reluctantly asked, "Governor, are you not going to take a closer look?"

"What's so good to see here? Everything that should be burned has been burned, and the dead are dead. Let's go back to the city. I still have to clean up the posthouse to welcome Lord Gangfeng and Lord Mengquan."

Wu Shilai, Qu Wenshou, Wang Wanyang and Pu Yongan's hearts trembled again.

Yes, there is another Hai Rui, the Justice Hai, behind him, and he is even more troublesome!
(End of this chapter)