Han official!

Chapter 112: Final Sentence
"Is the chief dead?"

Guo Jie walked along the corridor to the door of the guest room and saw an astonishing scene. Chong Huangrou was holding the head of the general and confronting dozens of county soldiers alone. There were more than a dozen armored corpses lying nearby. Chong Huangrou actually took the head of the general from among hundreds of armored county soldiers and killed more than a dozen armored county soldiers.

According to the records of Han bamboo slips, the arsenal of Donghai County stockpiled 537,707 crossbows, 99,905 swords, 156,135 knives, 142,700 sets of leather armor, 63,324 sets of iron armor, and 100,255 shields, enough to equip an army of hundreds of thousands of people. This was just the arsenal of one county, and there were dozens of counties in the Han Dynasty.

The rate of soldiers wearing armor in counties and prefectures is very high.

It is difficult to kill an armored soldier. Chong Huangrou not only chopped off the head of a long-haired soldier from the siege of hundreds of county soldiers, but also killed more than a dozen armored county soldiers by himself. His fighting and sword skills are extremely high.

Whether a county soldier wears armor is equivalent to whether a police officer is equipped with a gun.

Wearing armor is equivalent to carrying a gun.

Chong Huangrou's behavior was equivalent to facing hundreds of armed men alone, rushing into the hail of bullets with a long sword in hand, killing the leader and a dozen other armed men, but he himself remained unharmed.

His sword fighting skills are incredible.

Dozens of armored county soldiers were terrified when they saw Chong Huangrou. They only thought about participating in the kidnapping and selling of Xijun. The county soldiers knew that they could not escape the fate of being executed, so they had to kill Chong Huangrou and others to prevent them from going to the government temple to report.

Guo Jie approached and asked, "Why don't you reveal your identity as a descendant of a duke? If you had revealed yourself as the eldest son of Marquis Qucheng, perhaps the chieftain would have led the county guards to turn against you and help you capture the looters in Shuqili."

"Humph."

Chong Huangrou hummed softly, which was very charming. If it were a noble or powerful man who liked to have concubines, he would have been unable to resist lifting Chong Huangrou's trousers.

Guo Jie's scalp tingled, and he quickly took a few steps back. He looked at Chong Huangrou with more helplessness than admiration, and wondered how a man could be so charming and beautiful, even more charming and attractive than a woman.

"what?"

Chong Huangrou glanced at Guo Jie with her foxy eyes and exclaimed in surprise. She was used to seeing nobles and powerful people looking at her with lustful eyes, and wanting to drag them into the carriage and strip them of their clothes and trousers on the spot, but today she actually saw such a distant look on someone's face.

This was the first time a man distanced himself from Chong Huang Rou.

"I don't want to lie in the shadow of my ancestors."

Chong Huangrou's tone softened considerably. "A true man should wield a two-foot-long sword and establish unparalleled achievements. How can he lie in the shadow of his ancestors and become a parasite? I never say that I am the descendant of a noble. I hope you will never mention the name Qu Chenghou again."

Guo Jie nodded, strode forward, and spoke loudly, "I am Guo Jie, the prefect of the county residence. I believe you have heard of my reputation. I am a man of my word, and I never break my promise or do anything treacherous. If you help me capture the relatives of the Du clansmen in the Western Road, you can atone for your sins, avoid punishment, and keep your salary as a county clerk."

This sentence is to deceive the armored county soldiers.

The cruel official Zhang Tang would not let go of anyone who broke the law. The county soldiers would end up working as pounding rice in the city walls and then being sent to Linyuan to build the city walls, where they would eventually die of exhaustion.

However, the one who did not let the county soldiers go was Zhang Tang, and it had nothing to do with Guo Jie. Guo Jie had already let the county soldiers go and simply handed them over to Zhang Tang.

Some county soldiers became interested and looked at Chong Huangrou, then at Guo Jie, and began to discuss the matter.

"Only Guo Jie was able to hold on. Beside him stood a concubine who had single-handedly taken off the head of the general."

"Guo Jie is also a fierce man who can kill a tiger with his bare hands."

"Guo Jie's loyalty and trustworthiness have long been known throughout Chang'an. This kind of hero values reputation over life. You can disbelieve others' words, but you can trust Guo Jie's!"

The two team leaders heard the county soldiers' discussion, looked at each other, and thought to themselves that this was not good. They were also part of the mastermind. The county soldiers could atone for their sins, but the two of them could only be sentenced.

The two team leaders shouted.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. The only way is to kill Guo Jie!"

"Capture that concubine and send her to Baling Town. Ah!"

"call out--"

"call out--"

A ring-handled knife and a two-foot sword suddenly flew over and hit the two team leaders in the neck, killing them on the spot. They fell to the ground and twitched a few times, turning into two bleeding corpses, staining the rammed earth at the door of the guest room red.

The county soldiers were terrified and no longer had any intention of resisting. They put down their spears, took off the ring-handled swords hanging from their waists, and knelt on the ground waiting to be dealt with.

The military official, accompanied by ten material officers, hurried forward, removed the spears and ring-handled swords on the ground, and threw them into the guest room, which served as a temporary armory, and no one was allowed to enter.

Just as the military officials were carrying the military equipment, Chong Huangrou looked at Guo Jie with her foxy eyes, her pupils sparkling, and her pointed face was full of smiles as she looked at Guo Jie.

If a thief kills an official, he will be punished with beheading and public execution.

The team leader is a military officer.

Guo Jie, an official of commoner origin, should have cherished his position extremely and thought twice before doing anything, fearing that he would violate Han laws or anger the nobles and powerful people in Chang'an and lose his official position.

Unexpectedly, Guo Jie threw out the ring-handled knife without hesitation, piercing the team leader's neck with one blow, acting decisively.

He is also the first person who does not covet the soft beauty of the Insect King.

It aroused the interest of Chonghuangrou.

Guo Jie took a few steps back again and stood beside Wei Junru, saying helplessly, "Don't look at me like that. I've never been fond of favoritism. I've always liked gentlemen like Wei Junru."

Wei Junru was delighted, her eyes moving around, and a rare hint of shyness appeared in her eyes for a female military officer.

Soon, Wei Junru's oval face was full of melancholy again.

It's a pity that Guo Jie is already married. Even if Wei Junru is a maid in Princess Pingyang's residence, she will not be a concubine or a concubine given away at will.

Besides, Wei Junru was not an ordinary maid, but a female charioteer who was highly valued by Princess Pingyang. Whenever the other of the only two red-fur carriages in Chang'an was traveling, it was often Wei Junru who drove the carriage.

Chong Huangrou didn't have the same thoughts as Wei Junru. She had a pointed, foxy face and a beautiful smile. "When I return to Chang'an, I will often go to the county mansion or the official temple to drink with you. Don't refuse me at the door."

Guo Jie was overjoyed: "I am so happy to have made friends with a knight as skilled in swordsmanship as you, and I couldn't wait to block you out. When the time comes, I will definitely welcome you with open arms."

The idea of conquest, no, making friends with Insect Emperor Rou was realized.

It fills the gap left after Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions.

His sword fighting skills are no less than Lei Bei's grandson, the sword master of the Western Han Dynasty.

Chong Huangrou was also delighted. She had finally met a man who was not obsessed with the beauty of his concubines and had made a true friend. In addition, Guo Jie, who had killed a tiger with his bare hands, personally praised her fighting and sword skills, which made her even more delighted.

After Guo Jie and Chong Huangrou finished their talk and returned to Chang'an for a banquet and drinking, the military official and ten material officers carried away all the spears and ring-handled swords, and each county soldier was given a wooden stick to use as a mallet.

"Mr. Guo."

The military official bowed and said, "The county troopers of Baling are ready and can go out to arrest the Du clansmen in the Western Road."

Guo Jie nodded gently and said, "Follow behind. If any of the county soldiers behave inappropriately, immediately pierce their legs with your spears. Remember, don't let any of them escape and cause a commotion in the camp."

Dozens of county soldiers, their minds full of atonement, walked out with wooden sticks in hand and, escorted by military officials and ten material officers, began to arrest the looters in Shuqili.

Unexpectedly, when Guo Jie walked out of the gate of the Sun-shaped house, he heard bursts of shouting and killing coming from the gate, and almost thought that Yi Zong had come with the thief catcher and the prison clerk.

Internal strife arose among the Du clans of the Western Road.

Brother Meng, with several illegitimate sons born to his concubines, is preparing to seize the position of clan leader of the Du clan in Xidao. With the support of his wife, the nephew of the three elders of the county is trying to win over some clan members and also wants to compete for the position of clan leader.

Although Congzi's father was the middle brother of the three elders of the county, he was the second eldest son and believed that he was more qualified to be the clan leader than his brother Meng. Before Guo Jie could start arresting people, the members of the Xidao Zhudu clan had been slaughtered, and the bodies of the Xidao Zhudu lay one after another in the open space in front of the gate.

The three elders of the county were so angry that they were shaking all over and almost died on the spot.

"Haha."

Brother Meng laughed heartily and insidiously shot an arrow, killing the brave Congzi. Looking at the more than one hundred tribesmen behind him, only a few dozen were left, and he laughed out loud: "From now on, we have the final say in Shuqili, huh?!"

Brother Meng's laughter didn't last long, and the sound stopped abruptly, like a duck being strangled by the neck.

He won the internal conflict with great difficulty and was ready to start dividing up Shuqili's profits to bribe the tribesmen who joined him in killing Congzi.

As a result, Guo Jie came out with dozens of county soldiers.

this.
"boom!"

Wei Guang hit Brother Meng on the head with a stick, knocking him unconscious. He said contemptuously, "Idiot."

The county guards followed behind, pounced on them like wolves and tigers, and arrested the members of the Du tribe who had already won and were about to divide up the money. They opened their mouths in shock, with only one thought in their minds.

They won the victory with great difficulty, but in the end they were defeated just like their fellow tribesmen lying on the ground.

During breakfast (12:45-13:30), Yi Zong, Yin Qi, and Wang Wenshu traveled day and night, their faces full of fatigue. Their lips were chapped, their iron crowns were crooked, and their black clothes were covered in dust. They finally arrived at Shuqili, but saw an incredible scene.

Guo Jie and his companions were not killed.

At the gate of Shuqi Village, a dense crowd of residents were kneeling, with their wrists tied with hemp ropes. They knelt at the gate with a look of regret on their faces, waiting for the government to deal with them. A village with thousands of people was actually captured by Guo Jie and a few others.

“How did you do that?”

Wang Wenshu and Yin Qi were stunned. The two notorious cruel officials were baffled. "The villagers of Shuqi Village participated in the kidnapping and selling of Xijun. They are not good people. How could they willingly be arrested? Moreover, there are many corpses lying on the ground. It seems that there has been a fierce battle."

Guo Jie looked at the two powerful and cruel officials with a look of astonishment on their faces. In a good mood, he said calmly, "The villagers of Shuqi Village are afraid of the harsh laws of their superior, Zhang Tang. I just said Zhang Tang's name, and the villagers stopped resisting."

Wang Wenshu and Yin Qi sighed in their hearts.

Guo Jie is still a good official.

Everything that happened today involving the abduction and sale of Princess Pingyang's maid Wei Junru and Qu Chenghou's eldest son Chong Huangrou will be recorded in detail.

Zhang Tang was a man who paid attention to every detail. Whenever there was any criminal case, he would order his subordinates to write it down clearly and record every word.

Guo Jie's words expressing his fear of Zhang Tang's harsh laws would surely be seen by Zhang Tang.

"The ones on the left are from the Western Road Zhudu clan?"

Yin Qi took the bamboo slips from the military official's hand and showed an inexplicable excitement: "I dug a tiger's den in Chang'an Prison. The relatives of the Du family in the Western Road gave it to me. It's a good opportunity to test the usefulness of the tiger's den."

Tiger's den?

Guo Jie looked at Yin Qi, who was looking very happy, and thought to himself that the tiger's den had appeared so early.

If Wang Wenshu was the most inhumane official who killed powerful people and caused blood to flow for dozens of miles, then Yin Qi was the most brutal official.

There was no tiger in the tiger's den. In a cellar dug in the Chang'an prison, Yin Qi captured a hundred of the purged nobles and powerful families, threw them into the tiger's den, covered them with bluestone, and opened it a few days later. All of them died in the tiger's den.

Before his death, he suffered both mental and physical torture.

When Guo Jie thought of the usefulness of the tiger's den, he couldn't help but feel a jump in his heart. Fortunately, Yin Qi was his own man, not a cruel official standing on the opposite side.

"The three elders of the county and a group of old men and women will also be locked up in the tiger's den."

Guo Jie's face turned cold: "Killing these old dogs is too easy for them. We will let the old dogs like the three elders of the county suffer in the tiger's den and be tortured to death."

The three elders of the county were not panicked at all, but calmly said, "The imperial court advocates respecting the elderly. Weng and the old men and women around him are all over seventy years old. They will only be sentenced to full sentences. You cannot resort to lynching."

The Han Dynasty law stipulates that anyone who is seventy years old or above, but under seventeen years old, and is guilty and liable to punishment shall be sentenced to death.

This means that elderly people over 70 years old and minors under 17 years old will not be punished, but will only be sentenced to death.

Wan is a mild punishment for the elderly and the young, which requires them to do hard labor without causing any physical harm.

The other ones are assigned to guard the enclosures, and the completed ones are assigned to guard the storages.

Shouji means guarding the warehouse.

Elders over seventy years old, such as the county elders, who committed the crime of looting and selling, could only be sentenced to guarding the warehouse.

Wei Junru and Chong Huangrou looked unwilling.

And resentment.

I don’t know how many people the three elders of the county have harmed over the years.

Just because he is old, an old man over seventy years old, should he be let off?

The faces of the three elders in the county were full of contempt. They relied on their age of over seventy to provoke Guo Jie, and relied on the leniency shown to the elderly in the punishment to make them look fearless.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Guo Jie laughed grimly and cut off the arms of the three elders of the county, turning him into a human stick, and subjected him to the same cruel torture that Empress Lü used to torture Concubine Qi.

"what!"

The three elders of the county were lying on the ground wailing miserably, and the group of old men and women were trembling with fear.

Guo Jie said disdainfully, "You fool, you didn't even read the entire criminal law. The Han law stipulates that you must have the title of a public official to receive preferential treatment."

The Han Dynasty law stipulated that if a public official or his wife was over seventy years old, but under seventeen years old, and was guilty and sentenced, they would all be executed.

Only the elders who held the title of Gongshi would be exempted from punishment and sent to guard the warehouse.

Guo Jie stepped on the heads of the three county elders who had been transformed into human sticks, looked at the frightened old man and old woman, and sneered, "You old, incompetent dogs, how could you possibly earn the title of a public official through military merit?"

Did the Western Han Dynasty give preferential treatment to elderly people who committed crimes?

nonexistent.

Without the title of a duke, you actually obtained the military rank through military merit, and you still want to get preferential treatment after completing your sentence?

Not to mention a seventy-year-old, even an eighty-year-old beast who breaks the law will still be beheaded or imprisoned.

The Western Han Dynasty would not keep people fed for free; going to prison was like providing retirement care.

Starting from life imprisonment of Chengdan Chong, all the way to Sikou with a sentence of less than three years, you can tell from the name that they were sent there to do hard labor.

He was tortured and worked himself to death.

When a group of old men and women heard the word "gongshi", they all despaired.

How could the Han court have a rule that only old men with the title of duke could be exempted from punishment!
(End of this chapter)