Tiger Guards

Chapter 75 Identity Restrictions
Soon, Zhao Ji saw several Tiger Guards knights escorting the imperial envoy to the county army formation.

The county soldiers also took turns on guard, and most of them sat on the ground.

The news of the killing of Bai Bo's generals was spreading among the county soldiers, causing their morale to fluctuate.

Wang Yi temporarily set up a curtain and welcomed the imperial envoy inside the curtain.

The one who came to announce the imperial edict was once again the Imperial Court Assistant Minister Zhong Yao. He stood at the other end of the low table, holding the imperial edict and reading: "Your Majesty, Wei and Fan are arrogant and violate the law. They will not be tolerated."

The edict contained only ten words. Wang Yichang bowed and said, "I obey the edict."

He stood up and took the imperial edict, then asked in embarrassment, "Angel, Wei Fan has many relatives and extensive in-laws, and his sons have also enlisted as Tiger Guards. I don't know how to deal with this matter."

Zhong Yao also felt that the situation was very difficult, but he said: "This is a matter within Hedong County. If Hedong cannot make a decision, you can report it to the Supreme Court."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yi looked at Zhong Yao's profile. Zhong Yao's family background was in law, and he had previously served as the Chief Justice, which was equivalent to a human-shaped legal text interpretation machine.

Zhong Yao remained calm, "The Wei and Fan clans each have thousands of followers. While this is a historical relic, General Zhenbei is also responsible. There is no time to hesitate; apprehend the Wei and Fan thieves immediately."

"Here."

Wang Yi held the imperial edict in his hand and led the officials from the county government out of the curtain. He asked his attendants, "What should we do?"

The county officials were all silent. The Wei and Fan families were deeply rooted in Hedong, and everyone was involved with them.

If the punishment is too lenient, the court will be dissatisfied and everyone will be in trouble; if the punishment is too severe, people will be afraid of getting into trouble.

The silence of the crowd made Wang Yi feel powerless, as if a blunt knife was cutting flesh.

This feeling of shackles surrounded him, and he glared at him, "If I hesitate any longer, the court will mobilize the tiger soldiers to take action, and this county will be unable to deal with it!"

Upon hearing this, all the county officials still looked sad.

Everyone looked at Qi Mao, a member of the Pi family, the Gongcao. Qi Mao lowered his head and said nothing, as if he didn't notice.

Then everyone's eyes fell on the face of the county chief clerk Anyi Liu Zheng. Liu Zheng lowered his head and did not want to cause trouble.

Wang Yi could sense Zhong Yao's dissatisfaction behind him and immediately took the initiative to ask, "Yuan Fang is a member of the imperial clan. Why don't you speak frankly when the court is in danger?"

Liu Zheng was on the verge of tears, but he could not. With a solemn expression, he bowed to Wang Yichang and said, "Excuse me, sir, are Wei and Fan guilty of serious crimes?"

Wang Yi could only bite the bullet and answer, "He is disrespecting the imperial court. His crime is unforgivable and naturally a very serious one."

Liu Zheng felt a little relieved after hearing this, and then asked the key question: "Can you meet your clan?"

The county officials looked at it with sidelong glances. This question was very crucial, extremely crucial.

Zhong Yao just watched from the sidelines without saying a word.

The problem in Hedong is very serious and particularly difficult at the moment, and will become a routine for future contacts with all parties.

Severe punishment of the Wei and Fan families will inevitably lead to the powerful people in various counties resisting the court.

If we don’t deal with it, what will the court officials and the generals eat?
Could it be that the ministers were divided into two groups, one on odd days and one on even days, and took turns going to the Wei and Fan families to eat for free and borrow money and food for their expenses?
How much can the ministers eat?
Where are the Huben?
The Huben's horses eat more!
When the chief clerk Liu Zheng questioned him, Wang Yi, without waiting for Zhong Yao's response, gritted his teeth and said, "Exterminate his entire family!"

Wang Yi's suppressed energy and spirit burst out, and his expression became ferocious.

Liu Zheng also felt relieved, and not only him, but other county officials also breathed a sigh of relief.

This kind of thing, I'm afraid will end up in a mess, making them uncomfortable and causing endless trouble.

Liu Zheng immediately bowed and further investigated the situation: "The Wei and Fan families are prominent families in Hedong, with students, former officials, and relatives spread across all counties."

Seeing this, Zhong Yao spoke out, "The blame lies with the Wei and Fan families; the rest will not be questioned."

Seeing this, Liu Zheng said to Wang Yi: "My lord, please send a letter and use your seal. I, the thief Cao, and I will lead more than ten jailers to capture Wei and Fan, father and son."

"can."

Wang Yi immediately prepared a handwritten arrest warrant and stamped it with the silver seal of the Hedong County Magistrate. Liu Zheng also did not hesitate and joined forces with the thief Cao and a dozen county soldiers and rode south.

There are too many descendants of the Fan and Wei families to be completely wiped out.

When dealing with such matters, the central government and local governments of the Han Dynasty had rich experience and precedents to follow.

With the exception of a few emperors who were known for their brutal and murderous actions, coups d'état were generally limited in scope, with no punishment extended to subordinates or servants. This was particularly true of the coups during the Later Han Dynasty, where the army and subordinates acted according to orders, with only the decision-makers held accountable, not the executors.

Therefore, during the coup d'état of the Later Han Dynasty, the army fought desperately, and returned to the camp obediently after the outcome.

Now the situation is almost the same. If the matter is handed over to the county government, the direct descendants of Wei father and son will have no way to survive, but the younger children have a vague identity and can still survive as side branches.

After being deprived of their wealth, it will be difficult for these children to go to school in the future, let alone make a name for themselves and avenge their fathers and brothers.

The Wei family is really too big. If we get rid of this powerful branch, with the Wei family's foundation, they will naturally develop another powerful branch in the future.

The foundation of the Wei family lies in the branches that entered officialdom, and the powerful lineage is only a guarantee of safety and food and clothing.

The chaotic world caused the powerful Wei family to become too powerful. Several branches of the Wei family that entered officialdom did not develop smoothly and there were signs that they could no longer be controlled.

If left alone, in one or two generations, perhaps the powerful lineage will become the direct descendant of the Wei family and gain dominance over the Wei family.

However, the disciples and former officials of the Wei family in various counties in Hedong did not have much gratitude towards the powerful lineage. They were the disciples and former officials of the various branches of the Wei family who entered the officialdom.

The powerful clan is too strong, and they really dare not take action unless they can kill them all.

Zhong Yao took in the reactions of the officials in Hedong County. In his opinion, no matter which branch of the Wei family it was, they were all members of the Hedong Wei family, one entity with many sides. Now he had to cut off the financial resources and military power of the Wei family.

Even if other members of the Wei family are not implicated, their losses are still unavoidable.

During festivals or other holidays, the various branches of the Wei family would visit each other...which was essentially a redistribution of wealth.

If the powerful lineage is eliminated, all branches of the Wei family will have to live a hard life.

In order to consider their careers and reputation, the several branches of the Wei family who focused on their official careers basically did not manage their property or keep servants.

Either they get a salary as an official, or they get tuition fees, or they get money and food distributed by the clan under various names.

How could these Wei clans not hate the imperial court when they go hungry in the future?

But what else can Zhong Yao do?
He had also gone hungry, and when he was extremely hungry, he really had to eat anything.

Now the decision-making power is in our hands. It is not difficult to choose whether to let the imperial court starve or to let the Wei family starve.

Zhong Yao passed on the order here, and the counselor Zhao Rui went south with another imperial edict to meet Zhao Ji first.

This Zhao Rui was nearly forty years old, tall and thin, and was one of the many Zhaos in Changshan.

He hadn't recovered yet, his lips pale. "Zhao Zhonglang, the court has made a decision. They agree with the defense of Right Wise Prince Qubei and have issued an imperial decree to Hedong to punish the clan thief. I wonder what Zhonglang thinks of Qubei?"

"I have already met with this man. He is willing to support the court and also willing to do other things."

Zhao Ji did not dismount, but pointed at the Wei family estate and said, "This man is treacherous and cruel. I want to recruit him as a member of the Xiongnu army."

"I'm afraid this is a bit difficult."

Zhao Rui looked embarrassed as he explained, "You may not know, Zhonglang, when Qubei first led his people across the river to defend the king, he had about 3,000 loyal knights under his command. Because the imperial registers and artifacts fell into the hands of bandits, the situation became dire, so most of his loyal followers dispersed and returned home. The 500 or so cavalrymen he left behind are here to demand... military funds."

Seeing that Zhao Ji understood this, Zhao Rui continued, "This isn't the military expenses owed by 500 people, but 3,000 Xiongnu, a significant amount. If we want to recruit them, where will the military funds come from? The future military expenses will be even heavier, and the court cannot afford it."

Zhao Rui was still looking at Zhao Ji, a little afraid that Zhao Ji would use this as an excuse to ask about the military expenses and rewards of the Tiger Guards.

He had seen this kind of scene many times, where ministers were surrounded by illiterate soldiers who demanded rewards with a ferocious look, just like robbing them.

The imperial court had no money or food, so it could only keep raising officials' ranks to disperse these soldiers.

Zhao Ji tilted his head, a look of sudden realization on his face. "So... shouldn't we forgive Qu Bei right now? The court is in dire straits, where will it get the money to pay for the military expenses? May I ask, angel, does the court have any backup plans?"

"Of course there is."

Zhao Rui advised, "Qubei has rebelled again, but the court, in recognition of his meritorious service, has pardoned his crime. Therefore, the matter of demanding military funds should not be raised again. Zhonglang, our Tiger Guards are now exhausted, so please spare Qubei."

"The court has made the decision, and I will carry it out."

Zhao Ji readily agreed. Since he could not get back the hard-earned money of the mercenary leader Qu Bei, the crown of the Right Wise King on his head would feel even more empty. He thought that Qu Bei would actively cooperate with him to annex other Huns.

(End of this chapter)