The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 79: Unreliable County Magistrate Guo

Heyin County, inside the county government office.

Several handsome young men in rich clothes were kneeling in the county government office, their eyes full of fear.

The leader looked at the new county magistrate sitting at the top and trembled as he said, "County Lord! This must be some misunderstanding! We are all good people and should not suffer such humiliation!"

Another person also hurriedly explained: "Our family background is clean."

"Can a person who robs and kills civilians be called an innocent and good person?!"

"We found a hidden cache of powerful crossbows in your homes, as well as the goods you had hidden. These items match the items lost by the merchants who were killed. The crossbow bolts found on the merchants match yours!"

The new county magistrate roared angrily.

The young man was also a little angry. "Mr. Guo! Are you going to protect those merchants and force us, the good people, to be killed? Did you accept bribes from them? Otherwise, how could you do such a thing?"

A new county magistrate has arrived in Heyin County.

This county magistrate was very strange. His name was Guo Ze.

After arriving in the county town, he neither visited the local prominent families nor paid attention to the powerful landlords who came to give gifts. Instead, he led officials to visit the common people all day long.

This made his reputation very bad, and everyone in the county felt that he was an incompetent county magistrate.

Guo Ze's behavior became more and more excessive. Today, he actually sent people to arrest several children of wealthy families and searched their mansions.

It has been so many years since they last suffered such treatment since the death of Emperor Wu!
This made the local noble families furious, and they wrote letters to the imperial court one after another. The children of the big families who were captured were also shocked and angry at this moment.

Could a county magistrate be so greedy that he actually accepted bribes from merchants to deal with people like us, decent people?

We can afford what the merchants give us, so why is this happening?

Guo Ze stared angrily at the people in front of him.

Two days ago, a group of merchants passed through the county town. The next day, a patrol officer discovered that all thirteen people in the caravan had been killed and their goods had been looted. Among these thirteen people were women, children, the elderly and the weak. The youngest child was only twelve years old and was trampled to death!

Guo Ze went there in person and saw the tragic scene. He hurriedly sent people to collect evidence and found that a group of noblemen were leading their servants to hunt in the area that day. They then raided their mansions and found the goods they had stolen.

Guo Ze couldn't imagine how these bastards dared to do this and why they did this!
They clearly have unlimited wealth and will never worry about food and clothing, so why would they resort to murder and robbery?

Why would you attack such a young child?!

When Guo Ze put the evidence in front of these people, they didn't think there was anything wrong with themselves. They just thought that Guo Ze had been bribed.

The county magistrate standing by was terrified and hurriedly reminded:

"My Lord, these are all local nobles, of the highest rank. Two are surnamed Xun, and one is surnamed Wang."

"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious. The current governor is a fair man, we can leave it to him."

Perhaps because they saw someone speaking up for them, everyone except the leader started shouting.

"You are a scoundrel official, colluding with merchants. Once the court finds out about this, they will definitely put you in a prison car and give you a miserable death!!"

"Let us go now!!"

Guo Ze gritted his teeth and looked at the county lieutenant beside him.

"These individuals robbed merchants and murdered thirteen people. Their crimes are extremely heinous. According to the laws of the Wei Dynasty, such crimes do not require the court's intervention and can be executed on the spot. Please take them outside the county government office and behead them in public!"

The county magistrate felt his legs trembling.

He held Guo Ze tightly, his eyes full of despair.

You are a member of the Queen Mother's clan, so don't harm us!

What's the big deal about these local nobles killing a few merchants? Isn't it the same as usual? Just give some compensation. Why is it so?

Besides, if you kill them, at most you will be dismissed, and the Queen Mother will protect you, but what about us?

Won’t we be torn to pieces by these powerful families?

He looked at the county lieutenant in horror and kept shaking his head, indicating that he should not obey.

The county lieutenant was not very old, a young man with a thick beard and a very strong build.

At this moment, he just looked at Guo Ze calmly for a moment, then drew his sword, "Come here, take him out!"

The county magistrate was shocked, "Crazy! They're all crazy! Crazy!"

Only then did those wealthy men realize the horror of the situation. They quickly changed their appearance and began to beg for mercy.

At this moment, they had completely lost their usual composure, and their integrity was even worse than Jia Chong's. They cried loudly and their hearts were broken, but the county lieutenant ignored them at all. He took all of them out of the county government office.

He looked at the wealthy young men in front of him, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"When you destroyed Zhao Hu's family, did you ever think of this day?"

"Cut!" The county lieutenant gave the order and the soldiers swung their knives.

The screams stopped abruptly.

Even when the heads fell to the ground, these wealthy young men were still confused.

Who is Zhao Hu?

The situation outside the county government naturally attracted a large crowd of onlookers, some of whom were crying, some were cheering, and some were cheering.

The county lieutenant's face became a little serious. He turned and walked into the county government office and met Guo Ze again.

The county magistrate was completely frightened and sat slumped to the side with his eyes blank.

The lieutenant saluted and said, "Thank you, County Magistrate, for giving me the opportunity to avenge my grievances. Six months ago, one of my soldiers was injured by a horse. I reported the incident to the County Magistrate, who demanded compensation."

"From then on, they resented my subordinate for forcing his family to pieces and killing six members of his family."

"I have always wanted to avenge him, and today, I finally got my wish."

"If the court sends someone to question me, I am willing to be punished along with you."

Guo Ze was silent for a moment, then looked at the county magistrate beside him and said, "If you want to resign, then go ahead!"

The county magistrate walked out of the county office trembling, without saying a word from beginning to end. However, Guo Ze helped the county lieutenant in front of him to stand up and said, "You are a real hero. Come, take a seat."

Guo Ze asked the county lieutenant to sit next to him and then said, "The world is full of bandits and thieves these days, and the people are living in poverty. What do you think is the reason?"

"I think"

The county lieutenant hesitated to speak.

Guo Ze said seriously, "This is because traitors are in power, treacherous ministers are everywhere, and there are no loyal and good people left!"

"It's all because of the Sima family!"

The county lieutenant's eyes widened, but he soon calmed down.

"Mr. Guo is right."

"I am from the Xiping Guo family, perhaps you know that."

"I already knew that."

"Then you certainly don't know that I once served as His Majesty's Defense Assistant."

"Ah? Your Majesty?"

The county lieutenant was indeed surprised. He really didn't know about this matter.

Guo Ze continued, "Your Majesty has fallen into the hands of thieves. Your Majesty is a man of integrity and will never submit to thieves. I believe he is now engaged in an all-out struggle with the Sima family and will not give in even an inch! Although I am far away in the county, I also understand the principles of loyalty and righteousness!"

"These days, I've witnessed the chaos within the county. Among the many officials, you are the only righteous man willing to help me eradicate the traitors. So, are you willing to follow me to eradicate the traitors and rescue His Majesty?"

The county lieutenant was still in shock at this moment.

He couldn't understand how a small county lieutenant like him could be involved in such a big event.

"Are you planning a rebellion?"

"It's the Sima family who are rebelling! Can an act of supporting the country be considered treason?"

The county lieutenant thought about his current situation. Killing those noble families would not end well anyway. So he made up his mind and shouted, "I am willing to serve Your Majesty!"

Guo Ze was very happy. "Who says there are no loyal and righteous people in the local area?"

Then, he told the county lieutenant about his plan, "Your Majesty is trapped in Luoyang and is in great need of manpower. Although your Majesty's reputation is not prominent here, it is well-known in Hebei and other places."

"The greater your majesty's reputation in the local area, the less likely Sima Shi will dare to murder him!"

"Therefore, we need to win over more people in the name of His Majesty and spread his fame throughout the world. When the time is right, we will lead these people to attack Luoyang, punish the traitors, save the emperor, and support the country!!"

"Ah, attack Luoyang"

"Yes! We still have to find a way to get in touch with the General of the Eastern Expedition!"

"We can't attack Luoyang without him!"

The county lieutenant's eyes were a little dull.

Do you want to bring a county's worth of troops to cooperate with the General of the Eastern Expedition?
Why does he feel that Mr. Guo is somewhat unreliable?

To be able to undertake such a big thing, and coming from a famous family, he shouldn't be unreliable, right? ? ?

Illusion! It must be my own illusion!!

(End of this chapter)