Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 309: Is great loyalty like treachery, or is great treachery like loyalty?
That should be where the "Great Lord of Justice" is?

Full of doubts, Chen Jing'an followed the crowd for several hundred steps.

When he reached the outskirts of the crowd and looked around, he saw that the tea stalls a few dozen steps away were already full of pedestrians. Some people even climbed onto the roofs of other people's houses to watch the fun.

Passersby in groups of three or four pointed and talked at the "onlookers", or paid a few copper coins to buy some coarse tea, or took out the dry food they brought with them and swallowed it with the coarse tea.

Seeing this scene, Chen Jing'an was completely confused.

After all, the master is the head of a county. How come he doesn't even have yamen runners to clear the way or guard the place? He just lets ordinary people watch. Isn't he afraid that the beggars will attack him secretly and kill him?
Chen Jing'an heard many rumors about beggar thieves.

When the rebel army first rose up, they loved to assassinate officials at the prefectures and counties, and often entire families of officials were killed.

Although there have been fewer assassinations recently, the county magistrate, as the head of a county, still has to be careful.

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

The crowd suddenly erupted in thunderous cheers, like passersby seeing a street performer displaying his unique skills.

Chen Jing'an struggled to squeeze into the bustling crowd, and when a spacious open space appeared, what came into his sight was a thrilling scene of fistfighting.

A middle-aged man in luxurious clothes had half of his face stained with blood, his mouth was red and white, and you could vaguely see that he was missing a few teeth. From time to time, he could hear frightened pleas for mercy.

His arms were held by two yamen runners in uniform, and the third runner was swinging his fist and hitting the man in the face again and again.

As the yamen runners punched fiercely, the chief runner sitting in the middle would shout, "The annual interest on the loan exceeds 36% of the principal, and the penalty is 20 killing punches, plus a fine three times the excess amount! The total fine is 310 taels, 7 qian, and 1 fen of silver..."

"Please, please spare my life... I won't dare to do it again!"

The second man wailed in response, but the bailiff remained silent and just kept punching him.

Every time the yamen runner threw a punch, the surrounding crowd would let out low cries of pity or joy.

While the second person was being beaten, six other people were grabbed by the throat by burly yamen runners, like defeated dogs with their necks locked, waiting to be sent one by one to taste the "killing punch".

As the fierce iron fists poured down, the second man's begging for mercy gradually faded away until there was no sound left and he completely fainted.

Then the other six people screamed one after another and fainted.

"The eight individuals involved in the loan sharking ring in Shangcheng County have now been executed. Come, take them to their homes to pay their fines! If anyone can't pay the fine, they'll be sent to a hard labor camp to work day and night until they're paid in full!"

The leader, who was sitting firmly on the wooden chair, raised his hand and slammed it hard on the table. His loud voice instantly spread throughout the crowd, "Take him away!"

At the chief's command, several yamen runners standing around him immediately came out.

They all have strong backs and muscular bodies, with angry eyes, big swords on their waists and military boots on their feet. If they were given a set of cloth armor, they would look like the imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty.

How could this be a county yamen runner? He is clearly a battle-hardened soldier of the border army!
No, these yamen runners were even braver and stronger than the border troops. The murderous aura between their brows was like a tiger grinning and roaring in the mountains, making people dare not look directly at them.

The three yamen runners escorted the criminals away, leaving a lot of space on the open ground. Immediately, more than ten families knelt down before the "master" in unison, and the yamen runners could not stop them from kneeling and kowtowing.

They kowtowed to the "Great Master" and shouted, "Great Master, the Honourable Lord!"

"Kneel down to heaven, to earth, to your parents. I'm just a clerk in the prison. I'm not worthy of your kneeling. Stand up!"

The clerk slammed the table, and a righteous aura broke through the air, making Chen Jing'an sigh inwardly, "Well said."

Who would have thought that these people who had been freed from the burden of usury would not listen to advice at all, and insisted on expressing their gratitude with the utmost courtesy, "Great Lord!"

It was not until the yamen runners pulled them all up like chickens that they stopped kowtowing and expressing their gratitude.

Chen Jing'an asked around before confirming that this was the torture chamber, one of the six chambers in the county government office.

As an important department of the county government, the Criminal Court is responsible for the trial and judgment of general cases.

If the master personally took charge, the other clerks in the prison would have no choice but to follow the rules. If the master left the case alone, they would have the opportunity to show their talents.

But it's against the rules for the criminal department to leave the county government office and work outside the city, right?

The locals told him that this was similar to the provincial imperial censors who traveled around the county. The criminal officials would periodically tour the county to help those who had been repeatedly oppressed get justice.

The people who were truly oppressed would never have the chance to go to the county government to file a complaint, as they would have been caught by the bullies on the way.

The touring model was not an original idea, but it was the Begging Army that first implemented it in grassroots affairs, and it also benefited the prefectures and counties south of the Huai River.

As for the master who was supposed to be in charge of the county affairs? Naturally, he stayed in the county government office and enjoyed a peaceful life.

Apart from the day he takes office or showing up on ordinary holidays, the master rarely appears in the public eye.

In a remote county like Shangcheng County, countless county magistrates have come and gone, all either being manipulated by clerks, colluding with them to make money, or simply handing over all county affairs to their advisors...

Therefore, no one thinks it is strange that the county magistrate has no sense of presence. Only the clerk in the criminal department is the real master of the local area.

Only after Chen Jing'an had watched the swift and decisive "case-solving" did he have time to observe the personnel configuration of this "mobile county government office".

The clerk sat in the center, a desk, chairs, and books in full order. Four clerks sat on either side, and behind them were over thirty sturdy, sword-bearing yamen runners. Each held aloft a banner inscribed with the words "Shangcheng County Mobile Prison." A mule cart carrying groceries was also parked inside the post station.

No wonder the old customer had to come to the county to report to the authorities, and no wonder this "big master" was not afraid of assassination by the bandit army.

Just relying on these dozens of extremely strong yamen runners armed with swords is more than enough to defeat three times the number of bandits.

It can be said that he held the Ming Dynasty law in one hand and a three-foot sword in the other. The former was used to punish villains, and the latter was used to kill bandits.

It turns out that this is an important reason for the good local security!

"Is there anyone else who wants to sue? If there's injustice, then speak up. If there's no injustice, then let's just disband..."

"injustice!"

The old customer brought his victim to the clerk and was about to kneel down. Before their knees touched the ground, the yamen runner grabbed their arms.

The yamen runners couldn't stop a group of victims, but they still had enough energy to stop a few people.

The victim's grievances were not complicated. Chen Jing'an had heard the story. It was a bully who injured someone while riding a carriage, and he used his official connections to turn the tables and blamed the victim, and his connections were very powerful.

When the people around heard this, they started talking about it.

"Oh, it's that wealthy man named Gao. I heard he escaped back from Kaifeng Prefecture. His second uncle is an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing."

"Oh, that's bad. The Nanzhi is responsible for raising part of the money and food for the Black Flag Camp, and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is in charge. If we offend the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue and the Black Flag Camp is short of money and food, we will offend both parties at once..."

"I heard that Marshal Li has always strictly enforced military discipline and is very polite to the people."

"The commander-in-chief is the commander-in-chief, but without money and food, he can't control those soldiers."

The noisy discussions immediately dampened the courage of the old customers and victims, and they immediately recalled the fear of being controlled by corrupt officials.

What should we do if the "honest judge" in front of us cannot withstand the official pressure and has to handle the case in a confused manner?

There is no pressure in bullying a powerless commoner, but if you offend a few big shots, you will deeply understand what it means to make things difficult for others and force them to death.

The official level is overwhelming.

Even if the clerk in front of him is swift and decisive and has severely punished many city scoundrels, so what?
In the eyes of the onlookers, people are divided into different classes. Mr. Gao is a relative of a high-ranking official. Can you, a local official, defeat a high-ranking official with a single word?
An old student who was watching advised the clerk not to get involved in this mess.

He knew that the clerk was wholeheartedly serving the people and was willing to fight against those corrupt officials, but the world was in such a state of chaos that it would not be cleared up overnight, and it would not be possible for a few dozen people to make it clear.

Besides, the position of a clerk in the county government is just a small one, how can he compete with those officials?
You must first take care of yourself and protect your life and position before you can continue to benefit more people.

"Thank you for your kind words, sir, but since I started working as a clerk in the household department of Shangcheng County, I have never thought of kneeling down to beg for mercy from a wicked person. My legs and feet are not very strong and I just can't kneel down."

Staring at the trembling victim in front of him, the clerk took a deep breath and said to the victim in a softer tone:

"I understand that you're afraid of officials protecting one another, but today I want to tell you that no matter who breaks the law in Shangcheng County, I will arrest them!"

He pointed at the victim himself and said, "Come on, follow me into the city to seek justice. I want to see which is harder, that thief's neck or my knife!"

The yamen runners roared towards the sky, not as if the victim was being bullied, but as if they themselves had suffered a great injustice.

The common people were happy to watch the fun and followed the clerk back to the county town.

A group of people marched into the county town. After some inquiries, they learned that the tall and wealthy man was entertaining guests on the second floor of an inn, so they immediately broke into the inn.

The flags of the mobile execution chamber and the uniforms of the yamen runners indicated their identities. Seeing a group of stern-looking yamen runners armed with swords enter the inn, the diners who had just been chatting and talking suddenly fell silent.

The diner who was reading the newspaper put it down. The headline read "The Beiwei Army expels the invading Tartars, adding glory to the Ming Dynasty."

Even the storyteller who was telling the story of "The Dragon Slaying Hero" stopped talking and looked at the group of people with a serious expression.

Chen Jing'an and the general public stayed outside the inn. Only the victims and a few brave onlookers followed the yamen runners up to the stairs.

Soon, I heard a burst of quarreling coming from upstairs, and then a fierce fight broke out, with tables, chairs, and dishes banging against each other.

Chen Jing'an stretched his neck to look at the crowd outside the inn, and saw a man rolling down rapidly with a bruise on his head.

The man was dressed in civilian clothes, with a look of servility between his eyebrows. He stood up dazedly, feeling his way down the stairs, but accidentally fell again and fainted.

"Murder!" Suddenly, bursts of pig-slaughtering screams came from upstairs.

"Call the police, call the police quickly!" The frightened shopkeeper screamed, and the shop assistant pointed blankly at the several police officers left on the first floor and the flag of the mobile execution house.

The shopkeeper finally woke up from his dream.

The police officer had a conflict with the wealthy Gao, and it almost resulted in a loss of life. This was truly a fight between gods, and the common people suffered.

After a while, the sounds of fighting on the second floor gradually died down, and the familiar sound of footsteps on the stairs sounded again.

The yamen runners who had been angry just now now all had smiles on their faces, and blood was splattered on their bodies.

The two of them were escorting a man in bright clothes, and there were more than ten people in total, among them was the tall and wealthy man.

"My uncle is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing. You can't arrest me!" As the tall and rich man was being dragged on the ground, he was still shouting that he had relatives who were high-ranking officials.

However, the bailiff didn't listen to his nonsense and slapped him back, causing the rich man to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Even if your father is a cabinet minister, it won't work!"

The yamen runners escorted the criminal out of the inn, while the clerk and several yamen runners stayed inside the inn.

He first told the shopkeeper that the loss of the upstairs building would be assessed by other people from the yamen, and the amount would be deducted from the criminal's fine.

He then loudly announced to the diners in the inn and the crowd outside, "Gao Siwen allowed his evil slaves to injure innocent passers-by and maliciously intimidate pedestrians. He also gathered the evil slaves in the inn to resist the yamen runners. The evidence is conclusive, with both witnesses and evidence. I sentence him to eight years of hard labor and a fine of six hundred taels of silver. His evil slaves will each be sentenced to two to five years of hard labor according to their crimes..."

As the clerk announced the final verdict, the crowd outside immediately cheered in relief.

Even the shopkeeper couldn't help but applaud when he heard about the evil deeds of the rich man Gao and his final end.

Cheers echoed from inside and outside the house, "Great Lord!"

Amidst the cheers, Chen Jingan couldn't help but look at the person who was cheering.

The clerk raised his head, his fierce face revealing an indescribable aura.

It's the righteousness of unwavering resolve in the face of despair, of persisting despite knowing it's impossible. It's the fearlessness of being willing to lose one's job, or even one's life. It's the purity of being drenched in official corruption yet remaining untainted.

Such an upright person can exist in such a small county town!
In the past, Chen Jing'an had only seen the shining light in some chivalrous men, but today he saw it again in a clerk.

Strange, strange, really strange.

What's even more strange is that when Chen Jing'an returned to the place where he "lost" the cart, it was lying there in the alley.

Although some of the goods on the cart were lost, they were not pushed away directly.

These simple folk customs have almost reached the point where they don't even pick up things on the road?!
Is this place blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery, or is it hiding more unknown secrets?
Chen Jing'an always felt that there was something strange, as if a pond that should have been dirty had become crystal clear. It seemed strange no matter how he looked at it.

He then rushed to other prefectures and counties south of the Huai River to investigate.

These prefectures and counties were surprisingly consistent: smooth official roads, good public security, clean streets, mobile prisons operating around the county seats, and expensive railways also built there...

Even though some counties near the mountains are not so good, their county government teams are also working hard to make progress. There is a good feeling that after the rotten flesh is removed, the tender shoots of new flesh are slowly growing.

Building roads, suppressing bandits, cleaning up the market, these trivial matters all require a large amount of money and labor, and more importantly, a clean and efficient administrative team.

Where do these human, material and financial resources come from?

If these clerks controlled the local areas and exploited the people, then the people would not trust the clerks and the local situation would not be so clean.

But if the clerks didn't exploit the people, where would the money and food come from? The Black Flag Battalion also had to collect local food and fodder.

You have to know that beggars can prey on the rich, but these clerks cannot openly kill the entire family of the rich and take their money and food. They only rely on taxes and gray income.

Moreover, the administrative capabilities of these clerks exceeded Chen Jing'an's expectations.

If these people were Shaoxing lawyers, it would cost a huge amount of money just to hire them.

Where does the money and food come from?

It's impossible that they are all "righteous men" who voluntarily do low-paying jobs, right?

Chen Jing'an heard that the Black Flag Camp had made a large sum of money, food, and cloth in Shandong, but that became the private property of the military leader. It was impossible to distribute it to the poor, right?
But on the other hand, if Marshal Li really distributed the money and grain he "earned" with great difficulty to the clerks, thereby controlling these capable officials, he could then ask for money to build roads and suppress bandits in the local area.

Wouldn't that be using your own money to steal from the government?

This was no longer something an ordinary military officer would do. This was simply the separatist regime of the late Tang Dynasty, who treated the military base as their own private territory and managed it carefully!

Li Mu seems to have a big problem!

But problems arise.

If Li Mu was a traitor, why did he frequently leave his "old nest" to do some loyal deeds?
For example, he led his troops through the mountains to fight against the fierce tiger bandits, led his troops across hundreds of miles of mountains and rivers to fight against the invading Tartars, or sent troops to Nanyang to support friendly forces, but ended up being annihilated.

Later, Li Mu led his elite troops across the river to Liaodong to fight against the invaders. On the way, he went against the opposition and fought against the superior Jiannu, and finally saved the emperor.

Li Mu sacrificed his own men time and time again just to be loyal to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

This series of actions would be considered "acts of great loyalty" by anyone. As people often say, if a person has been hypocritical all his life, then he is a great good person.

Chen Jing'an closed his eyes and thought for a long time, feeling as if his brain was about to be torn apart.

There are too many doubts here, and too many illogical contradictions.

He saw a bunch of things proving that Li Mu was a traitor, but he was able to immediately think of more deeds of loyal ministers.

What exactly is this railway, which costs money and food but has no physical structure, and what effect can it produce?
It is impossible that the "financial backers" of the road construction would burn all the silver and pour it into the river just for fun, right?

If railways really have miraculous effects, why haven't many people actually witnessed them? Are they hidden in the mountains?
Is the behavior of managing territory like a vassal state the autonomous behavior of the clerks, the "legacy" of beggars, or is there another mastermind behind the scenes who is providing money and effort?

Is this mastermind Li Mu?

If Li Mu wanted to rebel, his apparent combat capability would be no more than 20,000 soldiers and horses, and the local militia did not seem to be under Li Mu's command.

Loyal minister, or traitor?
This question of "the left and the right" kept echoing in Chen Jing'an's mind.

It was impossible for him to report ambiguous information to his superiors. Li Mu was not someone who could be brought down with just a few words.

To the emperor, all kinds of slander were just annoying flies.

Not to mention that the emperor would not easily depose a loyal person, even local officials, gentry and powerful people would not approve of the act of harming loyal and good people.

Zhao Gou's killing of Yue Fei directly led to many military generals becoming disillusioned with the Southern Song court.

Chen Jingan said that he needed a piece of solid evidence, evidence that would convince the emperor and amaze the ministers and gentry.

Considering the intelligence and "strange stories" collected in these states and counties, his sights immediately focused on the Dabie Mountains south of Shangcheng.

That's where strange rumors circulate the most, and perhaps there's the key to unlocking all the secrets.

However, before taking action, he went to the residences of several high-ranking officials and revealed his identity as a Jinyiwei.

If he hasn't come out alive within a month, it means there is something seriously wrong with Li Mu.

Chen Jing'an, who had been lurking in southern Henan for several months, took his equipment and dry food and decided to enter the mysterious mountains on a night with a full moon.

(End of this chapter)