Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 269 Zhu Wen's Methods

Zhu Wen severely punished the treasury official who stole money, which greatly shocked the officials of Fengzhou. They all praised him, saying that the governor had used thunderous methods to sweep away the corrupt officials and was truly the upright official of Fengzhou.

Lan Suting remained silent to the side.

That evening, Lan Suting suddenly approached Zhu Wen: "I think that what you did today was quite inappropriate. If you continue to do this, it would be better to just focus on the big picture and leave the details to us subordinates."

Zhu Wen had just finished killing the warehouse clerk and was enjoying the satisfaction of the killing when Lan Suting uttered such offensive words.

He was momentarily annoyed—you little girl, as kind as you are, isn't it too ungrateful to stand up to your benefactor for a corrupt official? Even if there is such a thing as womanly kindness, you shouldn't do this!
He raised his eyelids, his gaze turning cold as he stared at Lan Suting: "Are you saying I'm not suited to handle political affairs?"

"The spirit of chivalry, when applied to politics, for the sake of momentary pleasure, is no different from that of a cruel official." Lan Suting's slender body trembled slightly, but her eyes remained unwavering.

She noticed that Zhu Wen's eyes had returned to the coldness they had shown when he slapped her the first time they met.

But that's just Lan Suting's nature; once she's made up her mind, no one can change it. Even if she were slapped again by the general she still harbors feelings for for contradicting Zhu Wen, she wouldn't care.

"Have we killed enough people along the way?" Zhu Wen said coldly, "You're making these nitpicking remarks because of a corrupt official?"

Zhu Wen remembered that Duan Hongyan had used cruel methods when governing Quzhou. But Lan Suting had only made a few casual remarks, and was nowhere near as rude to him.

“In military operations, the military tactics used are mostly expedient and based on their effectiveness and power.” Lan Suting raised his eyes to meet Zhu Wen’s gaze: “But now it is clear that we need to settle down. The magistrate himself told the officials and people of Fengzhou that from now on, all actions will be in accordance with the law.”

"If that minor official has indeed stolen a thousand coins in the past three years, Your Excellency has evidence and can execute him according to the law. But to kill someone without evidence and based on conjecture would set a bad precedent!"

At this point, Lan Suting's tone became more serious: "Moreover, the laws that are being revised in Lingnan today were drafted with the participation of Governor Zhu! If we disregard the law, won't we be damaging the reputation of the governor himself?"

Zhu Wen was suddenly stunned.

During the siege of Guangzhou, Huang Chao had Zhu Wen, Shang Rang, Duan Hongyan and others assist the talented scholar Pi Rixiu in formulating a set of regulations that would be used in the areas controlled by the rebel army in Lingnan after the city fell.

In just a few months, and with military affairs running in a hurry, it was impossible to be very detailed. In essence, it was still based on the Tang Code, with slight additions and deletions to suit the demands of the rebel army.

Because many prefects and county officials in the Tang Dynasty were corrupt and lawless, the draft military regulations were very strict in supervising them, stipulating that "prefects are prohibited from accumulating property, and county magistrates who commit embezzlement will be executed along with their families."

It was also stipulated that officials of prefectures and counties were prohibited from killing people without the penalty of death; those who violated this rule would be dismissed from their posts, and those whose circumstances were particularly egregious would be punished with caning or even death.

According to the laws he helped formulate, Zhu Wen was no longer qualified to be the governor after killing the minor officials.

This mere fiefdom was merely a place for Zhu Wen to hone his skills. However, as the legislator, he did indeed break the laws he had helped to create.

In Lan Suting's view, Zhu Wen's style was quite undesirable and could easily have a negative impact.

“Zhizhen, you’ve always been serious and take the law too seriously.” Zhu Wen sighed. “Since you think I’m not suited to handle practical matters, then let me tell you that the dispute between the two villages over water that you mediated has had a follow-up. The two villages, and even dozens of surrounding villages, have all agreed to have officials from the prefecture sent out to investigate the fields.”

Lan Suting was surprised: "Lingnan has a complex terrain and its people are known for their unruly and difficult nature. How can they be so easy to talk to? What ruthless methods did the magistrate use?"

"No drastic measures were taken. Have you seen Cong Zhou these days?"

Lan Suting then realized that she hadn't seen Ge Congzhou for several days.

"Zhou's position as the Military Advisor was responsible for document and archive management, case handling, land reclamation, and water conservancy. Since he is not in the prefecture, could he have gone to a local area to build water conservancy projects?"

Lan Suting's conjecture that there was no military farming in Fengzhou is quite reasonable.

"The dispute between the two villages is simply because they don't have enough water. But Lingnan is not a place that lacks water."

“I sent people to investigate further and learned that there used to be a lake east of the two villages, which irrigated tens of thousands of acres of farmland. Later, it was blocked by powerful and cunning people to make it into farmland. In case of drought, the high fields in the northwest cannot get water, and in case of flood, the low fields in the southeast become a huge flood.”

Lan Suting opened her mouth slightly, her face turning pale with shock: "Why has no one punished such a harmful act against the people?"

She recalled the argument between the two villages, during which they hesitated and stammered, revealing that such a matter did exist but they dared not speak of it. She then asked, "If this lake had not been dammed, could water have been diverted from the lake to relieve the water shortage in the two villages?"

Zhu Wen nodded: "At most three years, all the silt will be cleared out and the land will be returned to its original state as a lake."

"There's just one problem. The cunning man who blocked the lake is none other than Luo Xuan, the magistrate of Hu County in this prefecture. By the way, when we were still besieging Guangzhou, he prepared a great gift for our army. In addition to the provisions for the army, every general received a share. The Yue kiln celadon brush washer that I gave you was a gift from him."

Zhu Wen joked, "The prohibition against governors accumulating property doesn't apply to me, since I acquired it before taking office. But Magistrate Luo's act of damming the lake isn't illegal either, because there's no article prohibiting it."

Lan Suting, however, saw a deeper meaning in Zhu Wen's eyes.

Lan Suting said, "In any case, Magistrate Luo's blocking of the lake has affected the lives of so many people. He should be made to remove the lake."

Zhu Wen said, "This presents another problem. Magistrate Luo collects relatively light rents, making him a great benefactor in the eyes of the tenants. If the silted-up fields are returned to lake water, so many tenant farmers will have no land to cultivate. What will become of them?"

Lan Suting was slightly taken aback.

Zhu Wen said that officials were allowed to enter dozens of villages to survey the land, which meant that Magistrate Luo's decision to return the land was already a fait accompli.

This is a matter of great importance. How did Zhu Wen manage to do it?
“They are all shrewd and wise; it was Su Ting who was being reckless.” Lan Su Ting finally showed a hint of resignation.

It's not that they're being distant; when Lan Suting talks about serious matters, he's always very serious.

"Corruption." Zhu Wen said calmly, "If a county magistrate doesn't embezzle, where will he get so much money to give to our band of soldiers?"

Lan Suting asked in confusion, "Isn't this using money from the government treasury?"

“That makes sense. The problem is that the treasury of Hu County is not much different from the magistrate’s private property. The Luo family are said to be officials who have been appointed for five generations. They have been either magistrates or county lieutenants. The people give money to them because they feel that it is their natural duty to show respect to their ‘parent officials’.”

“There are still many local bullies like this in Lingnan, but when Master issued the decree, he undoubtedly tacitly approved their behavior. This is the unspoken rule beyond the law. What I did this time may seem like I was enforcing the law strictly, but in fact I broke the rule.”

“Zhizhen, you see, the so-called laws and regulations are such an elusive thing. Everything is inseparable from human relationships, but human relationships are too complicated and messy, and sometimes they make me feel nauseous.”

With these words, Zhu Wen seems to have already exterminated the entire clan of Luo Xuan, the magistrate of Hu County.

The county magistrate punished those who embezzled, his entire family being executed; he truly enforced the law with unwavering resolve.

"Didn't Magistrate Luo resist? Isn't he deeply loved by the tenant farmers?"

“I sent men to infiltrate the tenant farmers and incite them, promising that after Magistrate Luo’s family was wiped out, all the remaining land, except for the land that was converted into lakes, would be given to the tenant farmers. Although it would be less, they would no longer have to pay rent. The tenant farmers thought about it and then took matters into their own hands, killing Magistrate Luo’s servants and wiping out his entire family. They didn’t even have to dirty the hands of my men.”

Seeing Lan Suting's stunned expression, Zhu Wen continued, "Zhizhen, I also want to apologize to you for this matter. What you said makes sense. I should submit a memorial to impeach myself for the unauthorized killing, so that my master can publicly pardon my mistake and continue to serve me, in order to preserve the dignity of the law."

He pondered to himself that while wiping out the entire Luo County Magistrate's family might seem like acting in accordance with the law, it would inevitably make many local strongmen who had joined the rebel army uneasy, fearing they would be betrayed after being used. A self-reproach petition, thus curbing his own arrogance, would put these people at ease.

Lan Suting's eyes lit up with joy: "You're so kind, Dudu."

He added, "Suting will be more humble in the future and won't speak so bluntly anymore."

Zhu Wen smiled and said, "Sometimes it's okay to be a little impulsive. I can't stand other people's unpleasant words, but I can listen to yours."

A thousand sheepskins are not as valuable as a fox's armpit; a thousand yes-men are not as valuable as one outspoken critic. Those who achieve great things need to be surrounded by honest and outspoken individuals who dare to speak their minds.

Zhu Wen looked at the girl's slightly flushed cheeks and thought to himself, "This must be what they call a harmonious relationship between ruler and subject."

As for this terminology, there was a concept of dual monarchy in the Han Dynasty, which still has some remnants today. For example, the governor was called the envoy, and the relationship between the two was described as that of a ruler and his subject, which is quite fitting.

(End of this chapter)