Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 609 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey

After the beginning of summer, there are only a few days with sunny weather in the Central Plains.

As an imperial commissioner, Xu Jin could even receive news from the prefectures along the Yellow River and its tributaries in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan before the imperial court.

The levee was in danger, and Xu Qingteng, who used to be very smart, couldn't help but become anxious. Every day when he opened his eyes, he would ask about the water level of the Yellow River.

Until that day, it was raining heavily again. Lu Wan, the captain of the Kaifeng Thousand Households of the Dragon Guard, hurried to the imperial envoy's headquarters in the rain and personally delivered an urgent memorial.

"Sir, the Luoyang dike has collapsed!"

what?
The chopsticks in Xu Jin's hand fell to the ground. He took a look at the urgent music and his face suddenly turned pale.

"Luoyang City is an important city in the Central Plains. The repair and reinforcement of the levee began in the spring of last year. If the materials used are all cement that was first allocated by the Ministry of Works, it will cost a lot of money. The Yellow River levee did not collapse, so even if the water level of the Luo River surged, how could the Luoyang levee, which was claimed to be able to withstand a hundred-year flood, collapse?"

The urgent report only mentioned the time and specific location of the levee collapse, without even mentioning the number of casualties, let alone the cause of the levee collapse.

After reading the so-called urgent report, Xu Jin quickly saw the trick.

"Captain Lu, has there been any other news from the Dragon Guards in Luoyang?"

As a big city and a thousand-year-old capital, Luoyang naturally has Dragon Guards stationed there. According to the rules, the Dragon Guards of various prefectures in Henan are all controlled by the Dragon Guard Kaifeng Prefecture Thousand Households.

As the leader of Henan Dragon Guards, Lu Wan would definitely report such a big incident in Luoyang to Kaifeng as soon as possible.

But it is so strange that even though the urgent report from the Luoyang government has been delivered, there has been no news from the Dragon Guards in the city.

Seeing Lu Wan shaking his head, Xu Jin became even more confused.

At this time he had calmed down and was looking at the rain outside the window, lost in thought.

"Captain Lu, how many people do you have under your command that you can use and trust?"

Lu Wan was stunned for a moment, then he clasped his fists and said, "Your Excellency, I still have three hundred men available in our headquarters."

Xu Jin nodded, stood up and walked to the desk, ground some ink, thought for a while, picked up the pen and wrote a handwritten note, and stamped it with the imperial seal.

After sealing the handwritten letter, he solemnly handed it to Lu Wan.

"Take my warrant, lead 300 of my men in disguise, and go to Luoyang City immediately. Do not touch the government offices at any level in Luoyang City. No matter what the government offices in Luoyang City are doing, do not care. Just investigate the levee collapse."

"I obey your orders! But sir..."

Lu Wan took the warrant into his arms, hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, I have left Kaifeng Prefecture. What if someone harms you?"

What is an imperial envoy to a case of embezzlement of millions or tens of millions of taels of silver for river management? Even if the emperor himself came, these lunatics would also try their best to eliminate the threat to them.

The Kaifeng Thousand Households of the Dragon Guards is probably the last ceremonial guard for the current imperial commissioner Xu Jin.

Xu Jin pointed to a letter on the table and said, "Don't be afraid. My disciple Jia Cong has already mobilized 5,000 troops from Jinxiangwei and will be at the gate of Kaifeng tomorrow!"

……

"The Luoyang levee collapsed? Who would believe it if there was no trick?"

Compared with the meticulous renovation and reinforcement of the Luoyang dike, the Yellow River dike in Guide Prefecture is still built and reinforced using the old methods from the early years. Doesn't the Yellow River have a larger volume of water than the Luo River?

To date, flood peaks have occurred one after another, and except for occasional minor problems, there has never been a problem of dam breaches.

Your Luoyang city was flooded first. You really treat the court and the people as fools, don't you?

"Uncle Eleven, Uncle Eleven!"

Jia Shiyi was destined to be a hard-working man. He had just returned from outside the city when he heard Jia Cong calling him.

"Uncle Eleven, the teacher is short of people. You should personally lead them over and take orders in front of the teacher's tent."

"What about you, Little Third Master?"

Jia Cong nodded at Feng Yongtang and Dai Ting who were wolfing down their food at the table: "With General Feng and County Magistrate Dai here, this is enough for me for now. Besides, people from the capital will be here soon."

Yes, compared to Guide Prefecture, which only needs to deal with flood prevention issues at the moment, Kaifeng Prefecture is a huge whirlpool that is enough to kill people.

Jia Shiyi was ordered to leave, taking with him most of Jia Cong's elite personal soldiers and rushing towards Kaifeng City in the rain.

A few days later, on June 16, the first batch of reinforcements and the first batch of financial support from the capital arrived in Yucheng County.

"Marquis Yongfeng, 200,000 dan of grain, 5 million taels of silver, as well as medicinal materials for epidemic prevention and materials for strengthening the levee will be delivered as soon as possible. Do we really want to relocate the people of the four counties to relieve the flood?"

The leader of the first support force was Jia Cong's old partner in the Ministry of Works, He Yuan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

Seeing the arrival of his old partner, Jia Cong felt instantly more relaxed.

God have mercy on him, he has been hunched over the desk calculating day and night these days, and his wrists are almost broken from writing.

If the capital sent an old scholar who knew nothing about engineering, Jia Cong would jump into the Yellow River.

"Old He, the court is finally reliable for once, and actually sent you here!"

It was the first time for He Yuan to be hugged by a man. He responded by patting Jia Cong's back, feeling very uncomfortable.

The two grown men, one old and one young, hugged each other in front of the county gate. When they returned to the county government office, He Yuan finally understood Jia Cong's excitement and helplessness.

"This...My Lord, you have worked hard!"

The main hall of the county government office had been completely requisitioned by Jia Cong. It was filled with various maps, and there were thick stacks of documents and reports on the desk.

Especially the flood discharge diversion planning map that He Yuan was holding in his hand. Every line and every number on it had to rely on precise calculations to deduce the planning. The amount of calculations involved was so great that He Yuan felt his scalp tingling just thinking about it.

"Don't just look at it, get busy right now!"

As an official of the Ministry of Works, He Yuan would not come out of Beijing alone this time.

The Cabinet and the six ministries quarreled in the East Palace for a whole day. They drew elite soldiers and generals from various ministries and temples to form a small court, and immediately went south to provide support.

The Ministry of Works, as Jia Cong's maternal family, sent most of its personnel this time, including dozens of craftsmen from the Beijing North Industrial Park.

With reinforcements, Jia Cong can feel more relaxed.

He turned his main attention to the Yellow River embankment and Kaifeng, waiting for news from his teacher Xu Jin.

……

The Luoyang dike was indeed not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster!
Just as the Luoyang prefect Lü Man, Yangcheng Marquis Chang Yantai and other officials at all levels in Luoyang Prefecture and the major families in Luoyang Prefecture joined forces to swallow up the money and grain allocated by the court for the management of Luoshui.

Unexpectedly, it rained continuously since the beginning of spring this year. The seemingly solid embankment of Luo River is only shiny on the surface, while the inside is still old and rotten.

In addition, upon hearing that the Imperial Commissioner Xu Jin was investigating the embezzlement case of He Yin, Yangcheng Hou Chang Yantai actually decided to dig the dam to destroy the evidence.

Xu Jin sent an urgent report to the court, which included a letter of apology.

He had made all kinds of calculations and focused his main energy on the Yellow River embankment, but he didn't want Luoyang City to give him the whole thing first.

"These damned beasts, even if you skin them and stuff them with straw, I can't assuage my hatred for them even if you cut them into pieces!"

It was the first time that Jia Shiyi saw Xu Qingteng in a furious state. The elegant, easy-going and bright-eyed Wenquxing was really angry today.

"Eleven Generals..."

"The general is here!"

After Xu Jin vented his anger, he quickly regained his senses.

He no longer dared to trust anyone in Kaifeng City, so he took out the royal flag he had brought with him and handed it to Jia Shiyi.

"I need to stay in Kaifeng. You must take my order and go to Luoyang City immediately. Bring all the people on this list to Kaifeng. I will chop them into pieces in front of everyone in Kaifeng!"

If they can do such a cruel thing as digging the dam, then don't blame Xu Jin for going crazy!
Luoyang City is the chicken to be killed to scare the monkeys. We must use the most iron-blooded means to intimidate the officials on both sides of the Yellow River so that they dare not act rashly.

With He Yuan in Guide Prefecture, Jia Cong, after receiving the news from Jia Shiyi, rushed to Kaifeng City with a group of people overnight.

By the time he arrived at the city of Kaifeng in the rain, Jia Shiyi had just tied up dozens of corrupt officials, evil gentry and powerful people, including Yangcheng Hou Chang Yantai and Luoyang Prefect Lu Man.

"Brother Cong, why are you here? Is there something wrong in Guide Mansion?"

The first time Jia Cong saw his teacher Xu Jin, he was horrified.

"Teacher, how come you are so thin?"

More than just thinness, that elegant and graceful immortal seemed to have turned gray overnight, with all the hair on his temples now white.

Although the master and apprentice did not spend much time together, and Xu Jin rarely taught him academic things, in Jia Cong's heart, Xu Jin was his true ideological mentor.

So when Jia Cong saw his teacher become like this, his nose felt sore and his eyes turned red.

Xu Jin smiled, raised his hand and patted Jia Cong on the shoulder.

"Don't act like a girl. I'm fine. I'm just a little tired..."

"Your Excellency, I have arrested 26 criminal officials including Chang Yantai and Lu Man, and 38 gentry involved in the case. During the arrest, several people tried to resist the court and were killed on the spot. The officials and civilians involved in the case and their families have been taken into custody..."

This is a major case involving hundreds and thousands of people. According to the data that has been compiled so far, the Luo River not only rushed into Luoyang City, but also hundreds of thousands of people in several counties outside the city suffered from the disaster, and the number of deaths and missing people reached nearly 100,000.

This is the natural disaster with the highest death toll in the country in the past ten years... No, it's a fucking man-made disaster.

"Beat the drums, summon all the officials from the Kaifeng government offices. I will personally try this case outside the imperial envoy's headquarters!"

……

dong dong dong~
The two big drums outside the imperial envoy's residence were beaten, and the sound was so clear in the rain.

The messenger carried the imperial commissioner's flag and delivered Xu Jin's order to various government offices in Kaifeng City.

The Henan Provincial Administration Office, the Criminal Court, Kaifeng Prefecture, the government offices of the two counties in the city, even the heads of the major families in the city and the students of the prefectural school were all summoned to the outside of the imperial envoy's headquarters.

On the simply built platform, even the heavy rain could not extinguish Xu Jin's anger.

The Dragon Guards' investigation was very detailed, and Lu Wan even found stolen silver with the Ministry of Revenue's treasury silver mark printed on it from the Yangcheng Marquis' Mansion.

The officials at all levels who were summoned were still complaining that even if you, Xu Jin, are the imperial envoy, you cannot bully us like this.

It’s raining so hard, why did you gather everyone here to get wet in the rain? Don’t you have to take care of your official business?

But when they saw the young man sitting below Xu Jin, they all shut their mouths tightly.

He was wearing a Qilin robe and a goose-feather sword, and the sturdy man behind him was holding a long wooden box embroidered with a dragon pattern in gold thread.

Why is Yongfeng Marquis Jia Cong here? Wasn't he in Guide Prefecture repairing the river embankment with a group of mud-legged soldiers?
"Do you think the rain is heavy?"

"If the rain continues like this, do you think the Yellow River embankment can be saved?"

“I find it very difficult!”

"It's not because the river water has risen sharply, but because someone doesn't want the dam to continue to exist!"

Xu Jin was very angry, and his voice could not be covered up even by the pouring rain.

For every sentence, ten of Jia's personal soldiers would repeat it loudly so that everyone present could hear the content clearly.

"Luoyang City was flooded, the Luo River embankment collapsed, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, and nearly 100,000 people lost their lives..."

"We are the sinners of Daxia!"

"Are you wondering what this natural disaster has to do with you?"

"Heh~ bring the person up to me!"

It was a natural disaster. The Luo River dike burst, flooding several counties, hundreds of thousands of people suffered, and countless people were killed and injured. From the county magistrate up to the Henan Provincial Administration Office, every one of them should be held responsible.

Besides, this is not a natural disaster!
"Yangcheng Hou Chang Yantai, are those hundreds of thousands of silver coins for river management too hot to handle? Sleeping by the Luo River, aren't you afraid that the riverbank will collapse and you'll drown?"

Xu Jin's anger was almost materializing. Since the court implemented the New Deal, which natural disaster had ever caused such heavy casualties?
Even in the wars of conquering the north, pacifying the west, and conquering Japan, the imperial court did not suffer so many casualties.

The disaster of Luo River was enough to shock the whole world.

Be it Chang Yantai or Luoyang prefect Lu Man, the evidence of their guilt was irrefutable and they had no chance to refute or defend themselves.

This time, Xu Jin was determined to use the most iron-blooded means to intimidate the officials in Kaifeng City, and at the same time to avenge the people who died in the Luoshui disaster.

Everyone present listened to this concise trial in the rain, and at the same time gained a deeper understanding of Xu Jin's determination.

"After investigation, it was found that Yangcheng Marquis Chang Yantai embezzled 600,000 taels of silver for river management... Luoyang Prefect Lü Man embezzled 200,000 taels of silver for river management... Chang Yantai and Lü Man colluded with local gentry, dug up the Luo River embankment, and attempted to destroy evidence, flooding several counties..."

"The evidence of his crime is irrefutable. I am here on behalf of the Heavenly Emperor to remove Chang Yantai from his official position with the Emperor's Sword and sentence him to death by slicing!"

"The nine clans of Yangcheng Marquisate will be exiled to Japan and made into government slaves. They will not be pardoned even if they are pardoned!"

"Sentence Lü Man to be executed by slow slicing, and all nine clans will be sent to the Western Regions Protectorate Army as a death camp. No pardon will be granted!"

……

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd below the stage, Xu Jin sentenced to death by slow slicing all eleven officials, both large and small, who knew about their involvement in digging the dike. Eight of them had their entire clans implicated, and the rest were either beheaded immediately or executed in prison. None of them would survive the autumn.

The iron-blooded trial made all the officials and gentry in the audience feel cold all over.

"Come here, build the execution platform and bring Chang Yantai and Lu Man up. Today, I will watch the execution with you all!"

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

(End of this chapter)