Early the next morning, the whole Zhangjiakou was in an uproar. The eight Shanxi merchant families that used to be aloof were shut down by the court overnight. Fan Yongdou and other eight family heads were also stripped naked by the army and dragged through the streets of the city with ropes. There is also a "collaboration with the enemy and traitor" sign hanging around the individual's neck.
When the people in the city saw this, they were furious and threw stones and tiles at them, beating Fan Yongdou, Fan Sanba, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang and Huang Yunfa to their heads.
After a night of interrogation, Fan Yongdou and Fan Sanba were beaten with bruises all over their bodies. Indeed, as Xu Ming said, they could not withstand such interrogation at all and confessed everything they knew.
As for Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang and Huang Yunfa, they all explained their problems after a night of interrogation.
When nine thick confessions were handed over to Wu Guojin and Xu Ming, they were also shocked by the crimes of these eight families.
Since the Wanli period, Fan Yongdou and other eight Shanxi merchants have begun to smuggle various materials outside the customs. The contents of the goods range from iron materials, copper materials, coal, medicines, grains, etc., to intelligence, Ming army deployment and other information. .
It can be said that the reason why the Qing army was able to repeatedly enter the pass and kill the people of the Ming Dynasty was that Fan Yongdou and other eight major Shanxi merchants worked hard. Without them, at least the Qing army would not be able to rise quickly and solve the problem of bulk raw materials for military equipment!
"We have the evidence and we have the money and food. There is no need for these bastards to live anymore!"
Xu Ming said coldly, Wu Guojin felt like returning home at this moment,
Fan Yongdou and others also mentioned many ministers in the DPRK.
The reason why Fan Yongdou and other eight Shanxi merchants have been able to successfully smuggle materials outside the customs over the years is that, in addition to the secret support of the military generals stationed in Zhangjiakou and other places, the ministers in the DPRK and China also helped a lot, providing intelligence, helping to cover up, handling the finishing touches, and making connections, etc. Those in the DPRK who have done harm to the country and the people have done a lot of things.
Therefore, Wu Guojin knew what these confessions and evidence meant, and was eager to return to Beijing to report to Liu Yan, so he said: "In this case, I will leave it to General Xu to deal with the aftermath here. I will return to Beijing today with the people from the Military Intelligence Department."
Xu Ming nodded and said: "Don't worry and return to Beijing, I will handle it here."
On that day, Wu Guojin, Wang Yang, and Yao Guangming left Zhangjiakou with hundreds of military intelligence guards. They also took away the belongings of Fan Yongdou, Fan Sanba, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa. Oral confessions, as well as evidence of the eight Shanxi merchant families betraying the country and surrendering to the enemy, and evidence of collaboration with the enemy by Zhangjiakou garrison and other surrounding generals.
As for the large amounts of money and food seized, they were temporarily stored in Zhangjiakou City, waiting for the cavalry battalion soldiers to return to the capital before being transported together.
On the day Wu Guojin and other large groups left, Xu Ming ordered people to pull Fan Yongdou, Fan Sanba and others out of the city, then gathered hundreds of people from eight families together and shot them all with blunderbuss.
The roar of the gunfire continued for a while, and when the smoke dissipated, Fan Yongdou, Fan Sanba and other traitorous businessmen all turned into bloody corpses, ending their shameful lives.
“Immediately divide your troops to search the generals’ mansions around Zhangjiakou, don’t let any of them escape.
Anyone who leads troops to resist will be treated as a rebel and killed without mercy! "
"yes!"
Immediately, Xu Ming led his troops to raid everywhere around Zhangjiakou, and for a while there was a tremor all around.
Four days later, Wu Guojin, Wang Yang, Yao Guangming and other hundreds of Jin Yiwei rode horses all the way and finally returned to Beijing.
In the cabinet hall of the palace, Liu Yan saw the evidence brought back by Wu Guojin and others, and immediately convened a cabinet meeting.
After all the ministers from various ministries had arrived, Liu Yan also specially invited Wang Chengen, the eunuch of Bingbi, and then produced evidence and confessions of Fan Yongdou and other eight Shanxi merchants, as well as Zhangjiakou garrison and other generals, for collaborating with the enemy and treason.
Everyone was excited after seeing it, especially Wang Chengen, who screamed at the top of his lungs: "Bastards! They are all bastards! The country firmly believes this, but they have access to foreign countries and it is difficult for the country to make money. They really deserve to be cut to pieces!" "
Liu Yan said: "My father-in-law, the world is corrupt now. If I hadn't used thunder to clean it up, could these people who are causing harm to the country and the people be found out?"
Wang Chengen naturally understood the meaning of Liu Yan's words, and said: "The Za family naturally understands the painstaking efforts of Duke Lu, but Your Majesty still needs time. After all, Duke Lu's methods are too sharp. Who else would be in the position? , will also be angry."
Liu Yan smiled and said: "I understand, but these are just the principles. Please tell your majesty that everything must be based on state affairs!"
"It's natural."
Then Liu Yan looked at Yue Ming, the Minister of Finance, and said: "The Ministry of Finance immediately sent people to Zhangjiakou to count the seized money and grain, and then cooperated with the soldiers of Xu Ming's cavalry battalion to transport all the money and grain back to the capital."
"yes!"
At this time, Wang
Cheng'en said: "Gong Lu, these evidences and confessions only say that a huge amount of money and food was seized. I wonder if it can make up for the shortfall of the army going into battle?"
Although Liu Yan knew that all the eight Shanxi merchants in history were wealthy people, he did not know how much wealth they had, so to be on the safe side, he said, "This will not be known until the Ministry of Finance makes an inventory."
Wang Chengen nodded, and then said: "There is one more thing: how does Duke Lu plan to deal with the implicated ministers?"
Liu Yan asked back: "Did father-in-law want to plead for them?"
"No!"
Wang Chengen said righteously: "Everyone who has connections with foreign countries should die! The Za family is just worried. Looking at this list, most of them are Donglin Party members, and some of them have already returned to their hometowns. If they are to be arrested, If someone confiscates your home to punish someone, the noise will be too big."
Liu Yan said categorically: "Anyone who brings harm to the country, regardless of their identity or where they are, must be punished. I will never tolerate it!"
Liu Yan then set the tone at the cabinet meeting, with the Ministry of Military Intelligence as the core, coordinating the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Personnel, and began to arrest ministers on the list provided by Shanxi merchants such as Fan Yongdou and Fan Sanba. Anyone who is an official in the court and is in the capital will have his or her home confiscated and immediately go to Zhao Prison for interrogation.
Anyone who has returned to his hometown will be arrested by the Military Intelligence Department together with the guards of the Guards Battalion immediately. Anyone who resists will be killed without interrogation without mercy!
When Wang Chengen listened to Liu Yan's order, he felt like breaking out in a cold sweat. The methods of the chief minister of the cabinet were too bloody.
I have never seen such a tough chief assistant.
However, Wang Chengen then thought about it. In today's world, I am afraid that only the chief minister like Liu Yan can smoothly implement the administrative order. Only by acting in this way can the crisis of the imperial court be reversed.
That night, Wang Chengen returned to Emperor Chongzhen's palace and reported the contents and resolutions of the cabinet meeting.
In fact, almost a moment before Wang Chengen reported it, Liu Yan had already sent someone to report the minutes of the cabinet meeting, and Emperor Chongzhen also read it.
"Big companion, do you think Liu Yan's move is too murderous?"
After Emperor Chongzhen saw the evidence that the eight Shanxi merchant families and the guards in Zhangjiakou and other places were collaborating with the enemy, he was so angry that he cursed, completely losing the recuperation of an emperor.
However, after seeing that there were many civil servants involved in the matter, and that so many Donglin Party members were also accomplices, I hesitated a little. If he really killed so many civil servants, what would his image as an emperor in history books look like? Would he become the tyrant described by historians?
Wang Chengen said: "Your Majesty, when the old servant left the cabinet lobby, Mr. Liu Ge said something to the old servant, and the old servant thought it made sense."
"What words?"
"Lao Liu Ge said: Your Majesty cares too much about his own feathers and is unwilling to bear the responsibility of killing civil servants. In fact, these bad reputations are insignificant compared with the good reputation of revitalizing the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty does not need to get entangled in them at all."
Emperor Chongzhen smiled bitterly and said: "Revitalize the Ming Dynasty? Can Liu Yan's method really revitalize the Ming Dynasty?"
Wang Chengen said: "Your Majesty, I don't know whether Mr. Liu Ge can finally revitalize the Ming Dynasty, but I have seen that Mr. Liu Ge can really get a huge amount of money."
Food can really defeat the bandits and the Qing army. Isn't that enough? "
Emperor Chongzhen stared at Wang Chengen for a long time, and then said: "I understand, but I still have to think about it again."
"yes."
Wang Chengen then asked: "Your Majesty, Mr. Liu Ge said that the arrest of collaborating ministers inside and outside the DPRK will definitely cause quite a stir. At that time, ministers will definitely write to Your Majesty, please ask Your Majesty... …”
Emperor Chongzhen's face was tangled for a moment, and then he said: "I know what to do. To deal with this kind of person, you tell Liu Yan so that he can do it with peace of mind!"
"Accept the decree!"
In early May, Liu Yan then relied on the evidence obtained by the Ministry of Military Intelligence to purge the ministers of the DPRK and China, especially officials from various factions such as the Donglin Party. In just a few days, 78 ministers were arrested in the capital. He was arrested and imprisoned, and forty-nine ministers who returned home were also wanted. Wang Yang and Yao Guangming separately sent people to arrest them and ransack their homes.
After only a dozen days, the Jin Yiwei sent by the Military Intelligence Department and Xu Ming's cavalry battalion returned to the capital and transported a large number of prisoners and confiscated money and food back to the capital.
On May 15th, Liu Yan came to the imperial study and asked to see Emperor Chongzhen alone.
The monarch and his ministers met again, and the scene was still awkward. Wang Chengen looked at the cold-faced Emperor Chongzhen, and then said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Liu Ge has a memorial over there."
"Bring it up!"
"yes."
Wang Chengen immediately took Liu Yan's memorial. After Emperor Chongzhen opened it, his expression suddenly changed. He stood up suddenly and exclaimed: "There are so many!"
This time Liu Yan raided eight merchant houses in Shanxi and seized 1,170 pieces of silver.
Eighty thousand taels, 4.87 million shi of grain, 135,900 acres of land, and 17,452 shops and houses.
In addition, a total of 128 houses of collaborating ministers in the DPRK and China were searched, and 15.36 million taels of silver, 3.52 million shi of grain, 431,700 acres of land, shops, and houses were seized. Waiting for four thousand five hundred and sixty-three rooms.
Adding these two seizures together, the Ming Dynasty's treasury was instantly full. The income of more than 27 million taels of silver and 8.4 million shi of grain allowed the Ming Dynasty to live a prosperous life for several years.
At this time, Emperor Chongzhen's face was full of anger. He often spent hundreds of thousands of taels of silver on state affairs, and even begged ministers for donations, but no one gave generously.
Who would have thought that just eight companies of profiteers who collaborated with the enemy and more than 120 corrupt officials who brought harm to the country could confiscate more than 20 million taels of stolen money. It is really unreasonable!
Emperor Chongzhen pointed angrily at Liu Yan and said, "Kill! Kill all these thieves from the nine tribes!"
Liu Yan said: "I accept the decree!"
Then Emperor Chongzhen seemed to be tired, so he sat on the dragon throne and said, "Now that the army has enough money and food, can Mr. Liu Ge send troops?"
Liu Yan said: "I came here today just to report to Your Majesty: I am going to transfer all the captured land and houses to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce. The land will be distributed to the poor people with little or no land nearby, and the land will be restored. Local production and housing are used for the Ministry of Commerce’s investment business, continuing to make money for the national treasury.”
Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said: "I will play it accurately."
At this time, Emperor Chongzhen saw the ministers in the court who were full of benevolence, justice and morality.
He suddenly felt that Liu Yan's words were very reasonable, and he became less wary of Liu Yan.
At this time Liu Yan said: "When these batches of seizures are in place, I will lead the army to go on an expedition. Please wait for the good news!"
