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Chapter 254 Autumn Fu Nineteen
I saw a few particularly tall people in the middle of the Australian team, and everyone knew that these were probably Zhen Kun. Not only is Zhenkun tall, but he is also larger than the average person. I saw that they did not ride in sedan chairs, horses, "automobiles" or "iron horses", but came on foot. The common people were very fond of this unassuming behavior.
The dozen or so people at the city gate didn't dare to stop them, so they just let them enter the city. The team went straight to the county government office. At the intersection in front of the county government office, the team split into two, with one heading behind the government office. The rest of them drove directly to the main gate of the county government office.
The two waiters at the gate of the county government office felt something bad, and glanced nervously at the "administrator" on the door. Wu Xi, the gatekeeper, had dealt with Xiong Buyou many times, and saw that there were several Australians who looked like officials next to this "Master Xiong". They all had stern faces and had that scary brown triangle in their waists The sleeve contained a very powerful Australian handgun, so I felt a little timid. Due to my duty, I had to face it with a smile on my face.
Mr. Xiong, who had always been pleasant-looking, seemed very official this time and simply said that he wanted to see Mr. Wu. Of course, they want to see Wu Mingjin, no matter when, even if the master is asleep. Wu Xi quickly agreed and passed the message inside.
Wu Mingjin is thinking hard. This case of throwing knives and shooting arrows that suddenly caused uproar in the city is not a big deal. After all, no one was killed and no property was lost. However, the matter involves the gentry and scholars of the county. If he cannot handle it properly, I can't afford to solve it.
Quickly send someone to invite Master Wang to discuss.
"This must have been done by Chen Minggang and his group," Wang Zhaomin whispered, "Second Young Master Huang has recently been colluding with big business owners to file a complaint, and Mr. Liu has also stepped forward - blocking their way to make money."
"This is why the thieves are so troublesome." Wu Mingjin was very annoyed. "They insist on taking over all the grain and tax, and they are causing trouble in the husband's field. I want to see how they plan to end it." He glanced at Master Wang as he said this.
Wang Zhaomin's face was hot. He was the one who tried his best to persuade Wu Mingjin, saying that the Australians were very capable and could solve many difficult problems that the county could not handle. This time, contracting grain and tax would not be a big problem.
But he didn’t know that when he took the regret medicine, Wang Zhaomin saw that the master was giving up his choice and said quickly:
"Master, they can just get rid of this matter."
Wang Zhaomin's words reminded Wu Mingjin that he was the magistrate of Lingao County in the Ming Dynasty, not an Australian from Bairen City. If Lou Zi is stabbed, he will be held responsible.
In the past six months, Wu Mingjin's sense of his existence as a county magistrate has become increasingly weakened. Except for the occasional complaint from the common people, offering incense to officials in the county according to the days in the calendar, and presiding over the daily examinations of children and scholars in the county school, I have never done anything related to the county magistrate. Most days he is either drinking tea and playing chess with Mr. Wang or instructing his children in window lessons. The days were extremely leisurely.
"Exactly. The thieves don't know the rules of the Central Plains, and they just mess around. Plus, they entrust others to do something wrong, and they don't know how to end the trouble." Wu Mingjin nodded heavily, "I think Chen Minggang still knows how to deal with it on weekdays. It’s important to be careful, why are you so bold this time?” He looked at Wang Zhaomin again.
"Chen Minggang, a humble official, was able to gain the trust of Australians only by offering benefits." Wang Zhaomin quickly changed the subject, "The most urgent task is to appease the big gentry owners."
This time, the wealthy gentry households were already complaining about the expropriation of grain and land, and there were also incidents of intimidation. If they were not dealt with properly, if the situation really caused them to go to Qiongshan Mansion or Guangzhou to file a complaint, they would not be able to bear the consequences. If you leave, you will be dismissed from your official position, or you will be charged with "collaborating with bandits" and you will be involved in the lawsuit.
"What's the best strategy?" Wu Mingjin was originally worried about this matter. There is no need to solve the case. Now all the three-year-old children in the county know that Chen Minggang and his gang did this, but it is quite difficult to deal with it.
To satisfy the Jin gentry, it was natural to punish Chen Minggang and his group, but this was something Wu Mingjin found difficult. It sounds ridiculous that the county magistrate has concerns about dealing with minor officials in the county. In fact, this has been the case since the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Subordinate officials are in charge of grassroots administration, and they often have been officials for generations. They have extremely rich administrative experience and share the same opinions with each other. If you offend them and be tricked secretly by subordinate officials, not only will you not be able to make money as an official, but you may also lose your official position due to administrative errors. Therefore, local officials often turn a blind eye to all kinds of evil deeds. Even if something happens, the punishment is very light. Even if they are reprimanded and dismissed, even if it is the most severe - they are not afraid of dismissal, and they will still control it if they are replaced by their own children. local administration.
Now that Chen Minggang has used the Australian tiger skin as a banner, it will be even harder to move him.
"Of course Chen Minggang and his gang will be dealt with," Wang Zhaomin had already thought about it. "Just call Chen Minggang, reprimand him, and then order him to push out a few people to take the blame."
"This matter is difficult to handle," Wu Mingjin shook his head and said, "It's a case without a clue. If you call him, he can admit it."
"Of course we can't use swords and bows as a pretext for intimidating the gentry. He is not stupid. Wouldn't it be a huge trouble for him to be accused on paper?" Wang Zhaomin came up with an idea and said that he could only use the crime of "harassing the local area" during grain requisition.
In this way, the situation has been dealt with, the gentry have calmed down, and things have generally calmed down.
During the discussion, I saw the door trotting in. Without waiting for Wu Mingjin to speak, he said first: "Master Xiong, come and pay homage."
"Please come quickly," Wang Zhaomin quickly ordered regardless of his boss's attitude. Wu Mingjin also nodded, "Please come in quickly."
Chen Minggang relied on the power of the Australians, so he still had to clear up the matter with them. Fortunately, Australians are not unreasonable people.
But Xiong Buyou was not the only one who came, there were also several tall Australians, all of whom looked evil. After sitting down, he didn't say a word, and Xiong Buyou didn't make any introduction. While Wu Mingjin was wondering, a close family member ran in and whispered a few words in his ear. His expression changed drastically.
The Australian team has actually guarded the front and rear gates of the county government. No wonder they want to lead thirty or forty people into the city. Wu Mingjin's face is as pale as earth. It is possible that they are preparing to formally raise the flag for rebellion.
Thinking of this, Wu Mingjin's legs and feet became weak. If he hadn't been sitting down, he would have fallen to the ground. If the thief committed such a heinous act, I would definitely not be a thief. I would just be martyred, and my wife and children would also be killed. Thinking of this, I felt like my heart was twisting, and I secretly hated myself for trying to save a few dollars. Take the family back to Lingao from Qiongshan Mansion.
Wang Zhaomin didn't hear his family's reply clearly, but when he saw Wu Mingjin's expression changed drastically, he knew that something bad was going on, and his expression also changed.
Xiong Buyou spoke: "Master Wu and Master Wang" he cupped his hands, "I heard that something big happened in the county this time. Someone was threatening the wealthy gentry in the city, and even Mr. Liu's house was threatened with arrows by thieves. The whole county was disturbed by this. "
Wang Zhaomin originally wanted to mention this matter, but when he saw him taking the initiative, he said: "It does happen. It's just that the matter is very difficult."
Xiong Buyou looked confused and ignorant: "What's so troublesome?"
Wang Zhaomin thought that you were still pretending to know, but it was inconvenient to say this clearly. Anyway, his original plan was to let Li Daitao stand up, not to mention the intimidation, but only to talk about "harassing the place", and to get the matter over with.
But for all my hard work, I want to show my love to the thief. He considered his words for a while before saying slowly: "There is no circumstantial evidence for this matter. Apart from a few knives, arrows and stickers, there is no strong physical evidence. It is quite difficult to prove who did it."
He did not talk about "solving the case", but focused on "testimonials", implying to the Australians: The master of this matter let us know, but he is not prepared to investigate further.
"It's not easy to solve the case" I didn't expect that Xiong Buyou didn't understand the ambiguity in his words at all. He said that since he settled in the local area and was a citizen of Lingao, he also had to contribute to the construction of "harmonious Lingao" -
Wang Zhaomin secretly smiled bitterly: If all the "people" in this county are like you, who else in the world would want to be an official and a "difficult citizen" would be about the same. No, he is not even a divisive person, he is simply a local emperor.
According to Wang Zhaomin's experience: Every time Kun Thief talks about "harmony", there must be nothing good. As expected, Xiong Buyou immediately put forward his request:
"We in Australia have a very good way of investigating and handling cases. Since we are both citizens of Lingao now, we also have to share the worries of our old parents. This case will be handled jointly by our Zhou Dongtian. I am not boasting about Haikou. In three days Within a few days, this case will be solved.”
Wu Mingjin began to feel relieved when he heard that there was no intention in his words to raise a flag for rebellion or to participate in accepting a false position. But now he suddenly heard that he had made a request to handle the case, and he was so surprised that he could not open his mouth.
Wang Zhaomin was also surprised. Whether it is suppressing bandits, collecting grain, building roads, or mining, he can roughly understand the meaning of these actions of the Australians. The only reason is to handle the case. Of course, there are benefits to handling the case, but this benefit is too much for the Australians. What a pity.
Furthermore, it is clear that this matter was just the instigation of Chen Minggang. According to Wang Zhaomin's idea, on one side were the Jin gentry represented by Liu Dalin that the Australians wanted to win over, and on the other side was Chen Minggang who was jumping up and down to collect grain for the Australians. Australians should just pretend to be deaf or mute or adopt a "peaceful" attitude similar to his. How can anyone ask for trouble like this?
"This -" Wu Mingjin started to speak incoherently before Wang Zhaomin could speak, "This has never happened in Ming Dynasty."
"There is no precedent, so let's create a precedent." Xiong Buyou said a new word nonchalantly, "This matter is settled."
