In the back house of Dongchang Yamen, a pot of hot tea, an admiral and a general soldier were frowning and whispering in the hall for a long time. No one dared to disturb them. Time passed by unknowingly and the sky was getting dark.
During this period, the city of Beijing was about to turn upside down. The news that the governor of the East Factory was assassinated outside the front gate in broad daylight quickly spread to various yamen, the Five City Military and Horse Division, the Jinyi Guards, the Fujun Guards, and even the Beijing Camp. Everyone was shocked.
The governor of Dongchang was furious and ordered to dig three feet into the ground to capture the assassin. Jinyiwei and Dongchang Fanzi went out to search the whole city, and the Bingma Division responsible for the security of the capital was even more helpless. Five yamen rarely joined forces at the same time to blockade the assassin. There are seven city gates outside and nine inside, and people are arrested all over the city.
Because Fu Junwei had a good personal relationship with Chang Yu, he immediately sent out personnel to assist after receiving the news. As for why the Beijing camp also intervened in this matter, it is a long story. The child has no mother... To put it simply, it is considered a matter of duty. , mainly because of the incompetence of the Military and Horse Division.
Beijing is the capital of a country, and the city is filled with royal family members, relatives, ministers and nobles. The quality of public security is related to the safety of the highest ruling group and affects the stability of the country.
Therefore, public security in the capital has always been a top priority, so a special government office, the Military and Horse Division, which is the three-in-one government office of the Public Security Bureau, Fire Bureau and Urban Management Bureau mentioned above, was established to be responsible for the security of the capital.
In the beginning, the Military and Horse Division was also very responsible and performed well. However, as corruption intensified later, officials and thieves colluded with each other. In addition, the capital was the political and economic center, where scholars, merchants, monks, and refugees fleeing famine gathered. This makes security more difficult, especially when large-scale refugees come in. They have no means of livelihood. They beg for food during the day, steal or even break into houses at night, kill people for goods, rape, abduct and traffic women. They are the so-called outsiders who commit all kinds of crimes. The monks are also deceived and deceived, their integrity is ruined, and their customs are ruined... Just like the refugees who poured into Western countries in later generations, it is a very troublesome thing.
In this environment, the security situation in the capital has become extremely serious, and it is obvious that the Military and Horse Division cannot control it. Even though the Jinyi Guards are secretly investigating, it is difficult to solve the crisis. At this time, the Beijing Camp was ordered to intervene with the army to participate in patrols and strengthen the security forces in the capital. Thousands of troops were invested, as well as soldiers and horses to patrol, and hundreds of people patrolled the city gates. According to records, 4,000 troops were invested during the Zhengde period, and the number increased to 5,000 during the Jiajing period. When the situation was at its worst, the capital was full of soldiers, and they were no closer to each other. Four or five steps!
Chang Yu was furious and ordered a city-wide manhunt. When the thieves fled, Jin Yiwei sent orders to seal all the city gates, and then launched a large-scale manhunt. Multiple yamen were dispatched, and the whole capital was in a panic.
The hard work paid off, and under Chunxiang's personal leadership, great gains were made. Except for two of the people who participated in the assassination at the front door, who were killed while resisting arrest, the rest were arrested. The only regret was that the assassin on horseback escaped. Because of his fast horse, he had already escaped from Yongding Gate when the people from Jinyiwei sent an order to close the city.
In this large-scale manhunt, although one key criminal escaped, there were many unexpected gains. Many other criminals were arrested, and they were all handed over to the Military Division for rigorous interrogation.
On weekdays, these young people would most likely go in and walk around before being released. This time they were unlucky. The people who were ordered to be taken away by the Dongchang Admiral in anger were all suspects. It would not be that easy to get out. , the soldiers and horses didn’t dare to let him go easily.
It was already dark, Chang Yu was sitting alone in the back hall of the yamen in a daze, but Tang Tong was no longer there. He went to the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion to go through the formalities. Almost all yamen in the Ming Dynasty restrained each other, Dongchang and Jinyiwei, Jinyiwei, Dongchang and Sanfasi , the cabinet and Dongchang Jinyiwei, the Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Commander's Office...etc.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army claims to be in charge of the military power of the world's soldiers and horses, but what about the Ministry of War?
Who is the boss and who has the final say?
It all counts, one with a pen and one with a seal.
To put it simply, the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies has the power to command troops, but does not have the power to deploy troops, while the Ministry of War has the power to deploy troops, but does not have the power to command troops. But in general, the Ministry of War still has more power, because in addition to being in charge of military registration, weapons, and troop deployment rights, it is also in charge of food and grass for the troops stationed in various places, which is equivalent to the current Ministry of National Defense, Staff Department, and Logistics Department.
So Tang Tong was called by Chang Yu to go north with him, and he needed to go through the procedures of two departments.
Drinking tea alone can better appreciate its taste. Although spring has already begun, the weather has not yet felt significantly warmer, and the cold nights in the capital are still biting. The little eunuch of Dongchang is drinking tea alone and thinking deeply, but the warmth of the fire is inside. Like spring.
At the end of the streets, there are a large number of homeless people huddled in simple huts, shaking each other, sleeping to keep each other warm, begging in front of shops, or pestering a pedestrian for some money or food, especially a single pedestrian or a woman. , there will always be a group of women and children around you. If you don't leave something behind, you won't be able to get away at all, and you will even be attacked and robbed...
There was something special tonight. These refugees did not dare to be too arrogant, because just now a large number of soldiers, policemen and guards were searching the city for assassins. When they encountered those who disturbed the peace, they were beaten and scolded, which made them restrain themselves a lot.
They are as annoying as the beggars who stalk the streets in later generations, but they are really pitiful than those people in later generations. They are really homeless, without food and clothing, and they are not even hungry when the sun rises tomorrow. To die is to freeze to death.
"Get up, get up..." Almost at the same time, a group of fierce men came to the refugee gathering place in the streets and alleys of the capital.
These men looked evil, even more fierce than the commander of the army and the soldiers, but what they said was very exciting: "There is work, food and wages are included, do you want to do it?"
Dry!
No one even asked what kind of work it was. In an era when human life was like an ant, it was a blessing to have something to eat!
The candlelight flickered, Chang Yu leaned on the chair and closed his eyes to rest. Wu Mengming pushed the door open and sat down next to him. He picked up the teacup on the table and drank it in one gulp. He raised his hand to wipe his mouth with his sleeve and took a long breath. tone.
"One million for each of the two families, and they will be detained for three months!"
Chang Yu squinted his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile: "You are so damn rich, how can you be willing to give it to me?"
"It's rich"
Wu Mengming smacked his lips: "It is said that a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Although these nobles are short of cash, each of them has a profound background. It is easy to sell some family property to get enough!"
"You didn't say it was as easy as you said. After all, it's the time when the sun is declining. The little foundation we relied on our ancestors has long been empty. Most of them are empty now. The emperor's big offer of a million dollars to his family will definitely break their muscles and bones." Chang Yuzhang Opening his eyes and glancing at the tea cup, Wu Mengming hurriedly helped him make tea and served it with both hands.
Chang Yu stretched out his hand to take it and took a sip: "We originally thought that it would take a lot of effort to get so much, but we didn't expect that Mr. Wu came out and got it at his fingertips. We admire him. What tricks did he use? Please pass on his experience."
"Mr. Factory Supervisor, are you making fun of your humble position?" Wu Mengming laughed, unable to hide his pride.
"That's really not true," Chang Yu said seriously, "If you can accept being imprisoned for three months after paying so much money, our family is not sure we can handle it."
"Pay the money, and everything will be fine for three months. You will still be the Marquis when you come out. If you don't pay, you will be exempted from the death penalty for the sake of the iron ticket, but you will not be able to escape the crime. It is very likely that you will be imprisoned, and the title will have to be removed." . Wu Mengming slightly looked interested.
"Then they agreed?" Chang Yu asked in surprise.
