Although Ma Xianglin is a military commander, it does not mean that he only knows how to shout and kill and does not know how to use his mind.
If we just act recklessly and hard, we will only leave a bad reputation here and leave a bad impression in the hearts of the people.
It didn't matter to him, but the emperor's reputation was too important, and he had to maintain it at all costs.
Seeing that the common people were so hostile to them, he decisively announced the crimes of these wealthy businessmen.
And the evidence collected in Zhangjiakou was put in front of the people.
"Take a look for yourselves. These are all the accounts and books of Hou's shop in Zhangjiakou this year. See how they did business with the Tartars outside the customs!"
Then he began to clarify the stakes and told the people not to be deceived by their superficial kindness.
"They use the food you have worked hard to grow, buy it at a low price, and then sell it to the Tartars at a high price, making a fortune from it."
"He also colluded with officials and generals to steal the weapons and armor of the border troops, trade war horses, medicinal materials and furs with the Tartars, and then raised the price of the horses and sold them to the court."
"The Tartars outside the pass eat the food you grow and use the imperial court to make weapons and armor, and then they turn to attack our Ming Dynasty and plunder the population, food, cloth and other materials on the border."
"The cycle repeats itself endlessly. This is why the imperial court cannot completely wipe out the northern Tartars!"
"You didn't know the true face of these unscrupulous businessmen before. I won't blame you, and His Majesty will forgive you. But now, are you still going to help them?"
This information was so fatal, it completely exposed the true face of these wealthy businessmen.
These businessmen have one thing on the surface and another behind the scenes. They build roads and bridges in their hometowns, provide disaster relief and charity, and have gained a lot of popular support and reputation.
In front of the court, he also pretended to be harmless to humans and animals and had no fight with the world.
People who don't know, really think that they are some kind-hearted people who are willing to give charity.
The emperor was completely blinded by it. Let alone aware of it, he probably didn't even understand what kind of group the Shanxi merchants were.
Because the Gong Gong princes in the Manchu Dynasty would not tell the emperor these things. Even if someone had a conscience and wanted to report it to the emperor, his memorial would not be able to enter the ceremonial office.
Not to mention the ignorant lower-class people. How could they see the intentions of these black-hearted businessmen? They have always been manipulated by applause.
Now that the common people have learned the truth, they are talking a lot. Although they do not completely believe what Ma Xianglin said, they no longer condemn them for supporting these businessmen.
This is completely opposite to the image of a good person in the eyes of the local people. It is understandable that they find it difficult to accept it for a while.
Ma Xianglin continued:
"Today's matter, I have obeyed the emperor's order to eliminate harm for the people and eliminate thieves for the country. Do you want to disobey His Majesty's orders and resist His Majesty's divine power?"
"If you don't believe it, you can find someone you trust to check it and see if it's fake!"
After speaking, he threw the account book in front of them for them to inspect at will.
But how could these cowardly civilians really dare to step forward to check the so-called authenticity? They all huddled there in silence.
Ma Xianglin struck while the iron was hot and slipped the head of the Hou family out from the crowd of criminals for a public interrogation.
The head of the Hou family is not a fool. At first, he would rather die than surrender and never speak.
Although the situation was extremely unfavorable to them, he could also see that these vulgar men were already at the end of their ropes. He only had to persist and refuse to admit their mistakes, and the whole family would be safe.
In front of so many people, if he confessed to the crimes Ma Xianglin said, there would really be no room or chance for him to turn around.
If it were anyone else, there might be nothing they could do to deal with such a stubborn person, especially when there are so many people visiting.
But Ma Xianglin obviously got the emperor's true biography. If you don't say anything, then look for your son, nephew, brother and other relatives.
Finally, under the threat of the lives of his relatives, the head of the Hou family, who was already in his fifties, finally relented and spoke.
Public opinion instantly turned one-sided, and the voices that had been firmly supportive just now turned into abuse and insults.
Ma Xianglin successfully rescued the siege and immediately arranged for his sergeants to escort all the captured people back to the capital.
Although the situation faced by other counties and regions is the same, the methods of handling it are very different.
Although the process was tortuous, in general, the tasks assigned to them by Ma Xianglin were completed.
Finally, at noon on the 27th, Ma Xianglin's good news was once again presented to Zhu Youxiao.
After Zhu Youxiao saw it, he felt much relieved.
Even though he was an emperor, this was completely unruly and he directly exercised power beyond the officials. Especially since the action was so big, he was under great psychological pressure.
These large businessmen are deeply entrenched in the local base, and even if they send troops there, they will inevitably encounter great resistance.
Therefore, his order to Ma Xianglin was to arrest the people first. As for how to search and total their assets, he would wait until the rice is cooked.
As long as everyone is caught in place, are you afraid that their money will run away?
His main purpose was not to steal their money and property, but to completely destroy the foundation of Shanxi merchants and disintegrate the interest groups dominated by Shanxi merchants that collaborated with the enemy, smuggled, and betrayed the country and harmed the people.
Many people have been misled by Mangou's tampered history and believe that the demise of the late Ming Dynasty was entirely the fault of the Donglin Party and was caused by the Donglin Party.
But in fact, there was far more than just the Donglin Party in the court at that time, there were also many interest groups who were tied to a rope for their own interests.
Their harm is no less than that of the Donglin Party.
For example, the Liaodong Jiangmen Group is not just a warlord in Liaodong. Without the support of some officials in the court to serve as their spokespersons, they would not even have the means to ask for huge military expenditures, food, and salaries from the court.
The representative figure of the Shanxi merchants, an interest group in the court, was Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War during the Chongzhen period.
When he was the governor of Xuanda, his dealings with Shanxi merchants were extremely fierce. After he was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War, he became their number one protector.
Why didn't he meet with the officials and launch a surprise attack after returning to the palace? It was because he was on guard against the corrupt officials in the court.
Once their intentions and actions are revealed, they will immediately inform their God of Wealth. Then even if they personally lead an army of 100,000 to check, they will probably return without success.
And whether he can leave the city is another matter. They may be able to tolerate themselves cleaning the court, but they will never watch their own interests chain being broken, and this is also related to their own career and safety.
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