"The imperial court? Ha." Huo Guang raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked, "Prefect Zhou, who do you think the imperial court should listen to?"
As soon as Huo Guang's words came out.
Zhou Bo was stunned for a moment.
Then!
He answered directly without thinking: "Is it the king's land under the sky, and the king's ministers on the shore of the land? This court should listen to your majesty."
Pu, Tongpu.
Liangzhou Governor Zhou Bo's answer made Huo Guang very satisfied.
So he said, "In that case, why don't you two kneel down?"
The governor of Zhou and the prefect Li of Wuwei County did not understand what Huo Guang meant, and immediately said angrily: "What, kneel down? I, the court official, are going to kneel down to you? Even if you are the Marquis of Bolu, you are not worthy of us kneeling down!"
When Huo Guang heard this, he didn't explain too much. He just took out a volume of letters in his arms and said, "The emperor's secret edict has given me full authority to investigate the corruption and perversion of the law by Liangzhou officials. How dare you not kneel down after seeing the secret edict?"
When the two heard this, they looked at each other.
They never thought that General Huo, who was sent by the imperial court to put down the rebellion, would actually have a secret edict from the emperor!
This thing is not common!
have no choice.
The two of them could only kneel down in the end.
At this time, Huo Guang smiled coldly and said, "Do you two have anything to talk about now?"
Governor Zhou said: "The emperor's secret edict only asked you to investigate this matter. Do you have any conclusive evidence to arrest the governor of Dunhuang County?"
Huo Guang glanced at Zhou Bo and immediately mocked: "What nonsense. If there is no evidence, how can I arrest him?"
The words fell.
He then looked at the prefect of Dunhuang County, whose head was pressed against the food table by Zhao Daniu, and sneered: "Prefect Liu, do you still remember Luo Sande? He is in my hands now!"
"You asked your nephew to withhold the disaster relief food and not distribute it. Luo Sande's wife was also raped by your nephew who is a minor official."
"In this case, you dared to convict Luo Sande's wife of active seduction on the grounds that there was no obvious resistance. This resulted in the death of Luo Sande's wife and forced Luo Sande to become a bandit."
"It is precisely because you embezzled the disaster relief food funds that the people of Dunhuang County have no food to eat."
"So those people gritted their teeth and became thieves."
"This alone will make you a capital offender."
"Do you want me to tell you anything else? You idiot, the things you committed and the evidence you left behind are not just a little bit!"
Liu Taishou of Dunhuang County was already ashen.
Zhou Bo and the prefect of Wuwei County looked at each other, and they both saw in each other's eyes that they were willing to cut off their arms to survive.
then.
Governor Zhou took the initiative and said: "Marquis Bo Lu, since the evidence is conclusive, it is better to go directly to the prison of Wuwei County and wait for the court to punish him."
Huo Guang raised his eyebrows, looked at Zhou Bo and the prefect of Wuwei County, and snorted coldly: "He should be sent to prison, but you two, don't you have anything to explain to me?"
Hear the words.
Sweat dripped from the foreheads of Governor Zhou and Prefect Liu.
I wonder if Huo Guang also found their evidence?
But the two of them always act cautiously and leave no evidence. Huo Guang was in Dunhuang County before, and he was not working in Wuwei County. There was no reason to find evidence of their crimes!
Simply.
The two concluded that Huo Guang was deceiving them.
then.
Zhou Bo was heartbroken and said: "Bo Luhou, although you have a secret edict from the emperor, if you forcefully accuse us of being guilty, please provide evidence."
Seeing Zhou Bo's toughness, Governor Liu then agreed: "We work hard for the court and never break the rules. If General Huo says that we are guilty, please provide evidence!"
The two were convinced that Huo Guang had no evidence for them.
Just as they suspected, Huo Guang did not have any criminal evidence against the two of them.
Previously, Huo Guang was responsible for putting down the rebellion in Dunhuang County, so he naturally wanted to investigate the affairs of the Dunhuang prefect.
But he didn't stay in Wuwei County or other counties for a long time, so how could he have evidence against Zhou Bo and Prefect Liu.
but.
Even so, Huo Guang's expression remained unchanged and he said directly: "You want evidence? Haha, Governor Zhou, the governor of Dunhuang County is so corrupt and perverting the law that he made the people of the county become bandits and rebel, and you still ask me for evidence!"
Hear the words.
But Zhou Bo felt relieved and said: "I am indeed suspected of negligence. I will not refute this. When the time comes, I will write a letter to apologize to the court."
The governor is an official in a state and is responsible for inspecting all officials in the state.
This is definitely a higher official position than the prefect, and the authority is also above that of the prefect.
But some people say that the governor of the Qin Dynasty was the highest official in a county.
This is also normal.
Because there were no supervisory officials like governors in the Qin Dynasty, they only appeared in the Han Dynasty.
and!
How old was the Qin Dynasty? It’s just the land of the Six Kingdoms!
The Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall to defend against the Huns. In other words, the Huns were very powerful at that time, and even Qin Shihuang had to be wary of them.
From this it can be inferred that during the Qin Dynasty, the land where the Huns were located had not yet been conquered.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty drove the Xiongnu to Mobei, and the large piece of land in Monan became the Han Dynasty's world.
here.
We will not discuss the merits of the two men, only the land.
The Han Dynasty was far greater than the Qin Dynasty.
nature.
Naturally, the system of prefectures and counties in the Qin Dynasty was not easy to use in the Han Dynasty. The county governor who was the highest local official became a prefect in the Han Dynasty and could only be regarded as a second-level local official.
The governor is the leader.
certainly.
There were many other princes and kings in the Han Dynasty, and their feudal states are not included in the discussion.
When Huo Guang saw Liangzhou Governor Zhou Bo speaking like this, he nodded and said, "Since you said that, let's do it!"
"However, what if I ask you something from Governor Liu of Dunhuang County?"
"Don't blame me for being unkind!"
With that said, Huo Guang walked up to Taishou Liu and patted Zhao Daniu with his hand, which made him let go of Taishou Liu whose head was covered with blood.
Huo Guang looked at Prefect Liu whose head was covered in blood after being hit by Zhao Daniu, and asked: "Prefect of Dunhuang County, do you have anything to say to me?"
Upon hearing this, Taishou Liu glanced weakly at Governor Zhou and Taishou Li.
immediately!
He said categorically: "I am guilty and it has nothing to do with others. If you want to kill or behead me, please do as you please!"
Good guy.
I really can’t cry without seeing the coffin.
Huo Guang had naturally anticipated this situation, and then smiled and said: "Haha, let me tell you something. The current censor Zhang Gong in the imperial court once taught me some tips on interrogating prisoners in prison."
"It's okay if you don't tell me."
"I'll let you take the initiative!"
Hear the words.
Zhou Bo and Li Taishou pretended to be furious at the same time: "Huo Guang, although Taishou Liu has committed a crime, the imperial court has not dismissed him from his post to investigate, and he is still an official of the imperial court."
"If you dare to use lynching."
"I will definitely go to Chang'an and I will give you a copy."
Huo Guang raised his eyebrows. Seeing the two people so excited, he became even more sure that something was wrong with them.
Immediately.
He then continued: "Lynching? Did I say I was going to use this thing?"
"I said yes!"
"trial."
"I have the emperor's secret edict in hand. You have no right to interfere with who I am interrogating!"
As soon as these words came out, the two of them were speechless.
really.
Huo Guang, who had the emperor's secret edict in hand, had nothing to say even if he resorted to lynching.
The main thing is.
Even if they resorted to lynching, what could they do if Huo Guang said it was an interrogation?
Seeing that the two of them remained silent, Huo Guang said to Zhao Daniu: "Okay, Daniu, help me take the Dunhuang prefect to the imperial prison when you're full."
When Zhao Daniu heard this, he immediately said: "You are only three-thirds full, how full are you?"
Good guy.
You only feel full after eating so much. Are you a pig?
wrong!
Pigs don't seem to be that edible.
Huo Guang shook his head and said: "Three minutes is enough. When we return to Chang'an, I will keep you full for every meal."
"good."
Zhao Daniu smiled naively.
immediately!
He then carried Liu Bei, the governor of Dunhuang County, out like a chicken.
Together with Huo Guang, he was imprisoned in imperial prison.
As Huo Guang and others left, only Li Taishou of Wuwei County and Zhou Bo, the governor of Liangzhou, were left in the house.
Zhou Bo slapped the food table hard and cursed: "Damn yellow-haired boy, you are really bullying others."
"If it weren't for a good brother."
"How could I let him bully me?"
Zhou Bo was very angry. As the governor of Liangzhou, a first-level official of the state and county, he naturally couldn't swallow this breath.
But the problem is.
Huo Guang was the Marquis of Bolu and the cavalry general who put down the rebellion in Dunhuang County.
the most important.
He also holds the emperor's secret edict.
Zhou Bo is just a Liangzhou governor. Even if he can't swallow this breath, what can he do?
Governor Li of Wuwei County was not angry. He was always cautious and immediately said to Zhou Bo: "Prince Zhou, please don't be carried away by anger at this time."
"Urgent priority."
"We should get rid of the Dunhuang County governor."
"Just because he hasn't confessed to us now, doesn't mean he won't in the future. Besides, seeing the look on that Huo Guang's face, I will definitely resort to lynching."
"Under this lynching, there is no guarantee that the other party will not tell us anything!"
After some words.
As the governor of Liangzhou, Zhou Bo immediately calmed down and said: "My wise brother's words are reasonable. It is time to get rid of Liu Bei."
"This guy is not good for us if he is alive."
"In this case, you go find someone to do it, and I'll be responsible for putting the person in jail. What do you think?"
Prefect Li of Wuwei County immediately said: "Okay!"
then.
A new event is about to take place.
But Huo Guang didn't know the insidious plan the two had discussed.
After sending the other party to prison.
He ordered that no one should approach Liu Taishou of Dunhuang County privately.
At the same time, he also mobilized a hundred people from the army and replaced all the jailers and minor officials in his prison.
There is still a certain amount of caution that should be exercised.
After making these arrangements, Huo Guang walked into the exclusive prison of Liu Taishou of Dunhuang County. Looking at the other party's determined eyes, Huo Guang knew that this guy would never tell what he knew if he didn't use something.
In ancient times, the simplest method of interrogation was lynching.
Modern people call it the Great Memory Restoration Technique!
But that’s not easy to say!
If word got out, it would probably be true, and Huo Guang didn't want to bear this stain.
so.
He thought of a punishment that would make the prisoner very frightened.
first.
Ask Zhao Daniu to bring a wooden barrel with a very small hole in it and hang it in the middle of the prison.
The bucket is filled with ordinary water.
Then he placed Liu Taishou of Dunhuang County under him and fixed him to the wooden board with ropes, including his head, so that he could not move.
The water droplets would fall at an extremely slow speed, hitting the bridge of Taishou Liu's nose one drop at a time.
That's right.
This is the legendary dripping water punishment.
Why use this punishment?
It's very simple, it won't leave any scars on the opponent's body, nor will it cause any damage to the body.
But it is a great test for the human spirit.
It can quickly cause a nervous breakdown!
This is more terrible and more effective than any punishment.
But not everyone can understand this kind of punishment, especially the ancients two thousand years ago.
Zhao Daniu followed Huo Guang's instructions and after completing these things, he said to Huo Guang: "Can this drop of water make the other party surrender? It feels useless!"
"Besides, this guy is too cheap."
"I think it would be better to replace this water with urine!"
Good guy, look at you, Zhao Daniu, an honest man, I didn’t expect you to think of such a vicious plan.
After Huo Guang thought for a moment, he shook his head and said, "It's too dirty. We still need to be interrogated. Don't make yourself look dirty. Just use water."
"Just remember, when the water is done dripping, add more water and don't let it break."
"Finally, remember to guard this place carefully and don't let him get into an accident."
Hearing Huo Guang's words, Zhao Daniu immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I, Zhao Daniu, am here, and it will be difficult for him to die!"
"Um."
Huo Guang nodded and was not prepared to interrogate Liu, the former governor of Dunhuang County, immediately.
Wait until he slowly feels the horror of the dripping punishment.
Out of prison.
Huo Guang wrote a secret letter about what happened today and reported it to Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in Chang'an.
Two days later.
Before Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, could say anything, something happened in the prison.
After the news reached Huo Guang's ears, he rushed to the imperial prison. At this time, in the prison where Prefect Liu was being held, a strange face was pressed tightly against Zhao Daniu, unable to move.
Huo Guang immediately stepped forward and asked Zhao Daniu: "What's going on?"
Zhao Daniu replied: "This guy brought food, but the amount of food was wrong. I usually eat for one person, at least for five people, so this guy brought in food for two people."
"It makes me very angry."
"So I told this kid to get out and send it again."
"But this kid kept chattering, so I threw the food in his face."
"When he saw the food being smashed, he took out the knife from nowhere, and he didn't point it at me. Instead, he rushed towards Liu Bei inexplicably, hoping to kill him with one knife."
"How can I let him succeed? I'll deal with him immediately!"
"Yes, it is like that!"
Zhao Daniu was gesticulating with his hands as he spoke, quite excited.
And listen to what he has to say.
Huo Guang immediately guessed the origin of the prisoner who committed the crime, so he squatted down and said to the assassin who was suppressed by his absolute weight: "Are you sent by the governor of Liangzhou and the prefect of Wuwei County?"
"Pooh!"
At this moment, he spat and said nothing.
Huo Guang raised his eyebrows and then asked: "The food must have been poisoned. Did you take action when you saw someone had poured it on you, desperate to kill Liu Bei?"
Huo Guang's voice fell.
The assassin hadn't said anything yet, but Zhao Daniu, a fool, quickly slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, that must be the case."
"I said so!"
"Why did this guy suddenly rush over to kill people just after the food was spilled?"
"I see."
"General, since this kid is an assassin and not an official of the imperial court, I see that all his bones are broken. It seems that he is not honest!"
Huo Guang immediately rolled his eyes at Zhao Daniu, shook his head and said: "Does this kind-hearted person like me seem to be someone who abuses lynching?"
"Stop saying anything."
"Give him a drop of water punishment." (End of Chapter)
