As Zhou Zibin finished speaking, three figures were escorted up from the tower.
These three people were none other than Shen Wanfu, Shen Yang, and Fan Chong. At this time, they were tied up and their mouths were stuffed with cloth. They looked at Zhou Zibin with deep hatred in their eyes.
Zhou Zibin didn't care at all about the anger of the three people, but looked at Su Qi'an below the tower very calmly.
He couldn't wait to see how rich Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo's expressions would be when they saw these three people appear.
Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo's expressions changed, and they were a little excited, but they still controlled it well. They stared at Zhou Zibin with an indescribable meaning.
At this time, Zhou Zibin's face was full of pride, and he said loudly, "Haha, Inspector, Chief Governor, you never thought that these people you carefully placed behind the state would be captured by the state."
"Honestly, even Honshu didn't expect that the inspector appointed by the imperial court would dare to disobey the imperial court's order, blatantly change the contract, and rescue the condemned prisoner."
"What a courageous person this is. No wonder the Governor, the head of the Shen family, will use it for you. It turns out that the problem arises here."
"Inspector, according to the laws of Daliang, you are so lawless and submissive to a death row prisoner. Your crime deserves to be punished, and you still haven't confessed!"
Zhou Zibin's voice was high and he looked righteous. What he said was not only for Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo, but also for the soldiers on both sides present.
Sure enough, the moment Zhou Zibin's voice fell, the soldiers in the city immediately started talking and looking at Su Qi'an with suspicious expressions.
Regarding these discussions, Zhou Zibin did not stop them. To be more precise, his voice was not loud enough. Amidst the waves of discussions, his voice rang out again.
"As for Wu Dingguo and Shen Wanfu, one of you is the governor of Dongzhou and the other is the richest man in Dongzhou. They knew clearly that the supervisor made Su Qi'an commit a major crime and did not stop it. Instead, they ignored and condoned it, colluded with him, and cooperated with Su Qi'an's placement in Houjiu County. Those who maliciously mess up the interior of Dongzhou with their own hands can be punished."
"Three of you and others, so disrespectful of the court's laws, intending to plot Dongzhou, and even colluding with pirates and Japanese pirates. Such collaboration with the enemy and treason, even if they die hundreds of times, they will still die unjustly."
"Generals, I hope you will find your way back and don't risk your own future and life by being buried with Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo. Don't do it yourself!"
Zhou Zibin made another impassioned speech, but what he received was the indifference of many soldiers below. It wasn't that they didn't trust him, but that Zhou Zibin's words were becoming more and more exaggerated.
From the fact that Fan Chong and Shen Yang were still alive, it was really ridiculous to suddenly suggest that Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo were collaborating with the enemy and treason.
They didn't know why Shen Yang and Fan Chong were not dead, but if they wanted to be arrested based on the two of them, they would say that Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo were Dongzhou traitors. What's the difference between this and fools. .
You know, they had just experienced the Dongzhou War. They could clearly see who Su Qi'an and Wu Dingguo were and what their role models were.
If Zhou Zibin really wanted to sell them out and collude with the pirates, would they still be able to stand here? He died on Zhoushan Island a long time ago.
Zhou Zibin's impassioned speech was no different from a clown to the soldiers behind Su Qi'an.
Zhou Zibin did not feel embarrassed by the indifference of the soldiers behind him. He knew that these people, who had just experienced a bloody battle and came back alive, could be encouraged to lay down their weapons and surrender just because of his few words.
What he wants is a so-called righteous stance. Regardless of whether the other party recognizes this stance, at least he must show that he is righteous.
After all, Fan Chong and Shen Yang were still in his hands. No matter how hard Su Qian'an talked, he couldn't explain why the two people who were supposed to be dead were alive and well.
Even though he was the inspector of Dongzhou, he disobeyed the imperial court after all, dared to save the condemned prisoner, and used it for his own purposes. This crime was enough to execute Su Qi'an.
As for his fabricated collusion with pirates, it doesn't matter whether there is evidence or not. He has already made his attitude clear and gave Su Qi'an a hint.
If Su Qi'an does not plead guilty, these two men, Zhou Zibin, will be executed on the spot in the name of the law. How to choose whether to save himself or his subordinates who work for him?
It's up to you.
No matter what he chooses, it will be beneficial to Zhou Zibin. If he pleads guilty, he can take down Su Qi'an. If he doesn't admit it and executes these two people, what will happen to the men who work for him?
What he wanted was not only to take down Su Qi'an, but also to break the trust of these subordinates in him. A powerful person, in addition to knocking him down, also wanted to knock down the reputation he had established.
When a person's reputation is ruined, even if he has a chance to make a comeback in the future, he will not be trusted and no one will pay for his life. This is the real defeat of a person.
Zhou Zibin crossed his arms and looked at Su Qi'an's decision with a proud look on his face.
Su Qi'an, whose expression changed, was silent for a while, and then said, "I admit that Fan Chong and Shen Yang were subcontracted by me. The reason why I saved their lives is very simple. There was injustice in Fan Chong's case, but the court found that I This was the last resort. As for Shenyang, I felt that the death penalty was too severe, but in order to preserve my dignity, I did such a thing."
"Although he violated the law, the most he could do is to be dismissed from his post and investigated. As for the so-called collusion with pirates and Japanese pirates, huh, Mr. Zhou Mu is really slapped with a big hat."
"If my envoy really colluded with the pirates and Japanese pirates, you can still stay in Qingchong County well now? Why should I ask Yuezhou for help? Can this battle be won? Lord Zhoumu's ability to talk nonsense is really true when I see it today It’s an eye-opener.”
"That's right, without the command of the supervisory envoy and the chief governor, how could we win this battle and capture Zhoushan Island!"
"That is, without our charge into battle, there would be no high-ranking civil servants like you, talking nonsense here, saying that the supervisory envoy and the chief governor are colluding with bandits and treason, and we need to provide evidence."
The moment Su Qian's voice fell, the soldiers behind him spoke out in support, and their momentum directly overwhelmed the previous discussions in the city.
This scene made Zhou Zibin frown slightly. He still underestimated Su Qi'an's power of words.
But as a state shepherd, he had never seen anything like this before. His face turned cold and he immediately shouted loudly.
"Humph, you are so unselfish? If you are really unselfish, why didn't you just stay there after rescuing Fan Chong and Shen Yang? Instead, you placed them in Zigui County and conducted secret searches in the rear, disrupting the local security!"
"If you hadn't rescued Fan Chong and Shen Yang, would Wu Dingguo and Shen Wanfu have followed your orders? And you said you had no selfish motives!"
"As for the desperate annihilation of pirates and Japanese pirates, isn't it because you want to kill people and silence them? Who doesn't know that the Shen family controls half of Dongzhou?
..In terms of economy, Governor Wu Dingguo commands half of the military. With the help of these two people, what use can the Japanese pirates on Zhoushan Island do to you? "
"It's just the right time to launch this war and annihilate the banditry on Zhoushan Island. Firstly, you can give an account to the court. Secondly, with this battle, you can completely gain a foothold in Dongzhou. The local people will also recognize you more. With this foundation, coupled with Yuezhou's Trust me, in the future, your reputation in these two coastal states, Su Qi'an, will grow bigger and bigger. In order to lay the foundation for controlling the two states, you used this two-bird-with-one-stone strategy very cleverly."
"Young man with the surname Su, of your kind, still say that you have no selfish intentions!"
Zhou Zibin shouted loudly, but Su Qi'an was full of disdain and sneered.
"Lord Zhou Mu's suspicion is really at its peak. Anyway, according to Lord Zhou Mu's wishes, no matter how my envoy defends himself, Lord Zhou has determined that I have ambitions in Dongzhou and is guilty of collaborating with the enemy and treason against Da Liang?"
"If we all go by Mr. Zhou's unreasonable speculation, then does it mean that my envoy asked for help from Yuezhou and took the road through Yuezhou? Does this mean that my envoy and the King of Yue also colluded to achieve some ulterior purpose? The entire East and Yue In this state, you are the only one who can serve the people wholeheartedly, right?"
Su Qi'an questioned, Zhou Zibin's face was calm, but he was secretly happy in his heart. Originally, he didn't want to involve the man from Yuezhou. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he had to have the right time.
After all, that person was also the emperor's heir. If he really wanted to get involved, he couldn't speak.
However, Su Qi'an, who was about to die, expanded the scale and involved everyone, although it seemed to be an angry statement.
But how could Zhou Zibin let go of such an opportunity?
, which can be regarded as completing the above explanation.
Zhou Zibin reacted quickly, with an awe-inspiring look, and said quickly, "Oh, it's you who said this, the inspector. Yuezhou is involved. This state has no right to interfere, but Inspector Feng of the investigation team happened to be here again. I think about this matter. The supervisor still needs to investigate carefully."
"After all, Supervisor Su Qi'an knew the law and broke the law. His crime is unforgivable. The people involved should not care about the truth or falsehood. But for the sake of the people today, I ask the Supervisor to enforce the law impartially and never let down His Majesty's kindness."
Feng Zheng in the crowd looked surprised, obviously not expecting Zhou Zibin to click on him at this time.
Listening to Zhou Zibin's high-sounding words, Feng Zheng had a strange expression on his face. He looked at Zhou Zibin with an obvious expression of looking at a fool.
Su Qi'an, who was sneering, showed a meaningful smile.
Zhou Zibin's face was startled, he felt a little uneasy in his heart, and seemed to realize something. Before he could speak, suddenly, a cold voice sounded among the many soldiers.
"Haha, Mr. Zhou really has a heart for the country and the people. Since Mr. Zhou is so conscientious and wants to put me on trial, I will go there myself."
The voice fell, and after a while, many soldiers behind him quickly separated. A young man wearing white clothes, with sword eyebrows and a starry eyebrow, with a somewhat majestic aura, sat on a sedan chair and was carried slowly.
This person is none other than Su Kang, King of Yue.
Su Kang's appearance was unexpected by Zhou Zibin. His pupils shrank, his expression changed, and he quickly knelt down and saluted Su Kangyao.
Even though Su Kang was only a second-class prince, he was still a king and his majesty's heir. Any local official who saw him must bow respectfully and must not make any mistakes.
