Li Tiaoyuan, a thin man, is the Xingming Master of Cangwu County Magistrate. He is considered the County Magistrate's number one confidant. He is usually the most powerful figure in the county town.
But the old man whom he asked to serve carefully today was Zhou Youliang, the general judge of the sixth rank under the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Zhou Youliang came to Cangwu County this time precisely to capture the notorious robber White Ape.
Eight years ago, a gangster wearing a white ape mask appeared in Guangzhou Prefecture. He specialized in robbing wealthy families and helping the poor. The government repeatedly tried to kill him but failed. His reputation was unparalleled and he shocked the entire Guangzhou Prefecture.
Later, Li Shizhen, who was the prefect of Guangzhou at the time, set a trap to trap the white ape, and he was punished in the canon and beheaded in the autumn.
After Bai Yuanchu was beheaded, except for the people who had benefited from him and secretly thought of his kindness, the people did not dare to tell about his deeds at all.
Seven years have passed like this. One year ago, a mysterious man wearing a white ape mask appeared again in Cangwu, under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Prefecture.
In eight villages and towns ten miles away from Cangwu County, due to the incompetence of the government, the people are in dire straits. In addition to being exploited by the government, the people are often robbed by a group of bandits nearby.
During the autumn harvest, bandits come down from the mountains to steal food and kill people, committing all kinds of evil.
The leader of the bandits, nicknamed Thirteen Taibao, had dozens of guns at his command. Although the government had surrounded and suppressed him, in addition to extorting a large sum of money from the people, the bandits returned home without even seeing a trace of them. .
The first time Bai Yuan took action, he broke into Dayu Ridge single-handedly and lay in wait for two days and two nights. Finally, when the Thirteen Taibao went down to rob the mountain, Lei Lei took action and killed him with a knife at the cost of serious injuries.
The white ape killed all the bandits in Dayuling, and the village was burned to the ground.
Then the white ape disappeared for three months.
Three months later, when the white ape appeared again, it was in Cangwu County.
The eldest son of the Huang family, known as the Huangbancheng, was beheaded by a white ape that suddenly appeared while listening to a play in a restaurant.
White Ape then left a roll of white cloth, threw it on Mr. Huang's body, and floated away.
Some brave people bravely lifted up the white cloth, and it was clearly written on it that Mr. Huang had colluded with the Dayuling bandits to rob passing merchants.
In the next six months, White Ape took action many times, specifically targeting those who had committed many evil deeds. Guangzhou Prefecture had jurisdiction over one state and fourteen counties. Every once in a while, news of White Ape committing crimes would come.
The news reached the ears of Li Shizhen, who had been promoted to governor of Guangdong and Guangxi due to his meritorious service, which made him very angry.
The death of White Ape under his rule was one of his many political achievements. Eight years later, another White Ape appeared.
If it falls into the ears of political opponents, it is inevitable that he will be accused of killing good people and taking merit.
Li Shizhen was furious and sent his men to interrogate Zhou Youliang and ordered him to capture the white ape within three months.
After Zhou Youliang received the order, he led people to Cangwu County without stopping, secretly met with the Cangwu County magistrate, and laid a dragnet here.
Li Tiaoyuan filled Zhou Youliang's glass of wine again and joked, "I still haven't figured it out yet, why are you so sure that the white ape will fall into this ambush?"
Zhou Youliang glanced at Li Tiaoyuan with a smile. The white ape was hiding, which made him feel very good.
"There is no unsolvable case in this world," Zhou Youliang picked up the wine glass, but did not drink it. He looked at the crystal liquid in the glass and said:
"I went through Bai Yuan's many files and found that he committed thirty-seven major crimes within one year."
"The evil people who died in his hands include traffickers and lackeys, wealthy merchants, as well as talented people and high-ranking officials. The government searched Guangzhou Prefecture, but there was no trace of him at all. Have you ever thought about why?"
Facing Zhou Youliang's question, Li Tiaoyuan shook his head blankly.
"White Ape is not a god. He doesn't have to eat or drink. As long as he is a human being and still exists in the world, he will always leave clues when he eats, drinks, and defecates."
Zhou Youliang swung the wine glass in his hand and said: "We have a perfect system of personal identification. We need guidance when traveling far away. We check waistbands when entering and exiting. Especially after the White Monkey committed the crime, the intensity of inspections at all major roads was unprecedented."
"Even so, Bai Yuan can still walk around the counties freely and commit crimes calmly. This only shows that he is actually hiding among us."
Li Tiaoyuan was thoughtful after hearing Zhou Youliang's analysis.
The Qing Dynasty's body-worn system, that is, the waist badge, is equivalent to each person's identity certificate. The surname, occupation, residence, birth date, place of origin, length, and appearance will be recorded in detail on the front, and the issuing institution and date will be recorded on the back. Change every year.
In this era of inconvenient transportation, a photo sticker is the only proof for people to enter and exit checkpoints. Once someone commits a crime, they can use it to trace their family roots.
In special industries, there are Funato Waist Cards, Cangato Waist Cards, Yan Yan Waist Cards, etc.
The government even stipulated that every province, locality, village, town and village under the prefecture of Weizhou County should have one Jia chief for every ten families and one Jia general for every hundred families to check for bandits, bandits and spies.
Under such a strict supervision system, there is absolutely no way for those who appear suspicious and have no credentials to hide.
After the White Monkey committed the crime, although the counties tightened inspections of entry and exit, and the police patrolled the countryside, there was no clue at all.
Zhou Youliang said proudly: "If we change the direction, if the White Ape is hiding among us, entering and leaving the city on weekdays, and has a legal identity, he will naturally be able to escape from the searches again and again."
"However, when he assassinated those in the government, many times he did so in broad daylight. In other words, he entered the city openly through the checkpoints."
Li Tiaoyuan's eyes lit up and he looked at Zhou Youliang in amazement: "Could it be..."
"The badge he holds is fake."
Zhou Youliang said with certainty: "Guangzhou Prefecture has always required registration when entering and exiting the checkpoints. I asked Bai Yuan to check all the records of entering and exiting the checkpoints on the day when the crime was committed. After careful screening, I found several identities that were not registered."
Zhou Youliang also guessed that every time White Ape attacks, he fights alone, and there must be no organization behind it.
So if you want to obtain counterfeit waistbands, you must go through some shady channels.
"Fake photo albums. Even if the government officials are brave enough, White Ape won't look for them, so he doesn't have many options left."
Zhou Youliang stretched out his chopsticks to take a bite of food for himself and chewed it carefully: "As for those low-life people who dare to forge fake photos and stickers, when the government really takes action, how many people will be able to escape the search."
Pointing to the wine shop in the distance, Zhou Youliang said: "The people inside have all been replaced by my people. The whole street is full of spy agents. As long as the white ape appears, it is equivalent to an ambush."
"Your Excellency is really smart." Li Tiaoyuan was sincerely convinced.
Upstairs in Mingyue, the two of them were pouring and drinking, and the sound of gunshots and screams could be heard far away in the middle of the night.
As if sensing Li Tiaoyuan's nervousness, Zhou Youliang's eyes flashed with disdain, he put down his glass and said: "Although the gunmen who came with me from Guangzhou this time are elite soldiers of the Green Camp, for martial arts masters like Bai Yuan, unless they fight, He was caught off guard, otherwise the effect would be very little."
The spear is faster from seven steps away, and the punch is faster from within seven steps. This is not just talk.
In this era when firearms were still very primitive, a skilled boxer could shoot down the firearm in your hand or even kill the gunman the moment you pulled the trigger.
The only way to deal with these big boxers is to kill them.
Dozens of rounds, hundreds of rounds of firearms were fired in volleys, and no flesh and blood body could withstand them.
