Zhu Youxiao also breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Ma Xianglin's good news.
Ma Xianglin was a military general, and Man Gui was also a rough guy who only knew how to lead troops in war.
Zhu Youxiao was really afraid that they wouldn't be able to do this kind of work, but he didn't expect that they could do it so well.
Although the process was very different from what he expected, the result remained the same.
The entire Zhangjiakou has completed a major purge, with thousands of merchants and gentry not missing a single one.
For such unscrupulous profiteers who bring harm to the country and the people, Zhu Youxiao doesn't care what crime you have committed, whether you are convicted of the crime, or what punishment you are given.
He personally drafted an edict, selected all the more important people and escorted them back to the capital, and executed the rest on the spot.
The Mongolians captured from Zhangjiakou were all handed over to the Jinyi Guards for interrogation to see if they could learn from them the specific facts of the various Mongolian tribes outside the Pass.
After the situation in Zhangjiakou was resolved, the troops were immediately divided into two groups, and Mangui was stationed in Zhangjiakou to temporarily maintain order there.
Although Zhangjiakou is important, the roots of Shanxi merchants are not here. It is just the junction point for their trade with the Mongols.
Ma Xianglin's next task is to go to various places in Shanxi, destroy their base camps, and completely dig out their foundations.
He would issue a decree to Chen Qiyu, the governor of Shanxi, and Sun Chuanting, the prefect of Taiyuan, and they would closely cooperate with all Ma Xianglin's actions.
Zhu Youxiao ordered him to lead heavy troops to Qixian, Yuci, Taichang, Jiexiu and other places.
In these areas, it can be said that in the entire Shanxi, merchants who are strong enough and have enough voice are in these areas, the base camp of Shanxi merchants, and this is how they form each other.
Fearing that the news would leak out, Ma Xianglin borrowed a large number of war horses from Man Gui and sent a team of 500 people to inspect various places.
All officials were completely unaware of this raid on Shanxi merchants, not even Wang Xiangqian, Xu Guangqi and others who had discussed the matter with the emperor.
The problem they are concerned about now is that the emperor has been back to the palace for so many days, but he still refuses to summon them, which is really worrying.
A full five days had passed. Even Wang Xiangqian, who had always been steady and steady, couldn't bear it anymore. He came outside Qianqing Gate early in the morning and begged to see the emperor.
This time, the person in front of him was no longer the eunuch in charge of rituals, but the personal eunuch Wang Chaofu.
"After His Majesty returned to the palace from the southwest, he often felt unwell. He has not even seen the Queen in the past few days. Yuan Fu should not ask for trouble."
"Yuanfu is already old and the weather is so cold. It's better to return to the value room early. If he gets sick from the cold, wouldn't it be a loss to the court?"
"When your Majesty's health improves, he will naturally summon Yuan Fu to the palace for an audience."
"The new year has come, and New Year's Eve is only seven days away. The annual reports of the six ministries and the cabinet have already been prepared. Many matters for next year have not yet been finalized. How can we put them on hold?"
"Why don't I discuss it with the other prime ministers and write down the matters to be discussed in a memorial, and have the princes and princes forward it to His Majesty for his inspection? Is this feasible?"
Wang Xiangqian's idea was good. Since we couldn't discuss it face to face, we should write down the issues and everyone's opinions in the memorial, and the emperor only needed to make a reply and decision.
But who knew that Wang Chaofu still shook his head and said no.
This made Wang Xiangqian confused. Was the emperor so ill? He couldn't even read the memorials?
"Yuansuke, let me tell you the truth. Banzai Master has very important things to do at this time. I won't see you until things are done. You'd better go back and wait patiently!"
Wang Xiangqian's expression finally changed, and he quickly asked:
"What do you mean, father-in-law, your Majesty is in good health and has no discomfort?"
"Yes, your Majesty will leave the palace after the important matters are settled!"
After receiving the reply, Wang Xiangqian finally left the front palace with peace of mind.
Your Majesty is not someone who doesn't know the priorities. Since he returned to the palace quietly without informing them, it seems that there are indeed more important things to deal with.
…
…
Within Shanxi
Every time Ma Xianglin's army and horses went to a place or a city, they would show the emperor's handwriting and let the officials in the city open the city.
Then, led by the lurking Jin Yiwei, they headed straight for the Shanxi merchants' mansions and estates.
Before the local officials could even ask why they were here, they already took ropes and started arresting people.
After the people are arrested and their houses and estates are sealed, a leader will come out to explain his purpose to them.
This made many officials very angry and did not take them seriously at all.
So what if you are a member of the Royal Guards of the Imperial City? Do you still need them to comment on your civil and military status?
But more people still take this opportunity to fish in troubled waters and take the opportunity to make trouble.
Since these Shanxi merchants can bribe the ministers of the DPRK and the Central Government and deal with the big tigers, how can these local flies still be unable to deal with them?
Although not all of them were officials, there were definitely not a few who had accepted bribes from Shanxi merchants. How could those major officials who held real power not be dragged into the trap by them?
Now that they have been arrested by the court, as long as one person confesses, they will all be finished.
Some officials refused to let the troops who came to inspect the troops out of the city on the grounds of being inconsistent with the system, or blocked their only way and used their bodies to stop them.
This time, corrupt officials and honest officials came together to resist the military's overstep of their powers.
What was even more outrageous was that when some officials saw them taking out the long knives from their waists and rushing towards the merchants' homes, they immediately realized that something was going to happen.
He immediately rushed forward to stop the army's search and forced them to leave for various reasons. Otherwise, they would write a memorial to impeach them or be beheaded under military law.
Of course, this did not scare the emperor's troops, but it did bring great obstacles to their actions.
These officials were very capable of adapting to the situation. They immediately sent out their government officials and servants to the city to spread the word that the traitors were planning to murder the local good people.
Public opinion arose all of a sudden, and under the deliberate guidance and leadership of the officials, they were gathered in groups around the army.
Although the common people are afraid of the army, there is strength in numbers. Thousands of people gathered together to denounce, and their courage naturally increased a lot.
This puts the sergeants in a dilemma. They are not afraid of officials. What His Majesty hates most is corrupt officials.
But the common people are different. The Yulin Army and the Military Law and Military System clearly stipulate that the common people must be treated in harmony and no conflicts can arise. Otherwise, the lightest person will receive forty military sticks.
"General, what should we do now? These dog officers are pushing the common people out as shields. Brothers don't dare to move at all!"
Ma Xianglin is now blocked at the gate of Yuci County, unable to leave or retreat, and is spending time with them here.