The sun in the capital rose as usual, and the people living in the city began to get busy for their family's livelihood.
It was originally a regular day, but under the shining of the early morning sun, a group of people wearing "different clothes" suddenly appeared in the capital.
And these people are naturally the police guards under the jurisdiction of Wuding Marquis Guo Yingqi.
I saw that they were wearing black short robes, black trousers, black scarves tied on their foreheads, and a very eye-catching red sleeve on their left arm, with the word "WARNING" written in black on a red background.
A rope and black wooden sticks hung uniformly around the waist, and the leader was equipped with a waist knife.
Teams of five people patrolled the streets and every corner.
Their appearance surprised the residents in the city. Everyone who saw them was thinking, what do these people do?
It wasn't until the officials in the yamen appeared that the residents figured out the identities of these men in black robes. It turned out that they were also members of the government.
The reason why it is said to be different clothes is because the common people have never seen government officials dressed like this. Even the uniformity of the clothes is very rare.
"His Majesty the Emperor has decreed that from today onwards, the security and management of the capital will be fully vested in the jurisdiction of the Police Department. If people have complaints, disputes or other matters, they can seek help from the guards of the Police Department."
"From now on, if anyone wants to report something or settle something, they will go to them."
After several days of successive publicity announcements by officials and police officers, most of the residents of the capital finally knew that the imperial court had opened a new police office.
Although many people don't know exactly what it does, at least it gives them a name and an impression.
As for other popularity, as well as people's dependence and trust, it will take time to build up slowly.
Before doing this, the police department must maintain absolute fairness and impartiality.
Therefore, Guo Yingqi did not include Hu. The police department took action not long after taking over the power from the Wucheng Military and Horse Department and the Criminal Department.
Under the instructions and planning of him, the top leader of the police department, he directly took out a few bullies, landlords, and some rogues to make his reputation.
As the saying goes, there are still three things to do before a new official takes office, not to mention that Guo Yingqi is a popular person in front of the emperor at this time, and he is determined to do this job well.
Therefore, as the top leader of the police department, he also took action personally to create an image of himself as a selfless, fair and honest official.
And this is indeed effective. Now is a special period. The emperor just recently killed a large number of nobles for treason and regicide.
Not only was Guo Yingqi not liquidated, but he was trusted and reused by the emperor. Whether in official circles or among the people, Wuding Marquis Guo Yingqi was labeled as a loyal minister.
Now, the founding minister has set an example and personally taken action to rectify the law and order in the capital. He also personally announced that he would give the people a fair and just and peaceful world.
With the encouragement of the Information Department newspaper and the emperor, this reputation for uprightness soon spread to every corner of the capital.
And nearly 10,000 guards from the police department were all dispatched to patrol every street and alley in the city, especially the outer city with the most complex living environment and the largest population, patrolling day and night without relaxing for a moment.
Some of these police officers are retired sergeants of the Habayashi Army. Not to mention having great military achievements, at least they have blood on their hands.
Moreover, when they were in the military, they had been instilled with the idea that they were loyal to the emperor and only needed to obey His Majesty's military orders.
Therefore, if they have their leader, they will not hesitate to arrest those who should be arrested if something happens to them in daily life, or there are people with certain backgrounds.
The bullies in those places, as well as the slaves of the gentry and wealthy families who take advantage of others, are the key targets.
If anyone resisted during the arrest, they would be chopped to death on the spot to establish their authority.
Although he acted roughly and cruelly, this method was indeed effective. Zhu Youxiao knew about these things and sent a message to Guo Yingqi to express his support. This made Guo Yingqi completely relieved.
"Master Marquis, according to your instructions, I have given death orders to my subordinates. Anyone who has violated the law will be put in prison."
"It's just that there have been a lot of arrests in the past few days, and the prison can hardly hold them anymore. Do you think you can think of a way to solve this problem?"
Listening to the reports from his subordinates, Guo Yingqi also frowned. This matter was indeed difficult to handle.
In fact, the people he arrested did not do anything outrageous or committed serious crimes.
Most of them are gangsters who idle around all day, or act as thugs, disturbing the people or something like that.
In the past, this was nothing to worry about and the government would not care about it.
But things are different now. He has already put his name out there and made a promise in front of the emperor.
But if we really want him to be severely punished, including beheading at every turn, it is unrealistic, and other people's crimes are not extremely heinous.
After thinking about it for a while, he decided to go to the British Duke for advice.
But when he arrived at the British government residence, before he could explain his purpose, Zhang Weixian, a man with white hair, said with a look of resentment:
"You, you, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean, old man?"
"Your Majesty has handed over the police department to you so that you can have the power of justice and prison to deal with the wealthy gentry and officials."
"You said that you were so aggressive and ended up doing this. If His Majesty knew about it, you would be spared a scolding."
Zhang Weixian's words made him confused. He acted according to the emperor's wishes, so he couldn't be wrong.
So he still insisted:
"Perhaps I don't know, but His Majesty told me the last time I was admitted to the palace that the capital is too messy and needs to be cleaned up."
"That's why I went to such great lengths to arrest people all over the city."
"Old Duke, I came here today to ask for advice on how to deal with those who have been imprisoned."
After hearing this, Zhang Weixian understood a little bit, stroking his gray beard and pacing back and forth thinking, while Guo Yingqi looked anxious.
"Those who have violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty can just deal with them according to the laws, but it is really difficult to deal with the rest."
"How about this, how about using work to atone for your sins?"
When Guo Yingqi heard the words "work to atone for sins", his eyes suddenly lit up and he asked quickly:
"Please give me some advice, please."
Zhang Weixian sat down and said slowly:
"Your Majesty is going to rebuild the capital, and a large number of manpower will be needed. If you recruit young and strong laborers, or mobilize civilians to do corvee work, wouldn't it be a waste of people and money?"
Guo Yingqi is not a fool. Of course he understands what Zhang Weixian means. It is nothing more than free labor.
This is really great. This is a good thing that kills two birds with one stone. It not only saves money for the court, but also does not delay the security plan of the capital.
"Old Duke is really experienced in planning for the country. No wonder His Majesty has so much trust in you. Your words today have given me an opportunity to make great achievements. Thank you very much, Old Duke."
After thanking Zhang Weixian, Guo Yingqi immediately returned to the Yamen and gathered people to discuss the matter.