Chapter 39: The strong dragon scavenges the local snake
In prison camp.
"We, the Huai Navy, are here to help defend Xuzhou on the order of the Governor. If you confront the Huai Navy, you are rebelling against the imperial court. That is a serious crime of treason. Seeing that most of you were coerced, our president decided to spare your life, but the death penalty is exempted.
You will not be able to escape the crime. You will be put in the mines for five years of labor reform. If you behave well, your sentence can be reduced. Now there is an opportunity to make meritorious service. If you perform meritorious service, you will not have to serve a sentence, or your sentence will be reduced. We now need someone to testify against the six major families.
Evidence of their crimes, as well as their dirty money and their oppression and misappropriation of people's property. Anyone who knows more can come and sign up." An officer shouted with a tin trumpet.
The buzz of discussion among the crowd immediately came to mind. Most people are still timid. They have been oppressed by local big families for generations, and have already developed fear in their bones.
"Sir, I want to pay my dues!" The first person to speak was Zhang Meng, the commander of the militia.
"Master Jun, I am just a puppet pushed out by the Zhang family. Zhang Yulin was not well-intentioned and deliberately sent me to die. I am willing to identify Zhang Yulin, and I also know the Zhang family's industry."
"Huh? Are you also a child of the Zhang family?" the officer asked.
"I'm just a collateral descendant. This family belongs to Zhang Yulin and has nothing to do with me, sir." Zhang Meng explained.
"Okay, you will lead the way to Zhang's house." He said and motioned to the two soldiers next to him to take them out.
When the prisoners saw that even Zhang Meng had come forward, they all signed up enthusiastically.
"I am the banker of the Yan family, and I know everything about the Yan family. Last year, Mr. Yan fell in love with Guifen, the eldest daughter of Yang Laoshi's family in the village. When Guifen didn't obey, he sent a gangster to tie her up in front of Yang Laoshi.
He ruined his family, and in the end Yang Laoshi's whole family was killed. Let me go, I want to avenge Guifen." Hu San said with tears streaming down his face, as if he had a blood feud with Mr. Yan.
"I am the servant of the Xu family. I know where his bank is?"
"I am the brother-in-law of the eighth aunt of the Zheng family. That old man Zheng is very bad. He took over my fourteen-year-old sister when he was over sixty years old! My poor sister! A little cabbage was eaten by a pig!"
"
…
The officer looked embarrassed when he heard this. This had become a complaint meeting. Okay, these people are all collected. The team to search the house is now ready.
On the ship, Dong Shuheng was at the conference table, listening to Cai Shusen's report.
"I didn't expect that several big families had done so much evil in the local area." Dong Shuheng said, "In this way, after we ransacked the houses, we simply organized a public trial and held it on their respective family territories."
"All local people can come and accuse them of occupying other people's property. If it can be proven, we can organize the return of part of it." Dong Shuheng said earnestly.
"What does the president mean to win over local people?" Cai Shusen asked.
"No, no, no, this is for us to gain a foothold in Xuzhou in the future and lay a solid mass foundation. Shusen, you have to remember that the people are the foundation at all times. Our Huaihai Navy is like a big tree, and the people are like the soil. The soil is
Big trees provide nutrients, allowing the trees to grow vigorously, and they shield the soil from wind and rain, preventing soil erosion.”
After listening to Dong Shuheng's words, Cai Shusen felt a surge of admiration in his heart. He became more determined to follow Dong Shuheng.
"The six major families were inspected this time, and they were followed by the accounting office of Yangtze River Bank. All gold and silver were deposited directly into the bank. I have asked Manager Cao to send people to open the Xuzhou branch. In addition, there will also be people from Huaihai Company in each industry.
Come and take over. You just need to do a good job in taking over. Shusen, remember that our army will be a pure army in the future. I will leave this matter to you."
"Yes, President, Shusen will definitely complete the mission."
In the Xuzhou government office, a servant rushed into the government hall in a hurry.
"Sir, it's not good, my lord, the Huaihai Navy has defeated the militia and is now heading towards Xuzhou."
Guizhongxing heard a slap in the face of the government officer, "What are you howling? This is the army sent by the governor to protect us in Xuzhou. Those militia groups are bandits. The imperial army has wiped out the bandits. That is a great event. Go quickly."
Inform all the officials and gentry in the city to follow us ten miles out of the city to greet him!"
Today in the Zhang family was the same as usual. The aunts and wives in each room were chatting and sunbathing together, and the second young master was looking for the beautiful eldest daughter in the Peixian street.
Suddenly, a group of soldiers in camouflage uniforms took over the county town and surrounded the Zhang family's main house. The county town immediately went crazy. The county magistrate had received Dong Shuheng's warrant from the special forces team and dispatched government officials.
It was announced on the street that the court was arresting the robbers. Everyone should go back to their homes. Don't panic.
The second young master of the Zhang family was identified by Zhang Meng in the street and was immediately caught. Then the soldiers used wooden stakes to knock open the door of the Zhang family. Zhang Meng took the lead and led the people to rush in. First, he sealed Zhang
Then they gathered all the people from the Zhang family together. Zhang Meng helped count the number of people and inquired about the whereabouts of the secret warehouse. The special operations team members were familiar with these matters, so it was naturally done by them. The bank's accountant and Huaihai Company staff also
Come in and take inventory of all your belongings.
"Zhang Meng, you are a rip-off bitch, and you actually brought people to ransack your home." The second concubine of the Zhang family pointed at Zhang Meng and scolded her. After saying that, she rushed over to arrest Zhang Meng, but was kicked out by Zhang Meng.
"You stinky bitch, you bite my tongue every time in front of Zhang Yulin. Don't think I don't know. Your Zhang family is finished. They are all gangsters. We, the President, are going to put him on trial and kill him for his crimes."
Even eight times is not enough. Hahaha!" Zhang Meng felt so happy. Seeing this group of normally aloof Zhang family members being unlucky made him particularly excited.
"Sir, there is a lot of dowry money hidden in the rooms of these concubines. I will take people to search for it!" Zhang Meng said loudly and deliberately.
"Zhang Meng...you bastard..." Another group of women yelled and cursed from the venue.
Outside Xuzhou City, Dong Shuheng led the guard company, riding a tall horse, and walked at the front of the team, followed neatly by more than 1,000 soldiers from the 202nd Regiment.
The soldiers lined up in four columns, marching in neat steps, and followed Dong Shuheng majestically.
At Ten Mile Pavilion in the east of the city, the prefect and a group of officials were waiting here early.
"What a mighty army. With such a heroic soldier guarding Xuzhou, we have nothing to worry about!" Guizhongxing, one of the group of people, said.
"Yes, he is truly a master!" Everyone agreed.
The reason why these officials are so cooperative with Dong Shuheng is that there are no soldiers available in the place and bandits are everywhere. Just like the Shandong bandits in the north of Xuzhou, the Ninja bandits in the west are also very powerful. Being an official in a place like this is a high-risk industry.
.On the other hand, Dong Shuheng had already made an agreement with them that handing over his rights would provide them with subsidies several times their salary every year. Finally, Dong Shuheng now has the endorsement of the Governor's Office, so if anything happens in the future, they will not be traced.
The Qing dynasty has lost the centripetal force it once had. It is not surprising that local officials put their own interests first and were able to trade the power in their hands.
Dong Shuheng met Guizhongxing and his entourage at Shiliting, and his favorable impression of the Xuzhou magistrate increased a bit. He was currently lacking a spokesperson in the officialdom.
If he was not about to rebel immediately, he would have to have some official people to support him so that he could concentrate on his development with peace of mind. This was also the purpose of asking Wei Yuan for credit, but after all, Wei Yuan was just
When one person's territory expands in the future, he must have more official spokespersons.
This time, the "dove occupying the magpie's nest" operation in the entire Jiangbei region allowed Dong Shuheng to find another group of officials who were willing to cooperate with him. These officials may be afraid of death, greedy for money, and lack ability. But they are easy to control, and they are the official officials of the Qing Dynasty.
Scholar-officials are easily accepted by the scholar-officials group. I am just a salt merchant. If I make too many contributions in the future, I will either be sidelined by the Qing government, rebel, or even be assassinated. There is no other way out.
I am not even as good as Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan was still a scholar-bureaucrat. He belonged to that class.
I can still jump now only because it is useful. Compared with the potential danger of becoming bigger, the Taiping Army and other rebel forces are the biggest enemies of the Qing government group.
Dong Shuheng often reminds himself that he must not be superstitious about the power in his hands. Compared with the huge Qing court group, he is still very weak. Therefore, he needs an agent to help him attract the attention of the upper class. Only when he has the strength to challenge them will he
Able to show off.
In the Xuzhou government office, the guards continued to take charge of the defense work of the government office. In the study room, Dong Shuheng took the main seat, with Xuzhou prefect, Tongzhi and several county magistrates standing on both sides.
"The prefect is a bannerman?"
"Xiaguan belongs to Zhengbai Banner, but his family has fallen into decline. The family gritted their teeth and opened up connections before allowing me to donate a Jinshi. After so many years, I became the prefect. I didn't expect that I would be assigned to such a chaotic place. Xiaguan
At this age, I already want to resign and go home."
"Lord Gui, it's wrong to think so. I think you are still very young! You can still be the governor of a country. Now there is war and chaos outside. Although it is dangerous, it is also a good opportunity to make contributions."
After hearing what Dong Shuheng said, Guizhongxing's eyes also lit up. People who have never been an official don't know the addiction of being an official. I heard that Wei Yuan had been a state and county magistrate for many years, and because of his relationship with Dong Shuheng, he suddenly became
The prefect also served as the regiment training envoy and the salt transport envoy.
"Your Excellency, you are joking. I have no backup in the court, so how can I make further progress?"
"Master Prefect, what if you have military merit? Now there is a shortage of local officials in the court who can fight. If you have military merit, who else in the court will suppress you?"
"Admiral, I'm so proud of this old man. He still knows how much he weighs." Gui Zhongxing said. He didn't have any ambitions. He just wanted to go back to Sijiu City after making enough money to drink tea and go shopping.
Visit an antique store.
"Come on, come on Shusen."
Cai Shusen walked in and saluted everyone.
"This is my general Cai Shusen. It was he who commanded the battle where a thousand men defeated 6,000 bandits on the river bank yesterday." Dong Shuheng introduced.
"General Cai is mighty!" everyone complimented.
"Thank you for your strategizing, sir, and thank you for your support." Cai Shusen said modestly with his hands in hand.
He looks gentle and elegant, rather bookish, unlike ordinary generals who are rough and tough. As soon as he came in, he won the favor of the civil servants who were working for him.
"We have evidence to prove that this was a rebellion launched by the Nian bandits in Huaibei in collusion with the local landlord armed forces in Xuzhou. General Cai is now regarded as the garrison of Xuzhou. The prefect commanded the garrison to defeat the Nian bandits, and then took the two thousand
If you send more heads, my lord, your credit will not escape. Does it have anything to do with Beijing? Just go and make some arrangements. You can borrow the money from the branch of the Yangtze River Bank in Beijing first. As a bannerman, there are still
With our support, why don't you worry about not being able to reach a higher level? Besides, the Governor will also give you a letter to help you ask for credit." Seeing Dong Shuheng talking nonsense there, everyone looked dull.
Guizhong Bank was also dumbfounded. Just by saying this, I have made a great contribution?
"So, Lao Gui, what do you think of the seat of Shandong Governor? The Shandong Governor was dismissed due to dereliction of duty in intercepting the Taiping Army's Northern Expedition. Is this seat still vacant?" Dong Shuheng suddenly asked.
"Wha...what? My lord, I haven't understood what you mean yet." Gui Zhongxing obviously hadn't kept up with Dong Shuheng's rhythm.
Dong Shuheng explained what he meant again. Guizhongxing made a great contribution this time and defeated six thousand bandits. Then he paid the officials in the capital to help him win the position of governor of Shandong.
There is no governor-general in Shandong, so this governor is still very valuable. Of course, the governor of Shandong is not so easy to do. Now the Northern Expedition of the Taiping Army has just passed through Shandong from east to west, and Shandong is also in chaos, so it needs a governor.
The governor who can fight is guarding it.
"Master Dong, you will be the only one who will obey me after I am dismissed." Gui Zhongxing stood up and bowed. It is unheard of for a civil servant to bow to a military attaché. The other officials present were all contemptuous. But what they were thinking was why they didn't praise me. "Mr. Dong.
, I know the capabilities of my subordinates myself. How to do a good job as a governor!"
"Don't worry about this. I will assign you an advisory group. You just need to implement the policy according to the plan. As for the military, you can send a letter to Shusen when the time comes. With him helping you, you can sit back and relax!" Dong Shuheng continued.
"Thank you, Mr. Dong, for your support!" Guizhongxing paid his respects again.
"Okay, you can write the note for the court yourself. In addition, there are some things that need to be done first. The first is to work with the Association Office to transfer the Xuzhou household registration register. The second is to help me summon the gentry and businessmen in Xuzhou. I
We must discuss with them the construction plan of Xuzhou."
"Others, don't be discouraged. Zhang Tongzhi, if the prefect of Gui is promoted, he will recommend you to be promoted to the prefect of Xuzhou. As long as others follow me, Huai Haijun, they will be promoted and make a fortune soon."