It was already the end of October in the first year of Jian'an. It started raining early in the morning. The rain was not very strong. It fell between the sky and the earth, spreading like a gauze curtain, adding a touch of coldness to the whole city.
.
This is how Wang Zheng felt at this moment.
Inside the palace of the old King of Chu.
Wang Zheng sat alone in the study, under the window lattice, listening to the dripping of water on the eaves, while carefully reading the secret music sent by Xiapi, turning the pages silently.
The room was quiet and warm. The atmosphere seemed peaceful, but if the maids kneeling beside them raised their heads, they would be surprised to find it.
Wang Zhoumu, who was already regarded as "quite a man of the city" in the eyes of the world, was frowning at this time, his expression was constantly changing, and he showed a rare gaffe.
There are two secret reports on the case sheet. One is the news from Zhang Zhao in Xiapi that Lu Qiling will leave for Shouchun soon.
Needless to say, this sentence is enough to make Wang Zheng clear that Guo Jia's plan has obviously failed.
This made Wang Zheng a little surprised, a little surprised, and even a little disappointed, but it was far from the level that made him lose his composure.
The key is another secret report.
A secret message from the newly established Governor's Department.
The arrogance of the famous families in Xuzhou was far beyond his understanding and far beyond his imagination. The most serious one among them turned out to be Pengcheng under Xu Fang's rule!
Although Wu Sheng is the current head of the Governor's Department, he holds a high position, so it is naturally inconvenient for him to conduct such secret searches in person. After returning to Xuzhou with his people, he arranged for the people to go to Xiapi, Langya, Pengcheng, Donghai and Xinfu in batches.
Guangling to conduct investigation.
As a result, numerous problems broke out first in Pengcheng.
Not only did they plunder the land, be extravagant and corrupt, and hide the population, but some officials from the gentry even dared to go against the rules and privately bought and sold the grain, cattle and other items sent by the Xuzhou government, and most of them were not distributed to the civilians truthfully.
Instead, it was sold to the family behind it at a low price.
Mi Li, who had just joined the Governor's Department, wrote several sentences in his secret memorial:
"The villain took the water route and returned to Pengcheng via Peiguo. His first stop was Guangcheng County. Before entering the city, he visited in plainclothes. He entered a tea house and a restaurant, pretended to be a merchant, and chatted with the people. He asked questions
When planting grain and plowing cattle, the people all said, "This is a trivial matter." The villain was surprised by his words, and asked: "Plowing and harvesting by mistake is a trivial matter, but what else can be called big?"
"The brave people among the common people said: 'You are an outsider, so you don't know. Did you ever hear about Wang Zhoumu going to Jiangdong to quell the rebellion?' The villain replied: 'Everyone in the world knows about this, so naturally they have heard about it.
Pass.' The people said again: 'When I went to Xuzhou to help Yangzhou quell the rebellion, the number of soldiers in the territory naturally decreased. This was called a lack of defense. At that time, our county ruler had thought of dedicating the city to Yanzhou. Do you know?'
"The villain was immediately shocked and asked: 'Even if the county magistrate intends to defect to Cao Cao, it must be a secret matter. How can you and the other people know about it?'
"The common people said: 'Hey, if you want to hide it from me, how can you know it? But the county king believes that Guangcheng is his own backyard and is firmly under his control, so he did not cover it up carefully. For example, at that time in Yanzhou
They all sent messengers here. We, Pengcheng, have a sworn feud with the Yanzhou thieves. At that time, someone recognized him. He was a captain who had massacred Pengcheng that day. After some guessing, he probably figured out the truth.
"
"Is that county magistrate so arrogant?" The villain still refused to believe it. After questioning him repeatedly, he found out the details. It turned out that Chen Fu, the magistrate of Guangcheng County, was also born in the Chen family of Xiapi. He had been the magistrate of Guangcheng County since Tao Qian's time.
, it has been nearly ten years. He has been firmly established in the county for many years, and he has the support of the Xiapi Chen family behind him. Therefore, he has always been arrogant and has a history of violating law and discipline."
"When my lord first came to Pengcheng, this man was quite obedient and restrained himself for a while. When General Xu supervised Pengcheng, he was quite generous to the local nobles, but he returned to his old ways."
After explaining the ins and outs of the matter clearly, Mi Li wrote later: "This matter has only been heard so far. Because it is of great importance, I dare not not report it as soon as possible. Moreover, there are not many people in Pengcheng, so it is difficult to investigate in detail.
It will take some time to find out the whole story, so I should do my best to investigate carefully, and when I have evidence, I will report it to the state pastor."
"If this is not found, it is false. How should we convict those people? Please ask the state pastor to tell you when the time comes."
After putting down the secret report, Wang Zheng's heart fluctuated and his expression became increasingly gloomy.
Although Mi Li didn't say it explicitly, he could already hear the implication.
Why does the governor's department in Pengcheng "not have many people"?
Because this was under Xu Fang's rule, Wu Sheng didn't think there would be any problems here, so Pengcheng arranged the least manpower, and the newly attached Guangling and Xuzhou's old rule Donghai arranged the most manpower.
But can you blame Wu Sheng?
No, because not only Wu Sheng, but also Wang Zheng never thought that there would be any problems in Pengcheng managed by Xu Fang.
He has always been calm and measured in his work, and he is a general capable of taking on big responsibilities. This has formed a consensus within the Heavenly Army.
So why does it go wrong?
Mi Li actually stated the real reason in his letter, magnanimous!
He is too generous to the gentry and too courteous to the gentry, but he does not know that if he only shows kindness to these carnivores without demonstrating, he is feeding a tiger into trouble!
Xu Fang was one of the few talents in the Tianjun who had a certain level of education at the beginning of the uprising. This was also the fundamental reason for his rapid growth. But on the other hand, it also made him regard himself as a Confucian scholar or a member of the gentry class.
Bar?
In fact, there were some clues already revealed at the beginning.
Wang Zheng sighed and turned his attention to the secret report again, his eyes shining brightly.
Chen Fu
Another surname: Chen?
And what the hell is that from Xiapi Chen?
Oh, compared to "conspiracy to surrender to Cao Cao", such as cunning and plundering, private granting and receiving are indeed insignificant.
It is not uncommon for local officials and local wealthy families to collude and act as a scapegoat for each other. Otherwise, why has it been stipulated in all dynasties that locals cannot serve as local officials? This is what we should be guarding against.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was even more difficult to guard against. On the one hand, due to the bureaucratic promotion system of the Eastern Han Dynasty, many officials themselves were members of aristocratic families. On the other hand, the influence of many prominent families was no longer limited to the local area. It not only radiated to neighboring counties, but also spread throughout the country.
And a county, a state, or even the whole world.
In times of peace, collusion between power and money often occurred when serving as an official in a different place. What's more, in today's troubled times, there are constant wars and wars.
Especially for emerging forces like Wang Zheng, in the past two years, they have exaggerated to the point of resorting to military violence. They have been fighting for ten out of twelve months in a year. He, a time-traveler who fully understands the fundamentals of the Eastern Han Dynasty's defeat, has
He had no time to think about the home front and no time to think about the home front. Others had no time to care about it. After all, all their energy and energy were used in fighting.
Even the senior officials of the Heavenly Army stationed in the local area, such as Xu Fang, may often turn a blind eye when faced with certain illegal and corrupt matters due to various considerations, even if they are aware of some clues.
Only eyes, just pretend not to see.
In fact, Wang Zheng can understand it. If it is really just corruption, it would be fine. After all, if the water is clear, there will be no fish. But like Chen Fu, the magistrate of Guangcheng County, not only regarded the official land as a forbidden land, but also regarded the place as his own.
It is absolutely intolerable to flatter the tyrannical at the top and the powerful at the bottom, and even want to collude with foreign enemies and plot evil.
The key is, was this Chen Fu’s idea?
In the Han Dynasty, the connection between individuals and families was much closer than in later generations. If the Chen family in Xiapi was loyal to his royal government, would Chen Fu dare to be a lookout?
Xiapi Chen family
If we look at the city of Xiapi alone, the Mi family seems to be faintly overshadowing the Chen family. However, as the real top family in Xuzhou, the influence of the Chen family in the entire Xiapi, and even the entire Xuzhou, is far from just that.
The Mi family, which was a merchant who had recently joined the officialdom, could reach this level.
How many Chen family members are officials in Xuzhou today? How many of them have taken control of a county?
The housekeeper Chen Dengzhao recruited that day turned out to be a Jizhou spy. Was it really a coincidence, or was it intentional?
Has the entire Chen family been secretly connected with Cao Aman?
The more Wang Zheng thought about it, the more frightened he became. What followed immediately after the fright was anger as blazing as flames and killing intent as cold as ice!
You are forcing me!
"Someone is coming!"
He slapped the table and stood up, and his almost roaring voice came out of the palace: "Send orders to Guo Jia and Mi Heng to enter the palace immediately!"
He also summoned Wang Xiong and shouted sternly: "Immediately take my general's order and go to Xiapi at once. Instruct Zhang Zhao to send someone to attack Chen Yu and Chen Deng. No, everyone in the Chen family must be under strict supervision by this general."
Then tell Wu Sheng to immediately arrange for manpower to go to Guangcheng to support Mi Li, and be sure to investigate the "Chen Fuyi case" to the end!
"Everyone involved in this case, regardless of their official rank or origin, will be captured on the spot and awaiting disposal!" He said and handed the military order he had just written to Wang Xiong.
"promise!"
Wang Xiong did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly bowed to receive the military order. He glanced up and saw extremely dazzling words such as "cut in half", "property confiscated" and "clan execution". Every word was shocking and pierced his heart.
A tremor.
What on earth did the Chen family in Xiapi do to offend the general so much?
Although he didn't know why Wang Zheng suddenly became so furious, Wang Xiong already felt that a bloody storm would probably break out in Xuzhou next, so he didn't dare to say anything more and quietly stepped back to get out.
After walking a few steps, Wang Zheng stopped him again, pondered for a moment, and warned: "The Chen family in Xiapi is a century-old prominent family and has been rooted in Xuzhou for a long time. If you go to Xuzhou and enter the city incognito, Zhang Zhao should also be careful.
Don't leak the news, and secondly, don't cause too much turmoil, if there are any mistakes."
"The end will understand."
Having followed Wang Zheng for a long time, Wang Xiong naturally knew the temperament of this Tiangong general.
Wang Zheng is a person who is very nostalgic for old feelings, but there are not many people who can make him feel "nostalgic". At least Wang Xiong knows that he and Zhang Zhao are not among them.
So there is no need to say more about what the consequences of "if there are any mistakes" will be.
When Guo Jiamiheng rushed into the palace, Wang Zheng forwarded the secret report to the two of them for viewing, and then asked: "What do you two think about this matter?"
Mi Heng was the first to express his position: "Chen's intention to surrender to the enemy must not be tolerated! The Lord should use thunderous means!"
Wang Zheng nodded and looked at Guo Jia again.
"You still can't be arbitrary."
Guo Jia pondered for a long time and said slowly: "Firstly, the authenticity of Chen Fu's surrender to Cao Cao has not yet been determined at this time. Secondly, whether it is true or not, is it Chen Fu's personal action or the will of the entire Chen family?
It needs to be carefully investigated before making a decision.”
As he spoke, he looked up at Wang Zheng and said seriously: "But speaking of Liu Bei's defeat that day, on the one hand, our army was very sharp and difficult to match. On the other hand, it was also the local nobles in Xuzhou like the Chen family who had secret dissent."
, leading to the development of elbows and armpits, it can be seen that this generation is quite repetitive, and we really need to be careful."
"Um."
After a while, Wang Zheng's mind calmed down a lot, and there was no obvious emotion or anger on the surface. He just nodded and said: "Of course I will not kill a good person by mistake, but I just don't talk about surrendering to the enemy. Chen Fu is corrupt."
It is inevitable.”
"There are not a few people from such noble families who are officials in the country. There is naturally more than one example of corruption like Chen Fu. I am afraid that harsh punishments alone will not serve as a warning for future generations. Is there any way to cure it?"
"In troubled times, rituals and music are ruined, and everyone seeks profit."
Unlike Mi Heng who was lost in thought, Guo Jia seemed to have been prepared and said without thinking: "If you want to cure it completely, there are two possible strategies."
Is this the so-called talent of Wang Zuo?
Wang Zheng looked at Guo Jia's words with admiration. If a genius is placed in the future workplace, he can become the top subordinate.
Truly outstanding talents can not only make suggestions for the boss, but sometimes even detect problems early. When the boss just wakes up, he already has a clue.
"If you have any good suggestions for filial piety, I am all ears."
"First, the amount of corruption will be dealt with accordingly. In general, the family will be punished with double the repayment to the national treasury. In serious cases, the family will be directly confiscated."
"Second, if there is corruption, there is no need to kill. If you want to "set an example", you need to figure out the mentality of this person first."
Guo Jia spoke freely and freely: "My lord, please think about it, what is the most important thing for a person from a distinguished family?"
"Of course we value family the most."
Guo Jia nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, but what does the family behind it value most and what are they most worried about losing?"
"Only those who have heard of thousands of families and have existed in the world forever are called a noble family."
Wang Zheng thought for a while and said in a deep voice: "Compared to property, land, and even power, for these aristocratic families, the real foundation is actually their reputation and family reputation. What they are most worried about losing is this.
Things!"
"My lord has seen thousands of miles." Guo Jia said happily: "This is my second strategy. Rather than killing him, it is better to humiliate him!"
"Instead of killing him, why not humiliate him?"
Wang Zheng murmured to himself, chewing silently, with a glimmer of light in his eyes. Mi Heng on the side asked in surprise: "It is better to humiliate him than to kill him. How do you understand this statement?"
"Brother Zhengping, although corruption damages the country, it has become a trend in this world after the two emperors Jing Heng and Ling. It can be said that practitioners are accustomed to it and observers are familiar with it. Even if we, Xuzhou, classify it as a serious crime and impose severe punishment, it is not necessarily
It would be too easy to scare Xiao Xiao, let alone just kill him."
Guo Jiadao: "In accordance with Jia's plan, how about setting up a special household register, and recording the names of the children and clan members of corrupt officials? Anyone whose name is included in this register will be taxed more heavily and will not be allowed to enter the officialdom. This is the same as a lowly household.
One person violates the law and implicates the entire clan, while another person is corrupt and brings disaster to his descendants. From then on, he changes from high status to low status, and this will last forever. He is despised by his neighbors day by day and insulted by his relatives and friends at night. Isn't it happier than fighting with a sword?"
"More than that, if someone violates the discipline too much and commits a rebellious act, not only he himself, but also his family will be included in the criminal register, and his children will be included in the lowly family. The actors in Tianji camp can also be asked to compile a book and spread it everywhere, in order to make this happen.
Wait for the thief, this family will be famous all over the world!"
Hearing this, Mi Heng immediately paled and couldn't help but look up at Wang Zheng. At this time, Wang Zheng was also suddenly moved.
The two looked at each other, and they could see the shock in each other's hearts.
More than just becoming famous all over the world?
I'm afraid it will be infamy for thousands of years, right?