"Mr. Yu, please tell me, what should we do now? Not only are the people adding fuel to the flames, but many gentry and noble families are also discussing it. [New] This momentum is so powerful that even if I want to suppress it, I can't
I have no idea what to do. I'm just afraid that if the matter spreads, the higher-ups will actually believe it." Wu Chenglu said in a panic.
"I also have such worries. Now Yuan Su is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Before, the common people knew that this guy was the one who stabilized the situation of the victims outside the city. And those big merchants also got some benefits from this guy's promise.
That's why he is facing this guy. This guy is already a hot potato, Mr. Wu must deal with it as soon as possible to calm the matter." Yu Jifang pretended to be deep and said, as if he was an enigmatic counselor.
.
"I also want to deal with this matter as soon as possible, but how should I deal with it?" Wu Chenglu said impatiently.
"Master Wu should arrange a train as soon as possible to escort Yuan Su to the capital for interrogation. As for the evidence that Yuan Su colluded with foreigners, these are trivial matters. The day after Yuan Su is sent away, Master Wu can immediately
Releasing the evidence of Yuan Su's crime will not only provide an explanation to the superiors, but also appease people's hearts." Yu Jifang said unhurriedly.
Wu Chenglu pondered for a moment. He felt that Yu Jifang's words were indeed a solution. What he had to do now was to drive away Yuan Su and appease the people. [New] But the only question was, how could he fabricate evidence of crime? How could foreigners do that?
He will stand with himself. With Yuan Su's status and background, if he cannot produce convincing evidence, not to mention it is impossible to be convicted, and it is very likely that it will come back to bite him.
The current situation is very obvious. Either Yuan Su is guilty or Wu Chenglu is guilty. It is impossible for him to try to get away with it.
Yu Jifang saw that Wu Chenglu was deep in thought and was silent. After waiting for a while, he couldn't help but ask: "Sir, what do you think?"
Wu Chenglu sighed and said: "I'm afraid it won't be easy. Now that there is no news from Special Envoy Zhao, and there are a lot of rumors in the city at the moment, fabricating evidence of Yuan Su's crime at will will be counterproductive..."
Yu Jifang said in a serious tone: "Master Wu, Master Wu, you have come this far now, can you still give up halfway? You must know that if you take a step back at this time, it will be a complete failure and there will be no chance of recovery.
possible."
Wu Chenglu was shocked and said helplessly: "Then what do you think we should do? Just spend a few dollars to find a few foreigners to act in a play? This is complete nonsense. Do you really think that everyone in the capital is a fool?
?If Special Envoy Zhao can be found, the matter may be easier to handle. Even if he cannot be convicted, at least he can drive away Yuan Su.[ ]"
Yu Jifang said in a deep voice: "So, where is Special Envoy Zhao? How long has it been? Why don't others have any sense of propriety!"
Wu Chenglu said angrily: "Who says it's not the case? How come this person seems to have disappeared without any reason?"
Hearing this, Yu Jifang lowered his head and thought for a while, vaguely aware that something was wrong. He said: "Master Wu, don't you think there is something strange about the disappearance of Special Envoy Zhao?"
"What do you mean? I didn't say he was missing, he just seemed to be missing..."
"It was precisely at the time when my lord was arresting Yuan Su that Special Envoy Zhao was nowhere to be seen. As a special envoy, he would not have left his post without permission even if he was allowed to do so." Yu Jifang further said.
"Is it possible that you mean that Special Envoy Zhao was arrested by Yuan Su?" Wu Chenglu asked in surprise. This was naturally his first thought and the thought he most hoped would happen. As long as Yuan Su takes action against Zhao Fangyu, there is no shirk.
With the irrefutable evidence, all the previous worries can be resolved. Based on this alone, regardless of whether Yuan Su colluded with foreigners or not, he can be the first to judge the crime.
"It's hard to say, but this is always a suspicious place. However, if Mr. Wu can prove that Yuan Su has done something unfavorable to Special Envoy Zhao, then the matter will be much easier to handle." Yu Jifang said thoughtfully.
said.
"I think so too. It seems that we need to put more effort into this matter. I will send someone to inquire carefully. It is impossible that none of Special Envoy Zhao's followers know his whereabouts." Wu Chenglu nodded.
Said the head.
A few days later, the momentum of public opinion did not weaken at all. Not only that, the discussion also spread to the refugees outside the city.
After the refugees heard the news that Commander Yuan had been kidnapped by Commander Wu, the riotous mood quickly swept through the crowd like an infectious disease. The refugees knew very well that only since Commander Yuan took office to take charge of the disaster relief work had the refugees
Seeing the hope of survival, they not only opened many more porridge factories, but also provided enough food for relief. More importantly, they had just started relief work recently.
What is even more difficult for the refugees to accept is that it is said that Commander Yuan was secretly investigating Wu Zhenshou's case of embezzlement and misappropriation of relief supplies, which led Wu Zhenshou to do such a ridiculous act out of a guilty conscience.
For the people in the city, their resentment is the injustice of the local bureaucrats and their respect for Yuan Su, a bureaucrat who does practical things. But for these refugees outside the city, embezzling relief supplies is already a life-threatening matter.
Now, in order to evade responsibility, they are openly kidnapping special officials from the central government. This is simply worse than killing people.
Because of this, the emotions of the refugees were far more intense than those of the people in the city. Many people spontaneously organized and crowded in front of the Shanhaiguan City Gate, demanding an explanation from the government. Some refugees also took advantage of the situation and took the lead in looting.
Destroying nearby towns will soon lead to violence.
Of course, some of the refugees who participated in the riots were complaining about Commander Yuan, and some were venting their grievances in the name of Commander Yuan. Most of them were worried that they would not be able to send relief work in the future because Commander Yuan was not in charge of the disaster relief work.
There will be difficulties in supplying supplies, so you have to take advantage of the violence to plunder a handful as a way out.
The disaster relief situation, which was originally stable, suddenly lost control after this twists and turns.
Except for the refugees below the city gate who dare not mess around easily, most of the refugee gathering spots in nearby towns and wilderness areas no longer keep their peace. Refugees are originally a vulnerable group. When they are slightly influenced by some speculative remarks,
After being incited, it is easy to accept the temptation.
Either he would starve to death or be beaten to death by the army. Either way, he would die, so it was better to make a fuss while there were more people.
The refugee riots gradually grew from weak to strong. In the first few days, they were just small fights, but soon developed into a large-scale invasion. Officials at the Chengguan Department received more and more reports, and they originally planned to conceal it.
They concealed the past, but soon they discovered that if they continued to conceal it, something big would definitely happen. What's more, some officials' relatives and friends lived in these villages and towns that were attacked. How could they hide such a serious thing if it happened?