novelAbuy Chapter 334 First Trial Verdict
Chapter 334 First Trial Verdict
On the 29th day of the eleventh lunar month, Zhang Duan returned to his long-lost hometown.
Before they could even settle in, Li Yi and Yeerjini arrived.
Li Yi looked apologetic, indicating that Yeljini had insisted on coming. The latter didn't stand on ceremony and immediately inquired about the details of their journey to Matuosa. After learning the whole story, Yeljini fell silent, not out of fear, but out of helplessness.
He's been very busy lately, so busy that he's even reviewing case files while riding in his carriage—the murder of Inspector Yu Xi in the fourth year of the Zhizheng era, the bandit attack on Lüsichang in the fifth year of the Zhizheng era, and the murder of monks at Guangfu Temple in Ganming last year.
Of course, he still didn't obtain decisive empirical evidence.
The testimonies of the two seafarers could only be considered circumstantial evidence. He needed witnesses, physical evidence, and, if possible, documents personally signed by Shao Shuyi detailing the mobilization of troops and supplies. He needed to know exactly who was involved, how many ships and weapons were used, what items were looted, and how they were disposed of. He also needed their account books, but all of these things were kept very well hidden, and he had no access to them at all.
So, recently, he disguised himself as a merchant and searched the canal for evidence of Shao Shuyi's monopolistic practices. But again, all he found were rumors. It wasn't that no merchants were dissatisfied with Shao Shuyi; in fact, there were many such people, but could they be considered evidence? In the end, they were all just one side of the story. Today, after arriving at the Zhang residence in Xishun and hearing the whole story, his feelings were very complicated, a mixture of joy and worry.
What is gratifying is that Shao Shuyi is so strong-willed that he dares to stand up to the provincial government and even demonstrate against the officials sent by the Left Prime Minister to investigate. He is courting death and will sooner or later anger the Prime Minister and bring about his downfall.
What is worrying is that this person actually has such strong strength. He has over a hundred well-equipped soldiers and hundreds of auxiliary soldiers at his fingertips. According to the intelligence we have obtained, he also has dozens of ships at his disposal. If he wants, he can even incite some boatmen and managers to join him. The threat on the Yangtze River is indeed too great.
In short, he and the province were in a state of mutual fear, like a stick trying to catch a wolf. Given the opportunity and the strength, neither side would yield to the other and would be determined to eliminate him as soon as possible.
We can only wait patiently for an opportunity.
"That's the gist of the matter." Zhang Duan rubbed his temples and said, "After we return, I will also ask the Prime Minister to postpone the military campaign, as the time is not yet ripe."
Li Yi nodded and said, "Shangwen, don't be impatient. We should prioritize the affairs of the nation. The grain transport is of utmost importance; any mishap would be a grave mistake."
Upon hearing this, Yeljini remained silent for a long time.
He suddenly remembered what Chen Zhang, the clerk, had said to him that day in the Kunshan prison: "Some things, it's enough to know roughly who did them, why bother digging deeper?"
He was unconvinced at the time.
Now, he's even more indignant.
But he had no choice.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the locust tree in the yard for a long, long time.
"Last month, Luo Deyong, a bandit general in Tingzhou, accepted the imperial pardon and killed the bandit leaders Luo Tianlin and Chen Jiwan, sending their heads to the authorities. The rebellion in Tingzhou has been quelled. Now, only the rebellions of the Xiang Army in Changzhou and Zhenjiang remain. Once those are quelled, we can begin preparations." Ye Erjini suddenly said, "After you return to the province, you should explain the advantages and disadvantages to the Prime Minister and persuade him to actively prepare, just waiting for the Spring Festival ferry to set sail next year."
Li Yi and Zhang Duan remained silent and did not reply.
Shao Shuyi did not rebel, did he?
Count the rebels within the territory of the Great Yuan Dynasty today.
The Jurchen rebellion in Liaoyang has not yet been quelled.
The rebellion in Tingzhou, Fujian, was quelled using a combination of suppression and appeasement.
A bandit uprising broke out in Xiangzhou, Guangxi, and has not yet been quelled.
The bandits in Yunnan were killed, and the local thieves occupied a region. The attempt to appease them failed, so troops were sent to attack them.
The barbarian leader Tan Quan from Sanmaodong in Huguang has been in rebellion but has been granted amnesty.
The rebellion of the Xiang Army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is currently being quelled;
Bandits rose up in Henan, looting and killing officials everywhere. Both suppression and appeasement measures were taken, but to no avail.
Finally, there was the massive rebellion of the Yao bandits in Huguang. According to the latest news, the troops of one province were not enough. It was said that troops from Jiangxi were to be transferred, but they mentioned that they had just gone to Fujian to suppress the bandits and suffered heavy casualties and were quite exhausted, so they made several excuses.
As for other bandits, let's not mention them. After all, groups of thieves appeared in Tongzhou (north) near Dadu, and even the ancestral tablets in the Imperial Ancestral Temple were stolen. What else is there to say?
Please, give me a break. Shao Shuyi hasn't openly rebelled; he's already a law-abiding citizen, and even someone who can be reasoned with. Don't push him to the brink.
Li Yi asked himself if all of this was done out of public interest, and if there was any reason why Shao Shuyi secretly gave him three hundred ingots of paper money before he left.
Everything should be done in a proper way; you can't just do things haphazardly.
On the third day of the twelfth lunar month, Li and Zhang left Xishun and traveled south by boat, passing through Wuxi, Suzhou, and Jiaxing, before finally arriving in Hangzhou.
It was already the eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month.
Li Yi and Zhang Duan waited in Hangzhou for two days before finally meeting the Left Chancellor, Duo'erzhi. It was already night, and Duo'erzhi reeked of alcohol, having just returned from somewhere.
The back hall of the provincial government was still brightly lit.
Duo'er simply took off her fur coat, handed it to the guard, stretched, and then slowly sat down behind the table.
"Sit down." He gestured to the two chairs below him, and without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to the point: "Tell me, how did your trip to Jiangyin go?" Li Yi and Zhang Duan bowed and sat down.
After exchanging glances, Li Yi spoke first, recounting the situation in Jiangyin from beginning to end, including the state government's warehouse, the archers of the patrol office, the docks of Huangtian Port, and the scripture library of Ganming Guangfu Temple, leaving nothing out.
He spoke slowly and clearly, as if he were reading a report, befitting his background as an accounting official.
Duo'er listened quietly, her face expressionless, before finally asking, "Where's Ma Tuosha? Did he go?"
"We went." Li Yi paused, then said, "Korijis went with us."
"What did you see?"
Li Yi paused for a moment, seemingly considering his words.
Zhang Duan picked up the conversation, saying, "Shao Shuyi is a tyrannical man in the village. He recruited a group of desperados and trained them diligently. There are over a hundred men in total, including archers, swordsmen, and spearmen. They are skilled in both offense and defense, and their weapons are excellent. They are quite similar to... quite similar to..."
"Hmm?" Duo'er frowned slightly.
"It's quite similar to a well-organized army," Zhang Duan said.
"hope Yin, you are the judge of Haiyan Prefecture. In your opinion, how many wealthy people in the area have trained their own troops?" Duo'er asked.
"There were almost none in the past few years," Zhang Duan said after thinking for a moment. "But they've started appearing slowly this year, supposedly to prevent thieves."
"These wealthy folks, I knew they weren't honest." Duo'er slammed her hand on the table, then asked, "How skilled are Ma Tuosha's hundred men? Can they fight?"
Zhang Duan paused for a moment. He did think it was impressive, but he didn't know just how impressive.
"Never mind." Duo'er only regretted not sending a military officer over, otherwise they could have obtained more intelligence. He quickly asked again, "Just these hundred men?"
"I'm afraid it's more than that," Zhang Duan said. "We inquired in Jiangyin, and some say Shao Shuyi has three hundred, some say five hundred, and some even say a thousand capable soldiers. He also has dozens of boats, and a diverse group of people—vagrants, laborers, tenants, boatmen, porters, and so on—probably no fewer than two thousand." Duo'er frowned even more deeply, saying, "So many people, what exactly does he want?"
"He said he wanted to live a leisurely life in the mountains and springs, and to live a quiet life by the river." Li Yi interjected at the right moment, "He also said that he did not want to be an official, did not want to go to Huguang, and only wanted to stay in Jiangyin, marry the daughter of Fei Xiong, the deputy commander of the grain transport office, and live his own life."
Duo'er was so angry at these words that she laughed, and said, "Do you believe that?"
Neither Li Yi nor Zhang Duan answered.
Duo'er leaned back in her chair and stared at the roof beams for a while, lost in thought.
The hall was extremely quiet, with only the faint crackling of the burning candles audible.
"What else did he say?" After a moment, Duo'er asked again.
Li Yi took a deep breath and repeated Shao Shuyi's words about the Grand Canal: "Grain transport, canal boats, porters, haulers, seafarers, plus the incense army, all working together to ruin the Jiangnan region."
He repeated it word by word, as if he were reciting an important document.
After listening, Duo'er remained silent for a long time.
The hall fell silent again.
Zhang Duan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Prime Minister, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."
"speak."
"Shao Shuyi is eighteen years old this year. He has several hundred men under his command, dozens of ships, and two thousand laborers and refugees. If he truly harbors rebellious intentions, what will the situation be like in ten years?"
Duo'er glanced at him and said, "You mean if we don't do anything to him now, we won't be able to do anything to him later?"
"That's not what I meant," Zhang Duan said. "I just feel that we can't push people like that too hard. If we push them too far, they might really rebel, and Jiangnan will be in ruins, and the Grand Canal will be cut off. No one can bear that responsibility."
"And what's your opinion?"
"Give him an official position first," Zhang Duan said. "Give him a title so he can feel at ease. Doesn't he want to stay in Jiangyin? Then let him stay. As long as he doesn't cause trouble or disrupt the canal transport, everything else is negotiable. Once we have the time and are fully prepared, we'll send him out to suppress the bandits. If he disobeys, we'll capture and kill him."
"So, this person must be killed?" Duo'er asked.
Both Li and Zhang nodded.
Duo'er remained silent for a moment, then waved her hand and said, "You all go and rest first. I have my own plans for this matter."
Li Yi and Zhang Duan stood up, bowed, and left the inner hall.
Duo'er sat behind the desk for a long time without moving.
To be honest, he now quite likes being offered amnesty, and it seems he's become somewhat dependent on that approach.
When Luo Tianlin rebelled in Tingzhou, the Fujian Marshal's Office sent Zhenbao and Lian Heshang, commanders of the local garrison, to fight him, but they were no match for him. Keep in mind, those were just a group of farmers who had only recently put down their hoes; how could you not suppress them?
There was no other way but to mobilize some of the garrison troops within the province, along with the Jiangxi garrison troops led by Tulu, the Right Vice-Chancellor of Jiangxi Province, to jointly encircle and suppress the rebels. They had an advantage in manpower, weaponry, and supplies, and only then were they defeated. However, the remaining rebels could not be completely eradicated. In the end, the policy of offering amnesty proved surprisingly effective. But that was Tingzhou in Fujian; what good would it do if it were truly destroyed? What if it were Suzhou, Liujiagang, Jiangning, or Wuxi that were destroyed?
Duo'er's brows furrowed and relaxed, then furrowed again, her mind indecisive.
Perhaps Li Yi and Zhang Duan are right; let's wait a few more months and see how things go.
Ten days later, he went down to the garrison of 40,000 households in Hangzhou to visit the soldiers, learn about their hardships, and give them some rewards so that they could be mobilized to suppress any unforeseen events next year.