Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 683 There are unruly people among the common people!
Tuo Huan originally thought that he could just take a look along the way, but he encountered a lot of messy things along the way. After dealing with these, it was already noon.

Although it was still spring in theory, the midday sun in Egypt was still too strong to let people go out, so they just built a shed on the construction site, ate something and took a rest.

There were no decent tables and chairs here, so the guards used wooden boards and bricks from the construction site to set up a table and asked Tuohuan to sit down first. Tuohuan sat directly on the ground at the top seat, looking like he was used to it. The other attendants, from Prefect Lu down, also sat down cross-legged, leaving only two guards on duty standing by.

The officials at the construction site had not expected them to come to dinner, so they could only hastily prepare some flatbreads and a pot of stew. They also ran to the next block to buy some meat, which was enough to barely provide a few "dishes".

However, Tuohuan didn't care much about it either. He even pulled the official in charge of the construction site aside and started chatting about food supply while stirring the soup.

After everyone sat down, he glanced up again and saw Nafisa still standing nearby, so he said, "You sit down too."

"what?"

Nafisa was holding onto her outer robe and trying to shrink to the edge of the tent, trying to stay away from them while hiding under the shadow of the tent. Hearing his greeting, she quickly waved her hand and said, "No need. I'll follow the rules and wait here."

"Taiji is our marching marshal. In Egypt, he is the rule." Governor Lu said with a smile: "If he tells you to sit, you just sit."

After receiving the order, the other guards automatically moved their butts to make room for her. Nafisa realized that they were not going to add a table for her, but to let her sit together. Moreover, Tuohuan and others seemed to be used to sharing a table regardless of status, and only paid attention to the seat position. No one cared much about adding one more person.

She even felt a little flattered, and nodded quickly, thanking Tuo Huan and Prefect Lu in turn.

Tuohuan grabbed a pancake and asked everyone to start eating. Everyone responded and no longer hesitated to take the pancakes. Nafisa also took a large pancake, shared a bowl of soup, and started to chew.

"Eat some meat too." Seeing this, Tuohuan said, "I was very busy this morning, and I'm afraid I'll have to spend a lot of energy in the afternoon. I feel very tired myself. If I don't eat a full stomach, I'm afraid I can't bear it."

“Uh…” Nafisa was stunned again, looking at the large plate of pig heads in front of her: “I…can’t get used to this.”

Tuohuan and the others looked at each other, paused for a moment, and then laughed.

"No need to make excuses. I know what you mean. It's just a religious issue." He smiled and said, "But here, we don't need to be so particular. Look--"

He pointed to the Mamluk who was chewing a pig's trotter beside him and said, "The Sultan and the military nobles don't care about these things. How can you ordinary people be more particular than them?"

"Nasr, Nasr!" A guard beside him patted him on the shoulder and said, "The Taiji is talking about you."

"Ah?" Mamluk looked up and found that everyone was looking at him. He was not able to react for a moment. Everyone stared at each other for a moment, and couldn't help laughing again.

"Okay, okay, don't worry about him and continue eating." Tuohuan couldn't help laughing and waved his hand.

"If Guo Kang'anda were here, I would ask him to persuade you. He knows a lot." He smiled and said, "But, I still know some common sense."

"Before, representatives of the Ethiopian Church came to talk to us. Did you know that as one of the oldest early churches, they also do not eat pork?"

"I've heard of this." Nafisa nodded.

"The earliest teachings of our sect, which reveres Brother Tian, ​​mostly came from Judaism. Judaism does not allow eating pork, so everyone followed suit and did not eat it." Tuohuan continued, "However, later on, the characteristic of our sect was that we could eat pork. In this respect, it is very different from other apocalyptic religions."

"As for the reason, it actually has nothing to do with the doctrine itself. It's simply because Christianity developed in Rome, and the Romans raised pigs and liked to eat pork. You see, it's that simple."

"Some other aspects are similar." He continued to give examples: "In the early years, Christianity did not strictly require monogamy. In the scriptures, there are many people with multiple wives. Later, the barbarian leaders who believed in Christianity also often had many wives and concubines."

"So, the custom of monogamy is not as simple as a 'doctrine stipulation'. The Romans formed this habit during their long wars. Even after Rome declined and collapsed, they still tried to change the customs of the barbarians. Because the church was originally part of the imperial institution, even if the world has changed so much, the instinct to educate the barbarians still exists."

"I don't think there's any need to make all this mysterious. The cause and effect are all very simple." Tuohuan said, breaking off another piece of cake: "We in Rome are the ones who set the rules. You don't have to think so much."

Nafisa thought about it for a while and found that what he said seemed to make sense. She was confused for a moment. The others ignored her and ate quickly and left.

Prefect Lu sent a clerk to find the civil officials in the area. The others continued on their way and arrived at the military camp where they were heading.

Seeing that an important person was coming, the soldiers guarding the gate hurried to report. Soon, the soldiers in the camp began to gather urgently, and a man dressed as a junior officer also rushed out in a hurry.

"Report! I am Acting Centurion Dmitri!" The man recognized Tuohuan and reported in unfamiliar language: "Excuse me, what instructions does the Taiji have?"

"Where are your centurions?" Tuohuan asked.

"He's in the west of the city. The legion asked us to send people to take turns to work there every day to help build the house." Dmitri replied: "It's his turn today, so let me stay here."

"I think I've seen you before." Tuo Huan looked at him: "Was it the time in Dadu before?"

"Yes!" Dmitri said proudly, "I am one of the first soldiers to serve with Commander Constantine! He gave me this position right after the battle!"

"Then most of your subordinates probably joined the army later than you. Do you know them?" Tuohuan asked.

"Understood." Dmitri nodded: "I was the one who brought them here."

"Someone reported that your soldiers robbed people in broad daylight and beat people to death." Tuohuan said, "I have been informed of the matter. Tell me what happened?"

"Ah?" Dmitri was stunned.

"Think carefully about what's going on. I've called the people from your government office here as well." Tuo Huan said, "Today, let's talk about this matter clearly."

Dmitri was obviously getting nervous, while Tuohuan and others were waiting nearby. However, after a long time, the messenger from Prefect Lu finally brought the two dusty officials.

"Sorry for the long wait. This is Captain Zhang, who is in charge of the affairs of District D." The messenger pointed to a man covered in mud. "This is Chief Liu, who is in charge of all cases in District D in the south of the city." He introduced another man covered in dust and with a swollen face. "They are not in the government office, so I have to look for them somewhere else. Please forgive me."

"Where have you been?" Magistrate Lu said with a frown.

The two looked at each other.

"I went to the construction site by the river." Captain Zhang looked at his clothes, a little embarrassed, but he still spoke first: "The new residential area needs to dig water diversion channels and drainage channels, but the laborers recruited by our district don't know how to do anything. The people at the construction site told me not to leave in a hurry, to lead everyone to work for a while and show them how to dig. I will teach them right there."

"When they called me, I was still digging in the mud. I wanted to change my clothes, but the messenger said that Taiji personally called me and asked me to hurry up, so I didn't have time to get ready and rushed over..."

"I was at the Grand Bazaar." Liu Zhubu said briefly, "Some residents went to buy things and started arguing and pushing each other with the merchants. Both sides kept calling for help, and finally hundreds of people gathered there to fight. I led people to help maintain order and rushed in to order them to stop. In the end, I don't know who punched me a few times, and that's how it became."

"... All right." Prefect Lu knew immediately that in this situation, there was no way to blame them for being late, so he just ignored it: "Taiji has something to ask you, just tell the truth."

"Someone reported to me that in your jurisdiction, some soldiers came out to rob things and beat people to death. Do you know the situation?" Tuohuan asked.

"Oh, it happened the day before yesterday." Captain Zhang nodded. "Someone in my jurisdiction came to complain, saying that soldiers from the barracks came out to rob and beat and kill those who tried to stop them. There was such a case."

"How did you answer them?" Tuo Huan asked, "Did you take any action?"

"We have dealt with it." Captain Zhang replied; "I asked them about their losses and the suspects' appearance and attire. They said that the men were wearing regimental shirts, but they couldn't tell which part they were from. They robbed some furniture in the house and ran away. No one dared to chase them, and no one knew where they ran to. I checked the bodies of the deceased and found a wound on the head, but it didn't look like a blow, but more like a fall. I wrote down all these things, and they are still in my room. If you want to see them, I'll get them now."

"Stop running around and making people wait for you again." Governor Lu interrupted speechlessly, "Send all the documents for the past few days later."

"Yes!" Captain Zhang said quickly.

"Is that all?" Tuo Huan asked, "This is an extraordinary period. Our official system is not yet sound. All kinds of work have to be organized by the grassroots. Your superiors should have told you when you were appointed. Such a big thing has happened, and it also involves the legion. You have to continue to follow up, negotiate with other departments, and appease the people until the matter is resolved."

"Although your official position is not high, you are also the head of a region. In this neighborhood, you are the little marquis who has the final say. In the future, when there are rewards and promotions, those of you who step up in times of crisis will be given priority consideration and you will not be treated unfairly. Although things are troublesome, these are the responsibilities corresponding to your power. How can you do nothing?"

"I submitted the case to the higher authorities according to the law. After that, I really didn't take care of it." Captain Zhang was a little flustered, and said honestly: "Taiji, you don't know that we are extremely short of manpower here. Although it is called a captain in name, there are more than 300 households and 1,400 people registered in my jurisdiction."

"However, the management personnel here, besides me, are only two soldiers who come to help, and a local who can speak Greek as an interpreter. There are so many things going on now, and we can't take care of them all. Therefore, the boss has reminded us before that if it is not a particularly important matter, we should hand it over to a more professional organization to be responsible for it, which will be more efficient."

"On the day of the incident, all the butchers and blacksmiths in the neighboring Dingsan District were forced to move out as planned. They couldn't accept this, so they gathered in the guild and threatened to cause trouble, and even called on all the craftsmen in our district to join. I persuaded them to go back after much persuasion. After that, we had to gather people to build a new city, and we really didn't have time to run back and forth between the government office and the military camp."

"Besides, I was only a battalion commander in the 33rd Legion, and I was in charge of only ten people. It's just that the city is short of manpower, so they temporarily let me serve as a centurion." He said truthfully: "The legion has always valued seniority. Even if I really go to the barracks to help them seek justice, it won't have any additional effect. It's better to find the higher-ups, check the actual situation, and then let them come forward. This way, it should be useful."

Tuohuan sighed when he heard this.

Although he didn't want to admit it, what he said was the truth. There was no choice but to ask Liu Zhubu again: "This case was said to be taken over by you. Why didn't you report it later, didn't you deal with it, and just suppressed it?"

"Reporting to Taiji, I have a mountain of cases here as well. I am also overwhelmed with them." Liu Zhubu bowed and said, "These unimportant ones can only be put aside for now."

"People have died, how can it not be important?" Tuohuan said speechlessly: "How many people die every day in your place?"

"Well... in the area I'm in charge of, there are an average of dozens of people who die every day. It's been better in the past few days, with only a dozen cases." Liu Zhubu thought about it and actually started to count.

"Ah?" Tuohuan really didn't expect it.

"Taiji, you may not know that our area is notorious for its chaotic public security, and it has been like this since the Mamluk rule." Liu Zhubu shook his head and said, "The largest market in the city is right here. A large number of merchants come in and out every day, bringing with them a large number of idle people. Not only do they often fight and rob each other, but sometimes they also come to harass the people. I have already reported to the government, hoping to restrict these floating populations, but everyone is too busy, so there is no news now."

"Didn't you say you were feeling better?" Tuohuan asked.

"Some time ago, the city was renovated and some of the shops were moved outside the city, so there were fewer murders." Liu Zhubu admitted: "I don't dare to take credit for it. This is not the result of our efforts. It's simply that there are fewer idle people..."

"In addition, after the case file was reported, I still inspected the scene. There were no wounds caused by weapons on the deceased's body. The fatal wound should be the scar caused by a bump on the head. I was originally a military judge in the army. Although I am not a professional coroner, it is relatively easy to recognize the traces of fighting. Therefore, I dared to conclude that this matter should not be a major case involving the army, and I did not give it priority."

"But they swore that it was Guo Kang'anda's subordinates from the second battalion who did it. How did you make that judgment?" Tuohuan didn't follow his logic and asked.

"Taiji, you don't know that these days, everyone knows that Envoy Guo Jie is kind and righteous. This is... a good thing, but it also has its bad side." Liu Zhubu hesitated and explained, "Some unruly people in the city think this is an opportunity, so they start looking for trouble. No matter what the matter is, as long as they can be related to him, they say that it was his soldiers or the policies he promoted that caused them to suffer losses, and then they demand compensation."

"Ah?" Tuohuan was also dumbfounded.

"The Egyptians are shameless and cunning. Many of them are penniless and have nothing left, so they act without scruples. Even if we find evidence of false accusations, there is nothing we can do—" He spread his hands:

"To force him to do hard labor and provide him with food and lodging is like rewarding him; to beat him up and then let him go, he will dare to do it again next time when he is well. Last time, I couldn't help it and threatened a scoundrel, saying that I would kill him in prison with a knife in private. He actually said that it would only mean dying a few months earlier, and he would definitely not survive this winter anyway, and being stabbed would be more comfortable than starving to death... Tell me, how do you deal with such a person?"

"The higher-ups said we shouldn't treat civilians harshly, but many of the people we see every day are not poor people, but unruly people in the literal sense." As he spoke, he couldn't hold it in anymore and almost complained, "Taiji, you have to give me justice. Otherwise, I can't do this job anymore..."

"Alright, alright, don't get excited." Prefect Lu interrupted him quickly: "Tell me first, why do you think this person is also a false accusation of fraud?"

"Oh, for this kind of thing, anyone who can report it to Envoy Guo is a fraud. I helped them check it out, and they have respected the law and strictly followed the procedures." Liu Zhubu said without hesitation: "He has the highest requirements for military discipline among his subordinates, but out of ten complaints, eight are against him - what do you think of this?"

"Moreover, the simplest evidence is to go to the deceased's home and find out." He gave an example: "The case files I received and the confessions of the locals all said that they were robbed. The problem is that their Dingsi District is just a place where poor people live. What is there to rob?"

"I also deliberately visited several people's homes. Their most valuable things are usually a bed and a wooden box that can be used as a table to store sundries. Some people specially prepared a few stools, which are people with more savings. I am also from the legion. With the income of our soldiers, we really don't want to rob these things - what do we need these broken stools for..."

"Ah..." Tuohuan and others looked at each other, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

(End of this chapter)