Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 277 Then Report It

Wang Siwa felt very depressed.

Especially when his soldiers put all the responsibility on him.

When the army was defeated in Hangzhou, the Tartars ran away first, followed by the admiral. By the time they reacted, the situation in the camp was already out of control, and they had no choice but to flee.

It was probably because of his experience of running around in the rebel army that he played a role. Even under such circumstances, he still managed to bring more than a hundred people to the Liyang area.

According to his original idea, he would be able to get news from the brigade once he got here, and then he could leave it to his superiors to make arrangements whether to cross the river during the chaos or continue fighting.

But who would have thought that when they carefully arrived near Zhenjiang, the Qing army had already retreated to the north of the Yangtze River. Duoduo, who had originally planned to take over the south of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop, did not even have the courage to defend Zhenjiang.

If ordinary people were faced with such a situation, they would probably only think about whether they should surrender to the Ming army. However, people like Wang Siwa have been around everywhere, so how could they not know the risks involved?

You have to know that it has only been a few months since Zhu Cilang lowered his claim to be the first to achieve credit. In the minds of these soldiers who had surrendered long ago, killing innocent people and claiming credit was a common tactic of the Ming army.

Under such circumstances, Wang Siwa, who was desperate, had no choice but to return to his old job.

What happened next was easy to imagine. Relying on his early experience, Wang Siwa and his brothers found a barely usable forest and built a camp, and they just lived like that.

But in Wang Siwa's opinion, becoming a bandit is not a long-term solution. Finding a way to get a government job is the safest way.

It was not known whether God had fulfilled his wish or was sending down another disaster, but due to various factors, his business ended up in trouble for Ruan Dacheng.

He was overjoyed to meet such a high-ranking official. Not only did he use his years of accumulated power to stop his brothers, he also expressed his intention to serve him.

Ordinary people would think that Wang Siwa was just daydreaming, but after all, he was a close confidant of Li Benshen, a local commander. How could he not know about the dirty things in the officialdom?
Don’t be fooled by the adults who usually talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality. But in private, who among them doesn’t have a group of people who do the dirty work?

This is the same throughout history, so there is nothing strange about it.

The key is that if they can get in touch with this senior official, they will no longer have to worry in this place. After that, they will have room to maneuver whether they settle down in the south of the Yangtze River or find an opportunity to return north. The precarious days will be over.

Sure enough, although the senior official did not give a direct response, he also gave quite positive affirmation to the bandits' desire to mend their ways.

After that, Wang Siwa and his companions waited in the mountain village for the high-ranking official to send someone to contact them, until today.

"Isn't it because I want to find a safe way out for my brothers?!"

As the insults reached his ears, Wang Siwa, who really didn't understand why he had ended up in this situation, couldn't help but reply.

However, the information hidden in these conversations was beyond the expectations of Lu Shaochun and others, so when the conversation between the defeated soldiers gradually developed into a quarrel, they were still struggling to digest everything they had heard.

Judging from these few sentences of conversation, this group of defeated soldiers still don't know that Ruan Dacheng and his entourage have all died. Not only do they think that the encirclement and suppression by the imperial court was caused by the high-ranking official after his return, they also regard the leader who advocated this matter as the culprit for this situation.

If it wasn't them, then who could it be?

Lu Shaochun was at a loss.

Although he was somewhat desperate when he first got involved in this matter, he was not completely unsure about the root cause.

After all, he had earned this official position step by step. Not only did he possess extremely solid business capabilities, but he also gathered a group of subordinates who were good at various miscellaneous affairs in the process.

Therefore, even though he could see the danger involved, he felt that as long as he could get protection from His Majesty, he would be able to handle the matter with his own means.

But now, he was really confused.

After clearing away one layer of fog, there was another layer. What made him even more disheartened was that not only did his abilities not show at all during this process, but he also relied on Niu Junchang's accidental discovery to find this place.

In this situation, how could he not feel a little regretful about his earlier self-confidence?
"Someone, tell them to shut up."

As soon as the order was given, several trusted servants pounced forward like wolves and tigers. However, after three or two breaths, the words that were once full of energy turned into unclear hums.

"What does the governor mean by this?"

Seeing this group of defeated soldiers were so shocked, Yan Yingyuan did not say anything to stop them, but after vigilantly glancing at the surrounding situation, he could not help but ask a question.

According to common sense, since the conversations of these defeated soldiers contained important information, there was no need to resort to such means even if they were not allowed to continue speaking.

What Lu Shaochun is doing now is obviously against common sense. How could Yan Yingyuan, who has been hunting down criminals for most of his life, not notice something weird in it?

"Now that we know the general situation, there is no need for them to make a fuss here," Lu Shaochun said as he glanced at the faces of several people. It was unknown what he saw from the slightly different expressions. Then he smiled and said, "Three of you, please excuse me for a moment."

When the news spread, although Niu Junchang had not yet reacted, the other two, who had worked in the government, had some guesses in their minds.

Afterwards, Yan Yingyuan winked at his subordinates, and only after seeing that the soldiers were already on alert did they move towards Lu Shaochun.

The other party has done things to this extent, and Lu Shaochun is not stupid, so how could he not figure out the cause and effect?

This place is located at the junction of three counties. Apart from those defeated soldiers who were tied up like dumplings, there are only him and his officers. What other reason could Yan Yingyuan and others have for doing this except that they are suspicious of him?
I have now fallen into the same situation as that bandit leader.

Thinking of this, Lu Shaochun couldn't help but glance at the bandit leader whose face was flushed, and then he calmed down and waited for the three men to come closer.

"I wonder what instructions the prefect has for you?"

"We are all here to serve His Majesty, but we still need to discuss everything. There is no need to say anything like orders."

Fu Rongfa's politeness and consideration did not mean anything. Even though Lu Shaochun's reply was even more humble, when they heard his words, they just waited quietly. It was obvious that they already had a deep understanding of listening to what he said and watching what he did.

Well, except Niu Junchang.

"Are they going to be taken back for questioning?" "Niu Ziyi, do you think what these thieves said is true or false?"

"It looks like it's real, but the surrounding garrisons haven't made any rash moves, and we can't find any other buyers besides them."

What a great experience! “Can’t find the next buyer”!
As soon as Niu Junchang finished speaking, Lu Shaochun praised him in his heart.

A shrewd man like him could tell whether the words of the defeated soldiers were true or false from their tone and expression. But if he admitted that Ruan Dacheng was not killed by these defeated soldiers, then he would have to continue investigating the case.

Oh my god~~~~~!

How can we investigate this case? How dare we investigate it?

They have already gone to such an extent, it is obvious that they had no intention of collusion or compromise from the beginning.

If he really dared to continue the investigation, he would either gain nothing or be affected by the death struggle.

In this situation, neither side will end up well. It is better to
"Counselor Niu is indeed very insightful. His thoughts coincide with those of this government!"

"what?"

"This government also feels that this group of bandits are all good at flattery. If they are not tortured, they will hardly speak the truth."

"I"

"This government and Niu Advisor share the same idea. What do you two think?"

Lu Shaochun's retort made Niu Junchang, the rough man, completely confused about the situation. Seeing that he looked confused and didn't know how to respond, he directly turned his target to Yan and Fu.

He thought clearly that although these three people were all His Majesty's "direct descendants", Yan Yingyuan and Fu Rongfa both came from the government office and could probably figure out the pros and cons. As long as he could take the initiative and fool the reckless Niu Junchang, they would most likely stand with him.

just
"Prefect Lu, are you planning to deceive the emperor?"

Yan Yingyuan asked with a sneer, shocking Lu Shaochun so much that he stood there in a daze.

He had thought about how the other party would react and had prepared ways to deal with it, but he never imagined that the other party would just tear off the fig leaf and leave no room for recovery.

How could this be?

Isn't this the reaction that people in official circles should have?
Such doubts kept turning over in Lu Shaochun's mind, and he lost the ability to react because of them. If Yan Yingyuan's action of putting his hand on the sword at his waist was not too intimidating, he didn't know when he could gather his mind.

"Counselor Yan Yan, what are you talking about? This government."

Seeing that Lu Shaochun was confused by his words, Yan Yingyuan had no intention of pursuing him. He sighed inwardly and interrupted his explanation.

"You don't need to explain, Governor. We have all worked in the government, so how can we not know what you are thinking?" Having said this, Yan Yingyuan paused for a moment. Then he saw that Lu Shaochun looked puzzled, and it was obvious that he had recovered from his previous distraction. So he continued, "You are afraid that if you can't find out the truth, you will be punished by His Majesty, and you are also afraid that if you find out the truth, you will be retaliated. Is this the case?"

After he finished speaking, although Lu Shaochun was still confused, his mind had already calmed down and he had somewhat regained his usual composure.

However, the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him. He did not intend to say anything more before he figured out why the other party would behave in an unreasonable manner. So when Yan Yingyuan asked that question, he just stared at the other party without any response.

"I won't say much about the great principles of loyalty to the emperor and the country. I don't think you will take them seriously. But have you ever thought about whether you can really hide it from His Majesty?"

"As long as we get confessions from them and the four of us agree on what we say, His Majesty..."

Lu Shaochun still had some concerns in his heart, and did not finish speaking his mind. But he thought, as long as they were united in their specific work, even if His Majesty really noticed something unusual, what would happen? Could he investigate the case himself?
The so-called deceiving the inferiors and concealing the truth from the superiors has been done this way since thousands of years ago, so Lu Shaochun really couldn't understand why they would break this tradition and instead put themselves in such a passive situation.

"Governor Lu, I will not hide it from you. Over the years, although I have done nothing wrong, I have also done things that I have concealed from my superiors. However, at that time, everyone from top to bottom was in collusion with each other and only cared about their own interests. If you want to gain a foothold in the government, you have no choice but to be in the same boat with them."

Having said this, Yan Yingyuan paused, as if he was thinking about how to convince the other party, or as if he was recalling his shameful behavior in the past.

However, his words were still incomplete. Not only did they fail to resolve Lu Shaochun's doubts, but they also made him suddenly have a strange idea.

I thought you were so decent, but it turns out you are just birds of a feather.

Thinking of this, a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes. When Yan Yingyuan's voice came again, this disdain was hidden again.

"Forget it. There is no point in saying more. You just need to know that since His Majesty has sent us here, even if there is really nothing to be found, we will only report the truth and will never lie."

“But now we can’t investigate further!”

Seeing Yan Yingyuan's words, Lu Shaochun didn't have the energy to think about what he was thinking. But when he anxiously asked another question, he heard Fu Rongfa, who had been silent beside him, say leisurely: "If you can't investigate further, just report it directly. Even if His Majesty blames us, it's because we are incompetent."

"You...you are just watching the fire from the other side of the river! The Ming Dynasty is ruined by people like you!"

Watching the fire from the other side of the river is a common tactic in official circles.

But Lu Shaochun really couldn't understand. These people had no conflict of interest with him, and their paths to promotion were not related to each other. Even if he really fell because of his unsuccessful investigation of the case, what benefits could they get?
"Prefect, please stop scolding. They are not trying to trick you. They just don't want to deceive your majesty."

Just when Lu Shaochun was filled with anger but did not have the courage to confront these emperor's close ministers, Niu Junchang, who had just tasted a little bit of the meaning, finally came to his senses.

"How can this be called deceiving Your Majesty? How can this be called deceiving Your Majesty?! The other party can do this to such an extent, and a single mistake will lead to a disaster. Now the Tartars are still eyeing Jiangbei covetously, and Jiangxi is also in the midst of war. How can we cause trouble for Your Majesty in such a situation!"

"Trouble? What trouble? I think it's just habit! Why didn't they have such courage when the Tartars came? It's just that Your Majesty is kind-hearted and doesn't want to use a knife. If it were me, Old Niu, I would kill them all with a knife, and see what they dare to do!"

Faced with such words, Lu Shaochun knew the reason but was unwilling to explain anything to this rough man. However, when he turned his attention to the other two people, he saw the words "no point in saying more" from their expressions.

Then he became angry and said, "If that's the case, report it!"

(End of this chapter)