My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 131 How can the White Dragon be afraid of strong winds and waves?
Soon, all the small flag members stationed in the Tongwen Bureau of various government offices received orders from their chief officers.

He told them to come to the yamen for a meeting and they didn’t need to bring any entourage.

These corrupt officials had heard about Li Bailong's movements this morning and instinctively felt that something was wrong, but they did not take it to heart. After all, the heads of various departments were said to have arrived at the government office, so what else could they do?

So they set off one after another.

Only Zhang Wenjiang, the brother-in-law of Tongzhi Gao, received the news of his brother-in-law's disappearance. He felt something was wrong and planned to sneak away through the back door of the Tuiguan Hall. However, the birds in the sky had already memorized his appearance. Even though he was in disguise, he was caught on the spot by the people from the Tongwen Bureau as soon as he went out.

So the temporary workers beat Zhang Wenjiang up again at the door of the Tuiguan Hall.

The officials of the Tuiguan Office originally planned to come out to rescue, but the archers of the Tongpan Office were guarding not far away. In the absence of the Tuan, the inexplicable sense of crisis made the officials of the Tuiguan Office dare not step forward.

They could only watch as the people from the Tongwen Bureau dragged Zhang Wenjiang away arrogantly like a dead dog.

"People from the Tuiguan Office, come out and clean the floor!"

Acting openly in public, in full view of everyone.

The face that the Tongwen Bureau lost some time ago must of course be regained in the most violent way. After being usurped for so many years and despised by the officials and businessmen of Huazhou, this once paper-house government must rebuild its authority.

The corrupt officials of the former Tongwen Bureau were arrested one by one by the law enforcement team as soon as they entered the government office.

The court drums blared, black cavalry came out in all directions, and all the monkeys from various government offices and departments in Huazhou were summoned one by one.

Governor Li was acting as the governor of the state with the power of a fourth-rank official. Under the silent gaze of Huazhou officials, a row of people knelt in the hall, looking dejected and at a loss.

Zhang Wenjiang knew that he was doomed, and suddenly struggled: "Li Bailong, what right do you have to detain us? We are not subordinates of your Tongwen Bureau, we are the inspection flags of the Tongwen Bureau of various government offices! Our official credentials are in our respective government offices... Do you take you gentlemen seriously by interfering in the affairs of various government offices like this?"

As soon as he said this, the other corrupt officials who were caught also began to cry out for justice. They had offended Li Bailong badly before, and if they fell into his hands this time, they would be in danger of dying.

So some people began to quote the court's law: "Whatever crime I committed, there must be an explanation!"

Some people saw clearly that all the chief officials of the various departments were present, except for the deputy magistrate and the prosecutor, so they immediately threw the blame and said, "I was forced by my superiors, so I am in a difficult situation with you, and I am willing to surrender!"

Some people asked their chief officers for help: "Sir, please say something, sir!"

Li Bailong slammed the gavel, looked at Zhang Wenjiang and shouted: "You traitors have been exposed, which is a shame for the Tongwen Bureau. We should have dealt with you behind closed doors to avoid wasting public resources. But you claim to be the censor of the Tongwen Bureau. This wrong demarcation of authority must be explained in front of your colleagues in the Huazhou officialdom!"

When he said this, he looked at the heads of the departments sitting on both sides and asked, "My Lords, please tell me, what is the identity of Zhang Wenjiang and even the officials in this hall?"

The officers had different expressions.

Zhang Chun was the first to slide to his knees. He saw things most clearly and acted most decisively.

At this moment, the "Examination Flag Officer of the Tongpan Hall Stationed in the Tongwen Bureau" was looking at him eagerly in the hall. That guy was smart and capable. In the past, he would pay at least two or three hundred taels of silver as tribute every month. People in the Tongpan Hall also took his money and praised his merits. Zhang Chun liked him very much in the past and promoted him two or three times.

However, for the sake of the master's official position, wealth and future, he had no choice but to suffer a little.

So Judge Zhang said slowly: "Zhang Wenjiang is a lazy and frivolous official who has forgotten his origin and lost his integrity. He is clearly an official of the Tongwen Bureau, but he has forgotten his mission, coveted wealth and fame, betrayed his original master, and was willing to associate with a beast like Wei Chunfang! In my opinion, Zhang Wenjiang is not a flag officer stationed in the Tongwen Bureau by the Tuiguan Office. He is clearly..."

The judge looked around at his colleagues and said decisively, "It's clearly the inspector general of the Tongwen Bureau!"

Fuck!
The heads of various government offices had long been tamed by the officialdom into power animals, and when they heard this, they all looked angry.

Zhang Chun! How can you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, lick the groove so diligently!
They had originally planned to sacrifice one pawn to save the other, and had to admit with a pinch of their nose that the censors were affiliated with the Tongwen Bureau, hand these corrupt officials over to Li Bailong to deal with and retaliate, and then return the power of the Tongwen Bureau.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Chun argued that these people were not only officials of the Tongwen Bureau, but also "small flag officers of the Tongwen Bureau stationed in various government offices for inspection." This was equivalent to nailing the power tentacles of the Tongwen Bureau into various government offices!

We are all officials, and when the power in our own hands is increased, it is constrained by the intervention of other departments. This makes them more uncomfortable than having one more wife... Zhang Chun, why are you looking for trouble!

Damn it! Not worthy of being a human being!
The chief officers were secretly angry - originally Li Bailong had attacked the government office this morning. If everyone worked together, they might have had a chance to contain Li Bailong. However, Zhang Chun, as the person with the highest power at the scene, was the first to slide down and kneel. The military officers of the state surrendered, which made the situation unbalanced and Li Bailong completely unstoppable.

It would have been fine if he was the first to surrender, but now he is actually kneeling and licking the boots without any bottom line!
Damn it! Where is your moral integrity!

You eat shit so diligently, what should we eat?
They cursed in their hearts, but heard Li Bailong picking up Zhang Chun's words: "Is that so? I just took office and didn't know there was such a saying!"

When Governor Li said this, he looked at the instructor who was the fourth most important official in Huazhou and was in charge of Wumeng's education.

The magistrate also looked over.

"..."

Damn it! If I hesitate here, I will have to sleep in the prison suite with Wei Chunfang!
The martial arts instructor simply replied calmly: "It is like this. The Tongwen Bureau sent censors to various departments to classify and censor various works related to military affairs, criminal justice, martial arts education, Buddhism and Taoism, so as to better manage brothels, brothels, operas, theaters and other matters. This was an idea proposed by Lord Xu Bingyi during his tenure. Lord Xu's original intention was good, but it was ruined by these corrupt officials..."

He said with great sorrow: "It was originally a beautiful idea that all the government offices in Huazhou would be close to each other and work together, but a few cunning people took advantage of it and colluded with some unscrupulous businessmen to undermine the Tongwen Bureau. I'm sure Gao Bijin and Wei Chunfang are the ones who are causing trouble. There must be traitors in the officialdom!"

The instructor is in charge of the martial arts education in this state. He is respectfully called "old master" by local martial artists and has been a role model for many years. Today, he was forced to follow the evil, and it was somewhat shameful for him to say such words in front of the gazes of his colleagues and officials. It goes against the dignity of a teacher.

Following the principle that "if everyone licks together, it's the same as if no one licks at all", he immediately looked at the next victim: "Tax collector, what do you think?"

The tax collector cursed inwardly, but seeing the friendly eyes of his colleagues and superiors, he could only say: "Fortunately, Governor Li is in charge of Tongwen. It is time to put order out of chaos and get back to the basics!"

The heads of various government offices in the hall expressed their opinions one after another, and it was like the last nail in the coffin.

The officials who were examining the small flags only felt like thunder rumbling, and many of them were so frightened that they fell to the ground.

Acknowledging in front of the Huazhou officials the legitimacy and correctness of "the Tongwen Bureau stationed in various government offices to examine small flags" is tantamount to paying a complete indemnity and surrendering allegiance. As the chief officer, handing over a younger brother to be dealt with at will is an act of losing power and humiliating the government. I am afraid that such behavior by the adults will lose the support of the people and will definitely alienate the people below.

However, the interests of the chief officials and their subordinates are not completely consistent.

After doing this, the chief officials of Huazhou actually breathed a sigh of relief. Anyway, their term of office was already halfway through, and they would only have to endure the tyranny of Li Bailong for a year or two. When their term of office was over, they would be transferred to other places, and maybe they would have a chance to connect with King Zhao and the Lingyu Sect...

What am I afraid of!
As for the next chief officer who comes to take over and finds that his own yamen has been invaded by the tentacles of the Tongwen Bureau...what does that have to do with me!
"Since we have such a close relationship, the Tongwen Bureau and other brother departments must work together in solidarity in the future."

Li Bailong praised him and then frowned again.

"Since the gentlemen have spoken and defined the responsibilities, then you, the bold fellows, are the traitors of the Tongwen Bureau!"

He slammed the gavel and shouted, "Where is Xibing Kuban! Take away these people's official hats and uniforms, put them in jail, and give them a deadline to explain their own problems, provide account books, and confess their interests!"

The first batch of field runners sent by the Tongwen Bureau were simply divided into several teams to compete with each other and make progress together. Immediately, a brave man stepped forward and dragged the officials who were crying and begging for mercy out of the hall.

Li Bailong saw it and pondered in his heart.

It’s time to give the Tongwen Bureau’s field department a resounding and formal name.

This name must be able to stop children from crying at night. Otherwise, it will not be enough to shock the Huazhou literary and art circles.

He added: "All these corrupt officials and corrupt officials have been dismissed and investigated. New inspection flags will soon be stationed in the brother offices to take over all the powers of these traitors. I hope that all departments will always be as close as one family, assist the Tongwen Bureau in performing its duties as usual, and help each other and share what they have."

This means that the benefits that the various government offices had previously gained by using the name of the Tongwen Bureau are still there now?
The officials in various government offices thought that Li Bailong had won a great victory today and was in control of the situation. He was going to take back all the financial power of the Tongwen Bureau, and all the income of various government offices from the literary and art circles would be cut off. Without such a large income, everyone was unhappy, but they did not dare to stand up to resist. Now it sounds like... there is still hope?
Of course there are.

After all, in the Great Qi system, any official who wanted to make a difference in the local area could not do without the "officials", a group of local bosses. They had lived here for generations, had inherited skills from their ancestors, were deeply involved in local interest groups, understood local conditions, and were able to do things relatively smoothly and easily.

To be fair, the huge profits that Huazhou officials obtain from the literary and art circles every year are certainly obtained by usurping the power of the Tongwen Bureau, but such a huge amount of profits is also inseparable from the development and management of local officials, and it is by no means something that grew out of thin air.

and so.

If they can continue to serve Li Bailong and Tongwen Bureau in the future, they can still get the money.

But the same pricing, same collection and same distribution are used.

If you still want to get the money, you have to follow Director Li.

Li Bailong saw that people's minds were floating and their imaginations were running wild, so he immediately swung his big stick: "In addition, Gao Bijin secretly communicated with Beining and had a powerful influence in the officialdom of Huazhou. I don't know how many arrangements he made and how many things he secretly did for the people of Beining. His minions must have spread poison innumerable."

"In my opinion, all government offices should immediately conduct self-examination, report problems, actively report them, and reflect deeply. They should ask themselves why they did not notice Gao Bijin's evil ambitions? Was it because they neglected to notice and take precautions, or were they afraid of the power of the Tongzhi? Did they notice Gao Bijin's improper interest relationship with certain businessmen? Looking back now, do he have any deeper motives for the evil things he did in Huazhou?"

His eyes were like lightning, sweeping around the hall, and he said quietly: "Dear colleagues, dear clerks, please actively report the situation to the Tongwen Review Flag of each government office. After all, Gao Bijin Tongning, Huazhou officials are guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty. If you want to redeem yourself, you must actively report."

That’s all I have to say.

The specific details will be implemented by the heads of each government office.

After all, several colleagues personally took action to send Wei Chunfang to prison and convicted Gao Bijin. Now that it has come to this, no one will give Gao Bijin a chance to turn things around.

After today's battle, Governor Li has completely taken control of the situation.

During this brief period of power vacuum, he, as a fourth-rank official, held the three major powers of prefect, associate prefect and governor, and reached a consensus with the Tongpan, thus gaining the highest power in Huazhou.

Such a major event was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge wave.

The Tongwen Bureau has its henchmen everywhere.

At Yunjiang Bookstore, officers broke into the backyard and dragged out Zhang, who was still recovering from his injuries.

"I am here to speak to you on the orders of the governor!"

Gao Bijin's concubine was trembling all over, no longer as arrogant and calm as she was that day.

"That day you said, 'The waves in the Yun River are too strong for you to calm.' The governor ordered us to tell you what he said! The governor asked me to tell you to think about his name - how can Bai Long be afraid of strong waves? The whole river can be overturned by you!"

After saying this, without waiting for the other party to beg for mercy, the officer ordered: "Ten more sticks! Hit him hard!"

Director Li keeps his word. If he says to send it down for now and fight it later, he will definitely fight.

"I have received your order to seal up Yunjiang Bookstore! All business and sales activities are suspended! Self-inspection within a certain period of time!"

The news of Gao Bijin and Wei Chunfang's downfall spread quickly, and then came the news that the heads of various government offices had surrendered. The Huazhou officialdom fell silent, and the business community lost its protection and soon revealed its true colors.

Soon, several bookstore owners ran to the government office to ask to see Governor Li.

As a result, he was beaten with a stick and thrown out.

The business people who were still observing secretly only realized what was going on when they saw the two bosses limping towards the Tongwen Bureau. As a result, the Tongwen Bureau, which had been deserted, was now crowded with the bosses of various bookstores, theaters, opera troupes.

Everyone waited from noon to afternoon, and from afternoon to evening.

It was not until Director Li, who had carried the Huazhou cargo on his shoulders, returned to the yamen, exhausted, that they came forward to greet him enthusiastically.

"Everyone knows why you are here, so I won't say any more."

Li Bailong took the towel handed over by the officer, wiped his hands, and walked towards the main hall. A group of wealthy businessmen dressed in silk and satin followed him, like stars surrounding the moon.

I only heard Director Li casually say: "Since your majesty ascended the throne, in the past six years, the tea money you should have paid to the Tongwen Bureau has not been seen in the warehouse and cannot be found in the account. Make up this money first."

(End of this chapter)