Chapter 24 Er Zeng shaved his head

This morning, Zeng Guofan was reviewing the emergency documents from the Daozhou Daily, when a team member rushed into the trial bureau to report: "Master Zeng, something serious has happened!" "What's the matter, so panicked?" Zeng Guofan asked, looking away from the emergency document and staring at the group. "My lord, someone is robbing the rice line." Tuan Ding replied hastily, his nervous demeanor has not yet recovered. "There is such a thing?" Zeng Guofan was quite surprised.In the past few months, although there have been many disturbances in Changsha City, there has never been a rice grabbing business.Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but feel anxious, "Which rice shop did you rob? How many people are there?"

Zeng Guofan's ferocious demeanor made the Tuan Ding startled, and he was at a loss for words for a while, so he couldn't answer. "Say it!" Zeng Guofan glared at Tuan Ding again, cursing in his heart, "A useless pustule!" The Tuan Ding collected himself, and stammered an answer: "Xiao Ximen, no, I was wrong, it is the Grain and Rice Market in Daximen. There are a lot of people, there are a lot of people, maybe there are one or two hundred, maybe there are two or three hundred." "Zeng Guobao!" Guobao hurried to his eldest brother, and Zeng Guofan ordered decisively, "Gather all the regiments of your personal army, and take them to the Wugufeng Rice Store in Daximen immediately, and arrest the thieves who robbed the rice store." Catch every one. Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot!"

"Yes!" Guobao agreed, turned and went out. "Stop!" Zeng Guofan called out to Brother Man, "Tell Peng Yuju to ride a fast horse and send a hundred regiments to Luoshan camp to support you!" After Guobao went out, Zeng Guofan changed into civilian clothes and sunglasses, and under the protection of Kang Fu and Jiang Yili, he quietly left the trial bureau and took a small path towards Daximen.The trial bureau is not far from Daximen, and it will arrive in two quarters of an hour.Zeng Guofan saw a huge crowd of people in front of the Wugufeng Rice Store. Apart from watching the excitement, there were hundreds of people carrying rice bags, wooden barrels, washbasins, etc. around the gate of the rice store. Most of them were old people and children. rice.There were bursts of laughter from the crowd.The rice line was in a mess all around.Zeng Guofan scolded in a low voice: "These lawless gangsters! Opening warehouses to release food, isn't it to rebel?"

At this time, more than 60 regiments of the personal army led by Zeng Guobao came from the north, and the 100th regiment of Luoshan Camp led by Peng Yuju came from the south, and they had already surrounded Mi Xing.Seeing this scene, people were so frightened that they ran away. Many people left the rice bags and wooden barrels in their hands and fled in a hurry.The regiments arrested dozens of old people and children who were carrying rice, yelled, cursed and punched them roughly. The arrested people knelt on the ground, kowtowed and begged for mercy, crying and shouting for their mothers. The scene was very miserable.Zeng Guofan ordered Jiang Yili to send an order: "The onlookers and those who carry the rice will not be arrested. The leaders and those who grab the rice will all be arrested in the case bureau."

After all, he quietly left the scene with Kang Fu and returned to the Yamen. An hour later, Guobao came to report: Thirteen criminals had been arrested.Zeng Guofan instructed Huang Tingzan to interrogate immediately.After a while, he remembered something again, took out a piece of paper from the drawer, and wrote: "Brother Shukang: During the interrogation, please pay attention to whether there are members of the synagogue among the gangsters, or those who have connections with the synagogue." After writing the seal, he asked Jing Qi to give it to Huang Tingzan, then took out the urgent document that he hadn't finished reading this morning, and read it intently.

In the middle of the night, Huang Tingzan came to report on the interrogation. Wu Xingang, the owner of Wugufeng Rice Shop, is a greedy, mean and vicious businessman.Over the years, he has used many illegal methods to squeeze out several nearby companies and monopolize the rice industry from the south gate to the west gate. ill-gotten gains.People secretly called him "heartless".This "heartless man" is the one who is best at currying favor with the government and looking for backers. Although the citizens hate him deeply, they can't do anything about it.This time, when there was a shortage of rice in Changsha, "Wu Xingan" bought a batch of moldy and rotten rice from other places at a low price, mixed it with good rice, and sold it to the citizens at a high price.The citizens were entrapped by this, and they all cursed.At this time, a man was annoyed.This man's name is Liao Renhe, he lives outside Daximen, he is a foot on the wharf, he is tall and big in life, and he likes to fight and fight injustice.With a yell, he led more than a dozen men into the grain and rice store, and beat up "heartless".The onlookers applauded.Someone shouted: "Brother Liao, just distribute the rice in the warehouse to the people and express your grievances!"

The crowd echoed.Liao Renhe suffered a lot from "heartless" people in peacetime, thinking about the ill-gotten gains, what would the common people take from them, so he agreed to everyone's request.The people nearby came to divide the rice one after another, causing a big event! Zeng Guofan listened quietly to Huang Tingzan's interrogation report, eyes half-closed, expressionless on his face, thinking about how to handle the case.This is clearly the people's punishment for profiteers.There are many profiteers like Boss Wu Gufeng, and there is no need to obtain any circumstantial evidence. Zeng Guofan believes that the interrogation report is true.But this case was a big one, and the hearts of the people in Changsha City were fluctuated. If the punishment is not severe, criminals will follow suit, robbing rice shops, shops, and money houses. Wouldn't that be a disaster?To completely cut off the idea of ​​imitating others, one must be severely punished!Having made up his mind, Zeng Guofan asked Huang Tingzan: "Brother Shukang, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Huang Tingzan thought for a while, and said: "Wu Xingang was treacherous for business, and the people spontaneously punished him. From a rational point of view, the people are not guilty; from a law point of view, it hinders social stability. In any case, this trend cannot last long. According to the humble position, Among the thirteen rioters, the leader, Liao Renhe, took one hundred sticks and paraded through the streets for three days, while the rest of them took fifty sticks each and released them back home." Huang Tingzan's handling, in terms of ordinary people making troubles, is completely in line with the imperial court's laws.However, it is a troubled time now, and handling cases in troubled times cannot follow the routine. "This nerd is just a little roundabout in his work." Zeng Guofan said in his heart.

Huang Tingzan is indeed straightforward.Zeng Guofan knew this well when he and he were classmates at Yuelu Academy.Because of his straightforwardness, he did not get along well in the officialdom.As a candidate magistrate in Jiangsu, he waited for three years, and the later one had already left for his post, but he had never been able to get what he needed, and he was left with no food and clothing.It was precisely because of his straightforwardness that Zeng Guofan took a fancy to him.Zeng Guofan likes this kind of person who doesn't make tricks and is down-to-earth.He believes that today's officialdom is corrupt because there are too many clever people and too few straightforward people.Zeng Guofan entrusted Huang Tingzan to be responsible for the daily affairs of the trial bureau, and Huang Tingzan was also required to review the affairs of other committee members.Huang Tingzan was grateful to Zeng Guofan and did his best.

In general cases, Zeng Guofan followed Huang Tingzan's advice, but this matter could not be handled according to his advice. Zeng Guofan analyzed the matter to Huang Tingzan because he did not deal with it seriously, which would cause adverse consequences, and finally convinced Huang Tingzan. "Heavy sentences are acceptable. The leader will be imprisoned for three years, and the associates will be imprisoned for three to six months." Huang Tingzan proposed a heavier plan. "Are these people connected to the synagogue?" Zeng Guofan didn't agree with Huang Tingzan's plan, but asked another question.

"Received the lord's order, and the humble officer interrogated this matter seriously. Some people confessed that Liao Renhe, who is called the leader, had some connection with Chuanzi, but there is no evidence." "Except for Liao Renhe, who are those twelve people?" "The twelve of them all lived in the Daximen area. Four of them were captured by Changmao and served as long-term slaves. Three of them were formerly stationed in Wuchang's green battalion. After Wuchang was captured by Changmao, they fled back. The other five were also unaccounted for. They have regular jobs, and three of them were summoned by the Procuratorate for beating someone." "That's right." Zeng Guofan nodded, "I said why these people are so lawless. It turns out that they are either bandits or hooligans, and there is no good citizen who keeps their own laws. To deal with such people, beheading is not too much." "Decapitation?" Huang Tingzan was taken aback, no matter how serious it was, decapitation could not be serious! "Who?" While speaking, Zeng Guofan saw a figure flashing past the window, "Jing Qi, go outside and have a look." After a while, Jing Qi came in with a paper sleeve and said, "No one saw it, but I saw this thing at the door. It looks like a letter cover, but it's very heavy." As she spoke, she handed it over with both hands. When Zeng Guofan looked at it, it was a letter set.He tore it open forcefully, only to see a gleaming short knife falling straight out of it, the tip of the knife was inserted into the floor, and the handle of the knife was swinging slightly.Huang Tingzan's face turned pale with fright, and Zeng Guofan was also startled, but he quickly calmed down and forced a smile, "Who sent me such a sharp short knife!" As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from the envelope, and Huang Tingzan leaned over to look at it, only to see two lines of words written crookedly on the paper: "Let people go, everything will go away; don't let go, swords won't recognize people." Use red, blue, and black three-color strokes to draw three circles nested inside each other. Huang Tingzan exclaimed: "This is done by people from Chuanzihui!" "How do you know?" Zeng Guofan asked. "These three-color circles are the symbol of the Chuanzihui." Huang Tingzan has personally interrogated many cases in the past few months, and knows some inside stories about the synagogue. "Thinking to threaten me with death? Hmph!" Zeng Guofan sneered contemptuously, "The head of the Ministry is also an official of the Ministry of War, and he is still afraid of these grassroots bandits!" "I heard that Chuanzi will have two or three hundred people." Huang Tingzan's heart was still beating. "How about two or three hundred people? We have more than a thousand troupe members, are we afraid that they will fail?" Zeng Guofan suddenly said with a little excitement, "Brother Shukang, you just said that there is no evidence for Liao Renhe's connection with the synagogue. Now The evidence is here. If Liao Ren and these guys are not members of Chuanzihui, why would Chuanzi send this threatening letter?" Huang Tingzan said: "Your Excellency's analysis makes sense. It seems that Liao Renhe is a member of the Chuanzi Club." "They are members of the Chuanzihui, so they should be sentenced more severely. It is not too late. I think these people will be escorted to the red card building tomorrow morning to be beheaded for public display." "Decapitate them all?" Huang Tingchan asked in surprise. "Decapitate them all." Zeng Guofan lowered his face. "Among them is a seventeen-year-old child and a sixty-two-year-old man. Is it lenient?" "It doesn't matter whether you are young or old! If you leave one of these people, you will leave a hidden danger. Rather than harming the society in the future, it is better to kill them now." Zeng Guofan's attitude was so firm that Huang Tingzan didn't dare to say anything else, he just muttered: "Killing more than ten people at a time, since the establishment of the trial bureau, it has never been done in Changsha City, it's best to say hello to Luo Zhongcheng first, please come here." Wang Qi kills again, so as not to incur a tongue in the future." "You're right. If there wasn't this threatening letter, you should have told Luo Zhongcheng first to invite Wang Qi. But now you can't follow the routine, so you can kill him early and be at peace sooner. What if the gangsters rush into the trial bureau tomorrow night? Robbing people, what should we do? Luo Zhongcheng will not disagree with killing this kind of gangster in the synagogue." "In my opinion, Wu Xingang, the boss of Wugufeng, will also be arrested. If he doesn't arrest, the people will not be outraged." Huang Tingzan asked another question. Zeng Guofan pondered for a long time and remained silent.Huang Tingzan seemed inspired, and said excitedly: "My lord, riots must be suppressed, but corrupt officials, profiteers and villains must also be punished." Zeng Guofan nodded and said, "Brother Shukang, what you said hit the nail on the head, but right now I have no right to do this kind of thing! I'm just a registered servant, and I'm temporarily ordered to help the regiment training. . If you are not in your position, you will not seek your own government!" Zeng Guofan stroked Huang Tingzan's back, stared at the dark night scene outside the window, paused for a moment, and said softly: "Brother Shukang, one day Guofan will be the governor of either party, and I will definitely ask you to help. We will work together to eliminate corrupt officials. Officials, fight against profiteers and villains, start with yourself, work hard, be diligent and thrifty, serve the emperor, set an example for officials in the whole province, rectify social order, reverse unhealthy trends, and do a great cause of changing customs and shaping the world. Only then will we live up to us At the beginning, I studied hard in the cold window of Yuelu Academy." Huang Tingzan was full of blood, he held Zeng Guofan's hand tightly, and said excitedly: "Okay! By then, Tingzan must have dedicated himself to death." After Huang Tingzan left, Zeng Guofan took out the dagger from the ground, looked at it carefully, felt it, put it in the envelope, and locked it in the cabinet together.That night, Zeng Guofan didn't live in his original bedroom, and chose to sleep in the most inconspicuous small room in the yamen, and asked Kang Fu, Jiang Yili and others to sleep next to him. The next day, when it was still dark, Zeng Guofan ordered Guobao to lead the No. 150 regiment to escort Liao Renhe and other thirteen rice robbers to the Red Pailou.Guobao was puzzled: "Brother, it's not yet dawn, can't it be later?" Zeng Guofan said to Mandi seriously: "You are still young and don't understand the complexity of the world. Since these people have connections with Chuanzi, it is hard to guarantee that Chuanzi will not be robbed halfway, and we must guard against them robbing the execution ground, so the sooner the better." .As soon as you arrive at the Red Pailou, order the regiment to block the Sifang intersection so that no one can be let in. Once you are correct, you will issue an order for execution." Not long after Guobao escorted the prisoner away, Jing Qi came in in a panic and reported: "My lord, there are a large group of people kneeling outside the yamen, and they keep saying they want to see you." "Who are they?" Zeng Guofan became alert and thought, "Could it be someone from the Chuanzihui?" "Most of them are old men and old women. It doesn't look like a villain." Jing Qi replied, "Or, my lord will order Kang Fu to take the regiment away." Seeing that Zeng Guofan was hesitating, Jing Qi said on her own: "I Call Kang Fu here." After speaking, he turned his head and left. "Come back!" Zeng Guofan roared.He was very annoyed by Jing Qi's action. Jing Qi stood there in fear, waiting to be reprimanded, but Zeng Guofan did not reprimand him, but only ordered, "Tell Kang Fu to follow me with Jiang Yili, Xiao Qijiang and others. them." Zeng Guofan adjusted his clothes, walked out of the yamen with steady steps, and saw dozens of gray-haired old men and women kneeling outside.As soon as those people saw Zeng Guofan coming out, they shouted: "Master Zeng, Master Zeng." They kept tapping their heads.Zeng Guofan said kindly, "Fathers and folks, what advice can I give you for calling me out?" An old man with white beard and hair, wearing a old cloth robe, stood up with a cane, and said: "Master Zeng, everyone recommends that this old man say a few words." As soon as the old man opened his mouth, he coughed.Zeng Guofan shouted: "Jing Qi, bring a stool, let the old man sit down and talk." The old man didn't even dare to say that he didn't dare, seeing that Jing Qi really moved the stool, he also sat down.Kang Fu also moved a chair for Zeng Guofan, but he didn't sit on it. "All the folks said that Mr. Zeng has severely suppressed the bandits and riots in the past few months, and the atmosphere in Changsha has improved greatly. The robbery of rice in Ximen was actually forced out by the profiteer Wu Xingang. Liao Renhe and others fought for the injustice of the victimized neighbors and opened a warehouse to release grain, which was also at the request of the people. Moreover, the rice piled up in Wu Xingang's warehouse was completely exploited by the citizens in the past few years Returning the proceeds to the citizens now cannot be called breaking the law. The old man is eighty this year, and he had read books for several years when he was young. "Li" said: "Thieves and virtuous people harm the people, then cut them down." Wu Xingang has always harmed the people , Liao Renhe and others punished them, which is also in line with ancient teachings. I hope that the Lord will pity the rice grabbers for a reason, forgive their improper actions, and release Liao Renhe and thirteen people to satisfy everyone's expectations. In addition, hundreds of people who got rice yesterday were also in constant fear , and beg your lord to show mercy." After the old man finished speaking, the kneeling people shouted together: "Please forgive me, my lord!" Zeng Guofan glanced at the crowd coldly, and cursed fiercely in his heart: "A bunch of stupid people!" He suppressed his anger, and still said in a calm tone: "Fathers and elders, I have ordered the regiment training for the purpose of suppressing riots. Protect the environment and protect the people. As the old man said just now, the atmosphere in Changsha has improved in the past few months. I thank you all for your support. I have also heard of Wu Xingang, the boss of Wugufeng, who is greedy and harms the people. If the rice robbery yesterday was really out of righteous indignation , although improper actions caused riots, I can consider lenient treatment. However, folks," Zeng Guofan raised his voice and became stern, "you have all been deceived, Liao Renhe and other thirteen criminals , they are not brave heroes at all, but gangsters in the synagogue! They are all a group of bandits with a heart and a heart!" The crowd under the steps were all shocked, whispering to each other and discussing in low voices. "Here is the ironclad evidence of this department." Zeng Guofan turned to Jing Qi and said, "Take out the threatening letter and short knife sent by Chuanzihui last night, and let these well-meaning elders see and see." Jing Qi took out the knife and the letter.Zeng Guofan raised the knife: "This is the short knife that Chuanzihui sent last night, threatening to assassinate Benbutang." Then he picked up the letter and said, "This is their threatening letter, everyone may wish to read it." The letter was circulated among the crowd, some sighed, some nodded, some shook their heads.Everyone was stunned by the letter. "Fathers and folks, these people have never been good citizens who keep their own place. They are the backbone of the Chuanzi Society. They take advantage of the people's resentment towards the grain and rice industry to take advantage of the opportunity to do this illegal thing in an attempt to disturb people's hearts and destroy society. This kind of gangster, if you don't kill them, why are the people angry and how can the society be calmed? As for the people who didn't know the truth yesterday and were greedy for small profits," Zeng Guofan stopped, and said in a more gentle tone, "I'm bothering all the elders. Tell them, please rest assured, the Ministry will not pursue it. Everyone go back!" Seeing that the people on the steps did not seem to get up, Zeng Guofan suddenly said loudly: "Everyone, go to the red archway to watch the fun. The heads of the thirteen gangsters have been hanging there for a long time!" Everyone was terrified, so they got up one after another and ran towards the red archway.The old man who spoke just now shook his head as he walked, and said to himself: "It's so strange, it's all happening in a row, I've never heard of it before!" An old woman next to him said: "Amitabha, commit a crime, commit a crime, chop off thirteen heads at once, this murder is like shaving your head." Another old woman said angrily: "Master Zeng, my son, you shaved your head!" The old woman unintentionally gave Zeng Guofan a vivid nickname.From that day on, the word "Zeng Shaved his head" spread around the city of Changsha. A few days later, Wu Xingang, the owner of Wugufeng, bought a few feet of yellow silk and made a huge Wanmin umbrella. He brought a dozen or so employees of Mixing to the case bureau to meet Mr. Zeng and thank him for saving Mi. OK, and ask him to order to confiscate the rice that was allocated that day. When Wang Jingqi informed Zeng Guofan of Wu Xingang's intention to come, he was so angry that his eyebrows were raised upright, his triangular eyes were blazing, and he said viciously: "This profiteer, I won't let him go for a while, but he has his dog's tail up! What kind of people umbrella is he! You go and sue him, if you don’t change from evil to good, and do business honestly, if there is any illegal behavior, the Ministry will seal up the rice line and severely punish it!” After Wu Xingang heard Wang Jingqi's stern warning, Wanmin was so frightened that he didn't even bother to take the umbrella, and led his fellows to flee.Zeng Guofan ordered that the Wanmin Umbrella be burned outside the door. It was beheading again, and burning the umbrellas of the people. The citizens of Changsha couldn't figure out the mind of the regimental minister, Zeng shaving his head.