Chapter 25 San would rather kill a hundred scholars by mistake than let go of a scum in clothes

After half a month of quiet life, the members of the Judgment Bureau suddenly reported and arrested another person who colluded with others and would commit rebellion. This person is still a scholar.Huang Tingzan knew that Zeng Guofan hated Chuanzihui the most, and seeing that the prisoner was a man of merit, he was afraid of being the master, so he asked Zeng Guofan to try it himself.Zeng Guofan said: "How much fame does a scholar have, not to mention that he, as a member of the school, colluded with gangsters, which is an even worse crime." He slightly flipped through the case files sent by Huang Tingzan, and ordered to be promoted.When the prisoner was escorted up, Zeng Guofan slapped the specially made tea stick on the case table heavily, and shouted sharply: "Lin Mingguang, you scum in clothes, how will you collude with Wei Kui, the bandit leader of the Chuanzihui, in front of the hall? !"

The regiments on both sides supported the water and fire sticks, and yelled fiercely: "Recruit!" The fair-looking, twenty-four-five-year-old scholar under the desk kowtowed in fright, and quickly said, "Your Excellency, this is a case of frame-up. The student is a saint's disciple, how can he associate with bandits? tarnish innocence." "What's going on here?" Zeng Guofan asked the head of the Pingtang Metropolitan Regiment of Shanhua County, Guo Jiahu, who was standing next to him with a murderous expression. Lin Mingguang was escorted to the trial bureau by Guo Jiahu.

Guo Jiahu hurriedly stepped forward, bowed his head and said, "I have Lin Mingguang's colleague Xiong Bingguo as evidence." "Bring Xiong Bingguo!" Xiong Bingguo was brought to the hall. He was also a scholar in his twenties, wearing a toga with large sleeves.Xiong Bingguo knelt down beside Lin Mingguang.Zeng Guofan slapped the tea stick again, and asked sternly: "Xiong Bingguo, how did Lin Mingguang collude with gangsters? You must tell the truth from the facts, and you must not tell half a lie in front of the headquarters!" "Yes." Xiong Bingguo kowtowed, and said with great air, "This is evidenced by the token of Wei Kui, the leader of Chuanzihui." He said, and took out a red one from his bosom, about one inch wide and six inches wide. Standing up, he handed Zeng Guofan a long bamboo tablet with both hands, and then knelt down on the spot again.Zeng Guofan saw that on the front of the token was written "Wei Kui, the leader of the Chuanzihui", and on the back were three intertwined circles of red, blue, and black, which were exactly the same as those on the threatening letter received half a month ago. .He got angry and cursed secretly: "This string is really crazy!" So he asked with a sullen face, "Where did you get this brand?"

Xiong Bingguo replied: "I found it in Lin Mingguang's study this morning." Zeng Guofan looked at Xiong Bingguo suspiciously for a long time, and suddenly asked loudly: "Xiong Bingguo, how do you know that the Lin family has a token from the Chuanzihui?" Xiong Bingguo was so frightened by Zeng Guofan's lightning eyes and thunderous roar that his legs trembled and he broke out in a cold sweat. It took him a long time to reply tremblingly: "It was Yan Manizi who told me." "How did Yan Laizi know?" Zeng Guofan asked. "My lord," Xiong Bingguo finally calmed down, "Yan Laizi is also here, and he can testify in court."

Tuan Ding took Yan Laizi.When Zeng Guofan saw this man in his thirties, with a skinny head, hooked nose and pointed cheeks, and wicked eyebrows, he already hated him.That Yan Laizi knelt behind Xiong Bingguo, and without waiting for interrogation, he took the initiative to say: "Master Qingtian, the villain saw with his own eyes that Lin Mingguang hooked up with Wei Kui, the leader of the Chuanzihui. Losing in a hurry, I wanted to make some money for the Lin family. As soon as I climbed the beam of the Lin family house, I saw bright lights in the study room. Lin Mingguang was talking quietly with a man wearing black cloth and night clothes. He only heard the man say: "The one hundred taels of silver is Wei Longtou's wish. Wei Longtou said that if it weren't for the old lady's kindness, he would not be where he is today. The kindness of a drop of water should be repaid by the spring, let alone the great kindness of the old lady. Please You must accept it.' I thought to myself, wow! You, Lin Xiucai, pretended to be serious on the surface and looked down on me, Yan Laizi, but you actually had a secret relationship with Chuanzi, and I will report you! Mr. Zeng, I heard you The old notice states that if you catch a gangster, you will be rewarded with five taels of silver, is that true?"

Yan Laizi raised his head and looked at Zeng Guofan with wry eyes.Seeing Zeng Guofan's ashen face and fierce eyes, Yan Mangzi was frightened out of his wits and quickly lowered his head. Zeng Guofan patted the tea stick hard, and said awe-inspiringly, "What else did you see?" "Yes, yes. The villain saw them pushing back and forth on the beam. Finally, the man took out another sign from his arms and said, 'This sign is Wei Longtou's token. He wants me to give it to your old man. Wei Longtou said, as long as this token is in your body, no one will dare to touch your hair within a hundred miles." Lin Mingguang took the token. I thought to myself, isn't this the ironclad proof that he colluded with the Chuanzi Society I slipped off the beam while Lin Mingguang was sending that man out. Yesterday morning, I went to a hotel in the town to drink, and I was very happy. Beef, put it on the account, and pay back the money in two days!' Seeing that the boss was still hesitating, I said loudly: "Don't worry, your uncle is going to get rich, and he can still owe you this money!" I don't want Xiong Er Grandpa is also drinking in the store at this time."

Xiong Bingguo nodded and said, "Your Majesty was there at the time..." "Not too many mouths!" The tea wood bar rang heavily, and Xiong Bingguo shrank his mouth in fright.Zeng Guofan gave Yan Mangzi a cold look: "Go on!" "Yes!" Yan Laizi continued, "I thought to myself, Erye Xiong is a man of honor. With my appearance, and since Lin Mingguang was not caught, I'm afraid I won't get the five taels of silver, so I might as well sell it to a Xiong Erye. After making up my mind, I whispered in Xiong Erye's ear, "Second Master, there is a leader of the Chuanzihui. I discovered it. Do you always want to arrest him?" Said: "Go to my house and talk about it." When I arrived at Xiong Erye's house, I told him everything I saw last night. Xiong Erye said: "You don't have to go to Mr. Zeng to ask for a reward. I will give you five." Two silver coins is enough. You must not say it again.' This morning, Erye Xiong led Mr. Guo Tuan to arrest Lin Mingguang. My lord, everything the villain said is true."

After Yan Laizi finished speaking, he kowtowed a few more times in the courtroom. "This is a ruffian!" Zeng Guofan cursed in his heart, and said to Yan Laizi, "Go down!" After Yan Laizi went to the hall, Zeng Guofan asked Lin Mingguang: "Is what this person said just now the truth?" Lin Mingguang replied: "My lord, some of what Yan Laizi said is true, and some are not true. It is true that someone came to my house the night before and said that he was ordered by Wei Kui to send money, and indeed he took out a hundred taels of silver, but I didn't pay any money." Uncollected."

"What's your relationship with Wei Kui? Why did he give you so much money?" "My lord," Lin Mingguang replied, "Wei Kui is neither related nor related to my family. One day five years ago, a man suddenly fainted by the door of my house. My mother believes in Buddhism and has always been kind. He carried him into the house and called his grandpa to give him a diagnosis and treatment. It turned out that this person was suffering from black sha disease. The grandpa gave him Sha, and after waking up, my mother kept him for another day. Seeing that he was poor, she gave away some old clothes before leaving And money. The man called himself Wei Kui, and said that he would never forget his mother’s life-saving grace in this life, and that he would repay him heavily when he became rich. Since then, our family has never seen Wei Kui again, and we don’t remember it. A few months ago, it was rumored that the leader of the Chuanzihui was named Wei Kui, and we did not connect the two Wei Kui. The night before, someone who came claimed to be sent by Wei Kui, the leader of the Chuanzihui, and took out another one hundred taels Yinzi, I said it was Xie’s mother’s kindness. Only then did I know that the leader of the Chuanzihui was the one who fell at the door of my house. My lord, I am an innocent scholar. I am a law-abiding person, so why am I willing to get involved with rebellion and chaos? I am determined not to accept money, and the man saw that I would not want it, and took out Wei Kui's token from his arms, saying that it could protect him No one within a hundred miles dared to touch me. I thought that the current world is so chaotic, and in times of crisis, it would be good to have this amulet with me, so I accepted it. My lord, the student was confused for a while, so he shouldn't have accepted Wei Kui However, the students absolutely do not want to have any contact with Wei Kui, let alone participate in their conspiracy. My lord, no matter how stupid the student is, he is still a scholar who understands the laws of the country, so how dare he do such a thing of beheading and exterminating his family!" After finishing speaking, Kowtow more than.

Xiong Bingguo said: "My lord, Lin Mingguang is lying to your face and deceiving your lord Meng. If you don't want to surrender to the bandits, why do you want Wei Kui's token? Although the world is chaotic, there are still the imperial court's green battalion and the regiments led by your lord. How can you tolerate the bandits?" Lawless! None of us have Wei Kui's token, so can't we protect our family? Lin Mingguang said he didn't collect the money, who can testify? The money has no mark, who can tell the surname Wei and Lin? Only this The token, he cannot deny it, so he has to admit it. My lord, Lin Mingguang's collusion will be proved as a mountain, so there is no room for sophistry!"

Xiong Bingguo's words made Zeng Guofan feel comfortable, and it was only now that the case was under trial, and his face was slightly relaxed.Zeng Guofan asked Lin Mingguang, "What else do you have to say?" Lin Mingguang shouted: "My lord, Xiong Bingguo is a rascal. The student has offended his father and son on weekdays, and today he has suffered such humiliation." Zeng Guofan was quite surprised, and asked angrily, "What's the gap between you and the Xiong family? Tell me carefully!" "It's just that the students are ignorant of the world and proud of their talents." Lin Mingguang said sadly, "Xiong Bingguo is my classmate, and his father, Xiong Guji, is a millionaire in Pingtang Town. He relies on his family's wealth and distant relatives. Being an official outside, he has always been domineering in the countryside. My lord, don’t look at Xiong Bingguo’s elegant clothes, he is actually a swinger who eats, drinks, prostitutes and gambles. He doesn’t understand poetry, but he prefers to be arty. The students are very disgusted, often in the countryside He ridiculed Xiong's father and son, so he formed a grudge with his family. Today, Xiong Bingguo reported his private interests with the public. As for Yan Mangzi, he was just a mangy dog ​​in Pingtang Town. The students never regarded him as a human being, so he also Hate the students." "My lord," Xiong Bingguo rushed to say from below, "What Lin Mingguang said just now was all slander." At this point in the trial, Zeng Guofan, who had been the minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice for many years, already knew it in his heart.He ordered "Leave the hall" and went back to the study. Zeng Guofan thought carefully about the entire process of the interrogation, as well as the identities, speech, expressions, and demeanor of the plaintiff and defendant. Judging from the interrogation, what Lin Mingguang said was mostly the truth, while Xiong Bingguo was probably threatening revenge.But Lin Mingguang accepted the token of the Chuanzihui, and he himself admitted it, so it is hard to guarantee that he has no second thoughts.To be on the safe side, Zeng Guofan asked Cao Keqin, a member of the Trial Bureau and alternate magistrate of Anhui Province, to go to Pingtang Town to find out on the ground. Two days later, Cao Keqin came back and said that Lin Mingguang did have contacts with Chuanzi, and handed Zeng Guofan a pamphlet, which he said was copied from Lin Mingguang's study.Zeng Guofan looked at the title on the cover of the booklet, "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Royal System of the Original Dao Awakening of the World", and opened a page at random, only to see it read: "There are many men in the world, all of them are brothers, and there are many women in the world, all of them are sisters." How can you keep the selfishness of this border and the other world, and how can you swallow me up." He threw the book to the ground and cursed: "What kind of mess is so ridiculous! Could it be that father and son are also Brothers? Mother and daughter are also sisters? It seems that Lin Mingguang is really a restless guy." Because Lin Mingguang is a scholar, Zeng Guofan thought about this case for a long time alone in the signing room that night.The only basis for saying that Lin Mingguang colluded with the gangster club is Wei Kui's token.This booklet might have been found from his study, or it might have been intentionally framed by the Xiong family.Even if it was copied from his study, it cannot be used as ironclad evidence of collusion with Long Mao.What Lin Mingguang said about Wei Kui's repayment of his kindness is logically reasonable.In this case, if the case is taken lightly, Lin Mingguang can be punished with dozens of boards, and he can be sent home after a lesson.If it is serious, he can be sentenced to death just because he accepts the token of the Chuanzi Association and has two ambitions.How about taking it lightly?What about seriousness?He remembered reading "History of Ming Dynasty" and "Northern Strategy of the Ming Dynasty" in the past. They all said that after Niu Jinxing and Li Yan joined Li Zicheng, Li Zicheng set up officials to divide the government, guarding the soil and not letting go. The weather was very different from before. He actually overthrew the Ming Dynasty, sacrificed to heaven and ascended the throne, and became the emperor of the Dashun Dynasty. "Scholars are attached to bandit rebellion, and bandit rebellion may become a major event." Zeng Guofan firmly believes that this view of the predecessors is correct.If Lin Mingguang is released easily, it will give other scholars a chance of luck.Be serious!Even if Lin Mingguang didn't really join the Chuanzihui, he still had to use his head to teach other restless scholars a lesson.For the consolidation of the emperor's country, and for the peace of the entire Hunan Province, he would rather kill a hundred scholars by mistake than let go of a well-dressed scum among gangsters!What's more, the activities of the Chuanzihui are so rampant, it seems that they deliberately want to make it difficult for the group to practice, why not use Lin Mingguang as a bait to lure Wei Kui and others out, so as to catch them all in one go and eliminate a big harm for Hunan. He thought that Xuezheng Liu Kun would definitely disagree with his approach. The old man is stubborn. Once he pushes the bull, he will do everything possible to make things fail, and then his overall plan will come to nothing.Once something is decided, it must be done; what he hates most is that someone comes out to interfere.Just don't tell Liu Kun!Zeng Guofan picked up the ink pen and drew a tick heavily on Lin Mingguang's name. The next day, Lin Mingguang was imprisoned in a cage and paraded around in the city of Changsha.A long piece of wood was inserted into the cage, and on it was written "Lin Mingguang, a well-dressed scum who colludes with others and will rebel" in a large book.Followed by four regiments, they kept beating the gong, attracting citizens to come to watch.On the main street where Zhanlong passed, more than 700 regiments of Luoshan Camp and Pushan Camp, all in plain clothes, were mixed in the crowd. Every 30 to 40 people followed a cart with hidden knives and guns.Lin Mingguang was originally a respected scholar, never had he ever suffered such a great humiliation.He was so angry and ashamed that he died in the cage after only swimming for half a day, but Wei Kui's string meeting did not come out, Zeng Guofan was quite disappointed. The death of Lin Mingguang caused great shock in Changsha City and the four townships in the southeast, northwest and north.A scholar was sentenced to stand in a cage and paraded through the streets for the crime of colluding with synagogues. This is something that has never been seen in Changsha city.People talked a lot, some scolded Lin Mingguang as a scumbag of scholars, some scolded Zeng for his cruel way of shaving his head, and more people didn't believe that Lin Mingguang would collude with others.Those who kept the confession documents of the Taipingjun, Tiandihui, Chuanzihui, Chuanxianghui, Banbianqianhui and other synagogues in their homes burned them all overnight.Lin Mingguang's younger brother, Lin Mingliang, united with ten scholars from Shanhua County to complain for his brother.They wrote two petitions, one to the governor's office and the other to the school's government office. Liu Kun, a senior with gray beard in his fifties, was so angry that his beard trembled when he received Lin Mingliang's complaint.He yelled in the yamen: "It's okay! Does Zeng Guofan still think of me as an academic and political yamen? He said that Lin Mingguang was not in collusion with the synagogue. Capital punishment. Where does Zeng Guofan put his elegance? Really, there is no reason for this!" Liu Kun took the certificate and came to the governor's yamen in a sedan chair.Luo Bingzhang is worrying about Lin Xiucai's case.Seeing Liu Xuetai coming, he took his hand and said, "Mr., let's go to the trial bureau together!" Liu Kun shook his hand and said, "I don't want to see him! I entrust this case to you." After finishing speaking, he walked out of the Futai yamen angrily. Luo Bingzhang had no choice but to come to the trial bureau in person.Since taking over for more than a month, Zeng Guofan asked Wang Qi to kill people many times, and sometimes he didn't even want this form, and shot the prisoner to death on the spot.The thirteen criminals who killed and robbed the Wugu Fengmi Store last time did not even invite Wang Qi.Later, Zeng Guofan went to explain the situation in person, and saw a threatening letter from the Chuanzihui, although he also acquiesced, but as the governor, Luo Bingzhang felt bad after all.This time to kill a scholar, he didn't even say hello to Xuezheng. Fortunately, he was born in the Imperial Academy and served as the Minister of Rites for many years.In his eyes, there is no official position in Hunan! "Brother Disheng, many people are talking about Lin Mingguang's case." Luo Bingzhang decided to use this case to suppress Zeng Guofan's prestige, "Lin Mingguang is a scholar, how can he be imprisoned in a cage and paraded in the street? He killed too many people, Where is the benevolent government!" Zeng Guofan glanced at the certificate for a while, then threw it aside.I thought to myself: During this period, there have been a lot of opinions in the officialdom and the market. To stop these criticisms, we must first convince the highest official in the province, and the attitude must be tough. We can only advance, not retreat. If we retreat one step, all previous efforts will be wasted.Zeng Guofan said to Luo Bingzhang solemnly: "Brother Humen, there are many murders, and Fei Guofan is naturally bloodthirsty. This is a last resort. When it comes to investigation, it is the lack of strict governance of officials in Hunan, which caused the current situation." Luo Bingzhang was very unhappy when he heard this.This guy who had his head shaved, not only didn't check his faults, but beat him up, and he wants to pay for me!He interrupted Zeng Guofan: "You have to make it clear who is responsible for the lack of strict governance in Hunan." Zeng Guofan knew that Luo Bingzhang was offended, and in order to ease the atmosphere of the conversation, he wanted to stabilize the old man: "Luo Zhongcheng, I haven't finished talking yet. Of course, you are not responsible for the lax governance of Hunan officials; you have only been in Hunan for more than two years. I You are from Hunan, don’t you know that the chaos in Sanxiang has a long history. In the 23rd year of Daoguang, Wugang robbed rice and killed the magistrate. In the 24th year, Leiyang fought against grain. In the seventeenth year, Xinning organized the Bangbanghui again. In the twenty-ninth year, Li Yuan rebelled. None of this happened when you were in office, Brother Yumen." This explanation calmed Luo Bingzhang's anger: Zeng Guofan's spearhead was not aimed at him. "Brother Disheng, I'm not afraid that you will blame me, but Guixiang is a mess. When I was transferred here, I declined three times, but I had no choice but to take up the post after being encouraged by the emperor's gentle decree." "Zhongcheng is telling the truth." Zeng Guofan said earnestly, "The reason why Hunan has not been peaceful for many years is mainly because the local civil and military are timid and soft-handed. Cases that should not be handled every year are allowed to be delayed, and people who should be killed but not killed after decades of accumulation are allowed to run rampant. In this way, the outlaws in the countryside are rampant, thinking that the government is weak and can be bullied, and they take the lead in spreading rumors and deceiving people. If Lu Feiquan, Feng Dexin and others were loyal to their duties and suppressed them early, how could Hunan be in the situation it is today." Luo Bingzhang nodded and said yes: "It's because of their dereliction of duty that today's disaster is caused. It's rare for my dear friend to see clearly. Some people in the government and the opposition are ignorant and think that I, Luo Bingzhang, are incompetent." "Because Hunan has become so rotten, the Guofan's foolish opinion is that there is no need for heavy codes to eliminate violence, and the people will have no peace, and the province will have no peace. At present, there are turmoil in all directions, and traitors are rampant. Why do you talk about benevolent governance? The ancients Said: "Only those who are virtuous can subdue the people, and the second is fierce." A virtuous person is like Zhuge Kongming, who still governs Shu with power and ferocity, let alone my generation? Peace, then I will not hesitate to get the reputation of being cruel. In today's situation, I will do today's affairs. According to Guofan's humble opinion, I would rather kill by mistake than let it go lightly. Killing by mistake is only the revenge of one person, and doing it lightly will lead to causing harm to society." "What you said is indeed reasonable," Luo Bingzhang said, "However, it is too heavy to be punished by standing in a cage and parading through the streets with just a token." "The case of Lin Mingguang," Zeng Guofan said calmly, "Guofan believes that the most terrifying thing about banditry is not the bandits. There are only one or three or five bandits. Even if they do evil, the damage is limited. The terrible thing is the synagogue. They form gangs, Forming buddies to fight against the government is very harmful. The big ones are like long hairs, and the small ones are like Chuanzihui. This is a clear proof. The treatment of the gangsters must be especially strict. Once scholars participate in the affairs, make suggestions for them, and win people's hearts, it will make The synagogue is like adding wings to a tiger, like adding fuel to fire, and its harm to the country and the country will be immeasurable. I hope my brothers will not forget the lessons of Niu Jinxing and Li Yan who were rebellious and trespassers. I don’t know that Lin Mingguang’s crime is not to be killed. Punish one to correct a hundred, kill one to be cautious, has always been a difficult way for a country to be governed. Killing one Lin Mingguang will stop thousands of scholars from turning to the road of thieves. Even if it is too heavy or even wronged, lend him one head to secure the world , It can be said that it is worth it, there is no need to cry for grievances for Lin Mingguang, and ruin the plan of suppressing bandits by disturbing people's hearts. Brother Yumen, are you right?" Seeing that Luo Bingzhang was silent, Zeng Guofan changed his tone of sincerity and said: "Brother Yumen guards this territory for the emperor, and as the parent and official of tens of millions of people, he will naturally know that the mountains and rivers of Hunan and the heads of Yunyun and Guizhou should be the first. He will not put the lives of a few people above this. Guofan is a registered person, and he is ordered by the court to assist the governor in organizing regiment training. In order to calm the place, what he does is nothing but for the sake of his father and elders, and for you, the governor. Brother Yumen, it is understandable for others to accuse Guofan of killing people, why are you following others and accusing me?" These words were high-sounding and righteous, which left Luo Bingzhang speechless.After a long pause, he said: "Brother Disheng, I can understand your painstaking efforts, but others may not understand. For example, Lin Mingguang is a scholar who passed the government examination and is in charge of Liu Xuetai. If you don't greet him and ask for his consent, can he understand? Are you not afraid that he will sue the court?" Zeng Guofan smiled faintly: "The matter of Lin Mingguang should be reported to Liu Xuetai first, and then he will be punished after Liu Xuetai gets rid of his reputation as a scholar. But brother Yumen is not unaware of the old master's work. When this case is in his hands, at least it will be delayed." After half a year, it was finally settled. Kun Lao was well educated, and Guofan deeply admired it. But with all due respect, Kun Lao did not have the courage and strategy to secure the environment and protect the people. Besides, this case is a big one. This case is different from the usual crimes committed by scholars. In this extraordinary period, it can be dealt with according to the power. It should be said that what I killed was not a scholar, but a bandit and a scholastic scum. If Mr. Kun insisted on suing the court, let him sue Go, I can't stop it. If the court blames me, I will bear all the responsibilities and have nothing to do with Zhongcheng." Luo Bingzhang came here as a Daxing inquisitor, but was left speechless by Zeng Guofan's sufficient reasons and tough attitude, so he had to leave embarrassingly. Zeng Guofan thought of the fact that Hunan officials and the people have criticized him for his strict handling of banditry in the past few months, and it is inevitable that some of them were killed in vain. grounds for impeachment. He thought about it for a few days, and gave the emperor a "Strictly Handling Bandits to Calm the Place".Soon, the memorial was handed back by Zhu Biao: "To deal with bandits, we must be strict, and we must try to get rid of the roots. This is it." Zeng Guofan showed this Zhu Zhu to all civil and military yamen in Hunan.Since then, public accusations in official circles have disappeared. One day half a month later, Kang Fu came back from his work in Pingtang Town and quietly told Zeng Guofan: The case of Lin Mingguang was a serious grievance, and the people reacted greatly.Cao Keqin was bribed by Xiong's father and son, and the long-haired booklet was planted by Xiong's family.The Xiong family took advantage of this matter to put Lin Mingguang to death in order to avenge their old grudges and personal enmity.After hearing this, Zeng Guofan was not too surprised by Lin Mingguang's grievances, but he was very indignant at Cao Keqin's bribery. He hated officials who took bribes the most in his life.Zeng Guofan entrusted Kang Fu with a task, asking him, Peng Yuju, and Jiang Yili to secretly investigate the bribery situation among the committee members and the team members who pretended to be rewarded. Soon, Zeng Guofan took advantage of the imperial decree of "severely punishing bandits" to substantially eliminate the members of the adjudication bureau, and selected a group of honest and upright gentry and scholars from his old friends and the two academies of Yuelu and Chengnan. Make up for it; and all the members of the regiment who pretended to receive rewards will be vacated and returned to their hometowns, and a group of honest farmers will be recruited from the lotus leaf pond to replace them.Since then, he himself has become more cautious about the judgment. One day, the Liuyang County Youth League Training Institute sent people to the trial bureau, saying that Zhou Guoyu's Zhengyi Hall had revived again, and activities were rampant in the mountains and forests outside the city.The governor's yamen also received an emergency document from the county magistrate of Liuyang, and Luo Bingzhang asked Zeng Guofan to handle it. Zeng Guofan learned the lesson of Lin Mingguang's case, and he didn't dare to believe the banditry reported from below.He took Li Xubin, Zeng Guobao, Kang Fu, and Peng Yuju, disguised as ordinary people, and went to Liuyang in person to make a secret visit to Zhou Guoyu and Zhengyitang.