Chapter 789
The crimes Qin Linfeng committed were a dead end, no matter which states the law or military discipline. What made Zhao Bing even more disappointed was that he did not know how to die. Not only did he not "sent to surrender himself" after receiving his warning, he did not stop. When he was cleaning the battlefield after the war, he also intercepted the spoils and put a lot of property in his pocket. He secretly joked that he did not know how to enjoy it. As the emperor, he fought everywhere every day, and could not eat well or sleep well. It would be better to be a local official by himself, with good food and drink, and he would not lack money.
Now that the revolution has not yet succeeded, he not only lost his enterprising spirit, but also developed a sense of pleasure. This is just one point Zhao Bing felt that this person could no longer be used, nor could he stay, and he wanted to use his head to warn him. He knew very well that after so many years in Qiongzhou, those who had seen the world of Jiangnan in the past would inevitably be ready to move, and the first time he saw it was easy to fall into it, thinking that he should enjoy it even after suffering for so many years. If this idea spreads, it would be very dangerous and would destroy his great cause of restoration.
Since Zhao Bing entered the commander's office until he ascended the throne to today, he has executed many officials who violated national laws and military disciplines, and Qin Linfeng, a senior official who made him murderous intent, was the first. The family law of the Song Dynasty has always adhered to the principle of less killing, especially the few senior military officers who were rarely sentenced to death for corruption. However, he could not tolerate the existence of such corrupt officials, allowing them to erode the country's body at will. However, it was still very sad to kill a meritorious minister who had followed his subordinates in extreme difficulties and established a base in Qiongzhou.
Zhao Bing has always been a good plan and likes to get the greatest benefit at the smallest cost. Now, whether it is to kill a chicken to warn the monkey or to kill one to warn a hundred, he wants to use this to warn the entire army. Then he needs to make it clear that the canon is punished so that everyone in the world knows that corruption is the end. Even if he is in a high position, he does not have the privilege of corruption, and he cannot escape the punishment of national laws and military discipline. The problem is difficult and it is difficult to punish it.
Qin Linfeng was immersed in the Fujian-Guangzhou area for many years. Not only did he cover the sky with his own hands in the Weisheng army, but his local forces were also mixed. He used assassination or secret execution, and then declared his death on the grounds of sudden death, the turmoil caused by the death was minimal. Then this unclear practice would not serve as a warning and it would be difficult to recover his corruption gains. In this way, even if someone knew the cause of his death, it would be difficult to deter it. Instead, some people would have the idea of "I died and I was happy for several generations."
Of course, these things were not figured out by Zhao Bing, but were drawn from the famous "tyrant" Yongzheng in history. His predecessor Kangxi personally created a "peaceful and prosperous era", which also left serious sequelae: corruption in the administration, tax shortages, and emptiness of the treasury. When Yongzheng took over, the treasury reserved was only eight million taels, but the deficit was astonishingly large. In the severe situation, whether for public or private, it was imperative to clear up the accumulated debts and kill corrupt officials. But his anti-corruption measures were not only this. In addition to punishing and killing corrupt officials, Yongzheng also had more thorough measures.
According to the common sense of human nature, killing people is just a matter of head-on. Once a person dies, no matter how big the matter is, it will be over. Unfortunately, Yongzheng did not take this trick. No matter what kind of ordinary and unresponsive, he would not be criticized. What he wants to do must be done well, and no one should be lucky. He said: These people know that they are extremely guilty and cannot protect themselves, so they want to deny themselves, and use death to protect their property and let their descendants enjoy it. This is absolutely impossible.
From this point of view, corrupt officials are not only dead, but not even dead. Their policy is to not let him go if he dies. Once the crimes of corrupt officials are verified, Yongzheng ordered that they should not be indifferent to the Sun, and that they should be punished strictly. When they chased the water and the mountains are poor, they must be called poor, so that they can match my wishes. After this order, there will be a lot of house searches across the country, and Yongzheng will also be given the title of the emperor for raiding the house. It can also show how deeply the resentment of this mean emperor in the officialdom at that time.
As a modern person, Zhao Bing certainly knew that anti-corruption was not even allowed to die, and pursued the enemy to the King of Hell. According to the modern concept of rule of law, this was wrong. However, he also knew that Jiangnan, he took over, had become corrupt as a trend before the country was destroyed. After plundering in the tenth year of the Mongol Yuan, the officialdom had already been rotten, and a social atmosphere of not being ashamed of corruption.
In this social atmosphere, Zhao Bing knew that only by using heavy punishments in troubled times, planning for the country and the country, not being like this would not be enough to correct the situation. Without such a cruelty, he would not be able to stop the trend of corruption. Then Qin Linfeng would be a typical example to warn future generations. Perhaps if his head fell alone, he could take it as a warning to the world. I don’t know how many people could restrain themselves and keep their heads.
Although Zhao Bing made up his mind to kill Qin Linfeng, and reorganized the Weisheng Army and made a response arrangement. But he also knew that it would be better not to do this matter himself, so as not to lose the reputation of killing the "meritorious officials" and attacking dissidents. Although it is suspected of becoming a bitch and establishing a archway, he still has to cherish his feathers when using people. With such a bad reputation, who dares to follow him to conquer the world?
If he doesn't take action, someone else will inevitably take action. Zhao Bing thought of Wen Tianxiang, who was the right prime minister of the court, had a high position and was in power, and he was in charge of the Western Road war. Weisheng Army was under his command, and he was a suitable candidate for him in any aspect. Moreover, he did not let him kill the heroes, so Qin Linfeng's crimes were a foregone conclusion. Letting him as a thug will not only not be a bad reputation, but will also help improve his prestige and establish the name of the iron-blooded prime minister who is honest and upright...
"Your Majesty, I think this matter should be decided immediately and deal with it as soon as possible to avoid changes!" Wen Tianxiang thought for a long time before looking up and saying solemnly.
"Well, I think it's true." Zhao Bing nodded heavily, "Qin Linfeng has been engaged in private fraud and has been able to fill his personal pockets for more than a day and a half. He uses his power to do business with the Mongol Yuan, and it is difficult to guarantee that he will not collude with the enemy. Now that our army has just recovered Ezhou, the Weisheng Army is placed at the forefront again, I am really worried."
"That is, Ezhou cannot be captured for a long time, and the defense line of Weisheng's army was repeatedly broken by the enemy, approaching the camp, threatening the place where His Majesty's garrison was stationed. Now he wants to come to him and cannot escape suspicion. Now that Weisheng's army is stationed in Xiakou and Hankou, if he has a different intention, Ezhou will be very dangerous, and it is not appropriate to let him return to defense!" Wen Tianxiang frowned and said.
He was very clear about the current situation. Xiakou and Hankou guarded the Hanjiangkou, which can be said to be the outpost of Ezhou City. Once the enemy surrenders without fighting, the enemy can approach the city of Ezhou and go downstream to threaten the capital. Now that the guards are stationed here, they may not dare to act without action, and once the sage leaves, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not take action; if they are transferred back to Fujian and Guang, there are also hidden dangers. Because the army is eager to seize the Yangtze River defense line, they only stay in important local cities, and many prefectures and counties have not been recovered, and the rear is not stable. The enemy still has certain strength. If they cooperate with the inside and outside, the situation will be even more difficult to control.
"Since that's the case, Qin Linfeng can't stay. But he has heavy troops in his hand and remote control of Fujian and Guangxi, which is very difficult to deal with!" Zhao Bing sighed lightly.
"Your Majesty, can anyone else know about this?" Wen Tianxiang said in a low voice.
"There are only you and I who know this matter at the moment. Others who know the inside story are under control and will never leak news." Zhao Bing replied.
"This is the best, our monarch and ministers can arrange things in secret and calmly, and then take them down in one fell swoop, and quickly calm the matter!" Wen Tianxiang said.
"Well, then there will be Lao Wenxiang in charge of this matter, and I will support it with all my strength." Zhao Bing nodded and said.
"Dividing the worries of the king and eliminating the traitors for the country is the duty of the minister, and he will definitely not let down the entrustedness of Your Majesty!" Wen Tianxiang said politely.
"The handling of this matter must be decisive and arranged in a strict manner. At the same time, he must control his confidant in the Weisheng army, and avoid causing chaos and prevent him from leading his troops to flee to Jiangbei." Zhao Bing reminded.
"Your Majesty, I have recorded it. But... I don't know if Gao Yu is involved in it and is involved?" Wen Tianxiang hesitated and asked again.
"As far as I know, Gao Yu is not involved at this time, but he not only failed to stop his actions, nor did he find out his evil, or turned a blind eye, but he also had mistakes!" Zhao Bing said. He knew that when Xie Ao was founded by Wen Tianxiang's mansion, he led hundreds of troops to serve as an advisory committee member, and was also his old subordinate, so he was worried that he would be involved.
"Oh, Gao Yu really failed His Majesty's trust. Not only did he fail to manage Fujian and Guangxi well, he knew nothing about such a big thing in the territory." Wen Tianxiang sighed and said, "Your Majesty, can you let him make meritorious and go to the place where he calmed down?"
"Wen Xiang also knows that if the news leaks out, it will cause chaos. Whether Gao Yu is involved has not been verified yet. If there is any accident, wouldn't it be a mistake?" Zhao Bing shook his head and refused.
"Your Majesty said very well, but if all the military and political officials were dealt with, would the local area be shaken and everyone would be in danger?" Wen Tianxiang said after hearing this. Although he felt sorry for Xie Ao, he also understood that for several years, if he had not heard of what Qin Linfeng did, no one would believe it. Although the little emperor said tactfully, he obviously had already included Xie Ao as the suspect. At least he would not trust him until the matter was revealed, and his future suddenly became slim, which he did not want to see.
"The best thing to do with literary bad luck is to remove corrupt officials. If all corruption is removed, the world will enjoy its benefits. We cannot harm future generations because of a temporary urgent situation!" Zhao Bing flatly refused.
"Your Majesty, Gao Yu is still young after all, and he is not the mastermind. If he is punished by this implication, his future will be ruined. It's a pity that his talent and knowledge are all!" Wen Tianxiang still did not give up and tried to save him.
"Wen Xiang should know that small mistakes will become great evils. If someone had already exposed Qin Linfeng's affairs, it would not have been a big mistake today. Not only would he lose his life, but he would also implicate his family. After Gao Yu's affairs are found out, they will be punished according to his faults. Wen Xiang should also believe that I will deal with them fairly. If others are involved, I will not tolerate them, whether they are a high-ranking minister or a minor official in the village." Zhao Bing said solemnly.
"Your Majesty, I will never abandon the public because of my personal gain. I also believe that Your Majesty can handle it impartially. I hope he can keep himself clean and not get involved." Wen Tianxiang sighed lightly.
"As the prime minister of a country, you should know that governing a country first, and you should know that corruption in officials is the road to destruction of the country. You must not be ruthless, and don't be afraid of criticism from others. I believe that justice is in the hearts of the people!" Looking at Wen Tianxiang's slightly disappointed expression, Zhao Bing cheered him up. He remembered Yongzheng again, which used an extremely dictatorial method to punish corruption. During his rule, corruption was almost extinct, and everyone in the officialdom was walking on thin ice and protecting themselves with integrity. It became one of the most bizarre facts in history. His reputation in history was also due to his rectification of officials.
In the late Kangxi period, due to the repeated resolution of the crown prince, Emperor Kangxi was exhausted and his political discipline was abolished. Kangxi was unable to follow his will and adopted a strategy of leniency. Many corrupt officials did not know how to be grateful, embezzled and accepted bribes, and were unscrupulous. At the beginning of Yongzheng's tenure, economic measures were issued in succession, and he was distributing to the acres of acres, and he was expendable to the public, setting up a bank for raising integrity, relaxing the ban on trade in Fujian, Guangdong and Southeast Asia, etc. In addition, he declared war on the officialdom and punished corruption and promoted integrity.
There are also concerns about Yongzheng's punishment of corruption and corruption. In many areas of severely affected corruption, nearly half of the officials were dismissed within a year, so that the governor was worried: "If you mention the participation again, no one will do anything." This means that if the Discipline Inspection Commission continues to investigate, the officialdom will be suspended. Yongzheng responded clearly: Strictly punish greed and clear the treasury, and there is no need to avoid it, and he will be disturbed by chasing and disturbing him.
On the surface, it seems a bit cruel, but in an era when corruption became popular, Yongzheng's measures were considered to be poisoned to fight poison, which was extremely effective. Once officials were discovered, they would never tolerate corruption. Punish corruption and eliminate corruption, whether royal relatives or veterans, they would severely punish them without lending, and most of them would not be able to save their lives. In just five years of anti-corruption and promoting integrity, the treasury reserves increased from 8 million taels at the end of the Kangxi period to 50 million taels. More importantly, the social atmosphere changed. The statement that Yongzheng had no clear officials during the dynasty may be a bit exaggerated, but it was an affirmation of Yongzheng's governance of corruption.
Yongzheng also offended many people because of his upright and strict management of officials, which caused rumors that the court and the public were unfavorable. Yongzheng wrote the plaque "It's hard for the king" and engraved the treasure seal "It's hard for the king", which all showed his situation as a king of a country. He once ordered in the first year of Yongzheng: "How can the people be safe if the government is not clear?" This phrase can also be recorded in history. Without Emperor Yongzheng's powerful and effective administration, there would never be the glory of the 60th year of Qianlong in the future.
Chapter completed!