Tiger Guards

Chapter 693 The Echoes Continue
As the year draws to a close, the lockdown measures in the counties downstream of the Fen River have been slightly relaxed.

The guards and officers stationed at the passes and fortifications were all recruited from nearby areas. They were human beings too, and they also missed their families.

Especially after news of the crucial victory in Liangzhou was relayed from Jinyang to the counties and prefectures, the entire Fen River basin was filled with joy.

Zhao Ji crossed the river at Longmen and waited on the east bank for the officers and soldiers to follow.

A messenger rode straight up, dismounted, and handed over the waterproof paint bucket he was carrying: "Pingyang Express Delivery".

The officer on duty took the lacquer bucket, weighed it in his hand, and then glanced at the wax seal on it.

After confirming that everything was correct, he said, "Go and rest."

"Here."

The rider agreed, and immediately a guard stepped forward and led him to rest by a campfire on the side.

The lacquer bucket bearing the seal of Jia Xu, the strategist, was quickly delivered to Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji read through Jia Xu's handwritten letter and the confession of Ma Wan that was tucked inside, and his brows furrowed.

Ma Wan was already dead. After the Jinyang court informed the counties under its jurisdiction of the great victory in Liangzhou, Ma Wan hanged himself.

On his deathbed, he left behind a suicide note confessing his guilt.

At this moment, Zhao Ji showed no emotion whatsoever. The saying "respect for the dead" is actually bullying those who have no voice.

If the Liangzhou front collapses, and Han Sui's rebel army joins forces with the powerful local magnates of Tianshui to invade Guanzhong, Jia Tong's Chencang defense line will be unable to withstand it.

When Pei Mao raises his banner in Chang'an, the Three Auxiliary Regions and Hongnong will inevitably be thrown into chaos.

It's possible that Zhang Lu in Hanzhong will be forced to side with the rebels, and Liu Zhang and Liu Biao's armies could cross the Qinling Mountains and appear in Guanzhong.

Once the situation deteriorates layer by layer, how could someone like Ma Wan be ashamed enough to commit suicide or admit his mistakes?
Ma Wan's suicide was not because he was ashamed or too embarrassed to face himself; it was simply a different kind of surrender, losing half the battle but unexpectedly saving his family.

Unfortunately, Ma Wan miscalculated.

If he had come from the Hedong Tiger Army, like Wang Cheng, Zhao Ji would have shown some consideration for the "one of his own" relationship.

What is Kemawan?
The Ma family behind Ma Wan had long harbored an irreconcilable hatred towards Zhao Ji.

Ma Wan's suicide further intensified the hatred of the Ma clan towards Zhao Ji and the Xin Dynasty.

Even if Zhao Ji wisely committed suicide to avoid the Ma Shi clan, how many members of the mainstream Ma Shi clan would be grateful to Zhao Ji?

If Zhao Ji were in Ma Wan's shoes, even if he survived because Ma Wan committed suicide out of fear of punishment, he would not accept the court's favor. He would only consider it as something Ma Wan had paid for with his life, and he would be grateful to Ma Wan and others who shared the same position.

Zhao Ji held Ma Wan's will, pondered for a moment, and considered the severity of the execution... This kind of thing certainly cannot be imitated by Wang Yun's three clans.

"Issue the order: Ma Wan plotted rebellion, and when his plot was exposed, he feared for his life and sought death. Such disrespect for the laws of the court should be severely punished without leniency. All male members of Ma Wan's family for three generations shall be executed immediately, and all female members shall be confiscated and sent to the weaving workshop. Those widowed due to his crime shall be remarried and sent to the four prefectures of Shuofang as government slaves. Those members of his maternal and wife's families who hold official positions shall be dismissed."

As Zhao Ji recounted his proposed punishment, Wen Hui quickly sketched it down and asked, "Grand Tutor, have Ma Wan's uncle, cousins, and brothers' sons been executed?"

“The male members of the three generations are: the father and his brothers as the top, the middle as Ma Wan and his brothers and cousins, and the bottom as Ma Wan and his relatives and cousins’ sons.”

Zhao Ji pondered and explained: "That is, all male members of Ma Wan's family below his grandfather were executed; if his grandfather was still alive, he was demoted to a government slave; if Ma Wan's brothers had grandsons, regardless of age, they were all confiscated and made government slaves."

Basically, no male children were left behind; they were all sent to the government wards as slaves, even three- or four-year-old children... In fact, they could find jobs that suited their age group.

Human potential is truly immense; the saying "children from poor families mature early" is no exaggeration.

Even more ruthless than the children of poor families are the children of slaves, who are born knowing how to work.

If a child isn't enslaved by government officials, they still have a chance to survive and gain freedom. The younger the child is after they are no longer enslaved, the greater the chance they will be adopted by other officials who manage the slave trade.

Wen Hui quickly took notes, recording Zhao Ji's punishment in greater detail. Only after understanding the spirit of Zhao Ji's punishment could Wen Hui make any adjustments.

Unimportant matters can be slowed down or changed to some extent; but critical matters must be implemented.

For example, this time, the goal is to completely ruin Ma Wan's home.

All male descendants below the grandfather were executed. Even if there were any grandsons born prematurely, they would ultimately be deprived of the family education that the sons of powerful families should receive because they lost the care of their grandmothers, mothers, and sisters.

Even if someone is still alive in the future, it is no longer a concern... With such a background, even if one were to redeem oneself through meritorious service in the official residence, one would still be unable to join the army or enter officialdom due to Ma Wan's crimes.

Wen Hui quickly wrote out a draft and handed it to Zhao Ji for review.

Zhao Ji glanced at the simple text mixed with an equally simple genealogical diagram and nodded: "Do it this way, execute it immediately."

While taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Ji also targeted men from Ma Wan's maternal and paternal families who had entered officialdom, merely as a convenient means of suppression. Zhao Ji disliked the practice of powerful families and officials forming alliances through marriage.

Faced with such fundamental principles, no matter how talented or innocent the men of the Ma Wan's mother's and wife's clans are, they cannot change or back down.

If you are truly talented, you will definitely have other opportunities to enter officialdom in the future.

As for the question of innocence, Zhao Ji himself came from a humble but powerful family, so he naturally knew that in the chaotic times before, for a family to be able to eat its fill and grow strong, it was itself full of various illegal means.

Given the current climate where people cannot survive by obeying the law, choosing illegal means is understandable and morally justifiable.

For an individual or family, doing too many illegal things will only take them further and further away from morality.

Therefore, no matter how severe the punishment, Zhao Ji would not feel guilty.

The leap in social status meant that there were no longer any honest, kind, or gentle people around Zhao Ji.

Being surrounded by wolves and tigers, killing those around you... is just like killing tigers, leopards, jackals, and foxes. How could you possibly feel guilty?
After dealing with the Ma Wan matter simply and brutally, Zhao Ji picked up Jia Xu's official document. The document contained nothing else but an accusation that Protector Pei Xiu had privately mobilized troops, sending a hundred cavalry units away from the Pingyang camp.

Two days after leaving camp, they have not returned.

Pei Xiu and Jia Xu are both capable of mobilizing armies of a hundred men. This force can launch a surprise attack, accurately decapitating the enemy and quelling any potential mutinies in advance.

The problem now is that Pei Xiu's hundred cavalry units have not reported their mission to Jia Xu or Zhang Hong, nor have they returned to camp to report on their duties.

Zhao Ji was only puzzled, but he naturally trusted Pei Xiu.

Pei Xiu also had the same idea: to establish his own lineage outside of Lao Zhao's.

Despite hearing about the many great deeds of the Pei family of Wenxi, Pei Xiu, who lost his father at a young age, was not particularly impressed.

"Inform the Pingyang camp of Wang Cheng and Ma Wan of their suicides out of fear of punishment and the punishments imposed by the headquarters. Clearly inform all officers and soldiers in the camp that I despise cowards who commit suicide out of fear of punishment. Anyone who voluntarily submits a letter to me to plead guilty will be spared death; all officers above the rank of deputy captain may submit such letters. At the same time, no one is allowed to denounce each other; those who do will be severely punished. Also, send a separate letter to Chief Secretary Zhang, asking him to appease the military commander. Any other major matters will be discussed when I return."

"Here."

Wen Hui agreed in a deep voice. At this moment, Zhao Ji looked at Wei Ji, who was deep in thought on the other side: "Bo Yu, I'll give you twenty or so riders. Go to the Pingyang camp immediately to see Wen Li. Tell him that I can handle worse things. Even if the situation is bad, it's still better than when I first joined the Tiger Warriors. Ask him not to make things difficult for me."

"only."

Wei Kai bowed deeply, having grasped some clues, but he was still unsure of what to believe.

(End of this chapter)