Qing Yao

Chapter 225 This is no ordinary rebel!
"Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty in the first year of the Shunzhi reign, more than a hundred years have passed. Thanks to the diligent governance of four generations of emperors, namely the Holy Ancestor, the Renzong Emperor, the Shizong Emperor, and the current Emperor, we have achieved a peaceful and prosperous country with a unified empire, where the people live in peace and contentment and the nation is thriving."
However, there are always stubborn and incorrigible people in this world who regard the Great Qing Dynasty as a foreign barbarian state and always want to overthrow the Qing and restore the so-called orthodox Han Chinese rule. Hmph, among these people, there are petty thieves who openly raise the flag of rebellion, and there are also thieves like those on the list who lurk in the streets and secretly collude, ready to make their move at any time.
This canal interruption, in my humble opinion, is ostensibly due to the canal workers' dissatisfaction with the withholding of their freight fees, but in reality, it is an unsuccessful attack launched against our Great Qing by traitorous forces hidden within the canal transport gangs.”

Zhao An's hatred for the rebels was clearly written on his face. This was not only a manifestation of his personal love for the Qing Dynasty and his master, but also a way of hoping that his master would not make a political mistake.

The crackdown on the internal criminal gangs of the Grand Canal Gang is, in fact, a major focus of the imperial court and the provincial government. If you, Master Zhao, do not cooperate, then don’t blame Censor Zhao for writing the truth, saying that he is unable to mobilize the local garrison to crack down on the criminal and rebellious forces of the Grand Canal Gang.

Why won't the garrison be deployed?

Because the commander disagreed.

Why did the commander disagree?

Do you, Master Zhao, hope the Emperor will consider this matter, or does the Governor want to consider it?

"Today, no matter how deeply these rebels hide or how powerful they are, I swear I will never let them live under the same sky, and I will risk my life to uproot these rebels!"

At the height of his emotions, Zhao An couldn't help but stand up, speaking with great passion, "In short, we must never let the rebels destroy our hard-won peaceful life, nor can we allow anyone to become a shield for the rebels!"
We must arrest a number of people and execute a number of others; no one can shake our resolve. We must responsibly deliver a satisfactory report to the Emperor, the court, and the people of Yangzhou!

"."

Looking at Professor Zhao, Committee Member Zhao, and Censor Zhao, who were spitting everywhere, the Chief Censor was a little confused and couldn't help but stop them. "Professor, can we not talk so vaguely? Just tell me how much silver I will get after it's done."

Zhao An blurted out, "After deducting the amount reported, the rest will be split 50/50 between you and me."

Master Zhao was very efficient. Less than an hour after he issued the command token, two captains and four lieutenants from the Yangzhou camp rushed to the magistrate's office.

Since they didn't know what was going on, the officers were all completely confused.

"Lord Zhao, what are you doing here?"

Among the four officers who arrived was Hou Feng, who had once led troops to protect Zhao An. Seeing Zhao An also busy at the magistrate's office, he came over to greet him and asked what had happened to Zhao An.

Zhao An smiled and nodded: "What is it? Your superiors will tell you later."

Hou Feng said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions. A short while later, the magistrate arrived.

The upright-looking official immediately concluded that there was an anti-Qing force within the canal gang, and that the garrison should now be dispatched to arrest these traitors.

He then pointed out the importance of Zhao An, the Imperial Inspector of the Grand Canal, and demanded that all officers and soldiers participating in the operation obey Zhao An's command.

"Whoo!"

The six officers responded simultaneously and immediately received a list of those they were responsible for searching.

The officer in charge of the agency said with an iron face: "Once you get there, arrest everyone, and execute anyone who resists arrest on the spot!"

Zhao An added, "I have already sent people to inform Yangzhou Prefecture and Ganquan and Jiangdu counties that you only need to arrest people and do not need to worry about anything else."

"Whoo!"

The officers responded again, not daring to delay, and quickly dispatched soldiers to arrest the man.

As the Imperial Inspector in charge of the grain transport and the commander of this operation, Zhao An personally led the team, which consisted of Hou Feng's men.

Upon hearing that they were going with Lord Zhao to capture rebels, the soldiers were energized as if they had been injected with chicken blood, without needing Zhao An to give them a pre-battle pep talk about cracking down on organized crime. Their target was the stronghold of Chen Gong, the first gang leader to be killed, hidden in a mansion in the wealthy district of Jiangdu County.

On the surface it was a mansion, but in reality it was a very luxurious gambling den. Sun Rui said that this gambling den alone had a daily turnover of tens of thousands of taels of silver, with a profit of at least 30%.

This gambling den played a crucial role in Chen Gongneng's rapid rise to power within the canal gang.

No matter what year it is, money talks.

When the soldiers stormed into the gambling den, there were at least sixty or seventy gamblers inside. The sudden appearance of the soldiers terrified the gamblers, who thought the government had come to arrest them. Some stood frozen in fear, while others ran away in a panic.

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of the gambling den staff. A middle-aged man who looked like a manager stormed down from upstairs, pointing at Hou Feng who had rushed in with his men, and yelled, "Which government department are you from? Do you know whose territory this is?! You've got some nerve coming here to cause trouble!"

Among the group of thugs who came up behind the manager, one of them recognized Hou Feng and couldn't help but shout, "Commander Hou, you may have lost money, but you can't come here to cause trouble! If you keep doing this, I'll bring some men to the training ground to make you pay back your money."

These words put Hou Feng in a very awkward position. He hadn't expected that scoundrel Shi Laosan would be here too.

But then Zhao's voice rang in my ears: "What are you standing there for? Arrest these rebels! Anyone who resists arrest will be killed on sight!"

"Whoo!"

Hou Feng subconsciously waved his hand, and a group of soldiers immediately stepped forward and arrested the group. Some people ran away, but no one dared to grab a weapon and resist arrest.

These are truly government soldiers!

"Commander Hou, I'm just a bouncer. When did I become a traitor? You can't make baseless accusations! Tell your men to release me right now, and I'll talk to my superiors and ask them to reduce your interest rate!"

Shi Laosan was also arrested, and in desperation, he shouted at Hou Feng.

This made Hou Feng not only embarrassed but also ashamed, since owing gambling debts was a very shameful thing.

Zhao An stepped forward, glanced at the troublemaker, and asked Hou Feng, "Do you know this traitor?"

"I,"

Hou Feng didn't know how to answer and stammered.

But Shi Laosan was displeased and shouted at Zhao An, who was dressed in official robes, "Sir, don't wrong me! I, Shi Laosan, have done all sorts of things in my life, but I've never been a rebel. You officials don't wrong people like this!"

"Injustice?"

Zhao An sized up Shi Laosan, who looked defiant. "If I say you're a traitor, then you are. Come on, drag him away!"

"Whoo!"

Several soldiers immediately rushed up and tried to drag Shi Laosan out.

Shi Laosan shouted anxiously, "Injustice! The officials are framing me! I won't accept this! I'll file a complaint! I'll appeal to the emperor! I refuse to believe there's no law in this world!"

Ok?
Zhao An's nerves were provoked. "Anyone who dares to file a complaint with the emperor is no ordinary rebel. Guards, go and lock up his parents, wife, children, and all his relatives!"

(End of this chapter)