Chapter 1044: Seizing Power

"There are thieves in Fuyang Mountain, who have repeatedly robbed the roads, killed people and seized goods, are bold and reckless, and are guilty of heinous crimes. Fan Gong, Assistant Prefect Wang, this subordinate thinks that this matter cannot be ignored. It is necessary to dispatch troops and generals and move with thunder. Only in this way can we deter other thieves, rectify the majesty of our dynasty, and protect the stability of the people of Hangzhou."

Zhang Xianjue said very firmly, which can be called righteous, and even faintly had a bit of indignation.

This is understandable, because Wang Yan specifically took care of the caravan of the Zhang family's relatives, robbing a batch of refined sugar, as well as some medicinal materials and furs, with considerable losses.

"Signatory Judge Zhang's words make sense." Wang Yan gave face and supported him, "This group of thieves really should be eliminated. I heard that they robbed the three wealthy families of Qian, Liu, and Zhang, all of which are the foundation of our Hangzhou. Our Qiantang is prosperous precisely because of these wealthy families managing commercial affairs, connecting the north and south, and selling goods.

Fan Gong, this subordinate thinks that elite Garrison troops should be dispatched to suppress the bandits. Such an important task should be supervised by a prefecture official. It is good to let the people know that we prefecture officials are worried about the safety of the people."

"Assistant Prefect Wang's words are reasonable. When I first took office, I cleared up the banditry in the prefecture. I didn't expect that after only a few months, it would make trouble again." Fan Zhongyan seemed very disappointed and shook his head, "I don't know who can take on this important task?"

Signatory Judge Zhang took the conversation: "Fan Gong, why not let Assistant Prefect Wang go? I heard that Assistant Prefect Wang is both civil and military, and understands military affairs. He will definitely turn his hand to defeat the thieves and return in triumph."

"Alas, Signatory Judge Zhang overestimates me. I have just entered officialdom, how can such an important task be entrusted to me? I am not afraid of messing things up, but I am afraid of messing things up and not being able to suppress the bandits and pacify the people. Moreover, I am still young and afraid that it will be difficult to convince the public. Signatory Judge Zhang is experienced and experienced. Such an important task, no one can replace Signatory Judge Zhang, and he must go in person."

"As for the affairs in the prefecture, Signatory Judge Zhang just needs to make arrangements. All the gentlemen present are capable ministers of the dynasty. Signatory Judge Zhang will be away for ten days or half a month, and I think everything will be as usual, and there will be no major problems. Moreover, with Fan Gong sitting in town, Signatory Judge Zhang can go and suppress the bandits with peace of mind."

Wang Yan's posture was low, and he said that Zhang Xianjue was unique, which made Zhang Xianjue very satisfied.

"Assistant Prefect Wang is really too polite, this subordinate is just..."

"Signatory Judge Zhang, don't be humble. This matter is yours. Arrange the affairs on hand and lead the troops to suppress the bandits tomorrow." Fan Zhongyan waved his hand, which was considered to have settled this matter.

"Follow Fan Gong's will." Signatory Judge Zhang bowed and did not refuse.

He had no reason to refuse, because to a certain extent, this is a good thing. Although military generals are not welcomed, no one dares to say that they don't value military affairs. After all, the Great Song is often beaten and has to pay protection money, which can be considered a consensus. Therefore, this kind of battle where civil officials lead troops to suppress bandits in the local area is considered a relatively good resume.

Of course, everyone knows it, but there are few who are willing to do it, because it is thankless and cannot be driven away or killed. It's just that this time the Zhang family's things were robbed, and Zhang Xianjue has been very majestic recently, so he wants to go out and stroll around.

He is not afraid of Wang Yan taking the opportunity to seize power, because he has been here for a long time and has deep management. He is confident that even if he leaves, Wang Yan will not be able to make any big waves. Even with Fan Zhongyan's support, it is the same. After all, no matter how great Fan Zhongyan is, everyone works together, and there is nothing to say.

Especially since Fan Zhongyan is already old and was kicked out after failing in the struggle. Respect is respect, but if it affects interests, even the Emperor won't work. Otherwise, how were Fan Zhongyan and others kicked out of the capital?

Zhang Xianjue naturally understands that Wang Yan will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble and seize power, but he has the confidence. Moreover, he has to go, because he is indeed the most suitable person, not to mention that he robbed his family's business...

So Zhang Xianjue happily accepted the order. On the same day, he called the Hangzhou Garrison commander over to give face-to-face instructions, and in the evening, he called several other high-ranking officials, as well as the heads of the Cao departments, to have a meal together, and once again reached a consensus that it was necessary to crush Wang Yan and never give him a chance to seize power. Early the next morning, he left with five hundred Garrison troops and began the magnificent journey of suppressing bandits.

Wang Yan got up early, met with other officials, and watched the large team set off. However, the other officials had no patience, and they broke up when the people were far away.

Only Wang Yan stood with his hands behind his back, watching until the people disappeared.

"Master, there is no need to give this Signatory Judge Zhang such a big face, right? Master is a superior official." Little Dongliang stared at the team that was almost out of sight, quite unhappy.

"What's the use of being a superior official? Having power is the real official. Moreover, people are also suppressing bandits and pacifying the people. Fan Gong is old, so it's not good to toss him. If I, an Assistant Prefect with only a name, don't show up, it would be too unreasonable."

"I think they are all in the same group, deliberately squeezing us out."

"You see it well, but it won't be many days. Let's go, go back to eat."

After speaking, Wang Yan got on the carriage and swayed back to the mansion. Hualan had been waiting for him to come back to eat.

"I said there's no need to wait for me, just eat by yourself."

"It's not that time." Hualan virtuously served Wang Yan porridge, and the two sat at the table and started eating.

Looking at Hualan's hesitant look, Wang Yan said: "If you have something to say, don't be hesitant."

"After you left the mansion this morning, I received several letters from home. The Sheng family's main branch wants to come to Hangzhou to do business, and my mother's family also has this intention. My father said in the letter that my aunt's husband's family also wants to come to do business, but Father didn't agree. He also said that you don't need to worry, everything is up to you."

Hualan took several letters out of her sleeve and put them on the table, and then silently ate without speaking. She knew that Wang Yan's situation was not very good, but she had to say it, and she was also in a dilemma.

Wang Yan picked up the letter and said: "Doing business is a small matter. Although I am an Assistant Prefect without real power, I still have this bit of face. Our own family's business is not bad, right? It's just that wanting me to abuse power for personal gain is not possible. I can guarantee that other officials won't make mischief, but I can't help them bully local merchants.

In addition, there is the most important point. In the next few months, I want to set up a name to increase commercial taxes. If the main branch can accept it, then come. If they can't accept it, let them keep it secret and let this matter rot in their stomachs. You must carefully consider the wording so as not to leave any handles. As for Mother-in-law's family, forget it."

The Sheng family's main branch is relatively honest, and the remaining Wang and Kang families are not good people. They can't keep secrets, and they are not people who can do things. If they are not careful, they will make mischief for him with others, which is meaningless. These two families are only suitable for use when they are righteous and destroy their relatives.

"Good."

Hualan nodded and didn't say anything more. She also knew what the Wang and Kang families did. Wang Yan looked down on them, and she also looked down on them. It was just her own mother who would inevitably write letters to nag.

She turned to ask: "Is the master going to fight for power?"

"If you don't fight, how can you have power? Signatory Judge Zhang went out to suppress bandits, and those who made things difficult for me lost their backbone, which is much easier to deal with."

"Master, be careful."

"Just a group of rats, my lady, just watch how your husband seizes power."

Power struggle is actually not that complicated, and it is generally as interesting as high-end business wars. It's just that people are accustomed to adding a layer of filter to some unreachable people and things, making these struggles look high-end and sound confusing.

For example, the most classic, some high-end people, need translation to understand what they are saying. Some works involving officialdom also always have deep meanings in many words, but how is that possible?

But sometimes, some scenes, there are indeed references, this is certain. People are not machines, and it is impossible for every sentence to have several layers of meaning. But after all, they are turning their brains to earn capital for themselves, or throwing the pot, or studying others, there is always something that cannot be said directly, and it is indeed necessary to pay attention to the method and give people hints.

Wang Yan's power struggle in Hangzhou was not high-end. He just audited the account books, found various discrepancies, and transferred away Signatory Judge Zhang, who took the lead in making things difficult for him, which gave him room to find things to do.

And from beginning to end, he didn't use Fan Zhongyan's help. After all, he was an Assistant Prefect, and he still had the power to look at account books. Transferring Signatory Judge Zhang was also because he had people rob the Zhang family's caravan, and the county below really couldn't solve it, and dispatching troops and generals really needed civil officials to supervise. No matter how you say it, Signatory Judge Zhang was the most suitable candidate...

So when Fan Zhongyan and Wang Yan appeared at the Ever-Normal Granary with minor officials, people were panicked.

"Liang, the Judicial Military Advisor, Fan Gong is the Prefect of this prefecture, and Wang is the Assistant Prefect of this prefecture. Both of us are here. I really don't know what is unseeable in this Ever-Normal Granary. Could it be that there is no grain in this Ever-Normal Granary?"

"No, no, the Ever-Normal Granary naturally has grain." The Judicial Military Advisor surnamed Liang was sweating like rain, but still stubbornly accompanied with a smiling face, "It's just that the sealing method of the Ever-Normal Granary is not like an ordinary warehouse. In order to prevent..."

Judicial Military Advisor Liang stammered about the method of storing grain in the Ever-Normal Granary, using his heart for two purposes, delaying time on one hand, and thinking of a solution on the other.

As for the group of low-level officials standing behind Judicial Military Advisor Liang, everyone's face was not very good-looking, and even some people with poor psychological quality had already started to tremble, and their faces were even pale.

Wang Yan was not in a hurry, listening to Judicial Military Advisor Liang's various excuses with a smile. Fan Zhongyan was also not in a hurry. He just stood not far away with his hands behind his back, expressionless, watching the ugly state of everyone present.

After a long time, Judicial Military Advisor Liang finally had nothing to say, drooping his head in frustration, not saying a word.

Wang Yan gave a light laugh and patted him on the shoulder. It was this pat that made Judicial Military Advisor Liang sit directly on the ground as if he had fallen apart, his eyes unfocused.

Looking around at the dozens of people with different expressions, Wang Yan said loudly: "Open the granary!"

Everyone lowered their heads, but no one moved.

Wang Yan was not angry, just waved his hand forward without looking back. The soldiers who had been watching the fun for a long time, although the formation was loose, finally had weapons and armor, rushed up in a swarm.

The leader rudely stepped forward, kicked the minor official standing in front of the warehouse door, and then smashed the lock on the warehouse with a hammer, opening the door of the Ever-Normal Granary.

He poked his head in and took a look, then stood aside while cursing.

"Fan Gong, please." Wang Yan smiled and gestured.

Fan Zhongyan sighed and walked in first with his hands behind his back.

A surprise attack, looking at Judicial Military Advisor Liang's expression, he understood. He sighed because he was old and was actually fooled by this group of people.

Each generation has its own talents. Wang Yan understands Fan Zhongyan's mood. This is a normal situation...

The Ever-Normal Granary is a granary, and it is equipped with all levels of units. It is to deal with production reduction, famine, and other special situations, such as when carrying out large projects or wars, grain can be mobilized nearby to save transportation loss. After all, ancient transportation was not developed, and grain transportation has always been a big problem.

On the other hand, it can also stabilize grain prices. However, this function was not used much by ancient dynasties, but regardless of whether it was used or not, the function was there.

Looking at the old grain piled up, Wang Yan waved his hand and asked the soldiers outside to bring over the minor official in charge of the warehouse.

"Tell me about the situation."

"Fan Gong, Assistant Prefect Wang, this subordinate... doesn't know." This steward was still resisting.

Wang Yan smiled, then waved his hand: "Bring a minor official in."

The soldiers didn't say a word, and brought in another timid minor official.

"Beat." Wang Yan said lightly.

The two soldiers holding the minor official were stunned, and then they were slapped on the back of the head by their commander.

"Damn it, can't you hear the words?" After speaking, the commander went into battle himself, beating and kicking the minor official.

In fact, the minor official had long said he would confess, but Wang Yan didn't speak, so the commander naturally kept beating. He knew martial arts and knew how to torture people.

After a long time, the minor official had been beaten to a bloody mess, lying on the ground motionless, only the rise and fall of his chest proved he was alive.

"Speak."

The minor official was lifted up by two soldiers. He coughed up blood and smiled miserably: "The prefecture granary originally stored 10,000 shi of grain, but here there are only 5,000 shi, and it is old rice from the year, all of which was embezzled by us."

"Speak more specifically."

The minor official knew quite a lot. After all, he was the one managing this granary. He knew about the entry and exit of grain, and he had done it for many years. Basically, no one was innocent in what he said. This is normal, because those who don't cooperate will be squeezed out, and finally only those who cooperate will be left. Up and down, everyone gets rich.

With a confession, it's very simple. Fan Zhongyan gave instructions that it must be thoroughly investigated. This task was naturally handed over to Wang Yan...

So the officials related to the Ever-Normal Granary were all controlled.

At the same time, the Garrison troops who were working at the construction site also armed themselves with weapons and armor, and ran majestically through the bustling streets. Under the pointing and pointing of the people, they sealed all eight grain shops of the three grain merchants, arrested the stewards, and the principals of these three families. The others were not arrested, but were also restricted from leaving the mansion.

Fan Zhongyan buried his head in the office writing a report. His report was naturally submitted to Zhao Zhen. Even if his nominal superior was the Pacification Commissioner of the two Zhejiang circuits. But obviously, it was impossible for Fan Zhongyan to write reports to anyone other than the Emperor. It would be good if the Pacification Commissioner of the two Zhejiang circuits didn't write reports to him.

The content was naturally not surprising. It was just admitting his own mistakes, then explaining the problems in Hangzhou now, and further requesting Zhao Zhen's instructions.

Wang Yan was in the prison under the prefecture office, and together with the Judicial Military Advisor of this prefecture, began to interrogate officials and merchant bigwigs.

The speed was still very fast. After sending away Signatory Judge Zhang in the morning, he started the surprise attack on the Ever-Normal Granary after checking in, arrested everyone before lunch, and started the interrogation work after lunch.

It was also in this process that power naturally gathered to Wang Yan. Because he was now personally supervising this shocking corruption case of the Ever-Normal Granary...

Obviously, this was just a beginning. ===== CHAPTER 1045 =====