Chapter 612: A War to the Death

Fan Yingqi, a scholar-official of the Great Ming, a direct descendant of the Jin Party, a student of Ge Shouli, and one of the future cabinet reserve members of the Great Ming, became a protective umbrella for the encroachment on public land in Baoding Prefecture because he was addicted to opium due to toothache. The destruction of opium to people is physiological and psychological. The dependence formed is not something that human spiritual will can resist.

In the end, only 7% of the people in the Great Ming Dissection Institute's forced rehabilitation room were able to successfully rehabilitate, and the rest failed.

In the prison, before being transferred to the Dissection Institute, Fan Yingqi asked the arresting embroidered-uniform guard Zhao Mengyou: "How long do I have to stay in the Dissection Institute? Is it true that as long as I don't smoke, I can be released?"

Zhao Mengyou did not answer for a long time, because the grand physicians of the Dissection Institute had to see the Emperor, so the embroidered-uniform guards carried out comprehensive and strict surveillance of the Dissection Institute. Zhao Mengyou knew exactly what the Great Ming's grand physicians were doing. Zhao Mengyou could not answer Fan Yingqi's question, because Zhao Mengyou clearly knew that Fan Yingqi could not succeed in rehabilitation.

7% are a minority, a minority of people with great perseverance, who can complete it.

Zhao Mengyou answered calmly: "No, Heaven knows how long you have to stay."

Fan Yingqi struggled hard and asked with a fluke mentality: "The imperial court has already imposed punishment on me and stripped me of my official position and merit. Why still lock me in this hell of the Dissection Institute! Can't I just not smoke!"

Zhao Mengyou looked into Fan Yingqi's eyes with an extremely heavy tone and said forcefully: "No, you will never have a day when you don't want to smoke. You naively think that you only need to get rid of the dependence on opium? You are wrong. After you enter the forced rehabilitation room, as long as three months pass, you will not have drug cravings."

"Does it sound very wonderful? You can rehabilitate physiologically in just three months. This is the research result of the grand physicians of the Dissection Institute. In that small dark room, you have cravings, and you are locked in the small dark room, with your hands, feet, and head tied to an iron bed, and a hemp cloth stuffed in your mouth. In the forced rehabilitation room, let alone opium, you won't have any thoughts."

"After three months, you only want to go out."

"After the eighteen-month forced rehabilitation period expires, you can leave. When you see the sun again, you will feel that you have been reborn, that you have been transformed, and that you will never be that stupid self again."

"Is it very simple? Is it very easy? Just three months of forced rehabilitation room restraint and eighteen months of forced rehabilitation, and you have paid the price for your mistakes. Is it really so?"

"On the contrary."

"Why!" Fan Yingqi was suspicious. Of course, he would not have any opium while locked in the prison, and he had also experienced withdrawal reactions. The embroidered-uniform guards tied him tightly to prevent him from killing himself because of withdrawal reactions. That kind of pain, Fan Yingqi knew clearly. Fan Yingqi had already experienced it several times in the prison, and he thought he could survive it.

But looking at Zhao Mengyou's statement, the rehabilitation in the forced rehabilitation room was just the beginning of the test.

Zhao Mengyou's voice was still very calm, even with some fear. He said in a low voice: "Because everyone will relapse. No one can be an exception. I have never seen anyone who can completely quit. The grand physicians are very desperate and define this phenomenon as 'heart addiction.' Unless you can kill your past self, you will always be in the nightmare of opium."

"Man, the reason why he is a man, not a beast or a bird, is because man has reason and can control himself. And heart addiction makes man have no reason and unable to control himself."

"Even if you can use willpower to endure your itching and unbearable desire, and stay away from all places where opium might exist, the mental addiction will still entangle you like bone-deep gangrene. It is as if there is a vengeful ghost always on your back, constantly whispering in your ear, and that urge to smoke is still deeply carved into your bones."

"Even if you hear the word 'opium,' see the words and sentences on the miscellaneous newspapers, or even see the paste-like substance, it is possible for you to slide into hell again."

"Man cannot withstand the test. Once, twice is luck. A hundred times, two hundred times, or even a thousand times, ten thousand times?"

"No one can survive it."

Fan Yingqi stayed in the forced rehabilitation room of the Dissection Institute for three months and had already physiologically rehabilitated, but soon Fan Yingqi understood that what Zhao Mengyou said was true. Heart addiction really existed, and man really could not withstand the test. Once or twice was possible, but no one could withstand thousands of hammers and hundreds of refinements.

Fan Yingqi chose to spend the rest of his life in the Dissection Institute. He knew that there were people watching him in the Dissection Institute, so he could not slide into the abyss again.

Zhao Mengyou, a man who was not afraid of heaven or earth, became even more so after becoming the embroidered-uniform guard commander, but facing opium, Zhao Mengyou was really afraid. Once you get involved, it is a nightmare that entangles you for a lifetime, no matter what you do, you cannot get rid of it.

Many people don't understand. The Great Ming Emperor clearly knew that surgery might have risks, and facts proved that there were indeed risks. A cytokine storm almost took away the Emperor, this leader of the revival, but the Emperor still refused to use opium for pain relief.

Zhao Mengyou understands, the embroidered-uniform guards understand, the eunuchs understand, the grand physicians understand, Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang also understand, because the Emperor is such a towering husband, preferring to die standing than to live kneeling.

Rehabilitation has never been a three-month physiological rehabilitation or an eighteen-month forced rehabilitation, but a test and torment that must be experienced every moment, every minute, and every second for the rest of one's life, until death.

Therefore, rehabilitation, like anti-drug efforts, is a war to the death.

National surname Zhengmao, in order to let Luzon maintain a basic stance of leaning towards the Great Ming, the Emperor specially bestowed the national surname. Even in order to control Luzon in the hands of the Great Ming, the Emperor married the daughter of Concubine Zhou to Yin Zhengmao's third son. Yin Zhengmao is a true imperial relative.

Zhou Concubine's daughter is also adopted, the daughter of a loyal and righteous hero, and is a princess with a title, which is the Emperor's daughter. It is a relationship established by an imperial decree, so Yin Zhengmao is indeed the Emperor's in-law.

Yin Zhengmao knows the harm of opium very well, even better than the Emperor. The number of drug addicts seen in the hinterland of the Great Ming is very small, but in Luzon, addicts are very common. There are countless people planting opium in the Yuanxun Islands of the Thousand Islands Country.

Yin Zhengmao, with Deng Zilong, rushed to the pier in a hurry. The Western envoy Marcus arrived in a panic, but was immediately captured by the tooth soldiers. Marcus did not resist. He kept asking in Han language what had happened, why the tooth soldiers of the Governor's Office surrounded the ship, and why all the sailors on the ship were controlled.

Anti-drug is a war, and Luzon is the defense line guarding the Great Ming's national gate.

"Open!" Yin Zhengmao's voice, full of energy, sounded in the ship's cabin. More than a dozen tooth soldiers began to pry with crowbars. Soon, 120 boxes of opium appeared neatly in front of everyone.

The 120 boxes of opium were covered with countless rice straws. These rice straws even had feces and other things to cover the smell of opium, but these drug-sniffing dogs were specially trained, and there were even two pigs, because the grand physicians discovered that the sense of smell of pigs was more sensitive than that of dogs.

A box of opium is 120 jin. Here there are jin of opium. If calculated at 2,000 taels of silver per opium ball, the opium balls in front of them alone are worth 28.8 million silver. Of course, in the Yuanxun Islands, an opium ball is only two to three taels of silver, and one mu of land can produce 1.5 jin of opium.

"Detain everyone! Take them to the hall!" Yin Zhengmao took a deep breath, ordered the opium boxes to be sealed, and began to prepare to interrogate the sailors from the West.

Deng Zilong's wife, the Western red-haired woman Luo Lian, went to the prison to visit her old friend Marcus.

Luo Lian gave birth to two sons for Deng Zilong. She had completely become a Great Ming person. To avoid suspicion, she did not use Latin, but communicated with Marcus in Han language. After all, Marcus spoke Han language very well because of his deep friendship with the Great Ming.

"Luo Lian, save me! I can swear to God, I really don't know! How could there be opium on the ship! I know very well the majesty and solemnity of the Great Ming Emperor's imperial decree. Even if I could avoid the inspection of the Manila Shipping Department, I couldn't avoid the inspection of the Songjiang Prefecture. How could I be so stupid!" Marcus was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.

"This is the reason. The great sailing ship has to stop at Songjiang Prefecture, and the ship has to be thoroughly cleaned and repaired so that the return voyage will not be troubled by the plague. Knowing that there will be a thorough inspection, still carrying so much opium, it must be unloaded on the way. So the flow of this batch of opium is the Great Ming, so the Governor would be so angry." Luo Lian logically explained the seriousness of the problem.

The great sailing ship has to be cleaned and repaired in Songjiang Prefecture, so this batch of opium will be exposed no matter what, so it must be unloaded on the way, and it must flow to the Great Ming, not other places. This is the reason why Luzon is the existence of the Great Ming's anti-drug war, and it is also the reason for Yin Zhengmao's anger.

"Marcus, the West has the motivation to do this, because of the huge trade deficit. The Great Ming does not need any goods from the West, only silver. The net inflow of silver to the Great Ming will definitely make the West have some crooked ideas, and opium is the profitable thing that is unfavorable." Luo Lian's children are Great Ming people, and her descendants will grow up in the Great Ming.

If the Great Ming becomes a place full of poisonous insects, can her children grow up healthily?

Luo Lian also reads "Public and Private Theory" and "Contradiction Theory."

"Princess, I have no motivation! Portugal has no motivation!" Marcus said in a panic: "Princess, we Portugal are the distribution center for Great Ming goods. Indeed, silver flows out net, but Portugal earns silver, why would I do this?"

"Just call me Luo Lian. In Manila, I am not any princess." Luo Lian shook her head: "I believe you didn't do it. Just explain everything you know in detail. Don't miss any details. Such a serious case, the Governor's Office will definitely be cautious."

"Good, good, good." Marcus agreed repeatedly. As a famous sword saint on the Western land, Marcus was a little panicked. He was an envoy. Once this matter made the Great Ming hate Portugal, the trouble would be big.

Marcus is a sword saint, he is very powerful. The reason why he follows Antonio unswervingly is because Antonio boasted that he wanted to make Portugal still Portugal and let the common people live.

According to most people's views, Marcus is stupid, but he is also loyal, loyal to Antonio, loyal to Portugal. If it were because of his dereliction of duty, bringing the Great Ming's hatred, and Portugal losing the distribution of Great Ming goods, that was something Marcus absolutely could not accept.

Marcus tried his best to recall the details, and it gradually became clear.

There were 12 great sailing ships that came to the Great Ming, five of which were Portuguese ships, and the opium was discovered on the Portuguese ships.

"Damn it, it's Suolun's conspiracy! If this batch of opium can be successfully handed over, a lot of silver can be obtained. If it cannot be successfully handed over, and the opium is discovered on the Portuguese ship, then the Great Ming will inevitably re-examine the relationship between the Great Ming and Portugal! Damn round-hat Suolun!" Marcus's face changed several times, thinking of a possibility.

Spain's infiltration into Portugal is pervasive. It is normal for people on Portuguese ships to be bought.

"If this is really the case, the Governor will not wrong you." Luo Lian nodded and left the Manila prison.

To prevent accidents, Yin Zhengmao detained everyone and sent people to the Guangzhou Prefecture Shipping Department for help. Yin Zhengmao wanted to handle the case in a different place. From Luzon to Guangzhou, it only took one day. Soon, the Guangzhou Prefecture sent maritime defense inspectors and Shipping Department law-handling embroidered-uniform guards to handle the case.

Yin Zhengmao suspected that there were traitors in the Luzon Governor's Office. Otherwise, with such strict inspection, still knowing the law and breaking it, it was simply bold. Maritime defense inspectors are also human. Facing white silver, they will also have plans. It is just that reason suppresses greed. When there is enough silver, reason cannot defeat greed, and using the power in their hands to seek economic benefits will appear.

Therefore, Yin Zhengmao chose to handle the case in a different place, letting the Guangzhou Shipping Department send maritime defense inspectors to investigate the case.

After two days of delay, the interrogation began. Three days later, the case was clear. Marcus was released without guilt. It was really not Marcus who did it, but Suolun, and as Yin Zhengmao expected, there were "traitors" among the maritime defense inspectors. A total of three maritime defense inspectors each received a bribe of 50,000 silver.

Originally, all the joints were cleared. When the ship arrived at the Tamsui Town of Keelung Island, it would unload the cargo in Tamsui Town. The waiting smuggling merchants would take this batch of opium back to the Great Ming, take the black ditch, to the private market. The agreed price was 250 silver per jin. This price and the 2,000 silver selling price were a world of difference, but profit and risk are proportional. The risk of marketing opium in the Great Ming is really too big.

But an accident happened. These three "traitors" of the maritime defense inspectors were the maritime defense inspectors who discovered the opium that day. These three people specifically changed shifts to inspect the ship hiding the poison and discovered the hiding place of the opium.

Indulging and shielding drug trafficking and taking money but not doing things are completely different crimes. Indulging and shielding drug trafficking is a capital crime, but taking money but not doing things is at most bribery. Even according to the intensity of Hence Hai Rui's anti-corruption, this money, after confiscating illegal gains, is at most dismissal.

In the past, Fan Yingqi and Wang Jiaping, in the imperial examination, took bribes but did not do things, and were not punished, because at that time, Hence Hai Rui had not started anti-corruption, and the Great Ming did not have anti-corruption. Without the restoration of administrative power and the examination method to break the malpractice of indulgence, talking about anti-corruption was a false proposition.

"How can this be! You clearly took the money!" Suolun was extremely angry. He was the last one to be found out. Starting from the sailors who moved the opium onto the ship, step by step, he was finally found out. Suolun originally found a Portuguese merchant with a "Far East Trade Permit" to do this. Everything had nothing to do with Suolun, and this Portuguese merchant was not on the ship, but in Davao City, Mindanao. If found, after the merchant left, it would not be found on Suolun, but Suolun underestimated the Great Ming's determination to fight drugs.

After discovering opium on the great sailing ship, Yin Zhengmao ordered that no barbarians from Manila, Cebu, or Davao could leave by ship, and carried out strict inspections on every ship. This Portuguese merchant was arrested and finally confessed Suolun.

"After repeated weighing of pros and cons, these three maritime defense inspectors did not cause a big mistake." Yin Zhengmao said seriously: "Suolun, you are provoking the Great Ming. The Great Ming Emperor explicitly prohibits any opium trade. If you insist on breaking the law, then don't blame me."

"The 'Great Ming Law: Maritime Trade' says: Prohibit all opium, opium, and dead vine water trade. Violators will be beheaded immediately, and will not be pardoned."

"I am a Western special envoy, an envoy of King Felipe. You have no right to execute me!" Suolun's face changed drastically. He actually had a fluke mentality. That is, even if he was really discovered, the Great Ming could not do anything to him. He was a national envoy. The two countries were at war, and they would not behead the envoy. Moreover, he was a national envoy of Spain, just committing a negligible mistake.

"The Great Ming has not killed envoys before. That Portuguese envoy, Huo Huo Huo Zhe Yasan, was beheaded and displayed in the third year of Jiajing? What gave you the illusion that as an envoy, if you break the law in the Great Ming, the Great Ming law will not care? Diplomatic immunity?" Yin Zhengmao looked at Suolun and sneered.

That Huo Huo Huo Zhe Yasan was beheaded by the Shizong Emperor.

Spain is used to being arrogant in the West, thinking that they are used to it everywhere, letting them do whatever they want. The Great Ming is the Great Ming. One Great Ming is better than the entire West.

"I will request the Emperor's decree. If the Emperor wants to consider the problem of 'friend-state astonishment,' you will die in Manila. If the Emperor does not consider it, you will die at the vegetable market in the capital." After Yin Zhengmao finished speaking, he stood up and left the prison.

Even if the imperial court did not agree to kill Suolun, Yin Zhengmao would do it, because Luzon is the main battlefield for anti-drug efforts, and Yin Zhengmao is a vassal with real land, Marquis of Si Shui. The imperial court does not want to make the friend-state astonished, but Yin Zhengmao does not care. Luzon was snatched from the Spaniards anyway, and it had long been a grudge.

No matter who it is, as long as they dare to reach out, they will be killed if caught, even if it is Yin Zhengmao himself.

The world has never lacked rules, but no matter how seamless the rules are formulated, people must comply with them. What is always lacking is a way to make people comply with the rules.

Yin Zhengmao sent maritime defense inspectors to the capital to ask for the Emperor's will. Yin Zhengmao was worried.

"Governor, what are you worried about?" Deng Zilong was a little puzzled. Yin Zhengmao, who had been in control all his life, was a little uneasy at this time.

"Looking at this problem from the theory of contradiction, the imperial court needs the inflow of Western silver. Under the Great Ming's money shortage, it is unwise to turn against Spain; and from our local perspective, our anti-drug effort is the main contradiction, because drug dealers are rampant in Luzon. If Suolun does not die, people will constantly break the law. Luzon's anti-drug effort will be in name only." Yin Zhengmao said helplessly: "I am ashamed of the Holy Grace."

The imperial court and the local area are always accompanied by such contradictions. Even if the imperial court is unwilling to kill, Yin Zhengmao will do it for the sake of Luzon's anti-drug cause.

The Great Ming is an extremely traditional Confucian country. The basic proposition of Confucianism is actually very simple, that is, everyone cultivates virtue, and it will not be chaotic. Although it has never been realized, this kind of heart addiction of opium, something that makes people unable to control themselves, is really too terrible.

Anti-drug is related to the collective interests of every class and every person in the Great Ming.

"Reasonable." Deng Zilong finally understood the contradiction. His face changed several times, and he became as worried as Yin Zhengmao. From one person worrying, it became two people worrying. The two sat in the Guanchao Building for a whole day, looking at the sea, waiting for the decision from the imperial court.

Five days later, the maritime defense inspector returned to the inspection office and ran to the Guanchao Building with a letter tube.

Yin Zhengmao checked the fire lacquer and opened the letter tube. Deng Zilong also leaned over with a tired face and looked at the vermilion approval.

【Behead immediately, send to the capital to be beheaded and displayed to warn others. Suolun is a criminal, not an envoy.】

The vermilion approval for Suolun's disposal was three words: "Behead immediately." It was the Emperor's personal letter. First of all, he was a criminal. When Suolun committed a crime, he was a criminal, not an envoy.

The Great Ming Emperor's vermilion approval was very long, mainly asking about the three maritime defense inspectors, asking if they had committed more serious mistakes? Was it the first time? Had there been any power rent-seeking before? How were they corrupted? He hoped that the Luzon Governor's Office could combine rich anti-smuggling experience to form a set of regulations to protect maritime defense inspectors and prevent such things from happening again.

And he requested these three maritime defense inspectors to go to the capital to accept the investigation.

Compared to Suolun, the Great Ming Emperor cared more about the maritime defense inspectors.

"The Emperor's words are worth a thousand gold. Since he promised, he will not forgive Suolun." Yin Zhengmao highly recognized the Emperor's reputation. Since he made a clear promise, he would not violate it.

Deng Zilong breathed a long sigh of relief and said with a smile: "At this age, the Emperor is at the age of hating evil like an enemy. The day before yesterday, my wife Luo Lian knew the Governor's concerns and said that the Emperor would definitely kill Suolun. At the age of having the greatest malice towards all evil, he will not be like those old men, full of concerns."

"According to Marcus, this wife of yours is a Western princess. Which country's princess is she?" Yin Zhengmao asked curiously.

The small Luzon island actually had two princesses. Princess Yingjia Zhu Xuanchang married Yin Zhengmao's third son Yin Zongxin, and now this Luo Lian was also a princess. It was just that he didn't know what her identity was.

"I haven't asked her. She doesn't want to say, and I didn't ask much. Anyway, she is my wife now." Deng Zilong said carelessly. No matter what princess she is, she is now breastfeeding his children.

Luo Lian doesn't like to talk about her background, but judging from her knowledge, she is definitely not from a small family.

Suolun and a group of criminals were thrown onto the hydrofoil sailing ship and sent to the Great Ming capital. When they arrived at the Great Ming capital, it was already mid-June. The excitement of the Opening of the Wine Inspection was entering the final tail. Suzhou Xie Ji Five-Fragrance Burning Wine and Shandong Zhao Ji Autumn Dew White broke into the finals again. In order to compete for the name of "First Wine in the Capital," both sides could be said to have taken out their best goods.

Zhu Yijun really didn't understand wine, and he didn't like to drink it, but writing a piece of calligraphy could get a 50,000 silver manuscript fee, so Zhu Yijun was very willing to do it.

"Last year Xie Ji was slightly inferior, this year it won the top spot." Feng Bao spread the paper for the Emperor, ground the ink, asked the Emperor to write an inscription, and reported the results of this year's Opening of the Wine Inspection. 100,000 silver was really a lot.

Color, taste, aroma, and many other aspects were unanimously praised by the 24 wine gourmets.

"Good." Zhu Yijun picked up the pen, wrote the five words "First Wine in the Capital" seriously, and said with a smile: "One word is 20,000 silver, one word is ten thousand gold."

"Has Suolun been sent to the capital?" Zhu Yijun put down the pen and asked.

"Already sent to the Northern Town Fusi." Zhao Mengyou answered immediately. The maritime defense inspectors had already handed over the criminals, including the three maritime defense inspectors, but the maritime defense inspectors were not wearing shackles.

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Mengyou said with an extremely complicated face: "How do I look at it, these three maritime defense inspectors are fishing. Receiving those silver is the bait, just for the opium plantations in the Yuanxun Islands and the smugglers in Tamsui Town."

The Great Ming had already started operations, captured a batch of smuggling merchants, found a private market located on the coast of Fujian, and destroyed an opium plantation of red-haired barbarians in the Yuanxun Islands. All of these smuggling merchants were transferred to the capital. After checking and supplementing, they were all capital crimes.

Zhao Mengyou looked at this matter, and it all looked like these three maritime defense inspectors were eager to make contributions and were fishing for law enforcement.

"No." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "Judging from the memorial sent from Luzon, they were hesitating at the last moment and finally seized these opiums, not fishing for law enforcement. They stepped on the ship's board and knew that there were more than 10,000 jin of opium under the ship's board, so they finally stopped hesitating. After the event, there was a reward of 50,000 taels of silver."

"But fortunately, it is indeed their first time."

The three maritime defense inspectors were indeed not fishing for law enforcement, but really took bribes. But in the end, conscience defeated greed. At the moment when the jin of opium was under their feet, they hesitated. How much harm would it cause if it flowed into the Great Ming? And once this channel was formed, it would be endless poison.

"Confiscate the gains and transfer them to the Engineer Regiment." Zhu Yijun finally did not impose punishment, because it did not cause serious harm, so it could be handled like this. If they really let it go, it would be a capital crime, and even their families might be exiled.

The sentencing is completely different. ===== CHAPTER 613 =====

"Confiscate their earnings and transfer them to the Engineering Corps battalion." Zhu Yijun ultimately did not impose a severe punishment because they did not cause any malicious harm, so they could be dealt with in this way. If they had truly let them go, it would have been an unpardonable crime, and even their families might have been exiled.

The sentencing is completely different.