Chapter 433: Purge (Second Update, Begging for Monthly Tickets)

In the middle of the Intelligence Bureau stood a courtyard enclosed by high walls, but there were no buildings inside. The ground and walls bore dark red stains. At that moment, over ten people stood against the north wall. Five of them were neatly dressed, with wine and meat laid out before them. In the center of the courtyard stood a group of black-clad men.

Li Yongfang stood at the first position on the left. Zhang Dong stepped before him. "Li Yongfang, former Fushun Mobile Corps Commander of the Great Ming. You did not think to repay your country with service, but instead surrendered to the Jianzhou Bandits and their former chieftain Nurhaci. Over more than ten years, you slaughtered countless Han people in Liaodong. Today your head will be cut off. Do you accept this?"

Li Yongfang's face was full of wrinkles, his head covered in short white hair. After listening, he bowed and said, "The guilty man accepts his punishment. I only ask that the brother who does the deed, remembering that this old man once pleaded for the Han people of Fuzhou, will make it quick and clean." He then sat on the ground, picked up the wine and meat from the small table, and began eating with great relish.

Zhang Dong then stood beside Chen Yijing, who was second in line. "Chen Yijing, a subject of the Great Ming, surrendered to the Jianzhou Bandits ten years ago and sold countless Ming secrets. After entering our Dengzhou garrison, you did not think to reform, but continued to aid the tyrant in his oppression. Your crimes are unpardonable. You are sentenced to immediate beheading, and your head shall be paraded through Dengzhou and Laizhou as a warning to others."

"Lord Chen promised that if I captured Li Yongfang, he would spare my life," Chen Yijing shouted loudly, falling to his knees on the ground.

Beside him, Li Yongfang wiped his mouth and laughed heartily. "Chen Yijing, you dog. You didn't surrender voluntarily — in military terms, that makes you a battlefield capture. You still think you can keep that dog life of yours? We brothers will set out on the road together, so we can look after each other along the way."

"Li Yongfang, you running dog of the Jianzhou Bandits, it was all you who ruined me..." Chen Yijing pointed at Li Yongfang.

"If it makes you feel better, then beat this old man to death right now. It's all the same death anyway. This old man's final meal is yours." Li Yongfang was thoroughly shameless. He lowered his head and continued eating. Chen Yijing was stunned for a moment, realizing that everything now was futile. He stopped and stood frozen in place.

Zhang Dong folded his arms and watched the two with great interest, letting them argue. Behind them, more than ten people understood that today they would be beheaded, and half of them began wailing in despair.

Zhang Dong addressed Li Yongfang and the other four neatly dressed men. "The five of you have provided considerable information, some of it useful. Lord Chen has shown mercy by allowing you to be executed fully dressed. After your heads are paraded through Dengzhou and Laizhou, they will be sealed in coffins and buried. Chen Yijing provided leads that ensured Li Yongfang's capture, so Lord Chen has specially permitted that his family not be implicated. His family members will reside in a designated place in Wendeng and may not leave without authorization. Li Yongfang, your head must be delivered to the imperial court. Lord Chen cannot arrange your burial, but your body will be collected and encoffined. Some of the Jianzhou Bandit strongholds you disclosed have been partially verified. If they are ultimately confirmed useful, one or two of your descendants who committed no evil deeds may also be spared..."

"The guilty man Li Yongfang thanks Lord Chen for his mercy. May Lord Chen soar to great heights in the days to come, and may fortune and prosperity bless his descendants for ten thousand generations." Li Yongfang knelt and kowtowed with complete composure. "This humble man has an unworthy request. I wish to leave a letter for my descendants. If it is convenient in the future, I ask Lord Zhang to deliver it to my worthless sons, instructing them not to make enemies of Dengzhou, so that they may keep their lives. Perhaps they may also be able to offer Lord Chen some small, modest assistance."

Zhang Dong nodded with satisfaction and said, "It is good that you understand. However, I will read this letter. The Intelligence Bureau has specialized text analysts. If you try any foolish tricks like hidden messages in acrostic poems, you need not bother writing. It would be useless and merely a waste of our Intelligence Bureau's paper."

Li Yongfang laughed heartily. "This humble man has been foolish for half a lifetime. I will not do foolish things on my way out. I beg you, my lord, to provide me with paper and brush."

Zhang Dong nodded to the men behind him. One team member went off to fetch brush, ink, and paper. Zhang Dong walked to the rear and said to the remaining few men in ragged clothes, "You people have been stubborn and unrepentant. Much of what you disclosed was deceitful. You will have no final meal. Today you will be sent to various places in Dengzhou and Laizhou for public trial and then beheaded. After death, your bodies will be hung in various locations for public display, and your corpses will not be buried."

Zhang Dong's cold tone held not the slightest trace of emotion. Those men all hung their heads; some wept, some stared blankly. Savoring the expressions of his enemies in their final moments was Zhang Dong's greatest pleasure.

When the brush and ink were brought over, those men had already been bound tightly with ropes. Three team members escorted each one, leading them out of the courtyard one by one. Li Yongfang looked up and happened to see Li Ken walking past. Li Yongfang shouted loudly, "This old man goes on ahead. Li Ken, you hurry and catch up. We two, master and servant, should still go together."

"This slave understands. Master, don't walk too fast either," Li Ken said a couple of lines before his mouth was gagged, and those men dragged him away.

After speaking, Li Yongfang began writing his letter at the table. Chen Yijing stared blankly at Li Yongfang writing. Beside them, the executioner was already preparing his blade. The other three men also stopped their pointless wailing and each picked up the wine and meat from their tables and began eating.

Chen Yijing stared blankly for a while, then suddenly burst into loud laughter, which gradually turned into loud weeping. In the end, he wept until tears and mucus streamed down his face. Zhang Dong watched Chen Yijing quietly, as if enjoying a theatrical performance.

By the time Li Yongfang finished writing his letter, Chen Yijing finally stopped weeping and said to Zhang Dong, "Lord Zhang, considering that we once served together in the Dengzhou garrison, might you allow me to smoke a cigarette?"

Zhang Dong smiled, took out a Wendeng cigarette from his bosom, drew one out and gave it to Chen Yijing, lighting it for him personally. Chen Yijing exhaled a puff of smoke. Zhang Dong shook his head and sighed, "Chen Yijing, in truth, it's just one cut sooner or later. Leaving earlier means earlier release. Dragging it out only torments yourself."

"Lord Zhang speaks well. This old man will go first." Li Yongfang laughed heartily, overturned the small table before him, and handed the letter in his hand to Zhang Dong. "Please examine the letter, my lord. It is all urging them to assist the Dengzhou garrison."

Zhang Dong turned his eyes to him. "Are you not afraid of it falling into Huang Taiji's hands?"

"Huang Taiji will assume that this official was forced to write it. He will not kill my worthless sons over this."

"Truly an old fox," Zhang Dong said with a smile. "Fushun Imperial Son-in-Law, do you know that I once saw you below the Thirteen Mountains back then?"

Li Yongfang was stunned for a moment. "Is that so? Then I was indeed blind and did not recognize Lord Zhang."

Zhang Dong shook his head. The look he directed at Li Yongfang was utterly cold. "Back then, you led the Later Jin troops to besiege the Thirteen Mountains. When did you ever look squarely at those of us who came down the mountain to negotiate? In the end, a hundred thousand people starved to death on that mountain. Did you ever think of how much torment those on the mountain suffered? Which of the old slave's evil deeds did you not take part in? Today is already letting you off easy. If not for Lord Chen's orders, I would have had you executed by slow slicing."

Li Yongfang narrowed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He walked over to the executioner and knelt down, slowly closing his eyes.

At the end of the tenth month, Liu Minyou set out on the road with personnel from the Inspectorate, Garrison Affairs, Finance, and other departments, preparing to inspect the work on the Grand Canal and in Lin County. This inspection would be more detailed, and the review would also include the trading company, so Zhou Laifu accompanied them as well. The group was escorted by the Regional Commander's guard unit and personnel from the Civil Affairs Department's security office, traveling all the way west.

The Finance Department was the main force of this inspection, personally led by Wang Daixi. Most of them were women, many of whom were among those captured by Kong Youde back then. Some had been young ladies from respectable families, with a foundation in literacy and arithmetic. After their families were destroyed and they were left homeless by the chaos of war, they unexpectedly found their own value in Dengzhou. They became accountants or auditors in the Finance Department. The auditing division had the most women, because women's patience and attention to detail far exceeded men's, and they could often discover clues from the slightest traces. Every department and every garrison village in Dengzhou had considerable silver, money, and material transactions, and the year-end audit was what they feared most. Once false accounts or embezzlement were discovered, one's future was gone. And this Wang Daixi showed no favor whatsoever, not even sparing Zhang Erhui, a childhood friend who had begged for food with her. The previous year, the Construction Department had skimmed from the captive laborers' rations, which was discovered during an audit from the accounts. Everyone said that bondservants were all scum anyway, so skimming was no big deal. The result shocked them all: Zhang Erhui was severely punished by Liu Minyou.

So everyone in the Dengzhou garrison feared Wang Daixi. This woman was already twenty years old this year and still not married, which made her a "leftover woman" of advanced age by the standards of the time. But this leftover woman was perfectly content. She kept a flock of cats and dogs at home and planted all kinds of flowers and plants in her courtyard. On ordinary days when she wasn't working, she was still cheerful and happy. This time, being able to travel on official business was also an extremely happy matter for her; she had not traveled far from home in a long time.

The group of women sat in four-wheeled carriages, chattering away in the middle of the column, looking at the scenery along the way, sharing gossip and news with each other, and bursting into laughter from time to time.

Liu Minyou listened and shook his head with a rueful smile. Having these women along made the journey feel more relaxed, especially since they brought complete supplies and could often produce some Dengzhou snacks.

Zhou Laifu turned his head to glance behind him. Seeing that everyone around was at a distance, he stole a look at Liu Minyou. Some things had happened recently in both the Civil Affairs Department and the military. The Commerce and Industry Department usually dealt with Zhou Laifu a lot; there was competition but also interaction. This time, however, nearly all its chief officers had been replaced. The news that Chen Yijing was a Jianzhou Bandit spy had shocked Zhou Laifu. To think that someone would refuse to be an official in Dengzhou and instead go be a Han traitor.

And Xu Yuanhua had been transferred to something called the Technology Department, with the responsibility of developing technology. Logically, the industrial and agricultural research offices should have been placed under it, and part of the workshops could have been placed under it too. In the end, it had no subordinate institutions whatsoever, and no corresponding offices in the localities. The meaning was very clear.

Then Lu Chuanzong was suddenly transferred to the Military Academy as its head. Without any warning, Fan Shouye became the deputy battalion commander of the First Battalion, temporarily acting as battalion commander.

After the announcements were made at the Regional Commander's headquarters meeting that day, Chen Xin kept Lu Chuanzong behind, then received the squad commanders and company commanders of the First Battalion one by one, reassuring them. The company commander from Yanggu was transferred to the Mobilization Department, also to take up his post immediately without returning to his original unit. The incoming company commander was a staff officer from the Military Orders Department who came from the personal guard unit.

The Guard Battalion seemed to have made no moves that day, but in reality, Zhou Laifu discovered that they were all on full alert, with the camp area sealed off and entry or exit forbidden. This showed that Chen Xin was prepared to turn hostile and take action. After the meeting ended, the Aide-de-Camp Office, the Indoctrination, Military Affairs, and Military Orders departments all dispatched small teams to the various units of the First Battalion to convey the news and control the troops.

After learning the news, Zhou Laifu immediately went home and destroyed all the gifts Lu Chuanzong and Xu Yuanhua had sent, then waited anxiously for his own punishment. After all, he had indeed given Yang Xing a batch of cigarettes.

But instead of punishment, he received word that Liu Minyou wanted him to accompany him on this trip. This put Zhou Laifu's mind at ease considerably. Today, he still intended to explain things to Liu Minyou.

"Laifu, this is already the territory of Qingzhou Prefecture. Tell those guards to be more careful."

Before Zhou Laifu could speak, Liu Minyou spoke first. Zhou Laifu hurriedly said, "My lord, rest assured. We are flying the flag of the Dengzhou garrison. They know it's a Dengzhou garrison carriage and won't dare come attack us. Once Geng Zhongming takes up his post, these Qingzhou bandits will be due for a crackdown. Our Dengzhou garrison is nothing like Shandong's useless military households."

"That's good. These Qingzhou bandits have been causing trouble for a year now. It's time to deal with them," Liu Minyou said, then asked, "I heard that the security bureau is now under the trading company's management, transferred from the Intelligence Bureau?"

Zhou Laifu quickly said, "That, yes, but this humble man will not misuse it. In business, harmony brings wealth."

Liu Minyou nodded. "Use it when you should. In these times, if you're not a little fierce, no one fears you. But you must not wantonly kill innocent civilians. If you do, I will not let you off lightly. What Wang Erya did in Linqing was somewhat excessive."

Zhou Laifu looked at Liu Minyou with some surprise. In the past, Liu Minyou had never said things like "if you're not fierce, no one fears you."

"This matter with the Commerce and Industry Department also implicates the trading company. But Laifu, you need not be fearful. Both Lord Chen and I are clear on the process. The purge will not be expanded to the trading company. However, the trading company itself must be managed more strictly. In the future, when the cotton cloth and cotton yarn businesses take off, the flow of money will be even greater. You yourself have shares in the trading company. Do not think of embezzlement. Run the trading company well, and the future benefits will far exceed any embezzled gains. In truth, we all rely on the trading company for our livelihood. If everyone thinks of taking a piece home, the trading company will collapse sooner or later. Where would you go to earn silver then? Some people just don't understand this principle, which is why this purge is necessary."

"I understand now. Thank you, my lord, for your clear insight." Zhou Laifu breathed a sigh of relief. It was not like the clothing shop in Tianjin anymore. Back then, Liu Minyou and Chen Xin were the bosses, but at worst, doing poorly meant a pay cut or being fired. Now, if one gave offense, getting beheaded was not out of the question. "This subordinate will remember. This time, I will certainly inspect the accounts strictly, and after returning, I will improve this... process."

On the tenth day of the eleventh month, Liu Minyou's party arrived in Lin County. There were no accounts to check here, so Wang Daixi stayed behind in the most important location, Linqing, to audit the books. Liu Minyou came to the garrison village to inspect supplies and winter preparations.

East of Lin County, Liu Minyou met Zhu Daichun. He had brought cavalry to welcome them ten li outside the garrison village. When Liu Minyou saw him, he noticed that Zhu Daichun's face was filled with anxiety.

Sure enough, after paying his respects, Zhu Daichun said, "My lord, a major incident has occurred." (To be continued...)

PS: Asking for monthly tickets, asking for likes.