Chapter 44: Beat Him Hard: Chapter 44

"The Zhangnan Bandits, they really are as rich as oil!"

Single-handedly and with a single sword, Shen Yu wiped out the massive Zhangnan Bandits. He searched the place to his heart's content; he knew they were rich, but he hadn't expected them to be this rich. Not only did Shen Yu find a massive amount of gold, silver, and jewelry here, he also found the Zhangnan Bandits' granary, and even their armory.

In the granary, grain was piled up like a mountain; in the armory, blades and swords were lined up. This much grain and military equipment could likely outfit tens of thousands of troops. The ambition of the Zhangnan Bandits was clear as day; this Great Leader was playing a dangerous game.

Yet, all the family fortune that this Great Leader had painstakingly accumulated over twenty years was wiped out in one fell swoop by Shen Yu. One wonders, if this Great Leader could see this, would he be so angry that he'd want to hack him again?

With the help of the storage space he had just obtained, Shen Yu packed away almost everything that caught his eye. As for the mountain of grain, the storage space truly couldn't hold it all, so he used the storage space to ferry it back and forth several times, hiding it in a secret location.

Nowadays, refugees are rising up everywhere; this grain is life itself. Even if he didn't take the gold, silver, and jewelry, he had to find a way to get his hands on this grain.

As for the blades and swords, Shen Yu had no use for them at all, so he simply didn't touch them. These were all pieces of evidence, enough to nail the charges against the Zhangnan Bandits firmly shut. Military supplies for tens of thousands of troops—what were you planning to do?

Once he had finished tidying up the place, Shen Yu immediately spurred his horse on, galloping toward the Tanzhou Prefecture Government. His targets were the Capture Gate and the Black-Clad Guard there.

Both the Capture Gate and the Black-Clad Guard belong to the Imperial Court. The Capture Gate usually only handles struggles between Jianghu factions and wanted criminals of the court; at the same time, they have considerable friendships with major sects, holding significant power in both the court and the Jianghu.

And since the Thousand Blood Sect caused such a massive stir back in the day, they are naturally a key target for the Capture Gate's manhunt.

As for the Black-Clad Guard, they are even more mysterious. They not only monitor the various sects of the Jianghu, but also need to monitor local officials, commanding generals, and the nobility, etc., while also being responsible for apprehending wanted criminals. They have countless experts among them, and they hold high positions and great power, making them the most feared.

Although both are violent institutions, they also have to look at their performance records. At the end of the year, without some merit, how can one get promoted, and how can one have the face to ask for funding? If they were to learn about the Zhangnan Bandits, these people would surely be too excited to sleep.

The Capture Gate and the Black-Clad Guard have strongholds in every Jun city, and sometimes they even set up strongholds in county cities where Jianghu forces are complex. However, the Capture Gate and Black-Clad Guard located at the Prefecture Government are the center of the prefecture; that is the hub that directly commands the power of the entire prefecture.

The reason Shen Yu traveled over a thousand miles in one breath to reach the Prefecture Government was that the power of the Capture Gate and Black-Clad Guard in ordinary Jun cities is insufficient, and they would likely be powerless in the face of the Zhangnan Bandits' affairs.

Don't look at the Zhangnan Bandits as just a gang of thieves; one has to admit that the Great Leader was very capable. He dragged so many officials into the water, and even people within the Capture Gate were bought off. He spent twenty years weaving a massive net.

An ordinary person facing such a massive entanglement of forces would surely end up with a broken head and bleeding, and if things went poorly, they might even be silenced.

However, the Capture Gate and Black-Clad Guard at the Prefecture Government are different; the larger this so-called web of connections is, the more excited they get, as it means the final merit will be even greater.

Especially the Black-Clad Guard; that is the very work they do. We aren't afraid of trouble; we're only afraid that things aren't troublesome enough. If it's too simple, it's not even worth us taking action.

After finding the location of the Capture Gate and observing it quietly for a while, Shen Yu took several letters from his bosom, pinned them to a flying dagger, threw them over, and then turned and ran, not giving them any time to react.

This is the location of the Prefecture Capture Gate; the Chief Constable who commands the entire prefecture, even the gate guards are First-rate Experts. However, Shen Yu had no intention of getting to know them; one must know that his current behavior actually counts as dereliction of duty, so how could he let himself be discovered?

Shen Yu performed a similar experience at the Black-Clad Guard's station. He threw the several organized letters directly over, then turned and ran without even looking back.

The evidence in the letters was clear and explicit, and Shen Yu had even helped solve the Zhangnan Bandits issue. If the Capture Gate and Black-Clad Guard couldn't even handle the follow-up, then they wouldn't deserve their great reputation.

Very quickly, these letters were placed in the hands of the Black-Clad Guard Prefecture Commander and the Capture Gate Silver-Badge Chief Constable. When these letters were laid out together, these two men, who could make the entire Tanzhou tremble just by stamping their feet, had their eyes gleam with intensity at almost the same time.

Good, after being stagnant for so long, a major case has finally arrived.

Since it involved the Thousand Blood Sect, both the Capture Gate and the Black-Clad Guard had corresponding duties. Both sides immediately began frantically mobilizing personnel; their movements were inevitably a bit large, so naturally, they noticed each other.

After the two sides conferred, they realized the Zhangnan Bandits had formidable strength and the Thousand Blood Sect also had countless experts, so they had to be on guard. An extra bit of strength meant an extra bit of security; besides, this merit was huge, so sharing a bit was fine. Thus, after a brief discussion, the two sides decisively joined forces.

A large group of experts was quickly assembled and headed straight for Fuyun Mountain, while the Black-Clad Guard also pulled out a portion of their personnel and dispersed to various locations. These people were going to apprehend the officials who had colluded with the Zhangnan Bandits.

Compared to the Capture Gate, the Black-Clad Guard, which has the power to supervise local officials, is the one that takes the lion's share in this distribution of merit. And what is more satisfying than raiding a house? If even a little bit leaks out, that's a sudden fortune.

When he saw a team of Black-Clad Guards heading straight for Changling County, Shen Yu knew this wave was secure. This Prefect, Xu Mufeng, had reached the end of his road. Still want a promotion? Just wait to ascend to heaven!

Seeing that everything seemed to be going as expected, Shen Yu finally set his mind at ease and hurriedly returned to Baian County. Several days had passed since this whole ordeal, so it was time to go back and get a good rest. By the way, he would arrange for people to bring back the grain he had hidden.

"Speak, where exactly did your County Magistrate Shen go? Do you know what the crime of concealing and not reporting is?"

Just as he returned to Baian County and before he could even enter the County Government Office, Shen Yu heard a burst of shouting. What followed was one accusatory question after another, and the target seemed to be pointed directly at him.

"Zhou Yuan, you are also a county constable, you must not ruin yourself! I ask you, is it true that since Shen Yu took office, he has accepted bribes, oppressed the good, and wantonly amassed wealth?"

"Fart! My lord is devoted to the people, has never oppressed the good, and has never taken a single cent he shouldn't have! You want to slander my lord, keep dreaming!" Shen Yu could tell that the person answering was Zhou Yuan; this kid really didn't let him down.

"Hmph, Master Sun, what do you say?"

"This, this... Reporting to the lord, County Magistrate Shen did indeed coerce this commoner, making this commoner offer gold, silver, and jewelry for his own pleasure!"

"Sun Heling!" This voice that suddenly appeared made Shen Yu, who was outside, frown slightly. The moment he heard his voice, Shen Yu knew that this spineless wretch had likely gone soft again; he really was mud that couldn't be propped up on a wall.

"Good, this constable was pursuing a great bandit to Baian County, and not only discovered that the Baian County Magistrate was colluding with this great bandit, but also realized that this person is corrupt and breaks the law, using his power to bully others. Every single charge is too numerous to record!"

"Zhou Yuan!" That disgusting voice rang out again, only this time it seemed to carry a chill of three degrees. "As a county constable, not only do you fail to distinguish right from wrong and shield this corrupt official, you even refuse to speak a single word of truth!"

"Men, beat him for me, beat him hard, beat him until he is willing to talk!"