sbdcsierra Chapter 542: The Mayor is Executed
Chapter 542: The Mayor is Executed
The two bosses were pushed out and knelt directly at the door of the restaurant.
When they saw the wounded body of Zhao Hai, the third in command, they knew that the matter had been exposed.
It's all over.
Shen Changgong said nothing more and handed the responsibility of interrogation to the emperor.
Yan Fuyao sat elegantly on the chair, looking at the two bosses who were tied up in front of him, and asked slowly,
"Tell me everything about how you got here, what you did, and how you colluded with the mayor. I can give you a quick death. Otherwise, for your crimes, I can sentence you to death by slicing."
Her voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable authority.
The two bosses were dumbfounded.
What's going on? Is the emperor personally leading his troops to suppress the bandits? Is this necessary for just one mountain, Shuanglong Mountain?
The guard beside him whipped the two of them and shouted,
"His Majesty is asking you questions, tell the truth!"
The two looked at each other, sighed, and one of them said,
"I'm Fang Yong, the second-in-command of Shuanglong Mountain. People outside say I'm the big boss. Back then, we all followed the big boss, Hong Qiushan, and we were also bandits."
"Where, what county, what mountain?"
"In Xinyuan County in the north, Hutou Mountain."
There are at least eighty mountains called Hutou Mountain in the world. This name has been used too many times.
"How many years have you been doing this? How many people have you killed?"
"I've been doing this for seven or eight years, and I've killed... I can't count them all. Anyway, we're just robbing people, so we don't bother counting how many we've killed.
Later, our boss said that this was not a solution and that the government would eventually wipe us out..."
Fang Yong recounted the entire incident in detail, exactly the same as what Zhao Hai had said.
At this point, the matter can basically be determined.
The people also understood that these bandits had no time to collude with each other. Before Zhao Hai confessed, the officers and soldiers had already started to arrest other bandits.
Then they were interrogated separately.
The town mayor, Hong Qiushan, was a bandit before. He asked other bandits to come and rob them to scare them, so that they would be grateful to Hong Qiushan.
The mayor was brought out and they knelt on the ground together.
Yan Fuyao asked coldly,
"Mayor Hong, do you have anything to explain?"
Hong Qiushan looked at these bandits, opened his mouth, and finally sighed and said,
"I admit my mistake. It was me who did it."
As soon as he said this, the people around him were instantly excited.
The truth of the matter came to light and everyone was talking about it.
Some people are angry, some are regretful, and some are reluctant to let go.
"You were robbing, killing, and burning people outside before, and now you've placed so many bandits here to rob houses. Don't the government care?"
"We have people in the government as well. We will bribe the county magistrate, legal advisors, yamen runners and others to turn a blind eye.
When the imperial court really wants to come and suppress the bandits, they will also say in advance that they will withdraw first.
The officers and soldiers can go into the village, smash and destroy it, take some of the gold and silver we left behind, and then report their achievements back."
Yan Fuyao asked with a sneer on his face.
"Reporting merit? You went out to suppress bandits, but didn't bring back a single head. How can you claim any merit? Are officials so easily fooled?"
"On the way, they would just grab a few solitary untouchables, chop off their heads and take them back. Killing innocent people and claiming credit for it is a common practice."
Hearing this, the people around them all gritted their teeth and cursed them for colluding with officials and bandits.
Yan Fuyao nodded and then asked,
"You are colluding with each other and taking human lives so lightly. Doesn't the imperial court care about this?"
Hong Qiushan looked at Yan Fuyao in surprise, and after hesitating for a moment, he said,
"The officials in the imperial court are only concerned with their own pleasures. Even when someone goes to the Supreme Court to file a complaint, the officials protect each other. They first suppress the matter, then arrest the complainant, and then find out where the complainant came from and who they are suing.
After finding out the truth, write a letter to the accused official and mention the matter vaguely.
It won't be long before a large sum of silver will be sent to the Supreme Court.
And outside the city, several unexplained bodies will appear in the mountains and rivers."
"Is this imperial court so foolish?"
Yan Fuyao frowned.
Hong Qiushan said cautiously,
"Your Majesty, I'm talking about the court of Great Qi, not the court of Great Yan. All those things I did before were during the rule of Great Qi. After Great Yan came to rule Qi, I haven't done a single bad thing."
Yan Fuyao snorted coldly,
"So what you're saying is that just because Great Yan couldn't control you before, it can't control you now either? With this change of dynasty, all the evil things you've done can be wiped out, right?
A new emperor appoints new ministers, but the people remain the people, and the subjects remain the subjects.
No matter when you have done evil, no matter which dynasty you were in, as long as you have harmed the people, harmed my subjects, I will punish you severely!"
Some of the people around saw that the emperor really wanted to severely punish the mayor, and estimated that it would be a serious crime punishable by death.
Some people applauded because they had relatives who died at the hands of bandits, and all this was a conspiracy by the mayor to control them.
Some people, however, felt as if they had lost their parents, because his life had improved and he could eat and dress warmly. They were worried that after the mayor's death, their lives would return to the way they were before.
At this time, an old man came out, holding a cane, knelt down tremblingly, and said,
"Your Majesty, please show mercy and forgive the mayor. Although he has done many evil things, he also has a good side.
In the past, Luyao Town was a dilapidated town with houses without tiles and leaks everywhere. The people could not get enough food and many people starved to death every year.
It was the mayor who led us to rebuild the town and developed it step by step, so that the people could have enough food and clothing and live in good houses that were airtight.
The mayor...he has made great contributions."
Hearing this, Yan Fuyao sneered,
"A meritorious service? All his achievements are based on profiting from the blood of others.
Does it take money to build a town? Where did he get the money? Didn't he get it by killing countless people and robbing them?
You want me to forgive him, so why don't you ask the victims he killed whether they will forgive him?
Will those whose loved ones died because of him forgive him? "
The old man was speechless and sobbed with his head down.
Yan Fuyao stood up and said,
"Come here, drag the mayor and all the bandits out of town and behead them in public!"
"As ordered!"
The soldiers immediately pushed the mayor and the bandits outside.
The general asked,
"Your Majesty, should this evil town be razed to the ground?"
The people were shocked when they heard this.
Yan Fuyao thought for a moment and said,
"This place was built with great difficulty, and it is also a commercial center. When the world is pacified in the future, this place will also be the only way for trade, so we should keep it.
Most of the people here are unaware of this and are innocent.”