Chapter 151 Applying Extreme Pressure Reveals the Corrupt Official's Backer

Duan Wu waved his hand and shouted, "Fifty lashes!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qidi opened his eyes and shook his head slightly at Duan Wu.

This guy is a bit reckless.

Even an ordinary soldier would be half-dead after receiving fifty lashes, let alone an old man like the magistrate of Hewan County who was over fifty years old.

I'm afraid that before they've even finished half of the beatings, the person will already be meeting the King of Hell.

Seeing the emperor's signal, Duan Wu realized he had said too much and immediately changed his mind, saying, "Never mind, just give him a dozen or twenty lashes."

The magistrate of Hewan County was so angry that his face twisted, and he roared at the top of his lungs:

"I am the dignified magistrate of this place! How dare you torture me in my own county office?! Is there no law?! Is there no justice?! You little brat surnamed Duan! If you dare to disregard the law and humiliate me like this, I will definitely report to the imperial court and ask His Majesty to punish you severely!"

"Hehe," Duan Wu grinned broadly, "This general is going to beat you up today, so what?"

The soldiers then began to torture the magistrate of Hewan County.

One blow after another landed on his buttocks.

None of the yamen runners present dared to utter a sound, while the people brought by the soldiers from the human traffickers' hideout at the entrance of the court were all dumbfounded.

Who would have thought that the dog magistrate who was just swaggering in front of them and even wanted to wipe them out would now be stripped down and beaten on the ground?

Smack! Smack!

The rhythmic striking sounds continued.

The magistrate of Hewan County's buttocks were quickly torn open, and blood flowed freely.

He went from cursing and swearing to crying and begging for mercy.

Duan Wu, estimating that the beating had gone on long enough, asked again, "Magistrate of Hewan County, do you know your crime?"

The magistrate of Hewan County trembled all over, tears streaming down his face, and said, "What crime have I committed! I am old and have dedicated my life to the people, and in the end... I have been beaten in public by you! I am so wronged!"

"Oh ho? Still being stubborn?" Duan Wu grabbed the gavel, preparing to order the torture to continue.

Xiao Qidi frowned and gave him a look.

Duan Wu scratched his head and chuckled, "That's true, we can't fight anymore. It's not appropriate to kill him now."

"Come, bring the witnesses!"

Duan Wu shouted, and the soldiers invited several representatives of the victims of the human trafficking gangs from outside the courtroom.

Once inside the courtroom, the group saw Xiao Qidi sitting to one side, and their faces lit up with joy as they exclaimed, "Our benefactor!"

Then, Xiao Qidi joined them as witnesses and explained the situation in detail.

"Have you memorized everything?" Duan Wu glanced sideways at the clerk who was trembling with fear while holding a calligraphy brush.

The clerk forced a smile and stammered, "I...I've remembered everything..."

The magistrate, lying on the ground, glared angrily at his clerk, then cried out through gritted teeth, "These troublemakers... this is pure fabrication! They... they're all in cahoots, conspiring to slander me!"

"Alright, then let's change the subject of your interrogation first," Duan Wu said loudly, "Summon witnesses and physical evidence!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two soldiers carried over a large bamboo basket and, in front of the magistrate of Hewan County, dumped a pile of bamboo slips inside onto the ground.

Then, a dozen or so local people were led into the courtroom by the soldiers.

When the local people saw that the county magistrate had been flogged and was lying on the ground in a sorry state, they were all shocked.

They were just brought here suddenly by a group of soldiers who said they needed their assistance with a case, and they didn't know what it was about beforehand.

Seeing this scene, I was stunned for a long time.

Is the sun rising in the west?

The county magistrate who used to ride roughshod over the people of Hewan County and exploit them to the bone has actually been beaten and tried one day.

Am I dreaming?!

"Magistrate of Hewan County, do you recognize the contents of these bamboo slips in front of you?" Duan Wu asked.

The magistrate of Hewan County stared wide-eyed, his old face turning red, his back teeth clenched, and he glared at his advisor as if he wanted to devour him.

He recognized these things, of course; they were all records of the revenue from taxes forcibly collected by the county government.

If the clerk hadn't handed over the accounts, how could they have ended up in Duan Wu's hands?

Then, a dozen or so local residents pointed out additional details, describing the various unreasonable exorbitant taxes and levies imposed on Hewan County.

“Magistrate of Hewan County, I ask you,” Duan Wu said coldly, “when did our Great Xuan court ever allow you to increase taxes and corvée labor for the people? You, on the contrary, have taken advantage of the fact that Great Xuan is about to go to war with Yu Kingdom to make a big fuss, deceive your superiors and subordinates, and create all sorts of pretexts to exploit the people! You even came up with things like rest fees and fees for passing through checkpoints! Now that we have witnesses and physical evidence, you still won’t confess?”

Upon hearing this, the people of Hewan County present were shocked and speechless.

What? !

The imperial court has never increased taxes or corvée labor for the people.

Were all those outrageous projects set up by the county magistrate himself?!

While everyone was shocked, they were still somewhat suspicious.

After all, everyone in Hewan County, from the county magistrate down to the lowest-ranking yamen runner, had always said that it was an order from the imperial court.

They could hardly believe that the county magistrate would be so bold as to do something so outrageous behind the back of the imperial court.

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, their voices not loud, but they still put considerable pressure on the magistrate of Hewan County.

With Duan Wu bringing the matter up directly and even presenting the accounting records as evidence, he was starting to lose his composure, and cold sweat began to pour down his forehead.

Duan Wu offered a timely word of advice: "Look, your advisor is a smart man. He has confessed everything he needs to, so he can be given a lighter punishment later."

"Furthermore, let me tell you, all the wealth you've plundered from the people over the years is in my hands. Tsk, that golden table and long bench, you must have put a lot of effort into that, right?"

"Let me tell you the truth, this evidence alone is enough to convict you. The difference between pleading guilty and not pleading guilty is whether you die a painful death or a quick one."

Ning Jinli had told Duan Wu about the situation in the magistrate's storeroom beforehand, and Duan Wu then told him to put pressure on the magistrate.

Sure enough, upon hearing the following words, the magistrate of Hewan County instantly slumped.

The golden table and long bench were his secrets, unknown even to his family and butler. Now it seems that Duan Wu has indeed obtained everything, and they were all stolen goods.

And Duan Wu was right; the evidence was irrefutable, leaving no choice but to admit it.

"Get out of my way!" Suddenly, Constable Zhao shouted as he led a group of constables into the courtroom, along with several guards from the Hewan County Magistrate's household.

The soldiers present wanted to stop him, but Duan Wu waved his hand at them, and they did not move.

"How dare you!" Officer Zhao roared. "You actually dared to occupy the county government office and beat the county magistrate like this!"

Duan Wu said calmly, "This general can fight whenever he wants. What, are you not satisfied?"

Although the soldiers did not physically stop them, they all cooperated by drawing half of the swords they wore at their waists.

This move is indeed very intimidating.

Officer Zhao dared not scold anymore, and squatted down to ask the magistrate in a low voice, "Sir, the other constables are on their way back... Are you... are you alright..."

The magistrate of Hewan County was on the verge of tears. "Can't you see what I look like? Why are you asking!"

“My lord,” a guard knelt down and whispered in the magistrate’s ear, “I have already brought that magistrate here. He is right outside the courthouse right now, but he thinks that a mere border general is not worth his time. Even if you are forced to confess today, he will pardon you later.”

Upon hearing this, the magistrate of Hewan County felt much more at ease and ordered the group to leave.

Once they had retreated outside the courtroom, the magistrate of Hewan County, with his hands on the ground, looked up and stared directly at Duan Wu, who was sitting high behind the judge's table, and sneered, "Hehehe... You, Duan Wu, are quite capable. Fine... I did indeed illegally add projects in Hewan County and collect more taxes, so what? I admit it now, but you can't beat me up again!"

The people of Hewan County who were present witnessed the county magistrate admit it, and they were immediately enraged.

"Corrupt official!"

"You heartless beast!"

"You've ruined us! I'll fight you to the death!"

Curses erupted, and the angry crowd surged forward. If the soldiers hadn't intervened in time, the magistrate of Hewan County would probably have been beaten to death on the spot.

Duan Wu slammed his gavel and earnestly reassured the people present, "Fellow villagers, please do not act rashly. This general will give you a satisfactory explanation, and this corrupt official will pay the price he deserves."

The soldiers tried to reassure them, saying that the general had come to restore justice for the people and that they should not worry.

Everyone realized that it was only because this general had arrived that the corrupt magistrate was able to confess his crimes. So they suppressed their overwhelming hatred, calmed down, and retreated to the entrance of the courtroom.

Outside the courthouse, more and more people gathered after hearing the news, crowding not only the front yard of the county government office but also extending beyond the main gate.

At the back of the crowd, Constable Zhao and his group of constables stood in a circle, protecting a man in his thirties in the center.

The man casually fiddled with the jade pendant at his waist while quietly observing the general situation in the courtroom from a distance.

Inside the courtroom, Duan Wu glanced at Xiao Qidi discreetly.

Xiao Qidi nodded slightly, approvingly telling him with his eyes that he had done a good job and to continue.

Duan Wu had already heard Xiao Qidi's instructions beforehand. The more important point of this interrogation of the magistrate of Hewan County was to lure out the people behind the human trafficking gang.

The fact that the magistrate of Hewan County could so brazenly exploit the people and had connections with human trafficking gangs suggests that he must have a powerful protector.

Since they couldn't get any information out of the human traffickers, they could only try to break through the magistrate of Hewan County.

In addition, there were also considerations in choosing Duan Wu to conduct the interrogation.

On the one hand, they trusted Duan Wu.

On the one hand, it was to induce the magistrate of Hewan County to voluntarily reveal his backing to protect himself.

Only by having Duan Wu step forward can this corrupt official feel resentful and believe that revealing his backer will suppress Duan Wu and save his own life.

"Ahem," Duan Wuqing cleared his throat and said to the magistrate of Hewan County in a serious tone, "Regarding the case of human traffickers, although there are victims as witnesses who can prove that you colluded with the human trafficker gang, you refuse to admit it. I'm too lazy to bother with you. Anyway, you just confessed to the death penalty for setting up exorbitant taxes and levies. You're going to die either way, so why not take on a few more charges?"

The magistrate of Hewan County was taken aback. "What do you mean?!"

Duan Wu grinned and said, "This general has decided to designate you as the ringleader of human trafficking! Adding to the crimes you just confessed to, you'll be punished for all of them! There's no need to list them all; I'll sentence you to be cut in half at the waist or torn apart by five horses, and exterminate your entire family. Is that too much to ask?"

"You want to exterminate my entire family?!" The magistrate of Hewan County nearly popped his eyes out.

Duan Wu said casually, "You think it's not enough? Then let's exterminate your entire family!"

"You..." The magistrate of Hewan County was both shocked and furious. Enduring the excruciating pain in his buttocks, he got up, pointed at Duan Wu's nose, and cursed, "How can a mere border general like you arbitrarily decide a crime and sentence?! Do you even understand the law and the rules? This isn't something you can just decide with your mouth!"

Duan Wu snorted coldly, "Heh, I am just a military man, and I really don't understand your civil officials' set of rules and regulations. I don't want to understand them either. Anyway, it's settled. I'll kill your whole family first and ask questions later! As long as it can rid the people of this scourge and let the suffering people vent their anger, I don't care what responsibility I have to bear in the future!"

"You, you, you, you..." The magistrate of Hewan County was so angry that he almost fainted, clutching his chest and staggering as he nearly fell.

Duan Wu was puzzled. Even after putting so much pressure on him, why didn't this corrupt official reveal the name of his powerful backer?

Could it be that the method the emperor instructed is ineffective?

That shouldn't be the case.

Looks like we'll have to try applying maximum pressure.

"As the saying goes, there's no time like the present," Duan Wu shouted, raising his voice. "All soldiers, listen to my order! Drag this corrupt official to the execution ground and execute him immediately by tearing him apart with five horses! Arrest his entire family and relatives as well, and behead them as a warning to others!"

"Yes, General!" the soldiers responded loudly.

Xiao Qidi did not stop Duan Wu from doing this. He also felt that at this point, there was no other way but to continue to put pressure on him.

The magistrate of Hewan County turned deathly pale in an instant, and his whole body trembled like a leaf.

Two soldiers grabbed his arms and dragged him out, leaving a trail of blood and urine on the ground.

Outside the courthouse, the constables in the crowd grew anxious.

Mustering his courage, Constable Zhao pleaded with the man beside him, "Sir... that General Duan doesn't act according to common sense at all. He just wants to execute someone. You'd better step in quickly!"

A hint of doubt flickered in the man's eyes; he felt that something was amiss with everything that had happened today.

But because it happened so suddenly, they couldn't quite figure out what was wrong for the time being.

Furthermore, he vaguely sensed that the young man sitting in the chair next to the judge's table in the courtroom was somewhat unusual.

It felt like I'd seen him somewhere before, but I couldn't quite place it. It was mainly that subtle aura he exuded that made me feel...déjà vu the more I thought about it.

His intuition told him that even if the magistrate was executed this time, he should not show his face.

Just as he was thinking these things, intending to give Constable Zhao a few perfunctory words and then slip away, the magistrate of Hewan County cried out in a pitiful voice at the entrance of the courthouse: "My lord! Help! My lord! I can't wait for your pardon, I'm about to be torn apart by five horses! My family will be killed too, my lord!"

Xiao Qidi and Duan Wu's eyes lit up instantly.

The extreme pressure was successful!

The corrupt official finally couldn't take it anymore and asked his powerful backer for help!

And that person was right there!

The two immediately looked toward the crowd of people gathered outside the courtroom.