Chapter 348 All Evidence is Complete
Xie Wanniang glanced at him, her eyes gentle but her tone sharp as a knife, "Why does Magistrate Pang ask questions he already knows the answer to? You have been an official in Dinghai County for many years, surely you don't have even one person by your side who can recognize Han Tao's trusted personal guards?"
Her words immediately stirred up the already buzzing crowd outside the courtroom, who were already discussing this sensational case.
Magistrate Pang was sweating profusely. He dared not get involved in the fight between Jiang Yuan and Han Tao, but he also dared not let Xie Wanniang accuse him of pretending to be ignorant in front of so many people.
He was the top official in Dinghai County, and he had to take charge of any case that occurred in Dinghai County. Otherwise, he would be accused of dereliction of duty and lose his job.
But he... he was scared!
Firstly, Han Tao is a commander of a garrison, so he might not be able to summon him. Secondly, his superior is said to have a close relationship with this Commander Han.
Although he had never seen the two of them interact privately, he had lived in this area for so many years that he knew all the little details that others might overlook. There were some things he dared not say or investigate, but that did not mean he dared not guess.
Seeing that Magistrate Pang was in a dilemma, Magistrate Liu stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, in my opinion, it would be better to leave this matter to Lord Jiang for a decision."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Pang's swollen eyes instantly turned into light bulb-like eyes. He nodded repeatedly and instructed his advisor, "Quickly, go and invite her yourself! Tell her that I have important matters to discuss with her, concerning the safety of the princess."
This princess is Lord Jiang's wife, and that Commander Han is Lord Jiang's subordinate. It would be most appropriate to leave this matter to Lord Jiang.
With a perfect excuse to shift the blame, Magistrate Pang immediately calmed down and his hands stopped trembling.
Xie Wanniang was speechless, but she did not object. In any case, it was impossible to bypass Jiang Yuan, so whether he came a little earlier or a little later made no difference.
When Magistrate Pang saw that she did not speak up to stop him, the last trace of worry in his heart vanished instantly.
As long as he doesn't directly confront his superior or try to capture Han Tao, everything is negotiable on his end.
Thankfully, he only thought it to himself. If he had said something like that out loud, Xie Wanniang would have given him a big eye roll to express her deep contempt for him.
Amidst the chatter of onlookers outside, after about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Jiang Yuan, dressed in the black uniform of a guard commander with a stern expression, walked in.
Behind him followed Zhou Tongchun, Commander Wang, and Han Tao, each with a different expression, along with their respective attendants and guards.
Upon seeing this group of people, Magistrate Pang, Assistant Magistrate Liu, and others quickly stood up and bowed.
Jiang Yuan and the others returned the greeting with clasped hands.
At the same time, everyone's gazes unconsciously swept over the people in the hall.
Xie Wanniang, who was sitting upright, was initially blocked by the county magistrate, county assistant and others who stood up to pay their respects. Now that everyone was leaning forward, she was passively exposed again.
The moment Jiang Yuan saw her, the coldness in his eyes softened slightly, but Han Tao's expression changed drastically.
Once everyone in the county government office had returned to their posts, revealing his personal guards who were bound like dumplings, he immediately drew his sword.
However, while he reacted quickly, Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan, who were prepared, reacted even faster.
After all, Han Tao thought that Jiang Yuan brought them all to the county government office with a dark face because he had already learned from that skinny clerk the bad news that Xie Wanniang had been attacked and the county government was powerless to catch the culprit.
On his way here, he was still thinking about how to maximize the use of Xie Wanniang as a hostage, so he naturally did not expect that Xie Wanniang would so brazenly display his personal guards in the courtroom.
Although his instincts led him to draw his sword, his thoughts were actually quite chaotic at that moment.
His mind was a jumble of thoughts, uncontrollably analyzing the causes and consequences of this turn of events, which naturally made his hands move sluggishly.
One was well-prepared and acted decisively, while the other was still confused and hesitated. It's easy to see which one would gain the upper hand.
The turmoil started in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Yuan and his men had already subdued Han Tao and his few remaining personal guards.
After the guards forced Han Tao to kneel, Jiang Yuan turned to Magistrate Pang and asked, "What important matter has Magistrate Pang summoned me for?"
Magistrate Pang quickly recounted the whole story, glancing at Han Tao, who had already been subdued, from time to time as he spoke.
Han Tao was still struggling, although his struggle was of no use.
Jiang Yuan then stretched out his hand to the guards behind him and said, "Bring the things up."
The two guards closest to him walked out of the county government office and returned shortly afterward with a stack of files and several sealed wooden boxes.
Jiang Yuan gestured for them to hand the items over to Magistrate Pang for inspection. Magistrate Pang was initially puzzled, but after flipping through the files, he belatedly realized that he was frightened.
Good heavens! It's obvious that Lord Jiang was waiting for Han Tao to jump out on his own. Look how well he prepared everything.
Illegally operating iron mines, colluding with foreign enemies, killing innocent people and claiming credit... Lord Jiang has gathered all the witnesses and evidence of Han Tao's past shady dealings.
As he was filled with emotion, Jiang Yuan pointed to the dossier and said in a deep voice, "This is the evidence that my men have uncovered. Han Tao's in-laws, the Chen family, have been illegally operating iron mines for many years, secretly selling crudely refined iron lumps to pirates and Japanese pirates for huge profits. Han Tao, taking advantage of his position, helped them get things done, allowing the iron ore to be smuggled out of the country, and even sharing in the spoils. Not only that, he also colluded with pirates and Japanese pirates, deliberately leaking military intelligence during bandit suppression operations, allowing the enemy to escape, and then killing innocent civilians he had captured, mistaking them for bandits, to fraudulently claim military merits. With this evidence, can't you, Lord Pang, arrest the Chen family members and bring them to justice?"
Magistrate Pang and Assistant Magistrate Liu were dumbfounded, while Zhou Tongchun and the other garrison soldiers turned pale.
Magistrate Pang and his group were shocked by the intricate web Jiang Yuan had laid and his determination to eradicate the root of the problem and investigate thoroughly. Zhou Tongchun and the others, on the other hand, were afraid of being implicated by Han Tao.
You have to understand, they are all Han Tao's comrades. With Han Tao in such a big problem, who would believe them if they said they knew nothing about it?
However, they did not actually conceal the fact; they simply chose to play dumb, just like their predecessor, the commander of the guard.
Their only worry now is that if Jiang Yuan reports this matter, they will also be implicated.
After all, the guy in charge of logistics had already implicated their former commander.
The other party had been comfortably settled into a leisurely, retirement-friendly position, but now he has completely lost face and dignity. Not only has he been demoted three ranks, but he has also been exiled to a remote area in the southwest.
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