Huang Taiji narrowed his eyes and remained silent. After a long while, he rode his horse to Jin Jinshan and suggested, "Grand Prince, we should shoot a letter to the city, allowing our army to send people to collect the body."
Dabeilu Daishan blinked his eyes and said uncertainly, "Will the Ming army in the city allow it? Xiong Manzi is not a man who is easy to talk to."
"How do you know it won't work if you don't try?" Huang Taiji said seriously, "Even if it doesn't work, you can tell our army that it was the Ming army that was unjust in not allowing us to collect the remains of the warriors who died in battle."
Daishan thought about it, his eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Old Eight, that's very thoughtful. I'll do it right away."
Although there were examples of allowing opponents to collect corpses on ancient battlefields, the Later Jin army never did so and had no intention of complying with it.
But Huang Taiji was very thoughtful. If the corpses could be collected, it would be a comfort to the surviving officers and soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty. Otherwise, anyone who saw their comrades' bodies exposed in the wild without anyone caring would also feel sad and disappointed.
If the Ming army on the city wall refused, they would have a reason to blame the Later Jin soldiers. Moreover, this could arouse the hatred and resentment of the Later Jin soldiers, which would be beneficial for future battles even if they did not attack the city again.
It’s impossible to attack this city again!
Huang Taiji turned his horse around and looked back for the last time.
As the sun sets, the afterglow dyes the city and its surroundings red, as if it were covered with a thick layer of blood.
………………
The cat wasn't helping, and Xiao Ji didn't come to take Zhu Youxiao away. Even though his heart was tied to Guangning, he could only wait patiently for news.
The news that Li Sancai was imprisoned had spread, but the officials did not take any action for the time being. They were just waiting for the charges to be confirmed before they could argue for his acquittal.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao ordered the Pacification Division to intensify the interrogation, while ordering Wei Laogong of the East Factory to continue the crackdown based on the confession.
At the same time, Zhu Youxiao also asked Uncle Wei to spread the word that Li Sancai's crimes were "treacherous but appearing loyal" and "corrupt, deceitful and treacherous."
When Li Sancai was about to be recommended to the cabinet during the Wanli period, he was impeached by a large number of officials. "Treasonous but appearing loyal" and "corrupt, deceitful and treacherous" were two of the main charges.
Zhu Youxiao's use of it again at this time was like repeating the same old tune, but it was secretly sinister.
Those who are trying hard to defend Li Sancai will probably breathe a sigh of relief when they see these two charges.
It's no big deal. Even the massive impeachment back then didn't do anything to Li Sancai. At most, they prevented him from joining the cabinet. The same is true now. It shouldn't be too difficult to defend him and get him out.
So, first the Imperial Censors Dong Zhaoshu and Peng Duanwu submitted memorials to defend Li Sancai, then the Imperial Censors Hu Xin and Cao Yubian, and finally Zhao Nanxing and Gao Panlong submitted memorials to save the situation when the emperor ignored them.
"Very good, very good." Zhu Youxiao looked at the memorial defending Li Sancai, and a cold look appeared on his face.
The development of the matter was somewhat beyond his expectations, but it was a good thing. The Donglin Party had really worked hard to save Li Sancai, and even the heavyweights had gone into battle bare-chested.
The current situation is very similar to the great court struggle in the 38th year of the Wanli reign, when Li Sancai was promoted to the cabinet. On that occasion, the factional struggle was fierce, the plot was exposed, and the court officials argued for months without subsiding.
Even the Donglin leader Gu Xiancheng jumped out and wrote letters to Ye Xianggao and the Minister of Personnel Sun Piyang, praising Li Sancai's integrity and honesty and defending Li Sancai.
The intensity of the situation now is naturally far less, because no one impeached Li Sancai, who was already a civilian, and no one argued with the officials who defended him.
But whether there were verbal battles or endless arguments was not important to Zhu Youxiao. He had only one way to deal with those who defended Li Sancai, and that was to get out.
If Zhu Youxiao had difficulty in distinguishing the real Donglin Party before, it was now obvious.
"Very good, very good." Zhu Youxiao repeated these two words, feeling both angry and relieved.
The sooner you jump out, the better. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to clear it up in one fell swoop?
Zhu Youxiao picked up the pen and quickly wrote two secret orders, sealed them in a box, and asked someone to send them to the East Factory and the Governor-General's Office.
It's time to close the net and let the world see what kind of bastards those who claim to be righteous and talk about saints are.
………………
During the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division was divided into two divisions, the southern and the northern.
The Southern Pacification Office was responsible for law and order, as well as military discipline in its own garrison. The Northern Pacification Office handled cases designated by the emperor, had its own prison (imperial prison), and could arrest and torture people on its own without going through the judicial system.
Liu Qiao, a captain of the Imperial Guard, was highly trusted by Luo Sigong and was also extremely law-abiding. While Luo Sigong was away on official business, he took over the management of the Pacification Division and was also responsible for the interrogation of prisoners.
The prisoner in the Li Sancai case had just been tried and imprisoned when Commander Luo Sigong came to question him. He was accompanied by Xu Kui, the chief criminal officer of the East Factory.
Although he was the Chief of the Eastern Depot, he was also sent by the Governor-General's Office. He was originally a Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and was familiar with Liu Qiao.
After the formalities were completed, Luo Sigong sat down in a chair and asked, "Captain Liu, how is the trial going?"
Liu Qiao bowed and replied, "Li Sancai hasn't confessed yet, but his housekeeper and accountant have both confessed. And with the secret accounts we've found, there's no doubt he's guilty of corruption."
Luo Sigong nodded and said, "Use severe torture! The trial must be concluded within seven days. Time is running out!"
Liu Qiao guessed that the palace was urging him to do so, so he bowed and responded.
Seeing Luo Sigong's gaze, Xu Kui smiled and took out several documents, handed them to Liu Qiao, and said, "This is some intelligence from the East Factory investigation, as well as reports from several wealthy merchants in Tongzhou. The people have been brought here, Brother Liu, you can start the interrogation and record their statements."
Liu Qiao took it and said, "Thank you, Brother Xu. With this information, even if Li Sancai refuses to confess, it's enough to convict him."
Luo Sigong knew he was getting old, so he had already cultivated Liu Qiao as his successor. Moreover, the emperor had mentioned Liu Qiao before and seemed to have a good impression of him.
After seeing Xu Kui off, Luo Sigong discussed the case with Liu Qiao again, gave him some careful instructions, and then stood up and said, "I'll go see Li Sancai. I have some questions for him. Maybe he'll confess without you having to interrogate him again!"
Liu Qiao hurried to follow, but was stopped by Luo Sigong, who asked him to interrogate the wealthy businessman from Tongzhou first and not to accompany him to prison.
Knowing that Luo Sigong's questions were not simple and that it was not convenient for him to listen, Liu Qiao sent Luo Sigong away and when he returned, he gathered his men, brought the prisoner in, and began interrogating him.
Li Sancai served as the governor of the grain transport for ten years, which was a lucrative and pleasant position.
At that time, the Grand Canal was the main artery connecting the north and the south, and almost all grain and commercial goods were transported via the Grand Canal. As for sea transportation, it was very rare.
Therefore, anyone who served as the Governor of the Grand Canal was bound to be envied, watched, and attacked. Most of the impeachments against Li Sancai were related to corruption.
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