Compared to Gui Fanlou's shock after hearing the news, the people of Bianliang were extremely terrified at this time.
In recent days, Kaifeng Prefecture and the Imperial City Administration have posted notices everywhere, requiring citizens to report gang members to the government. In addition to the reporter, more than four neighbors are required to identify them.
The purpose of doing this is naturally to prevent false accusations. What if someone wants to kill someone with a borrowed knife and deliberately makes false accusations, resulting in a wrongful conviction?
So there's nothing wrong with being cautious.
But this would be very disadvantageous for the people.
After all, reporting gangsters already requires great courage from the people, and they must also be allowed to report in groups. What if the gangsters retaliate afterwards?
Therefore, in the first two days after the notice was posted, there was not much response from the public, and very few people came forward to report.
All this was within the expectations of Zhao Jun and Fan Zhongyan.
So two days later they added fuel to the fire. In the middle of the night they sent people disguised as gangsters to tear up the notices posted by the government and post notices written in the name of Wuyou Cave and Guifanlou to threaten the people.
The leaders of Wuyou Cave and Guifan Tower who got the news were almost going crazy. They were now hiding underground and among the people like rats. How could they dare to provoke the government?
But the people didn't care about that. They only saw that those people not only oppressed the good and committed crimes on a daily basis, but also continued to run rampant despite the government's crackdown.
As a result, under such circumstances, the markets in the outer city of Bianliang, the two areas of South Street and East Street that were most affected by the gangs, were about to explode.
South Street and East Street were home to the largest number of ordinary people and poor people, and most of the slums were located in the areas of Wansheng Gate, Shuntian Gate, Guangli Gate in the southwest corner of Bianliang, and Xuanhua Gate, Datong Gate, and Chaoyang Gate in the southeast corner.
Because this area is the main entrance and exit of the four canals of Bianliang, merchant ships come and go to load and unload goods in this area, so the business and handicraft manufacturing industries are extremely prosperous. A large number of people who come to Bianliang to work gather on the edge of the outer city and outside the outer city.
Because of the concentration of low-income people here, gangs are rampant here. Many families have gang members. It's common for sons to join gangs after their parents work at the docks, in manufacturing, or in other labor-intensive industries.
This also led to gangs penetrating the civilian population, becoming deeply ingrained and difficult to eradicate. Even if notices were posted, some people would harbor them or hide in their homes, which is why places like Wuyou Cave and Guifanlou remained untouched.
But now that the gangs have become so rampant that they are threatening the people and the government, the people who have nothing to do with the gangs or have been oppressed by the gangs are frightened, fearing that the gangs will make a comeback and bully them like before.
In a teahouse on Nancaochang Lane, Chenzhoumennei Street, a man in his thirties, with a handsome appearance, was holding a notice. A neighbor asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"
Seeing someone finally asking a question, the man immediately shook the paper in his hand and said, "This is the notice that Wuyou Cave posted on the government bulletin boards on various streets last night."
"Did Wuyou Cave also issue a notice?"
The neighbors were surprised.
"Who says it isn't?"
The man sighed and said, "They said that if anyone dares to report this to the authorities, their entire family will be exterminated."
"Ouch."
The neighbor was shocked and asked, "Is there such a thing?"
"Yeah, see for yourself."
As he said this, the man handed over the notice in his hand.
Soon, people who were interested gathered around and someone read the above content.
After everyone had heard the threats, the man said with a worried look on his face, "I've been beaten by the people from Wuyou Cave before. They've always been domineering in the outer city, and now they even dare to defy the government. What are we going to do in the future?"
"Didn't the Imperial City Director, now the Director of the Constitutional Council, swear to completely eliminate them? He even said he would behead them in public on East Street in a few days."
"We can't arrest all of them. Everyone in Bianliang knows that those people have all gone underground, and it's difficult for the government to get in and kill them."
"Wouldn't that mean Bianliang will never see the light of day again?"
"Well, I think we should just forget it. The government can't defeat those people. Even if they catch a group, the rest will just go into hiding. Bianliang is so big, wouldn't it be easy to hide?"
Teahouses are places for gossip and chatting. Once someone starts a conversation, the surrounding area immediately becomes lively and people start talking about it.
"How can we just let it go?"
Someone angrily said, "Places like Wuyou Cave and Guifan Tower should be completely wiped out. My child was abducted, and just over a month later, his body was washed out of the Bianliang Canal. Why don't those people just die?"
"The government wanted to arrest them, but they all hid. And I heard that the people were also protecting them."
Seeing that there was a victim among the crowd, the man immediately took advantage of the situation and said, "Think about it, many people's entire families belong to them. Even if the neighbors know the other party's identity, they will turn a blind eye due to the neighborhood relationship. In the end, it is others who suffer."
"So, according to you, those people can't be caught?"
The neighbor asked.
The man said, "If we want to catch them all, the neighbors must stop shielding them. You're all thinking it's better to keep your nose out of trouble today, but don't you think that if these people stay around, sooner or later they'll bring disaster upon you. Who will then speak up for you?"
"Yes, only by catching them all can we restore the bright and sunny skies of Bianliang."
"It's useless to rely on Zhao Qingtian alone. We have to help him."
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