"Who sent you?" Han Mo asked casually.
This was an act of killing an official and rebelling!
Moreover, the fellow was an official himself, albeit a low-ranking county lieutenant of the ninth grade, but an official nonetheless.
Committing such an act would incur a heavier penalty!
Han Mo didn't believe that a county lieutenant of the ninth grade possessed the courage and ability for this. After all, judging by all indications, this fellow was a dullard. He might serve as a pawn, but he lacked the substance to be a mastermind!
"This, this..." As expected, when questioned on this matter, the young man immediately began to hesitate.
Han Mo could clearly see a struggle appearing on the young man's face.
"Think carefully. Although the current dynasty does not easily employ the death penalty by dismemberment, do you not understand the crime of colluding with bandits and murdering a superior official?" Han Mo said dismissively.
"Colluding with bandits incurs the same penalty,磔! Murdering a superior official adds another degree, Lingchi. And you, my lad, are an official yourself, breaking the law while knowing it, so that's another degree, extermination of three kinship groups! Tsk tsk tsk, you truly are a filial son!" Wu Jie beside him chimed in with a smile.
In just a few words, Lv Ying was completely terrified out of his wits.
The Lingchi punishment itself was already cruel enough, involving cutting off flesh and bone, severing limbs, and finally beheading. What was even more terrifying was Wu Jie's last remark, the extermination of three kinship groups! Not only would he die, but even his parents, relatives, and children would be implicated!
"Your Lordship, spare me, Your Lordship, spare me!"
"Then speak!" Han Mo's eyes widened, his gaze filled with murderous intent.
"I'll speak, I'll speak! Zhang Huai sent me! He forced me! I was merely an accomplice!" Lv Ying, without a second thought, knelt on the ground and began to beg incessantly.
"Zhang Huai?" Hearing this name, Han Mo's pupils constricted instantly. Since he had come to serve as the county magistrate here, he had naturally made inquiries about his subordinates. This fellow named Zhang Huai was the Yashi under his command. The so-called Yashi was not considered a true official. In the government offices of the Northern Song dynasty, even in a top county like Neihuang with over five thousand households, the actual officials appointed by the court were only the county magistrate, county deputy, and county lieutenant. The rest of the people responsible for the daily operational affairs in the government offices were collectively referred to as clerks. The Yashi was the highest-ranking clerk among all the clerks in the government office.
The Song dynasty implemented the separation of official positions, and the mobility of officials was significant. Compared to them, the clerks were much more stable. After all, in officialdom, stability was better than movement. Most county magistrates served only three-year terms. By that time, they would be promoted or reassigned elsewhere. Cultivating one's own influence was also a time-consuming and laborious task. Regardless, in this place, they would be there for at most three years, so most county magistrates chose to retain the clerks left by their predecessors. At most, they would make some adjustments to their positions. Over time, many clerks became local emperors.
County magistrates who had studied their entire lives were no match for these cunning and influential clerks. Of course, these officials could also try to win over the lower-ranking clerks to undermine these treacherous scribes. However, generally, the success rate of such endeavors was very low, as these individuals were usually deeply entrenched. Moreover, they had formed unshakeable relationships with the local powerful families. Even if they temporarily gained the upper hand, who could guarantee that these people would not make things difficult for them after the county magistrate left?
One was a county magistrate who had to leave after his three-year term, and the other was a local power broker who called the shots. This choice was quite simple.
"My Lord, I had no choice! I was framed by him, and he held something over me, so I had no other option but to resort to this desperate measure!"
"You, a commissioned official of the court, are being ordered around by a clerk. You truly are quite accomplished!" Han Mo snorted with disdain.
"Subordinate, subordinate..."
"Take him away and make him write down everything he knows!" Seeing his subservient demeanor, Han Mo was too lazy to waste any more words with him. He waved his hand, signaling for someone to take him away.
Whether Zhang Huai was the mastermind behind this was still to be verified, but it was certain that this Neihuang County was indeed rotten to the core.
"My Lord, should we..." Wu Jie spoke, making a beheading gesture. Han Mo naturally understood his meaning. He wanted to take advantage of the great victory tonight to strike preemptively against Zhang Huai, to cut the gordian knot swiftly and eliminate him. However, even if this fellow was dealt with, if the forces behind him were not resolved, these people would continue to sow discord from the shadows.
"No need. We cannot linger in this place. Let the brothers work harder; we are entering the city!" After contemplating for a moment, Han Mo decided to enter the city overnight.
"And these people?" Wu Jie pointed at the bandits with a troubled expression.
"Tie them all up and bring them into the city first!" Han Mo pondered for a moment and decided to take these fellows with him. Although, according to the usual practice of military officials, heads were typically taken as trophies at such times, Han Mo was unwilling to resort to widespread slaughter immediately after taking office. After all, Hebei was already chaotic enough. Facts proved that Wang Ge's high-pressure policy had not made Hebei any better. At this juncture, to quell the unrest in Neihuang, one could not rely solely on killing.
"Yes!" Although Wu Jie felt it was a bit troublesome, he did not argue further.
The group set off again in a grand manner, and by the time they reached Neihuang County town, it was already dawn.
"Yashi Zhang! This is bad, this is bad! The new county magistrate has arrived!"
"What did you say?" As Zhang Huai spoke, he pushed away the woman he was holding and jumped out of bed.
"The new county magistrate has arrived! I heard they captured hundreds of bandits, and even the bandit leader Wang Xingye was beheaded!"
"Wang Xingye!" Hearing this name, Zhang Huai, who had just stood up, promptly sat down on the ground. How could this be possible?
"Master, are you alright?" Seeing Zhang Huai in a state of utter despair, his concubine, who was only wearing a bodice, forgot about her clothes and rushed forward with her bare, gleaming thighs.
"Where is Lv Ying? Where is that scoundrel! How could the plan for internal and external cooperation fail?" Zhang Huai gasped for breath, and after a moment, he finally reacted and asked sternly.