AWB Chapter 228 There are many things happening in Ningzhou!
Chapter 228 There are many things happening in Ningzhou!
Banditry in Ningzhou?
Wu Xiang was stunned and asked, "My Lord, what do you want to know?"
"I want to know why the banditry in Ningzhou was so serious but was never reported to the court, allowing it to persist for over a decade and become increasingly rampant."
"If the report from Ningzhou had reached the capital earlier, the Ningzhou government would definitely not have acted like this!"
"Ok?"
Wu Xiang was stunned and said, "How is this possible? This bandit problem has been reported long ago, and at least five or six times a year! But..."
He frowned and said, "Either the court didn't respond, or they said they had other plans. In short, it just kept dragging on year after year until it got to this point!"
"Oh?"
Gu Jingzhi asked, "Where are the memorials submitted to the court archived, and where are the memorials approved by the court kept?"
"It's stored in the government office's document warehouse!"
Wu Xiang asked curiously, "My Lord, is there something wrong?"
“This is a huge problem!”
Gu Jingzhi said, "After I entered the court, His Majesty appointed me as a secretary. I served before the Emperor for about half a year, but I never saw the memorials about the banditry in Ningzhou..."
"what?"
Wu Xiang said: "This is impossible!"
"During my tenure in Ningzhou, the two prefects constantly submitted reports, especially around the time of spring plowing and autumn harvest. They would definitely submit reports to the court, all for the purpose of suppressing bandits. How could there be no reports?"
"Then why not have someone go to the document warehouse and retrieve all the records?"
Gu Jingzhi did not doubt Wu Xiang. According to his understanding, Wu Xiang had a pretty good official style. This was the conclusion given by the Internal Guard Bureau, and it seemed to be correct!
Although there were major mistakes in the Inner Guard Department, that was only the Yuheng Department. The Tianji Department, which was in charge of the local areas, did not encounter any problems.
Therefore, he can still trust the conclusion of the Internal Guard Bureau!
……
About half an hour later, the clerk from the government office ran into the main hall and said in a panic, "My Lord, and all the others, something terrible has happened!"
"Those memorials from the imperial court approving our suppression of bandits...are all gone!"
"what?"
Everyone was shocked and stood up to look at the clerk.
"What about the records of our memorials to the court?"
“The records are all here!”
The clerk said tremblingly.
"Master Hou..."
Wu Xiang turned his head and looked at Gu Jingzhi: "The memorial approved by the court is lost, this matter..."
"Alright! Everyone, sit down and talk!"
Gu Jingzhi sat calmly in his chair and said calmly, "All the memorials submitted by Ningzhou over the past ten years are still there, but this reply is gone. It seems there are indeed many problems here!"
"Master Hou!"
Wu Xiang said anxiously, "I guarantee with my life that there is absolutely no such thing in Ningzhou..."
Before he could finish his words, Gu Jingzhi reached out his hand to stop him and said, "Master Wu, I trust you on this matter, and I also trust the officials of Ningzhou Prefecture!"
"However, with such a major mistake, I have to remind you... Do you really think the approval you received is from the imperial court?"
Gu Jingzhi said unhappily, "The approvals you mentioned are all lost. Apparently, someone knew I was coming and was afraid they'd find out, so they destroyed everything during this time!"
"I have never seen any memorials from Ningzhou regarding banditry in the Imperial Study, yet the memorials you sent out have received responses. Think about the problem yourself!"
Gu Jingzhi picked up the teacup and took a sip.
There is no need to think about this matter at all. Someone must be obstructing and confusing the public.
The imperial court's memorials all had corresponding procedures, and they were able to deceive the officials of the entire Ningzhou Prefecture...
Apart from the six ministries, the only ones who could accomplish this task were Prime Minister Song Pu or Jin Lehuang.
However, there is no need for the officials of the six ministries to make things difficult for Ningzhou. After all, Ningzhou is so poor. If something happens in Ningzhou, I am afraid no one can take the responsibility.
As for Song Pu...
To be honest, Gu Jingzhi didn't think he was the one who did it. As the prime minister of a country, although he was from a noble family, as long as it didn't affect the interests of the family, there was no need for him to hide it.
and so……
Jin Lehuang?
She had intervened in the internal security, so it was not difficult for her to intercept a report from Ningzhou!
only……
The timing doesn’t match either!
According to what Yuheng explained, Jin Lehuang had been involved in the affairs of the inner guards for only five years, but the Ningzhou incident lasted for more than ten years, so the timelines did not match.
For a moment, everyone racked their brains but couldn't figure it out.
After a while, Gu Jingzhi came back to his senses and shouted, "Everyone..."
The others were awakened by him and looked at Gu Jingzhi one by one. Gu Jingzhi said, "There is no conclusion yet, so we can only investigate slowly. The magistrates of the four counties will be here soon. I have made a plan for the development of Ningzhou in the next few years. Later..."
Before he could finish his words, someone suddenly came running over from outside the government office: "My Lord, My Lord..."
A soldier with blood on his body rushed in.
Gu Jingzhi stood up immediately when he saw the person coming and asked, "Did we succeed in suppressing the bandits?"
"My Lord, great joy!"
The soldier said quickly, "We used the Marquis's strategy to lure the bandits down the mountain. We surrendered or killed over 1,500 of them, and not a single one escaped!"
When everyone heard this, they were immediately shocked.
Who would have thought that the problem that had troubled Ningzhou for more than ten years could be solved by Gu Jingzhi in just a few days?
Isn't this a dream?
Gu Jingzhi was the first to react. He slammed the table and shouted, "Good! Well done!"
Although he was very confident this time, he still understood that plans are not as good as changes.
But he didn't expect things to go so smoothly. He said to the soldier, "Have Captain Lin and the others returned?"
"My Lord, the captain sent me here to report the end of the bandit suppression. They are currently cleaning up the mess and will be back in an hour at the latest."
"Good good!"
Gu Jingzhi laughed heartily and said, "God truly bless Ningzhou. This year's spring plowing... Ningzhou is bound to be completely renewed and will never be the same again!"
Upon hearing this, the others also congratulated in unison: "Congratulations, Lord Marquis! Congratulations, Lord Marquis!"
"Everyone, this is a joy for Ningzhou, and for you all as well!"
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "Now that the bandit problem in Lianyun Mountain has been solved, there's nothing to worry about with the other bandits. In the coming time, as long as we're fast enough, we'll definitely bring about earth-shaking changes in Ningzhou!"
After hearing this, the others also felt excited!
You know, in the most recent bandit suppression campaign, the imperial court sent out tens of thousands of troops but failed to completely eradicate the bandit problem. As a result, Gu Jingzhi just used a strategy to let the bandits in Lianyunzhai run down the mountain by themselves, and then they were dealt with!
Although they were not completely wiped out this time, there are only 500 people left in Lianyun Village. As long as Gu Jingzhi does not let go, Lianyun Village will never be able to succeed again.
Wu Xiang said excitedly, "I will definitely live up to your trust, Lord!"