Chapter 548

Once Ye Xiaotian received the "ticket" signed and issued by Magistrate Hua, he immediately acted swiftly and decisively. Early the next morning, the officials, bailiffs, and bailiffs he had transferred over, as well as the village officials and Baozheng officials from the various towns and villages under the county, all rushed to the sports field of the county school to await the Warden's orders.

Although Ye Xiaotian's injury looked rather frightening, he had properly protected the vital parts of his body, so his injury was not serious. In the past, he often used a pair of crutches, partly because of his disguise. Now that he had to deploy troops, he naturally would not use crutches and cause any damage to morale.

When Ye Xiaotian stepped onto the podium, he was full of energy and fighting spirit. On the other hand, squad leader Zhou, who was following behind him, was still like an iron crutch, limping and unable to shake off the crutch. His thigh had really been broken in the past. Other than squad leader Zhou, there was also squad leader Su following behind Ye Xiaotian. Su Xuntian puffed out his chest, and his spirit was also unprecedentedly abundant.

Ye Xiaotian stood on the podium and looked down. There was a dense mass of black, and it seemed like a well-trained and well-trained army. However, in the eyes of Ye Xiaotian, who had seen the Imperial Army, their imposing manner was really undisciplined. In terms of combat power, the Imperial Army was like a silver spear tip, but at least their military posture was not bad.

"They are not an army, so I don't have to force them."

Ye Xiaotian comforted himself like this, and raised his voice to say, "Everyone, today there is a hunter from Qingshangou, Hua Yunfei, who brutally killed Xu Lin, Brother Xiang, and six other people. After that, he tried to assassinate this county's aristocrat, Qi Mu. I have been ordered by the county magistrate to be fully responsible for the case of searching for the real murderer. From today onwards, all of you will be under my command. If anyone dares to be negligent, I will not be polite! "

Ye Xiaotian paced slowly on the podium, and his tone changed. He said, "It seems that this is a bit of a waste of manpower and money, isn't it? In fact, this person's methods are so cruel that the people of Hulu County are uncertain. If we don't arrest him in time, who knows what he will do. In order to ensure the safety of this area, it is necessary to use the entire county's power to arrest him as soon as possible.

Of course, since the entire county's power is used, we can't just do this one thing. I have said before that we will severely crack down on all kinds of criminal activities in the county. As a county magistrate, Meng Qingwei was smuggling in the dark. Moreover, what he was smuggling was gunpowder, something that was strictly forbidden by the imperial court. It could be seen how rampant the underground crime in this county was.

Now that we have used the entire county's power, we will thoroughly carry out a thorough cleaning from top to bottom. As for the specifics of the operation, I have already instructed the constables. You will be assigned to them, and they will direct the operation. From the county, the village, every street, and every household, we will carry out a comprehensive and thorough cleaning. We will severely crack down on all the evils, all the evils, and all the lawbreakers!

Some of you have lived here for generations. Some of your ancestors came here when the Great Ming Empire was founded. Some of your ancestors were part of the Great Ming Empire's army, and they came here with swords and sabers to expand the territory. Some of you encountered natural disasters and couldn't survive in your original homes, so you left your homes and came here.

No matter why you came here, since you have taken root here, this is your home. The Hulu County belongs to all of us. The foul atmosphere of the Hulu County needs to be cleaned now. Pick up your brooms and sweep away the dust, cockroaches, and cobwebs! "

Although Ye Xiaotian's pre-war general mobilization had a certain effect of inciting the people, it was not enough to make the constables' blood boil and beat up County Magistrate Meng that day. Many of the county officials and citizens who worked in other yamens and usually had no contact with Ye Xiaotian, especially the village chiefs and supervisors who were transferred from the villages and towns, were even more stupefied when they heard his speech.

Watching as the bailiffs split up one by one, Squad Leader Zhou limped to Ye Xiaotian's side and said in a low voice, "Milord, from what I can see, the only force we can really use are these bailiffs. We have to make them clench their fists together to have a chance of fighting against Qi Mu. Now that we've broken them up, let them split up and lead the sheep-like guards, yamen runners, and villagers, will this work?"

Su Xuntian also came up and said worriedly, "Yes, Your Excellency, they are like walking corpses. Instead of relying on them, it is better to gather all the constables together. Maybe we can fight against Qi Mu."

Ye Xiaotian shook his head and said, "There are only 25 constables in the county. If we take away the old and the sick, we only have 17 or 18 constables and a dozen sabers. Do you think we can fight against Qi Mu?"

"This..." Su Xuntian and Zhou Siyu looked at each other and shook their heads lightly.

Ye Xiaotian said, "Qi Mu has been the ruler of Gourd County for many years. A big tree has deep roots. It is not so easy to topple it. Now that County Magistrate Meng is locked up, it is difficult for Qi Mu to get help from the officials. But this does not mean that he is easy to deal with. If we want to eradicate him in one fell swoop, there are two things we must do! "

Su Xuntian asked, "What two things?"

Ye Xiaotian said, "Although County Magistrate Meng has been arrested and a lot of evidence has been found in his house, he still refuses to confess. Without his confession, we cannot link it to Qi Mu. The same goes for the hooligans who were arrested. Moreover, their knowledge is limited. Even if they are willing to confess, I am afraid that they will not be able to provide much useful information.

Those who have been harmed by Qi Mu still have a lot of scruples. Although we have encouraged them repeatedly, they are still unwilling to come forward. So, the first thing we have to do is to find a crime that will give us sufficient reason to accuse him! "

Su Xuntian and Zhou Siyu listened and nodded silently. No matter how arrogant Ye Xiaotian is, he is still an official. This is a layer of protection for him, preventing Qi Mu from doing anything he wants. At the same time, it is also a restraint, as he still has to follow some rules.

Evidence is necessary. If we want to use the method to deal with County Magistrate Meng, first fabricate a false evidence to arrest Qi Mu, then search for the real evidence against Qi Mu, this method will not work. Qi Mu is a fugitive, he will not sit still and wait for death.

If he is framed with a false accusation, he will be even more fearless in his resistance. Once he violently resists the law, causing heavy casualties, the court will investigate, only to discover that the evidence provided by the magistrate is false, and it is inevitable that he will be charged with the crime of forcing the people to rebel.

Ye Xiaotian said, "Secondly, it doesn't matter if we have concrete evidence or not. Once we want to make a move on Qi Mu, we will need to use force. A fugitive like Qi Mu will definitely resist. He has a large number of henchmen. With just twenty or so constables, do you think we can break into the Qi residence?"

Su Xuntian and Zhou Siyu shook their heads again. Ye Xiaotian pointed to the people below the stage and said: "So, we need them. Don't be fooled by their current state, they are like the walking dead. Do you think that your muddle-headed appearance in the past is better than them? "

Su Xuntian frowned: "These people are from different yamen, and some are even from the countryside. If Milord wants to win their hearts and make them work for you, I am afraid it will take a long time."

Ye Xiaotian laughed: "I do not need them to work for me. I only need them to hate Qi Mu. Qi Mu is no longer the Qi Mu who has the final say in Hulu County. After the arrest of Xu Lin, Brother Xiang, and the others, as well as the arrest of County Magistrate Meng, Qi Mu's illusion of invincibility has been exposed.

Qi Mu is obviously aware of this as well. He is now desperately trying to regain his former glory. At this time, if I send these people to cause trouble for Qi Mu, even if they are just doing it half-heartedly, Qi Mu's people are like trapped beasts. Will they swallow this insult and humiliation? "

Hearing this, Su Xuntian and Zhou Siyu finally understood.

Su Xuntian gave a thumbs up and praised generously: "Brilliant! Really brilliant! "

What Ye Xiaotian wanted to do now, to put it bluntly, was not worth a penny. Wasn't it just to destroy the morale of the troops? Then he would use the hands of his opponent to grind them out, to grind out their courage. When he had accumulated enough rage points, he would use a big critical hit. Even if the big boss Qi Mu did not die, he would at least be in critical condition!

…

Night, heavy rain.

The heavy rain splashed onto the bluestone slabs, causing bubbles to appear and disappear one after another. Under the eaves, a pair of lanterns struggled miserably in the storm. The weak light painted the rain with a layer of blurred luster, making the night even more bleak and bitter.

"Bang! Bang bang! "

"The weather is dry. Be careful of the fire. Safe and sound … "

An old night watchman draped in a straw raincoat walked over from afar with a stooped body. He held a lamp in one hand and a clapper in the other. He held a bamboo mallet and beat it rhythmically as he walked over from afar. He shouted the same lines, completely ignoring the heavy rain.

Below the angry lanterns was a mottled door. The door was tightly shut, but the light inside the room was transparent. Dozens of gambling tables were placed there, and in front of each table was a group of gamblers who were either red-eyed from losing or beaming with joy from winning.

Li Yue's face was dry and yellow. He nervously wiped the cards with his sweaty fingers. Suddenly, his face was flushed with excitement. He slammed the cards in his hand on the table and shouted: "Tiger Head!" After saying that, Li Yue opened his arms and laughed, wanting to take the money from the table.

"Wait!" A pockmarked man on the other side of the table smiled and pushed his hand away. He glanced at him proudly and leisurely flipped over a domino card. It was bright red with six red dots. The pockmarked man slowly flipped over the second card. It was dark with six black dots.

Li Yue looked as if he had lost his parents. He gloomily muttered: "Heaven Card!"

The pockmarked man laughed and said: "Sorry, even your tiger head has to give way when it sees my Heaven Card." After saying that, he opened his arms and hugged the money on the table to his bosom, cackling like a duck.

"Bang bang! Bang bang! "The sound of a clapper came from afar:" The weather is dry. Be careful of the fire. Safe and sound … "

Li Yue angrily scolded: "It's raining cats and dogs, and you still say it's dry?"

The pockmarked man laughed and said: "You can't beat me even if he says' Congratulations on getting rich '. I say, you already owe me eighty copper coins. Do you still want to gamble? If you don't have money, you better get lost!"

Li Yue gritted his teeth and slammed the table: "Same old rules. If you lose a hundred copper coins, you can sleep at my house tonight!"

Ma Zi chuckled, "You don't say, that wife of yours is quite interesting. Come, let's continue! "

On the long street, the night watchman, wearing a straw raincoat and carrying a lantern, slowly walked to the front of the house. He looked to his left and right and saw that it was raining cats and dogs. The hired thugs who were supposed to be guarding the door had also run back into the house to hide from the rain. He immediately picked up the lantern and turned left and right three times.

A moment later, under the leadership of Bailiff Ma Hui, a group of men and women carrying iron chains, shackles, sabers, and whistling sticks pounced on them. The door was smashed open. Ma Hui took the lead and rushed into the casino with his saber raised. He shouted: "The government is handling a case, idlers leave!"

There was no idler in the house. Everyone was busy. Li Yue, who had lost, jumped up and picked up a few pieces of Pai Gow as hidden weapons. She threw them at Ma Hui and cursed: "Motherf * cker! You followed an Ai Dian Shi who doesn't know what's good for him. How dare you rebel! Do you know whose territory this is? "

"Ouch!"

Ma Hui's head was hit by a domino. It was as if he was hit by the Cataclysmic Seal. He immediately retreated and stood in the middle of the crowd of people. He shouted: "The gangsters attacked the police officers. Arrest them all!"

Although the status of the government in the eyes of the people of Gourd County had improved recently, these gamblers still did not take them seriously. They immediately flipped over the tables, grabbed the stools, and rushed forward. Whether they were willing or not, seeing this scene, the people had no choice but to fight. The two sides immediately began to fight.

The chaos in Gourd County had begun …