I am an anchor in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 207

anxious!

Throughout Cao Zhen's mansion, there were anxious expressions.

A confidant messenger was sent six days ago!

It's been six days, why haven't you come back?

Looking at it, tomorrow is the day to hand over the grain and grass.

How can this be good?

Cao Zhen paced back and forth, looking completely restless.

Liu Changhai and Zhao Yonggang also seemed extremely anxious.

Qi Yufeng was thinking carefully.

On the surface, these big households resisted the requisition of grain, but in fact, they were secretly protected by the sons and generals of the Cao family!

No one dared to do anything to them!

"Patriarch Qi, we haven't received a reply, what do you think should we do?" Liu Changhai asked.

Cao Zhen also looked at him.

"That way!" Qi Yufeng seemed to have made up his mind.

"Since Mr. Cao Pi hasn't received a reply, let's slow him down for a while!

Didn't the fifth son want to ask for 50 stones for food and grass?Let's prepare five thousand shi, and hide the rest of the food and grass, let him search!As long as we can't find it, we can't blame us for not handing it over! "

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Liu Changhai and Zhao Yonggang all praised it.

Cao Zhen asked again: "What about the five times the tax in Jicheng?"

Qi Yufeng thought for a moment.

"Prefect Cao Zhen, can't we pick out some scapegoats and execute them directly!

As long as we can get rid of the relationship, what can the fifth son do?

Not surprisingly, Mr. Cao Pi may let us do the same! "

"It's a way!"

Cao Zhen nodded heavily.

Discuss countermeasures here.

For the next half day, the entire Jicheng appeared to be calm.

Secretly, the three major clans secretly transported the stored food into their own dark warehouses. Not to mention that Cao Xiong is not familiar with Jicheng, even an old man who has lived in Jicheng for decades may not be able to find it.

On Cao Zhen's side, he cut through the mess with a sharp knife, directly interrogated, and executed a group of fish and meat civilians, who collected taxes without authorization, and officials with the worst reputation.

And post their crimes in the streets and alleys of Jicheng.

Which of the common people doesn't know that he is putting on a show, but what can be done?

Again no proof.

Everyone dared not speak out.

Xu Chu informed Cao Xiong of the information observed by the Huben Army.

He seemed a little anxious, if Cao Zhen and these families were really asked to hide the food, and then randomly find some scapegoats to execute, then the fifth young master might be passive!

Cao Xiong comforted Xu Chu and said:

"Don't worry about the food and fodder, Guanneihou, what they hide today, I will have to take it out tomorrow!"

"As for these scapegoats? There's no need to worry about it. He, Cao Zhen, can kill him if he likes to kill them. They are all corrupt officials of the common people anyway. There is nothing wrong with killing a few more!"

Xu Chu wanted to persuade him a few more words.

Cao Xiong directly stopped him: "The Marquis of Guannei will see how the five sons will give Jicheng a powerful medicine tomorrow!"

Then he murmured to himself: "Now the only thing missing is blind medicine!"

Speaking of this, Cao Xiong counted on his fingers, "It's almost the same!"

Just at this time, Hu Benbing sent a report that Lingju had returned.

Cao Xiong was overjoyed!

"The medicine is here!"

As he spoke, he hurried to greet Lingju.

Xu Chu didn't understand why!

……

Seventh day!

This is the time limit for the delivery of grain stipulated by the fifth son Cao Xiong for the Jicheng clan.

Early in the morning, the geese returned to the building, and there were many people coming and going.

The three major clans have not come yet.

Cao Zhen arrived with all the civil and military officials.

Cao Xiong, Lingju, and Xu Chu walked outside the courtyard.

"Lord Cao Zhen, what our five sons want is food and grass! What are you civil and military officials doing here?"

Xu Chu took the lead in scolding.

Cao Zhen bowed respectfully.

"The Marquis of Guannei calm down, the lower officials led all the civil and military officials here to plead guilty!"

Chapter 208

Plead guilty?

Cao Zhen thought carefully!

I thought it was to get rid of the relationship between Jicheng's five times tax and money.

really.

Cao Zhen immediately said: "Out of the 72 officials in Jicheng, eight of them conspired to collect five times the tax from the common people behind the back of the prefect. This is really a heinous crime! The officials have beheaded them for public display and ransacked their homes!"

Xu Chu walked to Cao Xiong's side.

He said in a low voice: "Fifth Young Master, look, they've left everything behind!"

Cao Xiong smiled slightly, "It's okay, I can't clean up the dirty things I've done!"

Cao Zhen continued: "The lower officials have ordered a thorough investigation into this matter! Any officials who damage the reputation of Jicheng's benevolence will be severely punished! At the same time..."

Speaking of here.

Cao Zhen knelt down directly.

When Cao Zhen knelt down, all the civil and military officials in the courtyard also fell to their knees!

"This prefect has committed the crime of negligence, and I implore the imperial envoy to remove my post as prefect of Jicheng!"

Cao Zhen said a word.

The rest of Jicheng civil and military officials echoed one by one:

"The lower officials also failed to observe, and I implore the imperial envoy to also remove the rank of the lower officials!"

"The lower officials also have the crime of unfavorable supervision, please..."

……

More than [-] officials pleaded guilty one by one!

Xu Chu frowned slightly!

This is not an admission of guilt, this is obviously forcing the fifth son Cao Xiong to pardon them!

Now the officials in Jicheng have all cleared up their ties!

For the crime of negligence!

How could the fifth son Cao Xiong remove more than [-] officials from their official titles at once?

If amnesty is not guilty!Wouldn't that just do what they wanted.

It's a good way to not blame the public!

There must be an expert around Cao Zhen!

Xu Chu looked at Cao Xiong, how would this clever fifth son deal with this situation?

Unexpectedly, the fifth son helped Cao Zhen up very enthusiastically.

He shouted loudly: "Not guilty, not guilty! All these good officials in Jicheng are not guilty!"

After shouting.

Quietly whispered in Cao Zhen's ear: "Lord Cao Zhen, you have given me a hard time!"

Cao Zhen smiled "hehe" and said, "We are each other!"

The two stood up and laughed!

Look at each other!It's tacit understanding of each other!

On the bright side, Cao Zhen had the upper hand in this first round of fighting!

In this way, the important case involving high taxes in Jicheng was understood hastily, as the officials of Jicheng wished.

Today's fifth son, Cao Xiong, can't handle the officials of Jicheng anymore!

"Lord Cao Zhen, the tea you brewed last time was very good! Our Yangui Pavilion has already finished brewing, so you won't bring any more."

Cao Xiong and Cao Zhen chatted while walking into the cabinet.

"Hey, Fifth Young Master doesn't know!"

Cao Zhen shook his head abruptly, "Our Jicheng is initially set up with the Great Wall as its back, and there are nomadic bandits on the other side of the Great Wall.

Not to mention good tea, even food is often snatched by them!

Or, Fifth Young Master, talk to Prime Minister Cao, and give us some food and grass in Jicheng as well! "

Hi!

I haven't asked you for food yet.

You are the first to cry poor.

"Did Master Cao Zhen say that last time?"

"What did you say last time?"

"Lord Cao Zhen said last time: 50 shi, grain and grass, will arrive soon!"

"Did I say that?" Cao Zhen became dumbfounded for a second, "I didn't say that! Fifth son, you can eat whatever you want, but don't talk nonsense!"

Don't say it, Cao Zhen is pretending to be innocent!

It really looks like it!

Cao Xiong thought to himself: "My lord has already expected the tricks of your fox!"