newbobooks Chapter 281 Why Isn't It Our Turn Yet?
Chapter 281 Why Isn't It Our Turn Yet?
"Luo Xiang, Guangqiu, you two go follow him." Yang Biao said to the two people standing behind him. Luo Xiang and Zhou Guangqiu used to be scouts in the army. They were good at gathering information and tracking.
Although Gui Wenbin was slightly better than the other two in martial arts, his tracking skills were not as good as theirs. He had been sent out on several tracking missions before, but he either lost the people or was discovered by others.
"Lord Yang, so you wanted to play hard to get?" Liang Qiushi finally reacted when he saw that he had sent two people to follow Tang Li.
"It's unlikely that Tang Li will confess. It seems we have to find another way. You still have to continue the interrogation. You can use torture if necessary." Yang Biao stood up and told Liang Qiushi to continue interrogating the other people who were arrested.
I don't know if Luo Xiang and the others have gained anything by following Tang Li. We can't put all our hopes on them. It would be best if we can find some useful clues here.
"Yes, sir!" Seeing that he was about to leave, Liang Qiushi hurriedly stood up and saluted.
Tang Li was very aware of anti-reconnaissance when he got out of the prison. He walked around in circles, and when he was sure that no one was following him, he found a snack stand to fill his stomach.
"Master, there have been pigeon messages from Hejian Prefecture, Beigao Prefecture, Sifang Prefecture, and Mulin Prefecture, saying that the whole city has arrested people who wear pinky rings on their little fingers in the past two days, and asked how to deal with them."
As soon as Yang Biao came out of the prison, Yu Wenrui came over on a fast horse to report.
"Oh, how many people are there approximately?" Yang Biao took the letters and quickly read through them.
"Master, 26 people were arrested in Hejian Prefecture, 39 in Guangshu Prefecture, 33 in Beigao Prefecture, 29 in Sifang Prefecture, and 38 in Mulin Prefecture, for a total of 165 people."
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Yu Wenrui directly reported the number of people, but he was not quite clear why he wanted to arrest these people.
"Send a letter to intensify the arrest efforts and make sure that there are no people wearing pinky rings on their little fingers in every corner of the city." This is a time bomb that disrupts social order, and I must defuse it.
"Yes, master!" After receiving his instructions, Yu Wenrui took the order and left.
"Sun Yi, go to Hejian Prefecture to find the prefect Wen Ting." Yang Biao asked someone to bring paper and pen, wrote a letter and handed it to him.
"Lin Dong, go find Liang Huanshi now," and let them both wear tail rings. One was sent to the prison in Hejian Prefecture, and the other returned to the prison to be locked up with those arrested people to see if they could get any valuable information.
"Master, all the autumn seedlings in Guangshu Mansion have been planted." Yang Biao went to the fields to inspect the autumn planting of rice and other crops, and Lu Xi came to report.
Yang Biao ordered the government to take the lead in self-operated planting, and also provided seeds and fermented fertilizers for free, and recycled vegetables, which encouraged more than 200 farmers in the surrounding area to participate in vegetable planting.
Many times, farmers’ families are not wealthy, not because they are not hardworking enough, but because good crops need to be sold to improve the farmers’ lives.
The government stepped in to ensure that farmers plowed in spring, planted in summer, harvested in autumn, and stored in winter according to the 24 solar terms, and taught farmers how to ferment fertilizers scientifically.
In order to make the compost smell pleasant, farmers add orange peels, lemon peels or fragrant flower petals to ensure that crops in the fields can thrive while also refreshing the air.
"Well, well done!" Yang Biao looked up and saw the fields planted with large fields of lush green rice seedlings. He felt so happy that he couldn't express himself any better.
But when he rode back to the government office, he was in a bad mood.
"Yongle, Luo Xiang and the others haven't come back yet?" It had been a day since the two of them were sent to follow Tang Li, and no news had come yet. Yang Biao was a little anxious.
"Master, Luo Xiang and Zhou Guangqiu were both scouts originally. They know how to protect themselves and nothing will happen to them." In Mei Yongle's opinion, there is no news about the two of them at the moment. As long as nothing happens to them, it means that they have gained something.
"I hope so." They had received professional training and were taught how to adapt to changing circumstances. This was how Yang Biao comforted himself.
"Yongle, go to the army and find two scouts with strong tracking ability immediately, and I will send another person out." He decided not to wait any longer, it would be more reliable to cast a wide net.
"Yes, master!" After hearing his order, Mei Yongle hurriedly rode his horse to the military camp.
"Master, don't worry. Luo Xiang is very good at tracking and investigating." Gui Wenbin comforted him when he saw that he was frowning.
He and Luo Xiang were bought by Jiang Sheng at the same time in Beijing. After spending a long time together, they knew each other's strength.
"Okay," Yang Biao turned his head and looked behind him. There were originally thirteen masters guarding him, but now there were only nine left.
Zhang Zhanfei and Wang Hui were sent to guard Xia Weiwei, and Lin Dong and Sun Yi were also sent by him to carry out the mission.
"Let's go and take a look at the water transport here." There are many rivers flowing through Guangshu Prefecture. Building canals and creating water transport ships will cost a lot of money.
The imperial court also stated that it would not allocate any funds to the north within five years, and all these expenses would come from the private property confiscated from the corrupt officials.
"Master, you are not wearing your official uniform anymore?" Gui Wenbin saw him take off his official uniform before inspecting the dock. Was he planning to go on a secret visit to understand the people's sentiments?
"I'm afraid that they say one thing and do another behind the scenes. It's better for us to act covertly." Yang Biao changed into a blue silk gown and got off the carriage.
The group first went to the dock east of Guangshu Prefecture, where they happened to see several ships carrying grain. The officials at the dock were organizing people to transport the grain.
"Hey, Manager Zhan, why isn't it our turn yet?" When Yang Biao arrived at the dock, he saw a group of young people surrounding a fat man in his thirties and yelling.
"These people were hired by the cargo owner. I can't control them. Don't come to me." Manager Zhan held the account book in one hand and a brush in the other. His view was blocked by them and he was sweating profusely.
"Brothers, the owner of this batch of grain is Jiang Zhen from Jiang's Rice Shop. He always refuses to let us carry his goods. Let's rob him of all his grain."
We must teach him a lesson today, so that he won't be so cocky in the future, suggested a man in his twenties.
"Yin Qin is right. We have been guarding the dock for a whole day. The money we earned today is not enough for our own food, let alone supporting our wives and children at home."
The earnest words aroused everyone's response, and they all rushed to board the grain ship and began to rob.
"Brothers, you have to think clearly. Robbery is a capital crime. If you are caught by the government, what will happen to your children's marriage in the future?"
Under Yang Biao's instructions, Gui Wenbin shouted loudly at those who were snatching food from the grain ship.
"Yes, robbery is punishable by hanging. My son is less than one year old. I don't want to die yet."
A young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old, who was running with a bag on his back, finally came to his senses after hearing Gui Wenbin's words. He returned to the grain transport ship and put down the rice he was carrying.
"I don't want to die either." He put the food back, and the others who ran faster also followed him back.
"There are so many of us, how could the government possibly find out? Besides, don't you know that the law does not punish the majority?" Yin Qin saw that they stopped and shouted at them.