Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 634 To cut Fu Jing's party ([-])

Seeing Bei Haijun escorting a group of beggars into the city, many people in the city were surprised, wondering how the Bei Hai soldiers had caught the beggars.Seeing this scene, the beggars who were begging on the street ran away in fright, fearing that the Beihai soldiers would catch them too.

The brigade returned to the county office that had been converted into the military control committee, and the deputy company commander who led the team reported the situation to Li Bi, the person in charge of the military control committee, and praised Cao and Guo very much.

Li Bi was very pleased to be able to get all the stolen goods. He first ordered the robbers to be imprisoned and prepared to be interrogated after a new year, and then he said a word of hard work to Cao and Guo.

Cao Guifu has been a yamen servant for many years, and after wandering around with the Beihai Navy for a day, he found that these short-haired soldiers are not as scary as the rumors before. The green camp is more than a little bit stronger.

"The villain doesn't work hard! The villain has only worked for many years with a little bit of incompetence. I usually look down on people who rob money and kill people. It is really lucky to be able to serve adults."

Guo Yu hurriedly saluted and said the same thing.

Li Bi nodded and said: "For the time being, you two will be under the control of the Military Control Committee, which is in charge of arresting thieves and chasing fugitives. The interrogation of Yang Kui and others will be entrusted to you, and you must find out where the corpse is buried. If you don't have enough manpower, feel free to come and find me."

Cao and Guo were overjoyed when they heard this, and were about to kneel down to thank them, when they heard Li Bi say again: "My Beihai Township's rules and regulations are different from those of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. King Zhao has always loved the people like his own son. Since you are serving Beihai Township, you must not make false accusations." Arresting the corrupt, asking for the victim, and bribery to collect money, otherwise the national law will not tolerate it!"

"The villain dare not!" Cao and Guo knelt down and kowtowed hastily.

"Beihai Town has a vast territory. As long as it is not a heinous criminal who committed a murder case, he will be sent to the extreme north to cut trees and dig coal. If you don't come back for three to five years."

Li Bi was a county magistrate under the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Although he was a corrupt official before, he was very clear about the dirty activities of the yamen servants and subordinate officials.

We must know that in ancient times, people who could be fast arresters were all quick-witted, intelligent, strong and brave, and even cowardly and incompetent people could not do it; otherwise, they would not be able to maintain social order, and they would be punished or even imprisoned if they could not complete the tasks assigned by the superiors.

The problem is that since they are smart, the other side must be cunning, not to mention that this group is inherited from generation to generation, breaking the law and taking money, and fooling their bosses.

But at the moment, no one from the Public Security Police Headquarters arrived, and these two people had to be used, so he came to the "killing stick" and gave them a training session before calling them up.After that, he wrote another note, asking the two of them to go through the entry procedures after the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

Cao Guifu and Guo Yu left the gate of the military control committee with lingering fear, saying that the "great master" of the military control committee seemed to be a difficult person to fool.Compared to Cao Guifu, Guo Yu couldn't help feeling a little regretful that it would be difficult to make money on the street in the future.

In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. Guo Yu arrived at the gate of the military control committee early in the morning and saw that Cao Guifu had arrived.Because it was too early and the gate hadn't opened yet, the two chatted under the stone steps outside the gate.

Guo Yu was young, and he came here because he wanted to earn money. Li Bi's words had frightened him enough, and he was worried that if he only took six taels of work and food silver, he would not be able to live well.These days, urban residents have a family of four or five, and most of them have three generations living under one roof. Five renminbi a month is simply not enough to support their families.

Cao Guifu comforted and said that the most important thing right now is to finish the case well, and it is useless to worry about other things.If you don't want to do it, you have to finish the case before resigning.

In fact, the two families have land outside the city, and they hire people to cultivate and collect rent. In addition, there are shops in the city.Now that he is working again, those brothels and casinos will send a sum of money every month for their care, so they don't have to worry about food and clothing.

The two chatted for a while, and the door opened.According to the guard's guidance, they first went to the former official office to go through the entry procedures.The person who received them was a clerk from a veteran of the Military Control Commission. After the other party filled in the personal and family information of the two on the registration form, Guo Yu finally couldn't help asking about the salary.

The clerk smiled and said: "Our Beihai Town is different from Manqing. You used to earn so much food and money that you definitely couldn't support your family. Besides, we paid monthly salaries. Catcher Cao has been on the job for many years and has rich experience. His salary is equivalent to that of a second-level police chief. , a basic salary of 25 silver dollars per month, in addition to allowances, bonuses and holiday expenses, etc., I can’t say exactly how much. But if you take all of them, it will not be less than 40 yuan per month.”

"what?!"

Cao Guifu and Guo Yu were shocked immediately.The fact that five Beihai yuan is combined into one tael of silver is now well known in Jiaodong.After a little calculation, I can actually get 100 taels a year, more than ten times more than under the Manchu rule.

Guo Yu hurriedly said: "My lord, how much can a villain take?"

The clerk pointed to an item on the registration form and said: "You have only been in the position of arrester for three years and five months, so you are tentatively designated as a second-level police officer. The monthly basic salary is 12 yuan, and allowances, bonuses and holiday expenses Another calculation."

Guo Yu didn't know what "subsidy for festivals" was, but he did the calculation silently, and he could get at least two taels a month, and more than 20 taels a year, which was several times more than before.Thinking of this, he looked at Cao Guifu with envy.

After the document was explained, the two of them were asked to take pictures next door to make documents.Cao and Guo followed a clerk to the next door in a daze, and made a lot of jokes because of the fill light and shade in the room.

After taking the photo, the two returned to the room where they registered before, and after waiting for about a stick of incense, they finally got a work permit with a sling and a hard leather case.

Cao Guifu and Guo Yu didn't know what a work permit was. In the past, the county government issued all badges with fire seals, and they could only be issued to officials with a formal establishment.The two picked it up curiously and saw that the front was dark blue with a white gear ring five-star badge embossed on it. However, when they turned it over and looked again, they were immediately pale with fright and cried out in surprise.

Guo Yu stammered and said, "Uncle Cao, this, the person above this is, is it me?"

Cao Guifu was also terribly scared, nothing else, the above photo of himself can be described as detailed, even the few exposed nose hairs and the boils on the corners of the mouth can be clearly seen.If it is a painting, who can draw so clearly with such skill, both of them can't help but think of the scene when the clerk held a strange black box and asked the two of them to stand in front of a curtain when they were next door.

The clerk and several clerks were very happy when they saw this, and they all went through this experience back then.So several people held up the work certificates hanging around their necks and said: "See, everyone in our Beihai Town has errands. From now on, people in the city and in all townships will have to take photos and file them."

"Take a picture?"

The clerk then briefly explained to the two of them what a "photograph" was, and told them that it had nothing to do with the magic fairy Fa Mao.He also said that the Public Security Police Headquarters still has a lot of magical equipment for solving crimes and catching thieves, and they will be able to see them when they arrive.

Cao Guifu nodded in a daze, then cupped his hands and said, "May I ask you, what is the Public Security Police Headquarters?"

The document said: "Our Beihai Town has a special department in charge of solving crimes and arresting thieves, arresting smugglers and thieves. It is called the Public Security Police Department. From now on, both of you will be included in the Public Security Police Department of Ninghai Prefecture, and all personnel and salaries will go there. "

"Is that the Ministry of Punishment or the Ministry of Justice?"

"It's about the same. We don't know what the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice do. I have finished my work here, and you can go to work."

Hearing this, Cao Guifu reached into his bosom in a hurry, took out a piece of silver weighing five coins and was about to stuff it into the clerk's hand, and Guo Yu followed suit.Seeing this, the clerk immediately changed his face, and said, "What are you doing? There are no such rules in Beihai Town, so quickly put it away!"

The two were taken aback by each other's attitude. The clerk knew that they didn't understand the system of Beihai Town, and it was the first day to report, so he said in a calm tone: "I'm not hypocritical, our Beihai Town is different from the past dynasties. My family has [-] acres of land, and the income from the land alone is enough for food and clothing. You will gradually understand in the future. I have also heard about the old melon thief. The family members of those who reported the case will give an explanation."

When Cao Guifu and Guo Yu heard this, their faces were a little hot, so they bowed to the clerk and said, "Yes, the adults are dedicated to the public, and the villains are ashamed. We will definitely work hard in the future."

After the two came out of the backyard, Cao and Guo discussed and divided their work.The experienced Cao Guifu personally went to the prison to interrogate Yang Kui and others, and Guo Yu went to find the family members who had reported missing and asked them to identify the stolen goods.Guo Yu knew that he could eat a few bowls of dry rice, so he ran away impromptuly.

Cao Guifu went straight to the prison cell in the southwest direction. When he reached the gate of the prison cell yard, the soldiers standing guard with guns carefully checked the ID card hanging around his neck, and compared the photo with himself before letting him in.Cao Guifu said in his heart that with this skill alone, it is impossible for outsiders to sneak in.

It is said that after the Beihai Navy took over the four counties of Jiaodong and established the Military Control Committee, the first people who felt that the world had changed were the prisoners in the county government prison.Because they couldn't figure out the system of Beihai Town, the behavior of the jailers has also been restrained a lot, and the cell bosses who rely on them don't dare to go too far, and the extortion and insults on weekdays are much less.

The military control committees in various places did not make any moves to smash the cages and release all the prisoners.You must know that the government of the Qing Dynasty has not been corrupted to a particularly serious level. Although there are people who have been wronged in the prison cells, most of them have committed crimes; So treat them differently.

According to the records in the criminal chamber and prison, those who were imprisoned for tax arrears, who had no conclusive evidence and the case was not serious, who were imprisoned for litigation, and who were sued for loan sharks who could not repay, all were released.Those who remained in detention either committed homicide, or committed crimes such as tomb robbery and kidnapping, which need to be carefully screened.

However, Beihai Town's system is such that chief executives generally do not intervene in the judiciary. When it comes to Ninghai Prefecture, Li Bi will naturally not be troublesome.When the Public Security Police Headquarters sends someone, the screening work will start.

Cao Guifu's first interrogation was of course Yang Kui, the leader of the old melon thief, and the interrogation room used the office of the former prison.Yang Kui, who was brought in, had already put on heavy shackles and shackles, which weighed fifty catties.

"Yang Kui, I haven't seen you for a few days, have you made up your mind?"

"."

"What's the matter? Do you dare to do it or not to speak? Nen is also a man, so if you tell the place where someone is buried, you will suffer less."

"."

No matter what Cao Guifu said, Yang Kui didn't agree with it, and put on a posture of "if I don't speak, it's hard for gods to do it".Seeing this, Cao Guifu sneered and said, "Do you think that the government will not use torture without corroborating evidence? To tell you the truth, the families of those missing people will come to point out the stolen goods in a short while. When the time comes, there will be all the witnesses and material evidence, so don't blame me for putting a stick on you." !"

When Yang Kui heard this, his heart was already in a mess with shock, and a thick layer of oily sweat appeared on his forehead.According to the provisions of the "Law of the Qing Dynasty", in all major cases involving robbers, human life, rebellion, etc., the principal or accomplices who have repeatedly investigated the truth and still do not tell the truth will be served by sticks.

A certain writer in later generations wrote a novel called "Sandalwood Punishment", but there is no record in the official history, and it is probably the author's interpretation.However, there is another name for the clamp stick in the Qing Dynasty, which is called "sandalwood boots".

When this thing is used, it's not like in later film and television dramas, just use three big wooden sticks and strings to press the ankles, and the prisoner will cry and scream for anything.

The real stick is usually made of poplar or willow, three feet long, with an iron chain running through the middle.When using it, the stick should be upright and supported by one person, then the prisoner's feet should be placed in the middle, then three ropes should be tied tightly, and a wooden stick should be pressed behind the feet so that the prisoner cannot move.Then, a guard would hold a three-foot-four-inch hard wooden pole, stand on the prisoner's shin, and hit it hard with a wooden hammer.It doesn't take many blows, and the bone will be comminuted and fractured.If they want to increase the pain of the prisoner, stone chips are placed between the clamps, and if they are pulled with a little force, the prisoner will be in great pain.Generally, as long as this trick is used, no one can carry it through, and there must be answers to every question, and every offer must be recruited.

But Yang Kui also understood very well that as long as he opened his mouth to say one thing about what he had done, the whole nest would come out.So he thought for a while, raised his head to look at Cao Guifu, then lowered his head and sighed: "The villain was wronged. Those things were originally picked up. Since someone came to recognize them, they will return them naturally. What do you have to do with the villain?"

Cao Guifu couldn't help being furious when he heard this, but he couldn't get angry.Afterwards, he interrogated more than a dozen other beggars one after another. They all asked three questions without knowing anything, and when he was in a hurry, he said the same thing as Yang Kui said.

After that, Guo Yu came to him with a gloomy face, saying that he had found several sufferers in the city and had him identify the stolen goods, but none of them belonged to them.

Cao Guifu knew it would be difficult.Ever since, he took Guo Yu to the signing room to ask to see Li Bi, and told the situation, whether he could use the stick or not, he had to let the chief official make up his mind.

Li Bi also had a headache when he heard this, because according to the customary law of the Ming and Qing dynasties, punishments cannot be imposed without corroborating evidence.Yang Kuifei said that the things were picked up, so it can't be regarded as empirical evidence.Even the Qing Dynasty had a spirit of prudence in punishment, and Beihai Town naturally couldn't use torture as soon as it came up.

"Sigh! I don't know how those ruthless people from the Public Security Police Station handle cases. I heard that those who fall into their hands will not refuse to be recruited. But after torture, they are all in good health, but their spirits seem to be devastated."

Li Bi wandered back and forth in the room for a few times, pondered for a while, and suddenly remembered a case he heard about in Gansu, so he clenched his fists excitedly, and said to Cao Guifu and Guo Yu, "My lord." Here's an idea, you guys"

When night fell, a group of beggars imprisoned in the cell were farting triumphantly, when someone came from outside the door and took Yang Kui out.When he arrived at the office of the jailer, Yang Kui couldn't help being taken aback.The candles were brightly lit in the room, and Cao Guifu was sitting behind the table, with a playful smile on his face, and there was another person sitting beside him, with a stack of blank papers in front of him.There is also a pair of door panels on the two benches in front of the table.Near the wall, several buckets of water were placed in a row.There were also three burly soldiers.

"Yang Kui, I'll give you another chance, tell the truth, and promise to save you from suffering when you go to the execution ground."

"."

Seeing that the other party was still silent, Cao Guifu nodded.Guo Yu smiled and stepped forward to remove Yang Kui's shackles. Several Beihai soldiers rushed forward and pressed Yang Kui against the door, and then tied his hands, feet and head tightly with rope and cloth belts. Yes, it's hard to move.

Yang Kui was shocked, knowing that he was going to be tortured. Before he could think about it, a Beihai soldier stretched out his hand and pinched his chin, and then stuffed an oil funnel mouth made of iron into his mouth, and then used it like iron tongs. The big hand held it tightly.At this time, Guo Yu brought a bucket of water over, scooped up a full ladle with a gourd ladle, and poured it into the funnel.

Yang Kui's nostrils kept whistling, the blue veins on his forehead were exposed, and he was ready to resist, but Guo Yu controlled the flow of water very slowly, so he didn't choke much, and a ladle of water went into his stomach in a blink of an eye .That's all he said?What a fart!
However, Guo Yu took another scoop at this time, and after he drank it, he continued to pour another scoop.After going back and forth like this, after only one meal, a bucket of water went into Yang Kui's stomach
When Yang Kui drank the third bucket of water, he couldn't drink any more, Lao Gao's belly was bulging, as if he was pregnant with Liujia.He struggled desperately not to drink, but the three Beihai soldiers had great strength, and Guo Yu poured water faster and faster.

Finally, when the third bucket of water was poured in, Yang Kui couldn't stand it anymore, and he shouted, "I'll do it! I'll do it all!"

In the following time, Yang Kui confessed all the crimes he had committed before, including the time of each case, the name of the victim, the place where the body was buried, and who were his accomplices at that time, until the fourth watch.The person in charge of recording wrote one after another, and finally wrote a stack full of them.

In the morning of the next day, the Beihai Navy in Ninghai Prefecture and Haiyang counties dispatched quickly. According to Yang Kui's account, 26 corpses were recovered in 31 locations respectively. Everyone who saw the scene was shocked.

As soon as the news came out, it caused a sensation in the entire Dengzhou Prefecture.Li Bi wanted to publicize it, so Cao Guifu and Guo Yu seemed to have the title of "God's Catcher", and the family members of the victims came to express their thanks with gifts.However, because of the warning they received when they joined the company, they didn't dare to take any property. They only said that they worked for Beihai Town, and it was their duty to handle cases and catch thieves, so they should not be thanked.So these bitter masters found someone to make a plaque, and they came to the door of the military control committee with drums and gongs, and called Lord Qingtian directly.

More than ten days later, even the Dengzhou government under the rule of the Qing Dynasty also heard about this incident.

(End of this chapter)