Regarding Han Yiliang's naivety, Xu Xianchun just pouted. He thought in his heart, if His Majesty was just to investigate and deal with the corrupt officials of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division, why did he need to transfer two elite armies to the mainland officers and soldiers.

Since they have come to Yangzhou, the salt case must be completed as an iron case, not as an iron case as possible. When he was thinking about it, Han Yiliang couldn't hide his excitement in front of Chen Xin: "In June last year, some salt merchants secretly reported to the imperial court, saying that the officials of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division colluded with many salt merchants to forge false salt guides for sale, resulting in even if they had legal salt guides in their hands, they could not withdraw salt for several years.

After His Majesty heard about it, he sent someone to Yangzhou to secretly investigate the case of Lianghuai Salt. It took nearly 10 months to finally find out a full picture of the case. This is a vicious case of counterfeit salt quotation by the transportation company, salt merchants purchase and use fake salt quotations, and the salt factory gives priority to the collection of fake salt quotations, and embezzles salt taxes. ”

Door Chen Xin's eyes widened suddenly, although he had just heard that Han Yiliang was going to handle the salt case, but this breath pulled the entire salt transportation division yamen into it, which was too amazing.

"Did Han Yushi make a slip of the tongue? This forgery of salt quotation should be part of the officials of the transportation department, right? Door Chen Xin said subconsciously to Han Yiliang.

Han Yiliang shook his head and said: "According to the accounts provided by the transportation division, the total price of salt sold by the transportation division is about 800,000 taels every year, of which 600,000 taels are paid into Taicang, and the remaining 200,000 taels are used for the normal operation of the transportation division and the salt factory.

According to reason, the number of salt imported by each of the eight major salt merchants per person per year should be about 100,000 taels each. However, since the implementation of the law, the number of salt imported by the eight major salt merchants each year has been about 150,000 taels at the lowest time, and more than 200,000 taels at the most. In other words, the amount of salt sold by the Yunsi each year far exceeded the amount they reported to the imperial court. ”

Men Chen Xin hurriedly asked, "Could it be that there is a situation of salt advance here?" ”

As soon as Men Chen Xin spoke, he knew that he seemed to have said the wrong thing. Although he has not been in charge of affairs since he took office, he has also checked the accounts of the two Huai Salt Transportation Divisions in the past two years.

Sure enough, Han Yiliang shook his head and said, "The accounts reported by the Yun Division to the Salt Inspection Institute have never been prepaid. In addition, when the law was introduced, the salt arrears accumulated over the years were divided into 10 points, and 1 point was paid off every year. But now more than 10 years have passed, and these arrears of salt will still have to be repaid for as many as 5 or 6 years.

More importantly, last year, His Majesty ordered the suspension of salt release for other types of items, such as the salt introduction that is given to the nobles of the clan every year, except for the positive salt introduction of each salt field approved by the Ministry of Households. However, in the accounts submitted by the two Huai Transportation Divisions last year, there was still a number of more than positive salt citations. This shows that there are indeed people who are falsifying salt for sale, and the amount is quite huge. ”

Men Chenxin thought for a while, and finally cautiously asked again: "If the officials above and below the Yun Division are all involved in this salt case, then to what extent do you plan to handle this case?" Officials who were transferred out of the transportation department or retired and returned to their hometowns before last year should also continue to be investigated? ”

Han Yiliang shook his head and said, "Your Majesty's instruction to me is that this case is confined to the area of this Yangzhou Mansion, and the officials who have left the Yun Division and are no longer engaged in the salt industry will not be asked. But if you want to continue to jump in after the case is discovered, you must investigate it to the end, whether it is the clan nobles or the cabinet ministers, they will not avoid it.

As for the Yamen of the Yun Division, except for the officials below the Yun Envoy, they will all be questioned this time. After the case is concluded, I am afraid that the Yun envoy will reorganize the Yun Si Yamen. ”

Hearing Han Yiliang say this, Men Chenxin calmed down instead. He had always been resistant before, because the salt case was big and it didn't do him any good, Han Yiliang, as the inspector of the salt imperial history, after solving this big case, he could immediately become famous all over the world and return to the capital.

However, he, the envoy of the two Huai salt transporters, continued to deal with those transport officials and salt merchants in Yangzhou. When such a big case broke out, wouldn't the surviving officials and salt merchants regard him as a thorn in their side?

Even if he is the highest official of the Lianghuai Transportation Division, it is also terrifying to be an official in Yangzhou City, where many people have rebelled and left.

However, if Han Yiliang served the entire Yunsi in one pot, he would be easier to do. At least when Yunji rerecruits people, he can always cultivate some cronies to come out, so that he no longer has to be afraid of someone framing him in official affairs.

Men Chenxin nodded, and said a little more actively: "Then Han Yushi might as well talk about how we handle this salt case." ”

Seeing that Men Chen Xin had finally recovered a little bit of anger, Han Yiliang was also relieved. In fact, the four people here have their own responsibilities, and no matter who is missing, this matter will add a lot of frustration. Men Chen Xin was able to figure it out so quickly, which made him have a lot less tongue.

Han Yiliang settled down before he spoke: "This official will first talk about the responsibilities of everyone here, so that everyone can be prepared." This official was responsible for the main work of investigating the case, and Xu commanded the envoy to cut off the road between Yangzhou and Nanjing in the next 15 days, and normal business and travel could pass, but the officials and troops of the six departments of Nanjing were not allowed to pass.

Yao Dusi's task was to transfer a team of men to assist the procuratorate in handling the case, and to move the first division's garrison to Li Wangzhuang, a half-day journey north of Yangzhou City, to wait for his own order.

As for the duties of the door transport envoy, during the handling of the case, try to appease the families of the officials of the transport department as much as possible, arrange manpower to maintain the daily operation of the transport department, and after the case is decided, start to set up a new transport department yamen. Do you have any questions about your responsibilities? ”

Whether it is Men Chenxin, Xu Xianchun, or Yao Yuancheng, they have no opinion on Han Yiliang's arrangement. Men Dingxin looked at Xu Xianchun and Yao Yuancheng's unsurprised expressions, and finally realized that among the four people present, he obviously knew the least inside story.

After Han Yiliang questioned the three colleagues with his eyes, he continued: "Huang Xian, the deputy envoy of the salt transportation who was arrested by this official yesterday, has served in the Yamen of the transportation department for more than 12 years, and has the deepest relationship with the case of forging salt.

Although he has not confessed yet, the evidence in the hands of this official can almost convict him. Tomorrow, he will also ask Yao Dusi to send a team of people to his own officials, and invite all the officials of the Yun Division back to the station outside the city to inquire about the case.

On the procuratorate's side, tomorrow we will begin to formally question the eight salt merchants, and find out how much salt tax these salt merchants have colluded with officials and embezzled from the state over the years..."

The four of them deliberated for nearly an hour before they properly discussed the details of handling the salt case. After the discussion was completed, Xu Xianchun and Yao Yuancheng left the procuratorate first.

After walking to the street outside the procuratorate, the two exchanged a few words of greetings, and then each took a few relatives and parted ways. After leaving Yangzhou City, Xu Xianchun did not immediately return to the camp in Yizhen County.

At the crossroads outside the city, he stopped. After arranging for a cronie to go back to Daying to deliver his orders and ask his deputy to block the road between Yangzhou and Nanjing as planned, he turned around and headed towards Zhang's courtyard where Wang Chunyun and others were centered.

Soon after Xu Xianchun and the others arrived at the courtyard, Zhang Jinquan, who got the news, hurried to greet the Shangguan. After Xu Xianchun arrived in Yangzhou, Zhang Jinquan and others received an order to obey the order of the commander of the Jinyi Guard during this time.

After Xu Xianchun saw Zhang Jinquan, after learning about the whereabouts of Wang Chunyun and the others when they arrived in Yangzhou, he instructed Zhang Jinquan: "Is there any separate courtyard around here?" The conditions are not very good, but don't let me run into the people who live in the front yard, I have to pay attention to the situation in the city these days, so I will not return to the Yizhen camp for the time being. ”

Zhang Jinquan thought for a while and replied: "There is a Zhuangzi a mile away nearby, which is also my family's industry, and I supply some vegetables and fruits to the courtyard here on weekdays, but there are no outsiders there, but the accommodation conditions are not as good as those here." ”

Xu Xianchun nodded and said, "After I see Wang Chunyun in a while, you will take me there." Also, do you have the manpower to keep an eye on the actions of several salt merchants in the city? ”

"Since returning to Yangzhou last year, he has recruited a lot of people to watch the whereabouts of the eight chief merchants. He also bribed a few slaves from several general merchants, and inquired about what was happening in these general merchants. ”

"Good, good. Tomorrow these eight general merchants will enter the procuratorate, and you must keep an eye on these general merchants to see who they will send people to turn to when the time comes.

In addition, you will have to send people to keep an eye on the bosses in the city. In the sixth year of the Apocalypse, when Jinyiwei arrested Zhou Shunchang and other rebels in Suzhou, some people incited Suzhou citizens to attack Jinyiwei's case-handling personnel.

We can't do the same thing in Yangzhou, and if you find out that someone has organized citizens to besiege the procuratorate, you must report it to your official as soon as possible. In addition, you find some local scoundrel beggars to come and raise them for a few days, and if there are really people besieging the procuratorate by then, let them muddy the water in Yangzhou City. ”

Chen Jinquan looked up at Xu Xianchun a little blankly, and said with some puzzlement: "Muddy the water?" ”

Xu Xianchun nodded and said: "The market in Yangzhou is prosperous, if the families of those salt merchants besiege the local people, I am afraid that this matter will be difficult to end." However, if someone takes the opportunity to loot the shops and set a few fires, the procuratorate can ask the nearby army for help and bomb the place.

In the end, Han Yushi still has a little more bookish spirit, and he wants to go through the formal channels of handling cases. However, if we can't quickly cut through the mess today, once the people in the vicinity are tricked into speaking out in solidarity with the citizens of Yangzhou, it will be a situation where the public is angry and difficult to commit.

Just like in Suzhou in the sixth year of the Apocalypse, this matter can only be settled, so we will be really busy this time. ”

When Zhang Jinquan heard that he was going to hire people to loot shops and set fire to the city, he immediately shrank his neck a little. However, under Xu Xianchun's gaze, he still agreed in a whisper.

Xu Xianchun nodded with satisfaction, and asked him to go to Wang Chunyun and meet him privately.