A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 17 Mobilization

"Um?"

"this……"

The group looked at each other, wondering if they had misheard.

Wang Qing didn't give them a chance to ask questions, and continued, "Responsibility is power, and the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish! The Yingtian Prefecture's incompetence has caused headaches for all the high-ranking officials in the capital. By taking on this task, we've essentially received a royal decree!"

At this point, he said viciously, "Since Yingtian Prefecture won't let us have an easy time and insists on taking a big bite out of us, do you want to share the spoils with us?"

"Yes!" Nie Chong took the lead.

Although the crowd did not understand the deeper meaning of these words, they clearly understood what eating meat or not meant, and immediately echoed their agreement.

"Responsibility is a right; the bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish."

Zhuang Ze muttered to himself, then vaguely understood Wang Qing's intention. He said with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, "My lord! This is a double-edged sword! What if we can't catch him..."

Wang Qing scoffed and retorted, "Who said we absolutely have to catch them?"

Upon hearing this, not only were the people below puzzled, but even Zhuang Ze, who thought he understood his meaning, was completely bewildered.

Wang Qing deliberately waited a moment, keeping everyone in suspense, before saying with a wicked grin, "Although we're called the Five Cities Military Command outside, we're not considered part of the same government as the other four cities. As long as these thieves don't cause trouble in our western city, we can't exactly go to someone else's territory to arrest them, can we?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

Zhuang Ze, however, still had doubts: "But would these thieves listen to us?"

"Good question!" Wang Qing looked at Zhuang Ze approvingly and said confidently, "They will naturally not listen to us, but as long as we make them feel that the risk of committing crimes in our West City is higher than elsewhere, they will naturally know to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages."

Yes! He doesn't need to catch thieves at all; he just needs to stop causing trouble in the western part of the city under his jurisdiction.

As the instigator, this was an easy task for him.

Catching thieves may bring temporary fame, but once the thieves are "caught," will Yingtian Prefecture allow its power to slip away?

The Xicheng Military Command is only a sixth-rank government office, which is inherently disadvantageous. Only by harboring bandits to maintain its prestige and making Yingtian Prefecture hesitant to act against it can it be both offensive and defensive.

If Yingtian Prefecture were to use its power to intimidate others, not to mention whether the high-ranking officials and nobles living in the western city would agree, even if Yingtian Prefecture were to take back its power, it could still send the so-called thieves to cause trouble in the western city again.

Furthermore, if the other four cities fail to perform their duties, even without the emperor's permission, the high-ranking officials and nobles residing in the remaining cities will hope that Wang Qing can take over their respective areas so as to keep the thieves out.

Only then will the emperor be able to go with the flow and facilitate the merger of the five city military commands.

In this way, Wang Qing could not only firmly control the security of the entire capital, but his own official position would also rise accordingly.

Only then can we say that we have achieved a phased result.

Having explained his motives, Wang Qing began to assign his troops.

"Zhuang Ze, later you'll assign tasks to the clerks you can mobilize at the yamen. Starting tomorrow, have them beat drums and gongs as they go to the various ward chiefs in the west city and supervise them as they go door-to-door to investigate suspicious individuals!"

Having said that, he looked around and said in a deep voice, "Remember, who is responsible for which area must be recorded. If any suspicious persons are discovered, I will reward them accordingly!"

Although Wang Qing could decide where the "Flying Thief" would appear, he had to make a big fuss. If the "Flying Thief" suddenly disappeared in the West City, it would only arouse suspicion.

Of course, he wasn't just putting on an act.

Sweeping away unemployed individuals of unknown origin and conducting a census will not only help maintain public order but also greatly benefit future management.

Zhuang Ze already understood his motives and naturally wouldn't question the decision, but hesitated and said, "Our West City Military Command is a rather insignificant department, and when it comes to rewarding merit..."

"That was before!"

Wang Qing raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "Gambling houses, brothels, and taverns are the most chaotic places. Do you think those thieves who get a windfall can resist going there for entertainment? They can only go to these places!"

Especially gambling dens, which the imperial court has explicitly prohibited. Tonight, let's take our men and wipe out all the gambling dens in the western part of the city. Then, we'll have no shortage of money to reward those who have made contributions."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Ze lowered his head and remained silent. However, the three deputies other than Nie Chong said with some concern, "Those who can run gambling dens in the capital must have some background in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and they also have quite a few hooligans and scoundrels under their command."

Wang Qing looked at them with disdain and sneered, "We're here to capture the thief. Who dares to obstruct or protect us? Look at your pathetic selves! A few scoundrels and you think you're intimidated? With that little guts, you still have the nerve to come and eat meat?"

At this point, he looked at the group of soldiers and said in a deep voice, "Those who dare to follow me in raiding the gambling den will each receive five taels of silver. Those who don't dare to earn this extra money, step aside now!"

A strong military must first have strong will. Without fighting spirit, even if a military has advantages in status, righteousness, and numbers, it will collapse at the first sign of trouble.

Although these soldiers were physically fit, their fighting spirit had long been worn down in the humiliating environment of the Five Cities Military Command.

Talking to them about protecting the environment and maintaining public order is like casting pearls before swine.

As the saying goes, a generous reward will surely attract brave men, which is undoubtedly the simplest and most direct way to boost morale.

Born in this era, Wang Qing wouldn't talk about procedural justice.

Although the number of registered soldiers in the West City Military Command is no more than a hundred, paying out of his own pocket undoubtedly has the air of trying to win people's hearts.

Therefore, on the one hand, the government's slush fund had to be replenished; on the other hand, he had further plans.

When Wang Qing suddenly referred to himself as "Young Master," everyone remembered that the man in front of them was a relative of the Rongguo Mansion, which gave them a boost of confidence.

Even a clay figure has some temper, let alone a common soldier from the ranks.

These people had suffered a lot of mistreatment in their daily lives, and seeing Wang Qing take the lead, they immediately united as one.

However, there are always exceptions. There were more than ten people who remained silent and out of place.

Perhaps feeling humiliated, one of them blushed and said, "Sir! It's not that we're cowards, it's just that we have families to support, and we're worried that those scoundrels will retaliate against our families!"

Since ancient times, casinos have been gathering places for criminal gangs that lend money, collect debts, and force women into prostitution.

It took many years of anti-gang and anti-crime campaigns in later generations to finally curb this trend, let alone in ancient times.

Upon hearing this, the previously high spirits immediately froze.

Wang Qing did not reprimand them, but solemnly said, "Since I'm leading the team, I will naturally take the lead and be at the forefront! You are acting under orders. If anyone retaliates, you can blame it on me. Although I cannot guarantee that I won't be retaliated against, I can guarantee that anyone who dares to retaliate against your family will be made to pay tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Although the raids on gambling dens were aimed at seizing money, a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions, and this did not prevent him from cracking down on the criminal gangs under his jurisdiction.

His words were powerful and resounding, instantly reigniting the crowd's previously subdued emotions.

The person who had spoken earlier also looked ashamed: "With your words, sir, we..."

Wang Qing waved his hand, interrupting, "The Ning and Rong prefectures have been repeatedly robbed. If I lead the team to catch the thieves, we will be robbed instead. Wouldn't that make us a laughing stock? You will patrol the area around the two prefectures tonight. If you find anything suspicious, send a signal with fire!"

"If you handle this matter well, it will relieve me of any worries, and I will certainly not treat you unfairly."

It's not that Wang Qing was abusing his power for personal gain or that he was hiding something from others.

On the one hand, by doing some superficial work, he not only fulfilled the promise he made to Grandmother Jia, but also made it easier to use the Jia family's name.

On the other hand, the more he arranges things this way, the more it demonstrates his extraordinary relationship with the Jia family. This will not only not damage morale, but will actually boost their spirits.

Sure enough, after hearing his arrangements, the subordinates immediately felt more confident.

Words meant to boost morale, if repeated too often, will only backfire. Seeing his goal achieved, Wang Qing said, "To prevent leaks, from this moment on, no one is allowed to leave the yamen! I'll send someone to find a restaurant later and have them deliver some food and wine. You all go down and rest up. After you've had your fill tonight, come with me and make a killing!"

Although the Five Cities Garrison was basically a figurehead, and the forces behind the gambling dens might not bother to bribe them, Wang Qing still wanted to be on the safe side.

As for having the restaurant deliver the food, besides the genuine intention to reward the customer, it was also a diversionary tactic and a way to make some arrangements.

"You guys come in with me to discuss the details for tonight!"

After sending the soldiers to rest, he invited Zhuang Ze, Nie Chong, and the other four into the inner hall. He spread out a map of the western city and said, "I have only been in the capital for a few days and am unfamiliar with the place. I have no idea where the gambling dens are. I will have to trouble you all to work together to circle the locations and information of the gambling dens you know."

Wang Qing planned carefully before acting. Since he had been planning for a long time, he naturally needed to understand the situation in advance in order to act effectively.

Therefore, Nie Chong had already reported the gambling den's detailed information.

However, as he said, it would be strange if someone who was new to the place and didn't know anyone could predict the future and list out the location and information of the gambling den.

In addition, having the men list the locations and information of the gambling dens was also a way to bind them to his side and cut off the possibility of them colluding with him.

Perhaps because no one had ever cooked at the West City Military Command before, the group did not shirk their responsibilities. They marked out several locations and gave a brief overview of the situation.

After they finished speaking, Wang Qing gave Nie Chong a wink, filled in the remaining gaps, and then began assigning tasks.

Once everything was arranged, it was already past noon. Wang Qing took out fifty taels of silver and handed it to Nie Chong, saying, "We have important business tonight, so don't prepare too much wine. Remember to get plenty of meat for the brothers!"

……