The so-called Cao Si is an official judicial body set up along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal to manage Cao Yun.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Cao Division, the river and the local government constituted a relatively independent management system in the two major links of expropriation and transportation.

"History of the Ming Dynasty: Food and Goods" once summarized the duties and responsibilities of the three as follows:

"The rice is not prepared, the military guard ship is not prepared, and those who miss the deadline are responsible for the governor; Rice equipment, ship equipment, not that is, acceptance, non-river stalk and pressure to help mooring, over the flood delay, so the person who froze, the responsibility is in the Cao Division; If the grain ship is limited, the river channel is shallow, the dredging cannot be done, and the opening and closing of the sluice seat is lost, and the flood is not allowed to reach the bay, the responsibility lies in the river. ”

The idea was to make the responsibilities and powers of the three clear and mutually restrictive, but it has not come to fruition, but it has become the current phenomenon of bad governance of passing the buck and kicking each other's ball.

What's more, the chief of the Cao Division worked for the river at the top, and communicated with the local grain chief, expropriated and extorted money from the small people, and repeatedly violently enforced the law.

However, most of the local governments are also familiar with this kind of thing, and it is not surprising that few local governments have included the conflict between the Cao Si and the farmers into the scope of their jurisdiction.

Although the manpower of Cao Si is not considered to be an official army, after all, they are all semi-formal official errands, which are equivalent to the white servants of the local government, and they are one level higher than the miscellaneous servants.

These people, with uniform uniforms and a sharp waist knife in their hands, will soon be suppressed by ordinary people, even if they rarely gather to make trouble.

The peasants were surrounded by the Cao Si officials, and soon they became cowardly, and their resistance was extremely weak, and even the middle-aged man was caught by several Cao Si officials left and right, pressed to the ground, and could not move.

"Let go of me! I didn't rebel! ”

"It is the grain chief who levies us more food to consume, and I have no surplus food at home, so how can I pay it? The grain chief knew that I couldn't fold the silver, but asked me to fold people, which is a naked threat! ”

Unexpectedly, the Cao Si official had no intention of making decisions for him, and sneered: "Do you think this official will listen to your nonsense, why do other people have surplus food at home, but you don't?" ”

"As for breaking people, Chief Song Liang, is there such a thing?"

Chief Song Liang hurriedly nodded and said, "Lord Caosi, this is simply a non-existent matter, this Diao people just don't want to pay the silver consumption and obstruct the imperial court's grain affairs." ”

"Did any of you see that the chief of the grain said these words, and yes, stand up and confront the official in front of Cao Si!"

After Song Liangchang finished speaking, he looked around at the people around him.

Unexpectedly, in the direction of being seen, everyone took a few steps back in fear, all the farmers, you look at me, I look at you, no one is willing to stand up and speak for him.

In fact, it's not that these people only know how to take care of themselves, but they know that even if they stand up today, there will be no second possibility, but they will take their own lives.

The grain chief is in charge of thousands of farmers in Zhuxian Town, that is, the local land lord, and if he is targeted, there will be no good life in the future.

"Hmph, it seems that this is another slander against the court officials, and the crime is one more degree!" Cao Si sneered and said, "Escort back Cao Si to convict and inform the whole town!" ”

"This official wants to see who else dares to go against the imperial court's grain affairs!"

Seeing that the middle-aged man was about to be escorted away, at this time, there was a sound of horses' hooves outside Zhuxian Town, and the farmers and Cao Si looked at it and found that the people who came were two horsemen.

The two horsemen were both dressed in black fish-scale suits, fresh clothes and angry horses, and their waists were equipped with brocade swords made by the palace bureau.

Seeing that there was chaos here in Zhuxian Town, they rushed directly to the horse, and the first person showed the waist card in front of everyone, confirming everyone's guesses.

Then he looked at the scene, and did not speak for anyone, but shouted:

"Your Majesty has a decree to dismiss the Henan River Yamen, abolish all the supernumerary officials, and order the Beizhen Fusi to strictly investigate the private storage of the warehouse by Xu Gong, the former governor of the river."

"In addition, since the second year of Jingtai, since the annual grain conscription, the additional consumption of the peasant households allocated by the military transportation of the local health centers has been returned to the public, and the additional consumption of the northern and southern transportation of the army in the past years has been exhausted for the general manager of Beijing."

"It is strictly forbidden for grain chiefs, cao divisions, rivers, etc., to privately levy and increase taxes and private storage in the name of increasing consumption, which will damage the interests of the small people and enrich their own pockets!"

"If there is any violation of the above, once it is found out, no matter how big or small the official rank, it will be redone! No toleration! ”

After this series of wills, even the officials of the Cao Division were stupid.

Song Liangchang was even more frightened, for him, the sky has changed directly, and the environment on which he depends is gone.

Even Xu Gong, the governor of the river, has been investigated, aren't they, the grain chiefs, even more arrested?

The surrounding people didn't react for a long time, and the middle-aged man who was held on the ground by the Cao official looked at Jingshi Ti riding on a tall horse in a daze.

"I... Am I dreaming...? ”

Ti Qi glanced down and said: "You are the local Cao Si, I am Dou Sheng, the general banner under the jurisdiction of the Beizhen Fu Division, this is a waist card, what crime did this person commit?" ”

Cao Si stammered, because the thing happened so suddenly, even he knew it, and he couldn't make up a good reason for a while, and said:

"Yes, it's to hinder the increase in food consumption..."

"What?" Dou Sheng frowned, looked at the grain chief who was standing aside at a loss, and asked coldly: "Didn't the increase in consumption in the first year of Jingtai have been completed in February, and what year is the increase in consumption now?" ”

Hearing this, the farmers exploded at once.

What?

It turns out that the levy has been completed, and this old immortal dog food chief is really holding chicken feathers as arrows to "add consumption" to himself!

"My lord, I will ask your lord to be the master!"

Someone shouted: "Yes, my lord, this Song Li, the grain chief of Zhuxian Town, has been levied and consumed in various names over the years, and I have been suffering for a long time, and I hope that the adults will make decisions for us!" ”

"Just now, this Song Li actually wants to fold people, use the youngest daughter of the Zheng family to enter the house, and do additional consumption and tax deductions!"

Hearing this, Dou Sheng, the general banner of Jinyi Wei, narrowed his eyes slightly, slowly pressed his hand on the knife, and said murderously: "Song Li, the grain chief of Zhuxian Town!" This official asks you, can you have such a thing! ”

"If you don't tell the truth, this official will send you to the edict prison, and then ask for clarification!"

Facing the posture of Jin Yiwei's close servant of the heavenly family, Song Li was completely empty-hearted, and when he heard the word edict, his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.

"Yes, there is such a thing, the small, the small one is also doing things for the court!"

"The court consumes more, and the treasury can also be abundant......"

By the end, his voice grew quieter.

Dou Sheng smiled coldly and said, "It seems that you are the one who Your Majesty said about the immoral grain chiefs, tie me up, and tie up the Caoyun Governor's Mansion for trial!" ”

"As for you miscellaneous servants, from now on, you are no longer from the local Caosi, and the court does not need people like you!"

When the words landed, the surrounding people cheered, and the middle-aged man led them forward and beat a few Caosi miscellaneous servants in the fish and meat township to death.

At this time, Dou Sheng looked at the frightened Director Cao, and said coldly: "Let me ask you, as the Director of Cao, you should be the master of the farmers, this Song Li is tyrannical, you know that this is like this, but you enforce the law and break the law, what crime should you be guilty of?" ”