Chapter 259: The Autumn Levy (Part 24)

“That’s easily handled, but by custom, we must discuss it with Scribe Wang first,” Wu Ya said.

The positions of head of the bailiffs and household registrar were extremely lucrative in the county, and filling them required a significant sum of money. In Lin’gao, the household registrar post cost two hundred taels of silver. The head of the bailiffs also required a substantial “offering” to secure the appointment. This profit traditionally went to the county magistrate. Of course, such vacancies were rare.

“I will naturally discuss this with Scribe Wang,” Xiong Buyou replied, feeling a strong aversion to these endless, corrupt customs. Even in a remote, backward county like this, the whole rotten system was in place.

However, for now, they had to maintain the facade of the county yamen, so they would follow the rules. A few hundred taels of silver was nothing to the Transmigration Group.

“But with your group having dealt with Chen Minggang and his men, how will this year’s autumn levy be handled?” Wu Ya asked, concerned.

“Not to worry. A little grain is no trouble for us to collect,” Xiong Buyou said, puffing out his chest, though in truth, he had no idea what Wu De’s actual plan was. He wasn’t particularly concerned either—there was always a way.

“The priority now is to have Zhou Qi take over Chen Minggang’s operation as soon as possible,” Wu Ya said. “We need to know how much has already been collected, how many grain receipts have been issued, and how much is in the granary. It’s a tangled mess. While Zhou Qi is experienced, we’ll need to keep a few of Chen Minggang’s men…”

“Thank you for the advice, Prefectural Aide Wu,” Xiong Buyou said. He was tasked with overseeing the takeover of the yamen, so he was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he started making small talk with the two officials. He was already well-informed about their family situations; this was purely to build rapport and get a better feel for the inner workings of the yamen.

Lunch was a fine spread provided by the Women’s Cooperative Restaurant, complete with excellent wine. The conversation flowed freely. Wu Ya and Sun Ruiwu were minor officials who had been stuck in their posts for over a decade, having given up all hope of promotion. They viewed their official roles merely as a means of livelihood. Compared to Wu Mingjin, they had far fewer reservations and spoke more openly.

When the topic turned to the yamen’s “three classes and six offices,” both men were full of complaints. Lin’gao had always been a place where “the heavens are high and the emperor is far away.” Not only were the local magnates extremely powerful, but the clerks and runners were deeply entrenched, controlling the county’s administration and showing no respect for the officials. As the county magistrate, Wu Mingjin received some deference, but subordinate officials like Wu Ya and Sun Ruiwu often had to beg the clerks to get anything done. As for bribes, they took what they were given and didn’t dare to question the amount.

“Officials like us are truly ‘plague officials’,” Wu Ya grumbled. “I’ve served as a county sheriff and chief registrar in five or six different counties—all of them ‘remote prefectures and wretched armies.’ It took me nearly twenty years to become a county deputy, and I get sent to this place. One term wasn’t enough, they made me serve a second! Even if I get transferred, who knows what godforsaken corner I’ll end up in as some petty official!”

Sun Ruiwu also sighed in frustration. Xiong Buyou offered sympathetic words while mentally calculating. These two minor officials, though part of the ruling class, were clearly dissatisfied with their reality. Their long service in local posts gave them rich administrative experience and deep knowledge of officialdom’s rules. They were prime targets for recruitment. The Intelligence Committee had recently sent a notice to all departments, urging them to be on the lookout for potential collaborators during their daily work.

He laid on the flattery, expressing his indignation on their behalf. Although they knew it was just polite talk, hearing praise from the seemingly “omnipotent” Australians was comforting, and they felt a sense of mutual understanding.

The meal lasted until well after two in the afternoon. Xiong Buyou personally escorted them home. In a small place like Lin’gao, officials and their families lived within the yamen compound. He took the opportunity to chat with their families, gathering more information before returning to his command post inside the yamen.

The county yamen had, in effect, been taken over. Action team members from the Political Security Bureau, disguised in the black uniforms of yamen runners, now controlled all entrances and key departments. The next step was a complete purge of the yamen’s internal structure.

Wu De and the others had discussed the takeover plan several times, debating how to handle the “three classes and six offices.” Wiping them out completely would paralyze the county’s routine administration, which went against their goals. After several discussions, they decided to start the purge with the departments holding real power.

The Transmigration Group’s so-called “powerful departments” were the “Three Classes.” The Zao Ban (Ceremonial Runners) handled patrols, announced the magistrate’s presence in court, and administered torture. The Kuai Ban (Bailiffs) were responsible for law enforcement and catching thieves. The Zhuang Ban (Militia) served as the local security force. These three “classes” were the “fist” of the yamen and had to be completely taken over.

The takeover model was similar to the one used for the Bopu Coastal Patrol Office. However, the patrol inspector was at least an official, whom the group couldn’t easily replace and had to keep as a figurehead. The Three Classes were a different matter. They could be completely replaced, partially replaced, or dealt with in any way the group saw fit.

“Of these three, the Zhuang Ban is the one with no technical skills,” said Dong Weiwei, a self-proclaimed “expert” on Ming history, based on her knowledge and intelligence reports. “The county’s eighty militiamen are useless for anything beyond basic guard duty. In the past, bandit suppression campaigns relied on local militias and village braves.”

The militia was a local security force meant to guard the yamen and handle tasks like escorting prisoners and grain shipments. Their combat effectiveness was nonexistent. The Qing Dynasty would later refer to them as “foxes,” implying they only had power by “borrowing the tiger’s might”—the authority of the officials—and had no real strength of their own.

The head of the local militia was a butcher named Li Heng, the only one who owned a meat shop in the county. He had bought his position and used it to bully people and engage in racketeering, earning the public’s hatred.

Another of Li Heng’s “achievements” was frequently ordering his men and the convicts they were escorting to commit robberies along the way, resulting in several murders. Such incredible acts were not uncommon at the time; they were practically an unspoken rule.

“The Zhuang Ban will be completely purged. Everyone, from the leader down to the militiamen, will be sent to the study class for individual screening,” Wu De ordered. “Li Heng is widely hated. We can have the yamen dismiss him. We’ll imprison him for now and hold a public trial and execution when the time is right.”

An army infantry company would be brought in to fill the ranks of the militia. With this, the defense of the county seat would be entirely in the hands of the Transmigration Group.

“The most useful aspect of the Zao Ban for us is their skill in torture,” Dong Weiwei said. “It’s not a huge advantage, but I wouldn’t argue if you said they have technical skills.”

“Someone has to do the dirty work,” Wu De stated. A few transmigrators, like Zhou Dongtian, were already doing it, but there weren’t nearly enough of them. Most transmigrators had grown up in modern, civilized society. They could shoot to kill without much issue, but torturing a living person was something most couldn’t bring themselves to do.

“These men are all black-hearted, but they won’t hesitate. We can have them do many things.”

“We can leave the Zao Ban as is for now,” Xiong Buyou suggested. “They can’t cause much trouble anyway.”

“No, there are too many of them. We can’t support so many people on the public payroll,” Wu De countered. “Their official wages are meager, but they extort the common people to make up for it. We only need to keep a few.”

Furthermore, the Zao Ban controlled the yamen’s security, guarded the officials, and handled many miscellaneous tasks. “We must have a firm grip on the Zao Ban to monitor everyone’s movements within the yamen.”

The final decision was to send the entire Zao Ban to the study class. They would first identify seven or eight “reformable” runners to continue carrying out torture. The rest would be replaced by a batch of interns from the Political Security Bureau.

“So they’ll have to stand in court and clear the roads too?” asked Zhou Botao.

“Is that so difficult?”

“I know it’s not difficult, but these interns are hard to come by. Isn’t it a waste to use them for this…?”

“Not a waste at all. This is exactly where they are needed,” Wu De smiled. “Don’t worry, once the population explodes, interns from the crash courses won’t be so rare. This is a chance for them to get practical experience. They’ll be our core members in the future.”

Finally, they addressed the Kuai Ban. This class was the most hated by the public. In theory, they maintained social order, but in reality, they did the opposite. They generally only arrested “unperceptive” or “unconnected” petty thieves from out of town. Local criminals who paid them off were not only protected but sometimes even aided in their crimes. Some bailiff leaders were themselves local bandit chiefs. They were a group that everyone hated but no one dared to offend.

Wu De planned to completely replace the Kuai Ban with graduates from a police crash course, establishing a modern police system in the county seat.

“But this new Kuai Ban won’t be a county-wide institution like the old one,” Wu De explained. “Its actual status will be equivalent to a county town police station.”

With the plan set, implementation proceeded smoothly. As dusk fell, the night-watchmen, following orders, walked the streets beating their clappers and shouting “Curfew!” The town had no nightlife, so the streets were already empty. Now, they became completely deserted. Army units that had been waiting outside the city marched in, starting with the militiamen at the city gates and then moving to the yamen.

The runners of the Three Classes were rounded up according to a roster. Some had sensed something was wrong since the afternoon, but with the city gates and the yamen under control, they had nowhere to run and were captured without a fight.