Chương 380: Lu Bing's Report

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

The smile on his face faded, and he said decisively without any ambiguity:

"What's the point of asking that? Just figure it out."

He sat up straight and said seriously:

"Those who followed Dong Zhuo as his accomplices, committed countless evil deeds, oppressed the people, and seized farmland, no matter how prestigious their families were or how glorious their ancestors were, all of them shall be disposed of. All their family property and land shall be confiscated and put into public use."

He paused, then added:

"Remember, only punish those who have truly committed evil deeds, and don't escalate the situation. Leave those who are law-abiding and haven't followed Dong Zhuo in committing evil as alone. Separate matters from one to another, and don't let the people think that we are like Dong Zhuo, indiscriminately killing innocent people."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bing's eyes lit up instantly, like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey.

He nodded emphatically on the spot, rubbed his hands together, and chuckled:

"Yes! I understand! Rest assured, my lord, this is something our Embroidered Uniform Guard is best at!"

He patted his chest, making a resounding promise:

"To be honest, our Embroidered Uniform Guard has long since uncovered every shred of dirt on these people! We know exactly how much land they seized from the common people, how many people they killed alongside Dong Zhuo, how much money they gave Dong Zhuo, how many times they acted as accomplices, and even the shameful thing they did—stealing a chicken from Old Wang's house next door—it's all recorded in our little notebooks, crystal clear!"

He got more and more excited as he spoke:

"We guarantee that not a single innocent person will be found guilty, and not a single wrongdoer will escape justice!"

Seeing his eager expression, Liu Ce couldn't help but laugh and waved his hand, saying:

"Alright, then I'll leave this to you. Remember, proceed cautiously and don't cause any trouble. The confiscated land should be distributed first to the landless people around Luoyang; the silver should be deposited into the military treasury to supplement the army's pay."

Lu Bing bowed and agreed, his smile almost overflowing as he said:

"Understood! I guarantee it will be handled perfectly, without the slightest mistake!"

He bowed respectfully again, then turned and rushed out excitedly.

His steps were swift, his mind filled with thoughts of how to drag out those wicked powerful families and settle scores one by one.

After spending all my time on intelligence gathering and surveillance, I'm finally getting some serious work to do!

The swords of the Embroidered Uniform Guards are so idle they're practically rusting!

...

The city of Luoyang was bustling with activity for the next few days.

The Imperial Guards poured into the mansions of the powerful families who had once lived a life of luxury under Dong Zhuo's leadership, like a floodgate being opened.

The first family was the Wang family in the east of the city.

The Wang family was once a favorite of Dong Zhuo. Wang Ping, the head of the Wang family, followed Dong Zhuo around every day, flattering him and helping him to plunder the people's wealth.

The gold and silver jewelry in his storeroom were piled up like small mountains, much of it of which was stolen directly from ordinary people's homes.

When the Imperial Guards stormed in, Wang Ping was still drinking tea in the main hall, maintaining his airs and waiting for the Prince of Yan to summon him.

What awaited him was a group of black-armored imperial guards who, without saying a word, pinned him to the ground and tied him up like a dumpling.

"What are you doing! I am a loyal subject... I want to see the Prince of Yan!"

Lu Bing strolled in slowly, flipping through a small notebook, reading fluently as he spoke:

"In October of the fifth year of Zhongping, Wang Ping helped Dong Zhuo confiscate the property of Old Man Li in the south of the city, seizing two oxen and ten shi of grain... In November, he helped Dong Zhuo arrest Zhang Xuezi in the north of Luoyang, falsely accusing him of slandering the government. Zhang Xuezi was beaten to death in prison... In December, he sent his daughter to Dong Zhuo's mansion as a concubine in exchange for a lucrative position..."

Wang Ping's face turned pale, his mouth was wide open, and he couldn't say a word.

Lu Bing closed the notebook and said with a smile:

"Lord Wang, you are truly a loyal subject! Guards, take him away! Confiscate all his property, and distribute his land to the people!"

The second family was the Zhao family in the west of the city.

Zhao Si, the head of the Zhao family, was once in charge of grain supplies under Dong Zhuo, and he often embezzled the people's food rations.

In the cellar of his backyard, there were dozens of vats of grain, all of which had gone moldy, but he refused to share them with the starving people.

When the Imperial Guards stormed in, Zhao Si was directing his men to move the grain out of the city, intending to hide it outside the city.

They were caught red-handed.

Lu Bing flipped through his notebook and began to read aloud again:

"Zhao Si, in the fifth year of Zhongping... withheld 3, 000 shi of disaster relief grain, causing countless people to starve to death; forcibly seized 500 mu of fertile land west of the city, forcing more than a dozen families to become homeless..."

Zhao Si's legs went weak and he knelt down.

"Spare me! Spare me!"

Lu Bing squatted down, patted his face, and said:

"Lord Zhao, the grain in your granaries has all gone moldy, yet you won't give it to the people. Now, it's all confiscated and can be distributed to those you starved. Take it with you!"

One after another.

The Song family in the south of the city helped Dong Zhuo conscript men, binding them and sending them to the Xiliang army camp as forced laborers; most of them died...

The Zhou family in the north of the city monopolized the water source, causing thousands of acres of land downstream to yield no harvest...

The Wu family in the west of the city were loan sharks, forcing people to sell their children...

Not a single one escaped.

Lu Bing led the Imperial Guards, raiding each house one by one, noting down details in his notebook: arresting those who should be arrested, killing those who should be killed, and confiscating those that should be confiscated.

After a few days, the people of Luoyang were dumbfounded.

They watched as those "big shots" who usually flaunted their power were dragged out of their homes by the Imperial Guards, tied up like dumplings, and taken away.

They watched as the grain, cloth, and oxen that had been taken from them were brought back by the Imperial Guards, cartload after cartload, and distributed back to them.

"Is this for real? This food... is it really for us?"

An old man with gray hair was holding a bag of rice, his hands trembling.

The Imperial Guard soldier said with a smile:

"Grandpa, this is what His Highness Prince Yan ordered. What those powerful families robbed you of, they are now returning to you. Take it, go back and cook some porridge, don't go hungry anymore."

The old man immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face, and said:

"The Prince of Yan... the Prince of Yan is a living bodhisattva! May Heaven bless the Prince of Yan to live a long and healthy life!"

The people around also knelt down, some kowtowing and others expressing their gratitude.

The news spread, and the entire city of Luoyang was in an uproar.

The people beat drums and gongs, spreading the word that the Prince of Yan was a good prince, ten thousand times better than Dong Zhuo!

Lu Bing stood at the entrance of the Prince of Yan's residence, watching all this, a smug smile playing on his lips.

Well done, the lord will surely be satisfied.

...

A few days later, on the third day of the fourth month of the first year of the Chuping era.

On the drill ground south of Luoyang, 80, 000 troops stood in formation, ready to fight.

Banners blotted out the sun, warhorses neighed, and swords and spears were everywhere.

Sunlight shone on the luminous armor, reflecting a blinding, cold light.

The soldiers were all in high spirits, standing ramrod straight, their breathing even synchronized.

At the very front of the procession stood Xue Rengui, Su Lie, and a host of generals: Gongsun Zan, Qu Yi, Zhang He, Yu Jin, Xu Huang, Yuwen Chengdu, Cheng Yaojin, and Huang Zhong. Each of them was fully armored and imposing.

The area around the drill ground was crowded with people who came to watch the spectacle.