RPAGF Chapter 138 Showdown
Chapter 138 Showdown
At eight o'clock in the morning on March 21st, the heads of the five major families were invited to the headquarters meeting room.
At this time, only the heads of the five major families were sitting in the conference room, and most of them were in a good mood at the moment. Although each county had made big moves, they did not think that Fang Jian could solve it easily.
I think Francis Xavier asked them to come here most likely to discuss how to quell this incident.
Chen Mushen asked in a low voice: "Master Wang, many county governors and section chiefs have been arrested, and many ordinary employees have also suffered. Will there be any unexpected changes in this matter?"
"What kind of unexpected events could happen? They're just trying to intimidate us. They want to use this as an excuse to negotiate terms with us." Song Guangqing said loudly, looking careless and completely ignoring the guards outside the door.
Wang Cenyuan also shook his head gently: "Keep calm. If you want to maintain the stability of Nanshan Province, you can't do without us. Don't worry."
The remaining Tang Houyong and Dou Dexu both agreed deeply. For thousands of years, the rulers of Diyuan Star had governed the world. How could the dynasties be without the gentry like them?
The gentry are the cornerstone of ruling the world. They master culture and knowledge. Over thousands of years, how many scholars came from the gentry? How many people came from humble backgrounds? They are still very confident about this.
While several people were discussing, Fang Jian walked into the meeting room with Tao Yunong, Zhuang Jiwu and Zhang Sheng.
Facing Fang Jian's stern face, although they were not afraid, they still stood up politely and shouted, "General Fang."
"Sit down." After Fang Jian sat down, he uttered a word softly.
Looking at Fang Jian's expressionless face, several people's expressions became serious, knowing that they were about to get down to business. They all sat up straight, even the carefree Song Guangqing sat up straight.
Fang Jian glanced at everyone and said directly without beating around the bush: "Everyone, what you did before has now been investigated."
"Since you are civilians, you should do your duty. Unexpectedly, you openly colluded with officials and interfered in the politics of Nanshan Province."
"I have called you here today to give you two choices. The first is to move out of Nanshan Province within ten days."
"Second, if you want to continue to stay in Nanshan, you must hand over all your land and half of your property, and you are not allowed to possess any firearms or weapons."
After hearing what Fang Jianan said, the five family heads were instantly in an uproar. Song Guangqing, who had the hottest temper, slammed the table and said, "Why do you want us to leave Nanshan Province?"
"General Fang, didn't you say we should follow the rules? Isn't this not following the rules at all?" Wang Cenyuan's face was also very ugly. He didn't expect Fang Ji'an's request to be so excessive.
Fang Jian sneered, "I don't follow the rules? Think about it, everyone. Colluding with officials and disrupting government order is such a serious crime. I am merciful not to confiscate your property."
"It's just expulsion from Nanshan Province. In the previous dynasty, this was a serious crime of treason. Master Wang, am I breaking the rules?"
"You..." Wang Cenyuan's face turned pale and he was speechless.
He didn't know what Fang Jian relied on, but he dared to tear his face apart. Wasn't he afraid that the counties below would be in chaos?
Dou Dexu rolled his eyes and argued, "General Fang, don't talk nonsense. When have we ever colluded with officials?"
"Are you trying to quibble?" Fang Jian smiled and didn't take it seriously. He waved his hand, and Tao Yunong immediately threw the document in his hand onto the conference table.
Wang Cenyuan and others picked up the documents on the table and read through them one by one. These documents were naturally evidence of their collusion with officials. Among them were official testimonies and some letters.
Seeing that they couldn't deny it, the faces of several family heads looked very ugly.
After Song Guangqing calmed down a little, a mocking expression appeared on his face: "General Fang, what if we don't leave?"
Although the evidence is conclusive, Song Guangqing feels that the other party will not resort to violence. If they really want to resort to force, they already have some weapons.
Although the number of people is not large, the five companies together have about five to six thousand people.
"If you don't leave in ten days, then wait for my army to arrest you. As for whether you can keep your property after being arrested by the army, I can't guarantee it." Fang Jian chuckled.
"Oh, by the way, the lands under your names belong to Nanshan Province. From now on, these lands will no longer belong to you."
Several people looked at Fang Jian with grim faces, feeling extremely aggrieved and angry.
What they don't know is that with today's newspapers selling well, there is already a lot of noise outside.
After eight o'clock in the morning, newsboys would occasionally shout on the road: "The five major families in Nanshan Province colluded with local officials to collect taxes privately. The circumstances were serious and the nature was bad..."
"In view of the evil deeds of the five major families, the governor intends to expel the five major families from Nanshan within ten days..."
"All the land owned by the five major families will be taken back by the government and distributed equally to farmers in various places..."
Hearing these hawking calls, passers-by on the street stopped the newsboys and competed to buy newspapers, making today's newspaper sales very hot.
When the five family heads came to the Wang family angrily, the Wang family's housekeeper handed them today's newspaper, which made the family heads even angrier.
Song Guangqing slammed the newspaper on the table and said, "Mr. Wang, what should we do about this? Are we really going to be driven out of Nanshan Province? Or should we hand over our land and property?"
"Young people are always impatient. They really think that they can do whatever they want just because they have a few soldiers." Wang Cenyuan said coldly.
"Since he wants to fight with us, let's help him. Immediately organize the forces from all families and contact the bandits from all over the place to make trouble in Nanshan."
"Hasn't Nanshan been suppressing bandits recently? I think these bandits are willing to unite with us and teach this warlord a lesson."
Chen Mushen hesitated: "Master Wang, has it really come to this?"
"If we really do this, once we fight with General Fang and are defeated by him, we will be finished. The other side can easily defeat Ma Jincen."
Hearing this, Tang Houyong and Dou Dexu fell silent.
However, Song Guangqing slammed the table and said, "Are you willing to give up your family business because you are afraid of being defeated by him?"
"Whether it's handing over property and land, or being driven out of Nanshan, if we are really driven out of Nanshan, where will we live and how will we face people?"
Song Guangqing stopped talking, glanced at several family heads and said, "What's more, the other party has fallen out with the Northern Government."
"Their main force is still in Changhuan, and the troops left in Nanling are all newly recruited soldiers. Even if we go to war with them, we still have a chance of winning."
Several family heads thought about it for a while and felt that what Song Guangqing said made sense.
When Tang Houyong, Dou Dexu, and Chen Mushen were struggling with their feelings, Wang Cenyuan slammed the table and said, "Yes, the other party's position as the commander-in-chief was also snatched from Ma Jincen."
"Moreover, this Governor Fang is at odds with the Northern Government. We may not be unable to gain support from the Northern Government after defeating him."
Tang Houyong, Dou Dexu and Chen Mushen looked at each other and finally made up their minds to give it a try.
After everyone dispersed, they went back to make their own arrangements.
Although several of them have residences in Nanling, their bases are different.
The Tang family is in Changye, the Wang family is in Nanling, the Dou family is in Nanfeng, the Chen family is in Hongxing, and the Song family is in Huai Chong.