The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 444 No rules

Five prefects and eighteen county magistrates were assassinated one after another, causing an uproar in the Song Dynasty court. None of the murderers could escape, but the result could not satisfy everyone, even most of the civil and military officials were dissatisfied.

In addition to these 23 chief officials, more other officials and minor clerks were killed, but the impact was far less significant and obvious than that of these chief officials. The murderers were almost all caught in the shortest possible time, and they confessed to their crimes.

The motive for murder was very sufficient and the process of the crime was clear. Some of them were willing to lurk for more than ten or twenty years in order to seek revenge. Some were willing to be slaves under the enemy and even become their confidants. Some women were slaves, maids and even concubines. They had only one purpose: revenge.

Just one or two cases might not seem like a big deal, but in just three months, hundreds of cases of killing officials for revenge broke out, and not only were they all successful, but they were all quite terrifying.

What is even more shocking is that none of them failed and all of them succeeded in their revenge. Although these people were eventually caught for various reasons, their enemies were indeed killed by them by various means, and they indeed caused huge losses to the Song Dynasty.

A careful investigation would reveal that these people had one thing in common, that is, they relied on their official status to attack Murong Trading Company. No matter how big or small their actions were, they really attacked Murong Trading Company. In minor cases, they paid a little interest to get rid of them, and in serious cases, people were even arrested, shops were closed, and Murong Trading Company completely withdrew from the city.

Shortly after they took action, they all died suddenly. The traces at the murder scene were clear and there was almost no cover-up. Any capable constable could follow the clues to find the murderer. The murderer also confessed to the crime and even produced a lot of evidence of the victims' crimes to prove the correctness of his actions.

Damn these lawless officials! Many people even made preparations in advance, with lawyers helping them to handle the situation and publicize the crimes of those officials, causing chaos in many state capitals.

The officials in charge of the aftermath found a lot of correspondence, but most of the officials' wealth had disappeared. Some were only records and account books of bribery and corruption, and the ones behind the scenes pointed directly to many wealthy families, which gave the officials a headache.

There are many clever people in the world. Most of the assassins met their end shortly after challenging the Murong Company, raising suspicions among many. However, despite its immense power and wealth, the Murong Company was known for its adherence to the law. Even when challenged, they would argue with reason or follow official procedures. While some local forces, motivated by personal gain (e.g., collecting protection money), engaged in subtle actions, these actions had little to do with the Murong Company itself.

The investigation and trial went smoothly, and the murderer remained unscathed. While there might be accomplices who were difficult to identify, closing the case wasn't difficult. Some skeptics who found even the slightest clue to a certain wealthy family were often warned. Some officials, however, were instructed to forcefully link these events to the persecuted Murong Company, fabricating stories regardless of evidence.

For a time, officials from Gusu Academy submitted impeachment memorials continuously, exposing evidence of these officials' illegal activities and some hidden things behind them, causing chaos in the entire court. Even the people were talking about it. Those officials and the wealthy families behind them lost face and their reputations were tarnished.

Murong Fu even submitted a memorial with a bunch of evidence, and asked an official from Gusu Academy to question him in court whether the court did not allow business. Because of the academy, his own company has been involved in all walks of life in the economy and people's livelihood, and more importantly, it has developed to this level unknowingly by applying what he has learned. If the court does not allow it, please ask the official to issue an imperial decree and Murong Company can be dissolved immediately.

Furthermore, they exposed the businesses of other officials and their families, attaching a list of their annual revenues, which even surpassed that of the imperial court. Not only were the officials horrified, but many other wealthy families were also terrified. They shouted and questioned the Murong family, saying that they had broken the rules. The officials of Gusu Academy then questioned why the Murong Company was being targeted and who had broken the rules first.

The conversation had reached a dead end at this point, perhaps because the Murong Trading Company, controlled by the Murong family, was the testing ground for the Hundred Schools of Thought taught at Gusu Academy. The Murong Trading Company's growth and development were inextricably linked to the Hundred Schools of Thought. The trading company brought the academy fame, while the academy in turn brought the trading company a steady stream of revenue. This mutually reinforcing relationship had deeply resented the many wealthy families who, despite cherishing the Hundred Schools of Thought as a treasure, were reluctant to share it with others, or even to draw the attention of the imperial court. This collective action had therefore taken place.

Their ultimate goal was to attack Gusu Academy and prohibit the dissemination of the Hundred Schools of Thought. These were the exclusive preserves of the wealthy and powerful families, and they were to inherit them, leaving outsiders and the imperial court alone. The Murong family's establishment of Gusu Academy and the spread of the Hundred Schools of Thought was a violation of the rules, greatly undermining the wealthy and powerful families' ability to monopolize knowledge, maintain government, and manipulate the emperor.

By distorting history and revising Confucian classics, they fooled the Song emperor into a fool. While this misled the nation and weakened the Song, it allowed them to seize control of state power, effectively achieving their political goal of governing the country through the scholar-officials and dividing up the wealth. If the government recognized the capabilities and benefits of the Hundred Schools of Thought and promoted officials from Gusu Academy, or even if they gradually came to their senses and emerged from their delusion, it would be a grave disadvantage to them.

This was the most important reason why Murong Trading Company was targeted. Of course, their technology and wealth were truly enticing. Without these achievements, they might not have panicked so much and resorted to such desperate measures. However, the Murong family's swift response, their constant attempts to survive and their subsequent revenge without leaving any evidence behind, made them quite uncomfortable.

What made them even more uncomfortable was that Murong Trading Company retreated very decisively, one could even describe it as resolute. When half of the industries of a city's trading companies were targeted, they withdrew entirely, directly paralyzing more than half of the city's economy and people's livelihood.

They were horrified to discover that Murong Trading Company had a wide range of businesses, and in each of them, it was at the top. Some of the former practitioners they had suppressed joined the company, while others quietly left. When Murong Trading Company was in operation, these industries flourished, but once Murong Trading Company withdrew, they were unable to find replacements.

Even if there are, they are just some second-rate practitioners. The real experts are either monopolized by Murong Trading Company or have changed careers or left.

Where did you go?

Murong Fu smiled faintly. "How do you think the Great Yan State developed?" Many of those talented individuals were cultivated by Murong Trading Company itself. How could a mere ten or twenty years be enough? Many more were conquered by Murong Trading Company after they were defeated. Half of them stayed to train and serve the company, while the remaining half were sent overseas, supporting the Great Yan State's economy and livelihood.

Originally, half of the practitioners were enough to support the needs of Jeju Island, Goryeo, and the Mobei grasslands. However, the Murong family took advantage of the civil unrest in Liao and took control of the entire Liao Kingdom in one fell swoop. The original number of people was no longer enough, which led to the situation where Murong Trading Company did not resist and retreated.

The Murong Trading Company has both visible and covert operations. The covert agents won't withdraw easily; they themselves aren't conspicuous, and the benefits aren't high enough to warrant a move. Even if they were, the losses wouldn't be significant; they can just start over. Meanwhile, the visible Murong Trading Company is a leading presence in every city. A large-scale withdrawal without warning would be too conspicuous and easily arouse suspicion. However, their withdrawal, aided by the offensive of the major wealthy families, is a logical and reasonable move.

It's not that they didn't react, they were just too "conventional," and rather childishly chose a mutually destructive strategy: "If you don't let me do it, I'll just give up and make things difficult for you." Murong Fu was confident that he could reduce taxes throughout the Song Dynasty by 30 to 50 percentage points. After all, there were very few major taxpayers like the Murong Company who didn't evade taxes.

As the court officials from Gusu Academy presented their data one by one, the emperor's eyes changed. It turned out that Murong Trading Company was so wealthy, that all the wealth in the world had gone into the pockets of the wealthy families, and that...