The bailiffs present were all stunned after hearing Han Mo's words. Forcing them to disgorge the money they had embezzled over the years was no different from killing them.
Although they owed Cai Jing a debt of gratitude, those present did receive a salary each month.
However, if they were to live solely on that meager salary, their families would have starved to death long ago.
Relying only on their positions in the Maritime Affairs Bureau, most of them now owned property in Quanzhou City.
Even if they had all saved considerable fortunes over the years, if they were forced to disgorge all the money of unknown origin, it would be a severe blow to each and every one of them.
"Yes!"
Han Shizhong did not give them much time to consider. After responding, he immediately sent men to summon troops.
The Maritime Affairs Bureau was not far from the Quanzhou naval base. It took less than half an hour for 500 soldiers to completely surround the entire Maritime Affairs Bureau.
"Captain Han, I'll leave this place to you! From now until sunset today, no one is allowed to enter or leave the Maritime Affairs Bureau!"
"Yes!"
"Listen carefully, this is your last chance. Three days from now, anyone I find will be dealt with like Lord Yan, with their entire family and dependents transported to Bianliang!"
After Han Mo finished speaking, he turned and walked out directly.
"Son-in-law, I think just from this Maritime Affairs Bureau, we'll find at least several million strings of copper coins!"
Today's events truly opened Jiang Yan's eyes.
Although he considered himself to have some experience, compared to the people he saw today, the corrupt officials he had seen before were truly insignificant.
"Let's go, let's go see Mr. Shao first. Compared to the Pu family, these people are merely a few worms!"
Shaking his head with a cold smile, Han Mo then walked out of the Maritime Affairs Bureau.
A quarter of an hour later, led by a soldier, Han Mo and Jiang Yan and his entourage arrived at an inn in Quanzhou City.
"I say, sir, we haven't seen each other for so long, why do I feel like you've gained a lot of weight? Your complexion has also become much rosier. It seems you're doing quite well in Quanzhou City!"
Seeing Shao Bowen again, Han Mo couldn't help but say with a smile.
"Of course, with your promotion, I naturally have to follow suit. As the tide rises, the boats float higher. Since arriving in Quanzhou City, officials big and small have been inviting me to dine every day. I've basically eaten through all the delicacies in Quanzhou City!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Shao Bowen also laughed heartily in response.
"It seems the officials in Quanzhou City are really not ordinary rich!"
Han Mo could obviously hear the hidden meaning in Shao Bowen's words. As the saying goes, if you offer a gift, you must have a purpose. These people were now taking turns inviting Shao Bowen to dine, which clearly indicated that they wanted to distance themselves from the Pu family.
However, such matters were also human nature, and Han Mo could understand.
After all, these prominent families were rooted locally and deeply entrenched. Compared to them, the officials appointed by the court were complete outsiders.
To handle their affairs well, they naturally had to first sort out the complexities involved.
"All the letters searched from the Pu family are here. These several large chests have not been touched by anyone until now!"
Shao Bowen said as he pointed to several large chests by the corner of his bedroom wall.
"You all go out. I have something to say to Mr. Shao!"
Hearing Shao Bowen's words and glancing at the seals on the chests, Han Mo directly dismissed all his subordinates.
"Yes!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, everyone, including Jiang Yan, retreated, leaving the entire room to Han Mo and Shao Bowen.
"How many people are closely related to the Pu family?"
After hearing the footsteps of everyone recede, Han Mo lowered his voice and asked.
"Those without rank have already been apprehended by me. There are a total of 4 who hold official rank. These are their letters of correspondence with the Pu family!"
Shao Bowen said as he took out a small brocade box from under his bed.
"Do these people have any value that can be exploited?"
With time pressing, Han Mo was too lazy to distinguish whether these people were useful or not and asked directly.
"They are all mediocre talents, those who betray loyalty for profit. How can they be called talented!"
"If that's the case, then things are simpler!"
Hearing him say that, Han Mo was instead relieved.
"That's right, these people have done no shortage of bad deeds over the years!"
"Then let them go for now. After the current situation blows over, we'll find another excuse to deal with them!"
For the die-hard confidants of the Pu family, Han Mo issued a kill order without hesitation.
Everything he was about to do required a vast amount of his energy, so he naturally wouldn't waste too much time on these minor figures.
"Other things are easy to say, but those people from the Pu family are too tight-lipped. Until now, they still refuse to reveal the origin of those spices!"
Shao Bowen showed a clear expression of shame when he said this.
"There's no need to say more. You select a few clever and reliable people, send them to the capital by sea, and then..."
"The sea is rough and the waves are high..."
Hearing Han Mo's words, Shao Bowen immediately chimed in.
"That's right, make sure they do it cleanly and don't leave any more loopholes!"
Han Mo had virtually swallowed nearly eighty percent of the Pu family's influence this time, and he naturally didn't want to keep these people from the Pu family.
Rather than wasting time and effort interrogating them, it was cleaner to simply let them die at sea.
After these people died, even if some people still held loyalty to the Pu family, they would ultimately have no one to seek redress from!
"We've swallowed the Pu family in one go. What about the Cai family..."
Shao Bowen's voice became noticeably lower as he said this.
"Don't bother about that money. Consider it a welcoming gift from this official to the seven great families!"
Han Mo naturally understood that he was referring to the payment that was withheld by the Cai family.
"My lord, that's tens of millions of strings!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Shao Bowen couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
This was truly a case of the son selling the father's land without a care!
"To get something, you must first give it. If you don't feed them enough, how can you cut meat from them?"
Looking at his pained expression, Han Mo said carelessly.