The Beiyang Ace Prosecutor

In the thirty-second year of the Guangxu reign, the Qing court promulgated the Law on the Organization of the Dali Court, establishing new procuratorates at every level. Gu Mingheng returned from studying in Britain and naturally became a prosecutor. To his surprise, he was thrown in jail as soon as he took office, trapped in what seemed like certain death. At first, all he wanted was to protect himself and spend his days idly in a society that treated the law as a mere ornament. But the chaotic times forced him to spark labor strikes, reorganize gangs, and establish workers’ unions and schools, gradually building a power base of his own. At a banquet one day, Feng Guozhang pulled the pistol from his waist and slapped it down in front of Gu Mingheng. “The world calls me a dog and praises you as an eagle. So tell me, in these troubled times, whose power is greater: my gun or your law?” “Brother Huafu,” Gu Mingheng said, rising to look out the window. “The law means murderers pay with their lives, but it also means bringing peace to the nation and securing the land.” “I’m sure you know this too: a gun can only kill a man, but the law can destroy his heart.” Years later, using methods more cunning than a crook’s and more ruthless than a brute’s, Gu Mingheng rose step by step to the highest seat of power in the Beiyang Government.