nucmednet Chapter 129 Eastern Qin Capital: Thorough Investigation of the Ministry of Revenue
Chapter 129 Eastern Qin Capital: Thorough Investigation of the Ministry of Revenue
Early the next morning, the four armies set off from Jianggu City and headed in four different directions.
In Jianggu City.
After completing his training, Qin Wu continued to handle military affairs.
After yesterday's events...
The logistics officer sent by Qin Wu finally finished sorting out all the accounts.
"Your Highness, these are the accounts I have compiled. The records on them do not match the numbers we know at all."
The logistics officer placed the ledger in front of Qin Wu.
Qin Wu picked up the last book and began to look through the general ledger.
You wouldn't believe it until you investigate; Qin Wu was so angry he laughed.
A full fifth of the goods were missing. These people are incredibly bold; they're truly fearless.
If they dare to embezzle supplies and pay in such an important battle, wouldn't they be even bolder in other battles?
"Are you sure?"
Qin Wu inquired.
"Your Highness, there is absolutely no mistake. After a day and a night of counting and checking, we, a dozen or so people, are certain that there is no problem whatsoever."
The logistics officer said with certainty.
They checked it several times, and only dared to send it to Qin Wu after confirming there were no problems.
"Very good, they've got some nerve. It seems I haven't made a move in a long time, and those people have forgotten my methods."
Qin Wu sneered.
He doesn't have time to investigate thoroughly now, but he's made a mental note of this.
When he returns to the capital in triumph, he will give his troops a thorough dressing-down, making it clear to everyone that his army will not tolerate any scheming.
Anyone who dares to embezzle his provisions will pay with their life.
"Step down! From this day forward, you will be in charge of all accounts for the Southern Expeditionary Army. If you find that any supplies are missing, have all the generals who escorted the supplies killed by me."
Qin Wu said in a cold voice.
He wanted to see if these people were enough for him to kill.
Anyway, Dongqin has no shortage of people who can escort grain and fodder.
....................
A few days later.
The capital of Eastern Qin.
The Ministry of Revenue's Office.
"Investigate! Investigate for me! Why would the Divine Martial King order me to be punished with 20 strokes of the military rod?"
The Minister of Revenue roared in anger.
He really couldn't understand why, when he hadn't done anything, a royal decree from the Divine Martial King had suddenly come from the front lines, promising him a reward.
He originally thought he had done a good job during this period, and that the Divine Martial King had seen his efforts, so he was happy to receive the reward.
As a result, the Imperial Guards beat him with 20 strokes of the cane right there in the court.
That was a full 20 lashes! It almost killed him.
If he hadn't practiced martial arts regularly to strengthen his body, he probably would have fainted after those 20 strokes of the military rod.
Upon hearing the Minister of Revenue's order, the steward immediately left to investigate.
An hour later.
"My lord, this time your punishment was too lenient. You need to think about how to explain things when the Divine Martial King returns victorious."
The butler spoke haltingly.
He didn't know until he checked, and wow!
While the Divine Martial King was fighting on the front lines, someone was embezzling his provisions.
Isn't this just plain suicide?
"So what exactly happened?"
Upon hearing the steward's words, the Minister of Revenue knew that something serious must have happened.
"I just checked with the Ministry of Revenue. They secretly withheld half a percent of the grain they sent out each time. I suspect that I, the Divine Martial King, am aware of this."
Seeing that the Minister of Revenue was angry, the steward dared not hide anything any longer.
Actually, losing half a percent shouldn't cause any problems. At worst, we can just say we consumed too much on the way, which is fine.
Even if the Divine Martial King was unhappy, there was nothing he could do.
Moreover, according to the steward's understanding, it was quite normal for the amount to be 20% less when leaving the Ministry of Revenue.
Now, each time it's only half a percent less, which is already considered very good.
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue left the Ministry of Revenue with a 50% reduction in his salary.
Who knows how many more were lost on the way? It's unlikely that the truth could be hidden from the Divine Martial King.
"Damn it! Didn't I give orders that not a single penny should be withheld? Who did this?"
The Minister of Revenue was furious.
You know, that was something sent to that madman.
Having led troops for over ten years, he knew better than anyone about losses and wastage, and he dared not skimp on anything.
After all, if that person finds out, someone could die.
That person dared to kill even members of the royal family. He was just a Minister of Revenue. If he were killed, his death would be meaningless.
After all, not only is the Divine Martial King insane, but he is also very powerful and influential. Even if His Majesty wanted to touch him, it would be almost impossible.
"We need to investigate further to find out."
The butler said awkwardly.
When he discovered that half a percent was missing, he knew something serious was about to happen, so he rushed back immediately.
"Then why aren't you investigating? Do you expect me to investigate? Hiss..."
The Minister of Revenue threw a teacup at him as he spoke.
The movement was too vigorous and aggravated the injury on his buttocks, causing the Minister of Revenue to gasp in pain.
Upon receiving the order, the butler immediately ran out.
The news that the Minister of Revenue was publicly punished with 20 strokes of the military rod by the Emperor Shenwu spread throughout the capital.
The officials were all curious about what the Minister of Revenue had done to have the Divine Warrior King, who was away on campaign, send someone back to reward him with 20 strokes of the military rod.
Royal study room.
"Your Majesty, we have found out that the Ministry of Revenue has been sending half a percent less grain to the Divine Martial King each time. This is only the amount sent from the Ministry of Revenue; who knows how much less grain it will be sent along the way through various places."
Eunuch Yongfu hurriedly entered the imperial study and reported the information he had found to the Emperor of Eastern Qin.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Eastern Qin was furious, realizing that there was a problem with the grain supplies.
This is a major event concerning his conquest of the entire Southern Qi, and yet someone dares to have such a crooked idea.
How could he not be angry?
"Investigate this thoroughly for me, and throw all those involved into the imperial prison."
When the Emperor of Eastern Qin gets angry, someone is going to suffer.
This time, many people in the Ministry of Revenue are likely to suffer misfortune, Yongfu sighed inwardly.
These people are truly fearless. Of all people to covet, why would they covet the Divine Martial King? It's like an old man eating poison; they're practically courting death.
"Yes."
Yongfu accepted the order and left immediately to investigate the matter.
Many people in the Ministry of Revenue are now on tenterhooks and restless because of this matter.
They didn't expect that embezzling even half a percent of the grain would cause trouble. They also didn't consider that if they embezzled half a percent, and others along the way embezzled some as well, it wouldn't be a small amount.
You must understand that millions of shi of grain have been sent to the Southern Qi battlefield. Even if only a small portion is embezzled at each level, that still amounts to hundreds of thousands of shi of grain, which is impossible to hide.
Just when they were filled with anxiety and unease.
Officials from the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Inner Court arrived with an imperial edict, demanding a direct inspection of the Ministry of Revenue's accounts.
Those officials with guilty consciences immediately knew that they were doomed.
After three days of investigation by three departments, the entire investigation has finally been completed.
The confiscation of the homes of dozens of officials shocked the entire capital of Eastern Qin.