Nanzhijin returned to Beijing under the order and arrived in Luoyang a few days earlier than the emperor. Here, he met Jiang Juying, Minister of War.?

The two chatted for about an hour and parted ways. If they only looked at their expressions, Jiang Juying seemed even more dissatisfied.

Nanzhijin stayed in Luoyang for one night, and set off on the road the next morning and returned to the capital.

This is the news that Jing Yao collected. He is indeed a good person who collects intelligence. His stall is getting bigger and bigger, especially in important places like Beijing and Luoyang, with many eyeliners, and the expenses required are borne by the Shaofu.

Jing Yao was very cautious and rarely appeared around the emperor or contacted other ministers. When he was the chief magistrate of the Central Secretary, he had many friends in the court, but now all of them were cut off from contact. He knew very well that he had not yet gained the emperor's full trust, and making more contributions was the most important thing at the moment.

Han Ruzi did not trust this old eunuch very much, but he relied heavily on the information obtained by Jing Yao, even if it was just a few words, it would be helpful to him.

However, Han Ruzi rarely paid attention to the information in the capital. The emperor was not there, and the left-behind ministers frequently exchanged with each other, which instead lost the value of speculation.

It’s better to have no information than too much information. Han Ruzi always remembers this sentence Yang Feng said in his heart.

On the afternoon of the day when the court discussed whether Chai Yue should be appointed as the Grand Sima of the Southern Army, Han Ruzi summoned Jiang Juying.

Jiang Juying was dressed in a casual manner, without wearing an official hat, and entered the hall and kowtowed, apologizing to the emperor.

He is indeed guilty, and the amount and mobilization of troops stationed in various places must be reported to the Ministry of War. It would be unreasonable to claim that he did not know that a large number of soldiers were turned into private slaves.

There were not many people around the emperor, only two eunuchs and two guards. Although Jiang Juying admitted to being guilty, she also made an excuse for herself.

"There is no choice for the criminals. The garrisons in various places are controlled by local noble families. The officials appointed by the court are only insignificant. For example, the garrison in the East China Kingdom is all controlled by the Yan family, and the chief lieutenant is the same servant. If the Ministry of War investigates too strictly and the aristocratic family is dissatisfied and the Ministry of War will bear the blame for nothing wrong. This is how the previous Minister of War was dismissed..."

Jiang Juying didn't dare to say it in detail, but Han Ruzi understood it and asked, "How many years have Lord Jiang been in charge of the Ministry of War?"

"It's been more than ten years." Jiang Juying said vaguely. His defense actually put the blame on the previous emperors.

"In this way, are you supporting me to take back the military slave?"

"Support, of course, support. If this continues, only the capital and frontier troops in the Great Chu can fight, and it is enough to deal with small troubles. There is really a big deal, I am afraid that the available troops will not be collected for a while."

"I feel very comforted to be able to think about this. Ask me, how many soldiers have been embezzled in Lord Jiang's family?"

Jiang Juying never stood up and kowtowed again at this time, "The criminals dare not hide anything. They embezzled more than a thousand people, and they have all been released to their team, allowing them to choose to be soldiers or farming."

Han Ruzi nodded. This was not much different from the number he learned. "Mr. Jiang has been in charge of the Ministry of War for many years. He told me, when did the trend of embezzlement of military slaves appear and why is it difficult to cure?"

Jiang Juying looked up at the emperor and found that this was different from what he imagined. The emperor did not seem to be particularly angry, but was extremely calm, but instead made him even more anxious.

"As far as I know... I must apologize for the crime first, and only after I get forgiveness from Your Majesty, I dare to speak out."

"No matter what you say today, I will forgive you for not guilty."

"I thank you for your kindness. As far as I know, this wind began with Emperor He, but it was a good intention at the beginning."

"Oh, let's talk about it carefully."

Emperor He was the son of Emperor Lie, the father of Emperor Wu, and an emperor who inherited the past and led to the future. He was highly praised by historians.

Jiang Juying once again said, "When Emperor Lie was in power, the Great Chu fought several wars, and the soldiers doubled. Emperor He ascended the throne and intended to rest, but he could not immediately modify the order of the late emperor. So he made some adjustments and sent a large number of soldiers to build cities and embankments in various places. The tomb of Emperor He was also built by soldiers. In this way, the troops did not decrease, but they rarely used their people's strength, and the best of both worlds."

"It's true that it's good intentions, why did it change later?"

"During Emperor Wu, the number of troops increased. When the Huns split and the Great Chu had nothing to do, they could not immediately disband the soldiers in the army. So they picked up old rules. Emperor Wu... liked palaces and gardens, and many manors of noble families happened to be nearby. They borrowed them when the soldiers were idle. Because no one cared about it, the wind became more and more intense and finally became today's trend."

"So that's it." Han Ruzi suddenly thought that he was somewhat similar to Hedi, both of whom took over the previous problems. He hoped to restore people's strength and national strength through rest and recuperation. He was a kind-hearted person, but he could cause great trouble in future generations.

Han Ruzi had previously taken refugees into the army and wanted to hand over the southern and northern troops to the same person in charge, which was probably the norm in future generations.

Han Ruzi didn't think about these things for now and said, "Mr. Jiang has been in the Ministry of War for a long time, so it's time to change his position."

Although Jiang Juying came to apologize, she was still surprised when she heard this. She thought that the emperor was going to deal with him. She knelt down repeatedly, "I deserve to die for my crimes, but Your Majesty will punish me, and I will not ask for it..."

"Don't misunderstand, Lord Jiang, I mean that the General's Mansion has always been short of people, and Lord Jiang may be able to make up for it."

Jiang Juying never guessed the emperor's intentions, and this sentence shocked him the most, so he couldn't speak for a long time.

Although the general is a false position, he is ranked first-class, and it is the best destination for military officers who have no chance to take over as prime minister.

However, the position of general is usually held by military generals and nobles, usually an old man from the royal family. The previous general Cui Hong was the father of the empress, but the Minister of War was a civil servant. Jiang Juying never led a soldier or fought a war, and his family background was just like that, relying on marriage, he became a general, which was even more unruly than Chai Yue in charge of the south and the north.

"This... Your Majesty... Isn't this right? There is no precedent for civil servants to take over as generals in this dynasty." Jiang Juying responded carefully, thinking that the emperor was testing him.

"This is worse than this. Lord Jiang first trained in the army and made contributions, and then took over as the general."

Jiang Juying was startled and hurriedly said, "I am willing to charge for Your Majesty, but... I am a civil servant who was born in a Jinshi. I have been following the literature since I was a child. If I say that I can select talents and recruit talents, recruit soldiers and collect food, I am still familiar with it. If I arrange troops and make quick decisions, I dare not boast about myself, and I am indeed not as good as an ordinary general."

"You don't have to go to the battlefield. First, go to the General's Mansion to take charge of the military talismans, and inspect the troops stationed in various places. You must clearly distinguish that soldiers are soldiers and people are people. It is not to be confused. It is better to reduce the scale and never deal with imaginary numbers. Can you do it?"

Jiang Juying finally understood that the so-called general was just a bait. The emperor let himself act as the vanguard in confronting the court officials, and only after the matter was completed would he be rewarded.

"I am afraid...I am afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I am afraid that my majesty will be clumsy and incompetent, and will not do what you want, and will delay your majesty's major affairs."

"Well... Then you just make a military order. What should you do if you can't do it fairly and selflessly?"

Jiang Juying was shocked again. The emperor was calm on the surface, but in fact he led himself into the pit step by step. Not only did he bury himself alive, but he also had to stamp it on it a few feet to step on it more compactly.

Jiang Juying kept kowtowing, "Your Majesty forgive me, I can't... I really have no choice..."

"That's a little trouble." Han Ruzi was not angry or forced. "My original intention was to investigate the case by Lord Jiang. I know the severity of the matter. If you don't want to, I can't force it, so I have to hand over this task to the Censorate."

Jiang Juying's face suddenly changed. Once the case was handed over to the Censorate, he would first go from the Ministry of War to investigate it from him. Although everyone was in the same palace and had a good relationship, if the emperor forced him too hard, no one would protect him.

"There is a man named Song He in Hu County who speaks freely and claims that he has a good personal relationship with Lord Jiang. This person is now locked up in the Donghai Kingdom..."

"The criminal recognized Song He. This person was a shameless person and could not speak trustworthy. The criminal had only met him for several times and had no selfish relationships." Jiang Juying regretted it. When Nan Zhijin met, he advised him that the emperor wanted to show his strength in Luoyang. He would better find a way to retreat bravely. However, Jiang Juying still had the idea of ​​seeking the emperor's forgiveness and staying in the court.

He can indeed stay in the court, or even be promoted, but he will have to pay an unexpected huge price.

"I have figured it out, but I am just sacrificing myself and fighting to the death. I am watching the soldiers of the Great Chu become slaves, and I should also regain the decline. I am willing to issue a military order. If... I cannot purify the army, I am willing to be sentenced to death."

“Where is the deadline?”

“Three years.”

Han Ruzi raised a finger and said, "It lasts for one year, and I will see the results next year today."

Jiang Juying kowtowed to the commander's order, and the more he thought about it, the more he regretted it, but he didn't dare to mention it. Suddenly he remembered something and said, "Your Majesty, there is one thing that I must explain clearly first."

"you say."

"Turning a soldier into a slave is different from a private slave. I just need to take back the soldier slaves, regardless of other private slaves."

"Of course, private household slaves do not become famous, so the Ministry of Revenue should investigate and deal with them. Lord Jiang only cares about military slaves."

Jiang Juying breathed a little relieved and kowtowed and thanked him.

Han Ruzi waved his hand and signaled a eunuch to prepare a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, "Since it is a military order, please write it down by Lord Jiang."

The eunuch spread the paper on the ground, and Jiang Juying knelt down and wrote, her hands trembling all the time, only a hundred words, and she wrote for a while.

Finally finished writing, the eunuch brought the ink again, and Jiang Juying pressed his handprint on it just like signing a contract to sell his body.

The eunuch general's order was delivered to the emperor. Han Ruzi read it and was quite satisfied. "Does Lord Jiang understand why I asked you to write this statement?"

"I understand that my responsibilities are very serious and I will inevitably offend others. The more severe your Majesty is, the easier it is for me to speak when enforcing the law."

"Just understand." Han Ruzi smiled and nodded.

The king and his minister knew it well, and this was not a superficial article. If Jiang Juying really couldn't complete the task, the emperor would punish him according to the military order, and Jiang Juying would suffer the disaster of extermination.

Han Ruzi turned cold and said, "Jiang Juying, did he die well as a general or pass it on to history in the name of a criminal minister? This is all in one fell swoop, so you can do it yourself."

Jiang Juying's trembling voice should be, and her whole body was exhausted.

Of course, Han Ruzi had to divide the ministers, but he had his own choice, rather than waiting for someone like Yuan Jiuding to take the initiative to deliver it to the door.

Han Ruzi now needs a new Minister of War. (To be continued.)8
Chapter completed!