Chapter 131 First, investigate the case of embezzlement of military funds.

Large-scale military supplies were generally provided by local armies. They would submit a detailed list of their annual military expenses to the Ministry of War, which would then review it and forward it to the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue would then review it again and finally submit a memorial to the emperor. Once the emperor approved it, the Ministry of Revenue would allocate the funds.

In the 16th year of the Jinghe era, the military headquarters requested the following expenditures: 23.12 million shi of grain, 5.32 million bolts of cloth, and 4.65 million taels of silver for military pay.

In the 17th year of the Jinghe era, the military requested 29.82 million shi of grain, 6.53 million bolts of cloth, and 5.72 million taels of silver for military pay....

Throughout the 18th year of the Jinghe reign (1194), military expenditures continued to increase. By the 19th year of the Jinghe reign (this year), military spending had reached 39 million shi of grain, 7.62 million bolts of cloth, and 6.82 million taels of silver for military pay...

However, no war broke out during these years of vigorous development. Of course, this could be because the emperor wanted to expand the military and increased annual military spending, which is normal. But what is abnormal is that some numerical details do not match.

In weapon manufacturing, in the 17th year of Jinghe, the number of spears declared was 120,000, requiring 720,000 jin of iron, meaning each spear required 6 jin of iron. However, by the 18th year of Jinghe, the number of spears declared had increased to 140,000, requiring 910,000 jin of iron, averaging 6.5 jin of iron per spear.

Half a catty of iron may not sound like much, but in large quantities it becomes a significant amount. One catty of iron costs 26 wen, so half a catty costs 13 wen. 140,000 pieces of iron costing 13 wen each would amount to 1,820 liang.

But this was just the spear; there were other weapons, armor, and so on. Jiang Yu calculated that the extra iron used to forge the weapons and armor alone amounted to more than 3.84 million catties, which was equivalent to more than 50,000 taels of silver.

These are weapons and armor, military uniforms, food, medicine, etc. Do you have any of these items?

This is from the 18th year of Jinghe. In the 19th year of Jinghe, it would take 7 catties of iron to forge a spear, which is 1 catty more than in the 17th year of Jinghe, and naturally, more silver would be needed.

Jiang Yu gripped her pen tightly. This was undoubtedly a massive case of embezzlement of military funds, involving a considerable number of people. Should she investigate now?

Just like we discussed with the Duke of Chu last night, we'll investigate tax embezzlement first. Investigating from outside the capital will face less resistance. One case alone will be enough to solidify her position in the court. Then, doing other things will be much easier.

However, the embezzlement of military funds is far greater than the tax embezzlement she has seen, and military affairs are related to national security. If action is delayed or too late, it may lead to a major disaster.

She didn't have a concept of being loyal to the current royal family, but although the current emperor had flaws, he was not a foolish and tyrannical emperor, and he never did anything that disregarded the lives of the people. Therefore, maintaining the current stability of the court was more beneficial than harmful to both the Duke of Chu's mansion and the people.

"What are you standing here for?" Li Zhengze had arrived at some point. Jiang Yu casually tidied up the papers on the table, covering up what she had just written.

But Li Zhengze still noticed the words "spear," and he leaned casually against the table and asked, "You want to fight with a spear?"

Jiang Yu closed the official document in her hand and said, "My nephew Yun Kang has been into playing with knives and guns these days, so I was thinking about what kind of weapon would be a good gift for him for the New Year."

She looked up at Li Zhengze and asked, "Is a longsword better or a spear?"

Li Zhengze naturally knew about the situation of the Duke of Chu's mansion. The Duke of Chu also had a great-grandson, and it was no surprise that the child was a favorite. It was normal for Jiang Yu to go to the trouble of giving him a gift.

He thought for a moment and said, "That depends on what he likes. I liked spears when I was a kid."

Jiang Yu picked up the official documents she had read and walked towards the bookshelf, asking, "Do you know any good blacksmith shops in the capital?"

“The best blacksmith shop is the Ironware Bureau,” Li Zhengze said. “I have acquaintances there. Why don’t you have them make one for you?”

Jiang Yu paused in his hand as he put down the official document, then turned to look at him and said, "The Ironware Bureau specializes in forging weapons. I've noticed that the demand for weapons has increased significantly in recent years. Can they handle the workload?"

Li Zheng waved his hand, "Some of the weapons the Ministry of War wanted have been sent to other places for manufacturing, so they're not too busy. Besides, even if they were very busy, they would still rush to make whatever your Miss Chu Guogong's mansion wants."

Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment, but Li Zhengze, being an impatient man, said, "I'll take you there after I finish my shift, and I guarantee I'll get it out in a day or two."

Jiang Yu nodded after hearing this, "Alright, but I'll pay double the amount of silver, so they don't suffer a loss."

Li Zhengze smiled and said, "You're quite generous."

Jiang Yu smiled nonchalantly, and Li Zheng didn't say anything more. After all, even if it was double the amount of silver, it was still a small amount of money for people like them.

At this moment, Jiang Yu made a decision: to investigate the case of embezzlement of military funds first.

Before long, it was time to finish their shift. Jiang Yu and Li Zhengze each rode in their own sedan chairs towards the Ironware Bureau. Because it was a bit far, Jiang Yu asked Chunxue to go back to the Duke of Chu's mansion first to report that she would be returning late, while she took Xia He with her.

The sedan chair took about half an hour to arrive. The Ironware Bureau was a large courtyard, and the clanging sounds could be heard from outside. Jiang Yu and Li Zhengze alighted from the sedan chair at the main gate, announced their identities, and the gatekeepers let them in.

"Old Liu, the blacksmith here, is the elder brother of one of my brother's concubines. He's exceptionally skilled," Li Zhengze said to Jiang Yu as they walked. "He's just a man of few words; you can't get a word out of him even if you hit him three times."

As they were talking, they arrived at Old Liu's blacksmith shop, which Li Zhengze had mentioned. Inside, they saw a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old, swinging a hammer and hammering a piece of red-hot iron by the furnace.

"Where is your master?" Li Zhengze asked the boy.

Upon seeing him, the young man stopped what he was doing and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness. My master is inside."

Jiang Yu looked around the room and saw that it was spacious with two large stoves and some weapons casually placed around. In the northwest corner of the room, there was a rough screen that partitioned off a space, presumably for resting or receiving guests.

At this moment, Li Zheng called out towards the screen, "Old Liu."

Then a tall, burly man came out, bowed to him, and then fell silent. Li Zhengze knew his temperament and didn't mind, introducing Jiang Yu to him.

"This is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Chu's mansion. She wants a weapon made for her nephew. I brought you here. Don't worry, the price will be double."

Old Liu glanced at Jiang Yu, bowed, and asked, "How old are you?"

Jiang Yu paused for a moment before realizing that he was asking how old the child was, so she replied, "Four years old, and this tall."

Jiang Yu gestured a height, and Old Liu grunted in agreement before asking, "What are you going to do?"

Jiang Yu: "A spear, the kind of spear used by soldiers in the army, which children like."

Old Liu frowned and thought for a moment, "The child is too small and too long, it's not suitable."

"Just make a smaller one according to the proportions," Jiang Yu said.