Chapter 905 A Dream of Youth 437
Xie Ning was unaware that the capital of Northern Jin had already fallen into the hands of Wumeng. Her gaze lingered on the kneeling, trembling official, and her voice was cold and deep, “I don’t care what Chen He is like. Now that you are working under me, you shall obey my orders.”
"Murder? Severing Achilles tendons? Stealing the imperial army's rations?"
A pair of black, shabby square-toed boots stopped in front of the official, the jewels inlaid on them reflecting his pale face. He was as fearful as he had been not long ago.
Chen He was notorious, but this man was no less so; it was said that Xie Ning had already beheaded two county magistrates.
Originally, this area was not under Xie Ning's jurisdiction, but Xu Hongying's route was blocked by Xiao Chu, and the supply line here was cut off for a period of time. Xie Ning came over to take over.
"This humble official...this humble official didn't..."
He desperately wanted to continue denying his embezzlement, but the evidence of his corruption was already laid bare on the table. Because of the court's handling of corruption cases in the previous two years, officials at all levels were on edge and dared not make any big fuss.
But what he did was something everyone would do: the supplies the imperial court transported to the front lines suffered losses, both on the way and after reaching them.
This is the unspoken rule within their organization; everyone gets a cut of the profits, it's just a matter of how much.
He took advantage of the fact that the transport commissioners on both sides were too busy to handle everything, so he "took" a little more. Moreover, he was a master at bookkeeping, so basically no one would notice. Who knew that Xie Ning could see through his fake accounts at a glance.
Then came the matter of managing subordinates, layer upon layer. The laborers were at the very bottom; they were laborers, specifically responsible for carrying and transporting grain. Therefore, the laborers suffered the most, and some could not bear it and would choose to run away.
They weren't fleeing suffering, they were fleeing for their lives.
In order to ensure that military supplies arrived on time, the transport commissioner and his subordinate grain transport officers sometimes adopted special measures.
In their eyes, Dingfu was not a person, but merely a tool for transporting grain. As long as the tool could transport the grain to its destination safely and quickly, it was acceptable for the tool to be disposable.
Anyway, if this laborer dies, another laborer will take his place.
Human life is as worthless as grass, nothing more.
"Your Excellency, I did all this to ensure the timely supply of provisions to the army! Thank you! Everything is for the greater good. The Northern Jin cavalry's offensive is fierce, I..."
The official tilted his head back, trying his best to defend himself, while his subordinates knelt on the ground and kowtowed, hoping that Xie Ning would spare their lives.
It's just a few men dying... how could it be so serious?
"puff--"
The longsword struck, and the official's head rolled across the ground. Everyone else in the room fell silent.
The minor official, who had been begging for mercy, screamed and scattered, but was quickly caught by Xie Ning's personal guards.
"Cut them all down and hang them at the city gate as a warning to others."
The other officials who had wanted to plead for leniency shrank back, looking at Xie Ning with terrified expressions. When Xie Ning turned his gaze away, their legs went weak, and they knelt down.
At first, they didn't believe it. After all, Xie Ning was known for her benevolence and virtue. Who would have thought that she would just kill people without hesitation? Her ruthless methods were comparable to Chen He's, except that they were used against them.
"Fill these positions within a day. If any more acts of cruelty occur, they shall twist their own heads off."
"Yes...yes..."
Xie Ning took the handkerchief handed to him by Gui Yi and wiped the blood off his longsword. "I know you are all dissatisfied, thinking that he only embezzled a little bit of military rations and killed some laborers."
Moreover, those laborers were deserters and deserved to die anyway; severing their Achilles tendons only prolonged their deaths.
Why don't you all go and see for yourselves in that valley? Could it be that all five thousand laborers are deserters? That's just his excuse; it's his poor management that has delayed the grain transport.
Three men are needed to supply one soldier. If 100,000 soldiers are needed, then 300,000 laborers are needed to transport grain. The soldiers fighting on the front lines are human beings, and their victories are their achievements. But the laborers who transport grain behind the scenes are also human beings. Every inch of territory that the Great Zhou has recovered also owes to them.
Those who hold high positions and are basking in glory should also be recognized, regardless of whether others contributed their efforts voluntarily or not.
I understand the hardship of transporting and coordinating grain, but I still hope that you all understand that those laborers and others at the very bottom are also citizens of the Great Zhou.
Why do soldiers fight? For their country and their people.
"Your humble servant has learned much."
"Your humble servant has learned much."
......
Xie Ning doesn't like lecturing others, but if things continue like this, public resentment will become uncontrollable, so she needs to take a stand.
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