The moment Chang Sun Dechong knelt down, all the eunuchs and city guards outside the city lord's mansion also knelt down. Gradually, the ordinary people around also knelt down to express their awe of the imperial power.
In this solemn and dignified scene, the three dandies and Zheng Gang seemed particularly out of place. They stood there in awe, as if frozen in place.
They couldn't believe that the man before them was actually the Emperor of Wei. The three dandies turned pale and began to tremble. They knew they had caused a disaster this time, and it might even bring disaster to their entire family.
Their minds went blank and their bodies collapsed to the ground unconsciously. They had no idea how to deal with the situation. Their hearts were filled with fear and regret, but it was too late.
Zheng Gang's emotions were out of control. He held his head tightly in his hands and shouted frantically, "This can't be true! This can't be true! You are all lying to me, you are all liars! How could an emperor who is so high and mighty play with a little beggar like a child? You are all liars!"
His voice was full of despair and disbelief. Zheng Gang shouted and waved his arms, running wildly like a trapped beast that had lost its mind.
However, before he could take a few steps, he heard Chu Fan's cold voice: "Do you think you can escape the punishment of the law by pretending to be crazy? Arrest him for me."
Chu Fan's voice was like a sharp sword, piercing through Zheng Gang's disguise.
The eunuchs guarding nearby acted quickly and mercilessly kicked Zheng Gang to the ground. Zheng Gang fell heavily on the hard ground, groaning in pain.
Lying on the ground, he no longer screamed wildly. He just silently shed tears, which slid down his cheeks, telling of his inner despair. At this moment, Zheng Gang lay on the ground like a pitiful creature.
Chu Fan said, "Everyone, please stand up. Changsun Dechong asks you to carefully examine these scattered documents and see for yourself the state in which the three Acropolises under your jurisdiction have fallen."
Changsun Dechong knelt on the ground, picked up a piece of paper, and began to examine it. However, he was shocked by the first page he glanced at. It contained irrefutable evidence of Yan Kai's corruption, bribery, and extortion. Furious, Changsun Dechong rushed to the city lord's residence and forced his way in. Witnessing the lavish furnishings and the soldiers' unloading of treasures, his rage intensified.
He recalled that he had handed over the power of the city lord to Yan Kai and other disaster leaders in order to commend them for their contributions in resettling the disaster victims.
You know, the City Lord's Mansion of the three Acropolis is the most luxurious and occupies the largest area. I didn't expect Yan Kai and others to be so unsatisfied that after becoming the City Lord, they continued to plunder the people's wealth for their own extravagance.
At this moment, Chang Sun Dechong began to question himself deeply. He couldn't help but ask himself, had he truly done anything wrong? Why had the once warm-hearted man, willing to selflessly help other disaster victims, now become the sharpest blade harming them? This transformation left him feeling immensely confused and distressed.
With a heavy heart, Chang Sun Dechong returned to where the papers were. He knelt on the ground again, picked up a piece of paper, and carefully read the charges against the three major families and Yan Kai.
Each charge was like a sharp sword, piercing his heart and forcing him to face the facts he had previously ignored. These evidences all confirmed his dereliction of duty.
At this time, Changsun Dechong finally understood the truth. It turned out that the three major families had not come to the outskirts of Kaifeng City with the disaster victims, but had bribed Yan Kai and joined forces with Yan Kai to frame the three families who had made great contributions to the resettlement of disaster victims and the construction of the three citadels.
These families used illicit means to seize the properties originally belonging to the three meritorious families and moved in openly. Meanwhile, Yan Kai's City Lord's Mansion also received generous funding from the three major families, who spent a large sum of money to renovate Yan Kai's residence. Behind all this was the dirty dealings and collusion between the three major families and Yan Kai.
However, this incident wasn't the only one to happen, nor was it limited to Zhonghua City. Similar situations also occurred in the other two Acropolis cities. This shocked and angered Changsun Dechong. He suddenly realized that his trust in Yan Kai and others had been severely betrayed. This betrayal not only harmed the interests of the victims, but also caused great damage to the order and justice of the entire Acropolis.
Changsun Dechong had originally believed that the people he trusted would diligently serve the victims and maintain stability and justice in the city. However, reality dealt him a heavy blow. After gaining power, Yan Kai and others changed their ways. Instead of fulfilling their duties, they exploited their power for personal gain, even at the expense of the victims.
However, discussing this now is pointless; Your Majesty has personally intervened. Now that Your Majesty has intervened, this matter will not be easily resolved. I must now shoulder the responsibility for my past negligence and mistakes in management.
Chang Sun Dechong knelt before Chu Fan again and said respectfully, "I beg Your Majesty to allow me to resign from the position of Minister of War. I hope Your Majesty will grant me the approval."
Chu Fan said, "Chang Sun Dechong appears to be too lax in managing his subordinates and has failed to promptly detect and stop their illegal activities. Therefore, I have decided to approve his resignation from the post of Minister of War."
Chang Sun Dechong knelt and said, "I thank you for your grace, my Lord."
Although Changsun Dechong was negligent in management and failed to detect his subordinates' illegal and unlawful behavior, depriving him of his position as Minister of War was already a fairly severe punishment.
After all, Changsun Dechong also made significant contributions in other areas. In particular, he actively organized the city defense forces to provide timely assistance to the affected people. Furthermore, he built three acropolises without spending a single cent of the court's money.
In addition, in the process of rescuing the King of Shu and his family, Changsun Dechong also showed great courage and wisdom, and made a significant contribution to the safe rescue of the King of Shu and his family.
These achievements cannot be erased, so depriving him of his position as Minister of War can be considered a small punishment but a big warning.
In addition, Chang Sun Dechong successfully completed the rescue and resettlement of nearly one million disaster victims with the help of tens of thousands of city guards. His organizational skills were outstanding.
However, as Minister of War, he not only needed to possess organizational and coordination skills, but also the courage and judgment to make decisive decisions at critical moments. Otherwise, even well-organized soldiers would struggle to exert their full combat effectiveness. Therefore, Changsun Dechong was no longer suitable to continue serving as Minister of War.
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