Chapter 948: Seeking Refuge with Mama (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
"There has been no movement from the Court of State Ceremonies."
Qi Shan's expression also carried a hint of helplessness.
Shen Tang kicked the table upright and said in a sinister tone, "It seems that our neighbor has his own agenda."
Qi Shan said, "Wu Zhaode is no mediocre talent either."
When the situation in the Northwest had just stabilized, Wu Xian certainly wouldn't dare to offend Shen Tang or the Kang Kingdom. But times have changed. Wu Zhaode's situation in the Gao Kingdom has also stabilized, having smoothly weathered the most chaotic early stages of his regime. In terms of status, he and his lord are both rulers of their own kingdoms, and the Gao and Kang Kingdoms are equal allies, not the other way around. They really have no reason to back down from Shen Tang.
It's hard to guarantee that Wu Xian won't use this opportunity to test her master's attitude, and how much temper and confidence she has with the Northern Desert watching her like a hawk. Years ago, Wu Xian wouldn't have had the audacity to do something like this, but things are different now.
He was the ruler of the country, not the master of a warlord power.
Shen Tang heard Qi Shan's hint perfectly.
“If you’re not mediocre, you won’t be content to be inferior to others your whole life… Wu Zhaode, he needs to be taught a lesson. Let the Court of State Ceremonial keep an eye on him and see when Wu Xian will give a reply.”
A mocking sneer curled at the corner of Shen Tang's lips as she turned and vented her anger on the captured rebels, tormenting them until they cried out in agony. Under Kang Shi's command, the Ministry of Justice revised its laws annually, patching them up as needed, and updated its methods of torture and interrogation techniques every year.
No tough nut can keep any secrets.
They want to commit suicide? Hahaha, it would be best if they wanted to commit suicide, so they could know what it means to be unable to live or die!
A few days later, DingTalk held a grand assembly.
Shen Tang ordered the disposal of the 797 captured rebels and their private troops, 261 Northern Desert spies, and 2,112 other people involved in the case along with their families.
Nearly 80% of the rebels were beheaded, all their spies were wiped out, and nearly 100 other personnel were beheaded. The remaining personnel were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to twenty years, while their relatives were sentenced to half the sentence depending on the severity of their crimes.
The soil of the execution ground was stained with blood, and the crows cried out.
It is said that even after more than half a month, the strong smell of blood can still be detected.
"Send all the heads of these spies to the Northern Desert as commodities." The Northern Desert's forces, lurking in Kunzhou, murdered her censor and colluded with the rebels to cause chaos in Kunzhou. Shen Tang holds the evidence. Under these circumstances, she still has to consider the so-called overall situation and feign compliance with the Northern Desert. Just thinking about it makes her want to vomit. "These heads, one coin each!"
A carefully cultivated spy in the Northern Desert?
Ha, that's all the price she's willing to pay!
One official muttered under his breath, "Why would the Northern Desert buy it?"
At this moment, one of the military officers sneered: "They won't buy them over there? Then put these people's heads in rattan balls and send them to the training grounds of various military commanderies, so they can kick them around like balls every day! If there are still too many heads, then send the rattan balls out as a national gift!"
Some officials kept silent, while others secretly watched.
The man who spoke was tall and robust.
It was none other than General Gong Shuwu of the Tianxuan Guard.
Most of the generals under Shen Tang came from humble and poor backgrounds, among whom the most mysterious was Gong Shu Wu. He had a long service record, but his battle record was not outstanding, and his strength was not particularly outstanding. He spent most of his time in the rear training troops. It is said that there were rumors in the He Yin area that Gong Shu Wu was a general under the Spring God. He was highly respected among the common people, especially farmers, and he rarely appeared on the front lines.
Nevertheless, he remained firmly in charge of the Tianxuan Guard, still wielding real military power, and was a general who was stationed on the frontier year-round.
Many officials were curious about this, but no matter how hard they and the family tried to dig, they couldn't uncover Gong Shuwu's background. They finally concluded that Gong Shuwu must have come from a very humble background and was unknown in his early years, which was why he was unknown to outsiders. Gong Shuwu's low profile was evident in many ways. When he occasionally returned to the capital for his duty, he rarely spoke at court meetings, and he didn't like to go out to banquets or socialize during his days off.
Among the few he was close to, all of them were veteran ministers who had followed their lord in conquering the world, and Gong Shuwu had a good relationship with them.
Over time, people began to think he had no sharp edges.
He was mild-mannered and honest, and did not get into conflicts with court officials.
I never expected this—
How could an honest man in the eyes of the officials make such a perverted and bloody statement, weaving the heads of the Northern Desert spies into rattan balls and kicking them around? What kind of hatred or grudge could this be? Several people who were close to Gong Shuwu couldn't help but turn to the side and swallow nervously.
As is well known, the military generals of Kangguo were divided into doves and hawks.
The hawks are obsessed with blowing Bei Mo's head off. They're willing to go to extreme lengths, even resorting to crying,闹事, and threatening suicide at the Ministry of Revenue's gate, all for the sake of military funding. They're constantly harassing the Ordnance Bureau, ready to take up arms at any moment! The doves, on the other hand, unanimously believe the hawks' ideas are too conservative; they just want a smooth push. Previously, everyone thought Gong Shuwu was a formidable hawk, but now it seems he's a true-blue dove!
Qi Shan pretended to cough, signaling Gong Shuwu to stop.
Gong Shuwu ignored his hints.
Shen Tang, who started the conversation: "..."
Actually, she felt that Gong Shuwu's words were partly spoken out of spite, and while they weren't exactly bloody, the level of violence was still acceptable. However, she certainly couldn't let herself say such things; otherwise, some tactless officials would advise her to watch her words and actions, lest she become like Zheng Qiao.
Shen Tang chose to change the subject.
He winked at Xun Zhen, the Minister of Revenue, who was standing at the front.
She noticed that Xun Zhen was always clutching a commemorative document in his hand.
I thought Xun Zhen was there to put out the fire, but he turned out to be adding fuel to the fire, immediately targeting the Ministry of War with his first words.
To be precise—
It's the hen that will lay golden eggs for the Ministry of War, the postal service!
Minister of War Jiang Sheng and his entourage: "???"
When they finally realized what was happening, they were so angry that their faces contorted in rage.
Jiang Sheng clenched his fist beneath his official robes, suppressing the urge to strike on the spot. His tone was gloomy and sarcastic: "Minister Xun, is this blatant robbery? Are you trying to rob me?"
The officials bowed their heads, muttering to themselves.
Isn't this blatant robbery?
The Ministry of Revenue, being such a stingy person, wants to take a bite out of everything it sees.
Minister Xun wanted a detailed account of the postal service's expenses, arguing that the revenue from the postal service should be managed by the Ministry of Revenue, even though the postal service itself fell under the Ministry of War's purview. Xun Zhen was clearly trying to take over the Ministry of War's responsibilities.
Xun Zhen smiled and said, "You can't say that."
The postal system was established to facilitate communication between different regions and strengthen the capital's control over the local areas. Military intelligence could be quickly transmitted via the postal system. However, compared to these uses, the investment in the postal system significantly outweighed the benefits, resulting in a low cost-effectiveness ratio.
The Ministry of War had many arguments with Xun Zhen over this.
The construction cost of each post station wasn't expensive, but the sheer number of them, coupled with subsequent maintenance costs and the expenses for the postmasters and staff, added up to an astronomical sum. Xun Zhen believed that while post stations were necessary, they were also money-devouring beasts. In peacetime, the expenses and scale of post stations could be appropriately reduced, and the freed-up budget could be invested in other areas, such as city defense construction and troop training.
Jiang Sheng refused, arguing that the postal network was crucial to the overall situation!
He didn't expect Xun Zhen to be so easily swayed by the mention of money.
The two had many conflicts over this matter.
Until Shen Tang offered a solution.
It was this proposal that enabled the once-gold-devouring postal service to achieve a remarkable turnaround in just two years. It not only provided a good place for demobilized soldiers but also supported a large number of postal workers. These postal workers were mostly brave warriors or physically strong young men, who could rush to the front lines once Kangguo entered a state of war.
They traveled between various post stations year-round, maintaining a relatively high level of activity, and their combat skills were even comparable to those of the elite troops of the Zhechong Prefecture.
Shen Tang proposed that the post stations be converted into dual-use military and civilian stations.
While maintaining military operations, it also undertakes civilian projects.
By charging fees to maintain the postal service and prevent its abandonment, the aim was to facilitate the exchange of goods between the two regions and simultaneously support more postal workers, thus alleviating the financial burden on the Ministry of Revenue. Initially, many officials opposed this plan. They argued that the postal service was intended for officials, so how could it be used by the common people after fees were collected? Did the common people deserve it? Even if it were converted for civilian use, how many postal stations could the common people support with their meager funds?
It's just a pointless mess.
But the fact that all three provinces and six ministries were Shen Tang's confidants was a problem.
In the early days, there were not many post stations.
Most of them were built along the official roads.
As demand increased, the number of postal stations grew, with some even established within county towns. These special postal stations were ostensibly for more efficient cargo transport, but in reality, they also served as Shen Tang's eyes and ears—a perfectly legitimate function.
More and more ordinary people learned that the postal service could deliver goods and letters for a low fee, so they began to use it to communicate with distant relatives. Merchants were also willing to pay higher prices to have their goods delivered by the postal service. However, the postal service followed officially set standards, unlike private services such as镖局 (armed escort agencies). Most importantly, using the postal service prevented tax evasion.
As the postal network expanded, Shen Tang also attempted to facilitate the circulation of agricultural products from various regions. To ensure more efficient transportation, the routes and methods between post stations needed to be improved.
Over the years, it has improved considerably. It was also thanks to this method that Shen Tang was able to wipe them out in such a short time, before the Northern Desert spies and the Kunzhou rebels could react.
The postal service, which was initially not favored by the officials, was revitalized by relying on the people's livelihood. It was just a pity that the accounts were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.
What Xun Zhen wants now is the accounts.
Or rather, they robbed the Ministry of War of its money.
Is Jiang Shengneng someone who sits and waits for his death?
He stuck to one sentence—no way!
The postal service was managed and operated by the Ministry of War, so its accounts and profits should naturally be the responsibility of the Ministry of War as well. What is the Ministry of Revenue doing interfering? The postal service was the result of the Ministry of War's hard work. It was previously universally disliked, and now that it's profitable, they want to take it away. As a person and an official, one cannot be so shameless! Moreover, the postal service not only served civilian purposes but also military purposes. What, is the Ministry of Revenue trying to overstep its authority?
Shen Tang blinked as she watched the two arguing more and more fiercely.
Back in the early days of the makeshift leadership, the civil and military officials under his command were quite united. Putting aside personal grudges, they rarely clashed on official business, and everyone was amicable, able to sit down and discuss any opinions. But ever since the establishment of the Kang Kingdom and Shen Tang began attending court, these people have been arguing every now and then, and there's a high probability that it will escalate into violence.
Sure enough, the workload caused the workers' resentment to erupt.
The moment this thought crossed Shen Tang's mind, she saw someone take action, escalating from verbal abuse and shoving to rolling up their sleeves.
I could still vaguely hear Jiang Sheng cursing there.
"Xun Hanzhang, you're too smug and arrogant. Be careful, or your household might suffer bloodshed soon!" The official who was trying to break up the fight was exasperated by these words. They were all officials in the same court; exchanging a few words or even a few punches while focusing on official business was fine, but why was he cursing someone's family?
|ω`)
(End of this chapter)
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