Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 80 Jiang Huan: I'm a little out of his depth [Seeking first subscription]

"Article 4!"

Ignoring Ru Chang and the others' bewilderment, Zhang Biao seemed to transform into a righteous roaring emperor, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"In the twenty-fifth year of the Hongwu reign, the grain reserves in Shaanxi and Gansu suffered a deficit of 30,000 shi! The accounts were flawless? Bah! Where did your brother-in-law's cousin, who opened a new grain depot in Xi'an, get the capital?!"

"Was it obtained by exchanging the brothers' rations?!"

Pfft!
A wounded veteran, who had been exuding a grim aura, suddenly stopped using his cane and looked at Ru Chang, whose face was ashen, in disbelief.

He lost one of his legs in a border town in Shaanxi and Gansu.

"Article Five! Receiving a salary without working!"

"The three battalions of the Beijing Garrison have a nominal strength of 80,000, but how many are actually on the payroll?"

"Minister Ru, are the names of those dozens of burly, idle servants in your household registered with the Beijing Garrison and receiving their pay?!"

"This servant's salary is more than that of the brothers fighting on the front lines, isn't it?!"

Another veteran, missing an arm, suddenly looked up, his one eye blazing with fury as he stared intently at Ru Chang.

The veterans behind him began to stir, their heavy breathing mingling with the fury of deception and betrayal.

Ru Chang's obese body trembled violently, his official robes already soaked with sweat, and he waved his arms in vain:

"Slander! This is blatant slander! Veteran brothers, don't listen to this madman's nonsense! Quick! Take them down!"

However, the veterans he had invited to "keep things in check" now resembled angry statues.

Instead of approaching him, she looked at him with even colder and more suspicious eyes.

Maintain order?

To protect a dog that might drink their blood and eat their flesh?!

"Whether it's slander or not, it's obvious at a glance!"

Zhang Biao chuckled, tossed the greasy pen to Li Mo, clapped his hands, and shouted at the roof, "Master Sun! Stop taking pictures!"

"Pass your chamber pot lamp to the veteran brothers and let them see if the pillars in our Ministry of War's main hall are stronger than the bones of the soldiers on the front lines!"

"Look at Minister Ru's face again, see if it's even blacker than the bottom of a pot!"

"it is good!"

Sun Gui responded excitedly, and then carefully used a rope to lower the chamber pot lamp, which emitted a complicated smell, to an old soldier below.

The veteran paused for a moment, then instinctively took it.

The faint, scented light illuminated his deeply lined, weathered face, and also the crooked, yet incisive, indictments on the wall.

The light moved slowly, sweeping across Ru Chang's pale, sweating, chubby face, and then over the other trembling officials of the Ministry of War. The contrast was stark and utterly absurd.

"Bros!"

Standing on the roof beam, Zhang Biao spoke again in a strong and resonant voice:
"What are you protecting with your blood and sweat? Is it the bright future and bloated bellies of these parasites? Your pensions are delayed, your military pay is withheld—is it all being fed to these bastards?!"

After saying that, he pointed at Ru Chang again:
"Today, I, Zhang Biao, am here to help you, and also to help the country, to dig out these parasites!"

"Are you going to help him cover up his crimes and let his wife and children starve to death, or are you going to follow me, Old Zhang, and get back what's rightfully yours?!"

Wow!
The entire venue fell silent instantly, as if autumn leaves had been swept away by the wind.

Deathly silence.

Then--

"Fuck him!"

The veteran with the missing leg was the first to erupt, his eyes bloodshot, slamming his cane into the ground as he roared:
"Was it worth losing this leg?! Just for these bastards to embezzle my life money?!"

"Damn it! I knew it! Every time I get paid, I'm shortchanged!"

"Give me back my hard-earned money!"

The veterans' anger erupted like a volcano.

They may not understand grand principles, but they know that whoever takes away their means of survival is their enemy.

In just a moment, the focus shifted.

This group of veterans, originally invited to intimidate Zhang Biao and his men, instead became the most terrifying force surrounding the Ministry of War officials.

Seeing this, Ru Chang was utterly desperate.

Looking at the indignant veterans, at Zhang Biao who looked like a devil on the roof beam, and at the undeniable evidence of his crimes on the wall, his psychological defenses completely collapsed.

"No, no, forget it! Ancestor! I'll call you ancestor, okay?!"

Ru Chang collapsed to the ground, her voice filled with utter sobs and despair.

"Calling me 'Dad' won't change anything!"

Zhang Biao snorted coldly, then crossed his arms and stood on the roof beam, looking down at the world like a god: "Now tell me, will you give it to me or not?!"

"Give it to me! I'll give you anything! The Ministry of War's warehouse, take whatever you want! Just please don't calculate it!"

Ru Chang's obese body slumped down: "If you keep calculating... if you keep calculating, my entire clan of nine generations won't be enough to go around!" "Oh, now you know fear?"

Zhang Biao raised an eyebrow and said jokingly:
"Weren't you being pretty tough just now? You even brought in veterans to intimidate us?"

"I was wrong! I was really wrong!"

Ru Chang was in tears, and all traces of the Minister's dignity were gone.

"Alright! Whether you're right or wrong is none of my business. Go tell the Emperor yourself!"

Zhang Biao waved his hand impatiently and then shouted at the crowd on the roof:
"Brothers! Minister Ru is of noble character and has agreed to let us 'pay off the debt with assets'! Let's get to work!"

“Alright—!”

A commotion erupted on the rooftop.

Immediately afterwards, they all climbed down from the rooftops and headed straight for the Ministry of War gate.

Zhang Biao then looked at the group of veteran soldiers and said with a grin:

"Old soldiers, what are you waiting for? Open the government office! Let's celebrate together!"

"This"

The veterans looked at each other, but none of them dared to move.

At this moment, a rather composed veteran walked up to Ru Chang and asked with a cold expression, "Minister Ru, may we open the yamen gate?"

Although it's a question, it already carries an unquestionable implication.

Ru Chang had long been terrified of Zhang Biao, so she dared not refuse and immediately waved her hand weakly, saying:

"Open it."

Boom——!
Before long, the gates of the Ministry of War were opened from the inside by the veterans.

The members of the "wage-demanding team" who had been waiting outside, along with more lower-ranking military households and soldiers' families who had rushed to the scene, surged in like a tide.

"Accountant Shen! Get the valuation done! Pay special attention to the armory!"

"Alright, Brother Biao! This waist knife is in good condition; it's worth five taels of silver!"

"That box of leather armor! Take it! We can modify it and still wear it!"

"Wow! This sandalwood sand table! It's valuable! Let's take it and give it to Brother Biao as a dining table!"

"The kitchen! The Ministry of War's kitchen must be teeming with good food! Don't miss any of the pots, pans, cured meat, or salted fish!"

The Ministry of War instantly transformed into an abstract marketplace even more bustling than the Ministry of Revenue.

Tables, chairs, benches, archives, documents, obsolete military equipment, and even pickle jars from the kitchen were all labeled as "debt settlement goods" and moved out.

The veterans spontaneously maintained order and even helped carry things, cursing and swearing as they did so. The scene was chaotic yet exuded a strange sense of justice.

Ru Chang lay sprawled on the ground, her face ashen, watching as the territory she had cultivated for so many years was emptied in a flash. Her eyes were vacant, as if her soul had been taken away.

Zhang Biao looked at everything with satisfaction, then turned his gaze back to the distance, stroked his chin, and muttered:
"The audits of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War are finished. Where to next? The Ministry of Justice? The Ministry of Works? Or should we just visit the homes of those dukes and marquises?"

The words were not spoken loudly, but they were like a cold wind that swept through the entire Ministry of War, causing all the officials who heard them to shiver involuntarily.

"I've got it! Where is Wu Naida?!"

"Brother Biao! I'm here!"

Wu Naida, who was just about to take the stove home to bake pancakes, suddenly felt a jolt and immediately responded.

But Zhang Biao looked at him with a half-smile: "I remember you're from the Ministry of Personnel? Do you have any connections?"

The "connection" he asked about was like how Sun Gui, the Assistant Minister of War, led them over the rooftop—it was like family members entering their own home, as easy as playing a game.

Wu Naida's eyes darted around, and he immediately patted his chest and said:
"Hey! Bro! All you guys, follow me!"

Soon, the convoy carrying strange-looking items arrived in a grand procession, parading through the city and heading towards the Ministry of Personnel under the watchful, curious, and barely suppressed laughter of the people of Yingtian Prefecture.

Wherever he went, chickens flew and dogs barked, and the streets were deserted.

The news spread like wildfire.

"Look! Imperial Censor Zhang has emptied the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War!"

"They brought a huge truck! It had everything on it!"

"I'm going to the Ministry of Personnel! Oh my god! The officials there are in for a world of trouble!"

Jiang Huan stood in the higher shadow, looking at the extremely abstract mobile audit vehicle, and her lips twitched even more violently.

He said to the commander beside him:

"Make a note of this: one additional mobile audit vehicle, three draught horses, and one copper basin."

He waved his hand dismissively halfway through his sentence: "Forget it, just take notes however you want. I'm having trouble keeping up with that jerk's pace."

Qianhu: "."

No, Jiang, are you out of touch?!

You've made him completely lose control!
(End of this chapter)