43Chapter 43 The Truth

The three-day deadline was about to pass, and Mu Hanzhang didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He just looked through the account books in the king's tent every day and occasionally went to the barracks to take a look.

"What did the military advisor ask today?" The right guard caught the soldier who was going back to eat and asked. He was really curious about how this Mr. Jun would find the murderer within three days.

"The military advisor asked when the military uniforms were issued and how long it would take to eat meat." The soldier answered honestly.

"Military uniforms? Eating meat?" The right guard was confused. What does this have to do with poisonous weeds? He let the soldier go and caught another one to ask.

"The military advisor asked how long it would take to send a letter home and who wrote it for me," the tall soldier smiled honestly, "The military advisor also said that because the answer was good, I can ask him to write it in the future." That was the military advisor of the prince. His handwriting must be better than that of the scholar in the village. My mother at home can also show off to the village.

The right guard was even more confused after hearing this. What does this have to do with anything! Reluctantly, he caught a few more to ask, but they were all irrelevant questions, and they were all trivial and irrelevant.

The left guard stepped forward and patted the stunned right guard: "Eat."

"Tell me, what exactly does the military advisor want to check?" The right guard asked with a bitter face.

The left guard had no expression on his face and turned away: "Eat first."

"Hey, wait!" The right guard hurriedly chased after him. They had the same food, and if they were late, the guy would eat it all!

The three-day deadline was up in a blink of an eye. Zhao Meng came out of the military prison early in the morning. The middle tent was waiting to see the so-called "military advisor" make a fool of himself, and he felt that he could not argue with the educated General Zhao, so he also pulled the left and right guards and several lieutenants to come together.

The middle tent was where the generals discussed tactics and issued military orders. It was about the same size as Jing Shao's king's tent, but there was no bed in the tent. Jing Shao sat on the high platform, looking at the group of wolf-like men below, and looked at Zhao Meng with some sympathy.

Mu Hanzhang sat on a chair next to Jing Shao, holding a black feather goose feather fan that military strategists in history books would hold. This was given to him by the right guard yesterday in order to get the news in advance.

"Military Advisor, the three-day deadline has expired. Old Zhao is here to listen to the military advisor's advice." Zhao Meng brought over several suspects who were in the cell with him, and said in a rough voice in the middle of the tent.

"The general is really anxious." Mu Hanzhang fanned the goose feather fan in his hand twice, and glanced at the unshaven bearded man in the audience.

He had indeed been in the military prison for three days. Although the soldiers in the prison would provide good food and drink, General Zhao, who had not washed for three days, was indeed a bit sloppy. Compared with Mu Hanzhang, who looked spotless in white clothes, it was very abrupt.

Being swept by the eyes with a hint of disdain, the usually informal General Zhao felt a little uncomfortable. He wiped his face with his hand and said: "Stop talking nonsense. We have signed a military order. Tell us who is the murderer?"

Mu Hanzhang curled his lips slightly, slowly reached out with a fan and pointed at the kneeling people under the stage: "They are all, and they are not."

"What are you talking about?" Zhao Meng said puzzled.

Several young generals also looked puzzled. The infantry lieutenant quietly asked the right guard what he had found out yesterday, but got a bitter face from the right guard. Yesterday, the military advisor talked to him for a long time, but didn't say anything, and took away his "bribe" feather fan.

"I say they are not, because the poisonous grass was not put there by them, because before the escort officer received this batch of hay, it was already mixed with Aconitum." Mu Hanzhang fanned the goose feather fan twice, and looked at everyone in the audience with satisfaction. The face changed instantly. To deal with these rough men, being straightforward will definitely not work. On the contrary, being mysterious will make them look up to you.

"Military advisor, you are wise!" The horseman was the first to shout, and he kowtowed to Mu Hanzhang happily. He was almost scared when the prince's horse went crazy. With the military advisor's words, at least his head was saved.

The rest of them also reacted and hurriedly agreed.

"However," Mu Hanzhang paused, "the poisonous grass was transported all the way, stored in the warehouse, and taken out to feed the horses. No one found poisonous grass in the fodder. They can't escape punishment.

Hearing this, they sweated and breathed a sigh of relief. As the saying goes, a death sentence can be waived, but a living crime cannot be escaped. As long as they can be waived, nothing else matters.

"So the grass seller accidentally cut the poisonous grass and brought it in?" The right guard continued.

"Long-leaved Aconitum grows on the northwest grassland. How can it be cut in the suburbs of Beijing? "Zhao Meng remembered what the left guard said about Aconitum, and obviously did not believe Mu Hanzhang's words.

Mu Hanzhang shook his head: "It was not accidental, but it was done deliberately, wanting to poison the war horses."

"Now that the army has not set out, the war horses can be bought again after being poisoned, and it will not affect the war at all. Who would do such a wicked thing?" Zhao Meng felt that the military advisor was obviously talking nonsense.

"This, you have to ask the secretary who keeps accounts in the camp." Mu Hanzhang took the teacup on the table and took a sip,

"Secretary? "Jing Shao, who had been listening carefully, couldn't help asking. He pestered Jun Qing for a long time last night, but Jun Qing not only didn't tell him the truth, but also didn't let him eat, which made him anxious and angry all night.

The clerk is responsible for registering accounts, writing transfer orders, managing letters and other civilian duties in the military camp. Everything in the army is simple. There are four clerks in this camp of 5,000. Except for writing letters and dispatching, they will be remembered, and they are usually not paid attention to.

Mu Hanzhang nodded and said to Jing Shao: "I checked all the accounts in the army. Let's not talk about the previous ones. The money for food and grass allocated by the Ministry of Revenue for this expedition is nearly 30% less, and the records in the accounts are far from the actual expenditure. "

"What!" Jing Shao sat up straight suddenly.

Mu Hanzhang took out some of the accounts he had copied over the past two days and showed them to Jing Shao. The account stated that all soldiers had three sets of military uniforms per quarter, but in fact there were only two sets. The daily food standards were as recorded in the account. , at least one meal of meat is available every day. In fact, it can only be eaten once every seven days, and most of the time it is only rice porridge and steamed buns.

When the officers and soldiers in the audience heard this, their expressions became solemn. The right guard couldn't help but said: "If what Mr. Jun said is true, then what does the secretary's false accounting have to do with this poisonous weed?"

Mu Hanzhang slowly stroked the handle of the goose feather fan: "Before the army sets off, the Ministry of Revenue will be sent to check the accounts."

Everything else is easy to say, but the 30% of the accounts that don't match is not a small number. If war horses die in large numbers, they must be replenished in time. As long as the king reports to the court, a large amount of silver will be appropriated. At that time, some cheating methods can be used to write off the accounts that cannot be reconciled. The poison of Aconitum will cause immediate paralysis in livestock, with fever all over the body and foaming at the mouth, which is quite similar to horse plague. Once they are diagnosed as horse plague, these horse carcasses will be burned and buried without any careful inspection.

When Mu Hanzhang finished all his analysis, the whole tent fell silent.

"It's a poisonous plan..." Zuo Hujun said slowly.

"But these secretaries were also assigned by the Ministry of Husbandry." Youhujun frowned. Is this a slap in the face by the Ministry of Husbandry? A few small secretaries must not have the guts to do such a bold thing. There must be high-ranking officials protecting them, but no matter how you look at it, they are all under the supervision of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Not all the people in the household department are of the same mind." Mu Hanzhang sighed. I don't know who he is going to send to check the accounts this time. At least they are not the same as those who were greedy for ink before. This made them anxious and came out. Last resort.

Jing Shao slowly clenched his fists. It was well known that life in the army was poor. When he went to conquer the Huns, he ate similar to what he eats now, so he didn't realize there was anything wrong with it. He finally knew how the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue had deducted military pay from him in his previous life. It was not that he had deducted silver, but that the Ministry of Revenue had allocated too much money to him, and then had the money disappear without his knowledge!

"Catch all those scribes!" Zhao Meng was so angry that he blew his beard. After a while, the four thin scribes were caught and knelt on the ground tremblingly. For such a big crime, Si Ziran refused to admit it. Since he had an official position and the army could not torture them, he kept making excuses.

Zhao Mengke didn't care about this and kicked the person closest to him: "I don't eat well every day, so it turns out that it goes into the pockets of our grandchildren!" This kick was not light, and he fell to the ground and vomited immediately after being kicked. Acid water.

Jing Shao slammed the account book into their faces and said coldly: "You are just a little secretary, but you really think of yourself as an official of the court! Even if I behead you today, the court will not be able to pick me out." The king’s fault!”

Although this is not entirely true, it is well known that King Cheng was violent, and the right guard army sneered and told them that everything in the army should be handled according to military law.

They had been on tenterhooks for several days, but now they were afraid that there was nothing they could do about it. The one who was kicked by Zhao Meng struggled to get up and confessed first, and the other three had no choice but to confess. They are just soldiers and generals. They only know that their superior is a member of the household department, and they don't know anything about those above them.

"Too much bullying!" Jing Shao stood up and was about to take Si back to the capital.

Mu Hanzhang hurriedly grabbed him and gave him a calm look: "This is a serious matter and cannot be discussed lightly."

Jing Shao took a deep breath: "Lock these four up first and retreat. We will make a final decision after I discuss with the military advisor."

The left guard personally pressed Si to go to the military prison. Zhao Meng wanted to say something, but was pulled away by the right guard.

"Jun Qing, what do you want to say?" Jing Shao took a sip of tea. He would never give up on this matter today. Even if the expedition was delayed, he would find out everything hidden behind him!

Seeing his angry look, Mu Hanzhang sighed softly and said: "Bringing them into the palace today will only scare the enemy. In order to appease the emperor and go to war as soon as possible, my father will also hastily close the case."

Every word is true, but what happened today has touched Jing Shao's bottom line, so instead of calming him down, it made him feel angry. He pushed the cups on the table to the ground with a clatter, with a look in his eyes. He looked at Mu Hanzhang angrily: "What should we do? Is it possible that we have to swallow this breath?"

Seeing his appearance, Mu Hanzhang pursed his lips and remained silent without saying a word. Even though he knew that Jing Shao was not angry at him, the look in those eyes still hurt him. On the wedding day, those eyes looked at him like this...