Chapter 648: The Four Major Crimes
Emperor Muwu’s brow gradually furrowed. It took him a moment to recall the name.
"This man... I have some recollection of him. Not long ago, didn’t he single-handedly repel the enemy and earn distinguished military honors? How is it that in the blink of an eye, you are now impeaching him?"
Miao Sheng presented a memorial scroll with both hands.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject was previously deceived by him as well, believing him to be a rare military talent guarding the peace on the border. I never imagined... he would be so audacious! This memorial details the dozens of major and minor battles he participated in during his four years as Vice General Jingyuan! Among them, he falsified military intelligence nine times and falsely claimed credit for military achievements seventeen times! His crimes are too numerous to list, and he deserves to be executed!"
Emperor Muwu’s expression darkened slightly.
As the Minister of War, Miao Sheng would not dare to make a public impeachment in the imperial court unless he had already secured key evidence!
What he said... was most likely the truth!
"Bring it up."
Eunuch Li immediately complied, hurrying over with quick, small steps to present the memorial.
"Please review it, Your Majesty."
Emperor Muwu’s gaze was so heavy it felt tangible, sweeping across the faces of the officials below and carrying an invisible pressure.
The clamor gradually subsided, leaving only a suffocating, dead silence.
The entire hall was utterly quiet; for a moment, the only sound was Emperor Muwu unrolling the memorial scroll.
Emperor Muwu read it line by line, his expression growing uglier with each passing moment.
BANG—!
He slammed his hand on the armrest. "Outrageous!"
SHUFFLE—
All the officials in the hall fell to their knees in unison, kowtowing. "Your Majesty, quell your anger!"
Fan Chengzhuo pressed his hands to the floor, feeling a chill from the cold ground seep through his entire body.
His heart pounded uncontrollably, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
’What in the world is written on that memorial? To provoke such fury from His Majesty!?’
’Miao Sheng’s move was too fast, too sudden! I was completely unprepared! I hadn’t even heard a whisper of this beforehand!’
’What am I supposed to do now!?’
As the Grand Secretary, Chen Songshi was the first to raise his head. "Your Majesty, your health is paramount. Such anger is harmful to your body!"
Emperor Muwu’s face was ashen with rage.
"Miao Sheng! Is everything written in this memorial true!?"
Miao Sheng’s expression was calm; he had clearly anticipated that this would be Emperor Muwu’s reaction upon reading the memorial.
"Every word this subject has spoken is true. I would not dare deceive Your Majesty in the slightest!"
"Good, good! What a man, this Zheng Baosu!"
Emperor Muwu was so furious he began to laugh.
"And to think I praised him several times, believing him to be brave and skilled in battle! I never imagined he was nothing but an audacious, lily-livered coward full of lies!"
These were extremely grave words.
Chen Songshi’s gaze rested on the memorial for a moment. "Your Majesty, Zheng Baosu’s performance in the army has always been quite good. How could it be that..."
"Miao Sheng!"
Emperor Muwu, seething, cut in.
"You tell him!"
Miao Sheng assented and began to list Zheng Baosu’s four major crimes.
"The first crime! Falsifying military intelligence! According to our investigation, after Zheng Baosu was transferred to defend the Northern Border, he repeatedly falsified reports during his tenure. Enemy raids of a hundred or so men were exaggerated to several thousand. The provisions and military pay allocated for these non-existent troops were all embezzled by him, amounting to a staggering one hundred thousand taels of silver!"
"The second crime! Falsely claiming military honors! As everyone should know, in border warfare, it is customary to collect the left ears of the enemy for the official count. Zheng Baosu, lacking any real ability but eager for merits and rewards, actually ordered his soldiers to cut off the left ears of refugees to inflate his numbers! To pass them off as military achievements! Such an act is utterly depraved and vicious. Zheng Baosu’s name has long become a nightmare for the countless common people of the Northern Border! If this subject had not sent men to investigate in secret, I fear this truth would have remained completely hidden by him!"
Many of the officials gasped, horror filling their eyes.
’That Zheng Baosu is so cruel!’
"The third crime! Corruption and dereliction of duty! Zheng Baosu privately accepted bribes and sold official posts. Capable soldiers, skilled in combat, were targeted and even transferred from their positions simply because they refused to flatter him. In contrast, many of those who fawned over him now occupy key posts! The city he was charged with defending appeared to be a source of constant victory reports, but in reality, its people were displaced, and countless were robbed and killed!"
Miao Sheng took a deep breath.
"In his own territory, he acted with absolute impunity. Whenever he encountered a strong enemy, he would flee in a panic, leaving his own men and the common people to be slaughtered. Then, after the enemy had pillaged the city, looting and killing everything in sight before leaving at their leisure, he would return with his confidants to cut off the ears of the dead soldiers and civilians, claiming he had won a great victory to receive grace and rewards!"
"Conversely, when faced with small, scattered enemy squads, he would gather a large force and march out of the city to engage them. Anyone who didn’t know better would truly believe he had fought a major battle! In the end, he would, of course, report all of this, exaggerating his achievements to cultivate the image of a brave and masterful warrior."
Many of the officials exchanged glances.
’If this is all true, then Zheng Baosu’s death sentence is inescapable!’
"When this subject learned of his conduct, I was filled with such grief and indignation that I could not rest. I secretly dispatched agents to investigate from multiple angles and gather evidence. But I never expected to uncover something even more shocking!"
Miao Sheng’s fists were clenched, clearly struggling to suppress the rage boiling within him.
"The fourth crime! Colluding with foreign enemies! This subject discovered that Zheng Baosu has been secretly selling military arms and equipment! A significant portion of the weapons and supplies he requisitioned through his false military reports were secretly sold to the Wazhen! The vast fortune he obtained from this went straight into his own pockets!"
The entire hall fell silent. Even breathing seemed to stop.
Everyone understood just how severe this final charge was!
Kneeling at the very back, Fan Chengzhuo subconsciously started to raise his head, only managing to suppress the impulse with an immense effort. His hands were pressed so hard against the floor that his knuckles turned white.
In truth, his mind was already in complete turmoil.
’Miao Sheng managed to find out so much!?’
’Then... then—’
Chen Songshi’s expression was grave. "Lord Mou," he said, "this is a matter of great consequence and not one for baseless accusations. Since you claim Zheng Baosu secretly sold military weapons, do you have evidence?"
"Of course I do."
Miao Sheng snorted coldly.
"No matter how meticulously he tried to hide it, he couldn’t erase every trace! Your Majesty, just a few days ago, this subject received a battle report from the Northern Border front. Our soldiers encountered a Wazhen squad, and their opponents were using our army’s very own crossbows! Furthermore, these were not spoils of war; the models were all uniform and in perfect condition—clearly new!"
"After some interrogation, those Wazhen admitted that the crossbows were issued to them by their superiors! Which means... they have had these weapons for some time, and in considerable numbers!"
Miao Sheng’s brow furrowed deeply, his tone cold and grim.
"The Wazhen are skilled horsemen and archers, and they are powerfully built. In battle, we rely on these very weapons to have an edge over them. Now, if our forces clash, what chance of victory will they have!? I fear they will all be trampled into mud by the iron hooves of the Wazhen!"
"With these four great crimes, even ten thousand deaths would not be enough for Zheng Baosu to atone for his sins!"