The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 214
Half an hour later, the salt factory account books were retrieved and a thick pile was handed over to Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu looked through it, checked that the dates were correct, and gave some to Yan Ping to help him calculate.

Zhu Xiu used a second-grade mathematics test to select a group of arithmetic talents, held training classes, taught Arabic numerals, and then taught them how to use Arabic numerals for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and to solve basic equations.

These people are currently distributed under the salt factory and Pei Jin, and have become the backbone accountants and core financial personnel of the Changyi Army.

Pei Jin, Tao Wenju, and Yan Ping are the leaders in the arithmetic training class.

Among them, Pei Jin concurrently served as the Duzhiguan and Jiedupuiguan, and was regarded as the chief steward of the Changyi Army.

As the deputy director of the salt factory, Tao Wenju is responsible for the daily financial cashier of the salt factory and interfaces with Zhenhaiying.

Pei Jin is also nominally Tao Wenju's boss, but due to the special status of the salt factory, confidential matters of the salt factory have always been reported directly to Zhu Xiu. The branch department managed by Pei Jin can only receive a backup account book of the salt factory's financial treasurer. .

Yan Ping pulled out an abacus that had been improved by Zhu Xiu, and made some intense calculations.

Zhu Xiu held a charcoal pen with an expressionless face and wrote and drew on the paper.

Tao Wenju knelt on the ground, big beads of sweat dripping down.

Ge Hong watched eagerly, glancing at Tao Wenju from time to time.

Shi Kuangwei took a closer look and saw that Zhu Xiu's writings were full of ghostly symbols that he couldn't understand. He felt that if he continued to read, he would be dizzy, so he quickly retracted his head.

"There is."

Suddenly, Zhu Xiu spoke without emotion, and Tao Wenju trembled in fright.

"On May 29th and June 18th, there was a shortfall of two hundred dollars each in the two accounts. The activity funds distributed to Zhenhai Camp were originally deducted directly from the salt payment, but the June 22nd account was not recorded truthfully in the accounts. But after calculation, the shortfall is [-] strings.

The total adds up to exactly 460 strings. "

Zhu Xiu threw the calculation paper to the ground and said coldly: "Tao Wenju, where did this shortfall go?"

Tao Wenju held the paper, his whole body trembling, his face turned pale, his lips were trembling and he could not speak.

Ge Hong let out a long sigh of relief. After checking the accounts, Zhenhaiying and Commander Bi could be cleared of their crimes.

"Bang~"

Zhu Xiu was so angry that his handsome face was a little distorted. He hit the table with his palm and shouted: "Tao Wenju! You are so brave! What did I tell you before? You turned a deaf ear to the ban on Zhang Yijun." Can’t do it?”

Tao Wenju banged his forehead heavily on the ground and begged with a mournful face: "Young Master, please calm down! I'm humble, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! This money was secretly withheld by me. I wanted to buy some fields in Liangyuan County, and keep it as ancestral property in the future." Give it to your children and grandchildren. I was temporarily blinded by lard in my humble position. Please spare my life~~"

Tao Wenju kowtowed hard, breaking the skin on his forehead and bleeding, and begged for mercy with tears streaming down his face.

Zhu Xiu angrily reprimanded: "Military orders are like mountains, and those who violate them will not be treated lightly! Tao Wenju, as an important member of the Changyi Army, you have been assigned a land and house, and a large salary. Let alone you now, even if you are alone in the future, Marrying a wife, taking concubines, and having ten or eight sons and daughters would be enough to support the whole family!
You enjoy such generous treatment, but you don’t want to repay the kindness given to you by Chang Yijun and the old commander. Instead, you are greedy and take advantage of your position to seek personal gain!Now that the evidence is conclusive, according to the laws of the Changyi Army, he should be questioned and killed!
Someone come!Drag this guy out and behead him immediately! "

Tao Wenju's face turned pale, and he lay limp on the ground like mud. His nose and tears flowed out together, and he cried out: "Young Master, spare your life! I know my crime, so I ask you to spare me your humble life~~ I haven't touched the money." Half a point, they are all in the humble residence, please be merciful to the young envoy~ Wuwu~~"

Immediately, two Yajun guards came outside the house, holding Tao Wenju's arms on both sides, trying to drag him out of the house despite his frantic struggling and crying.

Ge Hong was startled. He didn't expect that the young envoy would kill him as soon as he was told, without any mercy.

As a result, he felt a little guilty and wanted to plead for mercy, but seeing Zhu Xiu's face ashen and her eyes full of murderous aura, he hesitated and did not dare to say anything.

In fact, Tao Wenju has been doing a good job since he was in charge of the docking work with Zhenhaiying. The accounts are clear, and he has never sent salt money to the sad Zhenhaiying.

When the officers and soldiers of the Zhenhai Camp who were traveling abroad wanted to ask someone to send home letters or bring some money to their families, Tao Wenju took care of it all.

Although Bi Zhenhai had always looked down upon him and thought he was a villain for cheating and sneaking around, his impression changed greatly after seeing how much he took care of the Zhenhai camp.

Unexpectedly, this time due to the account issue, the friendship that Tao Wenju and Zhenhaiying had accumulated would be wiped out in an instant when it was brought to the attention of the young envoy.

If it weren't for the busy business in Yanzhou, Bi Zhenhai couldn't leave. He would have wanted to come back in person, grabbed Tao Wenju's collar, and asked him if his conscience was eaten by a dog, and why he framed him as a member of the Zhangyi Army who was running around outside. Brother Zhenhaiying who is affected?
Shi Kuangwei saw that Tao Wenju was about to be dragged down and beheaded. He couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and shouted: "Wait a minute!"

"Boy Zhu, Tao Wenju is a talented person. Even if he makes mistakes, a slight punishment and warning is enough. Why behead him? Talents are rare. Keeping him alive will be of greater use to the Zhangyi Army!"

Shi Converse whispered seriously.

Zhu Xiu shook his head indifferently and insisted: "The meaning of the ban is that there are no conditions! This is the bottom line of the Zhangyi Army's decree and an insurmountable rule! If we don't kill Tao Wenju, it will be difficult to convince the public!"

Shi Kuangwei was anxious: "This incident happened suddenly and has not spread yet. If you spare Tao Wenju, no one will know the details of the incident. It is enough to give a private warning and punishment. Why do you have to kill someone?"

Zhu Xiu said coldly: "I hate those who take bribes the most! Tao Wenju has no worries about food and drink, and he has a high salary, but he doesn't know how to repay his kindness. He is greedy and takes too much. He really deserves to be killed! If this kind of worm is not taken with thunderous means, Come down and frighten the other unscrupulous people. Sooner or later, the foundation of the Zhangyi Army will be broken by them!"

Shi Kuangwei smiled bitterly and said: "Even in the Kaifeng court, there are many people standing with corpses and eating nothing, not to mention the Zhangyi Army who is far away from the sky? In any case, Tao Wenju is still a talent, and keeping him will be of great use. Listen. I would like to advise you, sometimes there is sand in your eyes. Don’t rub it hard, otherwise it will be more likely to be injured! You are still too young and upright.”

Zhu Xiu curled her lips and said nothing.

Seeing that the old commander and the young ambassador had not yet reached an agreement, the two guards did not dare to drag Tao Wenju out rashly, so they had to temporarily hold Tao Wenju on his knees and wait for him to be punished.

Skuangwei kept winking at Yan Ping.

Yan Ping secretly smiled bitterly, and could only bite the bullet and clasp his fists and said: "Tao Wenju is certainly guilty, but his crime does not lead to death. I beg you, the young envoy, to remember that this is his first offender. In the past, he has made suggestions for the young envoy. In Changwucheng, begging for work, Since Tao is responsible for accepting the refugees, let him live!"

Yan Ping had a good relationship with Tao Wenju in the past, so he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

Ge Hong also hurriedly knelt down and said: "Young Master, please spare his life! After all, he has done his duty before, and he made a mistake in a moment of confusion, so he will not lose his head."

Shi Kuangwei saw that Zhu Xiu's ugly face had softened a bit, and he quickly struck while the iron was hot: "Look, even Ge Hong helped to plead for mercy, so you should be merciful and spare his life! Our Changyi Army is short of talents, and few of them can be used for great purposes. , Although Tao Wenju has shortcomings in personal ethics, his ability is really good.

Humans, who doesn’t have some selfishness?If you seize the slightest fault and overturn the achievements you have made before, and beat you to death with a stick, who will dare to do things for you in the future? "

Zhu Xiu glanced at him and snorted coldly: "According to what you say, even if Wei Hu puts the knife on our necks, we can't touch him. Instead, we have to smile and beg him to give us a quick pleasure?"

Lao Shi seemed to have his tail stepped on, and he smiled unnaturally with a black face: "They are not the same thing, and they cannot be confused."

Zhu Xiu sneered, but the murderous look in his eyes faded a lot.

After pondering for a moment, Zhu Xiucai said coldly: "In view of Tao Wenju's voluntary confession, the return of the money he had embezzled, and his first offense, as well as his many meritorious deeds in the past, the commander-in-chief expresses mercy and mercy, and can reduce his guilt and avoid the death penalty as appropriate!"

Tao Wenju was so excited that he cried loudly, his face covered with tears and runny nose: "Thank you very much. Thank you so much, young envoy, for your generosity."

Zhu Xiu added: "The death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped. Take Tao Wenju down and beat him with fifty army sticks! Call all the officials of the Jiedu Prefecture in Anding County to come and watch the punishment, as a warning to others!"

After Tao Wenju heard this, his eyes widened, he kicked his legs and immediately passed out.Shi Kuangwei became anxious again: "With his body and bones, how can he still survive after being beaten with fifty military sticks? I'll spare it, but it might as well be less, just a dozen or twenty sticks~"

Zhu Xiu said angrily: "How can we reduce the punishment for him again and again? Fifty military sticks is the bottom line, and no less will be allowed! Yan Ping personally used the punishment. If he dares to beat one less stick, I will give him the punishment." You drive out the Chang Yi Army! Humph~"

Zhu Xiu glared at Shi Kuangwei angrily, walked out of the house with his hands behind his back, and almost ran into Wei Hu who came after hearing the news.

"Young Envoy." Wei Hu saluted with clasped fists. Zhu Xiu's face softened a little, and she nodded without saying anything.

Wei Hu greeted Shi Kuangwei again and his eyes fell on the table full of salt factory account books.

These are the core secrets of the Chang Yi Army, and this is the first time even he has seen them.

"Yan Ping, put away the account books, seal them in the warehouse, and execute the order immediately!"

Zhu Xiu ordered in a stern tone, then left without looking back, carrying his hands behind his back.

Yan Ping hurriedly packed up the account books, and a few scattered pages fell to the ground. Wei Hu bent down to pick them up, and at a glance, they were all winding ghost symbols.

"Thank you, General Wei!" Yan Ping clasped his fists and stretched out his hand.

Wei Hu glanced at him, smiled, and handed it to him.

Shi Kuangwei sighed: "What's wrong with Mr. Zhu today? He's so murderous! Yan Ping, you need to be gentler later. Remember to save Tao Wenju's life, don't really kill him."

Yan Ping swallowed his saliva and whispered: "Of course my subordinates also want to save Tao Wenju, but Shao Zhijun's eyes are so bright, how can I hide it from him?"

Lao Shi glared and said: "Anyway, I don't care. You are responsible for the torture. You must find a way to save Tao Wenju's life! Mr. Zhu was just dizzy with anger for a moment. He definitely didn't really want to kill Tao Wenju. When his anger subsides, he will naturally I want to understand."

Yan Ping smiled bitterly and said: "In case the young envoy blames you, please be more considerate, handsome master."

"That's natural! Don't worry, as long as I'm here, Zhu Xiaozi's evil fire won't spread on you!"

Shi Kuangwei's chest banged loudly.

Yan Ping looked sad, always feeling that the handsome man was not reliable.

An hour later, all the officials of the Jiedu Mansion who received the order gathered in the small square in front of the meeting hall.

Tao Wenju, wearing only a thin undershirt and with his hair disheveled, was led to lie down on a bench.

Yan Ping read Zhu Xiu's order loudly, spit into his palms, rubbed his palms, picked up a heavy flat-headed stick, and hit Tao Wenju hard on the buttocks.

There was a tragic sound of killing a pig on the spot.

A group of officials watching the execution watched in fear and whispered that Tao Wenju's crime of corruption in the salt factory quickly spread among the people.

Pei Jin watched in fear, his buttocks trembling, and he felt that his butt was also cold.

As a core financial officer, Pei Jin felt the same way about Tao Wenju's current situation.

Just imagine, such a huge amount of money is handled every day. With one approval, hundreds or even thousands of money can be mobilized. No matter who is in such a situation, his mind will be shaken.

It is already rare to be able to restrain greed and account for every amount of money truthfully.

Pei Jin had the same idea before, and with a few tricks, he could make a lot of money for himself.

So seeing Tao Wenju's disaster now, Pei Jin was most terrified, and always felt that Zhu Xiu was beating him with Tao Wenju's crime.

"Could it be that the young envoy has noticed my little thoughts a long time ago?" Pei Jin swallowed, his eyes filled with fear.

Tao Wenju's screams fell in his ears and made his heart tremble.

Pei Jin gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, and decided to go to the young envoy to confess his sins.

Wei Hu stood in the crowd, watching expressionlessly, with a bit of thinking in his eyes and a hint of excitement.

Hou Zan passed by with his subordinates, stayed for a while, and left with a sneer.

"Eighteen, nineteen" one of the guards counted loudly. Before the punishment was over halfway, Tao Wenju had already passed out.

Another guard poured a ladle of water on Tao Wenju's face to wake him up.

In a daze, another stick was hit on the bloody buttocks, and Tao Wenju screamed hoarsely.

His lower body was soaked in blood, and the blood wet the bench and dripped to the ground.

The officials watching the execution shook their heads and sighed, unable to bear to watch directly.

After twenty sticks, Yan Ping deliberately withdrew his strength, and each stick lost six percent of its strength before falling, hitting Tao Wenju's bloody buttocks. Although it sounded like a crackling sound, the actual damage caused was greatly reduced.

After the fifty military sticks were executed, Tao Wenju fell into coma six times, and the last time he fainted completely.

Yan Ping also sweated profusely, took a breath and breathed a sigh of relief, he was still alive.

"Hurry up and get him treated by a doctor!" Yan Ping whispered urgently.

The two personal guards carried Tao Wenju away and the officials who were watching the execution also dispersed with lingering fear.

This was the first time Zhu Xiu had been tortured in public since he took charge of the Changyi Army.

Not many people in the Jiedu Mansion knew Tao Wenju's true origin, but the fact that he was trusted by the young commander and in charge of the secrets of the salt factory meant that he was a confidant of the young commander.

Those who are close to his confidants cannot escape punishment even if they make mistakes. With these fifty military stick blows, the military discipline of the Zhangyi Army has been greatly improved.

Anyone who wants to touch the ban must think carefully about themselves.

After everyone dispersed, Wei Hu was the only one left in the field. He watched the half-dead Tao Wenju being dragged down to the place of execution. He looked down at the blood on the ground and stomped on it with his foot.

"Tao Wenju" Wei Hu murmured, his slightly narrowed eyes flashing with strange light.

Pei Jin rushed to the office and asked to see Zhu Xiu, but was told by the guard that the young envoy had taken Shi Xiangwen out of the city to the farming area an hour ago.

(End of this chapter)