Despite Feng Nan's worries, Zhou Zibin seemed quite calm and said softly.
"No, if he really wants to betray us and turn us in, he can't afford the price. As for the so-called correspondence, if Shen Wanfu is so stupid, then the Shen family will not be able to exist in Dongzhou for many years."
"You know, Honshu is a dignified state pastor."
At the end, Zhou Zibin's words revealed obvious meaning, and Feng Nan showed a clear expression.
Yes, Zhou Zibin is Dongzhou Mu, the highest official of a state. If he was so easily manipulated by so-called letters, he would have died countless times.
Zhou Zibin dared to be so aboveboard and exposed this flaw, which means that this matter is not a big deal at all, but was done deliberately. With his methods, what does the so-called letter mean?
This time, maybe as Zhou Zibin said, Shen Wanfu will have to bear the blame even if he doesn't. Let's wait and see what happens next.
At the same time, Su Qi'an, who was about half a day's journey from the prefecture city and fainted due to anger, gradually woke up under the care of the medical officer.
His face was indifferent, he said nothing, and he stared straight ahead. Everyone could see that he was in a bad mood, and no one dared to disturb him.
The rushing convoy headed towards the state city ahead as quickly as possible. In the end, Su Qi'an's convoy returned to the state city in less than an hour.
The Dongshan Army following behind them did not enter the city, but was stationed on the outskirts of the city to rest.
After entering the city, Su Qi'an showed no intention of stopping and headed straight to the state capital without stopping.
At this time, the state capital seemed to have received the news in advance. By the time Su Qi'an stepped into the state capital, Zhou Zibin, Feng Nan, Wu Xian, Jiang Kun and other big figures in the state were already waiting.
Su Qian glanced at everyone and sat down naturally.
Zhou Zibin, Feng Nan and other officials raised their hands, and then there was a long silence in the mansion.
No one took the initiative to speak. They knew very well what the purpose of Su Qi'an's return to the state capital was.
This time there was such a major fiasco on the front line. In addition to the frontline generals such as Su Qian'an and Wu Dingguo who cannot be held accountable, they also need to be responsible for providing supplies to the rear.
According to Wu Dingguo's investigation, the reason why the pirates discovered the hidden granary was not due to their negligence, but because someone tipped them off during the transportation.
It is no exaggeration to say that the so-called secret route has long been exposed to the eyes of pirates and Japanese pirates.
Su Qi'an and other officials were held accountable, and they shouldered this responsibility. However, no one present could escape the responsibility of leaking their whereabouts and causing nearly one hundred thousand grains and grass to be burned.
Su Qi'an looked at the silent crowd and said softly, "Let's talk about it. It's time, who is responsible for this matter."
Su Qian's voice was very soft, but everyone could feel the anger contained in it.
At this time, someone in the silent mansion finally spoke.
"The transportation route was discovered and the food and grass were destroyed. I will bear the responsibility."
"I accept whatever condemnation the Inspector has for me, and I have nothing to say."
The speaker was none other than Shen Wanfu, who had not been seen for a long time.
Since his third son was beheaded in public, Shen Wanfu has rarely been seen in public places in the city. He has always lived in seclusion. The business of the Shen family has been handed over to his two sons.
The reason for this is mostly due to the pain of losing a child, and it does take some time to get used to it.
The people responsible for transporting the frontline grain and fodder this time were the Shen family caravans.
The transportation route was discovered. As the head of the Shen family, it was impossible for him to be responsible for such a big matter.
No matter what you say, you can't escape this time, and Shen Wanfu knows this very well.
He had guessed it when he learned that Su Qi'an had returned to Zhoucheng. Instead of hiding, he accepted it calmly.
He had already experienced the pain of losing a son, and this time it was because the family business had done something wrong. He had nothing to shirk, so he just admitted it.
Shen Wanfu's frankness was almost expressionless. Su Qian'an nodded slightly and said softly, "Okay, I admire the Shen family master's frankness.
Sincerely, according to the law, those who delay the delivery of grain and grass should be punished and executed. "
Hearing this, everyone present was shocked. According to the law, this was indeed the case. However, Shen Wanfu did not participate in the escort. The route he chose was not discovered. Even others would have found it difficult. ensure.
Moreover, these pirates and Japanese pirates are always cunning and love to infiltrate, so it is inevitable that they will be hard to guard against.
Even if he was held accountable, given Shen Wanfu's status, he would never be beheaded. This was really too much.
Su Qian didn't pay attention to everyone's shock at all. He stared at Shen Wanfu, as if he wanted to know Shen Wanfu's inner thoughts.
But even if Su Qian said such excessive words, Shen Wanfu remained expressionless and indifferent.
He also looked at Su Qi'an, was silent for a while, and said softly, "Well, the supervisor wants to kill me. According to the law, I admit that I have failed in my duty. But before he kills me, I have one thing to ask the supervisor. .”
"Anyone who delays the transportation of grain and grass should be executed. This will lead to the disastrous defeat of this war. As the supreme inspector of Dongzhou, according to the law, should you execute everyone in your family?"
"hiss!"
Shen Wanfu's words instantly made everyone gasp, and even Zhou Zibin, who had always been calm and composed, had his eyelids twitching.
He didn't expect that Shen Wanfu, who was always gentle and smiling, could be so strong.
That look and attitude showed no fear of Su Qi'an. The two of them were completely at odds with each other.
Su Qi'an looked at Shen Wanfu's unfazed look for a long time, and then laughed out loud, "Hahaha, that's a good thing, but if I want to kill everyone in my family, just you, are you worthy?"
"Since the inspector has said so, Shen will also return these words to the inspector intact. I want to kill Shen. The inspector makes you unqualified!"
As soon as the two sides said these words, the atmosphere in the mansion instantly became tense and low. No one needed to speak out to stimulate them at this time. Soon, the two sides might have to fight.
As the atmosphere in the mansion became increasingly tense, Zhou Zibin on the side spoke.
"Inspector, Head of the Shen family, there is no need for this matter to become such a big deal. If word of this gets out, the pirates and Japanese pirates must not laugh at it."
"Yes, yes, what the Shen family leader said are just angry words. Supervisor, don't take it seriously. Now that the Dongzhou frontline has been defeated miserably, we don't want to have internal strife at this time."
"The top priority is how to regain the two lost counties as soon as possible and restore the low morale."
"Both of you are important figures to Dongzhou. Don't get angry here at this time. Can you each take a step back?"
After Zhou Zibin finished speaking, Feng Nan also came out to smooth things over, saying good things and comforting both parties.
The two of them quickly changed their attitudes, not because they really spoke for them, but because of the situation in the mansion.
If they really allowed the two to continue tit-for-tat, there would be no need to wait for Su Qi'an to go to the front line, and the city would be disrupted by the two of them.
If the rear is unstable, how can the front be stable? If the pirates and Japanese pirates seize this opportunity and launch another raid, will Dongzhou still be stable?
This is no joke. Not to mention Su Qi'an's strength, his Dongshan Army and Split Mountain Army are obvious to all.
Although Shen Wanfu does not have a huge army in his hands, the Shen family's industries are spread throughout Dongzhou. If he really gets into a fight with Su Qi'an, Dongzhou's economy will be paralyzed.
At that time, they would be in chaos without even waiting for the pirates and Japanese pirates to break in.
Although their purpose was to make Shen Wanfu take the blame, they didn't want him to make the matter such a big deal.
A lose-lose situation would be of no benefit to Zhou Zibin, Feng Nan and others, so the two tried their best to persuade them.
Wu Xian and Jiang Kun, who were shocked and speechless, also knew that the situation was serious and immediately tried to dissuade them.
After the four people's dissuasion, the tense atmosphere between the two of them obviously calmed down and improved a lot.
But the two of them still didn't have a good look on their faces. After calming down the tense atmosphere a little, Su Qian spoke.
"According to the law, Shen Wanfu should be executed, but this matter really has nothing to do with you.
It has not been confirmed that it was you who betrayed you. Your life has been saved. You can avoid the death penalty but cannot escape the penalty of death. I asked the Shen Family Trading Company to perform meritorious service for the crime. Within a ten-day period, I will collect 50,000 grains and grass from the trading company. After the collection is completed, I will immediately go to the front line. "
"Don't worry, I will admit the crime I am responsible for. I will report this matter to the court. No matter how the court punishes me, I will admit it."
"In ten days, I will go to the front line. If the two counties cannot be recovered, I will accept whatever judgment the court will have on me."
After saying this, Su Qi'an glanced at Zhou Zibin and Feng Nan and said coldly.
"The frontline suffered a disastrous defeat. I hope everyone in the rear can learn a lesson. Remember, the front and rear are a whole. If the front nine counties are gone, everyone knows what will happen to the back nine counties. I hope you can take care of yourself."
After saying this, Su Qian had no intention of staying and immediately stood up and left.
After watching Su Qi'an leave, everyone in the mansion breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though Su Qi'an had just said harsh words, they knew that the matter of accountability from the rear for the disastrous defeat on the Dongzhou front line was over.
Of course, the only person who was most wronged in this matter was Shen Wanfu.
The conflict between the two sides barely subsided and his life was saved, but the punishment given by Su Qi'an was quite stressful.
Asking the Shen Family Trading Company to raise 50,000 grain and grass would probably be nothing in normal times, but the rear had just experienced a round of collection of 100,000 grain and grass. Even if it was illegal income, it was grown from fertile fields in various places.
In such a short period of time, another wave of recruitment is required. Considering the strength of the Shen family, it is not impossible, but it will be purchased at a high price. This time Shen Wanfu will probably suffer a lot of bleeding.
Watching Su Qi'an leave, in order to ease the tense situation in the mansion, Wu Xian and Jiang Kun expressed relief and praise to Shen Wanfu at Feng Nan's signal.
He boasted that Shen Wanfu had been wronged for the sake of the overall situation. After this incident, he would invite him to a gathering at a certain time on another day, and promised that if there was a chance later, he would definitely recover the situation for Shen Wanfu.
(Remember to bookmark it for next time reading!)
