ly smiling and frowning, laughing and crying.He gaped, revealing teeth as white as bone and a mouth as red as blood. The stark contrast between the pale red and his blackened complexion was unsettling...Chapter 1355: Sadly, I Can't Kill Them All

Embezzling military funds, in plain terms, is drinking the blood of soldiers.

Xu Wei swallowed hard. Since the prince himself had spoken of this matter, it had nothing to do with him.

He explained honestly, "Your Highness, the practice of drinking blood from soldiers has always existed; it's just a matter of how severe or mild it is. To those under us, embezzling military funds is considered the most basic form."

"Other means, such as falsely claiming military achievements, impersonating others, and embezzling military equipment and funds, are emerging endlessly."

"But these are just things that lower-ranking officers do. Middle and high-ranking officers don't care about this small amount of money. Their real powerful method is to inflate the roster. For example, a local garrison, according to the size of the area they guard, if the court stipulates that the full complement is 5,000 men, they will find all sorts of reasons, saying that their manpower is insufficient and they cannot ensure the safety of the region, or that they have suffered casualties in battle."

In short, it's about expanding the roster and downsizing the army.

And when both are used simultaneously, one true and the other false, then a fabricated report is produced. While only 3,000 soldiers’ pay is actually spent, they can report 6,000 men. Thus, the additional 3,000 in military funds goes entirely to them.

After Xu Wei finished speaking at length, he noticed that Li Chen had been silent all along.

He was startled and quickly lowered his head, saying, "I deserve to die."

Li Chen said faintly, "What you deserve is to die. You forced this palace to confront a problem that this palace has always been avoiding."

Li Chen glanced at Xu Wei and said calmly, "This palace is aware that the corruption within the military is worse than among the civil officials, and its impact is even greater. If civil officials are like parasites sucking the lifeblood of the court, then these harmful elements in the army are like termites that would gnaw at the very roots of the imperial court."

"This palace also knows, including you, some people have already been dissatisfied with this situation. This is a good thing, there are finally some people with a conscience."

"But you must understand, things must be done one by one, and meals must be eaten bite by bite. Some things I haven't done aren't because I can't see them, but because the time hasn't come yet. But I will definitely do them, understand"

"When will we arrive in Jincheng" Li Chen changed the subject and asked.

"At this rate, we should arrive before midnight tonight," Xu Wei replied.

"Let's find a suitable place to rest in the evening, and head to Jincheng when dawn breaks tomorrow." Li Chen ordered.

Unlike Jincheng, which was not subject to the imperial court's authority, Gaoling, as the capital of the Gansu-Shaanxi region, remained under the emperor's jurisdiction. It was a small place with few influential figures who could be easily manipulated.

But Jin Cheng, that was the territory of Prince Ning, who was waiting for him there.

As for Prince Ning, Li Chen couldn't treat him as simply and brutally as he did with Cheng Fu Zhao and He Long, nor could he pay a late-night visit.

So Li Chen chose to go to Jincheng the next morning, thus marking a formal meeting and the beginning of...a confrontation.

"Your humble servant obeys." Xu Wei took the order and left the carriage.

After Xu Wei left, Li Chen found a comfortable position to lean against the soft couch. He continued reading official documents while asking Wan Jiaojiao, "Jiaojiao, what do you think we should do about those corrupt officials"

Wan Jiaojiao answered matter-of-factly: “Of course, we should kill them all. That's the best way to ensure peace, and the people would cheer us on.”

It's a pity, I can't kill them all.

Li Chen chuckled softly and, with a flick of his wrist, approved the military funding request in the document that Su Hang had submitted.

Let me know if you have other text you'd like me to translate!Chapter 1187: King Channing's Taxes