Shi Pengfei, as the third-rank right vice minister of the Ministry of War, equivalent to the current deputy minister of defense, is the highest-ranking official currently punished. The ranks of military commanders are not comparable. Even a military commander with a higher rank than Shi Pengfei is still a younger brother in front of Shi Pengfei.
He was demoted to a commoner, his property was confiscated, and he was never employed again... Such a punishment was extremely severe.
Shi Pengfei should be the ceiling of this punishment, and his responsibility should end here, everyone thought so.
However, just as this thought came to mind, Chen Hong continued to read the imperial edict: "Yingtian Minister of War Zhang Jing..."
When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but gasp in shock, their mouths opened wide, and their eyes popped out.
It turned out to be Zhang Jing, the Minister of War of Yingtian. Zhang Jing, he was the No.1 among all the people present!
The strength of His Majesty's pursuit of accountability is so great! There really is no limit to this!
Everyone was completely shocked.
"Zhang Jing, the Minister of War of Yingtian, was in charge of the military affairs of Yingtian, Nanzhili and the southeast, and was responsible for the defense of Yingtian. He failed to take sufficient precautions against the warning sent by Zhu Ping'an, the assistant of the Zhejiang Provincial Criminal and Surveillance Commissioner, that the Japanese pirates were harassing Yingtian. He arranged for Shi Pengfei, the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, to study and deploy a response, but failed to supervise and review it. He was responsible for poor leadership and lax discipline. He failed to dispatch troops in time to eliminate the Japanese pirates who surrounded Yingtian when only 57 Japanese pirates surrounded Yingtian, which brought shame to the court and failed the emperor's grace. He shall be fined three years' salary and removed from his post as Minister of War of Yingtian with immediate effect..."
Chen Hong read the imperial edict calmly, his voice was not loud, and his timbre was the unique hoarse voice of a eunuch.
But for everyone present, it was like a thunderclap exploding in their ears!
Everyone felt as if they were struck by thunder. They were dizzy and could not believe their ears.
Zhang Jing was fired! He was fired from his post as Minister of War!!!
In fact, there is basically no difference between dismissal and demotion. Both are dismissal. The only difference is that dismissal temporarily retains the qualification of "serving as an official" and is just hanging on to the last breath of political life.
How could people not be shocked!
"Your humble servant Zhang Jing accepts the order and thanks the emperor. Long live the emperor..." Zhang Jing knelt down dejectedly to receive the order.
Oh, I got fired...
How many days and nights have been devoted to studying the topography of mountains and rivers in the south of the Yangtze River; how many days and nights have been devoted to studying the distribution of soldiers and horses in the garrisons in various parts of the south of the Yangtze River; how many days and nights have been devoted to studying the strength of the Japanese pirate camp; how many days and nights have been devoted to raising food and military pay; how many days and nights have been devoted to studying strategies such as the transfer of wolf soldiers; how many days and nights have been devoted to studying how to achieve success in one battle and wipe out the Japanese pirates; how many days and nights... ...
Well, I can finally have a good sleep tonight...
"Don't bother you guys, I can do it myself."
After receiving the order, Zhang Jing waved to the guards who came over, and took off his bird-shaped gauze hat and official uniform, folded them, put them on the ground, and walked out of the hall with a lonely back... ...
At this moment, everyone was sleepless, some were sighing, some were sympathetic, and of course some were gloating.
The only exception is Zhu Pingan.
Zhu Ping'an did not have any of the above emotions, only congratulations.
Zhu Pingan knew that Zhang Jing was about to be appointed as the governor-general of Jiangnan, specializing in suppressing the Japanese invaders. His dismissal from the military post was a prelude to his appointment as the governor-general of Jiangnan. Historically, the imperial court ordered Zhang Jing to be dismissed from his post and appointed as the governor-general, commanding the troops of the provinces in Jiangnan, and to act at his discretion and specialize in suppressing the Japanese invaders.
Therefore, Zhang Jing will soon take office as governor, which is naturally worthy of congratulations.
After Zhang Jing walked out of the hall, the pressure came to He Sui, the eunuch guarding Yingtian. He, Zhang Jing, and Duke Wei were the three giants of Yingtian. Duke Wei had made meritorious deeds, so he didn't have to worry about punishment, but would be rewarded.
He is comparable to Zhang Jing.
At this moment, Eunuch He saw that Zhang Jing was dismissed, and remembered that bastard Chen Hong had just gloated about how he was going to have bad luck again. He suddenly became nervous, his toes clenched, and his calves couldn't help but tremble.
Zhu Ping'an noticed Eunuch He and couldn't help curling his lips. Eunuch He, you are a master, could you please show some master's manners? When the Zhenwu Camp mutinied, the Minister of Revenue Huang Maoguan was hacked to pieces by the chaotic soldiers, but you were the one who managed to escape from the chaos of soldiers unscathed... ... You, a master, are too timid. Oh, yes, when the Zhenwu Camp mutinied, it was Eunuch He who was timid.
However, you don't need to be so nervous. Although you and Shangshu Zhang Jing are both among the three giants of Yingtian, you have different positions and responsibilities, and the responsibilities you need to bear are still very different.
As the Minister of War, Zhang Jing's responsibilities not only covered Yingtian, but also the entire Jiangnan region. The Japanese pirates' crimes of roaming and robbing for thousands of miles were all within Zhang Jing's responsibilities.
As the eunuch guarding Yingtian, your duties are limited to guarding the capital Yingtian.
The crimes committed by the Japanese pirates between Shangyu and Yingtian have nothing to do with you. As long as Yingtian is safe, you have fulfilled your most basic duties. At most, when the Japanese pirates attacked Yingtian, you did not send troops to suppress them in time, which caused the court to lose face. This fault is not serious, so you don't need to worry so much.
Eunuch He was too timid and easily panicked when encountering problems. He was not a man who could accomplish great things. Perhaps this was the reason why he was never able to reach the pinnacle of power among eunuchs like Lu Fang, Huang Jin, and Feng Bao.
Zhu Ping'an thought so.
When Eunuch He was nervous and anxious, Chen Hong set his eyes on him and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
When Eunuch He saw Chen Hong looking at him, he immediately realized that it was his turn, so he became even more nervous and could hardly stand.
Finally, as Eunuch He was trembling nervously, Chen Hong continued to read the imperial edict, "The eunuch He Sui, who guards Yingtian..."
It’s my turn!
When Eunuch He heard Chen Hong calling his name, his nervousness reached its peak.
Chen Hong also deliberately slowed down his speech when reading the imperial edict about Eunuch He, pausing for each word, as if he was deliberately cutting flesh with a blunt knife during an execution, and tortured Eunuch He with words, "Eunuch He Sui, the eunuch guarding Yingtian, is the eunuch guarding Yingyao, shouldering the responsibility of guarding Yingtian. A mere 57 Japanese pirates surrounded Yingtian, but he failed to coordinate and send troops to suppress them in time, bringing shame to the court. Considering that Yingtian was safe and the Japanese pirates were wiped out that night, I will give him a lighter sentence, fine him one year's salary, and record a demerit once, to see the effect in the future..."
Eunuch He's whole spirit was like a roller coaster, with ups and downs. When Chen Hong read out the first half of the imperial edict concerning his fault, Chen Hong deliberately read it very slowly, causing Eunuch He's spirit to be like being tortured... ... It seemed as long as a century. When he heard the result of the punishment later, Eunuch He had a feeling of escaping death, turning sorrow into joy, and seeing spring come back to life. He felt fortunate and surprised.
A one-year salary deduction and a warning... This punishment was many times better than he had imagined.
This damn bastard Chen Hong is deliberately playing tricks on me!