Dominate the Country

At the end of summer, the first court recommendation of the list of candidates for the next cabinet was completed.

After the court vote came out, the preliminary scope of the next cabinet members was determined.

Except for a few people such as Chen Cong who no longer appeared on the list, the second cabinet members were generally still on the list. For example, Liu Dezhao, Wang Huizu, Xiong Bingzhang, Zheng Wen, etc. There are also forty or fifty other second-rank officials linked to their names. This list almost covers the entire Nanjing central bosses and senior local governors, such as Zheng Hongyu who has been completely tied to Chen Ding, as well as Pang Zhenkun, Xie Hu, Yan Xishen, Shen Guozhen, etc.

Zheng Hongyu has good abilities, and his years of experience have also yielded results. He is also loyal, but his character is flawed. Even if he is too smart and does things too actively. The result is that he seems to have no opinion.

The "code of conduct" of cabinet ministers or the chief officials of the central government is very different from that of local officials.

In general, one is responsible for the overall situation, while the other only needs to focus on one side. One is self-centered, while the other needs to consider all aspects.

The cabinet ministers and the chief officials of the central government all make their own decisions, but the local officials have to consider much more. The former should focus more on the overall interests, while the latter's focus is of course "selfishness".

Zheng Hongyu is too active and easily influenced by all aspects. He always wants to take into account the interests of all parties, so he is not a qualified central official.

However, there are nine people in the entire cabinet, and the pre-selected group for each position is five to seven people, which is a large number. The candidates on the list almost account for a quarter of the second-rank officials. [Han Zhengcong]

Zheng Hongyu has a long history and a wide network of connections, so he is naturally on the list. It's just that he is such a "qualified" official, and it is reasonable to say that he is completely a role to accompany the prince to study.

However, it is hard to say whether a miracle will happen. You know, the third cabinet chief minister is Liu Dezhao. Behind him stood not only Concubine Liu in the palace, but also the princes and princesses born to Concubine Liu.

However, Zheng Hongyu's granddaughter was engaged to the eldest son of the emperor. It was hard to guarantee that the emperor would not lean towards the eldest son. With a trembling hand, he also sent Zheng Hongyu to the cabinet list. So Zheng Hongyu's chance is not only not small, but quite large.

But he must ensure that his name can appear in the top three of the position where his defects are most weakened.

For example, the Minister of Posts, Transportation and Sports, who was shortlisted for the first time in the third cabinet, was at the bottom of the ranking of the nine elders in the cabinet. But the Minister of Transportation and Water Conservancy Construction in the previous two cabinets was abolished, and replaced by the postal, transportation and sports departments that are becoming more and more important in the daily life of the country.

Of course, this matter may not be without the reason that in the ten years since the founding of the country, water and land transportation construction, farmland water conservancy projects, sand control and soil consolidation projects, and soil erosion control projects have all come to an end.

The position of Minister of Military Affairs was also abolished. The previous position was held by Zhang Chi, the Minister of War, who was the representative of the military in the cabinet. However, Zhang Chi will withdraw from the cabinet in the next year and choose to leave the Ministry of War, which was renamed the Ministry of National Defense. The new Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries replaced the position of Minister of Military Affairs.

All the rights of the army were thus returned to the Grand Military Governor's Office.

Chen Han's cabinet had a total of nine people. In addition to the cabinet's chief minister who personally held the Ministry of Personnel, there were eight other members, including postal transportation and sports, agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry and fisheries, judicial supervision, culture, education and news, finance, internal affairs, civil affairs, and foreign affairs.

Excluding the Grand Military Governor's Office and military power, the power of the cabinet ministers was not small.

Among these ministers, the Minister of Postal Transport is the last one to be ranked. Whether it is the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Forestry and Fisheries who is responsible for agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and aquaculture, or the Minister of Judicial Supervision who is responsible for the judicial and supervisory systems, or the Minister of Culture, Education and News who holds the power of the Ministry of Culture and Education and the publication of news and books, they are much stronger than the Minister of Postal Transport and Sports. The importance of the higher-level internal affairs department, that is, the chief of the police, national security, military intelligence and other intelligence departments, is beyond doubt.

There is no need to say more about civil affairs and finance, and even more so about diplomacy.

Not to mention Zheng Hongyu, who has been worried about gains and losses for a while, and not to mention the Li family and Chen Ding who are closely watching the next court recommendation, let's talk about Chen Ming. He has collected a lot of interesting information for a while.

For example, several companies under the name of the Li family suddenly want to invest in Shaanxi. Several industries with large investments are not the right choice no matter how you look at it. It's not that they can't make money, but that the risks are too high and the return cycle is too long.

With that money, the Li family invested in the eastern coastal areas, and the benefits would be far better than throwing it in Shaanxi. But the current governor of Shaanxi is still Wu Xueli. He was already passive, but Xinjiang is in the border area and is not suitable for Wu Xueli. The other choice is Zhongyuan Province, which is not something Wu Xueli can rank at all. In the end, Wu Xueli was transferred to the Ministry of Communications as the right assistant minister, which was a slight demotion of half a level. After all, the emperor was "frightened" in Xi'an City, and Wu Xueli had been promoting the Qinzhi Road. Falling into the Ministry of Communications was what he wanted. But after the Qinzhi Road was repaired, he returned to Shaanxi.

Because the governor of Shaanxi at that time made a mistake, he went home to retire.

Pang Zhenkun, who had a stronger friendship with Wu Xueli than gold, was the emperor's confidant and beloved general. He is currently the director of the attendant room, and this time he is likely to serve as the minister of culture, education and news.

Pang Zhenkun is not a pure minister, and he does not only have Wu Xueli as his close friend. As the head of the attendant room, his influence in the court is almost as strong as that of the cabinet ministers.

It is hard to say whether the Li family's sudden large-scale investment in Shaanxi is optimistic about the economic development of Shaanxi or a political "exchange".

In the current climate of Chen Han, it is difficult for a straightforward money transaction to occur, and the risk is too great. However, this exchange of "political capital" and "economic capital" also makes Chen Ming smack his lips.

The Li family has invested 30 to 40 million yuan in several projects such as the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, the Qin Straight Road, the Weishui Gorge Road, and the trade market in Baoji. For a mountain, this is definitely a lot of money.

Although the Li family has developed rapidly in the economy in recent years, it was able to take out tens of millions of start-up funds at once, and the total amount of subsequent investment involved exceeded 30 million yuan, which also surprised Chen Ming.

He was not worried that Pang Zhenkun would join the party of the eldest prince. How could it be more comfortable to serve the emperor's son than to serve the emperor? At most, the two sides have reached a deal, which may not even be considered an alliance.

However, according to the power in the hands of the eldest prince's party, if Pang Zhenkun really forms an alliance with them, it will be of great help to them.

You know, the queen holds a considerable part of the real power of the charity fund, and Pang Zhenkun is the most suitable minister of culture, education and news in Chen Ming's mind. If the two sides form an alliance with each other, it will really be a perfect match.

While everything is going on, the troops returning from North America, Southeast Asia and Myanmar are also moving towards Nanjing.

The emperor has decided to hold a military parade on February 2 next year.

For the participants in several wars, the soldiers were all excited and trembling when they heard the news.

For the Chen Han soldiers, what is the most glorious thing after expanding the territory?

It is not a high reward, but a medal and appearing in the sequence of the military parade.

All participating troops are expected to gather in Nanjing in mid-September, and then they will train hard in the next few months.

Infantry, cavalry, artillery, army, marines, navy, militias who responded to the call to the battlefield in the critical moment of North America, and dispatched troops flying from the mainland to help thousands of miles away.

These soldiers naturally knew their intention to rush back to Nanjing without stopping. The news of the review had been told to them long ago, but many people couldn't help but shed tears the moment they set foot on the Xiaguan Wharf in Nanjing.

The Grand Governor's Office and the Cabinet prepared a grand welcome ceremony for each arriving troop. The arrival of these troops in Beijing made the political atmosphere of Nanjing less sinister and more masculine.

At the same time, the investigation of the intelligence department was also nearing its end, and the final suspect had been identified.

Chen Mengyan, director of the Archives Management Office of the Treasury Department of the Ministry of Finance, where Zhou Tiancai was acting, walked into the director's office with a nervous mood, and saw several people sitting in the room. In addition to Director Zhou Tiancai, there were two strangers, but one of the older people looked familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was.

"Chen Mengyan, do you know these two adults?" Zhou Tiancai pointed at the two strangers with a wooden face and said to Chen Mengyan. The director of the Fifth National Security Department and the head of the Confidential Section of the Ministry of Finance. The former is a little lower than Zhou Tiancai, while the latter is at the same level as Zhou Tiancai.

"To reply to the adults, I don't know them." Chen Mengyan said, looking very calm on the surface, but his heart seemed to be clenched tightly. He had done something wrong, and he was afraid of ghosts knocking on the door. Two serious strangers, or adults, so scary.

Zhou Tiancai's cold face made Chen Mengyan's heart beat.

Zhou Tiancai's face became even more rigid after hearing this, and he was obviously very dissatisfied with Chen Mengyan. "Chen Mengyan, you are so proud. Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Gao Shida from the National Security Department 5, and this is Mr. Wen from the Confidential Department of our department. I believe you have heard of them. Both of them are responsible for domestic counter-espionage work."

National Security, Confidential Department, Counter-espionage!!!

The three terms were like three thunderbolts that suddenly exploded in Chen Mengyan's ears. His brain was really buzzing and his face was pale.

"Are you afraid now?" Wen Sheng put the teacup in his hand heavily on the table. The teacup collided with the table and made a loud noise. He still had a creepy sneer on his face, "Chen Mengyan, if you dare to do it, you must dare to take responsibility. Since Director Gao and I have come to you today, we have completely grasped the facts of your crime."

There was endless anger in his voice, and his teeth were creaking. If he could, he would have eaten the traitor alive.

Shameful, the Ministry of Finance has lost face this time.

"Director Zhou, you can go and get busy first. Just leave Chen Mengyan to chat with us." Gao Shida looked at Zhou Tiancai's serious and gloomy face and said something to get him out of the way, easing the embarrassment for the Ministry of Finance, which was in a state of disgrace.

"Shameless thing. You have brought shame to the Ministry of Finance!" Zhou Tiancai knew that he was leaving, but he couldn't help but roar when he stood up, pointing his finger at the trembling Chen Mengyan, his eyes glaring at Chen Mengyan, almost spitting fire. "Just answer honestly here and confess to be lenient. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

After the founding of the country, Chen Han abolished the law of joint punishment, but only treason was an exception. Murder and robbery are all borne by the criminal alone, but treason is the only crime that requires the whole family to pay.

The penalty for treason is severe, but if you are brought to court, it will be a narrow escape. Zhou Tiancai didn't think Chen Mengyan had a chance to survive at all, and he didn't pity this damn guy at all. As the head of the Archives Management Department of the Treasury Department, this guy almost holds too many secrets of the Ministry of Finance. He is also too harmful. He will definitely die, and his family will also be severely punished.

There was a spy case in the Treasury Department, and Zhou Tiancai was very angry. He was responsible for negligence again. And he didn't understand how Chen Mengyan could be so spineless and sacrifice his life for Westerners? Zhou Tiancai, who was deeply proud of Chen Han's strength, hated most in his life the scum who had forgotten his ancestors, and this matter was more related to his own future. He hated Chen Mengyan in his heart.

People in the National Security Bureau are not kind people, but the facts of the past few years have proven that this intelligence agency, which is notorious among official circles, is like Zhu Ming's Jinyiwei and Dongchang's power department, but there are very few unjust cases. They had previously told Zhou Tiancai that there were three criminal suspects in the Treasury Department, and even Zhou Tiancai himself had just been cleared of suspicion. After such a long period of careful surveillance, investigation, and investigation, since they had targeted Chen Mengyan, he must have something. question. And with Chen Mengyan's position and level, this guy will definitely lose his head if he commits a crime.

The ten years after the establishment of the dynasty were not strictly speaking a period of peace and prosperity. Today's Emperor Chen is too good at making troubles. He began to expand abroad just after the founding of the country, and kept fighting and expanding. The expansion stunned everyone, and the expansion made the Chinese people open their eyes and look at the outside world.

It turns out that "the world" is so big; it turns out that there is so much wealth outside.

This kind of unrest is not only among the people but also in the officialdom.

The emergence and implementation of immigration and various new policies, as well as the endless emergence of various new things, have refreshed not only the outlook on life, values ​​and world view of the people in Guizhou, but also the officials.

For the first time, Chinese officials learned what a points system is; for the first time, they knew what property declaration was; for the first time, they knew what the crime of huge amounts of property from unknown sources was; for the first time, they learned that accepting bribes is a crime, and offering bribes is also a crime... …

The world became clearer as a large number of officials were stripped of their veils. There are many officials in the new dynasty, but it is difficult to find a three-legged toad in the world. There are two-legged people everywhere, and there are just as many people who want to be officials as there are people with two legs. Countless officials lost their heads, and many more had their whole families sent to the frontier. But there are never immovable officials in officialdom.

Just like the soldier, the camp is made of iron and the soldiers are flowing water.

There are too many people who want to be officials in the world, including those who came before them and those who come after them.

But corruption and treason are completely incomparable. The latter was extremely hated by the emperor, but when it came to treason, there was no room for maneuver. Even if he was not sentenced to death, he would probably have to spend his life in prison and labor camps. The criminal law imposes extremely severe penalties for treason, and very few people can save their lives after the crime is committed.

"Tell me, you know what I want to ask you." Wen Sheng said nothing with a calm face, and Gao Shida asked softly.

"I'm humble, I don't understand." Chen Mengyan tried his best to calm down his panic. He was trembling all over, but he still refused to admit it subconsciously. He tried to regain his composure, but his heart was still beating wildly, as if it was about to jump out of his throat.

"Then take a look at this package first."

Gao Shida was not surprised at all. He chuckled and threw a folder at hand to Chen Mengyan's feet.

Chen Mengyan really didn't want to pick it up, but he had to pick it up. He glanced at the folder and couldn't help but make a sound. Streams of blood rushed straight to his brain, and his whole head was red. If someone were to point a sword at Chen Mengyan's neck and stab him hard at this time, the blood would probably spurt out ten feet away.

The file folder contains records of him storing funds in the names of his relatives and friends, and the locations where he buried his belongings. Even the amount of gold and silver buried was almost the same. The most important thing is that there is a confession from his superior, which has the Italian's name and fingerprints on it. His familiar name——

"Leonardo Mastin, you should know this person." Gao Shida opened his mouth and said a name that made Chen Mengyan's bones tremble. "You have traded information five times in total, and you have corresponded five times. You have been old friends for a long time. You can't even remember his name, right?"

Chen Mengyan's legs went weak and he collapsed on the ground like a puddle of mud. "My lord, please spare my life, my lords, please spare your life."

Wen Sheng looked down upon Chen Mengyan in front of him even more. "What an idiot. I don't even know who promoted you to your current position." You dare to think about sparing your life at this time. You are really a piece of pig brain.

"Chen Mengyan, I can tell you that you are dead. But you can choose how to die. You can also choose what your family's future life will be like. You know how to speak."

Gao Shida spoke slowly and softly, "Think about it carefully, are you prepared to have the whole family go to hell with you, and be together forever?"

"What did you take out? Think slowly, speak slowly, tell them all, think carefully, but don't forget." Gao Shida has been in charge of the Ministry of Finance's counterintelligence for more than half a year, and now It was really not easy to finally dig out the big rat Chen Mengyan.

The weather in Nanjing was still very hot, but Chen Mengyan felt as if he had fallen into an ice hole in the cold winter suddenly. The biting cold all over his body made him collapse.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you. I just hope you can spare my family."