"Dear Duke Nick, you should ask this question to the deceased Baron Gordon Eyre, who was promoted from the highest commander of the Navy to the rank of Vice-Admiral, and who also trained the three thousand soldiers transferred from the First Legion. ”

In the face of Duke Nick's accusation, Marquis Eden could not have a good face, the smile on his face retreated, and he responded coldly, "And the military expenditure of the imperial army has always been the responsibility of Baron Gordon Ayre." ”

Duke Nick looked at Eden's cold face, but he had a smile on his own face, and he played with the ruby ring on his finger and said lightly: "Are you trying to shirk responsibility? This is really a good reason, perhaps, I should suggest that the guard department put you on the list of assassinating the baron." ”

"What do you mean?" the Marquis asked aloud.

"Am I not clear enough?" said Duke Nick casually.

"Marquis Eden, you'd better tell where the money is going. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Earl Tuss, was also pressing.

The Marquis of Eden was stunned, he stared at the Count of Tus, trying to see something in the other man's face, but the sagging fat on the other man's face covered everything.

A bad feeling began to creep in Eden's heart.

He thought to himself: what the hell is going on?

Two successive bills against the military department were put forward in front of His Majesty the Emperor, and if he could not be alert, then he, the Minister of War, had really worked for so many years in vain.

The Marquis of Eden looked at everyone present quietly, the Prime Minister Duke Nick and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Earl of Tus, were looking at him coldly, the University Priest Bot watched coldly, the court archmage Boya Tree played with his magic staff, the chief steward Bailly squinted as if he was asleep, and His Majesty the Emperor seemed to be indifferent to their struggle, and drank red wine intently.

A layer of fine sweat unconsciously appeared on the forehead of the Marquis of Eden, and he organized the wording, "Duke, Count Tus, our military department distributes military expenses as high as one million every year, and the officials of the finance department supervise the officers at all levels of the army like their own lovers..."

"Marquis!" interrupted the Count of Tuss, "it was the internal investigation of the Ministry of Finance that uncovered the corruption of certain officials, and this conversation was intended to take place in the Prime Minister's Office..."

Saying this, the Earl of Tus glanced at Danediv XVI before continuing: "But you have been too busy lately, and my assistants and officials in the Prime Minister's Office have contacted you at least ten times, but you have not given a positive reply, and the chief bailly can testify. ”

"Yes!" Bailly opened his eyes and said two words, then half-squinted as if in a fugue.

Tus continued: "Dear Marquis Eden, you may need to change your assistant, or put down some less important matters, and perhaps this time you don't have to wait for the royal court to discuss the issue. ”

Marquis Eden remembered that there was indeed such a thing, but he thought it was just a routine briefing, where he would have thought that there would be such an important matter, "You should have told my assistant about the importance of this matter, maybe he would not be so careless." "He's not going to admit that he knows about it.

"This case is confidential because the amount of money involved is so huge. "And the officials involved were almost all over the empire. ”

"Marquis Eden, do you know what the Imperial army is like now?" Duke Nick picked up the topic, "you should probably go to the barracks instead of staying in your office all day and pestering your little lover, and my desk is already piled up with news about your lace." ”

"Marquis Eden!" Bailly, the chief steward who had never spoken, spoke, "Duke Nick is right, you should indeed go and see the Imperial army, now, the Empire's regular three legions have a total of 50,000 soldiers, except for the two corps of the First Legion that still maintain a certain combat effectiveness, the other two legions have not changed their equipment for almost five years, and have not conducted a decent training for more than two years. ”

"But their annual military expenses are allocated on time!" Bailly's voice grew louder and louder, "and what is even more infuriating is that even the equipment rationed by the Empire's most elite First Legion is mostly damaged, and some of the spears are even decayed to the point that only rusty spearheads remain. ”

"Ask you where the five thousand gold coins are, it is the mercy of Duke Nick and Count Tus, your crime is enough to keep your family in exile forever according to the laws of the Empire. ”

"Tell me, Marquis Eden. Laubert, who was sitting on the golden throne, spoke, "Why, how did that daring legion commander become like a peasant chick back then?"

"Your Majesty!" the Marquis of Eden was already frightened into a cold sweat by Bailly's words, he knew that this kind of words, as the head of the palace, Bailly would not have said them on such an occasion until he had investigated them clearly, and he was terrified, "I really don't know what the Prime Minister said to the Earl of Tus. ”

"Then tell me why you recommended Baron Gordon Ayre as Under-Minister of War?"

"His abilities. "I don't think anyone will question the Baron's ability, what the Imperial Navy was like five years ago? ”

"But now the Navy is no less corrupt than the Army. "Last month I personally went to the military port of Yekjar, and spent a week there, investigating the corruption of the navy with the Guards, and the files are the Archives of the Guards, do you want to see them for yourself?"

"But no one can deny Gordon Ayre's merits!" said the Marquis of Eden, "and, at that time, you did not utter even a word of objection. ”

"Who recommended Gordon Eyre to you?" Duke Nick asked, he had lost his patience.

"My Chief of Staff, Sir Fickerd. ”

"What about others?"

"Gone, he was gone two years ago. ”

"Where did you go?"

"I don't know!"

Duke Nick and Marquis Eden were quick to answer.

"Marquis Eden, is that your chief of staff?" said Bailly, pulling out a magical photograph from his bosom, which showed a skinny man dressed in the steppes of the Twak Highlands riding a pack horse.

"That's him!" the Marquis of Eden nodded, "how did you hear from him...... You're investigating me?" the Marquis glared at Bailly incredulously, then at His Majesty the Emperor on the Golden Throne.

"He is now in the service of the Marquis of Fett. Duke Nick ignored the Marquis of Eden's shouting, "I don't think you will be a stranger to Marquis Fett, right? In the past three years, you have attended a total of fifty-three banquets with him. ”

Count Tus continued: "Also, all the equipment purchased by the military department is represented by the Chamber of Commerce of the Marquis of Fit, am I right?"

Marquis Eden's face turned pale, "You mean I've been tricked?"

"I'll tell you the news that during our meeting, the Chamber of Commerce of the Marquis of Fett has been raided by the guards. Duke Nick said coldly, "If you know something, you'd better say it now." ”