I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 221 Taking Ruthless Measures

Chris was very angry.

Corruption is a phenomenon that exists in any human group, and it is something that no one can avoid.

Perhaps some people can use their personal charm to prevent their subordinates from engaging in underhanded tactics, but Chris felt he couldn't do it. He was self-aware enough to know that apart from having money and the support of gamers, his personal charisma didn't seem to be very strong.

Therefore, Chris is very generous to his subordinates, whether they are civil servants or NPC officers, he gives them the best treatment.

Because of cost considerations, silver dollars cannot be issued indiscriminately like paper money. Therefore, Chris exercised some restraint in the salaries of civil servants and the pay of soldiers and officers, and did not act recklessly.

But there are other benefits besides money!
Chris primarily focused on the monthly distribution of supplies, as well as medical care, education, and land. The higher the rank of civil servant or military officer, the better the benefits.

It can be said that for soldiers who join the army, military pay is only a part of their monthly service income, and other subsidies are not the main motivation for them to go into battle and kill the enemy.

The 3rd Infantry Regiment was able to withstand the Miniese attack for nearly half an hour on its first day of combat, mainly because of this reason.

So Chris never expected that someone would embezzle the little bit of food he had given to the prisoners of war.

Corruption and embezzlement are bound to occur within one's own ranks, whether it's the military or the civil service system one has established; none of them will be entirely clean.

Chris also roughly made some anti-corruption plans, thinking about how to implement a two-pronged approach of high welfare and strict censorship.

However, Chris never expected that while Bagnia was still under war and had not yet been liberated, someone would be doing this right under his nose.

And the person who did this was actually the quartermaster in charge of supplying the prisoner-of-war area... a quartermaster whom he had personally promoted from a lowly soldier.

This kid is incredibly bold. Don't be fooled by the fact that he only targeted the prisoners' rations. It may seem like he didn't embezzle much, but this is no simple matter. It was a test by the quartermaster.

If he succeeds in embezzling without being discovered, will this quartermaster use his success to expand his operations, target other soldiers' rations, and drag more people down with him in the process?
Furthermore, his targeting of salt and salted fish indicates that his objective was clear: these two items are easy to sell and leave little trace.

Besides, who can guarantee that this quartermaster has done this for the first time?
He had not previously targeted the rations of ordinary soldiers or the military supplies in the warehouses.

Chris wasn't sure, so he had the bastard arrested, intending to use some methods to make him talk and confess. If he confessed, he'd just have his hand chopped off; if he didn't, well, don't blame Chris for closing the gates and releasing the player.

While dealing with this embezzler, Chris also ordered a thorough search of all the army's supplies and documents to see if there were any other corrupt officials involved.

After searching all night, in the early hours of the next morning, as the unusual rain and fire subsided and the sunlight once again caressed the scarred land, Chris, who hadn't slept all night, was reviewing the documents compiled by the scribes.

Chris breathed a sigh of relief after reading it.

The military's logistics system is not perfect and has flaws, but the number of corrupt officials hiding within it is not as large as one might imagine.

Besides the quartermaster who ran right into the line of fire, there were three other bastards, one of whom was also a logistics officer, and the other two were company commanders. Because Chris sent people to distribute the soldiers' pay directly to them, bypassing the officers, these two company commanders used various excuses to get their soldiers to hand over their pay.

For example, expenses for food, clothing, and campsite accommodation.

Honestly, Chris hadn't thought of that. Because of the soldiers' ignorance, and the fact that the amount of money wasn't much, they didn't think much of it, let alone consider reporting the two officers' illegal actions to their superiors.

If Chris hadn't been furious tonight and sent people to thoroughly investigate logistics, while also questioning each of the lower-ranking soldiers to see if anything was amiss, the two company commanders might have actually continued this operation for a long time.

If you do something wrong, you have to take responsibility. Since these rats stole the grain, they should be prepared to be punished.

Chris didn't care what their motives were for embezzling; it wasn't like he wasn't paying them enough money, and he'd basically given them all the benefits they wanted.

And most importantly, Chris's regime is currently on the rise, with plenty of positions and opportunities. The channels for upward mobility are no longer just open, but rather like an elevator. As long as someone in the system is sane and lucky enough not to die on the battlefield, they can seize the opportunity.

Seize small opportunities, such as killing a few more people to earn military merit and land. After retiring, you can go home and become a rich man or landlord, never having to worry about food or drink for the rest of your life.

If you seize a great opportunity and make some contributions on the battlefield, then promotion and wealth are a sure thing. Those two company commanders are classic examples.

A few months ago, the two men, one a country bumpkin from the small town of Beachy and the other a refugee fleeing the war, were able to become company commanders because of their outstanding performance and military achievements on the battlefield.

Secondly, the two learned Chinese faster than the others and could independently understand some simple Chinese documents. Chris sent people to issue military orders to them, so no one else was needed to translate.

Therefore, the two are now company commanders. If things go normally, as long as they don't die on the battlefield, they will definitely be able to continue to climb the ranks and may even have the opportunity to become generals.

Even if they are injured and can no longer serve as officers, they can transfer to other jobs, become civil servants in other places, earn high salaries, enjoy a comfortable retirement, and live a good life early.

Chris never imagined that these bastards, who had bright futures ahead of them and were neither short of money nor power, would engage in such petty tricks within the military. Chris simply couldn't understand it.

Chris's mood was unpredictable. After a while, he waved to the clerk beside him.

"Come here and record my orders... Those who are corrupt will be dealt with severely. All of them will not only be subject to military regulations and immediately discharged, but their military land will also be confiscated, their families' benefits will be deprived, and their families' families will be barred from joining the military or becoming civil servants for three generations..."

Those who knowingly fail to report such incidents will also be subject to the following penalties: if they were involved, they will be considered accomplices…

Chris said seriously that he planned to turn these giant rats into specimens to warn those who were already doing it or wanted to do it, so that they would know the consequences of being a giant rat.

Damn it, the army and the players are Chris's two legs! Now someone is trying to cut off his legs while eating his food. We really need to use a heavy hand to deal with this.

(End of this chapter)