"Yes!" Zhang Yongzhen also came to his senses and admitted it with gritted teeth.

"Since you miss home, you don't mean to abandon your official position and flee south, right?" Zhao Jiu suddenly asked again. "You won't be scared by the Jin people, right?"

"Of course!" Zhang Yongzhen responded immediately. "Although I am a little afraid of the Jin people, it is because I know that we cannot defeat them, not to the extent that the emperor wants us to."

"I understand. Please sit down." Zhao Jiu pointed casually, and Zhang Yongzhen, confused, finally sat down obediently on a seat in the tent.

But Emperor Zhao casually pointed at another person.

Just like this, there were as many as seventy or eighty officers in the account, with huge differences in rank. At first, some of them did not dare to show their anger in front of Zhao Jiu and kept admitting their mistakes. But later, seeing that this official was indeed sincere and there was nothing wrong with admitting it, they gradually spoke out their true feelings, giving various reasons.

Almost everyone had reasons for fleeing or losing their property while crossing the river. More than half admitted that they were speaking up for Liu Guangshi. Two or three percent mentioned that they missed their hometown in Guanxi. More than a dozen people admitted that they wanted some money to quit the army and settle down in the south. There were even a few people who said that they had been bachelors since birth and had not had a wife for decades. They heard that the emperor had granted them palace maids before, and they thought it would be best to ask the emperor for a wife, so they made a fuss.

In response to this, Zhao Jiu listened carefully throughout the whole process, but did not make any extra comments.

The process seemed cumbersome, but the conversation was simple and straightforward. By the time all seventy or eighty people had finished speaking and sat down, it had only taken a quarter of an hour.

"Let me tell you two things first." Zhao Jiu waited until everyone was seated before speaking. "Everyone wants money and goods, I have prepared them for you, and they are more generous than those for ordinary soldiers. When you go out later, you can all go to find Prime Minister Lu to lead you... This is what we agreed on before."

Led by Zhang Yongzhen, a group of officers were about to stand up and thank the emperor and the prime minister, but Zhao Jiu raised his hand to stop them: "Wait until I finish speaking... As for your wife, I won't hide it from you. There is no palace maid in Bagong Mountain now. The laundry is done by the eunuchs. If you don't believe me, you can go and see it after today. There is nothing to be shy about. So I can't agree to anything about your wife."

After hearing this, although there was no laughter in the tent, there was some relief.

"To those who are pleading for Liu Guangshi, I have already said... I know Liu Guangshi is usually generous and considerate, but in this case, I have absolutely no need to say anything. Whoever was unfair to him just now will go to Zhang Zhongcheng and receive ten military sticks!" Zhao Jiu suddenly became stern. "Otherwise, there will be no reward!"

The tent immediately became quiet. Many people looked at each other secretly, but no one dared to speak.

PS: Happy New Year to everyone! I wish you all great fortune in the new year!

It was finished at 11:40. I hope I have had my meal by the time you see this chapter.