Zhu Dan glanced at Lu Xiaoyun and hurriedly said, "Father, it was Fourth Brother's keen insight that led to Zhu Heng's situation. Fourth Brother noticed something was wrong first and told me. Fourth Brother and I then sent people to investigate, which prevented a major upheaval. If we're talking about merit, Fourth Brother deserves far more than I do."
The old emperor glanced at Lu Xiaoyun and said indifferently, "Yes, Fourth Brother has also worked hard."
Lu Xiaoyun bowed and said, "It is my duty, and I dare not complain about the hardship."
"Alright then, you two brothers will handle the matter of raiding the Second Prince's residence together."
"Yes, Your Majesty, we obey." Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Dan replied in unison.
"Fourth brother, do you want to break up Zhu Heng's private army and incorporate them into various armies?" the old emperor asked Lu Xiaoyun.
"Yes. All the prefectures of our Great Zhou have garrison troops. By dispersing them and incorporating them into the major armies, and ordering people to keep a close watch on them, we can break them down into smaller units."
The old emperor's face was gloomy. After a long while, he said, "Execute all officers of the rank of captain and above. As for the other ordinary soldiers, do as you say."
Lu Xiaoyun was shocked. If all the officers above the rank of 10-man squad leader were killed, wouldn't that mean more than 5,000 people would be wiped out? Although the rebels deserved to die, how many of them were just ordinary soldiers who were following orders and had no choice in their own lives?
As long as they are incorporated into other armies, they will not cause any trouble.
It wasn't that Lu Xiaoyun was too saintly; rather, in the past, when emperors encountered such matters, in order to show their leniency and benevolence, they would only kill a few important generals, and would never kill even a squad leader who wasn't even considered a military officer...
"Father!"
“Father is absolutely right.” Zhu Dan interrupted Lu Xiaoyun before she could speak, “However, Father, a squad leader is just a minor official, no different from an ordinary soldier. If he is pardoned, then he is pardoned.”
“Send these people to guard the frontier, or send them directly to the Lu family in the southern border. Aren’t we at war with the Chen Kingdom right now? Let them go to the front lines and charge into battle. If they are to die, let them die under the enemy’s blades on the battlefield. Wouldn’t that be better?”
The old emperor thought about it and realized that this made sense. The Great Zhou Dynasty had only been established for over forty years, and its military strength was insufficient. The country was not wealthy and the people were not strong. A palace coup had already severely damaged its vitality.
"How about changing it to centurion or above? After all, Father Emperor is kind and benevolent, why bother with the troubles of a few petty villains?"
Lu Xiaoyun gave Zhu Dan a deep look. She noticed that Zhu Dan had become much more tactful since arriving in this ancient world.
Sure enough, the old emperor laughed and tapped Zhu Dan's forehead: "You cunning fellow, do you think I don't know what little tricks you're up to?"
"Since Father Emperor knows my little thoughts, will you grant my request?"
"Yes, yes, yes, since you've said so, wouldn't it seem petty of me to refuse? Fine, then send them to the Lu family army and let the Duke of Zhenguo keep a close eye on them."
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty," Zhu Dan said with a smile, bowing to the old emperor.
The old emperor glared at him and said, "Alright, you don't need to be in charge of the imperial examinations anymore. I've handed it all over to Bu Feizhang."
"Yes, thank you for your kindness, Father."
At this point, the old emperor's face suddenly turned cold, and he slammed his hand heavily on the table. "I never imagined that so many ministers in the court would be working for Zhu Heng behind the scenes!"
Lu Xiaoyun and Zhu Dan exchanged a glance. There was still much to be done in this palace coup. A thorough investigation was needed to determine how many officials in the court were involved.
"Father, what about the remaining four thousand or so Imperial Guards? Should we treat them the same way we treated Zhu Heng's private army?"
"No!" The old emperor's face was icy cold. Just thinking about how those people outside were always plotting to kill him, whether he was in court or in bed, made him want to tear them all to pieces.
"I will not only kill them, but also their families! Since they dared to rebel, they must bear the consequences of their defeat!"
"Father, you mustn't!" That's over four thousand Imperial Guards, plus their families, that's tens of thousands of people!
Too many people have already died in this palace coup; their families should not be strangled as well.
The old emperor seemed to have made up his mind, ignoring even Zhu Dan's words: "Fifth Prince, I will never back down on this matter! What are the Imperial Guards for? To protect the safety of the capital! But what about them? They actually pledged allegiance to Zhu Heng and wanted to kill me and seize the throne. I will not be at peace until they are killed."
Looking at his two sons kneeling on the ground, the old emperor turned around and walked to the imperial desk, saying coldly, "Once disloyal, always disloyal. Living will only waste the resources of my Great Zhou."
"The rebel officers below the rank of centurion, if you beg, I will pardon you. But the Imperial Guards, I will never agree. You need not beg anymore, this matter is not open to discussion!" The old emperor's attitude was quite firm.
Zhu Dan straightened his knees and, after thinking for a moment, could only say, "Father, then shoot all the Imperial Guards."
Lu Xiaoyun was shocked and turned to look at Zhu Dan in disbelief. He clearly knew that most of the people here were coerced by Xiao Song, so why did he kill them all?
"But, Your Majesty, I beg you to spare their family's lives." With that, he kowtowed deeply.
The old emperor rested his hands on the imperial desk, looking down at his son kneeling on the ground pleading for the rebels. The veins on his forehead throbbed, and he felt as if his head was about to explode.
He was always proud of this son. He was intelligent, gentle, and talented, and he was very fond of him. He made Zhu Zhi the crown prince and had Zhu Zhi and Zhu Chen compete against each other. His purpose was to clear the obstacles for him to ascend the throne smoothly in the end.
Now he actually dares to defy him for the sake of the rebels!
"Father." Lu Xiaoyun also kowtowed heavily. Zhu Dan was right. The old emperor's attitude was firm. If she still thought about sparing the lives of more than four thousand imperial guards and angered him, she was afraid that even her previous request would be withdrawn.
It's better to settle for second best.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to spare their lives. The Duke of Zhenguo has already conquered more than ten cities in Chen. Your Majesty can exile all these people to those cities and never let them return to the capital."
Zhu Dan gave Lu Xiaoyun a deep look. He had thought that because he had given up so easily to plead for the Imperial Guards, Yun'er would think he was ruthless.
Sure enough, Yun'er always understood him; their hearts were always connected.
“The southern border is a harsh and cold place with lots of sandstorms. Our Great Zhou has just incorporated more than ten cities, and we originally intended to send Great Zhou citizens there to live so as to assimilate the people of Chen. Why don’t we send these people instead?”
The old emperor's expression softened somewhat, and he looked at Lu Xiaoyun, truly beginning to ponder the matter carefully.
The fourth brother is right. Killing may be satisfying in the moment, but the ten cities of Chen that the Lu family army has just acquired desperately need the people of the Great Zhou to live in.
Furthermore, even if each of the more than four thousand imperial guards had an average of four people in their household, that would only amount to more than sixteen thousand people. If they were to be stationed in ten cities, that would only amount to more than sixteen hundred people.
They are numerous enough to assimilate the people of Chen, but if they were to rebel, they would be too few, and their families include the elderly, women, and even young children.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
