"You are all in good spirits!"
Under the wooden shed in front of the imperial tent on the northern ridge of Bagua Mountain, Zhao Jiu, who was summoning two officials, was surrounded by Prime Minister Wang Boyan, Imperial Camp Commander Wang Yuan and several secretaries. Before he turned around, he heard hurried footsteps behind him and the unavoidable smell of alcohol, and he shook his head and laughed.
"I am sorry for losing my composure and making Your Majesty laugh."
Lu Haowen and others were originally frightened by the commotion in the mountains and rivers. When they saw that Emperor Zhao did not go into battle himself and was so calm, they suddenly felt weak all over. With the support of Zhang Jun and others behind them, they tried their best to plead guilty.
"What's the big deal?" Zhao Jiu turned around and still didn't take it seriously. "We've been worried for so many days. Today, the reinforcements have arrived. After all, we have isolated the oppression of the Jin people on the north bank. It's also a small victory. Plus, you old colleagues are gathering together, so it's natural to have a drink."
After all, Lu Haowen and the others had been drinking, and in their daze, they had no idea whether the emperor was in a bad mood and was deliberately being sarcastic, or was in a calm mood and was truly magnanimous, so they could only collectively apologize again, and then prepared to push Prime Minister Lu and Zhang Zhongcheng out to ask about military intelligence.
However, before these people could speak, Zhao Jiu calmly stepped aside, pointed at the two people behind him and said, "Imperial Censor Ma has just returned from his inspection of Jinghu and has something important to report. Zhang Longtu has also just returned, and I want to hear what he has to say. You have come at the right time, so let's listen together..."
Lu Haowen and others were confused, but after taking a look at the two elderly officials with long beards standing behind the emperor in the light of the fire, almost all of them broke out in a cold sweat instantly... It turned out that the Censor Ma was actually the Palace Attendant Censor Ma Shen who had gone to inspect Jinghu a long time ago; and the Zhang Longtu was none other than Zhang Suo, the former Hebei West Route Recruiting Envoy, who had experienced ups and downs with Li Gang before!
Let's talk about this Censor Ma. First of all, he was the one with the highest seniority among all the censors. Secondly, he was a senior in Taoism under Lu Hao (a direct disciple of Cheng Yi, who gave up his official position to become his disciple when the government banned Cheng school of thought). Thirdly, he was highly regarded by Prime Minister Li Gang, and had close relations with Xu Jingheng, the former Chief Censor and current Vice Prime Minister, as well as Zong Ze, the Privy Councilor and Governor of Tokyo. Finally, just by looking at his interpersonal relationships, one can guess that he was already a staunch advocate of war long before Zhang Jun jumped out!
In fact, if not for this, Censor Ma would not have been sent to Jinghu by the previous emperor.
As for Zhang Suo, there is no need to say more. He was basically Li Gang's right-hand man. He did not have the super qualifications of Deputy Marshal Zong Ze, but he was capable of becoming a general or a prime minister. He was previously demoted and was recalled to the Jinghu area. He was just coming back at this time and happened to arrive at Bagua Mountain.
In short, although these two people have not been involved with the imperial court because of the trip to Jinghu and the trip of exile, and have not encountered many troubles, their status, qualifications and reputation are there and cannot be questioned.
To put it bluntly, Ma Shen can replace Zhang Jun at any time, and Zhang Suo can also make Prime Minister Lu, who only has a little respect left, lose all his respect at any time. How can Lu Haowen, Zhang Jun and others not be afraid?
Back to the present, Zhang Suo was fine, and even bowed to Lu Haowen to say hello, but Ma Shen glanced at the group of drunkards with a little disgust, and then continued to report seriously:
"Your Majesty, before I came here, the rebellion in Xiangyang and Nanyang had been quelled. As for the rebel leader Li Xiaozhong, he is not the Li Xiaozhong who was wanted for impeaching Prime Minister Li for not knowing how to use troops during the Jingkang period. The latter has changed his name to Li Yanxian to avoid being wanted, and has joined the army in Hedong again. He is now fighting against the Jin army in Shanzhou and is very effective. I just don't know if Xing has passed on the news here..."
"The Tokyo Governor Zong Ze submitted a memorial as early as October last year, and I have already pardoned him. In addition, I also issued an edict a few days ago that anyone who is determined to resist the Jin army can be recruited and resettled locally. I believe that Governor Zong must have made arrangements there." The noise at the foot of the mountain was getting louder and louder, but Zhao Jiu remained calm and just continued to stand there and talk with Ma Shen.
When Lu Haowen and the others heard the noises coming from up and down the mountain, and with the alcohol getting to them, they felt as if they were in a dream and did not dare to make a sound.
"Yes." Ma Shen also paused for a moment before continuing to play with Emperor Zhao. "So, the Li Xiaozhong in Xiangyang and Nanyang was just a defeated soldier in the Jingkang Campaign. Because they knew Li Xiaozhong's reputation, but didn't know that Li Xiaozhong changed his name after being wanted, they thought he was dead, so they impersonated him. The two brothers, one named Li Xiaozhong and the other named Li Xiaoyi, used the other's name to lead a defeated army to cause chaos in Jinghu..."
At this point, Ma Shen could not help but look solemn: "Your Majesty, I impeach Huang Shuao, the former governor of Xiangyang and current Hubei Transport Commissioner, for fleeing without a fight and abandoning the famous city to the chaotic army, which led to the war lasting for several months! Afterwards, he also falsely reported military intelligence and deceived the central government!"
"Dismiss him!" Zhao Jiu nodded in agreement. "Go on... have the rebellious troops of Li Xiaozhong been dealt with? Has Xiangyang been recovered?"
"The rebels were dealt with naturally," Ma Shen replied sternly. "The rebels had no system and lost their strength after a few battles. They were easily driven away by Fan Qiong, the commander of the imperial camp. Now they have fled to southern Jing... However, I don't think Xiangyang can be considered recovered!"
"Is it Fan Qiong?" Zhao Jiu was no longer as ignorant as he was when he first arrived, and he sighed. "Because I killed Liu Guangshi?"
"It's not just Liu Guangshi..."
Ma Shen hurriedly responded, but he didn't expect that just when he said half of his words, a fire suddenly broke out at the water fort at the end of the passage on the west side of Baguan Mountain, followed by a roar like a tsunami... You must know that Emperor Zhao's imperial tent was set up in the north mountain of Linhuai Mountain. Although there was no direct passage connecting to the water fort, the straight-line distance was very close, so when the fire broke out, half of the mountain was illuminated red, and coupled with the noise so close, not to mention Lu Haowen and others who were dizzy before, even Ma Shen and Zhang Suo were stunned for a moment.
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