Upon receiving the letter, Liu Hong hurriedly opened it and read it. After seeing the contents of the letter, Liu Hong was stunned for a moment.
"What happened?" Dou Miao asked, noticing Liu Hong's strange expression.
"Mother, please look!!"
Liu Hong gave a wry smile and then handed the letter to Dou Miao.
"How... how could Duan Jiming be so ruthless?"
After reading it, Dou Miao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The officials naturally noticed the appearance of the emperor and empress dowager, and couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Even Chen Fan and others looked at Liu Hong on the throne with puzzled expressions.
"Zhang Rang, read it aloud to everyone!"
"promise!"
Zhang Rang took the letter and glanced at it briefly. He was startled, but quickly calmed down and read aloud:
"Your Majesty, Fu Xie, the Prefect of Jincheng, impeached Duan Jiong, the Protector of the Qiang and Marquis of Dingbian. During the Battle of Yishan, Duan Jiong decisively defeated the enemy, fought bravely, and protected the region. Your Majesty deeply admires him."
However, he actually ordered the massacre of prisoners without authorization, and nearly 20,000 people were killed. Such a cruel and outrageous act is rare in ancient times.
Since the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, although there were occasional invasions by barbarians on the border, a single royal army was enough to repel them. Furthermore, by influencing them with benevolence and righteousness, the barbarians all submitted to the emperor.
.....”
What followed was a long lecture citing classical texts, which essentially boiled down to one point: Duan Jiong's rampage of killing was against propriety.
The civil and military officials in the hall were also shocked. This Duan Jiong was so cruel that he killed 20,000 people without hesitation. Although they were Qiang people, they had once submitted to the Han Dynasty and could be considered subjects of the Han Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, Duan Jiong is cruel and has committed such an outrageous act against the natural order by arbitrarily massacring prisoners. This will not only intensify the conflict between the Han and the Qiang, but also damage the prestige of Your Majesty and the Han Dynasty. I request that Duan Jiong be severely punished."
One of the upright officials immediately stood up, looking furious, and the other officials echoed his sentiments, demanding that Duan Jiong be severely punished.
In an instant, the hero who was once praised became a butcher that everyone could criticize.
Seeing the indignant expressions of those upright officials, Liu Hong instantly understood Duan Jiong's intention.
Firstly, releasing these Qiang prisoners would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains, while keeping them would only waste food supplies, and soldiers would have to be sent to guard them in case they caused trouble.
Secondly, Duan Jiong probably wanted to use this to tarnish his reputation, fearing that his achievements would overshadow the emperor and arouse the suspicion of the court and the emperor.
"I am not a member of the Zhao family, what are you afraid of?" Liu Hong couldn't help but feel a little helpless.
Although Duan Jiong's actions had some impact on Liu Hong's plans, for the Han Dynasty at present, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, so Liu Hong did not intend to punish him severely.
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