Yue Fei's old boss, Zhang Yanliang, commander of the Pingding Army, was killed in action and replaced by his deputy commander, Bai Wanli, who was indecisive and somewhat arrogant.
Yue Fei invited him to attend the Taiyuan Conference, and he wanted to go. However, he felt that Yue Fei, once a lieutenant commander in the Pingding Army, was now a nobody. If he wanted to go, Yue Fei had to come and invite him personally, otherwise he would lose face.
Yue Fei went to Yuanshuo to command the general to kill Wang Bolun, and then quickly rushed to Daizhou to surrender Xia Dechao. But he did not come to pacify the rebellion.
Yue Fei did not come, but sent two of his subordinates to meet Bai Wanli.
The worst thing is that these two soldiers were once small soldiers in the Pingding Army.
At the Pingding Army camp, Bai Wanli sat in his tent, watching the two soldiers. "Yue Fei has been promoted to the Shanxi Provincial Governor and Grand Marshal of Zhenxi. This brings honor to the Pingding Army, and I'm very happy! Why didn't Yue Fei come himself?"
The two soldiers stood at the bottom, one of them carrying a bundle.
The soldier carrying the bag said, "Marshal Yue is busy with military duties and cannot come. Marshal Yue sent someone to inform the general three days ago. Why didn't the general go?"
Shit, one man's rise to power brings prosperity to his family. Two soldiers are now so arrogant, daring to be disrespectful to this general. Bai Wanli was furious: "If Yue Fei doesn't come to invite me, I won't go!"
These local warlords all have hot tempers. Otherwise, they would not be able to lead the troops.
The soldier said, "Although General Yue is not here in person, he has sent a small group of us to give you a gift."
Bai Wanli looked at the bundle in his hand: "Are you talking about this?"
“Really!”
Bai Wanli waved his hand: "Show it up!"
The soldier presented the bundle, and Bai Wanli untied it with his hands. A human head with closed eyes suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Bai Wanli was shocked and fell off his chair. He pointed at the head tremblingly: "This, this..."
The soldiers clasped their fists and said, "General, the commander of the Yuanshuo Army disobeyed orders and refused to attend the Taiyuan meeting. General Yue personally beheaded him. Tomorrow at 1:00 AM, General Yue will be waiting for you in Taiyuan Prefecture."
Bai Wanli still had some temper left in him, and he said tremblingly: "I, I, I will definitely go there early tomorrow morning."
"I'll take my leave!"
"Hahaha, my coronation ceremony coincides with Master Zhong's great victory. It can be said to be a double happiness." Zhao Huan personally walked down from the Zichen Hall and shook Zong Shidao's hand and said happily.
This frightened Zhong Shidao so much that he quickly said, "Your Majesty, this is such a great favor. I am deeply terrified."
"Congratulations, Master Zhong, on your return!"
"Old Zhong, at his advanced age, fought hard against the Jin bandits. He is still as strong as he was in his prime."
All the ministers immediately started to flatter him.
And then there was the old, sour scholar who, to Zhao Huan's distaste, stroked his beard and said, "When I left, the fighting was over, and when I returned, the clouds broke and the moon was obscured. I have been a worm all my life, but now I know that dying on the battlefield is truly a heroic act."
Zhao Huan walked over and shook Zhong Hong's hand: "General Zhong Hong is young and promising. He even cut off Wanyan Zongwang's head in Xiongzhou. I admire your youthful valor."
Zhong Hong frowned slightly: This emperor is so frivolous, but it is not convenient for him to get angry in the hall, so he can only bow and say: "I am entrusted with the grace of the emperor, and I will fight bravely to repay my country."
Zhao Huan seemed very satisfied and patted him on the shoulder. "Zhong Shidao will be promoted to the first-class Grand Marshal of the Eastern Front, with a reward of 5,000 strings of silver and 1,000 pieces of cloth and silk. Zhong Hong will be promoted to the General of Loyalty and Righteousness, with a reward of 3,000 strings of silver and 500 pieces of cloth and silk."
"We thank the Lord for His great grace!"
Zhao Huan waved his hand and said, "Dismiss the court! Master Zhong, please allow Zhong Hong to stay and dine with me in Wende Hall!"
In the Wende Hall, Zhao Huan sat at the center, with Zhong Shidao and Zhong Hong at either side. Cao Dongsheng waited on the side, and there was no one else.
Zhao Huan raised his glass and said, "General Zhong, General Zhong Hong. You two must be displeased with my affair with Jin, right?"
Zhong Shidao stood up hurriedly: "This old minister dare not."
Zhong Hong was young and full of vigor. He put down his wine glass heavily and said, "Your Majesty, our Song army is growing stronger day by day. The Jin thieves' Eastern Route Army has been completely defeated by our troops. Why should we still pay them annual tribute? I am stupid and I beg Your Majesty to give me an explanation."
"How dare you!" Zong Shidao glared at him angrily. Since ancient times, great achievements have always frightened the ruler. Even the most enlightened emperor would be afraid of you commanding an army and gaining power.
Civil officials could curse the emperor and oppose him. Civil officials had no military power, and the emperor would not punish them because he might think what they said made sense, or he might be deliberately forbearing in order to appear benevolent to the world.
If a general is dissatisfied with the emperor, no matter how high his rank is or how great his merits are, he will be killed without a burial place. If a general is suspected, the emperor will not be satisfied unless he grinds his bones to dust.
This child didn't know how treacherous the officialdom was, and Zhong Shidao secretly worried about Zhong Hong.
"Your Majesty, I have failed to discipline this ignorant child. I will punish him severely when I return! I hope Your Majesty will consider his youth and innocence, and that he has made some contributions, and forgive his mistakes."
At this time, Zhao Huan was no longer as frivolous as before, but more calm and composed in planning and strategizing.
He looked at Zhong Hong coldly. For some reason, Zhong Hong didn't dare meet his gaze. It wasn't just because he was the emperor, but because of the invisible imperial aura that emanated from Zhao Huan.
As expected, Zhao Huan's eyes flashed with a fierce look, but it was fleeting. Zhong Hong felt a chill run down his spine.
Zhao Huan had no choice but to endure. The Song Dynasty had been plagued by Zhao Ji for decades, and this rotten edifice could collapse at any moment. It wasn't just one wise ruler who could turn the tide and change the situation. Just like the late Ming Emperor Chongzhen, who was considered a diligent emperor, he was still powerless to reverse the situation.
Zhao Huan could only deceive the world by pretending to be a frivolous, dissolute emperor. Therefore, he often made some extraordinary moves in the palace. This made the important officials think that the emperor was incompetent and posed no threat to them. In this way, Zhao Huan could gradually clip their wings and firmly grasp the imperial power in his own hands. Of course, this would take time.
The execution of the six thieves was purely accidental. If the six thieves had not been so rampant and unpopular, causing dissatisfaction among the court and the people, Zhao Huan's rash actions against them would have caused social unrest long ago.
Zhao Huan was extremely cautious when taking action against Li Bangyan. To this day, some ministers still believe that Li Bangyan's death was due to the involvement of his prodigal son. Taking action against Li Bangyan was indeed a highlight of Zhao Huan's political skills. The capture of the dignified Junior Prime Minister and Right Prime Minister did not cause any opposition from the pro-peace faction led by Bai Shizhong, which was truly remarkable.
Since there was no one else around, Zhao Huan laid it all out to them: "If I don't negotiate, how can I recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and revive the Song Dynasty?"
Zong Shidao's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Zhao Huan then revealed his thoughts in full, shocking Zhong Shidao and Zhong Hong to the point of being overjoyed. They knelt down and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the king!"
From then on, the relationship between the monarch and his subjects became more harmonious, and Zhong Hong even cursed and swore allegiance until death.
PS: Readers, there's not much to say about this chapter. So let me ask you: during the Chinese New Year, have you returned home to reunite with your loved ones? I wish you all a happy new year and happiness to your families.
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