Chapter 237: "False Claims" and the Outdated Firearms Era (Two-in-One)
As these words were uttered, the barracks fell silent.
The young military officers seemed not to have heard clearly or did not dare to believe it.
Dismissed from office...expelled from the capital camp...all of them?
Tang Ping, surrounded by the crowd, froze in thought: "What did you say?"
"Didn't you hear clearly?" At the door, the military judge who was wearing armor and carrying a sword glanced at him, as if he didn't recognize his identity, and repeated it again.
That's right.
All of them, dismissed from office, immediately, right now.
boom.
Inside the room, the military officers were stunned by the sudden bad news. Several of them immediately raised their voices and asked:
"Why?"
The head of the Military Law Department glanced at them and said:
"We are only following orders. Please don't waste time."
The words seemed to contain the word "please", but in fact they were devoid of emotion.
Everyone was still in shock, the only thing they could think of was the scene on the training ground that morning.
But...how is that possible?
Not to mention that their behavior did not violate any military law, even if they were convicted of contempt of superiors, it would be impossible to dismiss them all.
What's more.
It would have been fine if they hadn't been spared, but even the "young master" was not spared.
Who would dare to dismiss the future Duke of Zhenguo from his post because of such a small matter?
"I want to see Commander Shi." Tang Ping's face looked grim, but he didn't make a fuss. He stepped forward and said.
The head of the Military Court ignored him, not even looking at him, as if too lazy to talk nonsense. He waved his hand and said:
"Expel these people from the camp!"
"yes!"
Behind him, a group of soldiers known for their cold and ruthless nature rushed into the room.
"etc!"
"We want to see the Commander!"
A group of young officers subconsciously tried to resist, but Tang Ping stopped them in a stern voice:
"You want to resist the law? Listen to them!"
The young master was well versed in military law and knew that no matter what, if he took action against the Military Court, even with his status, he would not be able to protect these people.
Only then did everyone wake up and grit their teeth as they unwillingly had their official robes stripped off and their badges taken away.
Without even being given time to pack up, he was immediately escorted out of the Shenji Camp by soldiers from the Military Court.
The commotion here also attracted the attention of many people in the camp, but they didn't know why.
Out of respect for the Military Court, I just watched from afar.
However, just as a group of military officers were driven to the gate, Tang Ping Wufu's intuition made him stop, turn around, and look in the direction of the locked gaze behind him.
In the distance, at the entrance of the barracks belonging to the deputy commander, three figures were standing leisurely.
The leader was Zhao Duan with a smile on his face, followed by Hou Renmeng and Qian Kerou.
At this moment, the two looked at each other from a distance. Tang Ping clearly saw that Zhao Duan waved to him gently, as if saying goodbye.
The smile on his lips seemed to be mocking.
It’s really him!!
Tang Ping's face turned pale, a surge of blood rushed along his spine to his scalp, his eyes were bloodshot, and his fists were clenched in anger.
"What are you looking at?"
A hand pushed him out of the door as he lost his official position.
Tang Ping finally said nothing, turned around and strode away, leaving only one sentence:
"Let's go!"
He has lost his official position, but he is still the son of the Duke of Zhenguo. He wants to go home and ask someone for clarification!
At the door.
After watching the group of people disappear, Zhao Duan put down his hand and the smile on his face faded.
"Sir, I'm afraid the other party won't be willing to accept this... Moreover, with such a big commotion, aren't you worried about what the other military officers will think?" Qian Kerou couldn't help but ask softly.
Hou Renmeng also looked over.
Even with his courage, he was shocked by his master's handwriting, and couldn't understand how his master could do it.
"Xiao Rou," Zhao Duan looked at the distant autumn sky and said softly:
"You've been following me for so long, when have I ever cared about what these scoundrels think? Okay, I'm going back to my room to take a nap. If anyone wants to see me, please stop them for me."
As he said this, he stretched and went straight back to his room.
Only two subordinates were left looking at each other, thinking that there might be an explosion outside soon, and how could the master still have the mind to sleep.
…
…
Not long.
"What did you say?!" In the barracks of the commander of the Shenji Camp.
As expected, Shi Meng's face turned extremely grim when he learned about this major event:
"You said the military judges bypassed everyone else, stripped the young master and his men of their official robes, and kicked them out? Who gave them the guts?!"
The officer who came to report had cold sweat on his forehead as he presented an official letter stamped with the seals of the Ministry of War and the Empress:
"This was left by the military judges."
Shi Meng snatched it away and glanced at it, his expression gradually becoming more horrified.
How could he not guess? Was this what His Majesty meant?
But...why?
Then he thought about the people who were dismissed from office. They were all the people on the "list" that Zhao Duan asked for, the people who didn't give him face...
Beads of sweat slowly seeped out of the temples of this burly, dark-skinned warrior, who found it unbelievable.
Is it... just because of this?
Just because they didn’t give face to Mr. Zhao, more than a dozen military officers were dismissed?
"Sir, the news has spread now, and I'm afraid there will be trouble." The reporting officer reminded.
Shi Meng clutched the official letter, walked quickly out of the barracks, and went to find Zhao Duan.
Soon, as expected, they were stopped by the Lihuatang duo.
Shi Meng did not force his way in, but turned around and rode his horse straight into the city - since it involved His Majesty, it was no longer something he could handle alone.
…
Soon, in the Privy Council.
After listening to Shi Meng's report, Xue Shence, the top military officer in charge of military power in the Dayu Dynasty, was stunned for more than ten breaths.
Then, he stared at the official letter in his hand, which had never been approved by the Privy Council, and stared at the bright red seal.
Fell into silence.
In his mind, he couldn't help but recall that a few hours ago, he and Governor Wang were playing backgammon here, and speculated about Zhao Duan's possible "revenge".
But I never imagined that it would be such a sudden storm and such an exaggeration.
"Sir, please say something."
This time it was Shi Meng's turn to play the role of urging:
"If it's any later, I'm afraid the news will spread throughout the Beijing camp."
Xue Shence stood up and paced around the room.
This incident seemed to be just the dismissal of a dozen low-ranking officers, affecting the son of the Duke of Zhenguo... but in the eyes of high-ranking military officials such as Xue Shence, what they really cared about was the turmoil that this incident would cause in the army.
If it cannot be properly resolved, it will only breed resentment.
As the actual superior "department" of the Beijing Camp, the Privy Council will inevitably be under tremendous pressure.
The key lies in what your majesty means.
"Come with me into the palace and ask to see His Majesty in person." Xue Shence stopped and spoke.
Without delay, the two military officials rushed to the palace and met the Empress of Dayu in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
About half an hour later, the gatekeeper saw Xue Shence walking out of the palace with a gloomy face.
In the evening.
In the official circles of the capital, the news spread like wildfire that on the first day that Zhao Duan joined the Shenjiying, he used his power to dismiss the young master Tang Ping and more than a dozen military officers.
And an insider filled in the details of the story of Xue Shence entering the palace.
It is said that Xue Shence asked the empress why she was deposed, and the empress replied that it was a violation of military discipline.
Xue Shence asked again which military discipline had been violated, and the empress simply replied, "It's a false accusation."
It is difficult to tell whether this story is true or not, but the result is that Xue Shence returned to the Privy Council and pretended that nothing had happened, and Shi Meng also returned to the Shenji Camp in disgrace and did not try to resist again.
For a moment, all the ministers were shocked.
…
Baima Prison, the rear court.
Sun Lianying, with white hair on his temples, sat in a bamboo chair and couldn't help but be distracted after listening to the report from his envoy.
After waving his hand to send the people away, the old supervisor looked at the leaves above his head that were gradually turning yellow and muttered:
"What is this kid doing again?"
Imperial Court, Governor's Hall.
Ma Yan sat in the lobby, looking at the darker and darker clouds in the sky outside, and inexplicably recalled the scene when Zhao Duan went to the imperial court to make trouble.
I thought that beating the eldest princess's son and arbitrarily arresting officials were crazy enough.
Unexpectedly, he went a step further and beat the man to the ground with one move.
Inexplicably, Ma Yan actually felt a bit gloating: "This time, it's Xue Shence's turn to have a headache."
…
In the evening, Dong Xuan unexpectedly met Yuan Li again on his way home from Xiuwenguan.
"Has Grand Master heard about the mess Zhao Duan caused today?"
Yuan Qingyi rolled up his sleeves and asked with a smile.
The octogenarian Grand Tutor Dong glanced at the old sinner and shook his head.
"I only know that a group of reckless men who disobeyed military law were dismissed from office. Lord Yuan, what did Zhao Duan do?"
The elegant and handsome Imperial Censor laughed and laughed:
"Maybe I heard it wrong. I just keep thinking about how every time Zhao Duan steps into a government office, he always stirs up unrest there, and someone always ends up in trouble. I wonder whose turn it will be this time."
Bah... Didn't you instigate and promote Zhao to where he is today? Why are you pretending to be innocent... Dong Xuan shook his head and said:
"Let's wait and see."
He was actually very curious about what Zhao Duan wanted to do.
…
Li Mansion.
Under the cover of night, the "Little Minister" Li Yinglong, who no longer rode in a sedan chair, jumped off the carriage and hurried into the house. The servants along the way saluted him and addressed him as "Young Master".
Li Yinglong nodded perfunctorily, and waited until he entered the study before he lightened his footsteps, his face showing joy, and said excitedly:
"Father, there's something exciting to watch!"
Then, the young minister, who had visibly become more low-key since the last incident, repeated the original news he had received.
In the study, on the large and expensive desk, there are piles of excellent rice paper and a mountain of pen holders.
With his beard almost touching his temples, Li Yanfu, wearing loose and gorgeous clothes, is practicing calligraphy with a brush in his hand.
After An Jing finished listening to Li Yinglong's story, he slowly finished writing the last stroke of the word on the paper. With his other hand, he lifted his sleeve and said in a hoarse voice:
"so?"
Li Yinglong was beaming with joy:
"If Zhao Duan fights the military officials this time, isn't that a good thing for us?
Whether it was Your Majesty who wanted to move against the group of former emperor's old ministers headed by the Privy Council, or it was that the Zhao guy was getting too arrogant and self-righteous, now he has not only offended the Duke of Zhenguo, but also disgusted Xue Shence and his gang.
My son heard that there was a lot of discussion in the Beijing camp, and the imperial guards such as the Yulin Guard and the Jinwu Guard in the city had also received the news... A lot of military officers shared the same hatred for the enemy.
Haha, no matter what Zhao Duan had in mind, the chaos he had caused was probably beyond his expectations. If he couldn't handle it properly...
Oh, even if he is temporarily relied upon by His Majesty, after a few days, when His Majesty has defeated Wu Chen and needs to appease the soldiers, he will inevitably be pushed out..."
As he spoke, there was undisguised ferocity in his eyes.
The last grudge is deeply engraved in my mind.
"Are you done?"
Li Yanfu didn't even raise his head. He dipped the brush into the brush washing pool and turned the brush:
"But what does this have to do with you?"
Li Yinglong was speechless, realizing that he had made another mistake, and hung his head in shame.
Li Yanfu did not scold him, but said leisurely:
"True competition isn't about your opponent, it's about yourself... However, it's not wrong to keep an eye on this matter. Keep investigating, and report any changes immediately.
But remember, don’t get involved in anything and don’t even think about doing anything.”
Li Yinglong breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:
"That's what my father instructed. I will keep a close eye on him."
…
Unlike the top ministers in the court, they were curious and concerned about Zhao Duan's actions.
People speculated about the purpose behind Zhao Duan's actions and whether there was any conspiracy.
Most ordinary officials, not knowing the inside story, just watched the show with gloating delight.
And attributed Zhao Duan's behavior to: being too proud!
There are even some officials who think they are smart, who privately make firm judgments:
This time, Zhao Duan was used by the empress as a pawn to clean up the Wuchen Group.
But it is obvious which is more important, a favorite minister or the entire military officer group.
"The Zhao family is now in high spirits. Anyone dares to offend them, but sooner or later they will all be punished... Those warriors are not easy to deal with. Unlike civil officials, if you offend them, they will suffer."
However, these discussions from the civil service group were not taken seriously by the parties involved at all.
…
No words were spoken that night.
The next day.
When Zhao Duan arrived at the Shenji Camp again, he clearly felt that the atmosphere in the camp had changed.
The military officers and soldiers he met along the way all looked at him sideways, their eyes filled with awe and... an inexplicable resistance.
"Sir, we have inquired about the situation in the camp."
Not long after Zhao Duan sat down in his "office", Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng came to report with anxious looks.
"Oh? How is it?" Zhao Duan asked, sitting leisurely in the big chair with his hands folded.
Qian Kerou said worriedly:
"The dismissal of Tang Ping and others caused some disturbances at first, but it was quickly suppressed by Shi Meng.
At present, there is no trouble. The deposed military officer has been replaced by a deputy. However... the rumor in the army is that they lost their official position because they offended you."
The marquis folded his arms and said:
“To be precise, it’s not just the Shenji Camp, the same is true for the rest of the Jing Camp.
However, in the Shenji Camp, people are still in awe and fear of you, more than anything else... Originally, when you shot the arrow in the training ground yesterday, many soldiers had a different impression of you, but... now I'm afraid..."
He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was clear:
Everyone in the Shenjiying was generally dissatisfied with the newly appointed deputy commander.
I just forced myself to smile because of the authority.
"Yeah, I understand."
Zhao Duan did not look surprised, as if all the changes were within his expectations.
After briefly asking about the situation, he didn't continue the topic and said:
"Go and bring me the information on firearms in the Shenji Camp. I want the specific details."
The two looked at each other, responded, and turned to get it.
Soon, documents were delivered to Zhao Duan's desk.
With his official position second only to Shi Meng, he could review almost all the information of the Shenjiying.
Of course, Zhao Duan did not forget that his mission was to investigate the case.
On the first day of entering the Shenji Camp, he eliminated the destabilizing factors that threatened to intimidate him, and established his authority by "killing" people, thus gaining a firm foothold.
Then the next day, we should start the investigation.
Since the core of the case was about firearms drawings and the disappearance of related craftsmen, then... it is natural to start from here.
The Imperial Court and the Privy Council investigated repeatedly several times, but Zhao Duan was not so arrogant as to think that he could find any clues with just one move.
He wanted to see the information about firearms, but he just wanted to understand the situation in the camp first.
However, after he glanced through the information, a string of question marks slowly rose above Zhao Duan's head.
He raised his head and stared at his two men seriously:
"Anything else?"
The confidential secretary was stunned for a moment and shook his head:
"The key details of the camp are all here. Do you want something more trivial, my lord?"
"No," Zhao Duan pointed at the paper on the table with a serious expression and said:
"I mean, the firearms in the camp are... only these types?"
The two became increasingly bewildered, and Hou Ren nodded vigorously.
"Yes, I've checked it out too, and that's all. Any questions?"
Zhao Duan said nothing.
Is there a problem? Of course there is, and it’s a big problem!
Before this, his imagination of the Shenjinying was roughly in line with the situation in the Ming and Qing dynasties in history.
However, after reading the information in the camp, he was shocked to find that the firearms of the Dayu Dynasty were so backward and outrageous!
Do you have firearms? Yes.
But it only stays at the level of "rocket" and "artillery"!
Don't get me wrong.
The so-called "rocket" is gunpowder tied to an arrow, which is then shot out to cause damage - this is why the Shenjiying attaches great importance to archery during martial arts performances.
The "cannon", although the name is misleading, is actually a catapult, except that it throws out "explosive packs" instead of stones.
The most advanced firearms of the Shenjiying finally approached the level of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
It's called "fire lance".
But it was not the prototype of the future firearm that Zhao Duan thought it was. Instead, it was something similar to a gun barrel that needed to be carried on the shoulders, with gunpowder filled at the bottom and "bullets" stuffed in the front.
The so-called bullets can be arrows, which can be launched at the same time by using the thrust of gunpowder.
Or simply an iron bullet.
What the Prince Jing's Mansion sent people to steal were the design drawings of the "fire lance" and the craftsmen who made it.
This "fire lance" is a "new type of firearm" that Dayu has only perfected and manufactured in recent years.
This finally explains why the soldiers of the Shenjiying Camp never used firearms during training, but instead used spears.
Why didn't Shi Meng react immediately when he heard Zhao Duan say "musket"?
Because this "Shenjiying" is essentially a garrison camp composed mainly of infantry and cavalry, supplemented by firearms.
It cannot be said that the Dayu Dynasty did not have firearms, but they were far from being "developed" and were probably equivalent to the level of the Song Dynasty.
The "fire gun" that Zhao Duan was familiar with, that is, the fire gun with the prototype of a rifle... did not appear!
The famous Divine Fire Flying Crow...did not appear!
The more famous red cannon...did not appear!
As for the reason, it is very simple - peace has lasted too long!
During the 600-year reign of the Dayu Dynasty, although there were occasional small-scale battles, there were almost no real large-scale wars.
This resulted in no strong demand for the development of firearms... leading to slow progress in the entire technology tree.
…
"grown ups?"
In the room, Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng saw that he was in a daze for a long time.
I couldn't help but call out softly.
Zhao Duan suddenly came back to his senses, his eyes slightly shining, his heart beating like a drum in his chest, he suddenly said:
"Please ask Commander Shi to come over. I have something to say to him."
The two were confused, and Hou Ren nodded and left.
Qian Kerou stayed and couldn't help asking curiously:
"Sir, have you found any clues from this?"
Zhao Duan didn't say anything, but his expression was strange.
Clues? None.
but……
He suddenly realized that the clues were no longer important.
Because he has more important things to do.
If, after all the hard work Prince Jing had gone through, all they stole was an outdated item like a "fire lance"... then...
If I bring out more advanced firearms, how will you respond?
…
P.S.: The author went out to run some errands today and came back late. Plus, I was a bit stuck in my writing, so I'm late updating. This chapter is 5,000 words.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
