Chapter 274 Orders the Crown Prince to lead troops to quell the rebellion
Seven days later, at the morning court session, Japan was to discuss sending the second prince to lead troops to the southeast to suppress the rebels and recover lost territory.
The second prince and the crown prince stood side by side. The second prince would occasionally cast a smug look at the crown prince, which infuriated the crown prince.
The crown prince glared back.
The second prince glanced at the crown prince again, and the crown prince glared at him again.
What are you glaring at? Are you trying to see who has bigger eyes?
The emperor entered the hall and sat on the dragon throne. The officials knelt to greet him. With a word to rise, the officials stood up.
Suddenly, a minister stepped forward and reported to the emperor that bandits from Dajing had crossed the border and were burning, killing, and looting within the territory of Dazhou. The Dingzhou Zhenbei Army turned a blind eye to this, and more than three hundred civilians had already died at the hands of the bandits.
Someone leaked this information.
Then, the princelings added fuel to the fire, accusing the second prince of dereliction of duty.
This matter has already spread throughout the north, and it cannot be kept secret if anyone is sent to the northern border to inquire and investigate.
The second prince had a bad feeling in his heart, knowing that the other party was coming for him, and quickly stepped forward and said: "Lord Huang is exaggerating. There are no more than three hundred people, at most more than thirty."
He knelt before the emperor above him to plead guilty, “Father, I know I was wrong. I ordered the soldiers to prioritize peace talks and not to resist the rampant bandits of Da Jing who were killing the people. They misunderstood my intentions, which led to this disaster. I know I was wrong, and I will do my utmost to turn the tide and wipe out those bandits who crossed the border and committed atrocities, so that the dead people can rest in peace!”
He had already manipulated the numbers; the bodies were either dragged into the mountains and buried alive or burned.
More than three hundred people? According to his subordinates, the dead numbered five or six hundred.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince said there were more than 300 people, which is definitely an exaggeration, indicating that the information they received was inaccurate.
The second prince defended himself, saying, "Father, it's common for the two countries to have occasional frictions on their borders. Our Great Zhou has also crossed the border to kill the people of Great Jing."
"Your Majesty, I have indeed erred. I have only recently taken command of the Zhenbei Army and am not yet familiar with military affairs. I beg Your Majesty to grant me another chance, to allow me to lead the army to quell the rebellion in the southeast and atone for my sins through meritorious service!"
The emperor hesitated for a moment, just about to agree.
The Crown Prince pointed at the Second Prince, his face full of disappointment, "Second Brother, are you confused? How can you be so slow to act? The rebels in Jiangnan are causing havoc in the region. If the borders also become chaotic, with internal and external troubles and wolves lurking around, the entire Great Zhou will be in chaos."
An elderly general with gray hair in the court wept bitterly, “Your Majesty, I have heard that General Gu’s entire family was tragically killed by enemy bandits on his way to retire to his hometown!”
"What? General Gu is dead? The old general had made great military achievements and had not committed any major mistakes. He died on his way home. The morale of the army is unstable, a mutiny has broken out, and the northern frontier is in chaos."
"If the northern border falls into chaos, the Great Jing will surely take advantage of the situation and invade. If we cannot hold them off in the north, the capital will be in grave danger. What should we do?"
...
The court was abuzz with discussion, demanding that the culprit, the Second Prince, be punished. The Emperor could not protect him, nor could he allow him to lead troops to Jiangnan again.
They changed their minds and ordered the Crown Prince to lead an army of 150,000 to reclaim the lost territories of Jiangnan within three months.
The Second Prince's military power in the Zhenbei Army was revoked, and he was confined to his quarters for a month. His salary for one year was withheld and used to comfort the people of the northern frontier who had lost their loved ones.
Furthermore, General Ye was dispatched to oversee the northern frontier.
The crown prince happily accepted the order and solemnly promised the emperor that he would definitely recover the lost territory within three months, capture the rebel leader alive, and behead him.
The Second Prince's Residence.
Ever since the Second Prince left court, the sounds of smashing and breaking inside the house have never stopped, and the staff of the mansion are waiting outside the study.
The second prince smashed everything he could in the room, let out a few angry roars of resentment, and then calmed down and sat on the platform.
"Get in here, all of you!"
He hasn't lost yet; he will never admit defeat until the very last moment!
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince, very good, they actually joined forces to deal with him.
“Your Highness, every cloud has a silver lining. The Crown Prince has never been on the battlefield before, and the rebels are at the height of their power. They may not be a match for them. If they are defeated, you will be the best candidate. Also, there are the mines in Jiangling. Our focus should be on mining now.”
"I was too hasty. Father-in-law is right. Please have a seat!"
The British Duke's eyes searched left and right, and finally found a chair that had been kicked over in the corner.
An aide quickly went over and brought him a chair to sit down. "Please sit down, Duke!"
Every time, the Duke had a way to calm the furious Second Prince down and spare them a few scoldings. When the Duke wasn't around, they couldn't appease his anger and would be scolded. They lived in constant fear, because money was hard to earn and death was even harder to bear!
...
Liao's men in Beijing arrived in Jiangling and were about to lead their team out the next day, but they were detained in Jiangling.
The imperial court dispatched Censor He, who was stationed in Xuzhou, to the south to investigate the death of the Marquis of Jiangling. The final investigation concluded that he had indeed committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
Interrogating the advisors of the Marquis of Jiangling's residence, they found evidence of Li Cheng's collusion with the bandit leader on the river.
Eunuch Liu was the emperor's man, and he treated Zhao Xuan with some respect, so he didn't make things difficult for the exiled group.
Eunuch Liu submitted a memorial to the Emperor reporting several major events in Jiangling and inquiring whether the family members should be escorted back to the capital.
The Emperor was preoccupied with the war in Jiangnan and had no time to deal with the affairs of Jiangling. He just wanted to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and avoid any mishaps.
He quickly issued an imperial edict, ordering it to be delivered to Jiangling by fast horse, so that the Marquis of Jiangling and his family could be exiled to Lingnan with the exile team.
The officers and soldiers escorted the prisoners on horseback, while the prisoners rode in horse-drawn carriages. The procession traveled for a day and a night before finally catching up with the exiles and handing the prisoners over to Lao Liao.
Old Liao asked the soldiers, "Did they pay extra for cutting in line by thirty or forty people?"
The officers coldly replied with two words, "No!"
He then rode away, leaving only a cloud of dust in the air.
Resigned to his fate, Lao Liao led the team on their way.
And so, the Li family also embarked on their journey of exile.
Among the exiled group on foot, several carriages were the most conspicuous, with the Third Prince and the Xiao family both riding in them.
The escorts only had one donkey cart for carrying goods, and the prisoners traveled on foot just like ordinary exiles.
The people in the group were used to it.
Li Yuying missed the carriages she used to ride in when she was a young lady of high society, and didn't want to walk at all. Pointing at the carriages in front of her, she said, "Why do they get to ride in carriages?"
Old Liao was furious about the government's practice of adding more people but not more money, and Li Yuying just happened to walk into the line of fire.
He lashed the ground with his whip and sneered, "Why? Because they pay more silver!"
It took nearly two months to train the previous batch of exiled prisoners to be obedient, and now another group of reckless fools have arrived. It's really annoying.
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