September 18th, the first year of Jian'an.
Under the command of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, Huo Qubing, the vanguard general of the Longcheng army's northern expeditionary force and a general of the Flying Cavalry, led 10,000 elite cavalrymen out of the northern desert to attack the Turks.
At the foot of Shifeng Mountain, they launched a night raid on the Turkic royal court, beheading and capturing more than 22,800 people.
Among them, they killed Timur, the Great Khan of the Turkic Empire, as well as thirteen leaders (and deputy leaders) of various Turkic tribes, and captured more than thirty people, including the Turkic Prime Minister's military advisor, Hurlie, generals, and officials.
Furthermore, they successfully rescued more than 29,000 men and women from the northern border region who had been abducted by the Turks.
After this battle, the main force of the Turks was captured by Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin. The Longcheng army swept through the northern desert, causing the empire to disintegrate. The remaining forces fled far away, and there was no longer a royal court in the northern desert.
Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin raised an army in Longcheng, following the call of the Jingnan Rebellion. He destroyed the Turks in the north and captured Yunzhou in the south, his momentum was unstoppable.
In just two months, they successively annihilated and captured more than 400,000 troops of the Xin Dynasty's Yunhui Army and Turkic soldiers, and have effectively controlled the northwestern region of the Xin Dynasty, including three major military towns and ninety-eight counties.
Such a sensational and shocking event has occurred in the northwest of the dynasty. Even if the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui wanted to conceal it, he could not hide it any longer!
In fact, when the news of Wu Qingyun, the Northwest General, being defeated in Yunzhou and dying on the battlefield reached the Prime Minister's residence in the capital, Qin Ruhui had already begun to prepare for the matter.
After news of the destruction of the Turkic Khaganate reached Qin Ruhui, he became even more emboldened.
This means that his sordid dealings over the past decade, in which he secretly instructed Wu Qingyun to embezzle funds and exploit soldiers, and to secretly collude with the Turks, have all been completely buried in the long river of history with the successive deaths of Wu Qingyun and Timur.
In addition, recently, Qin Ruhui has spared no expense in establishing connections with the trusted eunuchs around Wenren Yu, a favorite concubine in the harem.
He presented the rare treasures he had collected over the years, such as the luminous pearl, the nine-phoenix crown, the jade lotus, and the nine-exquisite white jade pagoda, to Consort Yu, so that she could whisper in Emperor Zhao Gan's ear to highlight the Prime Minister Qin's painstaking efforts and great contributions to the country and the nation.
Qin Ruhui was confident that with this series of actions, he should be able to keep his official position.
Therefore, he decided to confess everything to Emperor Zhao Gan as soon as the court assembly began the next day, and let Zhao Gan make the decision himself.
The next day.
In the Great Xin Dynasty court, on the Golden Palace.
Prime Minister Qin Ruhui, along with the entire court of officials, had been waiting for a long time. The weary-looking Emperor Zhao Gan finally arrived late, accompanied by his radiant and beautiful concubine, Wenren Yu.
As soon as Zhao Gan sat down on the dragon throne, he yawned and said, "My beloved ministers, if you have something to say, speak up; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"
Beside him, the naturally alluring concubine Wenren Yu nestled against Zhao Gan's chest like a little bird, obediently and quietly watching the court, her foxy eyes winking at Qin Ruhui.
The latter understood immediately, stood up and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, an urgent message arrived from the border last night: a great victory was achieved in the northern desert, and the Turkic Kingdom has been destroyed!"
"The Turkic Khan Timur, along with all the tribal leaders (and deputy leaders), were executed. The remaining rebels fled to the south of the Gobi Desert, and there was no longer a royal court in the north!"
hiss!
When Prime Minister Qin Ruhui uttered these words, all the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace were shocked!
Only Shen Guangming, the Minister of War who knew the truth, and Sun Heling, the Vice Minister of Rites and Imperial Envoy who had returned from Longcheng after overcoming numerous hardships, remained calm.
Soon, Qin Ruhui's cronies in the court stepped forward, clasped their hands in a gesture of respect, and congratulated Emperor Zhao Gan: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"The Turkic barbarians occupy the northern desert and frequently raid our border people, harass our borders, plunder resources, and indiscriminately kill innocent people. They are truly a major threat to the northwest border of the dynasty."
"When the late emperor was on the throne, he issued an edict ordering Prince Chen Polu to launch five expeditions to the northern deserts to attack the Turks, but all attempts failed!"
"Now, less than a year after His Majesty ascended the throne, the royal army of our great new dynasty has swept through the northern deserts and conquered the Turks, completely eliminating the banditry on the northwestern border. This is truly another great achievement that benefits the present and future generations!"
As he spoke, this henchman of Qin Ruhui knelt down in court, performed the three bows and nine kowtows, and loudly proclaimed:
"In ancient times, Emperor Wu of Han defeated the Xiongnu in the north and created the prosperous era of Emperor Wu of Han; now Your Majesty destroyed the Turkic state in September of the first year of Jian'an, and your achievements are comparable to those of Emperor Wu of Han."
"In my humble opinion, the Jian'an era of prosperity is just around the corner!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
After saying this, the official shouted "Long live the Emperor!" in court.
Upon seeing this, the other officials in the court also kowtowed and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
Hahaha!
On the dragon throne, Emperor Zhao Gan was in high spirits and laughed loudly.
That face, which clearly showed signs of excessive indulgence, was filled with a smug and self-satisfied expression.
In a moment of exhilaration, he shoved away his beloved concubine Wenren Yu, who was nestled in his arms, stood up, and paced back and forth in the Golden Palace. With one hand on his hip, he declared domineeringly, "Throughout my life, I have worked diligently and strived to govern with utmost care!"
"Opening the Grand Canal, sending troops to Southeast Asia, establishing the Silk Road, and defeating the Turks—which of these was not a great achievement that benefited the present and future generations?"
"Thinking back to when I first ascended the throne, the voices of doubt from the former officials and remnants of the old regime in the court were incessant. They obstructed my policies in every way and criticized the loyal ministers and generals I promoted—"
At this point, Zhao Gan abruptly changed his tone, his voice suddenly becoming sharp, and continued:
"Now, I want these former officials and remnants of the previous dynasty to open their eyes and see clearly whether I am a foolish ruler who died after only two generations, or a great emperor who created a golden age!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
In an instant, all the civil and military officials knelt down and shouted that the emperor was wise and benevolent.
Only Sun Heling, the Vice Minister of Rites, remained clear-headed and rational, even though he could only go with the flow in the court.
Hidden in the sleeve of his official robe were the "Proclamation to Pacify the Rebellion and Punish the Rebels" written by Prince Chen Huai'an, as well as evidence of the secret collusion between the Northwest General Wu Qingyun and the Turkic Khan Temur. He held them tightly in his hands, waiting for the right opportunity to present them to the emperor.
At this moment, Emperor Zhao Gan, the second emperor, was in high spirits and full of vigor on the throne. He immediately decided to reward the three armies.
Zhao Gan said, "Prime Minister Qin, draft an imperial edict to reward the troops guarding the northern border. All soldiers who participated in this campaign against the Turks shall receive three months' worth of pay as encouragement, and the commanders of centurions and chiliarchs shall be promoted one rank on the spot."
"As for generals and above, you should draft a list and submit it to the Ministry of War. Based on their military achievements, they may be granted titles and ranks as appropriate!"
"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable!"
Just then, an untimely voice rang out in the imperial court.
Then, amidst the astonished gazes of the court officials, Sun Heling, the Vice Minister of Rites, stepped forward without fear and faced the reigning Emperor Zhao Gan directly.
After performing the kneeling ceremony, Sun Heling said with a firm and resolute expression, "Your Majesty, I dare to advise Your Majesty to temporarily grant the imperial edicts to the soldiers on the northwestern border!"
"Um?"
In the Golden Palace, Zhao Gan's face darkened, exuding an imposing aura without anger.
Clearly, he did not want to hear such dissenting voices at this moment of imperial joy.
But when he recognized the person who had offered advice in the court, he still suppressed his displeasure and asked for the reason.
Zhao Gan said, "Hey, isn't this Minister Sun? When did you return to the capital from Longcheng?"
At this point, Zhao Gan suddenly remembered something and continued to ask:
"By the way, Minister Sun, you just returned from Longcheng. What's the progress on the matter of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin raising an army against the court and killing Wu Fengxian, the young general of the Yunhui Army?"
Sun Heling replied, "Your Majesty, this is a long story, and I hope Your Majesty will allow me to explain it in detail."
"Granted!"
Zhao Gan nodded, immediately indicating his approval.
After receiving the emperor's approval, Sun Heling slowly rose from the ground and, in front of the entire court, recited a poem:
"The village is desolate, suffering from drought and locusts year after year;"
"An old man works as a servant to pay off debts, a young child sells grain to pay taxes."
"The walls are broken, the wind howls through the house; the beams are crumbling, the moon seems to fall from the bed."
"But the shepherds refused to report the famine!"
brush!
Sun Heling's words shocked all the officials and civil and military officials in the Great Xin court.
Especially Qin Ruhui, the prime minister, whose cunning and treacherous face was furrowed with worry, his eyes glaring viciously at Sun Heling, as if he wanted to tear two ounces of flesh off him.
Sun Heling, this pedantic and stubborn old Confucian scholar, was clearly making veiled accusations—no, he was directly and blatantly impeaching himself, the current prime minister, to the emperor!
Why would an old scholar need a sword to kill someone? A few words from him can take a life!
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