Wow!
The moment Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin uttered these words, an uproar erupted in the council hall.
All the civil and military officials present turned their gazes, which had originally been directed at King Zhao Liu Xinwu, to Duke Jin Pang Xianchu.
Although at this time, Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin had not yet expressed a specific attitude on how to deal with the Youyun soldiers who participated in the rebellion.
However, it was not difficult to tell from his tone and demeanor that his opinion would be very different from that of Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, and Cui Sanyun, the Vice Minister of Justice.
As expected, Pang Xianchu's next words immediately drew the attention of all the civil and military officials in the council hall, who gasped in surprise.
Pang Xianchu continued slowly, "Your Majesty, I believe that since the rebel leader Liu Ziyu has been captured, and his loyal generals are either dead or captured,..."
"Therefore, this Youyun mutiny should come to an end here. It should not be escalated further, and even less should the border troops be purged in a large-scale manner, especially given the new dynasty's establishment and the presence of powerful enemies on all sides."
"I believe that the generals of the Youyun armies above the rank of chiliarch who participated in the mutiny should be dealt with according to the degree of their involvement. Those lower-ranking generals and frontline soldiers, even those below the rank of chiliarch, should not be held responsible for their participation in the mutiny."
"After all, these frontline officers and soldiers participated in this mutiny only because they obeyed orders from their superiors!"
After a pause, Pang Xianchu continued, "In the past few days, I have interviewed no fewer than a hundred frontline officers involved in this mutiny, and have learned some information from them that I was not previously aware of."
"These frontline officers and soldiers all have feelings for the Emperor and the Tang Dynasty. The reason why the vast majority of them participated in this mutiny was because they were misled by the rebel leader Liu Ziyu and were bound by the strict discipline of the army."
They all believed that this uprising to quell the rebellion was to purge the treacherous officials from the court, restore the Tang Dynasty, and fight for loyalty and righteousness.
"But little did we know that all of this was fabricated by Liu Ziyu, the culprit!"
Finally, Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin concluded his speech, saying, "Your Majesty, esteemed officials, regardless of the circumstances, these frontline soldiers from the Youyun region were all once part of Your Majesty's southern expeditionary army under the Longcheng command;"
"Most of them sacrificed their lives and shed their blood for the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, making outstanding contributions."
"Their participation in the mutiny was not their own intention, but rather they were instigated and coerced by the bandit leader Liu Ziyu, and were ultimately forced to do so."
"Now that the mutiny has been quelled and the matter of the rebel leader Liu Ziyu spreading heresy has been clarified, if we really kill all the generals with more than one hundred households in the armies of Youyun Prefecture and their nine clans, who among the soldiers stationed on the border will still be willing to risk their lives for the court in the future?"
"Furthermore, the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions and the Abbasid Caliphate, which is currently on an eastern expedition, are all watching how we handle this Youyun Mutiny."
"A single misstep could lead to disaster!"
"I implore Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider!"
After Pang Xianchu's heartfelt speech, the large council hall fell into an eerie silence once again.
Suddenly, a voice as loud as thunder rang out: "Your Majesty, this humble general also agrees with the Duke of Jin's opinion; it is not advisable to start a massacre at this time!"
The one speaking was none other than Zhao Zilong, who was temporarily appointed as the commander of the Imperial Guard of the Tang Dynasty!
The Battle of Juyong Pass made Zhao Zilong famous.
Although the civil and military officials in the court did not know Zhao Zilong's background, they admired his bravery on the battlefield and, seeing that he was highly regarded by the emperor, they respected him even more.
Zhao Zilong stepped forward, bowed to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, and then explained his views in detail: "Your Majesty, this humble general fought against the rebel forces of various prefectures in Youyun for several days outside Juyong Pass;"
"On the battlefield, I could feel the deep affection that the frontline soldiers of the various prefectures of Youyun had for both the Emperor and the Tang Dynasty."
"It was precisely because of their loyalty and righteousness that they were able to strengthen their fighting convictions on the battlefield, and further demonstrate their formidable combat power and fighting will."
"In their eyes, they were all fighting for the Emperor and for the Tang Dynasty!"
Zhao Zilong continued, "It wasn't until they realized they had been tricked that they finally understood, and they even laid down their weapons on the battlefield, choosing to return to the Emperor and the court."
"This shows that these frontline officers and soldiers are still loyal to the Emperor and the Tang Dynasty; they were simply misled by treacherous officials before."
"Since they all have the blood of the Tang Dynasty flowing in their veins, and are soldiers who are absolutely loyal to the Emperor and the court, the responsibility for the Youyun Mutiny should not be imposed on them!"
yes!
The responsibility for the Youyun mutiny should not be placed on the front-line Youyun soldiers at the grassroots level!
However, regardless of the circumstances, their involvement in the rebellion is an undeniable fact. If the punishment is harsh but then lenient, it would not be enough to convince the public.
For other emperors, dealing with this matter might have been a headache and a difficult task.
However, for Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who possesses the "Born to be an Emperor" system, this is not a problem at all. He can produce an unlimited number of troops and has countless ways to properly handle the Youyun Mutiny.
Whether it was following the suggestion of Li Jingyu, the Minister of War, to execute all military officers of the rank of 100 or above who participated in the rebellion, along with their nine generations of relatives, or following the suggestion of Pang Xianchu, the Duke of Jin, to pardon officers of the rank of 1,000 or below, it was all up to Chen Huai'an's whim.
Even if he were to wipe out all the soldiers and civilians of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, he could restore the population and military equipment overnight.
The only thing that puzzled Chen Huai'an was whether the Tang Dynasty he wanted to create was a golden age that he would create by slightly utilizing the [Born to Be an Emperor] system in the original historical process, thus creating a golden age belonging to his Zhaowu Emperor.
Or is it that he relied entirely on the "Born to be an Emperor" system to endlessly produce troops, supplies, and weapons, so that the prosperous Zhaowu era he created was filled with the figures of "system NPCs" everywhere?
After only a moment's hesitation, Chen Huai'an made his decision.
He ultimately chose to respect the course of history, and under no circumstances did he want the prosperous Tang Dynasty he created to have "system NPCs" among ordinary people.
Chen Huai'an decided to adopt the suggestions of Duke Pang Xianchu of Jin and Zhao Zilong, the commander of the Imperial Guard.
Cough cough!
Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, coughed twice, and the council hall fell silent. All the civil and military officials present turned their attention to Emperor Zhaowu, waiting for him to make his final judgment on the rebel soldiers of the "Youyun Mutiny".
Chen Huai'an said, "My beloved ministers, I have carefully considered all the opinions and suggestions you have put forward regarding how to handle the Youyun Mutiny."
"Whether it's Lord Li and Lord Cui's suggestion of 'using harsh measures in chaotic times,' or Duke Jin and General Zhao's proposal of 'governing the world with benevolence,' I believe both are reasonable."
"but--"
Then, Chen Huai'an changed the subject, saying, "After much thought, I believe that the responsibility for the Youyun Mutiny lies not only with Marquis Liu Ziyu of Wuyi, but also with me."
"If I had stripped Liu Ziyu of his military power after the founding ceremony and conferment of titles, allowing him to remain a leisurely earl in the capital, perhaps this tragedy would not have occurred."
"In this Youyun Mutiny, more than 30,000 soldiers died in battle. They were all brave warriors of our Great Tang Dynasty, who had made great contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty."
"Things have already come to this point, and enough people have died in this mutiny; there is no need to add any more unnecessary bloodshed and death!"
As Chen Huai'an spoke, he stood up and said, "I have decided to pardon all officers and soldiers below the rank of commander in this Youyun Mutiny, and allow them to retire and return to their fields."
"After fighting for half their lives, it's time for them to return to their hometowns to retire and spend time with their parents, wives, and children!"
"As for the generals with a rank of one thousand or above, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice will jointly investigate their cases. After ascertaining the extent of their involvement in the mutiny, they will be dealt with according to the provisions of the Great Tang Code!"
"At the same time, I will also issue an edict of self-reproach, to give an explanation to the people and officials of the court regarding this Youyun mutiny!"
"That's enough, court adjourned—"
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