Chapter 236 Zhao Duan's Revenge
Chapter 236 Zhao Duan's Revenge
Although Mo Chou could not hide her curiosity, she said nothing in the end and rode back to the palace to report.
She knew that His Majesty must be waiting for news from Zhao Duan's first day in office.
It's not just the empress. In fact, there are more people paying attention to today's news than many people imagine.
After all, Zhao Duan's every word and action now represents the will of the empress to some extent.
"Sir, what should we do next?" Qian Kerou asked in a low voice as she watched the carriage go away.
Hou Renmeng also looked eager to try: "Where should I start the investigation?"
Zhao Duan stretched out his body, looking lazy, and walked towards the military camp:
"Investigate what? This general came to the Shenji Camp to gain experience, but he has no other purpose. Keep your mouth shut. After we leave, they will host a banquet for us, so we can't let them down."
Qian Kerou and Hou Renmeng looked at each other and bowed:
"Yes."
I always feel like the adults are plotting against someone again.
……
Privy Council.
It is the solemn and awe-inspiring "office" of the Privy Councilor.
Xue Shence, the "Great Yu Divine General" wearing a second-rank military lion robe, with a fair complexion and a beard on his chin, holds a wooden stick with a slender handle and a flat round end in his hand.
He used the end of the chessboard to push a solid black chess piece forward one square.
This is a unique chess game of the Dayu Dynasty, called "Shuanglu".
Different from Go which is loved by scholars and literati, backgammon in this world was derived from the arrangement of military formations.
Therefore, it is loved by military generals.
At this moment, the person sitting opposite Xue Shence and playing chess with him was a thin second-rank official in his fifties.
It was the "Privy Councilor" who was in charge of clerical work in the Privy Council, and whose status was just below that of the Privy Councilor.
"Master Xue is in a good mood today and has the time to play backgammon with me, but what's the good news?"
The middle-aged governor looked relaxed, his eyes fixed on the chessboard, and spoke.
Even when Xue Shence was playing games, he kept his back straight. He shook his head when he heard this.
"What good news is there? Don't you know me? I was worried, so I played chess to calm my mind. It's your turn now."
The middle-aged governor threw down the dice, looked at the points, and pushed a red chess piece with the stick in his hand, saying:
"Worried? Is it because today is the day Zhao Duan takes office?"
Xue Shence's eyes were calm. He seemed absent-minded while playing chess. He said self-deprecatingly:
"Master Wang, why do you have to ask when you already know the answer? I wonder how many eyes in the capital are watching our excitement today... Oh, a fourth-rank assistant official's appointment has touched so many people's hearts."
Magistrate Wang remained silent.
Both sides knew that those people in the capital were not looking at Zhao Duan, but at His Majesty's actions.
This was completely different from when Zhao Duan went to the imperial court and no one was interested.
This time, not only the top figures in the military group felt they were facing a formidable enemy.
Groups of civil officials such as the "Li Party", the "Qingliu Party" and even the "Huang Party" were also watching with gloating.
After His Majesty had dealt with the civil officials, he began to turn his attention to the military generals... This was something that everyone knew, but they tacitly agreed not to mention.
"Didn't Lord Xue give instructions long ago? Although Shi Meng looks crude, he is actually a talented person. I think he will be able to arrange it properly." Governor Wang comforted.
In fact, it’s more than just the Shenjiying.
Even the commanders of the "Five Army Camp" and the "Three Thousand Camp" belonging to the Beijing Camp were instructed one by one by the military officials of the Privy Council headed by Xue Shence.
There is only one requirement:
During this sensitive period, don't provoke that King Zhao. Wait until his term of office ends!
Xue Shence shook his head, picked up the dice, and felt a little uneasy.
"Dengdengdeng..."
At this time, footsteps approached in the courtyard, and a low-ranking military officer ran to the front of the hall and stopped to report:
"Reporting to the Privy Council, the commander of the Shenji Camp has sent a message."
The two people playing chess looked up and said in unison:
"Say!"
"Yes!" The military officer immediately described the situation in detail.
He had only said half of the result when the two people playing chess in the hall felt a pang in their hearts.
What you fear will come true. No matter how many warnings you give, something unexpected still happens.
After listening to the second half, Xue Shence and Governor Wang looked at each other in silence.
Given their level, they don’t care about Zhao Duan’s level of cultivation.
What they care about is the signal sent by Zhao Duan's behavior of "calling a deer a horse".
"Here comes with bad intentions," Governor Wang sighed.
"I've heard that Zhao Duan is no ordinary man. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved... This simple move not only resolved the crisis, but also declared his status...
If the 'young master' troubles him, he will suffer. He will be used as a pawn to establish his authority."
Xue Shence waved his hand, ordered the soldiers to retreat, snorted coldly while holding the dice, and said unhappily:
"It's better to teach him a lesson at the hands of the man surnamed Zhao. Relying on his background as the Duke of Zhenguo, he is used to having smooth sailing in the army and dares not listen to Shi Meng. This time, he will learn a lesson. The Duke of Zhenguo can't even complain."
This result was slightly better than he expected.
Although there were still some mistakes, the situation was not bad.
Even if Zhao Duan wanted to make something of himself, he had to consider the Duke of Zhenguo.
The key is……
As long as it doesn't involve the Privy Council, it's fine.
Governor Wang also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile:
"Guess how Zhao Duan will establish his authority? I'm afraid these rascals won't be able to escape with just a few blows from the military sticks."
Xue Shence said calmly:
"It's better to give him a beating. It's not easy for us to beat him in the past. Zhao is not afraid of offending people, so it's a good opportunity to use him."
As he said that, he casually threw the dice, and it spun around and it was the biggest "six".
From the beginning to the end, the greatest "revenge" the two men could think of from Zhao Duan was just beating with a military stick.
After all... he is the next generation of the Duke of Zhenguo.
He is not comparable to the ordinary sons of nobles or dandy young men.
……
……
In the royal palace, in the royal study.
Xu Zhenguan stood with his hands behind his back, in front of the window, and listened to Mochou's story.
"So, he only used one arrow to gain a foothold?" The Empress Dayu, dressed in white as white as snow and with long black hair like a waterfall, was still not satisfied and asked softly.
Mo Chou stood with her head down, groaned, and nodded helplessly:
"Although his methods were... a little special, the thousands of soldiers were indeed in awe of him. The arrogant and brave generals in the Shenji Camp were also obedient on the surface."
"You should learn more from him," Xu Zhenguan turned around, with a slight smile on his flawless face:
"Many people know how to establish authority in the military, but not many can really do it well."
I'm not as shameless as him... Mo Chou muttered in her heart and presented the list full of words:
"He also wrote this, saying that His Majesty must fulfill his promise."
Xu Zhenguan's phoenix eyes flickered, and she raised her hand, and the list fell into her green jade hand.
A moment of silence.
"That's all you said?"
"That's all I said."
"...I understand." The empress picked up a pen, wrote a simple letter, and threw it to her, "Go and do it."
Mo Chou was confused and didn't know what it meant. She lowered her eyes and glanced at the contents of the handwritten letter. She was stunned and looked at the empress in surprise. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something.
"Don't ask any more questions, just do it."
"…I obey your command."
Wait for Mochou to leave.
From the imperial study, a faint and helpless sigh came from the empress:
"You……"
It really makes me worry.
……
……
Shenji camp.
The military camp today is destined to be restless.
After the morning drill was completed, news about the conflict between the "young master" and the new "Zhao Chenshi" spread throughout the Shenji Camp.
It quickly spread to the two major camps of fellow soldiers, the "Five Armies" and the "Three Thousands", which belonged to the Beijing Camp.
Countless soldiers were keen on the discussion.
There are three hot topics.
First, how high is Zhao Duan’s cultivation level?
The grace of drawing the bow with one hand really left a deep impression on the soldiers.
The second is a piece of gossip about "calling a deer a horse" and the reason why the young master left in anger.
However, this is limited to private discussions.
As for the third one...
"Boom boom boom!"
There was a knock on the barrack door.
Tang Ping, who was studying a military book in the room, said, "Come in."
The door opens.
A dozen low-ranking young military officers swarmed in, looking angry:
"Young Master, are you still keeping your composure? People outside are talking about how your limelight has been overshadowed by that Zhao guy. Some even say..."
"Oh, what did you say?"
Tang Ping was not wearing armor at the moment, only ordinary military clothes, with his hair simply tied up, but his eyebrows and eyes were still handsome.
A military officer said angrily:
"That guy surnamed Zhao asked our names. He must be trying to retaliate against us."
The others also started talking:
"That Zhao is a vindictive person by nature. Anyone who has offended him in the past has been retaliated against..."
"This villain was setting a trap for you, young master, on the training ground before!"
"That's right! He did it on purpose! I'm afraid he has been wanting to attack us to establish his authority!"
They already knew the news that Zhao Duan destroyed the target with one arm on the training ground.
Although he was shocked, he did not feel ashamed, but became even angrier.
They thought that Zhao Duan was clearly capable of performing martial arts, but was deliberately pretending to be a pig and abusing his power. He was playing tricks on them and wanted to use them to establish his authority.
Tang Ping looked calm and indifferent, looking at everyone:
"Are you afraid of him?"
The military officers were stunned and shook their heads:
"Why should we be afraid of him?"
"That's right! If we were cowards, we wouldn't have followed you and ignored him."
"We just feel that he is our superior after all. If he deliberately picks a fight... won't our brothers just suffer in silence?"
Tang Ping put down the military book, raised his hand and pressed it, snorting coldly:
"We asked him to perform martial arts in accordance with military tradition, and it was not out of line and did not violate military regulations.
I wonder what law he can use to punish us?
Don't worry, if he wants to touch any of you, he will be wishful thinking unless he strips me of my official robe first!"
The military officers felt relieved.
With their background, they can't afford to offend Zhao Duan.
But as long as the young master is willing to step forward, there is nothing to worry about.
No matter how powerful Mr. Zhao was, he could not move the future Duke of Zhenguo.
And at this moment, suddenly, there were messy footsteps approaching outside the door.
Then, the door was knocked open.
Suddenly, a team of twenty people appeared outside the door. All of them were wearing armor and their official robes were of unique styles.
It turned out to be the Military Court that everyone in the army fears!
The leading officer had a blank expression on his face. He glanced at the crowd and smiled slightly:
"Just in time, everyone is here. Everyone in the room, listen up, my superior orders that all of you be dismissed from office and expelled from the Beijing camp immediately!"
(End of this chapter)