Chapter 505: Zhang Jing Returns

Chapter 505: Zhang Jing Returns

Chapter 505 Return to Beijing to resume life
The "leader" of the Qingzhou rebels actually belongs to the camp of that old scoundrel Yuan Li.

This answer surprised Zhao Duan, but after thinking about it carefully, it was not so surprising.

The State of Yu had not seen any major wars for many years, so it became much more difficult for local military officers to be promoted.

More often than not, what is being competed for is not "military exploits" or "ability" but background.

Although Emperor Taizu of the Yu Kingdom was a military man, he advocated the strategy of governing the country by civil officials. Therefore, the military group represented by the Privy Council in the court had a much lower status than the cabinet.

Inevitably, the positions of military generals in local military offices were also subject to interference from factions in the court to a certain extent.

It is not surprising that the "Qingliu Party" led by Yuan Li, as the second largest group after the "Li Party", jointly nominated and appointed a commander.

"I never heard anyone mention this matter when I was in the capital." Zhao Duan recalled the day when court officials gathered to discuss the Qingzhou rebellion, and spoke hesitantly.

Yuan Feng smiled bitterly and said, "Although Wei Xianzong belongs to the Qingliu Party and serves Prince Heng, Lord Yuan is loyal to the court. The two cannot be confused."

Oh, are you sure the real situation is not that there is turmoil in the court and Li Dang has just rebelled, and the ministers tacitly agreed not to target Yuan Li at this juncture?

To prevent the "Qingliu Party" from collapsing and paralyzing the court?
Zhao Duan snorted. With his understanding of the court's thick black school of thought, if the situation had not forced him, the impeachment memorials against Yuan Li would have piled up into a small mountain.

Regardless of whether Wei Xianzong represented Yuan Li's will, in short, the person he recommended had such a big problem, and Yuan Li, as the party leader, could not get rid of the hat of "unclear use of people".

Well, I bet that once Li Yanfu's coup d'état is settled, Yuan Li will be the next to suffer... After all, the most important thing in the court is balance. Now that the Li Party has been destroyed, even for the sake of balance, the Qingliu Party must be punished...

Zhao Duan's thoughts flashed, and he suddenly asked:

"Do you know why this Wei Xianzong rebelled?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads, saying that the incident happened suddenly and as generals they had no channels to investigate.

"Why are you asking this, sir? It is a crime of treason after all. No matter what the reason is, you can't escape death." Chen Gui complained while stroking his goatee.

Zhao Duan smiled but said nothing. He sat back in the large carved chair, tapping his knees with his fingers, his eyes thoughtful, and suddenly said:

"Please interrogate the captives later. I need to know everything that happened within the Hengwang rebel group during this period, especially those involving Wei Xianzong. Order the military clerks to compile the information and I will present it to His Majesty."

Everyone looked startled, not daring to ask more questions, and quickly agreed.

Then, military officers began to come into the tent from time to time to report the results of the battle. Zhao Duan did not interfere in these aftermath matters and left them to others.

After a while, a soldier came outside:
"Reporting to the young guard, the female head of the Xiao family in Donghu has woken up and wants to see you."

Xiao Dong'er woke up? Zhao Duan pondered for a moment, then stood up and said:

"Lead the way."

……

Xiao Dong'er was placed in an independent tent in the camp, with guards at the door.

When Zhao Duan arrived, a military doctor stood respectfully:
"My Lord, the patient is fine now. He just suffered from the heatstroke. In addition, he has been nervous recently, sleep deprived and anxious, which has caused his body to become weak. He has been given medicine."

"Very good." Zhao Duan nodded with satisfaction, lifted the curtain of the big tent and stepped into it. The tent was empty, with only a simple wooden bed.

Mrs. Xiao, wearing a dark horse-faced skirt, with disheveled hair, listless and haggard look, was sitting on the bed with her legs resting on the edge, her stockings exposed to the air, and a pair of embroidered shoes neatly placed under the bed.

She was just finishing a bowl of medicine and placed the ceramic bowl on the simple wooden table beside her. When she saw Zhao Duan walk in, Xiao Dong'er's eyes suddenly brightened and excitement appeared on her face, which was still flushed due to the heat. She supported her body with both hands and was about to get out of bed.

As a result, he seemed to be weak from being tied up for so many days, and he could not stand steadily, and his knees gave way and he fell to the ground:
"Envoy..."

"Master Xiao, be careful!" Zhao Duan was startled and withdrew his hand, letting the thick tent curtain behind him fall down, blocking the doctor and the guards outside, and quickly stepped forward to help.

But Xiao Dong'er took advantage of the situation and prostrated herself on the ground, with her delicate hands propped up on the muddy ground, elbows bent, crawling forward, head lowered, forehead almost touching the ground, plump peach-shaped buttocks tensed and raised high, Madam Xiao, who had escaped from the tiger's mouth, burst into tears:
"Your Excellency, I have saved my life, and I have no way to repay you!"

Ah, this, Zhao Duan was shocked when he saw the dazzling white mosaic. He withdrew his hand awkwardly and accepted the greeting from the female head of the family. He said with a strange expression:

"Mrs. Xiao, you don't have to do this. I just did it for the sake of convenience. Besides, since you are an imperial merchant of the court, I should naturally protect you. But your Xiao family was implicated in this rebellion. It's good enough that you don't blame the court but blame me instead."

Xiao Dong'er's thin shoulders seemed to tremble because of sobbing. She hurriedly raised her haggard face, her eyes red, and sobbed:
"How could I feel resentful? My gratitude is not enough, I just dare to ask King Heng..."

"I beat him, captured him alive, and now he is on trial in the camp." Zhao Duan spoke righteously, bending down, raising his arm, helping Madam Xiao up and sitting back on the bed:

"Later, I will take him back to the capital for trial."

After a pause, he added:
"The Qingzhou rebels have been defeated, and His Majesty returned safely a few days ago."

His Majesty has returned to the court... The Qingzhou army has been defeated... Xiao Dong'er was stunned, trying her best to digest this explosive news, and then the string that had been tense for many days finally relaxed completely.

A smile spread across her face, revealing the joy of surviving the disaster:
"Good...good...with your majesty's return, my Xiao family should be saved from destruction..."

As he spoke, tears began to flow down his face.

At this moment, the "first imperial merchant" who was famous and powerful and in charge of a mighty family, completely shed his shell and revealed his soft side.

All the fear and pain of the past few days were released at this moment.

Zhao Duan didn't say anything. He quietly pulled over a chair and sat down leisurely, giving Xiao Dong'er time to deal with her emotions.

After a moment, Madam Xiao came back to her senses from her joy, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand embarrassedly, tilted her head awkwardly, and whispered:

"I was extremely sad and happy, so it's inevitable that I lost my composure. I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

When this well-maintained widow, who was no more than thirty years old, tilted her head, her collarbone and the curve of her neck were clearly visible.

She is deliberately seducing me... Zhao Duan had a strange expression on his face. He was keenly aware of her little trick, but he did not point it out. He said in a joking tone:
"It's okay. It's normal for Madam to be frightened suddenly. But when Madam returns to the capital with me to see the emperor, please don't do this again."

Face to face?

Xiao Dong'er was stunned. She looked at the man in front of her in surprise and stammered:
"Your Excellency, what you said is..."

Zhao Duan smiled and said:

"The imperial court will never mistreat its own people. Although the Qingzhou rebels have been annihilated, the aftermath has not yet subsided. The Xiao family of Donghu has been rooted in Qingzhou for a hundred years and has a deep foundation. If the Xiao family is allowed to assist the imperial court officials in stabilizing the situation in Qingzhou, what do you think, Madam?"

"Envoy...are you serious?" Madam Xiao was shocked. Of course she could hear the hidden meaning of these words.

The situation is turbulent and the court is short of manpower. If it wants to stabilize Qingzhou Road as soon as possible and completely eliminate the remnants of the Hengwang Mansion's base camp, it will be safest if the Xiao family cooperates.

Once the Xiao family gets involved, they will undoubtedly gain huge benefits, and may even replace the Prince Heng's Mansion and become the largest force in Qingzhou Road outside the imperial court.

Zhao Duan smiled gently and said, "I will recommend him to Your Majesty. The details will depend on Your Majesty's decision."

Mrs. Xiao's eyes were red again, but this time, there was an extra bright light in the eyes of this ambitious woman, and the look she gave Zhao Duan was different.

It seems like there's something else.

"Your Excellency, I am so grateful to you. I..."

"Ahem, Madam Xiao, take good care of yourself. I'll take my leave now. If you want to repay me, remember to clarify the nonsense of Prince Heng to His Majesty after entering the palace." Zhao Duan was as slippery as a loach and stood up to take his leave. The last sentence naturally referred to the slander and rumors that Prince Heng had colluded with Xiao Dong'er just now.

Xu Heng was too cunning. He announced it loudly in front of so many soldiers from the Shenji Camp. Zhao Duan felt that unless he killed all those soldiers to silence them, it would be difficult to conceal the matter... Moreover, even if the soldiers from the Shenji Camp didn't say anything.

But is there such a rumor among the Qingzhou rebels? There is a high probability that there is.

He felt that, to be on the safe side, he should clarify the matter with Zhenbao face to face and explain proactively to avoid being put in a passive position.

"Don't worry, sir. I am a weakling and would not dare to tarnish your reputation." Xiao Dong'er's eyes were dim.

You say that as if I have a good reputation... Zhao Duan smacked his lips, said goodbye and left.

……

After opening the curtain and walking out of the big tent, Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, his face suddenly turned as dark as the bottom of a pot:
"What are you doing sneaking around here?"

Outside the big tent, the guards at the gate were driven away at some point, and were replaced by Chen Gui and Tang Ping, who were eavesdropping from the wall.

Chen Huoshen and the young master hesitated, their brains working frantically, and they turned around and pointed at a figure hiding behind the pillar outside the tent:
"The commander is back, we are here to report!"

At the fingertips of the two men, Shi Meng, a burly, sturdy man, stepped out from the pillar where he was hiding. Facing Zhao Duan's dim gaze, he tried his best to smile, revealing his white teeth:
"General, well... don't worry, I have already ordered those little brats to keep their mouths shut. The nonsense and slanders of King Heng on the official road will rot in our Shenji Camp and will never be spread outside, especially not to the ears of Your Majesty!"

"..." Zhao Duan's face darkened, and he said stiffly:

"How... did you know..."

Shi Meng was uneasy. He was a man as big as a mountain. He avoided her gaze awkwardly.

"I went with you to catch those bastards of King Heng, and they came to me privately to report... They also had good intentions, and were worried that too many people would gossip, so... But you can rest assured that I, Old Shi, will do the job. The commander-in-chief is one of our own from the Shenji Camp, and we will naturally help him to the utmost."

On the side, Chen Gui and Tang Ping, one old and one young, one technical supervisor in the army and one middle-level military attaché, nodded vigorously at the same time, winked, nodded at Madam Xiao in the tent, and patted their chests to assure:
"We will definitely keep it a secret!"

"..." Zhao Duan was almost carried away by the opponent. He stammered:

"This official and Patriarch Xiao have a clean record and have never..."

The three men nodded in unison: "Ah, right, right."

"..." Zhao Duan took a deep breath and asked seriously:
"Don't you know how loyal I am to Your Majesty? Besides, she is a widow! Which general would be so loyal to someone else's wife or concubine... well, my last name is not Cao!"

The three men were stunned and exchanged glances with each other: A general with the surname Cao? What is the story behind this?

Chen Gui stroked his beard and looked at Shi Meng like a curious baby:

"Are there any fellow soldiers named Cao in our army who like this?"

Tang Ping also pricked up his ears and cast a curious look:
"There seems to be a man named Cao in the Three Thousand and Five Army Camps. I wonder which one you are talking about?"

"..." Zhao Duan waved his hand weakly:

"Go away. I will report this matter to His Majesty personally. As the saying goes, a gentleman is open and honest..."

The three looked disappointed: it was obvious that the Overseer did not trust them.

"Wait a minute," Zhao Duan saw the three people turning around to leave, and then he realized it belatedly, and looked at Shi Meng as if he remembered something:

"I almost forgot, when did you come back? Didn't you go to pursue Wei Xianzong's troops?"

Shi Meng turned around, said "Oh", and smiled harmlessly:
"Wei Xianzong was captured by me."

……

A few moments.

In a tent, Zhao Duan saw Wei Xianzong who was escorted in by Shi Meng and others.

"Your Majesty!"

Shi Meng used his knee to push and knock down the tied-up Wei Xianzong, forcing him to kneel in front of Zhao Duan.

Wei Xianzong, who took the seat of commander at the age of over 30, was still wearing armor, his hair was disheveled, his face was black and blue, and his body was stained with blood, but he was not seriously injured.

At this moment, he was tied up, kneeling on the ground, with his head lowered, his eyes fixed on the ground, silent.

"Raise your head and speak." Zhao Duan leaned lazily on a bed with a casual posture.

This Luohan bed was set up in Prince Heng's tent. The pampered prince never forgot to bring comfortable seating even when he was on the march or fighting.

Wei Xianzong lowered his head and said nothing.

"The Overseer taught you to hold your head up. Are you deaf?"

Tang Ping sneered, drew out his sword with a clang, and used the blade to lift the former's chin.

Ever since the Duke of Zhenguo returned to the capital and was defeated in a fight with Zhao Duan by his rouge horse Tang Zhao, Tang Ping has sincerely convinced Zhao Duan and evolved from an unconvinced little wolfdog to a loyal henchman.

Wei Xianzong's chin was lifted up by the tip of the knife, his dark stubble was reflected on the snow-white blade. His calm and capable face had no expression, and his eyes met with Zhao Duan who was lying lazily on his side.

"I also know a local official, the governor of the grain transport in Jiancheng Road. He looks very different from you, but his eyes are very similar. He is a capable official."

Zhao Duan looked down at the young general recommended by Yuan Li and smiled:
"However, he is better than you in that even though Prince Jing threatened him with threats and bribes, even with his wife and daughter, he did not betray the court or be disloyal to His Majesty."

Wei Xianzong remained silent.

Zhao Duan stared at him deeply and said calmly:
"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Wei Xianzong was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Did you make the firearms of the Shenjiying?"

"Have some respect! Do you believe I can beat your mouth to pieces?" The young master swung the scabbard and pretended to hit him.

Zhao Duan raised his hand to stop him, smiled, and looked down at Wei Xianzong who was kneeling on the ground:

"I did it, so what?"

Wei Xianzong thought about it seriously and said:
"Very strong. But if they had been prepared, the Qingzhou army would not have been defeated. Although I was defeated by you in this battle, it was not my fault."

It’s not my fault… Zhao Duan’s eyelids twitched, and the smile on his face deepened:
"You are a man with a temper, yes. Better than Xu Heng and his son. I am curious, when I bring you back to the capital and throw you into the imperial prison, will you still be so tough?"

He waved his hand:
"Take them away. Pass the order, leave a large force here to clean up the battlefield and take prisoners. I will lead an elite force to escort the high-ranking officials of the Qingzhou rebels..."

Zhao Duan patted his butt and stood up, walking past the expressionless Wei Xianzong and walked out:

"Go back to Beijing and return to life!"

(End of this chapter)