Chapter 561: Your Majesty, Commander Zhao took Yongjia City without a single soldier
Chapter 561: Your Majesty, Governor Zhao took Yongjia City without a single soldier
Zhao Duan is here!
On the licorice platform, the empress of Yu Kingdom's chest rose and fell slightly, and her jade hands in her sleeves clenched subconsciously. Then she concealed the abnormality.
Restore your dignity.
But my heart was already surging with emotions.
Zhao Duan is now in disguise and would not come to the audience without any reason.
Moreover, she was well aware that Zhao Duan had been busy in Linfeng Road recently.
Could it be that... the plan of alienation had made progress? The second step was completed, and the relationship between Zhao Shixiong and Xu Jingtang further deteriorated? A bigger rift appeared?
No... If it was just a crack, there would be no need to come and report it. Could it be that something unexpected happened at the front? Bad news? Xu Zhenguan's thoughts fluctuated, and he was unusually nervous.
Thoughts flashed through her mind, but none of them guessed the truth. In her opinion, how long had it been since the last attempt to sow discord? It was impossible for much to have changed.
"Why are you here?" Under the awning, Ma Yan spoke first, breaking the silence as the supervisor of the imperial yamen.
Is it him? The new police chief?
The most influential person in the capital? Is he really here?
The Deputy Privy Councilor, the Minister of War and others were surprised, and immediately wondered how this person could have ascended to the Gancao Terrace?
Yuan Li and Sun Lianying had complicated expressions in their eyes, vaguely realizing that something unexpected might happen.
"My Lord, I have been ordered to return with the latest military information from Governor Zhao of Taicang Prefecture to report to Your Majesty!"
Zhao Duan was neither humble nor arrogant, and bowed in greeting.
This attitude tells insiders that he does not want to reveal his identity.
"General Zhao's military intelligence?"
As soon as the words fell, the officials in the room suddenly realized:
No wonder this person has disappeared recently. Has he really left the capital?
Immediately, their hearts sank suddenly!
In everyone's opinion, the main force on the front battlefield is on the eastern front, and the mission of the western front theater is only to hold the territory and contain the Yunfu rebels.
Now Zhao Duan sent someone to deliver an urgent report, but there was no time to wait and he caught up with them all the way to the Jinqiu Yaji, which shows how urgent it was.
It's no small matter.
"Could it be that Zhao Shixiong came to the east to help?" The deputy privy councilor stood up suddenly, "Commander-in-chief Zhao failed to contain him?!"
Hearing this, everyone's heart skipped a beat.
Xue Shence had just won a battle, Prince Jing asked for help, and Prince Mu dispatched troops to provide assistance... This is very likely to happen.
This is also the most likely possibility that Zhao Duan is sending back an urgent report at this moment!
The cup in the Minister of War's hand shook, his eyes were filled with worry and panic, as if he had sensed the bad news, his face turned pale:
"Oh no! I was worried before that it would be difficult to contain Zhao Shixiong with only five military camps..."
Under the pergola, a depressing and dull atmosphere permeated.
Once Zhao Shixiong rushed to the eastern front and the two rebel forces joined forces, the consequences would be disastrous.
In the depressing atmosphere, Zhao Duan glanced at the two of them with a strange expression and shook his head:
"Zhao Shixiong did not go east, but south."
No help from the Eastern Front? Everyone was relieved. Fortunately, the worst situation did not happen...
But after hearing the second half, I became confused again.
To the south? Are they withdrawing their troops?
Why keep it a secret... Xu Zhenguan finally couldn't help but speak in a hurried tone:
"Zhao...what exactly does the governor want you to report?"
All eyes converged.
Zhao Duan's mouth curled up slightly under the mask, and he finally stopped waiting. He turned to face the empress, clasped his hands together, and spoke in a loud and proud voice:
"Your Majesty! The Grand Commander in Chief Zhao Du'an has successfully instigated the Southwest Border Army Commander Zhao Shixiong to rebel. Now, Zhao Shixiong has changed his flag and surrendered to the court! The Yongjia Prefecture City has been captured without a single soldier!"
Quiet.
At this moment, the entire Licorice Stage seemed to have pressed the pause button and fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone's expression was frozen on their face, as if they were digesting these words.
Bang, bang, bang... In the quiet atmosphere, Zhao Duan seemed to be able to hear his own heartbeat. He turned his head in confusion and asked tentatively:
"Your Majesty? I have finished my report."
As these words were spoken, the dead silence was suddenly broken!
Woo!
The wind also resumed its flow.
All the civil and military officials present in the court had their heads buzzed, and were somewhat dizzy by this result.
Zhao Shixiong...surrendered...?!
Successfully persuaded by Zhao Duan to... surrender?
In the entire western war zone, Yongjia City was the most difficult to attack. Even Xue Shence avoided it and would rather turn around and fight on the eastern front than confront Yongjia City head-on...
Zhao Duan had taken him down without anyone noticing, without wasting a single soldier?!
The Queen of Dayu, who was sitting behind the bright yellow desk, was stunned. Her tightly pursed red lips on her beautiful face opened slightly, revealing her pearly teeth, and confusion appeared in her narrow and long phoenix eyes.
As the only person present who knew about Zhao Duan’s divisive plot, she thought she could calmly face any outcome.
However, when the empress heard Zhao Duan's report with her own ears, she still lost consciousness for a moment!
true and false?
Zhao Duan would certainly not be false in front of him.
But...what exactly happened?
Just a small discord resulted in such a result? And, so quickly?
It’s only been a month since the last time we infiltrated Yongjia City, right?
She doesn't understand!
"You...say it again, explain it in detail!"
Xu Zhenguan stood up slightly in an awkward manner, supporting himself on the bright yellow table with both hands, his body leaning forward slightly.
"Yes, sir," Zhao Duan said calmly, explaining the general process in a concise manner.
In public, of course, all the details cannot be revealed.
Therefore, his version of the story omitted many key steps and only said that Zhao Du'an had lurked alone in Yongjia City last time and used some tricks to make Xu Jingtang suspicious of Zhao Shixiong, and then he wanted to seize power by threatening Zhao Shixiong's family.
Zhao Duan sent people to rescue him and found out that Zhao Shixiong had betrayed the court because he was deceived.
The two sides resolved their misunderstandings and surrender was a natural outcome.
After hearing this almost "fairy tale" story, all the officials in the court were stunned.
That's it? They weren't stupid, so they quickly realized that this explanation must have omitted many details.
but……
it is not important.
What’s more important is that he suppressed the rebellion of the Grand Commander Zhao Du’an, successfully captured the city of Yongjia, and subdued the great general Zhao Shixiong.
And this will definitely completely reverse the situation of the entire Huai River and even the entire Yu State!
Unbelievable!
The Deputy Privy Councilor of the Privy Council sat in a daze, his eyes full of disbelief.
The cup in the Minister of War's hand fell, and the tea splashed out and soaked his official robes. He didn't care, and kept muttering:
"How did he do that... How did he do that..."
There was also a slight daze on Yuan Li's handsome face, and he looked at the white-faced police officer with deep eyes.
Sun Lianying and Ma Yan stared at the disguised Zhao Duan, resisting the urge to pull him over and interrogate him!
The other civil officials were also stunned by this huge surprise:
"Hahahaha... God bless the Yu Kingdom, God bless Your Majesty!"
The Minister of Rites laughed and stood up, dancing with joy, and excitedly raised his hands to the Empress:
"A great victory on the Western Front, the court's crisis is resolved!"
The Minister of Personnel also reacted upon seeing this, and stood up abruptly, his face flushed with excitement:
"General Zhao has captured another city and made a great contribution. This is a joy to your majesty and the country of Yu!"
The other ministers also gradually came to their senses and congratulated loudly.
The depressing atmosphere was suddenly dispersed!
Zhao Shixiong rebelled!
Anyone with a brain would understand what this means.
This is almost equivalent to destroying half of the Yunfu rebels. Next, as long as Zhao Shixiong and the Five Army Camps work together to move south, it is very likely that they can drive Prince Mu Xu Jingtang back to Yunfu Road.
Retake half of the Huai River controlled by the Yunfu rebels!
How could the officials not be happy and excited?
Only the ministers belonging to the military group under the shed had the most complicated feelings.
Especially when I think about the fact that not long ago, they were still praising Xue Shence, openly praising and secretly criticizing Zhao Duan, trying to elevate the status of the military group.
But the slap in the face came so quickly that they were caught off guard.
Xue Shence's great victory on the eastern front saw him capture three county towns whose granaries had been taken away. It seemed glorious, but it actually came at a great cost.
Zhao Duan turned the entire situation of the Huai River battle around without making a single move and without wasting a single soldier.
The difference between the two is like heaven and earth.
"Haha, after today, let's see who in the capital dares to say that Zhao Shaobao is not as good as Xue Shence?" An official of the imperial party puffed out his chest proudly.
"What Zhao Shaobao said is correct. He is indeed not good at leading troops in battle, but what he didn't say is... victory is not only achieved on the battlefield..."
Someone sighed.
Xu Zhenguan's rare face was also flushed with joy. She tried her best to suppress the corners of her mouth that were curled up wildly, trying to appear calm and indifferent. She raised her hand and pressed:
"Today is a festive day, Zhao Qing is thoughtful."
After that, she continued, "Please return to the palace. All the ministers, follow me back to the palace to discuss government affairs immediately!"
With such a big thing happening, how could anyone have the energy to enjoy the scenery? Next, the court must make a series of arrangements accordingly.
All the ministers calmed down and stood up to follow.
"Bai Jisi, come into the palace later. I have some details to ask you." Xu Zhenguan turned his head again and said to Bai Lian Jisi.
Zhao Duan understood what he meant. Zhenbao must listen to the full details of the rebellion. He lowered his eyes and bowed:
"According to the order."
……
……
Halfway up the mountain.
The climax of the literary gathering among the pavilions and towers finally came to an end, and Zhao Duan's poem "Farewell to Dong Da" attracted the greatest attention of the Golden Autumn Gathering.
The comments from scholars such as Han Zhou made this poem spread quickly among the people.
However, just as the scholars were feeling extremely bitter, they had to admit with a pinch of their noses that Zhao Duan's poetry was great.
Someone noticed the change at the top of the mountain:
"Everyone, look quickly, what happened on the Gancao Terrace? Why did His Majesty and the ministers anxiously go down the mountain?"
Countless eyes looked at it.
Suddenly someone said:
"I saw that the Bai Jisi just left and went to Gancaotai. Yes, didn't he say he brought back military intelligence about Zhao Shaobao? I guess he went to report to His Majesty? Did something happen on the front line?"
Upon hearing this, the crowd could no longer sit still, as the military situation on the front line concerned everyone's safety.
Han Zhou's face changed slightly, and even the "Farewell to Dong Da" in his hand, which he couldn't put down, lost its fragrance. He hurriedly stuffed the dried poem to the original author, Master Dong, and hurried to the ministers to inquire for news.
Master Dong finally snatched his own poem back from the hands of this group of scholars, and hurriedly folded it up and put it into his sleeve.
Haitang, Zhang Han and others suddenly rushed out from the crowd and asked Qian Kerou and the other Jinyis:
"Did anything big happen on the front line?"
The secretary and the others were also confused and shook their heads:
"Sir...we don't know."
What's the use of you... Haitang curled her lips, followed the crowd, and fell behind Han Zhou and other scholars, wanting to find out what was going on.
Russian qing.
The news of Zhao Shixiong's surrender spread like wildfire among the crowd.
Everyone who heard the news was overjoyed.
Only the handful of people who have dominated public opinion recently, frantically praising Xue Shence and criticizing Zhao Duan, have remained silent.
It felt like being slapped in the face, and my face was burning with pain.
Chen Siye stood in the crowd and whispered:
"How could it be... He is a warrior, and it would be fine if he was so good at poetry and prose, but how did he conquer Yongjia?"
Beside him, the Privy Council's chief imperial official looked even more dejected:
"How could the Privy Councilor be defeated by him? Why is Zhao so lucky..."
Yes, many people could only feel resentful in their hearts, thinking that Zhao Duan was just lucky and that Zhao Shixiong took the initiative to surrender and ran into him.
It is believed that if Xue Shence was on the western front, the one who accepted the surrender would be the military god of the Yu State.
The imperial guards in the imperial court also heard the news and were very excited. Haitang smiled brightly and waved her hand:
"Today is a day for celebration. Let's go to Dingfenglou at noon. It's my treat."
The ladies in brocade clothes cheered and were very happy.
In the crowd, Shen Juan suddenly pulled Hou Renmeng.
"What are you doing?" The troublemaker was grinning foolishly and glanced at him with a frown.
Shen Juan raised his chin and pointed at the distraught Chen Siye and Du Chengzhi not far from the crowd:
"Here."
Hou Renmeng's eyes lit up, he put his hands together, moved his wrists, making a "click" sound, and smiled sinisterly:
"Walk?"
"Let's go!"
"I was too lenient last time. I'll teach them a lesson this time."
……
"I heard that Governor Zhao has subdued Zhao Shixiong..."
On the other side of Leyouyuan, the wives of high-ranking officials from the capital gathered here.
At this moment, Madam Ning came back hurriedly, holding up her skirt, breathing slightly, and repeated the news she had received.
In Eugene Hua's hand was still holding the "Farewell to Dong Da" which she had copied back from the literary gathering not long ago. The beautiful woman listened attentively, with a smile on her lips that was harder to suppress than Valorant's trajectory.
Beside her, Zhao Pan'er, who was wearing a brightly colored skirt, pricked up her ears and listened. Her autumn-water eyes were filled with admiration. She looked past the crowd and towards a masked figure in the empress's team in the distance.
The mother and daughter naturally knew that it was their own Dalang.
"Brother is really amazing." Zhao Pan whispered, "Mom, you said..."
She turned her head and found that Eugene Hua was already twisting her voluptuous waist, pulling Madam Ning to the crowd where other noble ladies were gathered to accept flattery and congratulations from everyone around her.
"Oh no, no, Dalang doesn't write many poems and essays, I just did this casually."
"What about Zhao Shixiong? It must have been difficult to persuade him to surrender... Luck, luck."
"..." Zhao Pan withdrew his gaze expressionlessly and stamped his feet. He thought to himself that his mother was so simple-minded that she actually had the bad habit of liking to listen to others bragging and praising her elder brother.
I caught a glimpse of a large group of girls of the same age gathered together to discuss Zhao Duan, looking very aroused.
She became more and more unhappy, turned her head to look at Miss Ning beside her, raised her chin proudly, and snorted:
"Ningning, let's go."
……
Dong family mansion.
Grand Tutor Dong Xuan did not go out for the autumn outing today because of his old age.
I got the news a little late.
"Is this true? He persuaded Zhao Shixiong to surrender?!"
Master Dong was stunned. The face of the old minister of three generations in his octogenarian years turned red. He stood up, leaned on his cane, and paced around the room, muttering:
"So that's how it is... So that's how it is... I was deceived by the Kuangfu Society. I thought the late emperor treated Zhao Shixiong well, so why can't I get used to him..."
"Prepare the car. I want to go to the palace."
……
The news of the Golden Autumn Gathering spread by word of mouth, and on that day, it spread like a whirlwind throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.
In teahouses and taverns, everyone was talking about the great victory on the Western Front and how Zhao Duan had used a strategy to take down Zhao Shixiong.
Especially because the process was so confusing, countless people were scrambling for conspiracy theories and speculating on the truth.
"Is it true? Such a great general surrendered without even a fight?" Some people in the restaurant didn't believe it.
"That was military intelligence sent back from the front line. It was so publicized. How could it be fake? If such a thing is forged, wouldn't it bring shame to the entire court?"
An old scholar spoke confidently, took out a dime and slapped it on the table:
"Waiter, I'm happy today. Give me another two ounces of meat."
There were two Imperial College scholars sitting at the table who curled their lips and said:
"It must be a stroke of luck. I don't believe it. I'm afraid that Zhao Shixiong is pretending to surrender, and then he will be miserable..."
"That's right. I heard that the military intelligence was brought back by that pretty boy. His identity is questionable and he dares not reveal his true face. There must be something fishy going on."
The voice was neither loud nor soft.
"Bang!" A burly gangster in the building clapped his hands with a palm-leaf fan, stood up angrily and cursed:
"General Zhao has done such a great deed, but you are just gossiping here. I think you are a traitor and a spy. Come with me to see the official!"
As he said that, the upright man raised his fist as big as sand glass and started hitting him.
The two scholars' faces changed drastically.
The restaurant was immediately filled with a happy atmosphere.
……
royal palace.
Zhao Duan returned from Leyouyuan, took a walk around the palace, chatted with Eunuch Hai for a while, and then rushed to the imperial study when he thought it was about time.
With the "offering" badge on his waist, he waited for a while in the imperial study.
I only heard the female official's voice coming from outside: "Your Majesty."
After a while, a beautiful figure appeared at the door. Zhao Duan raised his head and saw the midday sun shining in from the antique door. The golden autumn sunlight ignited the ground.
In the light, a figure in white clothes and black hair blocked the light, and her lotus feet stepped into the study under the hem of her skirt and stepped on the knitted carpet.
"Dangdang!"
The door closes.
Zhao Duan stood up, wiped his face with his right hand, took off the white mask, and a smile appeared on his real face: "Your Majesty."
(End of this chapter)