Chapter 597: Revealed! I request a military order!
Chapter 597: Revealed! I request a military order! (Please double the monthly ticket at the beginning of the month)
"Have you asked me?"
Zhao Duan's voice mixed with the bleak daylight coming in from outside the hall, and echoed clearly in the ears of all officials in the hall.
It's like a stone thrown into a lake, creating ripples.
The dead silence was suddenly broken, and the people in the Golden Throne Hall, who had been stunned for a moment because of the abrupt scene, finally came to their senses.
Then, different expressions appeared on those faces.
Xu Wenyan, Xu Xuelian and other members of the delegation who were the first to be affected were startled and their first subconscious thought was that the appearance of this white-faced police officer was arranged by the empress.
Because only this is the most logical, a small law enforcement officer can easily come up to them with a sword and speak so arrogantly.
Moreover, both Princess Yanshan and Prince Hejian had been followed and tempted by Zhao Duan in the past few days... and these actions were naturally interpreted by them as the Empress's intention.
But when they heard the words "Did you ask me?", the delegation's shock turned into confusion.
Because no matter how you listen to these words, it doesn't sound like he came here on orders, but more like he is following his own ideas.
All the officials in the hall also realized this. Some of them turned around and looked at the empress sitting high on the dragon throne.
Some people frowned, feeling puzzled.
Some people are confused and don't know why.
Some people showed expressions of shock and anger, staring at this ignorant little police officer.
However, the few people who knew Zhao Duan's true identity, such as Yuan Li, Ma Yan, and Sun Lianying, had deep eyes and remained silent without expressing their opinions.
"Your Majesty, what does this mean?"
Finally, Mr. Feng's angry voice broke the silence. The great guest who represented the Hejian Palace ignored Zhao Duan, turned around angrily, raised his head and stared at the female emperor on the throne, and said in a deep voice:
"Or has Your Majesty decided to give up the peace talks and go to war with us? So you no longer care about your face?"
The old official from the Yanshan Palace beside Xu Xuelian also looked calm and fearless. He sneered at the empress:
"If Your Majesty is determined to sit back and watch the world in chaos and the barbarians invade the pass for the sake of power, you might as well make it clear. Why send a few soldiers here to speak out? Wouldn't that make the world laugh at you?"
All the members of the delegation came to their senses. Although they were nervous and frightened in their hearts, their faces showed expressions of anger and determination.
An attitude of "If you want to fight, then fight."
They were not sure whether this was a boring drama arranged and directed by the empress to scare them, so they could only maintain a high profile.
Seeing this, Xu Wenyan, who pretended to be stupid, no longer cared about his character and knew that he had to speak.
With a stern look on his face, he stepped out, raised his head and stared at Xu Zhenguan, saying firmly:
"Your Majesty, if you want to kill me, then go ahead. But I also want to remind you that if the peace talks fail, my Hejian Palace will fight to the death with the imperial court."
Xu Xuelian also came back to her senses and expressed her anger:
"My Yanshan Palace will also fight to the death!"
In just a moment, the peace talks were on the brink of collapse.
Seeing this, some of the silent ministers in the hall finally couldn't help it, and one of them hurriedly advised:
"Please don't misunderstand me. Your Majesty cares about the people, so this matter can still be discussed..."
Then, he turned around and bowed to the empress, saying in a sad voice:
"Your Majesty! The peace talks are a serious matter and should not be taken lightly, let alone listened to slanderous words!"
Another person also loudly advised:
"Your Majesty, please think twice. This matter can still be discussed..."
Then he raised his finger and pointed at Zhao Duan, saying angrily:
"Who are you? What's your official rank? How can you have a say in the court?"
Another person jumped out, pointed his gun directly at Zhao Duan, and said in a trembling voice:
"You came to the palace with a sword in your hand and made such arrogant remarks. Are you planning a rebellion?! The peace talks are a matter of great importance to the country. What qualifications do you have to make decisions? You even said that you should be consulted. Does His Majesty need your consent to make any decision?!"
A lot of cursing!
At this moment, the "peace faction" in the court could no longer turn a deaf ear to the situation, because if they allowed the situation to continue, once the peace talks broke down, the consequences would be disastrous.
Therefore, even if they took a step back and assumed that this white-faced police officer was indeed secretly instructed by His Majesty, they still had to express their stance.
For a moment, Zhao Duan seemed to be the target of thousands of criticisms, like a dark reef in the raging sea, facing the storm.
"Ah!"
Zhao Duan laughed, and this laugh was full of sarcasm and disdain, and it was like a feeling of depression that had been suppressed in his chest for many days finally being released.
He held the sword in his right hand and glanced coldly at the faces that were angrily accusing him. At this moment, the disgust in his eyes reached its extreme.
"No need to pretend to test me. I am not here on anyone's orders."
Zhao Duan's voice was sonorous and powerful, and he gave a positive response.
This made more people stunned, and they wondered if this guy was really crazy?
Just because you did a few things in the capital and gained some fame, you think you can interfere in the peace talks?
However, the eyes of those pro-peace officials who had made the accusation brightened. If it was not His Majesty's instruction, then there was room for easing the situation.
"Bold maniac!"
An official who was in favor of peace was furious and pointed his finger at his face:
"How dare you commit such an act of rebellion without being summoned? Come! Where are the imperial guards? Take this man away immediately!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a large group of armored guards actually came outside the hall, but they did not come close, and just stood outside the hall in silence.
Instead of looking like someone who is here to catch a thief, he looks more like a white-faced police officer guarding the front.
This scene stunned even more people.
Zhao Duan also lost his patience. He stared at the official with cold eyes and sneered under his mask:
"You, and you all..."
He raised his right hand and pointed the bloody tip of his sword at the peace-loving ministers.
His left hand slowly raised and pressed on the pure white mask on his face.
"You ask me about my rank and question my qualifications to discuss politics and attend court? Well, a mere deputy police chief is indeed not qualified, but..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the white mask on his face was suddenly lifted up and thrown casually onto the smooth floor of the hall.
Show your true face.
Zhao Duan looked around at the officials, his eyes cold: "Is the status of the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Rebellion Suppression sufficient?!"
boom!
Like a thunderbolt falling from the sky, it hit the earth hard.
At this moment, when Zhao Duan took off the mask, his true face was revealed.
In the huge palace, all the officials felt as if thunder had exploded in their heads, their brains went blank, and their ears were rumbling. Almost everyone's face showed shock.
Zhao Duan!
The Prince's Guardian, the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the Rebellion Suppression, the Imperial Consort... He holds countless titles. He has made numerous military achievements since the war began. Not long ago, he killed Xu Jingtang and pacified Zhao Duan on the west line of the Huai River!
"How can it be?!"
I don't know who cried out in surprise, and then the silent hall suddenly boiled over.
Governor Zhao returned to Beijing? When? Shouldn't he be in charge of the south? Why did he return to Beijing quietly without any news?
No, if he just wanted to return to Beijing secretly, there was no reason for him to pretend to be a white-faced police officer... Unless, the acting police officer of Lihua Hall was actually Zhao Duan in disguise.
This is the only way to explain the scene before us.
But...how could it be? How did they do it...
All the ministers who supported peace changed color.
Master Dong, who was leaning on a cane, looked stunned.
The Deputy Privy Councilor's eyes widened.
The six ministers were dumbfounded. The peace delegation was even more shocked. Their resolute momentum was interrupted, and many of them showed panic.
A person's name, the shadow of a tree.
The name Zhao Duan has long carried a heavy weight in the "Eight Kings Camp".
Xu Wenyan's expression changed drastically, and panic and fear finally revealed in the depths of his eyes.
He was confident that he could use the overall situation to threaten the empress, but he had no confidence in restraining Zhao Duan.
Although he didn't know why the white-faced detective became Zhao Duan, he now remembered the scene when the two met outside the mansion of Duke Chen.
So... the one who was testing me was not some empress, but the legendary Zhao Duan.
Thinking of the siege of thousands of black-clad civilians when he entered the city, Xu Wenyan suddenly broke out in a cold sweat on his back. He felt dizzy and had difficulty breathing. He realized that this trip to Beijing might be the most wrong decision of his life.
Xu Xuelian's face was also pale and colorless, without any arrogance at all. She stared at Zhao Duan as if she had seen a ghost.
Although she had never seen the real person, Zhao Duan's portrait had already spread to all the major royal palaces, and she had seen it countless times.
Thinking about the bold actions and strange methods of this law enforcement officer in Jizhao Temple... everything was explained.
"Zhao... Governor Zhao... you... I don't know... I..."
The official who had just angrily rebuked Zhao Duan was pale, his lips were blue, and his body was shaking slightly. How could he dare to be angry when he was the first to bear the brunt of the attack? All that was left was deep fear.
Zhao Duan sneered and stepped forward with his sword in hand:
"I am asking you a question. Am I worthy of entering the palace? Am I worthy of participating in the political negotiations?!"
The official was forced back by the sword tip, took several steps back, and then fell to the ground in a mess, losing his voice for a short time due to fear.
"Humph!"
Zhao Duan's eyes showed contempt, and he dropped the sword in his hand onto the shiny floor tiles with a clang. He then stopped looking at the ministers and respectfully clasped his hands together, leaning forward to salute the empress on the throne:
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Then, the Queen of Yu, who had been silent like a towering statue, finally spoke. Her voice came from behind the pearl curtain:
"allow."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhao Duan straightened his back, retracted his gaze, looked around at the ministers, and said calmly:
"It has been three years since the Second Prince Jianwen launched the Xuanmen Palace Rebellion and Your Majesty suppressed the rebellion and ascended the throne."
"For the past three years, your Majesty has ruled with peace and harmony. However, the remnants of Jianwen have distorted historical facts and caused trouble everywhere. The leader of the Kuangfu Society, Zhuang Xiaocheng, was in turmoil, so I killed him."
"After Zhuang Xiaocheng's death, Xuanyin of Shenlong Temple teamed up with Qingshan Wuxiankui to attack Your Majesty in Luoshan. The princes had been plotting for a long time and took advantage of the chaos to rebel. The bandits fought for supremacy, causing the mountains and rivers to be broken, smoke of war to rise, disaster victims everywhere, and the people to be displaced. This is the crime of treason!"
"Later, I was commissioned by His Majesty to suppress the rebellion, and successively destroyed King Heng and King Mu. I also made King Huai'an submit. The bandits saw that the situation was not good, so we had today's peace talks."
Zhao Duan was talking freely, but his tone suddenly became solemn:
"Yes! I led my soldiers to the front line, fighting bravely to wipe out the bandits, and it was hard to get to where we are today.
However, some people in the court used this as a bargaining chip to win the favor of the rebel king and seek peace, and they were willing to sacrifice power and humiliate the court for this! Not only that, these traitors actually had the nerve to question the governor's qualifications to attend the court. Isn't this the biggest joke in the world? ! "
No one dared to answer!
Grand Tutor Dong, Ma Yan and others nodded slightly. The "peace faction" officials were speechless and could only remain silent.
"I know that some of you are not convinced! Some think that peace talks are a temporary solution, and even think that for the sake of the greater good and the people, it is an honor to bear the infamy... right?"
Zhao Duan took a deep breath, feeling heartbroken:
"I don't think so! Just a few days ago, the peace talks reached a stalemate. I was walking in plain clothes in the four districts of the city, east, west, south, and north, and the taverns. Do you know what I heard and saw?
I saw that the people in the capital were all saying that the court wanted to cede territory in exchange for peace;
It is said that your majesty swallows his anger;
It is said that our soldiers fought bloody battles on the front lines and won several great victories, but these are all false, and the so-called victories are all lies;
There were even rumors that barbarians from the Western Regions were coming to kill us.
This has caused the people to panic, and they have turned away from Your Majesty and the court, and the people have turned their backs on you!"
"I, the governor, would like to ask you, is this the result you want?
Do you really think that ceding territory and negotiating can resolve the situation? Is that good for the overall situation?
No! You are making Your Majesty appear unkind and the court appear unjust, and causing the people's support accumulated by Your Majesty's benevolent rule for three years to go down the drain!"
Zhao Duan was angry at his lack of resistance and glanced at the faces of the ministers who were in favor of peace:
"If we lose the peace talks, we lose a lot. If we lose the people's support, we lose everything."
His face was cold and arrogant, and he spat:
"How stupid!"
A dead silence!
Many officials blushed and felt so ashamed that they wished they could crawl into the ground.
However, some officials who advocated peace saw that the situation was not good and tried to fight back, saying:
"Captain Zhao, we understand your feelings. However, the Western Buddhism has merged with the East and the West, and the Mysterious Seal has entered the Western Regions. The countries will rise up. By spring, if we cannot stabilize the border, the court will be attacked from all sides. Even if we destroy the two kings of Hejian and Yanshan, but let the people of the Western Regions take over, wouldn't it be even more devastating? It's totally wrong."
"Yes, Commander Zhao, it's not that we are selfish, but if we don't talk, what should we do? You are in the south, you should know that Prince Jing is still eyeing us covetously, and Prince Chen is also separatist... If we can't win quickly and chaos breaks out, what should we do?"
Zhao Duan faced the questioning from officials with an expressionless face.
After being scolded, many officials were also furious:
The peace talks are humiliating. Well, then why don't you come up with a solution?
"Is it all over?"
Zhao Duan glanced at everyone coldly. Seeing that no one said anything, he turned around and looked at the empress on the throne again, clasping his fists and saluting:
"Your Majesty, I request a military order!"
"Since the ministers in the court want an explanation, I will give one!"
"As soon as the ice and snow melt, I will rush to the east of the Huai River to lead the troops to suppress the rebellion. You can transfer Envoy Xue to Wang Xiping Road to hold back the countries in the Western Regions!"
"Three months!"
"As long as you can hold off the enemy for three months, I will be able to kill Jing Wang Xuwen! As long as the Jiancheng army led by Xuwen is defeated, the rebel king will no longer have a leader. By then, people like Chen Wang and Lingnan Wang will be powerless. With the unity of the people of Yu State, the small country in the Western Regions will naturally retreat!"
His voice was like thunder, rolling across the throne room:
"If the rebellion is not suppressed within three months, I will die as an apology! If someone wants to negotiate peace again, I will die on the horse's hide and will not be able to dissuade them. What do you think?"
His voice echoed in the quiet hall.
Suddenly, Ma Yan stepped out and saluted to the empress:
"I am willing to guarantee Zhao Duan. If this fails, I will bear the responsibility together."
Master Dong laughed loudly, leaning on his cane, and said:
"I am also willing to guarantee for Governor Zhao. Anyway, my eldest grandson has already gone to the battlefield in Xiping. If he wants to die, why should I be afraid of the extinction of my Dong family?"
Yuan Li sighed, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I can also be a guarantor for Zhao Shaobao."
"Your Majesty, minister..."
"I am willing to guarantee..."
One after another, the pro-war ministers stood up, and the voices of guarantee became continuous and gradually deafening.
Outside the Golden Palace, the densely packed, silent imperial guards knelt down on one knee and said in unison: "We are willing to guarantee Governor Zhao!"
The sound was as loud as thunder, and the roof tiles of the entire palace seemed to be shaking!
Inside the hall, the officials who supported the peace talks felt that the situation was hopeless and remained silent.
Xu Wenyan, Xu Xuelian and other members of the peace negotiation delegation looked pale.
In the petition.
The Empress Xu Zhenguan of Dayu slowly stood up, raised her hands, and pressed her ten fingers:
"No need to pay tribute."
The corners of the empress's mouth rose, and she slowly walked down the imperial platform, with a smile on her beautiful face: "I don't need you to guarantee me."
The empress paused and looked at the faces that all raised their heads and looked at her in confusion.
The golden words:
"Husband and wife are one. If Zhao Qing is defeated, I will suffer with him. I will confess my sins and apologize to the world."
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Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
(End of this chapter)