It was already the autumn season when Zhao Tao entered Gyeonggi Road. The autumn wind was bleak, and the leaves turned yellow and fell.
At this time, a piece of news came from the white mountains and black waters of the Northeast, which shocked all countries. The Jurchen Emperor Wanyan Aguda was assassinated and died in the west of Huining and the east of the grassland.
It is said that the assassins sent by the Liao Kingdom did it!
Wanyan Wu succeeded to the throne in a hurry, chaos began to appear in the court, and disagreements continued. He was roughly divided into two factions. One faction advocated immediately sending troops to Beijing to capture Emperor Tianzuo to avenge Wanyan Aguda, while the other faction advocated strict defense and death. , to prevent being attacked by the Liao Kingdom during the national mourning. As for revenge, the Liao Kingdom can't escape anyway, and we will wait until everything is stable.
The Liao Kingdom did not admit this, but it sent heavy troops to defend the northeastern front line. Xiao Qian always knew the military affairs on the northeastern route and commanded all the armies.
The relationship between the two countries immediately became a little strange.
But Zhao Tong knew that no matter how talented Xiao Qian was, it would not be too difficult for the Jurchens to break through the Liao defense line. It was just that someone in the Jin Dynasty was holding back the pace of attacking Liao.
The rise of the Jin Kingdom was too fast, and Wanyan Agu was killed a little early, which changed the mentality of some people. It turned out that although the Jin Kingdom was united externally, it was also divided into two factions internally, namely the Dubo Jilie faction. The Prime Minister of Heguo sent Wanyan Agu to death, and Wanyan Wu was bought into the position. So who would take the vacant seat of Bojilie's auxiliary affairs, now became a problem.
In the current situation, Wanyan Aguda's Jurchen flag fell, and the Jin Dynasty court was temporarily in chaos. Speeding up the attack on Liao, or delaying the attack on Liao for a few years, avoiding the war between Fang La and the small country when Liao was pinched, Zhao Tan has achieved it. Purpose.
If the Jurchens attack the Liao early, the Maritime Alliance will be gone. If they delay the attack on the Liao, the Maritime Alliance will be a few years later. In any case, the emperor of the Song Dynasty can wear his new clothes for a few more years...
Zhao Tong was sitting in the carriage, which was covered with thick fur mats and a small table. Paper, pens and other items were placed on the table, especially a small bowl. The medicinal smell was strong and the dregs still remained at the bottom.
The memorial to Emperor Daojun had been written as early as when he was returning from the sea. It described in detail what happened before and after meeting the pirates. When he arrived in Dengzhou, he sent it out immediately. This time when he returned to Beijing, Ma Zheng and Hu Yanqing followed him. People naturally have to apologize.
At noon, we could already see the gate of Tokyo. Vehicles were rolling in, and five hundred forbidden troops were guarding the surrounding area. The team was carrying a box taken from Ximen Qing's home in Yanggu County.
There was no one to stop him on the way, but except for the horse and infantry guards patrolling the inner and outer cities, no one knew that Zhao Tao had entered Tokyo.
After entering the city, Zhao Tong wrote another apology letter on the carriage and sent it to the palace. Then he sat in the carriage and closed his eyes to rest until he returned home.
At this moment, he happened to pass by the street next to Dali Temple and heard noises outside. Zhao Tong opened the curtain and looked around, but saw a prison car coming from the other side. It seemed that he was going to be taken to Dali Temple Prison.
There were five or six prison cars, and the cars made a harsh "squeaking" sound. There were many escorting guards around. The leaders were officials from Dali Temple. The official robes were of a high grade.
Two teams met, one was walking vertically, the other was crossing, and they stood sideways at the intersection. It was not just one person or two people crossing. The team was very long, and one party must give way and wait for the other party to pass before leaving.
Zhao Tong didn't want to reveal his identity, and was about to tell the people behind him to wait a while, but he heard the Dali Temple official on the other side shout coldly: "How brave, which army are you from? How dare you seize the road where Dali Temple prisoners are detained? Do you know some rules?"
The person leading the way was naturally Zhou Xiao, the commander of the 9th Battalion of the Dragon Guard Army. He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he was afraid of the Dali Temple official. The status of military attachés in the army was low, and departments like Dali Temple had great power. It was natural to say that. Unable to tell the other party, he had no choice but to look back at Zhao Tong in the carriage.
Zhao Tong frowned in the car. He originally wanted to stop and let the other party pass first, but unexpectedly, the tone of the Dali Temple official was too arrogant. But thinking about it, how could such an official do anything good to the Imperial Army? face.
He was about to give an order, but when he saw that the Dali Temple official over there saw Zhou Xiao didn't speak for a moment, he became a little impatient and said: "If you don't hurry up and retreat five feet away, if something happens to the prison car, only you imperial guards will ask!" "
When Zhou Xiao heard the words on the horse, he was immediately angry. If a battalion commander like him had dared not make any gesture before, he would have just made a few promises and passed the scene. But after experiencing the trip to Longyou, he had seen real weapons, and he followed Zhao all the way. Tama, both temperament and mentality, had an inexplicable change.
What's more, they are the Forbidden Army. With them here, the prison car is the safest. How could there be an accident? Unless they were here to rob the prisoner van, the imperial army would rob the prisoner van, which would be a big scapegoat.
Zhao Tong's face also darkened in the car. Although he didn't go to court, he knew to some extent what these court officials were like. But this kind of slap in the face without any decent words was really... rare.
"Go over!" Zhao Tong said calmly, but he didn't want to give in at the moment.
The generals are powerful and the country is divided, and the civilian officials are powerful and the country is weak. This is a very difficult balance issue. However, if five hundred armored cavalry enter the city, no matter how low the status of the imperial army is, as an official of Dali Temple, your first consideration should not be to have No important military information?
Isn't the military situation more important than the prisoner being held in your prison car? What's more, in Tokyo, the Forbidden Army is currently present, and talking about the prison car will cause problems. Either this is a habit of bullying others, or it is a problem with the Forbidden Army, and they will find trouble when they see it.
Zhou Xiao received the order at this moment, and immediately puffed up his chest and said to the forbidden army behind him: "Let's go!"
Over there, the Dali Temple official saw that the opponent not only refused to give way and retreated, but actually grabbed him. He immediately trembled with anger and shouted: "What do you side troops want to do? In the clear sky and in broad daylight, you collided with the Dali Temple prison car. Do you really want to rob the prisoner?"
Zhou Xiao ignored him and just drove forward. Although the Dali temple officials shouted fiercely, these soldiers and horses actually passed by forcefully, so he had nothing to do.
The Dragon Guards were all riding horses with guns and armor. Even if they were not running but just riding normally, the sound of the friction of guns and knives and the sound of horse hoofs on the ground made the Dali temple official and the escorting officers terrified.
When the imperial army was halfway through, Zhao Tong's carriage arrived at the intersection. When the Dali Temple official saw the carriage, he showed a surprised look.
It turns out that the dragon guards are all cavalry, and there is no cavalry sitting on the horse in the middle of the carriage. Under the protection of hundreds of cavalry, even if you look carefully outside, you may not be able to see it.
The Dali temple official's face became even more ugly now, knowing that it was not the leader of the Imperial Guard who made the decision at all, and the person who actually gave the order should be inside the carriage.
He thought about it again and again, and he probably felt that the generals in the army, even those from the two divisions, should travel on horseback. As for the people riding in the cars, most of them were family members, but the family members could have such a grand ostentation, and they were also people of high status.
But he always had dissatisfaction in his heart. What kind of place is Dali Temple? After Yuanfeng's restructuring, more people were added to the system. The more people were in charge, the more powerful the authority became. Even places like Yushitai and Liubu would not give face to them.
As for the Forbidden Army, Dali Temple has never looked down upon it. This is not a comparison of levels at all. As soon as he thought about it, the Dali Temple official suddenly said: "Who is in the carriage? Dare to control the Imperial Army indiscriminately, ram into the prison car, and ignore the law of the country?" Where are the military regulations!”
Zhao Tong heard this in the car and said to Ouyang Bei, who was riding in front: "Stop."
Ouyang Bei reined in the carriage, the horse neighed loudly, and the Imperial Guards in front and behind also stopped.
Zhao Tong lifted up the car curtain and looked at the Dali temple official with a sick look on his face. He saw that the man was wearing a fish bag and had a white face and no beard. He looked like he was in his thirties and he didn't recognize him.
He said calmly: "Since I went to Longyou last year, I have been out to sea for a few months this year, and I have not been in Beijing for a long time until the end of the year. No one recognizes me? I actually came up to me and gave orders and uttered contradictory words! "
The Dali Temple official saw the carriage curtain open, and a person was vaguely exposed. He was not very old and could not recognize his face. When he was suspicious, he only listened to the words of the person in the carriage. Although he was not close, he could only hear vaguely. He said a few words, and the more he listened, the paler his face became.
Is this...that person back?
He has never met Zhao Tong. In fact, he entered Dali Temple only a few months ago. He originally worked in a local position and earned enough money. Then he gritted his teeth and spent it all, and then he became a capital official. In fact, he was not very satisfied with this position. The authority of Dali Temple was heavy, but the oil and water was not as abundant as imagined.
Although there are many rich families in the prisoner's family, whether they are confiscating their homes or waiting for their family members to take care of them, they have income, but there are actually not that many prisoners in the Song Dynasty at the moment. How many of them can be officials now and have no way out? If there is no backing in the capital, even a seventh-grade county magistrate cannot be released. Most of the people who can be officials have already settled their affairs when they have trouble, so there are not many cases to be tried throughout the year.
And the few cases he had had to be exploited layer by layer. In the end, not many fell into his hands. It was completely different from being in charge of local government. Although he regretted it slightly, after all, he had been promoted. , it can be regarded as two cancellations.
After he arrived in the capital, he naturally inquired about the people in various places, and he knew who he must not offend. Naturally, the King of Qi must not offend him. He just heard that the leader of the emperor was out of the capital on errands. If he had not been in the capital for a long time, how could he think of the people on the carriage? , As for Gao Qiu, it is even more impossible to lead hundreds of cavalry on the street.
Except for the two men from the two divisions, he really didn't care about the rest of the Forbidden Army. After all, no matter how high their official positions were, the rest were just big-headed soldiers. How dare they show off their prestige with him, a Dali Temple official?
But now, it was so close that he didn't expect that this person would bump into him when he returned to Beijing.
Sweat immediately fell from the Dali Temple official's forehead, and cold sweat broke out on his back, making a large area wet. He hurriedly turned over and dismounted.
Zhao Tao looked at him in the carriage over there and said to the imperial guards: "Tie this man up and throw him back to the Dali Temple. If Chen Chuixiang has any dissatisfaction, let him come to my palace to complain."
The imperial guards immediately stepped forward after receiving the order. At this time, the Dali temple official had already dismounted. He vaguely heard Zhao Tao's words and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He thought that this punishment was his own fault. He deserved it. It's not as brutal as the rumors say. If someone were to contradict him when he was in another place, it would be strange not to be whipped twenty times first.
He was kidnapped and dragged away by the Imperial Guards, but he did not forget to plead guilty and flattered him, shouting: "I didn't know that the prince was back in Beijing, so I was very offended and contradicted... That officer thanked the prince for sparing his life and promised to go to the prince's house another day." Bow down and apologize."
Zhao Tong sat in the car and watched this man being dragged away. He couldn't help sighing with his hands on his forehead. The sycophants were coaxing the government and the servile people were in power. How could these people have the ability to govern the country, let alone their integrity? Yong, in his mind, apart from getting promoted, he wants to get rich. In his eyes, the people of Li are nothing more than weeds. In times of national calamity, he is afraid that he will surrender even if he refuses to escape.
He glanced ahead and was about to lower the curtain, but suddenly his eyebrows raised slightly and he looked forward again, his eyes falling on the leading prison car.
I saw a shackled prisoner inside the prison car. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were half-closed. He didn't know whether he was unconscious or dying.
Zhao Tong couldn't see his entire face clearly, but he always felt familiar, so he said to Huang Gu at the front of the car: "Go and take a look at the people in the prison car."
Huang Gu walked towards the prison car, and the guards of Dali Temple gave way wherever they dared to stop him. When he got close to the prison car and looked up and down, he also felt that it was familiar, but the hair covered half of his face, and he couldn't make out his entire face, so he asked a man next to him. Police officer: "Who is being held captive in this car?"
The officer hurriedly responded with a smile: "Shangguan, this is the magistrate of Yanggu County. He was taken to the capital to await trial because he committed a serious crime of frame-up."
Magistrate of Yanggu County? When Huang Gu heard this, he was shocked. Wasn't the matter in Yanggu County done perfectly? How come he was taken to Tokyo!
He hurriedly came back to report to Zhao Tong. Zhao Tong frowned slightly, what happened? It seems that the high-ranking official of Ximen is still underestimated. Even if he is dead, he can still bring down the Yanggu County Magistrate. However, Ximen Qing has an official status and has become Cai Jing's godfather. If it is the Cai family, After getting the news, it was not difficult to turn over the case with a little effort. As for the evidence or not, it was not that important to the Cai family.
Zhao Tong guessed the reason after a moment's thought, but he didn't know if Shi Wenkui, the magistrate of Yanggu County, had sold him out. After all, he had concealed his identity when he entered Yanggu, even if there were soldiers from the imperial army who came to seize Ximen Qing. family, but how would ordinary people know where they came from, let alone who the leader of the army was.
But this Shi Wenkui is a smart man. If he doesn't recruit himself, he may be able to save him if he gets the information. If he even exposes himself, there is nothing to say. There are dead ends on the left, right, top and bottom. Don't say anything. Killing scholar-bureaucrats, after all is said and done, does not mean killing scholar-bureaucrats lightly, it still depends on what you have done.
Zhao Tong looked back at the big box in the team. The stolen goods were here. It couldn't be justified. He was holding the money here and the person working for him was in the prison car. He couldn't see it!
Zhao Tao waved to the front, and Zhou Xiao immediately rode over. Zhao Tao pointed at the prison car: "We are all being taken to the military prison outside the city. No one is allowed to see or take anyone with us!"
Zhou Xiao was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, why did he really get into the prison car? But he didn't dare to ask, he was about to give the order immediately, and Zhao Tong said coldly: "You call up the 10th Battalion to guard the military prison together. Even if Cai Jing comes, you are not allowed to see or take away!"
Zhou Xiao's heart trembled when he heard this, he shouted "yes" and went straight to the prison car.
(End of chapter)
