The next day, a battle report came from Taihu Lake. Tong Guan and Wang Zhen joined forces and began to encircle and suppress Shisheng.
Wang Zhen brought many ships from Jiangning, all of which were war boats. They were far from comparable to the thieves' ships like those of the Taihu bandits, and the various ordnances on them were not found on thieves' ships.
After Zhao Tong read the battle report, he sent Du Bo to help. In this way, there were nearly 200,000 people on land and water in Taihu Lake, while Shi Sheng had only a few thousand water bandits. With the overwhelming force, victory was just around the corner.
Next, he did not stay at Canglang Pavilion. Instead, he took the car out for a stroll every day, watching the scenery of Suzhou. He also went to Hanshan Temple to discuss sutras with an old monk for a day.
The old monk, whose name is Meng Chi, has been a monk since he was a child. He is now in his eighties and is very eloquent. Zhao Tong couldn't argue, so he had to stare and leave.
After more than ten days, the war on the Taihu side was coming to an end, and Zhu Meng also began to prepare for the ceremony. Waiting for Tong Guan's triumphant return, he held a banquet to celebrate the pacification of Fang La.
During this period, Zhao Tong received many gifts, all from Suzhou officials. Suzhou had not fallen, the officials were relatively neat, and the gifts they gave were all valuable, especially Zhu Meng, who gave him thirty thousand taels of silver, plus He alone sent hundreds of thousands of gold, pearls, jade, and other things.
Zhao Tong never refuses anyone who comes, and accepts gifts no matter who gives them, which makes the officials of Suzhou City overjoyed. After all, Fang La is a big event, and the entire two Zhejiang provinces are almost falling. They are afraid that the court will hold him accountable later. After receiving the gift, I will definitely say a few nice words to the official's family when I return, so that I can continue to sit firmly in my position.
Zhao Xiu arranged for two more maids to take care of her day and night. No matter what, she was pregnant with her own child, grudges were grudges, and the child was a child. Since she had flesh and blood, there was no room for any mistakes.
He knew that Zhu Xiuniang would not let go of the hatred in her heart, but what could he do? How could she get into trouble after entering Prince Qin's palace?
A few days later, Tong Guan led his troops back. The Taihu area was basically cleared. Except for a few bandit leaders who escaped with their martial arts, the rest were all killed. Even the bandit leader Shi Sheng was killed by random arrows. The Taihu Lake water It was dyed as red as the setting sun for a while.
In the evening, the banquet was held in Jingu Garden. Jingu Garden was the garden of Qian Yuanxuan, the son of King Qian Liu of Wuyue. It also survived for thousands of years and was renamed Huanxiu Villa in later generations.
The layout of Jingu Garden is famous for its ingenious stacking of rockeries, supplemented by pools, and interdependent mountains and rivers. It is very imposing and is also known as "The Unique Conquest".
The front of the banquet was divided into two rows: left and right. On the left were the generals who came to suppress the bandits, headed by Tong Guan, and on the right were the Suzhou officials headed by Zhu Meng.
Before the banquet started, a scholar from Suzhou came out to give a eulogy. He spoke eloquently for a quarter of an hour and was extremely flattering. He said that the victory over Square La was a great achievement, comparable to the expansion of territory. Tong Guan was beaming when he heard this.
Then there was singing and dancing. Suzhou Jiaofangsi was different from Hangzhou, and there were many women of different colors from who knows where. They were all very beautiful and as light as flying swallows, which made all the generals of the Western Army stare straight at the sight.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zhao Tong suddenly waved his hand and dismissed the musicians, then squinted his eyes to the left and right, and finally his eyes fell on Zhu Meng.
Zhu Meng didn't understand what he meant, so he stood up quickly and said, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
Zhao Tong said coldly: "I suddenly remembered something!"
Zhu Meng was stunned when he heard this, and everyone around him was also puzzled. Hearing Zhao Tong's unkind tone, they wondered what he was thinking of.
Hear Zhao Tong slowly say: "I think of hundreds of noble families in Jiangning who died tragically at the hands of the bandits. I think of the rivers of blood that flowed in the city that night and corpses everywhere. I think of the fact that the Zhu family, my favorite family, was brutally exterminated. This king...is so angry that it’s hard to get rid of it!”
When his words came out, everyone immediately fell silent. No one knew about this matter, but no matter who it was, they didn't dare to discuss it openly, let alone tell it in public, as if they were a man. Taboo, everyone avoids mentioning it.
Now that Zhao Tong says it, who dares to answer it? They all knew that Zhao Tao had adopted the daughter of the Zhu family, and they seemed to have heard that she was originally going to be the princess. However, after the previous tragic events, the Zhu family was wiped out, leaving only a bare-bones county magistrate in a remote area of Fujian. In such a situation, I am afraid it will be difficult to return to the throne. As a princess, it's no wonder Zhao Tong is angry.
Zhao Tong continued: "Such a big event has shaken the imperial court and the world. How many of the princes in the court have their hometowns in the south of the Yangtze River, but they have suffered such atrocities. How can they be calm? This is a blood feud. How can there be no reason not to avenge it? !”
No one in the hall said anything. In fact, some officials in Suzhou came from the Jiangnan gentry. Not all of them were wealthy locals in Suzhou. Some of them lived in eastern Zhejiang, some in southern Zhejiang, and some in Jiangning.
Therefore, among these officials, there were also people whose clans were exterminated. When they heard this, their faces turned pale, and some lowered their heads and wept silently.
Tong Guan felt something was wrong in his heart. He knew Zhao Tong. This second king rarely made unintended remarks. He said these words at the celebration banquet. It could not be out of emotion. I am afraid he had some purpose.
He hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, now that Fang La has been consecrated, all the thieves and bandits have been wiped out. It can be regarded as avenging the grievances of the princes."
Zhao Tong glanced at him and said coldly: "Although Fang La is dead, don't you know why this thief's disaster started?"
ah? Everyone below trembled when they heard this. How could they not figure out why the thief disaster arose? Nominally it was because of Hua Shi Gang, but in fact it was because of Zhu Meng's extortionate expropriation and plundering.
Seeing that no one said anything, Zhao Tong snorted coldly: "Do you think it's because of the Hua Shi Gang?"
As soon as he said this, everyone below him immediately started to sweat. Who dares to say such a thing? Aren't you just saying this to accuse today's officials of being stupid and unethical, causing the people to be miserable and leading to rebellion?
Zhao Tong glanced at the crowd again: "Flowers and stones are not precious. They are commonly seen. They are picked or bought, or hired to salvage them. They are just ordinary things. As long as they are handled properly, how can they trigger a civil uprising?"
Tong Guan secretly screamed, already knowing what Zhao Tong wanted to do, he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, of course it has nothing to do with Hua Shi. In fact, the demon sect has had evil intentions for a long time. Only then did it confuse the people and rebel. The crime is heinous."
Zhao Tong didn't even look at him: "If the people live a happy life, where does the devil's sect come from? Where does the gathering of people to do evil come from?"
When he said this, he slammed the table, looked at Zhu Meng and said, "Zhu Meng, do you know your guilt?"
Zhu Meng was completely dumbfounded. King Qin's words were clearly directed at him, but didn't he just give him something worth one hundred thousand dollars? Why don't you admit it later and want to hold him accountable?
He hurriedly ran out from behind the case and knelt on the ground: "The common people know the crime, the common people know the crime, Your Majesty, the officials have already punished the common people, and exempted the common people from being innocent. The common people are at fault, the officials punish them, and the common people admit their guilt."
Zhu Meng hurriedly told him that he had been punished by Emperor Daojun. Since Emperor Daojun had punished him, it meant that his sins had been offset and he should not be blamed anymore.
Zhao Tong looked at him with a cold smile on his lips: "The official has indeed punished you and demoted you to a white body, but..."
Everyone in the hall pricked up their ears when they heard this. After all, what Zhu Meng said was good, and they all wanted to hear what Zhao Meng had to say.
Zhao Tong said: "What the officials are punishing is that you acted recklessly in Jiangnan, preying on the common people, plundering the people's fat and anointing, using the name of the imperial court to steal wealth, and inciting the devil's religion to coerce the people into rebellion... But what I want to ask you is that most of the gentry in Jiangnan His family was destroyed, his family was wiped out, not a single one of them was left alive, and he died tragically due to the crime of swordsmanship!"
Zhu Meng was immediately shocked. Not only him, but also Cai Jingtong Guan could not bear such a crime. A Jiangnan noble family and most of the Tokyo court would be charged with this kind of crime, even ten rounds of death would not be enough.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with the common people!" Zhu Meng shouted with a pale face: "Your Majesty, the nobles were all killed by Fang La's thieves, how can it have anything to do with the common people?"
Zhao Tong sneered and said, "It has nothing to do with you? If you hadn't robbed the people of Jiangnan, how could there have been rebellion? If there hadn't been rebellion in Jiangnan, how could the nobles in Jiangnan be killed and exterminated by thieves?"
"Ah, this..." Zhu Meng was stunned. There was nothing wrong with the logic of Zhao Meng's words, but something didn't sound right. He couldn't think of how to defend himself, so he couldn't help shouting: "Your Majesty, the common people are wronged, this is wrong." It was all done by thieves and soldiers, not by common people, who were wrongly accused..."
"Are you unjust?" Zhao Tong slammed the table in front of him, and the cups and dishes jumped up one after another. He shouted: "If you hadn't triggered the rebellion in Jiangnan, how could the nobles have been killed? I have a beautiful family. How could my mother’s Zhu family be exterminated and die tragically? Come here, please take this villain to the prison for me and keep him under strict guard until he is questioned tomorrow!”
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Zhu Meng's face was ashen at this time, and he begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The officials have spared the sins of the common people, and the common people have been punished. Please show mercy to Your Majesty."
Zhao Tong stood up suddenly and pointed at Zhu Meng: "Official Shengming, please forgive your crime of provoking a civil uprising and demoting you to a white body, but what I want to ask now is the crime of killing the Jiangnan nobles. What other excuses do you have!"
Tong Guan opened his mouth below. He was on good terms with Zhu Meng, so he wanted to give him some advice. After all, he was close to Zhao Meng, so he wouldn't blame Zhao Meng even if he said a few words.
But just when he was about to speak, he heard Zhao Tong say again: "I heard that your son Zhu Ruli had no official position, but he led troops by the Taihu Lake. He actually led thousands of troops in armor. Could it be that he wanted to rebel? ?”
When Tong Guan heard this, he was shocked. The words he was about to say immediately swallowed back, and he thought to himself, why did he mention this? This was an attempt to rectify the Zhu family to death. The three thousand soldiers Zhu Ruli initially brought were left behind by him, and the three thousand soldiers he sent later were said by Zhao Tong himself. At this moment, he actually turned around and disowned them.
Tong Guan's heart was pounding, and he was wondering why Zhao Tong wanted to kill Zhu Meng like this? Yes, yes, Zhu Meng brought a large number of gifts to King Cai Jing and his family every time he came to the capital. Especially to King Yun Zhao Kai, he sent countless gold, silver and jewelry, and even female musicians. He had never entered the gate once. It was strange that the King of Qin could take a fancy to him. Maybe he had already held a grudge in his heart and was just waiting for the opportunity to take revenge.
Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes: "Leading troops in vain, what is it but rebellion? I also heard that your Zhu Mansion raises dead soldiers in armor, which is not a capital crime?"
"I, I..." Zhu Meng was trembling all over. At this moment, he still didn't know that Zhao Tong really wanted to kill him.
"Take this traitor away!" Zhao Tong said again: "Du Bu, Wu Song!"
The two of them stood up hurriedly: "Your Majesty."
Zhao Tong said: "I'll give you two five thousand soldiers. I'll surround the Zhu family. No one of them can escape, otherwise you and I will be the only ones to ask questions."
The two of them took the order and went out. Zhao Tong said again: "Your Majesty, please bring 10,000 soldiers to seize the other residences and gardens of the Zhu family in Suzhou City. Anyone who disobeys the order will be punished for treason and will be killed." !”
After a few orders, there was silence in the lobby. Everyone knew that Suzhou City would probably change in the future!
But at this moment, Zhao Tong did not say that the banquet was over, and no one dared to leave, nor did they dare to continue eating and drinking, so they had to sit and wait for the next step.
More than half an hour later, Wu Song came back in a hurry. Zhao Tong saw that his expression was different, so he called him closer and asked.
Wu Song whispered a few words, and Zhao Tong showed a surprised expression and frowned: "Is there such a thing?"
Wu Song said: "Your Majesty, my subordinates didn't believe it at first, but what Xiao said was very clear. My subordinates thought that if they were really from the same family as the Prince, they would find it difficult to deal with it, so they came back to ask for instructions."
Zhao Tong thought for a while, and Wu Song said that the soldiers surrounded Zhu's mansion to arrest people. They encountered resistance, but they were all subdued. However, there was actually a person protecting Zhu Ruli, who claimed to be Xiao, and was from the same family as him.
This made him puzzled. He knew that his teacher Zhou Tong had five disciples in total. The eldest was Lu Junyi, the third was him, the youngest was Yue Fei, and there were a second senior brother and a fourth junior sister whose names were unknown.
But Wu Song said that the man named Xiao was less than thirty years old, and it was unlikely that he was the second senior brother. After all, Lu Junyi had said before that Zhou Tong left Hebei after teaching his martial arts to an old family in the southwest and accepted his son as his disciple. And this happened nearly thirty years ago. The person named Xiao was in his twenties. He couldn't have been taught martial arts by Zhou Tong while still in his mother's womb, right?
Zhao Tong was puzzled, but since this person dared to say this, even if he was not the second senior brother, he must have some connections, but how could he appear in the Zhu Mansion and protect Zhu Ruli?
"Your Highness, look at this..." Wu Song couldn't help but ask after seeing Zhao Tong's doubtful expression and not speaking for a long time.
Zhao Tong thought for a moment and realized that it was not easy to reveal this matter to these Suzhou officials. No matter whether the other party was really related to him or was a fake, it was best to talk about it in private. He said: "Lock him up first."
Wu Song took the order and walked out. Zhao Tong thought something was wrong and said, "Don't be locked up with other prisoners. I'll see him at midnight."
After Wu Song left, he stayed for another hour or two. Wang Zhen and Zhe Kecun also came back to resume their duties. All those who should be arrested were arrested, and all those that should be sealed were sealed. Only then did Zhao Tong dismiss the banquet, and everyone wiped their sweat and left. , but Tong Guan was a little slow and was the last one to walk to the door.
Zhao Tong looked at him and said, "Privacy Tong, stay here."
Tong Guan stopped hastily. Although he knew that Zhao Tong would kill Zhu Meng, he had known Zhu Meng for ten or twenty years, and it was obvious that Zhao Tong did it without reporting it to the police. He hesitated in his heart. Yu.
Zhao Tong asked someone to close the door and then said, "Do you not want Zhu Meng to die?"
Tong Guan lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, I dare not hide it from you. Zhu Meng's crime is more than worthy of death. It's just that I have known him for several years. It's... it's really a bit difficult, alas."
Zhao Tong nodded and said: "Daofu is a person who values love and justice, but has Dafu ever thought about how to quell the tragedy of the genocide of the Jiangnan nobles? Could it be that Daofu thought that most of the Jiangnan nobles were killed, and you have no responsibility at all!" "
Tong Guan was stunned when he heard this, and then cold sweat broke out on his forehead. This time he was the main force in the battle against Fang La. Zhao Tao and Zhao Kai were just sitting on both sides, waiting for opportunities to support. The overall situation of suppressing bandits in Jiangnan was actually left to him. On hand.
He had never thought about this before, but now that he thought about it, his heart trembled. Emperor Daojun ordered him to pacify Jiangnan, not the second king or the third king. So, when the nobles were killed, he is the greatest sin.
"Your Majesty, this old minister deserves to die!" Tong Guan was such a smart person. He suddenly woke up and said immediately: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for bringing this matter up. Otherwise, when I go back to the court, I won't know how to face the criticism from the ministers, and I won't even be able to explain the truth." No."
Zhao Tong said: "Zhu Meng can't be taken back either. You can go to the prison later and ask for his confession. Be sure to make it more detailed. I heard that he has killed many people over the years. There are wine ponds and meat forests in the mansion, and there are many things that have exceeded the rules. I will ask them all."
Tong Guan said yes, and Zhao Tao glanced at him and said, "Zhu Ruli has no official position at the moment, but he dares to wear armor and lead troops. He is really bold."
Tong Guan couldn't help but groan in his heart, thinking to himself, Your Majesty, you have dug a big hole. He did not dare to mention the past, and only said: "There is indeed a suspicion of rebellion, there is indeed a suspicion of rebellion."
Zhao Tong said: "His Zhu family is full of capital crimes. He should have been taken to Tokyo for trial, but... he was afraid that many people would talk to him after he went to Tokyo. It would be bad if he didn't die. I don't care, Dao Dao, you can just You’re going to suffer.”
Tong Guan didn't know that Zhu Meng bribed many ministers in the court, and Cai Jing was the first person to support Zhu Meng. Now he and Cai Jing were at odds. If Cai Jing tried to protect Zhu Meng, the sin of the genocide of the Jiangnan gentry would fall on him. , this is very bad.
He gritted his teeth and said: "What the prince means is..."
Zhao Tong said: "Zhu Meng is white now. Let's kill him tomorrow."
Tong Guandao: "Yes!"
Zhao Tong said: "As for the remaining members of the Zhu family, if you look at Shaliu, there will always be a few alive to go to the official's house to pay homage to the officials, and to relieve the hatred of the nobles. Now that Zhu Meng is dead, no one will stand up for his family." .”
Tong Guan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "The prince is still thoughtful."
Zhao Tong thought for a while and then said: "The Zhu family has been operating in Jiangnan for so many years. It must be rich and have industries all over Zhejiang and Zhejiang. You..."
Tong Guan couldn't help but his eyes lit up when he heard this. He didn't know what Zhao Tong meant, so he hurriedly said: "I know how to do it."
Zhao Tong smiled and said: "The officials have to be satisfied. You can divide the rest as you see. I feel that it will always be more than what you gained from annihilating Fang La."
Tong Guan whispered: "I don't dare, I am afraid."
Zhao Tong shook his head and said, "There's nothing you dare to do. If you don't take it, Dao Dao, how can I take it?"
Tong Guan hurriedly lowered his head: "That's what the prince said!"
Zhao Tong said: "Then go quickly. This kind of thing should be done sooner rather than later. The night is long and there are many dreams. By the way, I will personally oversee the execution of Zhu Meng tomorrow!"
Tong Guandao: "I obey, then I will retire first."
Watching Tong Guan leave, Zhao Tong's face turned gloomy. After returning to Canglang Pavilion, he asked Bai Ao to call Wu Song and bring over the man who claimed to be his master.
It didn't take long for a group of soldiers and horses to tie up the young man and arrive outside Canglang Pavilion. Du Bo, Wu Song, Bai Ao and Bai Ba escorted the young man into the hall.
Zhao Tong looked this man up and down, and saw that he had a dignified appearance, sharp eyebrows and starry eyes. He was only twenty-seven or eighty years old, but he didn't look like his second senior brother.
Neither he nor Lu Junyi knew much about these matters in the sect, and most of them were finally handed over by the teacher to his junior fellow apprentice Yue Fei. However, he and Yue Fei hadn't seen each other for years, and now they didn't know if they were still in their hometown in Xiangzhou, and there was no way to ask.
This man didn't lower his head when he came in. Zhao Tong looked at him, and he looked at Zhao Tong in the same way.
Du Bo and Wu Song couldn't figure out the relationship between the two, so they couldn't force him to kneel down. They just guarded him closely to prevent him from suddenly getting angry and making a sneak attack.
Zhao Tong was suspicious and did not speak, but this man spoke first: "Xiao Yunfei, Yiwu, Wuzhou, has met His Highness King Qin."
Zhao Tong frowned: "Xiao Yunfei...you claim to be from the same sect as me?"
Xiao Yunfei said: "Exactly, when it comes to seniority, His Highness is still the junior brother of Cao Min!"
Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes: "I don't know when the teacher accepted a disciple of your age."
Xiao Yunfei was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "Your Highness made a mistake. I am not Master Zhou's disciple. My master is Yun Jiuxiao, Your Highness's uncle."
"Master uncle?" This time it was Zhao Tong's turn to be stunned. Zhou Tong had never told him about a master uncle, and he had no idea there was such a person.
Xiao Yunfei couldn't help but become embarrassed when he saw Zhao Tong's expression. He could tell that Zhao Tong really didn't know about this, so he couldn't help but ask tentatively: "Uncle Zhou has not mentioned the affairs in the sect to His Highness?"
Zhao Tong crossed his arms, leaned back on the chair, and shook his head slightly.
Xiao Yunfei stood on the ground and couldn't help showing a hint of embarrassment, and said sarcastically: "Uncle Zhou sent a letter to the Master after he accepted His Highness as his disciple. However, if a direct disciple enters the school, a register must be created, and the sect will have His Highness's name and identity."
"Master? Master?" Zhao Tong became more and more confused. Zhou Tong didn't talk to him about this at all on weekdays. Perhaps he was concerned about his status and didn't want him to get into trouble in the world, so he said a little to Lu Junyi, but he didn't say anything here. .
"Master...who is it?"
The corner of Xiao Yunfei's mouth twitched, and he was scratching his head a little at this time. He originally thought that the other party would know if he came over and mentioned it. Although he didn't expect to be a guest, he could just let him go, but unexpectedly the other party didn't know at all.
He had no choice but to say: "Master Zhou plays in the world and escapes from the secular world. I don't think I have ever mentioned it to His Highness. Master is known as the divine fist that shakes the nine states. His name is Jin and he has resigned. Master has had three disciples in his life. Master Zhou is the eldest, and my master is Yun Jiuxiao. This time, there was also a senior sister-in-law."
The divine fist shakes Kyushu... Jintai? There was a look of confusion on Zhao Tong's face, but it only became serious in an instant. He had already remembered who Jintai was.
The king is no match for Xiang, the general is no match for Li, and the punch is no match for gold!
This Jintai is a martial arts master of a generation, a martial arts giant who is known as the world's boxing champion.
(End of chapter)
