But who dares to say these words in front of the King of England? If anyone says anything, they are basically violating an unspoken rule in the current government. Once this unspoken rule is broken, it will offend a huge civil servant group. Although the four major battalions were directly under the Dianqian Division, the people in charge of the Ministry of War and the Privy Council were all upright civil servants.
Although he is a military attache, the daily military pay, ordnance supplies, assessments, and even promotions are all in the hands of civilian officials. It is too easy for the civil servants in the Ministry of War and the Privy Council to punish the military attachés. Secondly, what would happen if I told the King of England? According to customization, these people are all going to be escorted to the capital. Even if the King of England was the envoy to deal with Zhengzhou, there was nothing he could do.
Could the King of England risk being an enemy of the entire officialdom to break this unspoken rule? You know, if anyone breaks this rule, it means offending the entire civil service system. Although those people did not hold soldiers, the pens they held in their hands were even more powerful than the samurai's swords, and they really killed without blood.
Seeing that Commander Yu Du and several accompanying military attachés were silent on this matter, Huang Qiong also shook his head helplessly. He also knew that these civil servants did not have high official positions, and their number was not very large, but there was a huge group behind them. In particular, officials at Jinshi and other levels are considered to be members of the party who are in the same year as their master.
These people huddle together, and although they are fighting against each other and fighting against each other internally, they are surprisingly unanimous when it comes to safeguarding the interests of the entire civil service group. It has been deeply ingrained in the minds of those people that scholar-officials cannot be punished. Especially now, after the Huaiyang Rebellion, the decline of civil and military power in Da Qi is becoming more and more obvious.
None of these military attachés were willing to offend the huge civil service group for these people. Even if these people really deserve to die, they are unwilling to make any evaluation. If I ask too many questions, I'm afraid I won't get any results. After all, although they are military attachés, their promotions are all in the hands of civilian officials.
The ministers and ministers of the Ministry of War are both civil servants, and the secret envoys who hold the power in the Privy Council are civil servants. It can be said that the future of military attaches is in the hands of civilian officials. If nothing else, just do some tricks on the assessment. It was originally an assessment for Grade A, but if you get promoted to Grade B, it would be enough for military attachés like them to drink a cup of it.
After sighing slightly, Huang Qiong was unwilling to comment further on this matter. Pointing to some of the files, he said: "Your Majesty, I see that the rebels are somewhat inexperienced on the battlefield, but they are still advancing and retreating in an orderly manner. Since the soldier and horse envoy does not know anything, then what is the true role of the rebels on the battlefield? Who is the person directing?”
"His Majesty, the real commander on the battlefield is He Shao, the Deputy Military Envoy of Zhengzhou. This person used to serve as a garrison in the Military Preparation Department of Guilin County Prince's Palace. He was transferred to the Deputy Military Envoy of Zhengzhou Prefecture at the beginning of this year. This person is in Guilin During his tenure in the Duke's Palace, he led the army to fight against the Annan people many times. Whether it is the ability to lead troops or other aspects, he is far superior to the Chai soldiers and horse envoys."
"The person who really commanded the rebels was actually the deputy envoy of soldiers and horses. And the deputy envoy of soldiers and horses, during the entire rebellion, only played with the more than ten brothel girls he brought with him. He was basically a hands-off shopkeeper. He doesn’t care about anything. It’s just that Deputy He suddenly committed suicide by taking poison while being imprisoned. This is a note found in his hand."
"After discovering the note in his hand, the lower official immediately sent someone to investigate. But the soldiers guarding these people swore that no outsiders had ever come to the place where these officials were imprisoned. I don't know what this note is. When the time came, he was in the hands of He Shao. Compared with those Chai soldiers and horse envoys who didn't know anything about anything, this deputy envoy He didn't say a word after being captured."
"But the veteran who interrogated him said that although this man did not resist when he disarmed, he always looked worried. Originally, the team that interrogated him was about to execute him, but when they took off his clothes, they saw that he was covered with blood all over his body. Almost everyone couldn't do anything because of the trauma. I originally planned to hand it over to the prince for personal interrogation, but I didn't expect something like this to happen."
Commander Yu Du personally handed a palm-sized piece of paper to Huang Qiong. Huang Qiong picked it up and looked at it. There was only one line on the note: "You have been betrayed by the master and are unforgivable. There are some things that should be said or not. It is up to you to decide. Think more about what your family is doing. Decide."
The handwriting on this note was very delicate, and it looked like it was written by a woman. Putting down the note in his hand, he remembered what Myolie Zhu and his daughters had said about Meiying among the Thirteenth Iron Guard Battalion. He only thought that King Jing had already wiped out the Thirteenth Iron Guard Battalion, but he ignored that given King Jing's current situation, he might not really be able to eradicate the problem.
Especially Meiying, who was the biggest threat but the most inconspicuous, didn't give himself an explanation at all. I just ignored this point, but now I see that I really made a fatal mistake. Huang Qiong concluded that if he could pry open He Shao's mouth, he might be able to get something even better than King Jing, but it was a pity that he was obviously a step too late.
Thinking of this, Huang Qiong immediately said to several officials of the Qianqi battalion: "There are many women among the rebels, and they are all there now. These women will be interrogated immediately. There are still buddies among them who have not been eliminated. So cunning. The mastermind behind the scenes actually let a few women control everything behind the scenes. It is not noticeable, and it can better control the people to be controlled. "
Upon hearing Huang Qiong's order, several officials from the Xiaoqi Battalion looked at each other, wondering what was wrong with the British king, and no one dared to answer immediately. Only the commander of Yudu spoke: "Go back to your lord, there are not many women among the rebels. Except for the dozen concubines and maids brought by King Jing. Only the chai soldier and horse envoy brought more than ten A brothel girl."
"Now King Jing's more than ten concubines have been placed in the same magistrate's house. As for the more than ten brothel girls brought by Chai soldiers and horses, it is because it is not convenient to carry them in the army. After the interrogation, money has been given Dismiss them on the spot. They should have left Hulao Pass by now. If the prince thinks they are suspicious, I will immediately send cavalry to chase them."
In response to the Yudu Commander's request for instructions, Huang Qiong said without any hesitation: "Immediately send out cavalry to pursue in the direction of Zhengzhou. These women are also women and may not be able to go too far. At the same time, immediately mobilize A group of scouts are searching around Hulao Pass, and they will dig three feet into the ground to find these women for me."
Seeing the barely suppressed anger of the British king in front of them, several officers of the Cavalry Battalion did not dare to neglect. I immediately went down to organize people and followed Huang Qiong's instructions. After several military attachés left, he looked at Commander Yu Du, whose face turned red because he had let go of several possible die-hards due to his own mistakes.
Huang Qiong shook his head and sighed, thought for a while and said: "Master Yu, don't blame yourself too much. Not only you, but also me have made the biggest mistake, that is, they really underestimate women. They all put their sights on women. They focus on men and officials, but ignore that when women are really cruel, they may not be any worse than men."
"Not to mention the empress dowagers of the past dynasties who came to power, Empress Zetian and Princess Taiping of the former Tang Dynasty, who were not only talented and ruthless, but also ruthless? Even today's Empress Dowager Xiao of the Northern Liao Dynasty can also be called a hero among women? When a woman is in charge, she may not really lose to a man. You and I have ignored this. Especially this king, who has already suffered a big loss, but he still has no long memory."
After Huang Qiong's comforting words, Commander Yu Du calmed down a little and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, this is a shame. It is not only a shame for the subordinate, but also a shame for the entire Xiaoqi battalion. Let the real enemy actually be here Under the noses of veterans like these from the Xiaoqi camp, who have spent their entire lives in battles, they took a few coins and ran away openly, isn't this a shame?"
Looking at the obviously frustrated commander in the capital, Huang Qiong patted him on the shoulder and said after explaining to the guards outside: "Don't blame yourself. Now that the matter has happened, just think of ways to make up for it. It's better to make up for it before it's too late." It's not too late, isn't it? It's already this time, you haven't had dinner yet, so just eat with me. I have something else to discuss with Lord Yu."
Huang Qiong let the matter go gently, making the commander in the capital feel slightly relieved. Regarding Huang Qiong's invitation to have dinner with him, he thought about it and refused. After Liu Hu's sister-in-law and several maids from the Dutong Yamen brought the dinner, Huang Qiong waved her hand and asked someone to take the wine down and said with a smile: "I won't drink any more wine, just have a meal." Just a casual meal.”
He dismissed the other maids, leaving only Liu Hu's sister-in-law to take care of them. Huang Qiong held down the Yudu commander who was about to stand up. After personally picking up a bowl and filling a bowl of soup, he pointed at the four dishes and one soup on the table and said, "My king's meals have always been simple. Three meals a day can fill you up." It’s okay if you have an empty stomach. It’s not interesting to make those seven plates and eight bowls apart from the fact that they look good. I hope you don’t mind, sir.”
After Liu Hu's sister-in-law filled the food and brought it to the table, Huang Qiong did not dislike the roughness of the thick-wheat buns, so she picked up the bowl and started eating. Commander Yu Du, who had already met Huang Qiong at the Mengjin Xiaoqi Camp, was not surprised by Huang Qiong's behavior. Huang Qiong's informality also made the commander in the capital gradually relax.
But when the commander in the capital picked up the seemingly simple dish and put it into his mouth, the commander in the capital was slightly stunned. These four dishes may seem simple, but they are extremely delicious. Especially the stir-fried mutton with radish, it was extremely refreshing and smooth. Compared with the dishes cooked by Huotoujun in the army every day, it can be said to be extremely delicious.
These delicious dishes made this person, although he was a second-rank scholar, now have reached the position of a third-rank official. However, because he had been leading troops in battles for many years, he had never learned how to behave like a civil servant. Although he was a bit worried, he also had a big appetite and ate several thick-wheat buns in a row.
Looking at Commander Yu Du who was eating happily in front of him, Huang Qiong didn't say anything. After finishing the meal, Liu Hu's sister-in-law took away the rest of the table and brought some tea for mouthwash. Huang Qiong then said: "Master Yu, after all, he spent a lot of time in the army. He has been so polite as a scholar these years. Now, It seems that I have already forgotten it.”
Huang Qiong's teasing, this adult also knew that this was the King of England trying to relax himself. He said nonchalantly: "Your Majesty, that's how it is in the army. Every time we go out to fight, it's easier to talk in Daqi. If we go out of Daqi, in addition to dried mutton and vegetables, most of the time I can’t even eat radishes.”
"More often, dry food is the staple food. Especially when you go deep into the bitter cold places of Tubo, you have to win the battle. Apart from highland barley and mutton, you can't even eat anything green. And as a general, there Under such circumstances, it is necessary to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and over time the officers will get used to it."
"I don't know where the chef the prince found could cook such a delicious meal from such simple ingredients, which really gave Xiaguan a good meal. Although Xiaguan is not very particular about food, clothing, housing and transportation, it is rare. Food comes first, and of course I will enjoy it occasionally. If I return to the military camp, I can only continue to eat the big pot rice cooked by the Huotou Army."
