Xiang Xun pleaded guilty, and the emperor ordered the three judicial departments to jointly test him. As soon as the news came out, the whole court was in an uproar and caused a great uproar. Many people find it difficult to understand what is going on. The former is a commander who destroyed a country and made great military achievements. He is honored by the emperor and is respected by all. It had only been a few days and the official reward from the imperial court had not yet been issued. Why did he turn himself in and become a criminal? Moreover, none of the listed crimes are minor crimes.
During this period, some of the officers and soldiers in Pingshu behaved inappropriately, which attracted criticism and dissatisfaction. Officials rushed to impeach, strictly enforce military discipline, and deal with domineering soldiers. However, in the end, only those vulgar and short-sighted Qiu Ba from the middle and lower classes were left. The conflict between Wang Quanbin and Wang Renfan was very loud, but on the surface, it seemed more like a personal grudge.
For the victorious soldiers, no matter how upright they were, they never thought of setting fire to Xiang Xun. However, Xiang Xun's actions are tantamount to setting fire to one's body and adding fuel to the fire...
After the incident happened, there was a lot of discussion and suspicion. However, those who were really in high positions and understood the reasons seemed very calm. They did not express their opinions at all, and did not even reveal their attitude. They just sat back and watched the development of the matter. .
And because of this incident, the group of people who were most affected were the Pingshu soldiers who were grandly received by the emperor after returning to Beijing. Even Xiang Dushuai went to Dali Temple to confess his guilt, but as for them, their impetuous arrogance and arrogance disappeared immediately, and they no longer dared to think of themselves as meritorious officials.
Immediately afterwards, there was panic and worry. Counting Wang Quanbin and Wang Rengan who were detained, three Pingshu generals were captured. Could this be just the beginning, and would it bring harm to themselves?
Everything is afraid of speculation, the changes in the capital, and the rumor that the court wants to accuse the soldiers of causing the Shu rebellion. For a time, the meritorious officials began to panic, especially those generals who had made a lot of money in Sichuan and Sichuan.
Once they sensed the danger, they naturally had to find ways to resolve it. If it had been ten years earlier, there would have been no need to think too much, and a military rebellion could have been launched under the banner of "the court is unfair, does not show mercy to its soldiers, and treats its heroes poorly".
However, time has changed, the emperor's reputation has grown, and the authority of the court has become stronger. Now it is no longer an era to rebel first and then talk about it. No matter how ignorant and arrogant the general is, he would not dare to commit suicide.
Let's talk about the most basic reality. Kaifeng and its surrounding areas are heavily garrisoned. Although the number of troops who triumphantly entered Beijing is large, their composition is complex, not unified, and there are disputes with each other. How can anything be accomplished? If someone dares to promote rebellion, I'm afraid that without the help of the imperial court, someone will take his head and make meritorious service to the imperial court.
Rebellion was not an option, so there was only one option, and that was to plead with the emperor and ask for forgiveness from the court. As a result, the generals and commanders on both the North and East Roads began to contact each other to find a solution.
In the end, I found two people. One was Gao Huaide. As the commander of the army, he could not only represent the soldiers' feelings, but also be a relative of the emperor. With this relationship, it was easy to make suggestions.
The other person is Zhao Kuangyin, who returned to Kaifeng to pay homage to his father. Zhao Dushuai is the emperor's general. He has always been trusted and relied on, and his reputation in the army has gradually increased. He has worked hard to conquer Shu and has no bad deeds in Shu. He is a person who can talk to the emperor. .
In response to the requests of the generals, Gao Huaide and Zhao Kuangyin did the same thing, which was to appease them and told them to either return to their homes or return to camp and stay safe.
Afterwards, as if they had a tacit understanding, Gao and Zhao successively submitted petitions to the emperor to apologize. The names of the petitions were not as detailed as Xiang Xun's, but only two. They were unable to manage the army well, which led to the chaos in Shu.
As a result, the five main generals of Pingshu were all guilty. However, Gao Huaide and Zhao Kuangyin set an example, and the generals below also learned to be smart. As long as they were qualified, they all rushed to report.
The detained Wang Quanbin and Wang Renfan calmed down and came to their senses, and went to the prison room to apologize. Both of them listed in great detail. In addition to fighting for merit, destroying people's property, and ruining military prestige, they also clearly wrote down their bad behavior in Sichuan and Shu, including collecting money and seizing palace maids. I have confessed everything, and my attitude in confessing is very correct.
In addition to the two kings, Zhang Yongde also followed suit, just like joining in the fun. You must know that the Eastern Route Army has been progressing smoothly. After the surrender of Shu, it has been stationed in Yuzhou. Under his guard, Yuzhou and the areas east of it have always been very stable. Even when the chaos in Shu was at its most intense, no major changes occurred. .
I can't think of any serious crimes. Zhang Yongde asked for a lower punishment on the grounds that his subordinates burned city towers and cut down mulberry trees when they occupied Yuzhou and failed to stop them. There is only one original intention in doing this, and that is to be consistent with the Pingshu soldiers. No matter what, when the rumors spread widely, the interests of the Pingshu soldiers are the same.
For a time, the emperor's imperial cabinet was filled with confessions from generals. The heroes who had been commended before seemed to have become sinners in an instant. Liu Chengyou accepted all these memorials, but did not express his position. In fact, he did not even read many memorials.
When things have developed to this point, although there is a lot of momentum and the situation seems serious, in fact it is just a thunderstorm, and it only needs a pardon from the emperor to calm it down.
It was not until March that Liu Chengyou felt that the situation was almost over and could be calmed down, so he convened the military and political ministers to hold a royal meeting to discuss the issue of "please plead guilty for meritorious generals".
In addition to several ministers, the privy councilors and the generals and ministers of the two departments were also present. As the commander in front of the palace, Han Tong felt a little strange when facing such a meeting. It was a kind of mentality that those who have come before see those who come after.
"Everyone who is near, Pingshu generals have come forward one after another to plead guilty and ask the court to punish him. It can be said that there is a huge uproar. I am quite surprised and suspicious about this. How should I deal with it? Please teach me how to deal with it!" Sitting behind the throne, Liu Chengyou leisurely said Speaking of which, there was no hint of surprise in his tone or expression.
Upon hearing this, all the important civil and military officials were sitting safely, as steady as Mount Tai. They looked at each other, but no one spoke for a while. They all focused on the emperor, as if waiting for him to speak, that's all...
Liu Chengyou looked a little depressed when the ministers were so "uncooperative" and asked Fan Zhi directly: "Fan Qing, how should you be sentenced for the eight crimes you requested from Xingmin?"
Seeing the ball being kicked, Fan Zhi responded without thinking: "If the confession is true, according to the "Xingtong", he should be sentenced to death!"
This was a smart thing to say. Liu Chengyou immediately answered and asked: "Then according to the investigation of the Three Laws Division, is it true?"
Fan Zhi didn't know how to answer the question. If it wasn't true, then Xiang Xunda was joking and flouting the laws of the country by going to Dali Temple openly? If it's true, it's impossible to think of killing Xiang Xun.
At this time, Li Chuyun, a scholar of the Privy Council, stood up and responded with his hands raised: "Your Majesty, I think that regardless of the extraordinary achievements of the soldiers who defeated Shu, the soldiers are a matter of life and death. When the army passes by and sweeps everything away, it is a matter of contingency. Things are understandable.
To be fair and upright, to be open-minded about merits and demerits, and not to avoid right and wrong is a sign of broad-mindedness. Wouldn't it be a pity to offend a meritorious official because of his reputation for virtue, and add to the faults of the imperial court?
Furthermore, the generals rushed to plead guilty and expose their own mistakes. I believe that the discipline and military laws of the Han Dynasty are very strict. Even if there are some irregularities, there is no reason why all the generals will violate the law. There must be something inside, and we must not let a little public opinion chill the hearts of the soldiers! "
After listening to Li Chuyun's words, Liu Chengyou smiled and did not make a statement.
At this time, Han Tong rarely spoke up and said: "Your Majesty, I thought that the soldiers fought bloody battles for the country and served with life and death. Even if they were really at fault, they all went up to apologize. Obviously they knew they were wrong. If you want to do something As for the punishment, I think a small punishment or a big warning will suffice, but not a harsh one!"
"Wei Qing, what do you think?" Liu Chengyou looked at Wei Renpu.
Wei Renpu did not answer, but took out a memorial from his arms and responded: "Your Majesty, the officers and soldiers of Ping Shu, the rewards and honors for generals and officers above the battalion general, I have led my staff and assistants to approve them. Your Majesty, please read them!"
Wei Renpu's meaning is also very obvious. There is no need to discuss how to punish, let's focus on rewarding merit...
Liu Chengyou signaled his chamberlain, Sun Yanxi, to accept it. He looked at the table with his fingers, pondered for a while, and then said to Fan Zhi: "The central committee has drafted an imperial edict to pacify Shu soldiers. All the mistakes they have made will be forgiven!"
"Yes!" Fan Zhi responded calmly.
"In addition, pardon does not mean that the fault does not exist. Notify the internal and external armies of the matter to make the soldiers more alert. The river has not yet been calmed down, and it is not advisable to act arbitrarily!" Liu Chengyou said in a stern tone.
"As you command!"
With the emperor's letter of pardon, all the soldiers in Shu were at peace, and then came the rewards. The fault is the fault, but the credit must still be given. Because of the problems in Shu, the rewards this time were mainly based on honors, supplemented by money and food. The remuneration prepared by the court was mainly used to pay for the casualties.
Several major generals, Xiang Xun was promoted to Duke Yin, Gao Huaide was promoted to Duke Pu, and Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to Duke Song.
