"Your Majesty, after continuous examination by the ministers and questioning of party members, a total of ten charges were obtained against Zhao Siwan. This is the confession, please review it by Your Majesty!" Song Qi praised Zhao Kuang.
The situation was serious and urgent, so it was advisable to make a contingency decision, so Song Qi decided to do it quickly and probably stayed up all night. Looking at the pile of case files in his hand, Zhao Kuangzan asked, "Did Zhao Siwan admit it all?"
"Confess!" Song Qi replied.
After waving, Zhao Kuangzan took the case file and looked at it for a while, his expression was quite calm. Although Song Qi listed a total of ten crimes against Zhao Siwan, there were only two core ones. One was secretly communicating with the Khitan and conspiring to cause chaos; the other was being cruel and easy to kill, taking human life lightly. As for other things such as corruption, wounding, adultery, extortion, and robbery, etc. Yes, they are all "minor problems".
Even so, after reading Song Qi's summary, Zhao Kuangzan's expression was still heavy. Especially when I saw that Zhao Siwan had killed 73 people in private for fun during these years. Zhao Kuangzan's majestic face was filled with anger. He slapped the big case fiercely and said sternly, "I know Zhao Kuangzan alone." Fierce, but not expected, he was as cruel as a brother. He caused innocent people to die at his hands, and failed to detect and correct them in time. It was Gu's fault. There was such a wolf dormant around Gu for a long time. After thinking about it, I was afraid ah!"
"If God does evil, you can still violate it. If you do evil on your own, you will not live. Zhao Siwan's heart is like a snake and scorpion. He does many evil things and brings his own destruction. This is what he calls it. Even heaven can't save him. Now he is captured by the king. It is also the hand of God who wants to pretend to be the king. , eliminate harm for the people and punish this evil person," Song Qi said to Zhao Kuangzan.
Hearing this, Zhao Kuangzan shook his head and corrected, "How can Gu be so virtuous? How dare he represent God's will? As Song Gong said, Zhao Siwan only brought the blame on himself. Furthermore, Gu had been more tolerant and tolerant of him before, and the Yan people's difficulties were also caused by Gu." Sin!"
"The king has such a heart, which can be called benevolent. There is no need to blame yourself too much! Now that he can check his behavior, arrest and question the guilty, so that he will no longer cause harm, it shows the wisdom of the king!" Song Qi praised him with a cupped hand.
For scholar-bureaucrats like Song Qi, Zhao Kuangzan's character of taking the blame and taking the blame himself is worthy of praise and in line with their values. If every monarch had this kind of awareness, wouldn't this world be a paradise for scholar-bureaucrats?
Raising his hand, Zhao Kuangzan regained his seriousness and ordered, "Nowadays, the situation on the border has changed, and the war may break out in a flash. The priority is to defend Youzhou. Zhao Siwan will be detained for the time being, and he will follow the law after the situation is stable." Deal with it and give an explanation to the military and civilians."
"Yes!" Song Qi responded, raised her head, and asked for instructions, "Your Majesty, among the officials in Youzhou, there are many who work closely with Zhao Siwan on weekdays, and there are also some talented people in his house. Now these people are all I have been captured, please tell me how to deal with it!"
Hearing this, Zhao Kuangzan glanced at Song Qi, pondered for a moment, and said, "These people will be carefully examined by Song Xiong. If not guilty, guilty will be punished!"
"Yes!" Song Qi's face showed a little depression.
Song Xiong was a famous scholar from Youyan known as the "Second Song Dynasty" together with Song Qi. He dabbled in literature and history, was good at talking, had integrity, and was highly praised by scholars. He was the judge of Youzhou at that time, and he always judged matters fairly and without partiality.
Looking at Song Qi, Zhao Kuangzan added, "If a war breaks out, Youyan's people, money, food, cloth, and weapons will all need to be managed by you. There is no one who is more familiar with and more competent than you in these affairs!"
After hearing this, Song Qi finally showed a satisfied look and said, "Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I will do my best to repay you!"
Looking away from Song Qi, Zhao Kuangzan sighed slightly in his heart. The person in front of him was a capable person. Zuo Bi himself had made many achievements for many years. With his talents, there was no big problem for him to become the Prime Minister of a great country. He loves to seize power and is fond of forming cliques, which somewhat displeases his master. Zhao Kuangzan is already tolerant and can value his talents but tolerate his trivial matters.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Siwan wants to see you!" Song Qi reported to Zhao Kuang before leaving.
"What else does he want to say to me?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangzan couldn't help but sneer, but after thinking about it for a moment, he still said, "Order someone to bring him to court!"
"yes!"
Before long, Zhao Siwan was escorted into the hall by two powerful guards with the sound of shackles being dragged. The shackles were added to her body. After all, Zhao Siwan was really brave enough to prevent him from getting angry.
At this time, Zhao Siwan was still wearing brocade clothes, but the noble robe could not hide his embarrassment. When he saw Zhao Kuangzan, he saluted and then stood arrogantly.
Seeing his posture, Zhao Kuangzan was furious and stared at him, "You have followed my father and son for more than twenty years, and I have missed your many years of service. Have you ever treated you poorly in these years? Unexpectedly, you have a wolf-like character. , betraying the Lord and being ungrateful, he actually wants to lead the Liao army southward to seize Youzhou and harm my life!"
Faced with Zhao Kuangzan's questioning, Zhao Siwan smiled, "Your Majesty, what you said is biased. The late king also took refuge in the Khitan as a minister and guarded Youyan for him. When the Khitan destroyed the Jin Dynasty, the late king also led us and made meritorious service in the expedition. Your Majesty. The status that we have today is the result of the legacy of the previous kings, which has been paved the way since serving the Khitan.
The late king could do it, why can't I, Zhao Siwan? I have always disapproved of your Majesty's desire to be an obedient minister of the imperial court. Why would I do this if your Majesty could listen to my suggestions in the first place? "
"Ha! What a paradox, you are so ambitious that you end up fighting against each other!" After hearing his arrogance, especially the comments about his late father, Zhao Kuangzan became even more angry and sneered.
Zhao Siwan also let go, raised her head and said, "I, Zhao Siwan, have followed the king through life and death. On the battlefield, I have never taken the lead and fought desperately. The late king died of illness, and who escorted the king north to take over the throne and protect the king? Khitan Nan bandits , it was I, Zhao, who led the soldiers in a bloody confrontation!
The king is indeed kind to me, but I will repay him with death! Even so, I have decided that after I succeed, I will spare your life with no intention of harming your life! "
Hearing what he said, Zhao Kuangzan looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze and said, "So, I still treat you poorly. Do I still want to thank you for your kindness to me?"
Zhao Siwan was silent for a while, and then said, "It's a pity that I planned for a long time, but it fell into the hands of an official, and was betrayed by his confidants, so that my success failed."
"Do you think this is the only reason for your failure?" After hearing what he said, Zhao Kuangzan sarcastically said, "You are self-righteous, do not understand the general situation, cannot see clearly the changes in the current situation, cannot see the support of the people, and do things against nature based on your own selfish desires. , how can we be undefeated!"
"That's it, the matter has come to an end, there's no point in talking more!" Zhao Siwan said in a muffled voice.
Zhao Kuangzan raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Are you asking to see me just to make such arrogant remarks in front of me?"
Hearing this, Zhao Siwan calmed down a lot, faced King Yan's eyes, knelt down on the ground, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I know that my responsibilities are serious, and the execution of my clan is not an exaggeration. I have no desire to survive. I have three Sons, the two are older and have enjoyed my blessings, so they can follow me and submit to the law.
Only my youngest son, who is less than a year old, hopes that the king can spare his life and leave me a trace of blood. As for me, I will be at your disposal, no matter what the method of death, and I will have no complaints.
If there is an afterlife, I am still willing to serve the king! "
Zhao Siwan's words came from the bottom of his heart, with some sincerity. After all, this martial artist who was as ruthless as a knife still had something to worry about. With a slight sigh, Zhao Kuangzan said, "It's not like being alone can harm a child!"
This was considered as a promise to Zhao Siwan to keep his bloodline. After hearing this, Zhao Siwan kowtowed to the ground and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Standing up straight, Zhao Siwan solemnly said again, "Your Majesty, please listen to my last words and be sure to be wary of the court. The Yan army is a group of its own and will be tabooed by the court sooner or later. Please be careful!"
Zhao Siwan obviously got completely into the horns and couldn't pull it out until she died. Zhao Kuangzan said, "I have my own opinion on this matter, so you don't need to worry about it anymore!"
When Zhao Siwan was taken away, Zhao Kuangzan sighed again. After all, he was a veteran who had been following him for many years. With such an ending, his whole life's reputation was ruined.
In fact, how could Zhao Kuangzan have no idea about the situation of the Yan army? Sandwiched between the Han and Liao dynasties, with the imperial court gradually cutting off the separatist forces in the south, the situation between him, the King of Yan, and the Yan army would only become more embarrassing. .
He has only two choices, one is to submit to the Han, the other is to surrender to the Liao. As for having both sides, that is the real way to die. Zhao Siwan was so ambitious that he chose to defect to the Liao Dynasty, but Zhao Kuangzan was always closer to the Han Dynasty in his heart. After all, they had a deep connection with each other. The second spring of his father and son's career flourished with the support of Emperor Qianyou.
As for what Zhao Siwan had always said, the Han court would be suspicious, but if they surrendered to the Liao Kingdom, the Khitan monarchs and ministers would believe them. Back then, his father, Zhao Yanshou, had worked for Yelv Deguang for more than ten years to govern Youyan, but the result was much more serious and violent due to the suspicion of the foreign tribes. If not for the great battle at Luancheng, Zhao Yanshou would have died under the suspicion of the Khitans much earlier.
"Your Majesty, Gao Shijun is here!" The guard reported while Zhao Kuangzan was meditating.
After coming back to his senses, Zhao Kuangzan immediately summoned him and even subconsciously adjusted his clothes. Lulong's observation envoy Gao Fang, one of the "Three Heroes of Luzhou", surrendered when Liu Chengyou led the Longqi Army to the east and offered Luzhou.
After Liu Chengyou ascended the throne, due to the changes in Youzhou and the instability of the border situation, when Zhao Kuangzan succeeded to the throne of Yan King, he increased his defense to the north. He stayed here for almost ten years.
Gao Fang was actually the representative of the imperial court in Youzhou. He provided considerable support to Zhao Kuangzan in consolidating Youzhou. After all, he represented the authority of the imperial court. In the liaison and exchanges with the imperial court, a lot of energy was spent on maintaining the relationship between the two parties and eliminating misunderstandings and conflicts. For Liu Chengyou, high defense plays a major role in maintaining stability in Youzhou, and it also includes a certain amount of intelligence work.
In fact, Zhao Kuangzan is well aware of the role played by Gao Fang, and has always respected his talents and conduct. Over the years, the two have worked together very well.
"I wonder why the king summoned his subordinates?" Gao Fang was already 54 years old, much older. When he saw Zhao Kuangzan, he maintained courtesy.
"I have a memorial here that was submitted to Tokyo. I would like to ask Mr. Gao to give me some advice!" Zhao Kuangzan picked up a copy of this chapter that he had written himself and gave it to Gao Fang.
Gao Fang guessed in his mind that it was about the changes in Youzhou and the Khitan conspiracy, but after reading it, his face tightened and became serious, and he looked at Zhao Kuangzan, "Your Majesty, do you want to invite the imperial court for the Northern Expedition?"
Zhao Kuangzan nodded, "The Khitan first sent troops to invade Yanmen in the south and had a conspiracy to seize Youzhou. Obviously its policy has changed. There is no longer peace between Han and Liao, and a war may break out at any time. Rather than passively waiting for the Liao soldiers to attack and fight on the border, it is better to Gather troops and go north, seize the Yanshan fortresses, and completely drive the Khitan forces out of Sainan!"
Hearing this, Gao Fang thought for a long time, obviously considering it carefully, and finally bowed and said, "I would like to sign my name with your Majesty!"
In fact, Zhao Kuangzan's memorial can be regarded as a complete statement of his stance to the court and his true feelings. He took the initiative to invite the Han army to launch a large-scale Northern Expedition. When the Wang army came, Youyan basically surrendered to the imperial court.
At the same time, Zhao Kuangzan was also fed up with being oppressed by the Khitans and being in constant danger of troops approaching the city. He needed to vent his anger and resentment that he had held back for nearly ten years.
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