If the situation hadn't been so bad, Chang Sheng would never have been able to save his life, and Zhang Shan would never have thought of obeying fate. The reason why the two of them were so depressed was just because what the fake emperor had done this month had already The damage to the foundation of the Tang Dynasty was so serious that it was difficult to repair.
If the fake emperor was just messing around, the consequences would not be unmanageable. The key to the problem is that everything the fake emperor did was purposeful destruction. Not only did he empty out the treasury, ruin the emperor's reputation, but also left behind Caused endless troubles.
Don't talk about anything else, just talking about Long Haotian can't end it. The imperial edict came from the fake emperor, and the promise was also made by the fake emperor. Now Long Haotian has begun to attack Xichuan driven by the huge reward. At this time If he were told that the previous orders were all from the fake emperor and could not be carried out accurately, and that after Xichuan was captured, they would still have to be given to the court. Long Haotian would definitely feel that he had been tricked by the court. With Long Haotian's temperament and virtue, he would not be able to resist That's weird.
Changsheng and Zhang Shan did not continue talking because they had already heard the footsteps of the emperor and the accompanying eunuchs.
After a while, the emperor came out, furious and striding forward.
Changsheng originally wanted to help the emperor clear up the clues on the road, so that he could make targeted remedies after going to court. However, the emperor was furious at this time, and his mind was full of the scenes of civil and military officials kneeling down to worship the fake emperor, and he wished he could go to the main hall immediately. Severely reprimanded, Changsheng couldn't find a chance to speak at all, so he could only follow Zhang Shan and go to the main hall with him.
The main hall of the Shang Dynasty had two doors, front and back. When going to court, the civil and military officials went through the front door, and the emperor went through the back door. When the emperor came to the main hall through the back door, the civil and military officials had been waiting in the main hall for a long time. It was completely dark, without exception. Keep your head down.
Changsheng is the prince, and Zhang Shan is the real protector of the country. Both of them are first-grade. After entering the palace, they stood at the top of the civil and military officials, one on the left and one on the right. Yang Kai and Shi Xuanming were the third-grade generals, and they were not among the ranks. , but stood on the left and right sides of the dragon throne platform.
The emperor's eyes at this time looking at the civil and military officials were full of anger and hatred. The emperor is the most powerful person and can take life and death. This look is enough to make everyone present shudder. Fortunately, all the civil and military officials know what happened, and no one knows what happened. If you dare to look up, you won't be able to see the emperor's terrifying eyes.
The emperor looked around at everyone and then retreated and took his seat. Eunuch Zhou shouted at the top of his voice, "The emperor is coming to court." '
Hearing Eunuch Zhou shouting, all the civil and military officials in the audience knelt down and shouted long live the emperor.
Normally, the emperor would have casually asked all the civil and military officials to stand down without courtesy, but at this time the emperor did not speak, and allowed all the civil and military officials to kneel there in silence.
Those who are qualified to go to court are at least fifth-rank officials. Those who can be fifth-rank officials will definitely not be short-sighted. They all know why the emperor remained silent and allowed the civil and military officials of the court to kneel there for a long time.
Changsheng thought that the emperor would let them get up after letting them dry for a while, but he never thought that the emperor remained silent for three hundred drops of water. The whole hall was silent, except for the occasional crackle when the grease in the brazier and palace lantern burned. Voices.
The longer the emperor remained silent, the more nervous the civil and military officials became, just like the dark clouds before the storm. The longer the silence, the more violent the outbreak.
The emperor remained silent, but Changsheng felt relieved, because the emperor's silence meant that he was not carried away by anger. He was not only thinking about how to punish His Highness' officials, but also looking forward to the consequences of the punishment.
At this time, all the officials from the three provinces and six ministries were present. Seeing that the emperor had no intention of speaking, Qian Zhonglin, the leader of Qingliu, took the lead in coming out and said, "I have something to report, veteran."
Seeing Qian Zhonglin jump out, the emperor's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and then he said coldly, "Qian Zhonglin, I once ordered you to shut up and think about it for a year, but you can't do it this year. Why are you disobeying the decree?"
As soon as the emperor said this, Qian Zhonglin was dumbfounded. He couldn't accept the emperor's words, and he couldn't say that it was you who asked me to take charge of the province again, because that was the order of the fake emperor, and the emperor didn't do it at all. Uninformed.
But the emperor had already characterized his actions as disobedience and rebellion. If he didn't answer, it would be equivalent to acquiescence. After thinking anxiously, he replied with sincerity and fear, "The old minister is old and dim, has no eyesight, and the escort came late. I still ask the emperor to punish him."
"Qian Zhonglin disobeyed the imperial edict and was immediately dismissed from his position as a provincial minister. He returned home behind closed doors and waited for the imperial edict." The emperor said coldly.
"emperor……"
Before Qian Zhonglin could finish speaking, the emperor interrupted him and said, "Step back."
Qian Zhonglin was the leader of Qingliu and had many disciples and disciples. Seeing that Qian Zhonglin was dismissed, several officials came out at the same time and said, "Your Majesty..."
Without waiting for them to dissuade them, the emperor spoke coldly again, "Those who dissuade me will be punished with the same crime."
As soon as the emperor said this, the officials who came out were immediately frightened and turned pale. Qian Zhonglin was convicted of disobedience and rebellion. This crime was punishable by beheading. Who dared to use his own head to protect his head?
Seeing that Qian Zhonglin was still lingering and didn't want to leave, the leader of the imperial guards Liu Tianlin winked at the guards beside him. Two Yulin guards strode into the hall and dragged Qian Zhonglin out, shaking like chaff.
After Qian Zhonglin was dragged away, the emperor spoke again, "You must already know what happened. As important ministers of the imperial court, you do not distinguish between good and evil. If it is true, it really chills me. But the matter has come to this, and I am also Unwilling to hold people accountable one by one, you all go back and perform your duties. All decrees and approvals from the three provinces since the eighth day of last month have been abolished, and we strive to make up for it and reduce losses."
Hearing the emperor's words, the civil and military officials in the court kowtowed and followed the decree as if they had been granted a general amnesty.
The emperor did not let all the civil and military officials in the palace stand up, but immediately issued another imperial edict, "The brave prince has meritorious service in escorting, and will be awarded the title of Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and will reward the prince with double salary. The real protector of the country will have meritorious service in escort, and will be awarded the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, and will be the general commander of the Tang Dynasty." military."
After the emperor finished speaking, Changsheng and Zhang Shan looked at each other, then bent down and raised their hands to thank him.
The emperor's decree is more of a request for help than a reward. Now that the treasury is empty again, Changsheng needs to find a way to tide over the difficulties. However, the New Army's suppression of rebellion did not go smoothly, and Zhang Shan needed to take charge of the overall situation. As for the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Hubu and the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of War, they are also different from the real ministers of the Ministry of Hubu and the Ministry of War. Many Jiedu envoys have the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice or Minister of the Ministry of Justice of the imperial court, which facilitates them to directly exercise judgment when necessary. Power to convict.
"It's getting late, please step aside." The emperor got up from his seat and walked away.
"Retreat from the court~" Eunuch Zhou shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Farewell Your Majesty." All the ministers shouted in unison.
Changsheng and Zhang Shan followed the emperor and left through the back door. They were quite pleased with the emperor's behavior just now, because the emperor was very restrained and did not lose his temper in anger.
However, they were relieved to be relieved, but the pressure on them was increasing instead of decreasing. The emperor did not give up his efforts, and the two of them could not lose confidence.
Zhang Shan was busy with military affairs. After the court dismissed, he caught up with the emperor and said goodbye. The emperor had just been rescued and it was not easy to hold on to the court. He had no extra energy to talk to Zhang Shan. He managed to praise a few words and then let Zhang Shan go. go.
Changsheng Yang Kai and Shi Xuanming protected the emperor personally, while they followed Zhang Shan and escorted him out of the palace.
"Brother, the emperor gave you the title of Minister of War, which is equivalent to granting you the power to control the Tang Dynasty's soldiers and horses. What are you going to do next?" Changsheng asked in a low voice.
"If the emperor had given me all 300,000 troops and horses from the beginning, the war would not have been so difficult," Zhang Shan complained.
"Now that the matter has come to this, what are your plans?" Changsheng asked.
"Buddhists are compassionate and have few strategies. They are really not suitable for leading troops in war," Zhang Shan said. "I am ready to take over Tong Chen's remaining troops and let him go back."
"Can Tongchen be willing?" Changsheng asked.
"Yes," Zhang Shan nodded, "Actually, Tongchen also knows that he is not a general. He didn't want to get too involved in the world, but he was just chased by the emperor. I accepted his soldiers and horses, which is equivalent to saving him."
Changsheng nodded in agreement. Letting the monk lead the troops in the war was indeed chasing a duck.
Zhang Shan said again, "The war in Hanzhong was extremely difficult, and now we are short of food and pay. We cannot withstand a long battle. We must fight quickly to reduce the loss of food and grass. I am ready to join forces with Tongchen's remaining soldiers and horses." , pacify Hanzhong as soon as possible."
"What happens next?" Changsheng asked again.
"What can we do now?" Zhang Shan smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Let's get over the current difficulties first..."
