Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1245 For the Country and the People, Please Discuss This in Person

Noisy and bustling.

This was the first time Zhao Gou had experienced such a noisy environment in the new palace. As he drew closer, the sounds from outside became clearer to his ears.

"...to rid the world of harm."

"Purge the court of corrupt officials and kill the eunuchs!"

"We do not rebel against the emperor, we only want to kill the eunuchs!"

The roar of thousands of people echoed over the low palace walls, sending a chill down Zhao Gou's spine and making his knees feel weak. Seeing this, Chancellor Zhu Shengfei, who was walking behind him, quickly took two steps forward and supported him, then lowered his head and said nothing.

Zhao Gou glanced at him, took a deep breath, took two steps and patted him on the arm. Zhu Shengfei immediately understood and let go.

The young Song Dynasty emperor walked up the palace wall, below him stood rows of figures standing straight. In front of him were figures holding shields and swords, behind him were two rows of spearmen, and behind them were archers.

Zhao Gou was neither in the mood nor did he look closely; the battle formations were moving further back, increasingly reversing the direction of the front.

His gaze swept past the neatly arranged men and looked at the soldiers behind them. Their positions were somewhat scattered compared to the battle formation in front, but these thousands of men, armed with weapons, filled the avenue in front of the palace and stretched to both sides. Several armored men stood under the banners of "Miao" and "Liu," and he immediately realized that these were the people in charge today.

Taking a deep breath, the young emperor shouted, "Miao Fu, do you intend to betray the Song Dynasty?"

Below, Miao Fu waved his hand: "Stop shouting."

Zhang Zheng and his brother Miao Yi, who were standing nearby, immediately shouted loudly to the crowd, "Stop shouting!"

"Shut up, everyone."

The noise gradually subsided, and Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan, accompanied by dozens of personal guards, slowly stepped forward. Now that the person in charge had come out, they naturally wanted to go and see him.

When Han Shizhong saw the people coming up, he waved to his subordinates, and the battle formation immediately opened a gap, allowing them to pass through.

Miao Fu glanced approvingly at Han Shizhong and the others, thinking that the soldiers of the Red Heart Army were quite sensible, and their act of forming a battle formation in front of the palace was quite impressive.

The group slowly walked to the front of the shield formation, when a voice came from the palace wall asking, "Miao Fu, do you intend to betray your country?"

Miao Fu suddenly lowered his head and shouted in obeisance to Zhao Gou: "Your subject Miao Fu pays respects to Your Majesty. I dare not betray the country. Today, I raise an army only to rid the world of this scourge."

Upon seeing this from above, Zhao Gou's rapidly beating heart slowed down: "You say you haven't betrayed the country, then why have you brought so many troops here?!"

Taking the opportunity, Miao Fu stood up and pointed upwards: "The emperor is surrounded by people who deserve to die. The eunuchs are accumulating wealth without restraint, and the people are suffering unspeakably. They are comparable to the corrupt officials of the previous dynasty!"

He lowered his hand and spoke in a loud voice: "These eunuchs do not serve the emperor wholeheartedly. Instead, they form cliques and engage in corrupt practices. As long as you are on good terms with them, you can seize high positions. For example, Wang Yuan, the Privy Councilor, is one of their henchmen. He plunders money for them and arbitrarily mobilizes troops for their private use. How can such people who cannot distinguish between public and private affairs be allowed to enter the Privy Council to preside over military and political affairs?"

He stretched his arms to the side: "Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan are incompetent and have ruined the country, yet they still sit in high positions in the court. Does Your Majesty know that it is because of their inaction that the northern bandits are about to cross the river?!"

He lowered his arm, gripped the sword hilt with one hand, and pointed the bamboo pole behind him with the other: "Now that Wang Yuan has been killed by me, and the eunuchs outside have also been arrested and killed, only Kang Lu, Lan Gui, and Zeng Ze remain by Your Majesty's side. As long as we kill them to appease the army, we are still willing to fight for Your Majesty and die for the Great Song!"

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan's soldiers seized the opportunity to shout, "Please execute the eunuchs!"

The sound was deafening. Miao, Liu and the others looked determined, but they didn't see that many of the soldiers who called themselves the Red Heart Army in the back had lowered their heads and gritted their teeth. Some were twisting the back of their hands, and after a long while they raised their heads with a half-smile.

Zhao Gou, standing atop the city wall, was forced to take a step back by the shouts. After regaining his footing, he tentatively spoke: "I understand what you have said. However, these eunuchs have committed wrongdoings, so exile them to an island."

He stepped forward and grabbed the wooden railing on the palace wall: "In addition, I may appoint Minister Miao as the Commissioner of Imperial Stances and Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, and Minister Liu as the Inspector and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard. Let's call it a day then, shall we?"

Miao Fu looked up, seemingly seeing the hope in Zhao Gou's eyes, and couldn't help but sneer: "Your Majesty, if we wanted official positions, we only needed to befriend these eunuchs. Why would we do such a treasonous thing?"

Zhao Gou's heart sank, and for a moment he lost his composure, looking around: "This thief won't stop, what should we do?"

Yi Wenshi, the driver of the Pacification Commissioner of Liangzhe West Circuit, bowed behind him and said: "Today's war is caused by eunuchs. It is not enough to appease public anger if they are not killed. Why should Your Majesty care about these crippled people?"

“This…” Zhao Gou’s face twitched: “They have all been with me for a long time, some even since I was a child. I can’t bear to kill them.”

Ye Zong'e, from the Ordnance Bureau, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Kang Lü has been forming cliques for personal gain, extorting money, and seizing fertile land and shops. Even I have heard about these things. Why should we protect such a scoundrel?"

Zhao Gou slowly looked at the eunuch behind him. Kang Lü was trembling all over, and when he saw him looking at him, he suddenly collapsed to the ground: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Seeing this, Zhao Gou knew it was true. He gritted his teeth and waved his hand: "Send him away."

"Your Majesty!!"

At that moment, the imperial guards held down Kang Lu, who was shouting and struggling, while someone prepared a bamboo basket, pressed the eunuch inside, and lowered him down the city wall.

Miao Fu's eyes lit up when he saw this. He glanced at Liu Zhengyan, and a smug look flashed in both of their eyes. They ordered their personal guards, "Men, seize that treacherous eunuch and cut him in half at the waist!"

Immediately, someone ran out, grabbed Kang Lu who was screaming "Spare me! Spare me!" and dragged him backward. Miao Fu's personal guards drew their swords and watched as two colleagues held the man down before slashing him down hard.

"what--"

Screams echoed in front of the palace, and people on the palace walls shook their heads and sighed. Zhao Gou closed his eyes and turned his head away. This knife had not been able to cut the person in two. He could not bear to see the eunuch who had grown up with him suffer such pain.

The guard looked somewhat embarrassed, raised his sword to examine the blade, and flicked away the blood: "Press tighter!"

The two soldiers holding Kang Lu down rolled their eyes.

"Hurry up and chop!"

"Can you do it or not?"

The soldier blushed, "Why not!", and swung his sword down with both hands.

"Ah-"

Chop again.

"Ahhh-"

Chop again!

Clang——

The blade struck the ground, releasing a pungent, fishy stench.

The man finally stood up straight, looked at the half-eunuch crawling around on the ground in pain, turned to meet the gazes of the soldiers, and braced himself, puffing out his chest: "What are you looking at? I hate this damned eunuch, can't I cut him a few more times?"

Laughter erupted from the crowd. Zhao Gou, standing above, clenched his fists tightly, struggling to steady himself: "I have done as you asked. Can we withdraw our troops now?"

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan looked at each other, and the latter stepped forward and shouted loudly: "The Emperor's position is obtained through illegitimate means. If Emperor Yuansheng returns in the future, how will he conduct himself?"

Zhao Gou was trembling with anger. Behind him, Chancellor Zhu Shengfei looked at him and said, "Your Majesty, why don't I go and negotiate with the rebels? This will surely buy the court time to quell the rebellion."

Zhao Gou nodded helplessly: "I entrust everything to Cang Yi."

……

Han Shizhong, Xu Ning, and Han Chang, who were listening and watching from the rear, exchanged glances. Han Shizhong leaned forward slightly and said softly, "We should also make preparations. I think these two are stupid. At a time like this, they're still singing opera instead of doing anything productive. They're clueless." Han Chang looked at the city wall and said with his head down, "At this distance, I'm confident I can shoot Zhao Gou dead."

"No need. We are outnumbered after all. I'm afraid killing that brat from the Zhao family would be a greater loss than a gain." Han Shizhong shook his head and said softly, "I'll find a way to get that brat down in a bit. With him around, we can advance or retreat as we please."

Xu Ning glanced at Miao Fu and the others standing in front of him: "What should we do with these people?"

"They're all right under our noses." Han Chang laughed heartily. "We'll just take them with us."

Han Shizhong nodded: "That's what I think too." He looked up and said: "I'll go forward in a moment, General Xu Ning will provide support from the center, and Han Chang will prepare to deal with the troops behind."

Xu Ning and Han Chang nodded vigorously.

With these three plans settled, Han Shizhong gestured for his men to follow him forward, while Han Chang led his men to retreat slowly. Seeing the two men move, Xu Ning quietly instructed the archers in the army to prepare, and also ordered the preparation of poison smoke bombs to be launched immediately if anything happened.

The figure in front of the warhorse stepped aside, and Han Shizhong arrived in front of the swordsmen and shieldmen. At this time, Zhu Shengfei was negotiating with Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan. The two of them wanted Zhao Gou to abdicate and establish Prince Zhao Fu as the new emperor. Zhu Shengfei said that the prince was just a child and that the Northern Dynasty was invading very urgently. If the prince was established, the country would perish.

As the three were arguing, Han Shizhong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly spoke up: "The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important. The founder of the religion and the emperor have already set a precedent, so why can't we?"

Zhu Shengfei was speechless upon hearing this.

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan were overjoyed: "That makes sense. The late emperor had already set a precedent of abdicating the throne to a prince, and today's matter should be the same."

Zhu Shengfei's expression changed: "Emperor Yuansheng was already an adult at that time, how can he be compared to a child!" He pointed his halberd at the group: "You all clearly harbor treacherous intentions, wanting to coerce the emperor into commanding the feudal lords!"

Miao Fu blushed and waved his hand dismissively: "Bullshit! My loyalty is as clear as day. I've already said that I'm only here today to purge the court of corrupt officials. How could I have any other intentions!"

"Anyone can talk big!" Zhu Shengfei sneered. "I don't believe your nonsense!"

"you!"

Miao Fu was furious and took a step forward, but Liu Zhengyan grabbed him and shook his head to signal him not to rush.

Han Shizhong dismounted from his horse: "Putting everything else aside, how can you, a mere subject, make decisions for His Majesty? Please, Your Majesty, come down and explain today's events in person."

Seeing Zhu Shengfei's look at him like he was crazy, Han Shizhong patted his chest and said, "I, Mo Ti, swear to the ancestors of the Mo family that I will protect the government. If I break this oath, may my body be left in the wilderness after my death and never be allowed to return to the ancestral grave!"

"General Mo..."

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan looked at him with some surprise, opened their mouths and then closed them again, looking at Zhu Shengfei, who also had a shocked expression: "Since Commander Mo says so, we two also swear to heaven that we will not make things difficult for the official. If we break our oath, we will not be buried in the ancestral grave after we die."

Zhu Shengfei's face changed color, but after a long while he still shook his head: "I do not..."

"How can you make such a decision on your own, Prime Minister Zhu? Let us tell His Majesty what we have to say, and let His Majesty decide whether to proceed." Han Shizhong interrupted, pointing to the figure above: "You should know that the palace walls are not high. If we really want to harm His Majesty, these walls, which are only a few feet high, will not be able to stop us."

Zhu Shengfei was both shocked and furious: "You're threatening me?!"

"I dare not. I am merely accustomed to speaking the truth." Han Shizhong quickly bowed respectfully. "We are all acting for the sake of the country and have no other selfish motives."

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan looked at Han Shizhong, then at Zhu Shengfei, whose face was grim. In their surprise and doubt, they saw the prime minister nod and say, "Very well, I will speak with His Majesty." After saying this, he turned around.

"Lord Zhu," Han Shizhong said from behind, "our sincerity is sufficient for the duration of a meal."

Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan glanced at him upon hearing this, remained silent with thoughtful expressions, then smiled and said nothing.

Zhu Shengfei paused, but didn't turn around. He snorted coldly, then stepped forward again, climbed into the hanging basket, and returned to the palace wall.

“Commander Mo is right.” Miao Fu looked at him and gave him a thumbs up: “We are all doing this for the country, without any selfish motives, hehehe—” He patted his chest: “You’ve hit the nail on the head.”

Liu Zhengyan nodded: "That's right. Today we are doing this for the country and the people. We have no selfish motives whatsoever."

Han Shizhong glanced at the two men and thought to himself, "These two scoundrels, do they even believe what they're saying?"

Miao Fu didn't care what he thought; he only felt that Han Shizhong's words and actions suited his taste perfectly. So he turned to his personal guards and said, "Send someone to fetch Zhang Kui. Firstly, to participate in this grand event together, and secondly..." He glanced at the general who called himself Mo Ti and smiled, "Ask him for a talent, hahaha—"

Han Shizhong twitched his finger slightly, then held back, only smiling at Miao Fu.

Several guards turned and ran away. Xu Ning and Han Jian saw that Han Shizhong in front of them did not give any signal, and seeing that the Song Emperor had not come down, they let the guards leave.

……

"You want me to leave?!"

Zhao Gou stared at Zhu Shengfei, who had come to deliver the message, his expression sorrowful: "If I were to leave, would I still be alive?"

"Your Majesty, if we don't go down now, the rebels might attack the city. Who in this imperial palace will survive then?"

"The rebels have ulterior motives. If we listen to them, what if the traitors go back on their word?"

"We should still go down and negotiate with them. If the rebel army attacks the capital, the losses will be even greater."

The officials on the city wall were discussing among themselves, and all their words reached Zhao Gou's ears. The young emperor looked at Zhu Shengfei with a sorrowful expression and asked, "Does Zang Yi think I should go?"

Zhu Shengfei was silent for a moment, then spoke in a hoarse voice: "The rebel just said that he would only need the time it takes to eat a meal."

Zhao Gou's knees buckled, and he supported himself with one hand on Mulan to stay upright. After a moment of silence, he ordered, "Someone, prepare the hanging basket."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"What are you shouting about? Didn't you hear what Master Zhu said? The rebels will only be given the time it takes to eat a meal?"

"you……"

The courtiers on the palace walls were in chaos. Zhao Gou closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them and said, "Stop talking! My mind is made up!"

The city wall fell silent instantly. Zhu Shengfei looked at Zhao Gou and said softly, "Your Majesty, I will accompany you down here." He clenched his fist tightly and said, "If any traitors intend to commit any unjust acts, they will have to step over my corpse first!"

Li Bing, the Vice Minister of War, and Zhang Cheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we are also willing to go together."

Zhao Gou slowly scanned everyone's faces: "Alright, let's all leave together, you and I, ruler and subject."

As they were talking, some imperial guards brought over a larger hanging basket, tied it with ropes, and Zhao Gou and a few others waited on the palace wall for a while. When the appointed time was almost up, they stepped forward as if to be executed.

First, Zhu Shengfei, Zhang Cheng, and the others were lowered down. Then Zhao Gou stepped into the basket, holding the rope with one hand. The distant houses slowly turned into the walls of the houses, and his gaze followed the basket as it descended.

Ahead, Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan watched Zhao Gou and others laughing, completely unaware that behind them, Han Shizhong, Xu Ning, Han Chang, and even the soldiers were all grinning broadly.

Han Shizhong, who was standing closer, looked at Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan and smiled even more broadly.

　Uh... I won't list them all; all the names in this chapter are historical figures.

　　Emperor Yuansheng: When Zhao Gou ascended the throne in Yingtian Prefecture, he remotely honored Emperor Qinzong as Emperor Yuansheng.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)