The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 581: Fierce Debate Before the Emperor

At this moment, there was complete silence outside the Fengtian Gate, with only the late autumn morning breeze making the flags flutter. All the officials present seemed to feel the biting chill.

What does it mean to lose the Liaoxi defense line? All the officials present knew it very well. In addition, the Jin Dynasty had just experienced a devastating coup, and it was really a situation where internal troubles had not yet been healed and external troubles had come again. The Jin Dynasty had only been established for more than 80 years, less than 90 years, and it had encountered this crisis of national destiny, and there was a possibility of overthrow.

The morning sun rose, first shining on the high throne, making Emperor Qiansheng's dragon robe even more brilliant, but his iron-green face and cold eyes still made people shudder.

"I request that Wang Huazhen and Xiong Tingbai be arrested immediately and brought to justice!" Minister of War Zhang Heming was the first to kneel down, followed by a large number of officials who also came out to second the motion, requesting the arrest of Xiong Tingbai and Wang Huazhen.

The crowd was truly excited and filled with indignation, completely different from the dead silence just now.

Wang Huazhen was the governor of Liaodong, the second most important figure after the governor of Liaodong, and the person directly responsible for the defeat. His arrest was indisputable, but whether Xiong Tingbai should be arrested was still debatable. After all, the officials present were not on the front line, and they were not clear about the situation on the front line, and there was no way to judge whether Xiong Tingbai's decision to abandon Ningyuan City and Liaoxi was correct.

However, as the saying goes, it is better to let my friend die than to let myself die. The front line was defeated, 100,000 troops were wiped out, Prince Dai was killed, and Prince Qing was captured. Someone had to take the responsibility, and Wang Huazhen was obviously not enough to bear the emperor Qiansheng's wrath, so it had to be shared by Xiong Tingbai, the governor of Liaodong.

Xiong Tingbai has been in charge of managing Liaodong in the past two years and has spent money like water. The Donglin Party has long disliked him and planned to get rid of him. Before Emperor Qiansheng led the army in person, he had dismissed Xiong Tingbai from his post. Later, when the emperor retired restored the throne and stole the throne, Emperor Qiansheng needed someone to guard Liaodong, so he had no choice but to reinstate Xiong Tingbai and ordered him to guard Ningyuan City.

Now that Jinzhou was lost, Xiong Tingbai also gave up Ningyuan City and the entire western Liaoning. Naturally, there was no need to keep him any longer. The responsibility for the loss of territory had to be borne by him. Therefore, the officials of the Donglin faction did not even need instructions from the party leader Zhao Mingcheng, and they all pointed their spearheads at Xiong Tingbai.

"Your Majesty, I think it is inappropriate to arrest Xiong Tingbai at this time." A voice suddenly sounded, and the officials who were filled with righteous indignation and scolding Xiong Tingbai and Wang Huazhen were stunned, and their eyes all looked in the direction of the voice.

It turns out that the person who came out to sing against everyone at this time was none other than the newly crowned top scholar and current head of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War - Jia Huan!
Jia Zheng was standing next to Jia Huan and could not help but tremble, complaining in his heart. If he were at home, he would have scolded Jia Huan for being ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. But now he was in front of the Fengtian Gate, under the nose of the emperor, so how could he dare to act rashly?

Hey, Jia Zheng himself has mediocre political talent and is very self-aware. He always wishes to hide at the back every time he goes to court. But now, thanks to his son, he has become a conspicuous foil in the whole venue. He can only look down at his court boots, not daring to breathe a word.

At this time, Emperor Qiansheng also looked at Jia Huan with a gloomy look, and said calmly: "Jia Huan came forward to report something, but his voice was a little soft, so I couldn't hear it clearly!"

Jia Huan stepped forward, knelt down at the foot of the altar, and repeated, "Your Majesty, I do not think it is appropriate to arrest Xiong Tingbai at this time!"

Emperor Qiansheng frowned and asked, "What's the reason?"

Jia Huan said calmly: "Let's not talk about Xiong Tingbai's crime of abandoning Liaoxi. The most urgent task is to guard against the Jiannu taking the opportunity to attack Shanhaiguan. Changing generals in the middle of a battle is a taboo in military strategy. Arresting Xiong Tingbai at this time will inevitably shake the morale of the army and will be detrimental to the defense of the pass. Moreover, Xiong Tingbai has been in battle for a long time and has rich experience. Ordering him to guard Shanhaiguan at this time will make up for his mistakes. Xiong Tingbai will definitely do his best."

Zhang Heming, the Minister of War, immediately retorted, "Master Jia is wrong. The art of war requires clear rewards and punishments. Xiong Tingbai, as the governor of Liaodong, retreated without fighting, neglected his duties and lost territory. His crime is even greater than Wang Huazhen's. If he is not killed, it will not be enough to rectify the rules, and if he is not punished, it will not be enough to appease the public anger. Your Majesty, I think Xiong Tingbai should not only be arrested immediately, but also executed immediately, and his head should be sent to the nine borders as a warning to the three armies!"

Jia Huan frowned and said, "Sir Shangshu, even if Xiong Tingbai is guilty, whether his crime is serious enough to warrant death has yet to be verified. I think it is a bit too frivolous to execute such an important official so rashly."

Zhang Heming's face darkened, and he said with a hint of sarcasm: "Xiong Tingbai was the governor of Liaodong, but he retreated before the battle, handed over 800 miles of Liaoxi territory to the enemy, and abandoned the Liaoxi defense line that cost a lot of manpower and material resources to build. He deserves death. What evidence is there to check? Master Jia is young and short-sighted. It's best not to express your foolish opinions, so as not to make a fool of yourself!"

Zhang Heming is the Minister of War, which means he is the boss of the Ministry of War. Jia Huan, a small director of the Ministry of War, is just his subordinate. He actually opposed him in the court. He was very unhappy and started personal attacks after refuting him.

Jia Huan, on the other hand, looked calm. The reason why he stood out and went against the mainstream opinion was not to attract attention, but because he understood that if the nest is overturned, no eggs will be left intact. Once Shanhaiguan was lost, the Jurchen cavalry would march straight in, which would not only cause great suffering to the people, but would also be a catastrophe for the entire Jia family.
This is what is called "every man has his share of responsibility for the fate of his country". Jia Huan did not think he had such great sentiments, but the Jia family was his home now, and there were people he cared about here. If the country fell, the family would also fall, so the Jurchens must be kept out of Shanhaiguan. So Jia Huan did not give Zhang Heming face, and asked back: "As Lord Zhang said, if we capture Xiong Tingbai, who will we send to guard Shanhaiguan?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials present fell silent. The Jurchen cavalry was already powerful. Over the past four years, the Jin army had maintained a record of zero wins in its battles with the Jurchens. They could barely hold out in city defense battles, but they were all defeated in field battles without exception. Now, Nurhaci had captured Jinzhou and defeated 100,000 Jin border troops, with one prince dead and one captured. With the prestige of this great victory, he was heading south. It might not be possible to defend Shanhaiguan.

In addition, the country had just put down a rebellion, and its vitality was severely damaged. Prices were high, and it was difficult for the people to survive. If Nurhaci came again at this time, it would undoubtedly make the situation worse. Once Shanhaiguan was broken, the commander of Shanhaiguan would be the culprit for the loss of his army and his country.

If we take down Xiong Tingbai at this time, who will take on this hot potato?

It was obvious that the Minister of War Zhang Heming was unwilling to accept it. The civil and military officials present all lowered their heads, obviously not daring to accept it.

Zhang Heming was speechless after being asked by Jia Huan. He froze for a few seconds before sneering, "What a joke! Our Great Jin is full of talented people. Can't we find a good general to guard Shanhaiguan?"

Jia Huan bowed and said, "Master Zhang is right. I have heard that Master Zhang is a man of both civil and military talents. How about Master Zhang taking on the responsibility?"

Zhang Heming was choked and could only snort in response, which showed that he was scared. The expression of Emperor Qiansheng on the seat suddenly became even gloomier, as if a storm was about to come.

As a result, the officials who were just filled with righteous indignation calmed down and no one dared to respond. Zhang Pu, a Jinshi who was observing the government, was ready to make a move, but he was quickly stopped by the Donglin officials with a look. At this critical juncture, no one wanted to be the first to make a move.

At this time, Liu Qing, a doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, came out and said, "I think what Director Jia said makes sense. We should not arrest Xiong Tingbai at this time. We can order him to guard Shanhaiguan to atone for his merits and send an imperial envoy to the front line to investigate. After finding out the reasons why Xiong Tingbai abandoned Ningyuan and Liaoxi, we can decide whether to convict him."

Emperor Qiansheng had a blank expression on his face, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry, but he was actually furious. No matter what the reason was, such a big mess had been caused. In his mind, both Wang Huazhen and Xiong Tingbai deserved to be put to death. But what Jia Huan said was also true, in that Xiong Tingbai was more needed to guard Shanhaiguan at this time.

Emperor Qiansheng's mind raced, weighing the pros and cons, and finally decided to spare Xiong Tingbai's life for the time being. He said calmly, "Then let's do as Chief Jia said, order Xiong Tingbai to guard Shanhaiguan to atone for his crime, and order him to write a letter to defend himself. Lord Ye will come back and draft the imperial edict."

Ye Gao hurriedly said, "I accept your order."

Zhao Mingcheng's eyes flashed, and he stepped out and said, "Master Jia is young and promising, calm and composed, and he is skilled in archery and horse riding. I recommend Master Jia as the imperial envoy to go to Shanhaiguan for an inspection."

Obviously, Zhao Mingcheng's move was not to promote Jia Huan, but to put him on the spot. Because this was not an easy job, not only did he have to risk the danger of war to investigate at the front line, but Xiong Tingbai and his arrogant and brave generals would definitely not welcome him, and Jia Huan would suffer if he made any small move.

"I second the motion. We should not trouble two masters for one matter. Since this suggestion was made by Director Jia, the task of investigation and inspection should also be handed over to Director Jia." Zhang Heming, the Minister of War, seconded the motion and glanced at Jia Huan with a gloating look. "Aren't you capable, kid? Then go to the front line and have some fun, hehe!"
At this time, officials from the Donglin faction also came forward to second the motion. Jia Zheng's heart sank to the bottom, and he felt anxious and helpless. This evil man, who was ignorant of the immensity of the world, had to go against the Donglin party. Now he knew how powerful they were, right?

"Your Majesty, I think Jia Huan is too young and inexperienced to take on this important task!" Jia Zheng gritted his teeth, stepped out of the line and knelt down, saying, "I dare to recommend myself!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials present showed surprise, and even Emperor Qiansheng had a strange look on his face. Although his "father-in-law" attended court every day, he always stood at the end and never took the initiative to suggest matters, like a clay statue. Over time, he almost forgot the existence of this "father-in-law", and today, when he was out for the first time, he actually recommended himself!
Jia Huan himself was also stunned. He glanced at his white-haired father Zheng who was kneeling on the ground, and a warm feeling arose in his heart. This was the first time he felt a trace of fatherly love from Jia Zheng since he traveled through time and space and became Jia Huan.

Emperor Qiansheng looked at Jia Zheng's changing expression, wondering what he was thinking. Just when Jia Zheng was so nervous that sweat broke out on his forehead, Sun Chengzong stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have traveled to Liaodong and Liaoxi before, and I am relatively familiar with the place. I think I am more suitable for this job than Doctor Jia!"

(End of this chapter)