Jiuxi

Chapter 879 877 [Human Blood]

In the northern suburbs of the capital, there is a brave camp.

Ever since Yuan Xingqin and nine other generals including Cao Ze were imprisoned more than ten days ago, tens of thousands of soldiers in the camp have been in anxious waiting.

Chen Lanyu led the Jinwu camp to supervise, and Huangfu Yu led 5,000 cavalrymen of the Feiyu army to patrol. The brave camp that lost its commander and the main generals of each army naturally did not dare to move rashly. Fortunately, the court did not make a big fuss, but every day the commander of the Weaving Bureau would come with spies and take away some middle and lower-level generals from aristocratic families.

In this torment where every day seemed like a year, the soldiers in the brave camp finally received good news.

After detailed screening by the Weaving Bureau and the imperial court, all the generals involved in the major case of treason have been arrested, and the rest are innocent, and their military positions and benefits will not be cancelled.

The court immediately appointed a new commander of the brave camp. At the same time, Chen Lanyu was finally able to lead his soldiers back to the base east of the capital.

"It feels like a dream. It's really unexpected that at my age, I can still see the old tree bloom."

Inside the meeting hall of the Brave Camp, Li Jingda, who just turned fifty this year, was filled with emotion.

He is the new commander-in-chief of the Brave Camp, recommended jointly by Lu Chen and Xiao Wangzhi to Queen Ning. Shen Yulai and Chen Lanyu expressed their approval. At the same time, Li Jingda still retains the position of Minister of Military Affairs.

Compared with his previous position as the last in the Military Academy, Li Jingda is now in power. In addition, he has stood firmly on Lu Chen's ship in the past two years and has never backed down no matter what difficulties he encountered. It can be predicted that his words in the Military Academy will carry more and more weight in the future, second only to Xiao Wangzhi.

Seeing Li Jingda's excitement, Lu Chen took a sip of tea and said jokingly, "Old Li, you won't cry, will you?"

"When I heard about the appointment just now, I really couldn't control myself, but fortunately I managed to hold it in."

Li Jingda smiled, and then said from the bottom of his heart: "But it's not the position of commander that touched me. In fact, when I came back from Dingzhou, I had already realized my shortcomings. I no longer have the same obsession with promotion. Otherwise, I might not support you and Brother Xiao wholeheartedly. I have seen too many cases of crossing the river and destroying the bridge in my life, but you didn't do that. Instead, you trusted me so much. How can I not be moved?"

He was used to laughing, scolding, and it was rare for him to show his true feelings like this.

Lu Chen put down the teacup and smiled, "Back in Dingzhou, I asked you to help take care of Uncle Xiao after returning to Beijing, and you risked your life to help him. To be honest, I was very surprised by this, so I thought I must repay you. Besides, with your qualifications and status, you are qualified for the position of commander-in-chief. Who in the court is more qualified than you?"

"Stop, stop. If you keep talking, I'll really lose my way."

Li Jingda waved his hands repeatedly, and then said solemnly: "I will do my best to train the brave camp into elite soldiers. No matter when and where, as long as you give an order, the 50,000 soldiers in the camp will obey your order."

This is a very straightforward statement, and it also comes with plenty of confidence.

Lu Chen knew that he was not arrogant. The reason why Li Jingda had been able to help Xiao Wangzhi hold his ground in the past two years was not only because he had no intention of climbing up the ladder, but more importantly, he had a wide network of contacts in the Beijing Army. At the same time, although the Li family was not as good as the Jinlin Li family, it was also a well-known aristocratic family in Jiangnan, similar to the Longlin Gao family, and belonged to the second-tier prestigious family.

"With your words, I feel relieved."

There were only two people present at the moment. Lu Chen did not lie and continued, "I came here today to boost your momentum on the one hand, and to tell you about the follow-up arrangements on the other hand."

Li Jingda immediately sat up straight and listened attentively.

Lu Chen said, "Zhang Xu's military report was delivered to the capital the day before yesterday. Now he is blocked at Feiniao Pass by tens of thousands of elite troops of the Jing army. The other side has no intention of letting him pass and obviously wants to focus all its energy on the north. The situation in Dai State is becoming more and more dangerous. Wu Yanshu has been advancing steadily and cautiously. In the past six months, he has captured more than ten cities in Dai State. Now it is autumn, and it is the time to prepare for the army to advance. Dai State may not be able to hold on."

Li Jingda frowned and said slowly: "If Dai Kingdom is destroyed, even if they can still keep their breath, they will definitely not be able to pose any threat to Jing Kingdom in the future."

"We and the Dai Kingdom's rulers and ministers have underestimated Emperor Jing's determination. Even if it's not very righteous, I can only suggest that Her Majesty the Queen hold back."

Lu Chen raised his hand and pinched his brows. He knew of course that it was not a good idea to sit back and watch Jing State attack Dai State. Not only would it make Jing State worry-free, but it would also be suspected of abandoning its allies. After all, Dai State had sent troops south before and trapped tens of thousands of Jing troops in Feiniao Pass.

But he had to do it.

Not only is Da Qi now unable to take care of itself, it also has a large number of problems that need to be solved urgently. The border troops also need to recuperate. Letting Zhang Xu lead tens of thousands of troops from the Wuwei camp to attract the attention of Jing's army is already the limit. It is impossible to force a large-scale northern expedition while the country is in such a mess.

Li Jingda saw this and comforted him, "You can't be blamed for this. Who knew that Li Shizhi would dare to kill the emperor and commit treason? We haven't dealt with our own troubles yet, and Dai is far away. It is beyond our human power to deal with it."

Lu Chen nodded slightly and said calmly, "It can only be done this way. Prime Minister Xue and Prime Minister Xu suggested that Zhang Xu lead his troops back to the capital, but I have rejected this proposal. Zhang Xu's troops can be withdrawn from Feiniao Pass, but there is no need to travel a long distance back to the capital. They can go directly from the south bank of Hengjiang River to Jingzhou to help Jingzhou Military Governor's Office share part of the defense."

Li Jingda's heart moved, and his attitude immediately became respectful: "Are you preparing for the battle between Qi and Jing?"

As the Minister of War, he certainly has a keen sense in this area.

Lu Chen said, "Yes, it's not hard to guess what Emperor Jing is thinking. The accident last year caused him health problems, and he obviously won't live long, so he decided to solve the threat behind him first, and then go all out. I predict that by late spring next year at the latest, he will lead all the elite troops of the Jing army to personally lead the army. Zhang Xu leading the troops north to Jingzhou is the first step. By the end of the year, the situation in the capital should be stable, and Chen Lanyu will lead the Jinwu Camp north from Huaizhou."

His tone was calm, but Li Jingda felt his blood boiling in his chest.

Emperor Jing personally led the army to fight, hoping to achieve his goal in one battle. The Great Qi had no way to retreat, and a national war lasting thousands of miles would inevitably break out between the two sides.

Who in the military would be willing to miss this opportunity to leave their name in history?
As if he had guessed Li Jingda's thoughts, Lu Chen said apologetically: "I plan to let you and the Brave Camp stay in the capital."

The disappointment on Li Jingda's face flashed away, and he quickly said firmly: "I will obey the Duke's order."

Lu Chen was very pleased and explained, "When the border war is stalemate or unfavorable, it is inevitable that people in the rear will have distracting thoughts. In addition, the new monarch is young and the queen is a woman in the harem. Shen Yulai is loyal but lacks the ability to respond to emergencies. Only you can stabilize the overall situation and deter the villains."

Li Jingda no longer felt disappointed or doubtful. He stood up and saluted, saying, "Don't worry, Duke. I will definitely live up to your trust."

Lu Chen stood up and held his arms, smiling and said, "I have to go back to Beijing, I'll leave this place to you."

"Your Majesty, please."

Li Jingda and his trusted generals escorted Lu Chen to the outside of the camp gate and watched him leave surrounded by three hundred personal soldiers.

More than half an hour later, Lu Chen rode his horse into the east gate of the capital city, and was personally greeted by Qiao Shan, the commander of the left army of the imperial guards who had been waiting there.

Although Qiao Shan only got promoted one level on the surface, he knew that he had finally crossed the most difficult threshold. From then on, he had the experience of leading an army independently, and it would be possible for him to continue to move up instead of being someone else's deputy for the rest of his life.

Not to mention that he also got a viscount.

He understood that this was Lu Chen's reward for his timely statement that day, and he was naturally extremely grateful. At this moment, he respectfully helped Lu Chen lead the horse. Lu Chen smiled and said, "Commander Qiao, I hope you can be loyal to your duties and lead the troops attentively. I believe that your future is not limited to this."

Qiao Shan's heart was lifted, and he became more humble: "I will definitely remember the Duke's teachings."

The next moment, Lu Chen suppressed his smile and said softly, "So don't do this kind of thing again in the future. You are the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards of Daqi, not a servant of Lu's mansion. Stand up straight and lead the troops in a down-to-earth manner. If someone excludes you or oppresses you, as long as you have not made any mistakes, you can come to me anytime and anywhere, and I will make the decision for you."

A strong sense of guilt surged in Qiao Shan's heart. He looked up at the gentle Duke Qin on horseback, and could not help but take a deep breath, loosen the reins of the horse, stood by the side of the road and performed a meticulous military salute.

Lu Chen raised his hand to return the greeting, then rode forward, followed closely by three hundred personal soldiers.

Qiao Shan looked at their backs, no longer showing any flattery on his face, and his back was as straight as a pine or cypress.

Lu Chen did not go to the palace or return to the Duke's Mansion, but brought his personal soldiers to the central area of ​​the capital.

When he arrived, the place was already crowded with people, countless of whom were watching.

"Greetings, Duke!"

The brave soldiers of the Ruishi Camp who were responsible for maintaining order saluted one after another, and Ye Jitong hurried forward. The people looked at the Duke of Qin with awe and curiosity, who was still young but had saved the Great Qi country many times.

Lu Chen nodded, then looked calmly at the platform in the distance.

Gao Huan, the Minister of Justice, stood up quickly, but Lu Chen shook his head slightly at him, so he sat back down and said solemnly: "Bring up the main culprits of the treason!"

Twenty burly executioners stood solemnly on the south side of the platform, each holding a broadsword in his hand.

There was a sudden commotion among the crowd, and twenty prisoners were seen being brought onto the platform. The first one to walk up was Li Shizhi, the former Minister of Personnel and head of the Jinlin Li family.

As if he had sensed something, Li Shizhi turned his head to look at the audience, and saw Lu Chen riding a tall horse.

Today, he no longer has that calm and composed demeanor, but he is not cowardly or embarrassed either. Perhaps the biggest difference from before is the wooden expression on his face and the extremely empty eyes.

"Identify the traitor!"

Gao Huan's sharp voice rang out.

Lu Chen looked over one by one, and behind Li Shi were Hu Jingwen, Jing Qingshan, Yuan Xingqin, Yang Jing, Fu Yangzi and others.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Gao Huan immediately read out in public the crimes of regicide and treason committed by these people. Soon, these crimes were drowned out by the angry curses of the people below the stage. If it weren't for the thousands of soldiers from the Rui Shi Camp maintaining order in the arena, a riot might have broken out in this wide square, and at least countless rotten vegetable leaves would have been thrown at those people.

Li Shizhi knelt at the execution place. Some people around him were wailing, some were limp all over, but he alone did not move at all.

He suddenly shook his head, tried to raise his head to look at Lu Chen in the distance, and whispered to himself: "You started with this, where will it end?"

Then he closed his eyes.

Gao Huan's angry voice rang out behind him: "Behead!"

Twenty big swords were raised high, and then chopped down fiercely.

Twenty heads rolled away.

Lu Chen looked on expressionlessly.

The smell of blood suddenly rose on the stage, and the people below cheered with joy.

This is just the beginning.

Soon someone dragged the corpse away, and then another twenty rebels were brought onto the stage. Gao Huan did not waste any more time, and after they were identified, he immediately gave the order to behead them.

As the execution continued, the cheers of the people of the capital city below the stage became weaker and weaker. By the time the executioners on the stage had been replaced by a new group of people and the smell of blood was so strong that it was almost tangible, someone finally couldn't hold on any longer and left with a pale face.

Gao Huan's voice gradually became hoarse, and the crowd of onlookers dwindled.

Lu Chen maintained the same posture, quietly watching the blood covering the platform.

In fact, there was no need for him to come over to watch the execution today, because Gao Huan and Su Yunqing were jointly responsible for the matter, and Ye Jitong led the Rui Shi Battalion to supervise the whole process, so no one would slip through the net.

But he finally came.

He didn't have much emotion in his heart at this moment, let alone feel sorry for those people.

He just wanted to tell himself that if he had not been decisive enough, he and countless people he cared about would have been beheaded on the podium.

"Duke?"

Qin Zilong's concerned voice sounded beside him.

Lu Chen retracted his gaze and said calmly: "Let's go back."

He turned his horse and walked ahead, and three hundred personal soldiers quickly followed.

When the sun was setting, the long execution finally came to an end. Gao Huan, who was in charge of supervising the execution, was sweating all over and let out a long sigh.

The fall of more than 800 heads announced the end of the regicide case, and the court of Da Qi will enter a new stage.

At this moment, the world is desolate and the setting sun looks like blood.

(End of this chapter)