Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 396: The Imperial Envoy Inspects the Accounts! Take Action Against the Zhen Family!

Thanks to Pang De's support, the Han army captured Tongguan very smoothly without encountering any resistance throughout the process.

The reason was simple. Most of the soldiers defending Tongguan were well fed and well slept. No one could have imagined that Pang De would let the enemy troops into the pass while they were sleeping.

And when they woke up after hearing the noise.

The city was already full of Han troops.

Faced with the gleaming blades of the Han soldiers, they had no choice but to surrender. In a frontal battle, they were no match for the well-equipped Han soldiers.

By daybreak, the entire Tongguan was under the control of the Han army, and the dark Han dragon flag fluttered on the city wall in the morning light.

Upstairs at the city gate.

After Zhang Liao, Lu Bu, Zhang He and other generals took control of the entire Tongguan, they all gathered here.

Although no one slept the whole night, there was no sign of fatigue on anyone's face, and everyone looked energetic.

Taking Tongguan is an extremely critical step in the strategy of attacking Ma Chao. Next, we can directly attack Chang'an!

"The military advisor is both wise and brave. I admire you! I admire you!"

As soon as Zhang Liao came up, he couldn't stop praising Sima Yi. This time he was completely convinced by Sima Yi.

Taking Tongguan at a very small cost was a reflection of wisdom, and riding alone into the pass this morning to test the enemy's strength showed extraordinary courage.

No wonder Sima Yi was entrusted by the emperor with the important task of conquering Ma Chao at such a young age. It turned out that no one who was favored and valued by the emperor was an ordinary person.

Lu Bu even reached out and patted Sima Yi's shoulder vigorously, laughing and saying: "I was wrong to doubt the military advisor's decision before. From now on, if the military advisor gives an order, I will not oppose it!"

Faced with the recognition from Zhang Liao and Lu Bu, Sima Yi couldn't help but smile, and all the pressure that had accumulated in his heart for such a long time disappeared.

He smiled faintly and said, "It is General Pang's credit that we were able to capture Tongguan. Now with General Pang's help, we will definitely be able to defeat Ma Chao."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their eyes to Pang De.

Pang De cupped his hands and stepped forward, saying, "It is my honor to help the imperial army to defeat the rebels. Thank you generals for giving me a chance to redeem myself for my crime."

"Tongguan has been breached, but Ma Chao is still unaware of this news. As long as the generals lead their troops to attack, they will be able to catch him off guard and rescue General Ma."

"May I ask when do you generals plan to send out your troops?"

As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war, so Pang De naturally wanted to send his troops as quickly as possible to prevent Ma Chao from learning that Tongguan had fallen.

You must know that Ma Teng is still imprisoned.

He was very worried about this.

Seeing Pang De's urgency, Zhang Liao said, "Before I send out the troops, I need to know the distribution of Ma Chao's troops and the strength of Chang'an's defenses, so that I can make a plan."

"In addition...it would be great if General Pang could return to Chang'an and support us in the Xiliang Army."

The Western Liang Army still had a large number of soldiers in Chang'an City, and Pang De, as a general under Ma Chao, naturally knew the strength and deployment of the troops very well.

This is exactly the information they need most.

Apart from these, Pang De's identity has not been exposed. If he can return to Chang'an to support them, it will be easier to defeat Ma Chao.

But there are huge risks in doing so.

After all, Chang'an is not like Tongguan. With Ma Chao personally in charge, it would be extremely difficult to repeat the same trick and he might even put himself in danger.

Pang De was stunned when he heard this, and hesitated for a moment.

There is no problem in informing him of the troop deployment information, but I had never told him before that he would have to go back to provide support.

Sima Yi pondered for a moment, then said: "Doing this does have considerable risks, but if it succeeds, it will greatly reduce the casualties of the Xiliang Army and the imperial court."

"Of course, it is up to the general whether he is willing to go or not. We will not force him."

Pang De had already made a great contribution by helping them capture Tongguan. To be honest, it was a bit of a stretch to ask him to continue to return to Chang'an to provide support.

After hearing what Sima Yi said, Pang De thought about it again and again, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "As long as I can help the court to fight against the rebellion, what's the harm in taking a risk!"

"I am willing to return to Chang'an to provide support!"

We have come this far, we might as well give it one more try. If successful, the credit we get will be more than just doubled.

It is possible to be awarded a title of nobility through one battle!

"it is good!"

Sima Yi was overjoyed, and then he decided to go to the general's mansion with everyone to discuss the specific plan.

Before he walked down the city wall, Chen Gong took out the brocade bag and handed it to him, saying, "Military Advisor, I'll return this to you."

"Don't take such a risk next time."

This time, Sima Yi entered the city with the determination to die, gambling with his own life, and in the end his gamble was successful.

The rewards are huge, but the risks are also great.

Sima Yi took the brocade bag and put it in his arms, smiling confidently, "Don't worry, there will be no need to use this brocade bag again."

With the victory of this Western Expedition, he has seen the light of hope.

……

Yecheng, Imperial Palace.

Liu Xie squinted his eyes as he looked at the memorial in his hand, while Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang and others beside him lowered their heads deeply.

The entire Xuanshi was eerily quiet.

Just a few days ago, the news that Concubine Zhen was pregnant reached Yecheng. However, before the ministers could celebrate the news that the emperor had another heir, another piece of bad news came.

"Didn't I ask Zhen to prepare relief supplies long ago? And you also told me before that all the supplies and money have been prepared."

"Why is there a sudden emergency now?"

Liu Xie put down the memorial and looked down at Zhen Rong who was kneeling in the hall. "My dear minister...are you deceiving the emperor?"

The tone was not harsh, but it was like thunder.

Zhen Rong's eyes twitched, and he said with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, my Zhen family has spent a lot of money to build weapons and equipment for the Modao Army and to raise food and grass for the army's westward expedition. The family is already unable to support itself."

"But in order not to worry Your Majesty, I said that the disaster relief supplies have been prepared, but in fact... Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie stared at him for a long while, then slowly said: "My dear, since you have difficulties, you should have told me earlier."

"Disaster relief supplies are related to the safety of many people. I don't know how many people will be affected by the shortage of this batch of supplies."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Rong said with great self-blame: "This is my fault... But please rest assured, Your Majesty, I have already started selling off the family's property. Even if I have to sacrifice the entire Zhen family, I will definitely raise enough relief supplies!"

Zhen Rong's tone was firm and powerful, almost as if he was swearing.

After listening to him, Liu Xie did not punish him, but sighed slightly and said: "Get ready as soon as possible. I will ask Minister Zhuge to help you. Just let me know if you need anything."

"The people and the disaster are the most important." Zhen Rong nodded repeatedly and said hurriedly, "I understand. I will speed up the collection of supplies after I return and will not delay disaster relief!"

"Ah."

Liu Xie nodded slightly and continued, "The weather is cold and the ground is cool. My dear, you should get up and talk."

"I wonder how Concubine Zhen is doing now?"

Zhen Rong thanked him, stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, the noble lady is currently at home recuperating from pregnancy, and I have ordered my clansmen to take good care of her."

"Your Highness has been pregnant for two months. The doctor said that you should rest and rest peacefully. You must not be shaken, otherwise there is a risk of miscarriage."

"I beg you to allow me to stay in the Zhen family to take care of the baby, and then return to Yecheng after the birth of the heir."

When he said this, Zhen Rong felt a little uneasy.

What if the emperor doesn't agree?
But to his surprise, the emperor didn't say much and agreed directly: "Noble Lady Zhen is pregnant, so she must take good care of herself."

"Let's follow your advice and wait until Concubine Zhen gives birth to the heir before returning to Yecheng. I will dispatch maids and imperial doctors from the palace to take care of her, so that she can rest assured and take care of her baby."

Zhen Rong was stunned. The emperor agreed so easily that all the reasons and rhetoric he had prepared were useless.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

But the goal was finally achieved. Zhen Rong bowed respectfully to express his gratitude and then left the Xuanshi room.

After watching Zhen Rong leave, Liu Xie glanced at Jia Xu and the others, raised his eyebrows and asked, "What do you want to say, my dear ministers?"

The ministers' eyes flickered, and they all remained silent.

Only Zhuge Liang stepped forward and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Zhen's businesses are spread across all states and counties in the Han Dynasty, and are even more huge in the north."

"I don't believe that the Zhen family, with such a huge fortune, could be drained by the creation of the Modao Army and the Western Expedition, and even be unable to raise disaster relief supplies."

"In addition, the many spoils of war seized by the court during its campaigns were all managed by the Zhen family, but I have never seen the relevant accounts when I assisted Your Majesty in handling memorials."

"I wonder if this treasury is the imperial treasury or the private property of the Zhen family?"

Zhuge Liang spoke frankly and expressed what was on his mind, which made the faces of his colleagues around him change.

This is a heart-breaking statement!

The Zhen family was the first family to support the emperor. They also provided money, food and supplies to the emperor's army in its campaigns and made great contributions.

It can be said that without the help of the Zhen family, there would be no current situation of the court, and there would be no such powerful army as today.

This is also the reason why even though many people knew that it was not a good thing for the Zhen family to control the national treasury, they never made any protest.

Because it really can't be explained.

In addition, the Zhen family has always responded to the court's requests, providing money, food, and equipment, and there has never been a shortage of them, so everyone turned a blind eye to this.

But Zhuge Liang now pointed out the matter so directly, breaking the window paper.

"Kong Ming, be careful with your words!"

Jia Xu kept winking at Zhuge Liang. He was really too young. How could he bring up such a thing?

Fa Zheng, Yang Xiu and Lu Su all looked at Zhuge Liang with shock and admiration, and were filled with respect in their hearts.

This is called a loyal minister!

But to everyone's surprise, Liu Xie did not get angry after hearing this, but shook his head and said: "You all are my most trusted and respected confidants, but only Kong Ming dared to speak such truth, which really disappointed me."

"Do you all think that I am a tyrant who cannot distinguish right from wrong?"

This is quite serious.

After hearing this, all the ministers confessed their crimes.

Jia Xu said, "Your Majesty, it is not that we do not want to speak, but because the Zhen family has always done things without error, we cannot speak rashly."

"Besides...Zhen has made great contributions to the court after all."

This was considered a barely plausible excuse, and it did not mention Zhen Mi's relationship.

Liu Xie said calmly: "Achievements are achievements, and faults are faults. The two cannot be confused. What I want to ask is whether you think what Kong Ming said makes sense."

The ministers looked at each other and finally nodded slowly.

Yang Xiu was the first to speak: "What Minister Zhuge said is absolutely right. The national treasury is related to the stability of the country and the people's livelihood. How can it be controlled by the aristocratic families?"

"Your Majesty was controlled by Yuan Shao in the early years and had no foundation to speak of. You had no choice but to get help from the Zhen family. But now that the court is stable, the national treasury should be under the jurisdiction of the court."

"This time we encountered a snowstorm, and the Zhen family, who is in charge of the national treasury, was unable to provide disaster relief. If this continues, I'm afraid the people will suffer and the country will be ruined."

What Yang Xiu said was still a little obscure. No one present was stupid. Everyone could see that Zhen could not be unable to come up with the money and was just pretending to be poor.

As for the reason... he didn't dare to think about it too deeply.

Liu Xie was silent for a moment, then instructed Fa Zheng: "Xiaozhi, go to Wuji County tomorrow and urge them to collect disaster relief supplies. By the way, check the accounts of the Zhen family to see where they spent the money."

"Remember to check carefully."

Liu Xie seemed to say it casually, but the ministers heard something different in his words.

Checking Zhen's accounts means they are planning to take action against her!
"I accept the decree!"

Fa Zheng hesitated for a long time and finally gritted his teeth and accepted the order.

This is both a good job and a bad job. If he does it well, the emperor will look at him with admiration. If he does it poorly, he will not only be reprimanded by the emperor, but will also offend the Zhen family and the noble lady Zhen.

Guo Jia pondered for a long time, and finally said: "Your Majesty, Concubine Zhen is pregnant now. Is it not appropriate to go to check the accounts at this time?"

Zhen Mi was pregnant with the emperor's heir, but the emperor planned to take action against the Zhen family at this time, which seemed a bit cruel.

"Then when is it appropriate?"

Liu Xie looked at Guo Jia with sharp eyes, "Feng Xiao means to wait until the people have frozen to death or starved to death because they cannot get relief supplies before sending people to investigate, and then symbolically punish and kill some people, is this appropriate?"

Guo Jia opened his mouth, speechless.

Even he would feel unfamiliar when the emperor was serious. His absolute rationality and indifference made him feel afraid.

Liu Xie retracted his gaze and said tiredly: "I have given them many chances. This is the last one."

"Let's first draw supplies from unaffected areas for disaster relief. I'll leave this matter to you, Kong Ming. Thank you for your hard work."

Zhuge Liang agreed without hesitation.

Then all the ministers took their leave and left.

But not long after, Guo Jia and Jia Xu turned back again. They looked at Liu Xie, who was resting his eyes with his hand on his forehead, and stood silently by the side.

"Zhen is forcing me to compromise."

Liu Xie opened his eyes, his eyes full of indifference, "What do you think I should do with them?"

(End of this chapter)