The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 225 Night comes and dreams suddenly return home

At dusk, the setting sun cast a shadow across the ground, and Zhu Wen brought more than 3,000 people to Daochang Temple.

It may be because he ruled Bian for twelve years, or for other reasons. Although he was deserted by his friends and relatives and was in a desperate exile, there were still people who followed him. During the Hongnong Rebellion, the number of warriors, bureaucrats, and followers who followed him exceeded 10,000. On the way, he was chased and killed by the rebel army, but there were still people who were killed and ministers who tried their best to protect him. Compared with Cui Jikang, Kang Chuangui, Li Quanzhong, Qin Zongquan, Han Jian, Gao Pian, and Li Keyong, who were directly executed, arrested, and abandoned by their subordinates after their prestige plummeted, Zhu Wen was lucky, at least temporarily.

Playing all the way down:
Outside Shihao Village, the blood of Zhongshu Sheren Wei Jiao splashed on his face.

At the mouth of Mianchi, the secretary Zhang Gun and the attendant Cheng Zhen stabbed his mount in the butt with a knife, and he died in battle alone.

Zhu Youning, his nephew and captain of the imperial guards, whom he despised for his low skills, was drowned under the hooves of the chaotic army.

The angry curses and fights of Jiama Commander Yin Hao, Tianwu Captain Han Jian, White Horse General Hu Shang, and Personal Cavalry Consort Deng Jiyun... are still echoing in my ears.

Kou Yanqing, whom he called "a gift from God" and "I will share with you all the good things in the world", left him without looking back.

The eldest son, who was always kind to others and loyal and filial, turned cruel. He killed his father and the king without any concealment. He could even directly shout at the king, "Cut the old dog into pieces!" Such heart-breaking words!

The experiences of the past few days will be unforgettable to Old Zhu until his death. Looking at the more than 3,000 people resting in various places in Daocheng Temple, even a heart as hard as iron and cold-blooded as Zhu Laosan could not help but shed tears.

I can’t tell what I was crying about, I was just sad and tears were running down my face.

I don’t know what kind of political games he has been playing in this life.

I don’t know what I’m so proud of in this life.

In this life, I should not have followed the soldiers in beating and scolding the civil officials as prostitutes.

In this life, we should not be so despicable and shameless. We should have the proper ethics and bottom line.

We should listen to the saying: "Those who rely on the size of their country and the number of their people in order to show off their power to the enemy are called arrogant soldiers."

……

I have lived my life in confusion and like a joke.

He knelt in front of the Bodhisattva in the Buddhist temple and sobbed, and he thought of that snowy night in Tongguan.

That night, the army with lofty ambitions hit a wall.

That night, the gamble to enter Chang'an was lost.

That night, the once powerful people of Bian were cursed by God, marking the beginning of their decline.

That night too...

Was he sent by God specifically to fight against me?
Otherwise, how could it be possible for a dead tree to come back to life in just a few years...

Zhu Wen cried silently.

Suddenly stood up.

"Swish!" The sword at the waist was unsheathed, and the blood-stained sword mirror reflected a blurry face with disheveled hair and dirty hair.

The strands of white hair on the temples are so eye-catching.

Zhu Wen smiled sadly.

I still remember the time when I entered Bianzhou with 500 yuan and was full of confidence.

From the unrivaled victory of destroying Cai at Pingchao to the unstoppable momentum of conquering Xu at Dama.

From the despair of Bo Pu's defeat to the total despair today.

Huang Chao, Zhang Quanyi, Wang Chongrong, Yang Fuguang, Meng Kai, Lin Yan, Liu Jurong, Tian Lingzi, Zhu Zhen, Li Tangbin…all those old friends who were his enemies or friends, his superiors or his subordinates in the past have passed away one after another.

Times have changed.

Also tired.

He raised the jade sword and put it close to his neck.

However, at the moment when his skin was scratched and he was about to slide with force, he hesitated and wavered.

He couldn't understand life and death.

He was afraid of death, and when he was attacked by swords and axes, he would involuntarily circle around the pillar.

He also wanted to see the Queen again.

That spring, he was poor and alone. In a bamboo forest in Songzhou, he met the woman who had haunted him for six years. A woman who could obey him and give up the dignity of a general and a man for her.

He does not feel shame.

If you are not really obsessed, who would be willing to be a bootlicker?
If others ridicule and laugh at you, it’s just because they haven’t met the person who can drive them crazy.

At this moment, Zhu Wen's eyes were blurry, his head was spinning, his heart seemed to be stabbed, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't breathe. He was about to be defeated, and the Queen was already a rare commodity.

Who will she fall into?
What will be her ending?

"Your Majesty, Wang Tan, the governor of Yi and Luo, has led 15,000 Shunyi troops to come to the king's aid, and is waiting for an audience outside the Daochang Temple." Outside the Buddhist hall, someone reported with joy.

This subconsciously cheered Zhu Wen up a little, and he felt that he saw the dawn of hope, but then he was driven away by fear again.

Once the authority collapsed, it was not only the Queen who became a rare commodity, but also him. After Huang Chao withdrew from Guanzhong, he was stabbed in the back and his head was robbed by his old subordinates. He still remembered it clearly because he was one of them. Moreover, Wang Tan was born in the family of generals of the Shen Ce Army... With his determination and cruelty to betray his patriotism and his benefactor, it was difficult to predict what he would do.

But since he is still waiting outside the temple to be summoned, he will not rebel for the time being.

After wiping his tears, Zhu Wen walked out of the Buddhist hall.

"Your Majesty!" Wang Tan walked into Daochang Temple and saw Zhu Wen. He took off his sword from a distance and led his subordinates to pay homage.

The guards moved, trying to block Zhu Wen behind them.

Zhu Wen made a subtle move, trotted over, and personally helped Wang Tan and his companions up. Then he held Wang Tan's hand, turned his head away, and choked with sobs: "Wang Qing!"

There's no way, the pressure is too great.

This pressure is not from other things. Where can there be no rebellion by warriors? Zhu Wen also had psychological preparation. It was mainly the trembling of the unknown ending and death. Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, Fu Jian, Ran Min, Hou Jing, Zhu Ci... Thinking of the fancy endings of these people... It would be a lie to say that he is not afraid.

"Your Majesty..." Wang Tan didn't have a deep relationship with Zhu Wen, but seeing Zhu Wen like a miserable young woman who had been raped by beastly soldiers, he still felt a little embarrassed. How could the great commander of Bian and the emperor of Daliang be so desperate?

Zhu Wen realized that he had lost his composure, so he let go of Wang Tan's hand and asked, "I am here for the first time. How is Luoyang?"

"There is only one of my troops in Luoyang, and there is a garrison commander in the nearby Jinyong City and Mengjin." But they kept their troops on hold, observing the situation, or in other words, waiting for Zhu Youyu to take over.

Zhu Wen had been overthrown by his son when the royal army entered Bo. If he continued to work for him, he would have to face a war with Zhu Youyu. At this point, it was obvious who was stronger between the father and the son, and who had a greater chance of winning. Moreover, Zhu Youyu was already very prestigious among the Bian army, otherwise he would not have been able to succeed in this one fell swoop. If nothing unexpected happened, he had already integrated more than 100,000 troops from Shanzhou.

It was his choice to follow Zhu Wen to the end. When Zhu Wen was doomed, most other generals would not stand with him. It was meaningless. The situation in the Central Plains would be reshuffled immediately. It would be foolish to use up all the troops in the civil war between Zhu Wen and his son.

Zhu Wen's face became even more dejected: "Is there any rebellion in Luoyang?"

"Yes, but not many. With me here, they would not dare to attack your carriage." Wang Tan replied.

Zhu Wen's heart tightened, he closed his eyes, and asked again: "How is the rebellious son Youyu? Is there any news about him?"

Wang Tan looked at him strangely.

You just escaped from him? Don't you know more than me?
"There is no doubt that they are gathering the rebel troops in Mianchi." After a pause, Zhu Wen sighed.

Reorganizing the disordered Shanzhou Camp was only one of them. Zhu Yougong's troops were still on the Xiaohan Road, and Zhu Youyu might try to annex them.

In addition, Zhu Youyu should thank Li. If Li had not taken this opportunity to bite off a piece of meat from the rebels and entangled Zhu Youyu, he would not have had a chance to catch his breath.

Chaos? Not really. The incident can be described by a simple mathematical model: Xiao Wen left Hongnong at speed A. Half an hour later, Xiao Yu set out at speed B to catch up with Xiao Wen, gathering friends as he went. One day later, Xiao Li set out at speed C to catch up with Xiao Yu...

"Your Majesty, don't be discouraged." Wang Tan got to the point. "The rebel army is powerful, and we only have less than 20,000 people. I want to lead my troops to escort the emperor back to the capital. Once we enter Bian, we will call on the Chinese and foreign people to fight You Yu together. This thief murdered the emperor and his father, and he is hated by both humans and gods. He will never succeed."

Zhu Wen just remained silent.

He left more than 10,000 soldiers in his old nest, commanded by Shi Yanci, Ding Hui, Wang Yanzhang and Dai Siyuan.

Although the probability of them killing their master and surrendering to Li is very small, Bianzhou can be considered a safe place.

However, there were four obstacles on the way: Zhengzhou Defense Commissioner Zhao Keyu, Heyin Pass Commander Huang Wenjing, Hulao Pass Commissioner Jia Sheng, and Zhongwu Army Jiedushi Zhao Chang. The two Zhaos and Huang had advised him to abdicate before the Hongnong Incident, so it was impossible for them to let him return to Bianzhou. If he was delayed in Zheng and Xu for a day or two, Zhu Youyu would arrive from the rear and surround and kill him.

Even if he passes through Huarong Road, the defenders of Bianzhou may not dare to accept him. Unless you bring tens of thousands of troops to let them see that you have hope of turning the tables. Ding Hui and Wang Yanzhang can be loyal ministers and take this risk, and there can also be a small group of righteous men among the tens of thousands of defenders...

In addition, at this point in the situation, Zhu Wen did not believe that Wang Yanzhang, Ding Hui, and Shi Yanci could still control Bianzhou and the garrison.

According to common sense, a military rebellion is probably in progress.

In short, it's difficult.

He could only go south along the Yingshui River to see if he could conquer the Huaixi camp. If successful, he would lead his army eastward and conquer the militia and garrison troops of Ying, Bo, and Song states, and use the three states as a base to fight against the rebellious son.

Thinking of this, Zhu Wen encouraged himself and asked Wang Tan: "My Lord, are the Shunyi Army willing to follow me to hunt in Huaixi?"

After saying that, he looked at Wang Tan with an anxious yet expectant look.

"Some of the soldiers' families are in Bianzhou..." Wang Tan looked embarrassed: "I will talk to the soldiers later and try to take away as many as possible." His tone was quite reluctant and his heart ached.

He was also reluctant to leave his family. His wife Yang and several concubines were extremely beautiful. Whenever they were at home, they would have sex with each other almost every night. Wang Tan dared not even think of abandoning the beauties and going through hardships. But he knew that he was a traitor to his country. Without Zhu Wen's support, anyone who held the imperial seal in Bianzhou would probably hand him over under pressure from Chang'an.

His four generations were dukes and marquises. His great-grandfather, Li, was a defense envoy. Weng Yao was a meritorious official who pacified the rebellion, and his father, Huan, was one of the nine ministers. He knew very well the attitude of the court towards traitors, which could be summed up in two words: cruel and rooting out the traitors.

All the nobles, ministers, and royal family members who defected to the Chao army, regardless of gender, age, or reason, were executed. Even women and children who were captured by the Chao army but did not die with the Chao army or give birth to children for the Chao army were all executed. In the Zhu Mei Rebellion, no matter if they were passive or active, as long as they contributed to the rebellion, they would be killed. The prime ministers Xiao Ke, Pei Che, and Zheng Changtu, who were from Lanling Xiao, Hedong Pei, and Xingyang Zheng, were also beheaded and their bodies were exposed.

"Most of the officials died."

"Please sentence them all to death." I'm not kidding.

"Your Majesty, please rest in the Daochang Temple. We will set out at dawn."

Zhu Wen was delighted and moved when he heard this, saying: "If you can restore the throne, I will let you be the commander of a town. If you cannot do so, I will give you my head and give you a royal title and wealth."

Zhu Wen wanted to leave immediately, but his subordinates were very tired, they had no baggage, and the men and horses were hungry. If they didn't rest for a while, they couldn't move forward. Without these three thousand officials and soldiers, he didn't dare to go on the road alone. He might change his mind on the way, or someone in his army might want to kill him.

"I resign!"

Zhu Wen nodded and watched Wang Tan leave the temple before walking around in the Daochang Temple.

His heart was like an untied boat, and his body was like a dead tree. In front of others, he still had a strong and calm smile on his face. He applied medicine to the injured ministers, fed porridge to the dying soldiers, and squeezed out tears of empathy. He held the stone concubine who was sleeping on the ground with her eyes staring at the twilight in a daze in his arms and expressed his love and compassion. Just talking about this determination, he is a man who is dedicated to his career.

Just as Zhu Wen was trying to maintain the team, a group of wounded soldiers holding sticks limped over and said, "Your Majesty."

Zhu Wen's heart tightened, but he forced himself to remain calm and smiled: "What's wrong? Don't move if you're injured, find--"

"His Majesty……"

"You said."

"We, the twenty-two, have decided not to follow His Majesty south and return home." The leading lieutenant who spoke had one arm chopped off.
His eyes were dim and he kept coughing up blood.

"Okay." Zhu Wen felt around for a valuable item and handed it to him.

"I will leave, and the saints will take care of themselves."

"Your Majesty... take care."

The group left the Dojo Temple without any delay.

Just as Zhu Wen was about to sit down, another group came over and said, "Your Majesty, we don't want to add insult to injury, but things have come to this point, and we are tired, so we will leave now."

Zhu Wen didn't know whether to sit or stand, his expression was frozen, and he laughed awkwardly: "Hahaha, let's go, it's right to go."

This time, hundreds of people stood up at once.

There were warriors, officials, and women, all gathered together in a sparse group, stumbling towards the temple gate. Because their mounts were exhausted, or they felt they were too weak to keep up, or they were afraid of the unknown future, or something else. But now it is too late to ask. For various reasons, everyone accompanied you to the Dojo Temple, which was very kind. Now you have to leave, and you can only pretend to be strong and say goodbye decently.

"Gui Ba, you're leaving too?!"

"I came here from Wei Bo for profit. Now your Majesty's authority cannot be restored..." Perhaps because he felt guilty, Zhang Guiba covered his face with his sleeves before he finished speaking and left in a hurry.

"Gui Ba!" Zhu Wen stumbled and stretched out his hand to keep him.

Zhang Guiba did not respond.

"Return tyrant!"

"Gee!" Zhang Guiba's loud shout and the sound of crisp horse hooves were heard outside the Taoist temple.

"Xu Huaiyu ran away too!"

Zhu Wen was no longer able to speak. He just squatted on the ground, his emotions losing control again. He sobbed softly, not caring about the public watching him.

This time, he really couldn't hold it anymore.

By nightfall, the summer thunderstorm was hazily covering the Daochang Temple, and the people around the Daliang Emperor had already been broken up miserably. In addition to more than 200 seriously injured soldiers who could not run and struggled in the rainy night, there were only a thousand attendants, warriors, and ministers left, and even most of the Shunyi Army had fled.

When Zhu Wen, who had shed all his tears, hugged Shi Fei, closed his aching eyes and fell asleep, a strange and clear drum tune was beaten outside the Daochang Temple and spread into the dark ancient temple. The army of Heyang Dutou Shao Zan had already entered the ghost-like Luoyang City from Dingding Gate and arrived at the town near the Daochang Temple.

Thousands of soldiers wearing straw raincoats and bamboo hats lined up neatly in the rain. Shao Zan spoke passionately: "Now that we have come to this, I will not make any more noise. Since the saint has been doing evil, the soldiers of Heyang have been driven by him and died in ditches. But the emperor did not order Zhu to be punished, and he was actually expelled from the Shanzhou camp. Emperor Li and Zhu Youyu will march straight to Luoyang, so I have no choice but to take the saint's head, arrest all the officials, lead you to the west, avoid Zhu Youyu, and make a fortune by proposing loyalty to Emperor Li. If you can't get away, you can ask for credit from the young commander. We waited in the northern suburbs for two days before we caught him. Today, we watched all day and waited until most of the soldiers left. Now eight out of ten people in Luoyang have died, and the loyal army only has a few thousand of Wang Tan's remaining troops. The opportunity to capture and kill An Lushan, gain wealth and fame, is right in front of us. My men must fight--"

"Okay, stop talking nonsense."

"I want you to teach me how to rebel?"

"What kind of rebellion is this? This is called returning home in rebellion!"

"Okay!" Shao Zan said, "Everyone follow the deployment, climb over the wall, shout and scare, and set fire everywhere. The central army will follow me to attack the mountain gate. Before dawn, catch the false saint! If you fail, return to Heyang." After that, he pointed his whip into the distance and said, "Forward, the enemy is in Daochang Temple!"

"Forward, the enemy is in Dojo-ji!" The warriors shouted in agreement and rushed into the rainy night. The entire army set off a heat wave that swept across Tokyo.

"Which unit are you from? What are you doing here?" asked the Shunyi army on patrol.

"We are heroes!"

"I have received a secret decree to suppress your rebellious army, kill the traitor Wang Tan, and rescue the saint!"

"Tattatt..." Pairs of footsteps rushed forward, breaking through the rain, and the deafening shouts quickly approached the Daochang Temple: "You dog-footed emperor, you old devil, dare you still leave the team and kill me! I'm here to take your life!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Arrows flew around like poisonous snakes.

"Take your head for a profit!"

"Pfft, it's that bastard from Heyang City!"

"How dare you, rebel!" In the darkness, long spears stabbed against each other, and blood splattered.

"Fuck, if you oppose me, I will oppose you too!"

"I'm rebelling too! Let's go and join the Heyang soldiers!"

"The Saint's bedroom is over there! Follow me, I'll lead the way!"

"It is said that punishment should not be imposed on high officials, and courtesy should not be used on common people. The dignity of a sage and the Son of Heaven should not be put to death with an axe, but strangled to death with a bowstring can be used."

"What a bullshit emperor! The one with the most powerful army and horses is the emperor! Now Emperor Li has a strong army and horses, I have already recognized him as the emperor!"

"Where is Wang Tan? Where is Wang Tan? I'm going to kill him!"

"The Emperor Cai can be killed! The Emperor Liang can also be killed..." Dozens of nimble warriors jumped down from the wall, stepped forward and shot arrows into the air. Behind them, more warriors, howling, climbed over the wall and entered the temple like dumplings: "Charge!"

"You guys kill, I won't participate." A team of awakened swordsmen leaned against the pillars and watched the chaotic soldiers running past on the aisle in front of them.

"Forward! The enemy is in Daochang Temple!" Inside the gloomy ancient temple, towering palaces stood, and a large group of warriors broke through the mountain gate, pouring in with iron spears and swords in hand.

The sword chopped down her face, and the maid screamed and fell into the water.

"Puff!" With a stab of the spear tip, Jing Xiang was directly picked up and thrown into the pond where rain was hitting lotus flowers.

The minister kowtowed, pounded garlic, and begged for mercy with tears streaming down his face.

He grabbed the bun of hair and held it in his arms like a chicken, then punched her vertically in the chest, cracking her sternum.

"Bang!" With a violent kick, the door collapsed like straw. Several people rushed in, grabbed the woman on the couch, slapped her twice until her mouth and nose bled, and then started to fight.

Zhu Wen jumped up from his sleep and shouted, "Come here, come here, what happened?"

"The chaotic army entered the city."

"Where's Wang Tan?"

"died!"

"Quick, call the Shunyi Army to quell the rebellion."

"The Shunyi Army has also rebelled!"

"It's ruined, ruined, I've become Zhou Bao." Zhu Wen hurriedly put on his boots, ran to the window and stared at the ancient temple in the rain, which was full of ghosts and noise: "Who will rebel?"

One of the guards shouted, "They are everywhere! Who are you asking, Saint?"

"Your Majesty, run for your life." The eunuch said anxiously.

Zhu Wen was speechless: I don’t know where the imperial carriage will go from now on?

Zhu Wen couldn't help laughing, his mind flashing through his life's memories. Goosebumps covered his body, and his heart was beating "boom boom boom".

Whoosh! An arrow flew into the room.

At this time, Shao Zan, holding a knife covered with minced meat, slowly moved it across his arm armor and appeared in the garden outside the dormitory.

“Shao Zan! After Zhuge Shuang was defeated, you came to me and I appointed you as a general. After Zhao Keyu surrendered to me, I promoted you back to Heyang as a captain. How could you let this man down!” Zhu Wen roared fiercely and slapped the windowsill with his palm: “Bang, bang, bang!”

"Enough! The victors are the kings and the losers are the bandits, the strong prey on the weak, what else can your majesty say! Besides, how has the court failed your majesty? Why does your majesty intend to rebel?!" Shao Zan asked loudly, "I killed your majesty for wealth and honor, not for rebellion. There is no point in saying more, please stop now!"

"I have a favor to this generation—"

"Hahaha, do we have to repay a favor? The Li family has also done your majesty a favor, have you repaid it? Since your majesty can repay kindness with enmity, why can't we do the same? This is what is called, follow the example of superiors! This is the teaching of the White Tiger Pass!"

"Your Majesty, please kill yourself!"

"Good, good!" Zhu Wen laughed up to the sky, "I will wait for you in hell. My beloved, strangle me to death."

Shi Fei's eyes were filled with ferocity. She took the rope and put it around Zhu Wen's neck from behind. She raised her bare feet and kicked Zhu Wen's back. As her spring light suddenly leaked out, Shi Fei screamed, "Ah!!"

Inside the temple, the soldiers chanted in a solemn voice: "Namo Amitabha... May Your Majesty be reborn in a good place..."

Shao Zan walked to the window and saw at a glance the saint lying flat on the couch, his fat body covered with a dirty blanket, half of his arm with bulging veins exposed, hanging over the edge of the bed.

"Cut off the saint's head."

On July 13, the second year of Qianning, Zhu Wen died in Daochang Temple in Luoyang.

(End of this chapter)