The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 257 Ding's Father and Son
In the early winter of October in the second year of Qianning, there was turmoil in Guandong.

Shi Tai was in a bad mood, so he started a rebellion, killed Zhang Tingfan, the governor of Xuzhou, and claimed to be the governor. After Zhu Wen's death, Zhang Yun fled back to Suzhou, made friends with the local Xu soldiers, and secretly harbored ambitions. Upon hearing the news, he attacked and killed the governor of Suzhou, occupied the city, and raised an army to compete with Shi Tai for the throne. Suffering from insufficient military funds, he and Houmo Chenwei and others carried out large-scale archaeological excavations in the territory, digging up graves wherever they saw them.

Wang Jingrao, defeated and forced to flee Bianliang, led over 30,000 troops to attack Cai. Wu Ziling, Diao Junwu, and others dug deep trenches and built high fortifications, forcing him to retreat north or attack Xiangyang, Song, Ying, or Huainan.

Kang Huaizheng, who stabbed Zhu Jin in the back, also rebelled and returned to Yanzhou after Zhu Wen's death. He recruited soldiers to attack Yanhai Jiedushi Yuan Xiangxian, intending to seize the position of commander.

Joining the chaos were refugee leaders from the Huai River region, including Yuan Qingji and Liu Hai, Zhu Wen's rebels Shao Guangchou and Hou Song, and various small, scattered groups of soldiers and bandits. Zhao attacked Qian, Zhang attacked Li. The lower ranks rebelled against the upper ranks, and the upper ranks punished the lower ranks. Wild soldiers ran rampant, the chaotic army wreaked havoc. Pigs and sheep shrieked in fear, and everyone felt threatened. Chaos reigned supreme.

In the Tang Dynasty, few people take Emperor Li's words seriously.

It was as if he had determined that he had no way to deal with anyone and was just pursuing his ambitions.

In such a turbulent time, Ding Hui, who was "avoiding disaster" or "regretting that he had not met a wise leader" in his hometown Shouchun, received a message from an old friend.

Ding Hui was originally planning to surrender to Wu, but he had always been ambitious for fame and fortune, and felt that Yang Xingmi had little hope. Going back to Zhu Da was also dangerous, as who knows how long he could be the commander of Bian? He was unwilling to give up, but he didn't dare to start a business. He was suffering like this, and was struggling with how to sell it at a good price and where to sell it. Suddenly, the clouds cleared and the moon came - Wang Yanzhang, Linghu Tao, Zhang Xian and more than ten people came to report: "We kowtow to Mr. Ding, and we wish you are all right."

This made Ding Hui overjoyed, and he attached great importance to these letters.

In these letters, the Holy Bible and the Queen are the main content.

"The saints are treated with great kindness and in a special way by the Queen of Heaven."

Under his careful treatment, the Queen Mother's "depression and sorrow gradually disappeared." She can now smile knowingly, talk more, and even put on "light makeup" from time to time. Princess Shi, Yu Chengjun, Zhu Youzhen and others are also safe.

This surprised Ding Hui. With such hatred between the two sides, Emperor Li did not harm Zhu Wen's family.

It's also against the will of heaven.

In Ding Hui's mind, Emperor Li had always been a hypocrite. Selfish, sweet-mouthed, yet treacherous. For the sake of power, he would place two women he didn't love in the positions of virtuous and virtuous. He could chop off the limbs of tens of thousands of warriors, even cruelly sending Yang Fugong to a funeral and giving Ximen Fengguang a lavish burial. Cruelty isn't defined by how brutally one kills; it's when one, for profit, can serve the very thief who murdered his father that he truly is.

He was always ruthless and cruel to his enemies, never forgiving them easily. In his eyes, repaying evil with kindness was the stupidest thing in the world. So when Wang Yanzhang first approached Ding Hui to "conspire for something big", Ding Hui brushed it off, thinking that he was going to die.

However, he now truly did to Zhu Wen, "I will support your wife and children."

This made Ding Hui reflect on himself and he felt that he was too suspicious and made too many malicious assumptions.

"The arrogance of the four generals led to their death. The prosperity of the Central Plains led to their bodies being tied to Tokyo. Therefore, I know that the way of heaven favors the Li family. The great Tang Dynasty will not accept inferior races..."

"The officers and men who have entered the court today are in order of position and dressed in the right manner. They are fulfilling their duties as men and assisting heroes in their missions..."

"General, do you have any intention?"

"..."

"The great sage is determined to restore the country. Those who dare to rebel in all directions must be wiped out one by one to correct the new trend."

"..."

"If you still hesitate and want to extend your life for others, please think carefully about what I say."

"Let me express my feelings, but writing cannot express them all. Yanzhang bows again."

In the hall, Ding Hui put down a pile of letters. Judging from the writing style, it didn't seem like they were forced. The arrogance and confidence they had at the beginning had disappeared from Wang Yanzhang and his ilk. The flattery of Li in the letter made Ding Hui feel sick and disgusted, and also made him worried. How could Emperor Li conquer these people without some strength and charm?
Ding Hui jumped up from the couch and walked around the room. These people's words were indeed tempting, but Ding Hui was still hesitant. Unlike Wang Yanzhang and others, he was a veteran of the same level as Zhu Zhen and joined the nest with Zhu Wen.

Can Emperor Li trust himself?

Once he went to Chang'an, even if he didn't die in office, he would still be treated as a thief.

He was a cautious or timid person. Under Zhu Wen, he liked to pretend to be sick. Today his hands hurt, tomorrow his feet hurt, and the day after tomorrow his nose hair hurt. He looked half dead at any time. This is why after the Hongnong Incident, he fled back to Shouchun without saying a word. Therefore, he really didn't trust Emperor Li, or in other words, he was wary and suspicious of all superiors.

You, Wang Yanzhang, dare to risk your life to serve the queen and try your luck in the court. He will never do such a stupid thing.

You only have one life, what should you do if you lose the bet?
Death is not scary, but being killed by someone is very painful.

A good man never stands under a dangerous wall! This is Ding Hui's consistent motto.

But it sounds like Emperor Li is really a wise ruler! The Bining killer Wu Xiong who was said to have killed him in Qishan is now a general and a minister, and has been granted the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry and Jiedushi of Shuofang Army!
It's so big that it's embarrassing.

Moreover, if he wanted to pursue fame and fortune, it seemed that there was no better choice than Emperor Li. However, could he spare Wang Yanzhang and the others, or himself?
Don’t even mention that he was tolerant of the Queen Mother and Zhu Youzhen!
Bullshit! He was clearly attracted by the Queen's looks and body!

I thought you were not aware of this!

Can--

Oh, it’s really torture.

Ding Hui paused and looked down at a young man sitting next to him: "Zhao'er, what do you think?"

"My son's thoughts are on Tang." Ding Zhao replied, "Judging from Lord Li's words and deeds, he is at least ten times better than Zhu Wen."

Ding Hui was not very satisfied with this answer, and asked his third son Ding Xian: "Where is Sanlang?"

"Same as my son." Ding Xian bowed his hands and said, "Don't worry, my lord. If the court liked to kill everyone, the world would have ceased to be named Li. Since the difficult times, apart from Zhu Ci, Li Xilie, Chao Zhu and others, how many surrendered people have been troubled by the court? Cutting the grass and eradicating the roots is not the style of the Li family. We have returned to the country, and with our lack of foundation, the saint has a little more power to use. We are too happy to be late."

Ding Hui was uninhibited and shrugged his shoulders: "What if he wants to harm me? People are treacherous. Nine out of ten people in this world are wicked. As a father, I am afraid that I will suffer and be deceived, and in the end I will have no place to cry and complain."

"Why did he want to harm my father?" Ding Zhao asked back: "At least, he doesn't show any signs of being a dictator. If he couldn't even tolerate my father who came to the court alone, he wouldn't have achieved what he has today."

Ding Hui remained silent.

"If you don't join the court, you can only consider people like Yang Xingmi." The fourth son Ding Cong reminded him, "But Yang Xingmi is already an old man, and he won't live for many years. With the character of his son Yang Wo, it will be a blessing if the Yang family is not slaughtered by the ministers in the future. What else can we expect? Qian Liu and Hebei are safe, but what about fame? Your Excellency is determined to build a family, but it is impossible in these places."

"It's difficult!" Ding Hui shook his head and said, "In fact, I am also worried about stability. Emperor Li often sleeps with hundreds of women at night. With such a lustful ghost like him, I would not be surprised if he died tomorrow. And his people are mixed and the national situation is complicated. If he dies suddenly, I dare not imagine what will happen to his young sons. To put it bluntly, his sons are too young, and people like us who are involved with him are not likely to be trusted."

Ding Zhao and Ding Xian were both speechless.

"Hasn't it been heard that his eldest son, Li Jingshen, is already fourteen?" Fourth Prince Ding Ping asked suspiciously, "A fourteen-year-old boy, and the eldest, is old enough to pass on the throne peacefully, right?"

"Peaceful ass!" Ding Hui rolled his eyes. "That bastard's mother, the He family, was from a small family in Shu. Apart from his two brothers, he has no other relatives to rely on. Emperor Li died suddenly. It's a blessing that the mother and son were not poisoned. He still wants to be a saint? What a dream."

"Your Excellency has a good point. It's unpredictable, and it's reasonable to worry about this." Ding Zhao smiled and said, "But it's unpredictable, and that's what makes the future exciting. Why should we reject the right choice that should have been made because of something that didn't happen? We can all think of the problems, so how can a saint not think of them? Even if that day really comes, the worst case scenario is to return to Shouchun. Besides, the way of heaven is constant, and human nature is flexible."

Ding Hui fell into deep thought for a long time, then smiled.

Perhaps it was his son's ambition that made Ding Hui's long-dormant courage ignite again: "Since I am pursuing wealth and luxury, how can I get it if I don't even dare to enter Chang'an? How can wealth and honor in this world be obtained without taking risks?"

"I forgot what I relied on to be able to look ahead and behind today!"

"Humph."

"How can I accept that I will die in obscurity in Shouchun at an old age? My goal is to become a general in the Han Dynasty! Not to cry and pretend to be sick all day long!"

"How can I bear to serve a tyrant, a mediocre ruler, and a scoundrel?"

"Besides, the emperor now commands more than half of the princes, and the court is in a strong position. If there is another war with the Central Plains in the future, the Central Plains will surely be ravaged by blood. The salary I once received, the food and banquets I received, are all the blood and sweat of the people of the Central Plains!"

"Watching them being killed for their stubbornness is something I cannot accept in my conscience."

"I want to enter the court!"

"If the saint is truly determined to end the Five Turbidities and Evil Worlds, I must help him accomplish it even if it costs me my life!"

"Soldiers are all very simple, born to be loyal to their country. They don't want to rebel, nor are they interested in it. If I hadn't been forced by Zhu Laosan's torture, I wouldn't have been branded a Bian thief!"

After saying this angrily, Ding Hui kicked his slippers into the air and waved his sleeves: "Da Lang and Er Lang!"

"My son is here!" Ding Zhao, Ding Xian and Ding Ping stood up and crossed their hands.

"Send away the guests, pack up your belongings. Choose a day to set out and serve the country with all my heart! Once I leave this hall, I will not care about my wife, concubines, children, elders or juniors. I will only be loyal and respectful. Anyone who dares to utter a single blasphemous word against the Emperor Tang or the Great Sage knows my heart!"

The three sons were all dignified, and shouted in unison: "How dare you disobey your father's orders!"

Once the quail makes up its mind, it will be resolute. Just like the rebellion in later generations, they will act immediately and rebel immediately. What about the emperor of Daliang, life and property, good and bad fortune... Fuck him! When a person dies, the bird will fly to the sky, and he will live forever!
This is me——Ding! Yes!

(End of this chapter)