The prince is more stable

Chapter 380: Eliminating Traitors and Enemies
When adults fall out, it's a feeling.

Many times, they don't curse or threaten each other face to face. In officialdom, everyone is a decent person and will not say bad things when they are against each other.

I have a smile on my face, and my expressions and words are as friendly as a brother, but when I turn around, I will definitely kill you. This is what a decent person does.

As soon as their eyes met, they understood each other's true thoughts. This is the sixth sense unique to officials.

Just now, Zhao Xiaoqian had clearly received the signal from Liu Qianliang's expression and eyes.

Yes, they fell out.

Whether it's giving bribes or sending beauties, some things are ultimately unavoidable.

We can't be friends, we can only be enemies.

From Zhao Xiaoqian's point of view, he must purge the internal situation as soon as possible and turn to face the external enemies.

From the perspective of Liu Qianliang and others, checking the accounts means turning the table over. Since you have already turned the table over, there is no need to be polite, and we should fight for a chance of survival.

When respectable people fell out, the ones who were most worried were Chen Shou and Jia Shi.

They have a heavy responsibility. If Zhao Xiaoqian makes even a slight mistake, His Royal Highness the King of Chu will never let them go.

Half an hour later, the atmosphere in the Zhending government office suddenly became stagnant. Many armored imperial guards and burly men were suddenly ordered to move in and surround the backyard of the government office.

Shortly after Chen Shougang made the arrangements, Zhao Xin from the Imperial City Division came to the government office to ask for a meeting.

As usual, Zhao Xiaoqian met him in the backyard.

"My Lord, the Imperial City Division has been investigating these past two days and has uncovered numerous pieces of evidence of illegal activity by officials in Zhending Prefecture. These are all irrefutable proof."

"These included the Imperial Guards Commander Zhang Lan dispatching his troops to sell salt and iron to Liao merchants, Judge Liu Qianliang imposing heavy taxes under the guise of the imperial court, and the Supervisor of the Ministry of Personnel Zhou Jin using the Green Sprouts Law to lend money to the public and seize tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, among other things..."

"The judge and prosecutor of Zhending Prefecture, the commander of the Imperial Guards and his subordinates, military commanders, battalion commanders, and other military officers, as well as officials at all levels, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Transportation, were all implicated. The number of officials implicated is over a hundred."

"I'm not doing my job well. I've only collected less than half of the evidence in two days. The Imperial City Division is still investigating day and night. In another three to five days, we should be able to gather all the evidence."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned and sighed, "So, the entire Zhending Prefecture's officialdom is rotten?"

Zhao Xin whispered, "To be able to control everything in the local area, it's not just the collusion of one or two officials. It takes mutual protection from officials and infiltration at all levels to make this network impenetrable."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "Zhending has 50,000 border troops, including 10,000 imperial guards and 40,000 garrison troops. Are the generals of these 40,000 garrison troops involved?"

Zhao Xin said, "For many years, the two wing army commanders have been marginalized by the Zhending officialdom and have been at odds with other officials. According to the Imperial City Bureau's investigation, the two wing army commanders do not seem to be involved in the incident."

Zhao Xiaoqian breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, it's not completely rotten."

His expression was a little solemn.

If this is the case in Zhending Prefecture, what is the current situation of other local governments in the Song Dynasty?
This question is too heavy to even think about.

There are signs before a dynasty falls. If the situation gets rotten from the court to the countryside and the roots are rotten, then the dynasty is beyond salvation.

He looked up at the sky.

It was not yet dark, the sky was gray and the biting cold wind blew through the treetops, making a shrill scream.

"It's going to snow." Zhao Xiaoqian murmured.

After calming himself down, Zhao Xiaoqian said, "Zhao Xin, take my warrant and tiger talisman and go immediately to the Dragon Guard Camp in the eastern suburbs. Tell Zhong Jianzhong that I'm moving troops into the city tonight."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes were filled with murderous intent: "Only blood and heads can avenge the suffering of the people of Zhending Prefecture. Today is a good day to kill!"

…………

As night fell, the entire Zhending City was plunged into darkness.

It was a particularly cold night, with heavy snow already falling from the sky. The streets were deserted, and the common people had huddled back in their warm homes, sitting around the fire with their families, enjoying the brief, though poor, yet warm, time they had.

The white snow contrasts with the dark night, as if it is a contest between the forces of black and white.

While ordinary people were unaware of the normal days, the officialdom in Zhending City was tense and murderous.

In the evening, before the city gates were about to close, a group of people came in from outside the city. They were dressed like ordinary people, but they were all young and strong men in their twenties and thirties. Even a blind person could smell the strong and fierce smell of soldiers on them from a distance.

The guards at the city gates were also imperial guards, but they ignored this group of people who looked like ordinary people, pretending not to see them, and let them enter the city. Then, they closed the city gates and lowered the gates.

Half an hour later, a general in armor walked up to the city wall.

Inside the arrow tower on the city wall, a team of imperial guards guarding the city gate were sitting around a campfire to keep warm, looking at the white snow outside the city and cursing the damn weather in a low voice.

The general walked in and took off the black scarf covering his face. The soldiers in the arrow tower were stunned and hurriedly stood up to salute.

"Greetings to Commander Zhang."

Zhang Lan's expression was solemn, without a trace of smile on his face. If you looked closely, you would find a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Has the city gate been closed?" Zhang Lan asked in a deep voice.

"The gate has been closed. I checked it several times and confirmed that it is correct." A captain said respectfully with a fist salute.

Zhang Lan nodded, looked towards the east suburbs outside the city, and said slowly: "No matter who it is tonight, even if it is the imperial guards outside the city knocking on the gate, no matter who gives the oral or written order, the city gate is not allowed to be opened." This military order was a bit strange, but ordinary soldiers did not dare to ask. They just followed the general's orders.

All the officers and soldiers bowed and obeyed the order.

Zhang Lan nodded with satisfaction, turned and walked out of the arrow tower, heading towards another city gate.

Every city gate must be explained, and Zhang Lan must explain it personally.

The defense of Zhending City is in the hands of Zhang Lan.

Without Zhang Lan's nod, no one could order the city gates to be opened, and the 30,000 Dragon Guard soldiers brought by Zhao Xiaoqian could only stare blankly outside the city.

The city was defended, and it was time for Liu Qianliang and others in the city to take action.

Since Zhao Xiaoqian will not give them a way to live, tonight will be the day of Zhao Xiaoqian's death.

Not long after Zhang Lan left, the arrow tower was still silent.

The soldiers felt that something unusual might happen tonight and that something big might happen in the city. They had just obeyed Zhang Lan's military order, but now they were feeling uneasy.

What does Commander Zhang want to do? Could it be...

Just as he was secretly thinking and doubting, footsteps were heard outside the arrow tower again.

Chen Shou, wearing armor, led several imperial guards and slowly walked into the arrow tower.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were quite unfamiliar with Chen Shou, but seeing that he was wearing armor, they thought he must be a general in the imperial guards. There was a distinction between high and low, so the soldiers stood up and saluted him again.

Chen Shou didn't waste any words. As soon as he entered the arrow tower, he handed an ivory waist badge to the captain.

"I am the commander of the Bian Jing Infantry Palace Front Division, and I have been ordered by the Emperor to protect the Crown Prince of Chu. Please check first, and we can discuss business later."

The captain took the badge, checked it carefully, and then respectfully returned it to Chen Shou with both hands.

Chen Shou stuffed the badge into his arms and said calmly, "Okay, the identity has been confirmed. Let's talk about something else. You all know who the Prince of Chu is, right?"

The soldiers nodded in confusion.

Chen Shou said slowly, "The Crown Prince of Chu, granted the title of Duke of Anle, is a close relative of the current emperor. He is also the prefect of Zhending and the governor of the western Hebei Route. He controls the troops of all the cities in the western Hebei Route, including the imperial guards, the garrison troops, and the local army training. Do you all understand this?"

The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. They could not even read a few words, so how could they understand such profound things?

But the leading captain understood that since he could become a small leader of the imperial guards, he had some understanding of the official system and military system of the court. He was very clear about the value of the title of "General Manager and Pacifier" and knew that what Chen Shou said was not an exaggeration.

Chen Shou's expression gradually darkened as he shouted in a low voice, "It has been verified that Zhang Lan, the commander of the Zhending Prefecture's border guards, committed numerous illegal acts during his tenure. He also secretly assembled the imperial guards and attempted to assassinate an imperial official, intending to rebel. His crimes are unforgivable. The Duke of Zhao, acting as the General Manager and Pacification Envoy, is to arrest Zhang Lan tonight!"

"Do you have any objections?"

Inside the arrow tower, the soldiers guarding the city gate were startled and their expressions suddenly became panic-stricken.

Chen Shou stared into the captain's eyes and suddenly shouted, "I know Zhang Lan was here just now. What military orders did he give you? Tell the truth!"

The captain felt a chill on his back, as if the sky had fallen. He was just a low-level leader in the imperial guards and did not dare to be associated with such a serious crime as "treason".

Chen Shou asked sharply, and the captain immediately confessed without hesitation: "Commander Zhang said that our brothers should guard the city gate tonight. No one outside the city is allowed to open the gate if they knock."

Chen Shou still stared into the captain's eyes and said slowly, "What do you say? Will you obey Zhang Lan's military orders and follow him to the bitter end, sharing the charge of treason, or will you obey the orders of the Duke of Zhao and eliminate the traitors and harm the court?"

As he spoke, several imperial guards brought by Chen Shou had already quietly moved and walked silently behind the other soldiers. Their right hands silently grasped the hilts of the swords at their waists.

The murderous intent is looming and about to happen!
Dutou just felt his scalp tingling and even felt like crying.

I'm just an ordinary little leader guarding the city gate, how could I have encountered such bad luck!

Who do you listen to?
Does this still need to be thought about?
His relatives, wife and children all live in the countryside outside the city. If he were charged with treason and his whole family played the Nine Clans Candy Crush game with him, who the hell would be willing to play?
"I will obey Lord Zhao!" the captain said decisively with a fist salute.

Chen Shou hummed and said, "Very good, you made the right choice. Don't worry, as long as you are obedient, you won't be implicated. Your life will only get better and better. No one will dare to withhold your military rations and wages anymore."

"The soldiers of the Dragon Guard Battalion outside the city are about to enter, following the orders of Duke Zhao to eliminate traitors and enemies. Now, take your comrades down from the tower and open the city gates!"

The captain clasped his fists and shouted confidently, "As ordered!"

Chen Shou glanced at everyone with satisfaction, then led his comrades out of the arrow tower.

Inside the arrow tower, the captain and the soldiers were all frightened and gathered together to discuss things.

"Captain, Commander Zhang is really planning a rebellion? Does he...want to die?"

"Captain, are we really going to listen to this general? Is he really someone close to the Duke of Zhao?"

"Captain, who should we listen to, brothers? Please make the decision."

The captain was silent for a long time, then gritted his teeth and said, "Who can bear the charge of treason? Who should I listen to? Of course, I listen to the court! Whoever holds the highest position is the court!"

"Brothers, follow me down the tower and open the city gate! This is a gamble!"

(End of this chapter)