Song Xiu

Chapter 108 Beating the Dog to Shock the Master: Get Up!
Several days after the defeat in Lai'an County, Zhao Guangyi led Shi Xizai back to the outskirts of Chuzhou City.

If things had progressed at the previous pace, Zhao Guangyi wouldn't have returned to Chuzhou City so late.

Mainly within Sizhou, Shi Xizai used his personal belongings to buy a new carriage—people have a sense of shame.

When the donkey cart was replaced by a horse-drawn carriage, Shi Xizai became the one in charge of driving it.

Shi Xizai's skills were clearly not as good as Zhao Guangyi's.

The distance from Sizhou to Chuzhou is at most two hundred li, but Shi Xizai traveled for several days.

As he traveled south, Zhao Guangyi frequently inquired about the changes within Chuzhou from passersby.

Because Huainan was a strategically important location fought over by military strategists, the local people were used to war and chaos.

The local people adopted a "you do your thing, I'll do mine" mentality, and business and travel activities in Huainan were not greatly affected.

After asking some traveling merchants passing through Chuzhou, Zhao Guangyi learned that the Song army had not left.

This rekindled Zhao Guangyi's sense of pride.

Once the carriage entered the vicinity of the military camp, Zhao Guangyi's whereabouts were quickly noticed by scouts.

Upon investigation, the scouts discovered that Zhao Guangyi was actually the missing commander who had been missing for several days. They were shocked and quickly brought Zhao Guangyi back to the camp.

Soon, news of Zhao Guangyi's return to camp spread throughout the entire army.

Upon first hearing the news, most of the generals did not feel relieved; on the contrary, they felt somewhat disgusted.

As more and more defeated soldiers returned to camp, Zhao Guangyi's escape on a donkey cart was no secret throughout the army.

Since the late Tang Dynasty, morality has declined, and strange things have happened one after another.

However, no matter how bizarre the events are, none can compare to the absurdity of "driving a donkey in the East Sea, even the best riders cannot catch up".

Even though he felt resentful, Zhao Guangyi was still the commander-in-chief of the army.

Upon receiving Zhao Guangyi's order to convene a meeting, all the generals reluctantly headed towards the commander's tent.

After returning to his camp, Zhao Guangyi learned from Cui Yanjin about the generals' plot to install the Prince of Taiyuan as their leader.

This matter directly violated Zhao Guangyi's taboo.

Zhao Guangyi did not believe Tian Chongjin's words at all.

It is not surprising that Tian Chongjin would submit a memorial to Zhao Kuangyin, and it is not impossible that Zhao Kuangyin wanted to replace the general.

However, based on Zhao Guangyi's understanding of Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Kuangyin would not send a separate reply to Tian Chongjin explaining this matter.

Since he thought it unlikely, Zhao Guangyi naturally had a guess in his mind:
"Tian Chongjin wanted to incite the generals to jointly submit a memorial to Zhao Kuangyin requesting a change of generals."

Such incidents were not uncommon during the Five Dynasties period.

Seeing that Zhao Guangyi's expression was growing increasingly gloomy, Cui Yanjin added fuel to the fire, saying:

“A few days ago, General Wang and I proposed several times to send troops to search for the Marquis, but we were blocked by Generals Tian Chongjin and Li Hanqiong.”

Upon hearing this report, Zhao Guangyi was filled with uncontrollable rage:

"This is really unreasonable!"

From a broader perspective, Tian Chongjin and others' suggestion was not wrong.

However, Zhao Guangyi lacked a strong sense of the big picture in military matters.

Given that this matter concerned his own safety, Zhao Guangyi had unknowingly developed a deep resentment towards Tian Chongjin and his associates.

"If I hadn't left the camp, I wouldn't have known those men harbored such wolfish ambitions."

Zhao Guangyi's words made it seem as if his departure from the camp was not to escape for his life, but to deliberately set a trap to find "treacherous officials".

Once resentment took hold, Zhao Guangyi planned to teach Tian Chongjin a lesson later.

As the generals gradually gathered in the command tent, a force of over a hundred elite cavalrymen also appeared outside Chuzhou City.

Leading this force of over a hundred elite cavalry was none other than Zhao Dexiu, who had been ordered by the emperor to travel south.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Zhao Dexiu, who was worried about the war in Huainan, led a group of officials and his personal guards out of Kaifeng.

After traveling day and night, we finally arrived outside Chuzhou City.

Once the outline of Chuzhou City appeared in her eyes, Zhao Dexiu finally felt relieved.

As they marched south, Zhao Dexiu ordered his men to gather intelligence on the military situation.

Through inquiries, Zhao Dexiu learned of the Song army's "defeat at Lai'an".

Fortunately, the main force of the Song army was not damaged.

And the intelligence gathered was not limited to these:
"The Marquis of Donghai County of the Song Dynasty fled on a donkey cart."

Thanks to the efforts of certain individuals, the story has gradually spread throughout Huainan.

This intelligence report left Zhao Dexiu speechless and amused.

Is his uncle really that fond of donkey carts?

The whereabouts of Zhao Dexiu's troops quickly attracted the attention of Song scouts.

Compared to Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Dexiu's appearance was well-known among the Imperial Guards.

Upon realizing Zhao Dexiu's identity, several Song scouts rushed out from the shadows and happily rode up to Zhao Dexiu.

"King of Taiyuan! King of Taiyuan!"

Upon recognizing them as his own scouts, Zhao Dexiu reined in his horse and asked:
Where is our commander's tent?

"Take me there quickly."

As soon as Zhao Dexiu arrived, he asked where the commander's tent was, which made the scouts overjoyed.

It seems that what was circulating in the camp a few days ago was indeed true.

"promise."

After answering, several Song scouts led the way, guiding Zhao Dexiu toward the east gate of Chuzhou City.

Upon arriving at the camp gate, before Zhao Dexiu could even utter a sound, several Song scouts excitedly cracked their whips and shouted to their own troops:
"Open the camp gates quickly, the King of Taiyuan has arrived!"

Seeing the scout's delighted expression, Yang Ye, Lü Duan, and the others behind Zhao Dexiu couldn't help but turn their heads to look:
Changing commanders at the last minute is always a sensitive issue, so why get so excited?
Compared to the astonishment of his colleagues, Zhao Dexiu, recalling some historical events, felt a sense of understanding.

It seems that his imperial guards have suffered considerable psychological damage during this period.

Upon hearing that it was the Prince of Taiyuan who had arrived, the guards at the camp gate all poked their heads out to observe.

Upon seeing that it was indeed Zhao Dexiu, whom they had been longing for, a cheer erupted from the camp gate.

Then the camp gate, which represented the barrier of the main camp, was lowered smoothly and quickly.

The defenders moved so quickly that Lü Duan didn't even have a chance to take out the imperial edict and tiger tally from his pocket.

After the camp gates opened, the young officer guarding the camp came down to the camp:

"King Taiyuan, the generals in the camp are discussing matters in the command tent."

"Please, Prince of Taiyuan, go there immediately!"

Upon hearing the young soldier's report, Zhao Dexiu did not hesitate.

With a flick of his whip, Zhao Dexiu sent his warhorse galloping off towards the command tent.

Zhao Guangyi's prestige in the army had greatly diminished.

After a long while, all the generals in the camp finally came to the commander's tent.

After all the generals had arrived, Zhao Guangyi did not rush to attack Tian Chongjin.

Zhao Guangyi glanced around at the generals in the tent and said calmly:

"I heard that during the time I was away from the camp, the morale of the people in the camp was low and there were many people making wild rumors."

"Gentlemen, what do you think is the reason for the unrest in the army?"

As he spoke, Zhao Guangyi turned his gaze to Tian Chongjin.

Zhao Guangyi was not good at fighting, but he was a master of political maneuvering.

He knew that no matter how much he disliked Tian Chongjin, he couldn't show it immediately upon returning to camp.

He needs a perfect excuse.

Tian Chongjin never expected that Zhao Guangyi could return so quickly and almost unharmed.

With the Prince of Taiyuan yet to arrive, Zhao Guangyi remains the commander-in-chief of the army. Faced with Zhao Guangyi's gaze, Tian Chongjin has no choice but to respond. "The Marquis's whereabouts have been unknown for the past few days, leaving the army without a leader, hence the unrest among the troops."

Given Zhao Guangyi's status, Tian Chongjin phrased his words more tactfully.

Tian Chongjin's tactful approach allowed Zhao Guangyi to seize the opportunity.

Upon hearing Tian Chongjin's reply, Zhao Guangyi chuckled a few times.

"is it?"

Then, Zhao Guangyi turned his gaze to Cui Yanjin.

After receiving a signal from Zhao Guangyi, Cui Yanjin bowed and said:
"In my humble opinion, the unrest in the army is due to someone spreading false information in the camp."

Cui Yanjin's report prompted Zhao Guangyi to ask:
"What fake news?"

Having received Zhao Guangyi's instructions early on, Cui Yanjin stated directly:
"A few days ago, Tian Chongjin mentioned to the generals that the Prince of Taiyuan would be coming to the army and replacing the Marquis as the commander-in-chief."

Changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in military strategy, especially since Tian Chongjin's claims are unverified.

This caused unrest within the army.

From the very beginning, the coordinated actions of Cui Yanjin and Zhao Guangyi had already alerted many people in the tent that something was amiss.

When Cui Yanjin got to this point, everyone realized who Zhao Guangyi's move was aimed at.

Cui Yanjin's accusation did not prompt Zhao Guangyi to hastily convict Tian Chongjin.

Zhao Guangyi pretended to frown and said:

"General Tian is a key minister of the state, highly valued by His Majesty. How could he possibly fabricate an imperial edict?"

After quietly accusing Tian Chongjin of "falsely conveying imperial edicts," Zhao Guangyi turned his attention back to Tian Chongjin:

“If Your Majesty issues an order to replace the general, I am not one to covet military power. Once the order arrives, I will resign.”

However, the change of generals in the army is a matter of great importance.

General Tian, ​​if you have received His Majesty's decree beforehand, please produce it for me to see.

Zhao Guangyi's tone wasn't harsh, but every word he uttered was like a sharp blade, cornering Tian Chongjin.

As soon as Zhao Guangyi finished speaking, Pan Mei looked at Tian Chongjin with a worried expression.

Zhao Guangyi had spoken for quite some time, but Tian Chongjin had yet to respond.

At this point, many people realized the unusual nature of the situation.

Could it be that what Cui Yanjin said was true, and that Tian Chongjin did not receive His Majesty's decree beforehand?

When this thought came to mind, most of the generals looked at Tian Chongjin with a mixture of admiration and worry.

They admired Tian Chongjin's sense of responsibility but were worried about his future situation.

In urgent situations, it is not unacceptable to act expediently.

If the outcome of acting expediently in an emergency is good, given Zhao Kuangyin's wisdom, although he might be punished, it would generally not be too severe.

Just like when Wang Yansheng "disobeyed" the imperial decree and killed Han Tong, which should have been a capital offense.

However, Zhao Kuangyin showed leniency and did not take Wang Yansheng's life, but only stripped him of his official position.

Not long after, Wang Yansheng was reinstated.

In the current situation, if Zhao Dexiu had arrived at the camp first, no one would have cared whether Tian Chongjin had actually given prior orders.

Since Zhao Dexiu has not yet arrived, Zhao Guangyi is in charge of rewarding and punishing the generals.

Cui Yanjin has already accused Tian Chongjin of "falsely conveying imperial edicts" and "disrupting the morale of the army." In addition, Zhao Guangyi is deliberately targeting him, so Tian Chongjin must produce the imperial edicts to prove his innocence.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Tian Chongjin's expression was changing drastically.

How could Tian Chongjin not know that Zhao Guangyi was deliberately targeting him?

But knowing this was useless, because Zhao Guangyi astutely seized upon his only weakness.

The atmosphere inside the tent was growing increasingly tense.

Many people in the tent wanted to speak well of Tian Chongjin, but the charges of "falsely conveying imperial edicts" and "disrupting the morale of the army" weighed on the generals like two mountains, leaving them unable to move.

Cui Yanjin's expression grew increasingly smug, and just as Tian Chongjin was about to succumb to the pressure and confess, a resounding voice rang out from outside the tent:
"Would you like to see the imperial edict?"

I have it!

As soon as this voice entered the tent, the expressions of the generals inside changed drastically.

Every general inside the command tent instantly turned and looked toward the tent flap.

Surprise, shock, fear and all sorts of other expressions appeared on the faces of the generals.

Under the expectant gazes of many, Zhao Dexiu, dressed in military uniform, lifted the tent flap and strode in.

"It's the King of Taiyuan!"

"The King of Taiyuan has indeed arrived!"

Joyful exclamations echoed throughout the command tent.

As soon as Zhao Dexiu entered the tent, he saw Tian Chongjin standing inside, looking lost and unsure of what to do.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhao Dexiu steadily walked forward toward Tian Chongjin.

Behind Zhao Dexiu, Lü Duan held the imperial edict high on his left and Yang Ye held the tiger tally high on his right, like two generals, following Zhao Dexiu all the way.

Upon approaching Tian Chongjin, Zhao Dexiu saw the joy in his eyes.

Just now, outside the tent, Zhao Dexiu had heard Tian Chongjin's situation clearly.

Zhao Dexiu knew why Tian Chongjin had forged an imperial edict.

Knowing this, Zhao Dexiu decisively reached out and pulled Tian Chongjin behind him, shielding him from all the persecuting gazes inside the tent.

Don't worry, Lao Tian, ​​I've got your back!

Zhao Dexiu's action secretly pleased all the generals who had wanted to speak well of Tian Chongjin.

Then Zhao Dexiu turned his gaze to the assembled generals, and a chilling questioning voice rang out in the tent:

"Which one of you is Cui Yanjin?"

Just now, outside the tent, Zhao Dexiu only heard the voice but did not recognize the person.

Anyone could tell that Zhao Dexiu's tone was unfriendly.

Cui Yanjin was terrified by Zhao Dexiu's tone and immediately looked at Zhao Guangyi with pleading eyes.

However, Zhao Guangyi looked at the imperial edict and tiger tally behind Zhao Dexiu and helplessly turned his head away.

Before Cui Yanjin could reveal his identity, Li Hanqiong stood up and pointed at him, saying:

"The Prince of Taiyuan, that's him!"

Following the direction Li Hanqiong pointed, Zhao Dexiu's gaze found Cui Yanjin.

"The army's morale is in turmoil because of the defeat of Marquis Lai'an of Donghai County. How can we blame General Tian?"
His Majesty appointed you to a military post, but instead of thinking about fighting on the battlefield, you use your sharp tongue to manipulate right and wrong.

If this is not punished today, where is military discipline?

After giving Cui Yanjin a severe dressing-down, Zhao Dexiu shouted towards the outside of the tent:

"Where are the Tiger Warriors?"

"exist!"

With a few shouts of agreement, several soldiers from Chanzhou rushed in.

After several soldiers from Chanzhou entered the tent, Zhao Dexiu pointed at Cui Yanjin and said:
"Drag him out and give him thirty lashes, a severe beating!"

As soon as Zhao Dexiu issued the order, the Chanzhou army immediately took action.

Before Cui Yanjin could even beg for mercy, he was dragged out of the tent.

Soon after, Cui Yanjin's screams reached the tent.

Amidst the screams, Zhao Dexiu walked up to Zhao Guangyi, whose face was pale:

"stand up!"

These two short words are filled with an unquestionable tone.

Why are you sitting in my seat?
(End of this chapter)