Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Inside the hall,

Cabinet ministers Fang Congzhe and Xiong Cilu cursed inwardly.

The two of them had just recommended Prince Teng for the position of Minister of War when the mutiny in the Beijing garrison immediately broke out.

To put it mildly, this is the sin of misjudging people and recommending the wrong ones.

To put it bluntly, that would be treason and harm to the people, a sign of wickedness and wickedness!

However, they were somewhat relieved that the Beijing garrison had changed its ways early.

If they wait until they promote Wang Ziteng to the position of Minister of War, and then something happens to the Beijing Garrison,

Then they would really be implicated, and might even be held accountable by the imperial court and bear joint responsibility!

According to the recommendation system of the Han Dynasty, there was a rule that if someone recommended an unsuitable person, the recommender would be punished along with the recommender!

Compared to Xiong Cili and Fang Congzhe, Kong Ying, the Vice Minister of War, was even more pale-faced, his vision went black, and he almost fainted on the spot in the hall!

He recommended Wang Ziteng twice today.

The first recommendation was for him to replace Jia Jing in the border patrol; the second recommendation stated that he possessed both virtue and talent, making his appointment as Minister of War legitimate.

The result was so disastrous...

He staged two farces in front of all the civil and military officials, which was a complete disgrace and ruined his reputation.

He could already imagine that after the court session ended, his joke would spread throughout the capital.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is utterly disgraceful and shameful!

He could even hear the ministers in the hall pointing and whispering about him, and he chuckled softly.

These mocking voices made Kong Ying's hands and feet turn cold, and her heart sank straight to the bottom!

At that moment, a thought involuntarily popped into his mind:

Why is my fate so unlucky? Is there such a coincidence in the world, both ancient and modern?

I had just finished speaking last time when Jia Jing's good news arrived!

This time, I had barely finished speaking when the Beijing garrison suddenly erupted in chaos!

Even the most accurate predictions can't be this prophetic!

It's like being possessed by an evil spirit!

However, the only thing that made Kong Ying somewhat relieved was that Emperor Jingsheng had no time to pay attention to him at the moment.

Upon hearing the report from the Imperial City Guard, Emperor Jingsheng quickly descended from his throne, frowned, and urgently asked:

"Isn't Prince Teng in charge of the Beijing garrison? Is he just going to stand by and watch them cause trouble?"

Upon hearing this, the Imperial City Guardian's face darkened, and he lowered his head, saying:

"Lord Wang Ziteng was originally stationed in the central army, but after hearing the news of Zhou Jiwei's rebellion..."

"He immediately led 20,000 troops from the central army to quell the rebellion, hoping to quickly suppress the chaos and stabilize the situation in the capital."

Emperor Jingsheng nodded, his expression softening somewhat, finally regaining some semblance of a high-ranking official. He continued, "..."

"How's it going? Have they exchanged blows yet?"

The Imperial City Envoy's voice lowered even further:

"The two armies faced off not far from the capital's garrison. Lord Wang... Lord Wang's 20,000 troops were scattered by the rebels in a single encounter."

"Although the rebels numbered only 10,000, they were highly motivated and fought very bravely."

"The 20,000 men that Lord Wang led were mostly newly recruited soldiers who had not been trained for long. When the rebels charged, they were somewhat unable to withstand the attack."

"Then Lord Wang was shot by an arrow from Zhou Jiwei and fell off his horse. When the central army saw their commander fall from his horse, they immediately collapsed."

"At this moment... at this moment, the defeated army has retreated back to the capital camp. I heard that Lord Wang's injuries are quite serious, and the army doctor is treating him."

Upon hearing the Imperial City Envoy's words, the expressions of all the officials who had been listening intently in the hall changed.

He felt both worried about the sudden rebellion and utterly shocked by Wang Ziteng's incompetence.

Good guy!

The central army of 20,000 men was routed in a single encounter by a rebel force of 10,000 men.

Wang Ziteng himself was even "slain" by the enemy, which is rather mediocre and weak!

Especially since the civil and military officials had just heard the news of Jia Jing's slaying of a general and capture of a flag on the northwest front.

In comparison, this makes Wang Ziteng seem even more mediocre, even somewhat of a "good-for-nothing"!

Such a person, who organized an army to the point of rebellion, and whose commander was shot off his horse by the enemy,

Just now, Kong Ying advised him to go to the Northwest to replace Duke Jing in the battle against Hunye? And several cabinet ministers took turns recommending him to be the Minister of War?

This is simply treating the imperial court's titles and the affairs of the nation as a joke!

Emperor Jingsheng's face instantly darkened, the muscles on his face twitched a few times, and he coldly rebuked:

"He was hasty in organizing the army, cowardly in leading it, and utterly incompetent!"

However, although Emperor Jingsheng was furious, he was not particularly alarmed by the mutiny and rebellion in the capital garrison.

He has experienced countless storms over the years, and a small rebellion of more than 10,000 people is not enough to make him panic!

Moreover, there are now countless capable generals in the court, including not only the Prince of Nan'an and the Marquis of Zhongjing, but also the Marquis of Weining, a fierce general who has just returned from the northwest front.

In addition, tens of thousands of elite troops from the Ba Shang camp were stationed outside the capital city, while tens of thousands of Imperial Guards were stationed inside the imperial city.

Although this rebellion occurred suddenly, it was nothing more than a minor ailment!

However, he didn't understand why the Beijing garrison had suddenly changed, with more than 10,000 people participating and choosing to follow Zhou Jiwei in "purging the court of corrupt officials."

What heinous things did Prince Teng and Jia Zhen do?

With this in mind, Emperor Jingsheng took a deep breath, calmed himself, and asked the Imperial City Guard in a deep voice:

"What exactly happened between Wang Ziteng and Jia Zhen? If it were just a matter of downsizing, it shouldn't have caused such a huge mess!"

At this time, the imperial court's prestige was growing daily, and the capital city was as impregnable as a rock.

If not forced into a corner, no one would choose to rebel at this time, as it is a heinous crime that concerns the lives of nine generations of their family.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial City Envoy quickly replied:

"According to our investigation, Lord Wang's reorganization of the Beijing Garrison was too radical and he was too eager for quick results. After dismissing the old and weak soldiers, he did not properly resettle them in a timely manner."

"In addition, the resettlement funds allocated by the court were embezzled by the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, the Director of Ceremonial Affairs, and others, with more than half of it being deducted at each level. Less than one-third of the funds actually reached the discharged soldiers."

"Therefore, the soldiers of the capital garrison who were dismissed harbored resentment and privately said, 'Vice Minister Wang only cares about dismissing people, not about their lives.'"

"They have gathered in front of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commands' Office several times in recent days, but Lord Wang has sent people to disperse them each time."

"Although these soldiers were dissatisfied, they were not at the point of mutiny or rebellion."

"However, a few days ago, Zhou Jiwei, the commander of the left flank of the Beijing garrison, and others clashed with General Jia Zhen."

"General Jia Zhen, entrusted by Prince Teng, was in charge of assessing and retaining officers and soldiers in the Beijing garrison."

"This was originally a matter of vital military importance, but Jia Zhen treated it as a business transaction."

"He set clear prices: a lieutenant general who wanted to stay in his post would have to pay at least eight thousand taels of silver, while a colonel would have to pay between three and five thousand taels."

"For officers and lieutenants who wish to remain in their posts, the reward is between five hundred and three thousand taels of silver."

"Whoever doesn't pay the silver, he'll cause trouble and fire them, regardless of whether that person has rendered meritorious service or meets the court's regulations for dismissal and reorganization."

"In the past few months, Jia Zhen and his son have privately received bribes totaling no less than 100,000 taels of silver."