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

About fifteen minutes later, Zhuque hurriedly came to Jia Jing's side with a thick stack of case files.

"My lord! The trusted retainers of the Marquis of Linchuan and the Marquis of Zhongqin have all confessed! There are not only confessions and account books proving that they embezzled military pay, withheld military funds, and resold military equipment and rations, but also evidence of their collusion with foreign countries."

"According to their confessions, the Marquis of Linchuan and the Marquis of Zhongqin repeatedly and secretly passed on intelligence from our front lines to the puppet Qing forces, leading to numerous defeats and losses on the Liaodong front!"

Zhuque could not hide his excitement.

This was a clue that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had discovered as early as when they were in Liaodong, but they didn't have much concrete evidence, so they didn't take any rash action.

The retired emperor may have reached some secret agreement with the puppet Qing dynasty.

After returning to the Han Dynasty from his northern exile, he not only secretly exchanged letters with the Manchus, but also arranged for Shanxi merchants to sell large quantities of military rations, ironware, firearms, and other military-controlled materials to the Manchus.

He even allowed the Marquis of Linchuan and others to betray important military intelligence of the Han Dynasty, leading to Emperor Jingsheng suffering multiple defeats on the Liaodong front at the beginning of his reign.

These things were done in great secrecy, and only a handful of people knew the details.

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard hadn't accidentally obtained some information in Liaodong and followed the clues to find Wu Xun, the leader of the Jingnan Campaign, no one would have known that they had secretly committed such heinous acts of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country!

On the other hand, only Marquis Linchuan, Marquis Zhongqin, and a very small number of their trusted retainers knew about this matter at the Ba Shang camp. Many things had to be done through them, and all other relevant personnel were silenced afterward.

These matters were kept so well hidden that even the Imperial City Guard under Emperor Jingsheng did not hear a word about them.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had already obtained clear leads, and after returning to the capital, they secretly investigated for several days.

This time, the interrogation was targeted, and important confessions and evidence were obtained in one fell swoop.

Jia Jing casually flipped through a few pages of the case file and asked in surprise:

"These people confessed so quickly? This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their families!"

Zhuque smiled slightly and said:

"The main reason is that they didn't expect us to already have some clues. Also, they've indulged in too much luxury and debauchery over the years; how could they withstand the torture methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"I still had many tricks up my sleeve, but they confessed everything."

Jia Jing was also familiar with the tortures used by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and they were indeed not something an ordinary person could endure.

Leaving aside tortures like playing the pipa, skinning, and slow slicing, even ordinary tortures like finger crushing, clamping with sticks, pulling out the tongue, breaking the spine, dropping the fingers, piercing the heart, and standing in heavy shackles are not something ordinary people can endure.

After reviewing all the confessions, Jia Jing found no concrete evidence involving the retired emperor.

However, the evidence against the Marquis of Linchuan and the Marquis of Zhongqin for their treason is complete, with both witnesses and physical evidence.

Jia Jing returned the case file, then personally wrote a memorial and handed it back to Zhuque, before coldly saying:

"Kill all of them! We can't let them reveal the existence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You handle the aftermath of this matter."

"Take these confessions to Marquis Zhongqin for his signature and fingerprint! Then quickly send people to collect all the witnesses and evidence, and immediately escort them to the palace to be handed over to His Majesty!"

"With such a commotion here, someone in the camp must have already quietly gone out to report! There's probably quite a stir outside!"

"Also, erase any information about the retired emperor from the confession! Without concrete evidence, it's best not to alert him!"

"The Emperor Emeritus is indeed cautious in his actions; he always sends Dai Quan to deliver messages personally, and he has never left any evidence against him!"

"Alright! That's settled then! I need to stay here at the camp to keep an eye on things and prevent them from causing trouble. The rest is up to you!"

"By the way! Tell His Majesty! With me at the Ba Shang camp, there will be absolutely no worry about unrest. Tell him to rest assured and just focus on dealing with Wu Xun, the leader of the Jingnan Rebellion!"

"This is a rare opportunity. With Ba Shang's military power eliminated, Wu Xun, the leader of the Jingnan Campaign, won't be able to cause any major trouble in the capital!"

Upon hearing the order, Zhuque's expression turned solemn. He quickly took the case files and memorials from Jia Jing's hands, then cupped his hands and said:

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will do it immediately! There will be absolutely no mistakes!"

Jia Jing glanced at him and nodded, saying:

"Go! I too must beat the drums to gather my troops!"

Zhuque immediately went to the camp gate, led dozens of men, and rode quickly towards the capital.

Jia Jing withdrew his gaze and looked at the bustling and noisy Ba Shang camp.

Clearly, morale was low, and the soldiers in the camp were probably secretly worried about their fate. He instructed his personal guards:

"Go! Beat the drums and muster the troops!"

After receiving the order, the guards went to the huge drum at the drill ground and picked up the enormous drumsticks.

The hammer struck the drumhead heavily, one blow after another.

"Thump! Thump! Thump..."

Immediately, a tremendous drumbeat resounded throughout the Ba Shang camp.

As soon as the drums sounded, the entire Ba Shang camp erupted into chaos, with countless soldiers quickly donning their armor and rushing out of the barracks.

Most of the soldiers had already received the news that the new military governor had killed the Marquis of Linchuan, so they dared not delay and rushed out of the barracks very quickly!

"Get the troops in formation, quick! Everyone, stand at attention!"

"Line up now! What are you standing there for?!"

Ma Guocheng's loud voice rang out continuously on the training ground.

He had witnessed Jia Jing kill the Marquis of Linchuan and knew that he was a very powerful and authoritative general, so he dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

Urged on by Ma Guocheng, it took about an incense stick's time for the soldiers who had overthrown the camp to finally stand scattered on the training ground!

"Your Excellency, the entire army of the Ba Shang camp, except for a few who were away, has basically arrived!"

Ma Guocheng, the only remaining Lieutenant General in the Ba Shang camp, arrived at the front of the training ground and loudly reported to Jia Jing.

Looking at the sparsely packed army, numbering less than 40,000 men, Jia Jing couldn't help but frown.

Not to mention that the number of people is less than half, how can anyone believe that they have any fighting ability when their ranks are not even in order?

With these troops, they might not even be able to defeat some bandits and outlaws.

Jia Jing asked Ma Guocheng:

"What's your name? You were the one who ordered the soldiers back to camp just now, and didn't get involved in the conflict between me and Marquis Zhongqin. I remember you!"

Upon hearing Jia Jing's question, Ma Guocheng was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying:

"This humble general, Ma Guocheng, is in charge of the firearms battalion in the main camp!"

Jia Jing was slightly taken aback. Ma Guocheng, the deputy general of Jinling? The one who made Tian Wenjing carelessly lose his mother?

Although this person is rude and impulsive, he is quite grateful that he was able to ask someone to send him things after his master lost power!

Jia Jing asked:

"Are you from Nanjing? You sound like you have that accent!"

Ma Guocheng replied with a smile:

"Your Excellency has a keen ear. I was originally a deputy commander of a battalion in Jinling. Later, I was transferred to the command of the Duke of Ying in the southwest. By chance, I made meritorious contributions and was promoted to the commander of a battalion in the Ba Shang camp."

Jia Jing nodded and said:

"My ancestral home is also in Jinling! We do have some kind of connection! Quickly send someone to summon the soldiers who are not in the camp back to camp."

"Tell them that anyone who doesn't return today will be expelled from the camp!"