Xiang Xun confessed his crime, and the emperor ordered the three judicial departments to jointly testify against him. As soon as the news came out, the whole court was in an uproar, causing an uproar. Many people could not figure out what was going on. The former was still a handsome master who destroyed the country.
, the commander-in-chief who made great achievements in war, was condescended to by the emperor and respected in all ways. It had only been a few days, and the official reward from the imperial court had not been issued yet. Why did he turn himself in and become a criminal? Moreover, all the charges were listed.
Not a small crime.
During this period, some of the officers and soldiers in Pingshu behaved inappropriately, which aroused criticism and dissatisfaction. Officials rushed to impeach, strictly enforce military discipline, and deal with domineering soldiers. However, in the end, only the vulgar and short-sighted Qiu Ba.Wang Quanbin in the middle and lower classes
The conflict with Wang Renfan was very loud, but on the surface, it seemed more like a personal grudge.
For the victorious soldiers, no matter how upright they were, they never thought of setting fire to Xiang Xun. However, Xiang Xun's actions were tantamount to stoking the fire and adding fuel to his body...
After the incident happened, there was a lot of discussion and suspicion. However, those who were really in high positions and understood the reasons seemed very calm. They did not express their opinions at all, and did not even reveal their attitude. They just sat back and watched the development of the matter.
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And because of this incident, the group of people who were most affected were the soldiers of Pingshu who were grandly received by the emperor after returning to Beijing. Even Commander Xiang went to Dali Temple to confess his guilt. What's more, they were so impetuous and arrogant.
The arrogance is gone, and I no longer dare to think of myself as a hero.
Immediately afterwards, there was panic and worry. Counting Wang Quanbin and Wang Rengan who were detained, three Pingshu generals were captured. Could this be just the beginning, and would it bring harm to themselves?
Everything is a matter of speculation. The changes in the capital, coupled with the rumors that the imperial court wanted to accuse the soldiers of causing the rebellion in Shu. For a time, the meritorious ministers began to panic, especially those generals who had made a lot of money in Sichuan and Shu.
them.
Once they sensed the danger, they naturally had to find ways to resolve it. If it had been ten years earlier, there would have been no need to think too much, and a military rebellion could have been launched under the banner of "the court is unfair, does not show mercy to its soldiers, and treats its heroes poorly".
However, time has changed, the reputation of the emperor has grown, and the authority of the imperial court has become stronger. Now it is no longer an era to rebel first. Even the most ignorant and arrogant generals do not dare to commit suicide.
Let's talk about the most basic reality. Kaifeng and its surrounding areas are heavily garrisoned. Although the number of troops who triumphantly entered Beijing is large, their composition is complex, not unified, and there are disputes with each other. How can anything be accomplished? If someone dares to promote rebellion, I'm afraid they won't do it.
If the imperial court exerts its strength, there will be people within who can take his head and make meritorious deeds to the imperial court.
Rebellion was not an option, so there was only one option, which was to plead with the emperor and ask for forgiveness from the court. So, the generals and commanders on both the north and east routes began to contact each other to find a solution.
In the end, I found two people. One was Gao Huaide. As the commander of the army, he could represent the soldiers and express their feelings. He was also a relative of the emperor. With this kind of relationship, he was good at making suggestions.
The other person is Zhao Kuangyin, who returned to Kaifeng to pay homage to his father. Zhao Dushuai is the emperor's general and has always been trusted and relied upon. His reputation in the army is getting higher and higher. He has worked hard to conquer Shu and has no bad deeds in Shu. He is a person who can talk to the emperor.
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In response to the generals' requests, Gao Huaide and Zhao Kuangyin did the same thing, which was to appease them and tell them to either return home or return to camp and stay safe.
Afterwards, as if they had a tacit understanding, Gao and Zhao made petitions to the emperor one after another. The names of their petitions were not as detailed as Xiang Xun's, but only two. They were unable to manage the army well, which led to the chaos in Shu.
In this way, the five main generals of Pingshu were all guilty. With the powerful Gao Huaide and Zhao Kuangyin setting an example, the following generals also learned wisely, and as long as they were qualified, they all rushed to report.
Wang Quanbin and Wang Renfan, who were detained, calmed down and came to their senses. They went to the prison room to plead guilty. Both men listed in great detail. In addition to fighting for merit, destroying people's property, and ruining military prestige, they also committed crimes against themselves in Sichuan and Shu.
His bad behavior was clearly described, including stealing money and seizing palace maids, etc. He also confessed in a very upright manner.
In addition to the two kings, Zhang Yongde also followed the table, just like joining in the fun. You must know that the East Route Army is progressing smoothly. After the surrender of Shu, it has been stationed in Yuzhou. Under his guard, Yuzhou and the area east of it have always been very stable.
, even when the Shu Rebellion was at its most intense, no major changes occurred.
I can't think of any serious crimes. Zhang Yongde asked for a lower punishment on the grounds that his subordinates burned city towers and cut down mulberry trees when they occupied Yuzhou and failed to stop them. There was only one original intention in doing so, which was to pacify the Shu soldiers.
No matter what, when rumors spread widely, the interests of Ping Shu soldiers were the same.
For a time, the emperor's imperial cabinet was filled with confessions from generals. The heroes who had been commended before seemed to have become sinners in an instant. Liu Chengyou accepted all these memorials, but did not express his position.
, even, he didn’t read many of the memorials.
When things have developed to this point, although there is a lot of momentum and the situation seems serious, in reality it is just a thunderstorm, and it only needs a letter of pardon from the emperor to calm it down.
By the end of March, Liu Chengyou felt that it was almost done and could be calmed down, so he summoned the military and political ministers to hold a royal meeting to discuss the matter of "meritorious generals pleading guilty".
In addition to several ministers, the privy councilors and the generals and ministers of the two departments were also present. As the commander in front of the palace, Han Tong felt a little strange when facing such a meeting. It was a mentality of those who have come before and those who come after.
"Everyone who is near, the Pingshu generals have come forward one after another to plead guilty and ask the court to punish him. It can be said that there is a huge uproar. I am quite surprised by this. How should I deal with it? Please teach me how to deal with it!" Sitting behind the throne, Liu Chengyou leisurely said
Speaking of which, there was no hint of surprise in his tone or expression.
After hearing the question, all the important civil and military ministers were sitting safely, as steady as Mount Tai. They looked at each other, but no one spoke for a while. They all focused on the emperor, as if waiting for him to speak, that's all...
The ministers were so "uncooperative" that Liu Chengyou looked a little depressed and asked Fan Zhi directly: "Fan Qing, how should you be sentenced for the eight crimes you have made to Xingmin?"
Seeing the ball being kicked, Fan Zhi responded without thinking: "If the confession is true, according to the "Xingtong", he should be sentenced to death!"
This was a smart thing to say. Liu Chengyou immediately answered and asked: "Then according to the investigation of the Three Laws Division, is it true?"
Fan Zhi didn't know how to answer the question for a moment. If it's not true, then Xiang Xun went to Dali Temple so openly, was he just joking and flouting the laws of the country? If it's true, could he really kill Xiang Xun without even thinking about it? possible.
At this time, Li Chuyun, a scholar of the Privy Council, stood up and responded with his hands raised: "Your Majesty, I think that regardless of the extraordinary achievements of the soldiers who defeated Shu, soldiers are a matter of life and death. When the army passes by, everything is wiped out. It is a matter of contingency." Things are understandable.
To be upright and upright to the public, to be honest about merits and demerits, and not to avoid right and wrong, is a sign of broad-mindedness. To offend the meritorious officials because of the reputation of the public, wouldn't it be a pity, and to add more mistakes to the court?
Furthermore, the generals are vying to plead guilty and expose their own mistakes. I believe that the discipline and military laws of the Han Dynasty are very strict. Even if there are some unjust individuals, there is no reason why all generals have violated the law. There must be an inside story, and we should not let it be based on some public opinion. The heart of a cold general!"
After listening to Li Chuyun's words, Liu Chengyou smiled and did not make a statement.
At this time, Han Tong rarely spoke up and said: "Your Majesty, I thought that the soldiers fought bloody battles for the country and served the country to the death. Even if they were really at fault, they still went up to apologize. Obviously they knew they were wrong. If you want to do it, As for the punishment, I think a small punishment or a big warning will suffice, but no harsh punishment!"
"Wei Qing, what do you think?" Liu Chengyou looked at Wei Renpu.
Wei Renpu did not answer, but took out a memorial from his arms and responded: "Your Majesty, the rewards and honors for the generals and officers of Pingshu, the generals and officers above the battalion general, I have led my staff and assistants to approve it, please see it!"
Wei Renpu's meaning is also very obvious. There is no need to discuss how to punish, let's focus on rewarding merit...
Liu Chengyou signaled his chamberlain, Sun Yanxi, to accept it. He looked at the table with his fingers, pondered for a while, and then said to Fan Zhi: "The central committee has drafted an imperial edict to pacify the Shu generals. All the mistakes they have made will be forgiven!"
"Yes!" Fan Zhi responded calmly.
"In addition, pardon does not mean that the fault does not exist. Inform the internal and external armies of the matter and let the soldiers be more alert. The river has not yet been calmed down, and it is not advisable to act arbitrarily!" Liu Chengyou said in a stern tone.
"As you command!"
With a letter of pardon from the emperor, all the soldiers in Shu were safe, and then the rewards were given. The fault was the fault, and the credit must be affirmed. Because of the problems in Shu, the rewards this time were mainly based on honors, supplemented by money and food. , the remuneration prepared by the imperial court was mainly used to compensate the wounded and wounded soldiers.
Several major generals, Xiang Xun was promoted to Duke Yin, Gao Huaide was promoted to Duke Pu, and Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to Duke Bo.
