Li Chen said coldly: "In order to hide this hand, how many more rebels have been added to Xishan Province, how many innocent people have died tragically, and how many officers and soldiers have died tragically? One general has accomplished the feat of tens of thousands of withered bones. The chief assistant has not yet accomplished the feat, but the withered bones under his feet
, it’s already quite a lot.”
Zhao Xuanji's mouth twitched and he said stiffly: "Compared to Your Highness, it's still a little less."
Seeing Zhao Xuanji mocking him, Li Chen sneered and ignored him.
At this time, Tao Rui, who was dressed in prison uniform and disheveled, had already been escorted by guards to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The two guards put their palms on Tao Rui's shoulders and pushed down hard. Tao Rui, who had chains on his hands and chains on his feet, suddenly knelt on the ground with a thud.
Even though the Hall of Supreme Harmony was covered with soft carpets, the pain still caused Tao Rui to groan.
At this time, everyone in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, including Li Chen, saw Tao Rui's appearance clearly.
He has average appearance, medium build, and looks very ordinary.
Perhaps among the ordinary people, Tao Rui could still have the aura of being in a high position for a long time, but in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there are few people with a lower official position than Tao Rui.
In addition, Tao Rui had been tortured for many days, so Tao Rui looked very embarrassed and haggard.
"You are Tao Rui." Li Chen said indifferently.
Tao Rui sneered and said: "Stop playing these tricks. If I were caught by you, I didn't expect to survive. If you escort me to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, don't you just want to squeeze out the last bit of my value?"
"Yes, the refugees in Xishan Province rebelled. Their momentum was so great that rebels appeared all over the province almost overnight. I am not their opponent. Whether they report it or not, I
They were all dead, so I ran away before the rebels came."
"It's just that I didn't run away."
"Be bold!"
The right deputy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Imperial Censor, cursed: "As an official of the imperial court and receiving a salary from the imperial court, you should serve the country wholeheartedly. However, when rebels appear in the provinces under your rule, your first thought is
Not to resist or suppress the rebellion, but to escape! He even ran away without even reporting to the court. He is so bold and fearful of life and death, and yet he dares to speak so plausibly in the Palace of Supreme Harmony!?"
Tao Rui sneered, stared at the right deputy censor, and said: "Tan Bingzhi, you just stand and talk without pain in your back. Do you know what the situation is in Xishan Province?"
"The Xishan Province has a total population of six million, which is one of the most populous provinces in the country. However, after two years of natural disasters, floods, droughts, and snowstorms have come one after another, and the population of more than six million has been reduced in just two years.
In time, a total of 2.8 million people died!"
"This can still be counted, but what about those that cannot be counted? It is impossible to count now. One village after another disappears and is extinct. The remaining people have also fled. There is no way to know whether they are alive or dead. Now Xishan Province can check it.
The household population is less than two million."
"The imperial court failed to provide disaster relief, and there was no money or food to distribute. Let alone the people, even the soldiers of the government and the troops stationed in Xishan Province have not been paid salaries and military pay for a long time. Everyone can't fill their stomachs.
When those rebels come, it would be good if you don’t join in the rebellion, but you still expect me to command these people to put down the rebellion?"
"In a situation like that in Xishan, not to mention me, even Mr. Bowen who was reborn more than three hundred years ago would be helpless!"
"What else could I do if I didn't run away? Should I stay there and be buried with him? I'm not that stupid!"
