Sun Xuandao was an old man who followed Zhou Taizu Guo Wei a long time ago. He couldn't remember exactly how many years he had followed Guo Wei and how many years he had sold his life to the Guo family. However, it can be said that today's emperor Zhou Shizong
He watched Chai Rong grow up step by step.
I think about the time when the Guo family had not yet become prosperous. At that time, Guo Wei was not favored and the family was not wealthy. Chai Rong, who came to the Guo family to join his aunt at a young age, was very simple at that time and only wanted to be loved by everyone who was good to him.
His life was a little better. His uncle Guo Wei regarded him as his own son and adopted him as his adopted son. And he only wanted to repay his uncle and aunt well, and do a lot of things for the Guo family.
Not only did he manage the Guo family's housework in an orderly manner, he also went out to do business and earned a lot of money to support his family. It can be said that the Guo family's life was getting better and better at that time, and Chai Rong's contribution cannot be ignored. During this period, Chai Rong
Study and practice martial arts, and gradually grow into an outstanding talent.
Later, Guo Wei was put in a more important position, first as deputy privy envoy, and later as the secret envoy of Yedu and Tianxiong Jiedushi. At this time, Chai Rong had already shown his military talents and was appointed as the commander of Tianxiong Yanei.
The envoy led the governor of Guizhou and inspected the right servant. Later, Guo Wei's family members were all killed by Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty in Bianzhou. Guo Wei was angry and sent his army to Kaifeng, leaving Chai Rong to guard Yedu.
Guo Wei destroyed the Later Han Dynasty and established the Great Zhou Empire. He controlled the land of the ninety-eight states in the Central Plains and was the largest country in the Central Plains at that time. Both were prosperous and prosperous. Chai Rong, as the adopted son of Guo Wei, was first named the Commandery of Taiyuan, and later the title of Duke of Taiyuan.
The King of Jin was in charge of the military affairs of the Later Zhou Dynasty.
Now that Chai Rong has ascended the throne as emperor, he has finally become the ninth emperor. Over the years, Sun Xuandao has been watching. It is no accident that Chai Rong has reached the peak step by step.
How could Sun Xuandao not be afraid, knowing His Majesty's methods? Now that Your Majesty is blaming him, what excuse can he have to excuse himself? He besieged Yuzhou for more than ten days, not only failed to break the city, but also lost his troops. Even if he had a big excuse, it would be useless.
What's more, the Yuzhou defenders were only a few thousand men and horses at the front and rear, but they couldn't attack them repeatedly. What else could he say?
Sun Xuandao kowtowed and said, "I deserve death for my crime!"
Chai Rong sighed and said: "Sun Xuandao, can you just say that you deserve to die ten thousand times? Even if you really die ten thousand times, can you exchange the lives of my twenty thousand warriors of Great Zhou?"
He stood up, holding the sword in his hand, and looked at the gray sky outside the tent.
"You are a veteran of two dynasties. You have led troops for many years and have always been trusted by the late emperor. In recent years, whether it is the Northern Han Dynasty, Hou Shu, or the Southern Tang Dynasty, you have been able to lead troops to victory. Why can't you defeat this small town now?
Little Yuzhou?”
Sun Xuandao touched his head to the ground and said: "I have failed the emperor's favor, please punish me!"
Chai Rong snorted coldly and said: "Punishment, the crime deserves death, do you have nothing else besides being able to say this? Sun Xuandao, where did all your blood go in those days? The late Emperor conquered the Later Han Dynasty, you led
Five hundred soldiers suddenly attacked the Han army's camp, killing thousands of enemies who entered and exited three times. You took the lead in the expedition against Hou Shu. You were hit by two arrows and still did not flinch. You chased the Hou Shu army for more than seventy miles in one fell swoop.
In the battle with the Southern Tang Dynasty and Jiangbei, you only led 3,000 troops and horses to guard the river, cutting off the retreat of the Southern Tang army. After a battle, the heavy armor was soaked with blood."
He looked directly into Sun Xuandao's eyes and asked word for word: "Have you forgotten all these things?"
Sun Xuandao trembled, raised his old face, glanced at Chai Rong, and then lowered his head deeply again. However, his body kept shaking slightly, and it was obviously difficult to conceal the excitement in his heart. Yes,
Chai Rong was right, those past events were all his glorious experiences. But...but now that tiger who was not afraid of death and never retreated was old, and there was more compassion and kindness in his heart. The tiger's claws had already
No longer sharp, the teeth have lost their original cold edge.
He had seen so many dead people that he originally thought he had become indifferent and had gotten used to it. But as he got older, he could no longer bear the impact of death. Watching the soldiers attacking the city die one by one, his heart
There is an indescribable pain in my heart. Perhaps, with the departure of His Majesty Taizu, his fighting spirit was also taken away with him.
If the emperor hadn't sent an imperial envoy to supervise the battle last night, he would never have let his soldiers attack the city like that. After a night and a half of hard fighting, instead of capturing Yuzhou, it cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers. He felt as if
Knife cut. But what can he say? He was originally opposed to this war. Originally, he wanted to encircle the Yuzhou garrison without fighting and force the Yuzhou defenders to surrender. Originally, he wanted to sacrifice as few lives as possible.
However, he couldn't help himself.
So many people have died. If Your Majesty hadn’t kept urging, how could so many people have died?
But as a minister, how could he say it?
When the Guo family was not yet prosperous, he was with the Guo family. He watched as the Guo family gradually moved towards glory and gradually withered away. Although Guo Wei ascended the throne and became the emperor, the people of the Guo family were already dead.
There is no blood to pass on. Now in this great Zhou Dynasty, even the emperor is no longer named Guo, what else can he say?
"Sun Xuandao, it's not that I blame you, but that you have really disappointed me these days."
Chai Rong sighed: "The emperor's brother was murdered by spies from the Northern Han Dynasty, and the late emperor died because of this. With such hatred, the people were angry, and the three armies were at their mercy. How dare you be so lax? How can you be worthy of the late emperor and me?"
Your trust?"
"I will give you another chance. Today I will personally go to the front to supervise the battle and see how you can conquer Yuzhou, kill all those Northern Han people, and avenge the late emperor, His Highness the Crown Prince, and the dead soldiers!"
Sun Xuandao's body trembled violently. He raised his head, glanced at the emperor with a desolate expression, and buried his head deeply. His voice trembled and he said: "I...obey the order!"
Chai Rong sat back on the chair and said, "I hope you won't betray my trust again!"
He glanced at the generals kneeling under the tent and said: "I heard that during the siege in the morning, Ruijin Camp General Song Yi not only failed to use all his strength, but also stood still, causing Qingmu Camp to suffer heavy losses and did not provide support. But this is so
thing?"
Song Yi, the general of the Ruijin Camp who was kneeling below, kowtowed several times and said in a tearful tone: "Your Majesty, it's not that the humble ministers are unwilling to die, but that the Northern Han army defended the city with great bravery and indeed suffered heavy losses! Now,
After the offensive in the past few days, Houtu Camp has been destroyed in name only, and the 10,000-strong army has been reduced to less than 2,000. In today's battle, only a few hundred of the 10,000 soldiers of Qingmu Camp came back alive. The Five Elements Camp has now been damaged.
We have killed two of them, I really can’t bear to send the Ruijin Camp to die! Your Majesty, please take a closer look and leave some way for the Five Elements Camp to survive!"
He kept kowtowing, and blood soon flowed from his forehead. His voice was hoarse and hysterical, and his body was shaking constantly.
"snort!"
Sejong Chai Rong snorted coldly.
"You retreated before the war and you still dare to quibble?"
He angrily shouted: "What is the purpose of establishing the Five Elements Camp?! It is to protect the country! It is to expand the territory! It is not to shrink back and flee in order to save one's life! Ruijin Camp, Qingmu Camp, Sihai Camp, Liehuo Camp
Camp, Houtu Camp, this five-element camp, has fought many battles with the late emperor and me since its establishment. The battle achievements are shining brightly, and it has never flinched like this! Why did the Ruijin Camp change in your hands?"
"Except for the Sihai Camp, which is not good at land warfare, the four battalions of Ruijin, Qingmu, Fiery, and Thick Earth fought in the north and south. How much contribution did they make? Just because you are a coward, you are a coward who is afraid of death! The Five Elements Camp never retreats, never
If you give up, how much of your will to never bow is left? You have lost all face to the Five Elements Camp!"
"You still have the nerve to say that in order to preserve the foundation of the Five Elements Camp, if your Ruijin Camp hadn't stopped before the battle and the Qingmu Camp fought hard to attack the city on its own, how could it have been impossible to break through that small Yuzhou! How could the Qingmu Camp have almost failed?
Total loss!”
The more Chai Rong talked, the angrier he became. He pointed at Song Yi and cursed: "How can a person like you have the face to lead the Ruijin Camp? And how can he have the face to feel wronged in front of me! The military orders are like mountains, but you don't obey them. I will let people pass it on."
You dare not listen to what I say, don’t you think you have made some achievements? This week is yours alone!”
These words are heartbreaking, like a bolt from the blue!
Song Yi kowtowed again and said: "Your Majesty, I don't dare! The Five Elements Camp was established by the late emperor. Now I see that there are fewer and fewer people in the Five Elements Camp, and I feel heartbroken! I don't dare to have second thoughts, I just want to retain some
The bones and blood of the Five Elements Camp. If we continue to fight like this, the Five Elements Camp will exist in name only, Your Majesty!"
Shizong Chai Rong's face turned pale with anger, and he said angrily: "How dare you quibble! It has been twelve years since the establishment of the Five Elements Camp. In three of them, almost all the 50,000 troops died in battle. Now the Five Elements Camp is still standing.
?The successive generals of each battalion are all brave. All the soldiers of the Five Elements Camp are marching forward. The Five Elements Camp is now a symbol of the honor of our army in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but you have trampled on this honor to be worthless! This Five Elements Camp,
It’s not that if you say there is, there will be, and if you say there is no, there won’t be!”
Song Yi was startled and wanted to say more when Chai Rong waved his hand and said, "Come here, take this coward out and behead him! Hang his head at the gate of the camp as a warning to others!"
Several imperial warriors rushed up, and they tied up Song Yi at every turn and threatened to drag him out and behead him. The generals kneeling below were a little anxious, but no one dared to speak and plead. Sejong Chai Rong was a cautious and strict man, and he followed military law.
The matter above is even more serious. Who dares to intercede for someone who has violated military law?
Although several people have a good relationship with Song Yi in private, they can only lower their heads and feel sad for Song Yi at this time. In fact, everyone knows that there is nothing wrong in what His Majesty the Emperor said. If it were in the morning, Ruijin
If the battalion had attacked with full force instead of just perfunctory, maybe Yuzhou would have been captured. The Qingmu battalion was almost completely wiped out, but the Ruijin battalion only lost a few hundred people. How could it be concealed from others?
When the Qingmu Battalion attacked the Yuzhou city wall and desperately resisted the Han army's counterattack, if the Ruijin Battalion, which was the closest, fought hard to attack the city wall, they might be able to drive the Han army down in one fell swoop. As long as they controlled the city
After opening the door, the following army rushed in. The few thousand remaining soldiers of the Han army were absolutely unable to resist.
He is wrong, he is wrong, no matter what his motives are, whether he is thinking for himself or for the greater good, he is wrong.
His mistake was that he regarded Ruijin Camp as his own property, and his mistake was that his emotions finally defeated his reason.
Who can speak for him at this time? The kneeling generals secretly glanced at the old marshal Sun Xuandao, and saw that the veteran general with white hair and beard was just prostrate on the ground without saying a word. Even the marshal had just been scolded by his majesty.
If you don't dare to speak, others will have no courage to plead for mercy.
Just in front of several palaces, the warriors took off Song Yi's armor and took off his general robes, leaving only his close-fitting clothes tied up like rice dumplings. They were about to raise their butcher's knife and chop off his head.
At that time, the old marshal Sun Xuandao kowtowed vigorously and said: "Your Majesty, please spare my life. Please spare this man's life!"
Chai Rong frowned, pointed at Sun Xuandao and asked angrily: "Sun Xuandao! I haven't punished you yet, how dare you plead for him?!"
Sun Xuandao touched his head to the ground, and said with a trembling old body: "Your Majesty, it is not a pity for this man to die, even if he is executed in Lingchi, it is not an exaggeration. However, when recruiting people before the war, why not give him an army so that he can fight hard?
Attack the city. If he leads the army to conquer Yuzhou, Your Majesty will not be too late to make another move. If he dies in the rebel army...it will be considered a well-deserved death! Your Majesty, as a soldier, if he dies on the battlefield...we are waiting for him.
