Chen Qing did not change his principles. He executed 245 guilty prisoners of war, and the remaining prisoners of war were handed over to the governor He Jian. Three days later, Chen Qing led 1,500 soldiers to leave Muzhou and return
Lin'an.
Prior to this, Hu Yantong had led more than 200 soldiers to escort the bandit leader Li Shizong first, and at the same time sent the bodies of the fallen soldiers back to Lin'an.
Lin'an City West Bridge is the prosperous commercial area of Lin'an City, with dense shops, numerous restaurants, and various brothels and brothels everywhere.
In an elegant room on the third floor of Luoshen Restaurant, the sound of silk and bamboo was melodious, and a singer played the pipa and sang softly. On the wine table, Wang Bo poured a full glass of wine for his brother Wang Huan and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work on this trip to Muzhou, brother."
.”
Wang Huan waved his hands and said with a smile: "It's not hard work, it's just my job. Besides, Muzhou is very close. If I go to Guangzhou, Leizhou is the biggest problem!"
Wang Bo asked cautiously: "I wonder what you will gain from this trip to Muzhou?"
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you!"
Wang Bo's heart sank, "Is there no problem with him at all?"
"It's not that anyone will have no problems. Even if he eats and drinks, I can find problems for him. It's just that his problems are ambiguous. For example, if he shares the spoils privately, you say he has serious problems, but everyone does this.
Yes, you said his problem was not serious, but he did violate the regulations of the imperial court and killed prisoners of war. He did do it, but there is no Jingguan's statement. He Jian can testify for him. In fact, the key to these problems is
Whether he succeeded in suppressing bandits or whether he failed in suppressing bandits are all big questions. If he succeeded in suppressing bandits, there is no point in pursuing these issues."
Wang Bo was really disappointed, "Brother, are you saying that there is no hope for this investigation?"
"Not necessarily, it just depends on whether Fan Xianggong can tolerate it. If Fan Xianggong can't tolerate his cruelty, his disregard for the court, and his private sharing of spoils, then even if he succeeds in suppressing the bandits, his merits will be merits and his faults will be faults.
, if the commendation is due, then commend it; if the punishment is changed, then punish it.”
"Brother is saying that the key lies with Fan Zongyin?"
Wang Huan nodded, "He originally proposed this case. After I complete the investigation report, I will give it to him, and then he will decide whether to impeach?"
"How likely is impeachment, brother?"
"I don't know. It depends on how Fan Xianggong evaluates Zhang Jun's work report. If he approves Zhang Jun's work report, then he will not be troublesome. This trip to Muzhou will be in vain. On the contrary, if he
If he doesn’t approve of Zhang Jun’s work report, he will definitely make a fuss about Chen Qing’s affairs and hit Zhang Jun from the side.”
Wang Bo opened his mouth wide, "Is it so complicated?"
"What do you think?"
Wang Huan sneered, "The power struggle and factional struggle in the imperial court have never been that simple. Chen Qing is just a martial arts student. If he were not Zhang Jun's confidant, do you think Fan Xianggong would be interested in him? Xianggongs deal with everything every day, and can they
Which of the things that concern them is not related to their interests?"
"I understand, Fan Zongyin is not targeting Chen Qing, but Zhang Jun."
Wang Huan drank the wine in the cup and said with a faint smile: "Fan Zongyin is well-known as a peace advocate. He was demoted because he strongly opposed Li Gang. In order to balance the power of Xianggong Lu, the officials promoted him.
After the defeat of Fuping, Fan Xianggong tried his best to punish Zhang Jun, but the officials did not accept it, so I guess Chen Qing's matter is still going to happen. Don't be too disappointed, just be patient and watch."
Wang Bo was overjoyed. He waved to the singer in the distance. The singer and the musicians quickly got up and went out.
"Then should I ask my aunt for help?" Wang Bo asked in a low voice.
"better not!"
Wang Huan is much smarter than Wang Bo. He knows all kinds of balance in the officialdom. If Qin Hui takes action again, it will become two princes fighting against one Zhang Jun. How can the officials allow it?
Fan Zongyin and Qin Hui's close relationship has already been criticized. If they deal with Zhang Jun at the same time, they will cause trouble.
Wang Huan understood in his heart, but did not mention it. He just smiled and said: "It has been less than a year since Mr. Qin returned to the court. I think it is better to keep a low profile. My dear brother, don't let your uncle embarrass you."
"I understand, I won't go to my aunt."
"It's two different things. Isn't it nice to visit my aunt often and keep in touch with her? You don't necessarily have to go to her to do something."
...........
Chen Qing led his army back to Lin'an in triumph, and formally suppressed the bandits and reported that he had previously handed Huyantong over to the Privy Council.
The soldiers returned to the barracks to rest first. Seeing that it was still early, Chen Qing came to the Privy Council to report.
To Chen Qing's expectation, the official who received him turned out to be Li Hui, the Privy Councilor. He was the top leader of the Privy Council and held the title of Privy Councilor.
"Student Chen Qing, meet Mr. Li!"
Li Huinian is about fifty years old, with a medium build, gentle appearance, and always has a smile on his face, giving him a sense of intimacy.
He had read Chen Qing's official bandit suppression report two days ago and was waiting for Chen Qing's return.
"You are an unusual martial arts student! You have actually solved the imperial court's personal problems. You are worthy of being the young general that Duke Zhang values the most. You have indeed not disappointed everyone!"
"Reporting to Li Xianggong, students' personal abilities are limited. The key is the soldiers' lives. Without their sacrifices, it would be impossible to wipe out the bandits. Zhang Kui and his 300 confidants are indeed very brave."
Chen Qing's modesty made Li Hui very satisfied. He sighed slightly, "There was a mistake in the deployment of troops this time. The officials of the Privy Council made a mistake and actually assigned the Xicheng Xiang army to you to suppress the bandits. I found out later that, to be honest, I
I have been very worried in my heart, fearing that I would not be able to explain to the emperor if I heard the news that the whole army was destroyed. I didn’t expect that you actually led this weak brigade to wipe out the fierce bandits. It was really beyond my expectation!"
Chen Qing said with a smile: "This is why students have to spend a month to suppress bandits. In fact, it only takes three days to suppress bandits. The rest of the time is spent on training soldiers. They are now outstanding, with high morale and effective training.
It is an army capable of fighting."
Li Hui chuckled and said: "Then don't disband for the time being. The Privy Council will organize a military training competition after a while. There will be seven teams from your martial arts school, as well as recruits from other armies. You can lead them to participate. What armor and equipment are needed?
Feel free to come to me!"
Li Hui was indeed very happy. Although the task of sending troops to annihilate Zhang Kui was given to Wu Xue, it was still attributed to the Privy Council. Chen Qing's success in suppressing the bandits was his achievement. Before, the Privy Council was a little short of equipment for Chen Qing. Now,
Li Hui wanted to make some amends.
Chen Qing hurriedly saluted and said: "Thank you very much, Mr. Li, for your concern. If there is a competition, the student team really needs to add some soldiers."
Li Hui stroked his beard and nodded, "You go back and have a good rest first. I will report your merits to the emperor. I will not give you the wrong reward. You just need to wait patiently for a few days."
"Now the army has no name, whether it is a Xiang army or another army, and its station is temporary. There are still many procedures. What should students do?"
"Don't worry! All the issues you are worried about have been arranged for you. An official will contact you early tomorrow morning."
...........
As soon as Chen Qing came out of the Privy Council, he saw Hu Yantong standing outside the gate of the Privy Council. Chen Qing greeted him with a smile, "Why are you here?"
Hu Yantong smiled bitterly and said: "I heard that you were back, so I ran to the military camp to find you. Lao Zheng said again that you were in the Privy Council, so I rushed over."
"What news did you find out?"
Hu Yantong nodded, "This is not a place to eat. Let's go! I'll buy you a drink."
...........
Hu Yantong took Chen Qing and sat down by the window on the second floor of Hukou Restaurant. Chen Qing found that the bartender and shopkeeper were particularly enthusiastic about Hu Yantong. If he realized something, he asked with a smile: "This is your restaurant?"
Hu Yantong smiled and nodded, "This is our family's restaurant. It was opened during Renzong's reign. Last year, we bought the land when land prices were relatively low and reopened it in Lin'an."
"Then why is it called Hukou Restaurant?"
"To be honest, I don't know either."
The two laughed, and Hu Yantong poured a full glass of wine for Chen Qing, and then said slowly: "Sure enough, you guessed it right."
"Guess what?"
"The relationship between Wang Huan and Wang Bo is that of brothers."
"Is it that simple?"
Chen Qing picked up the wine glass and asked with a smile: "Wang Bo is dissatisfied with me, so Wang Huan came to check on me?"
"Of course not. Your case is related to the Prime Minister Fan Zongyin. To be precise, Fan Zongyin is dissatisfied with you. However, when appointing the supervisory censor, the Wang family did something wrong and it became Wang Huan to investigate you."
Chen Qing drank the wine in the cup and said with a smile: "Sake wine is indeed better than turbid wine!"
