The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 11 Red Temperature
dusk.

The sky was filled with rolling clouds, the setting sun was half hidden, and red clouds filled the sky, as if the sky was on fire.

The afterglow of the sun cast a blood-red glow on Longshou Canal, Lianying and Guanghua Tower.

"Woo..." The rebels from Tong, Hua, Bin, and Qi who were stationed along the city walls blew their horns almost simultaneously. The Shen Ce troops stationed at various gates also gradually poured onto the battlements of the city walls and looked up.

The movement at this moment felt very funny, as if the rebels were greeting the defenders in the city.

"Tiger, tiger, tiger!"

"Ho ho!"

"The emperor was on top of the Guanghua Tower. They all shot arrows at him and killed him."

"Invade Chang'an and seize the prime minister's daughter!"

Soon, a large group of knights came out of the gate, shouting and clamoring. Although they were light cavalry, their riding skills were really good. They held flags in one hand and bows in the other, and bamboo quivers were slung on the side of the horse's belly. They only relied on their legs to control their mounts, but they could move forward and backward, turn around, and control their horses freely. It was like they grew up on horseback. Yes, after more than 20 years of war, those who were not good at riding would have lost their lives long ago, and there were only a few who were not good enough.

Da da da.

The horses' hooves kicked up clouds of dust, making the knights look like they were riding on clouds.

"Disperse the formation."

"Shoot the arrow within a hundred steps, then walk left! Alternate to the right!"

Whoosh.

Whoosh whoosh.

The bandit cavalry entered the city wall in batches and in an orderly manner, shooting arrows at the city wall.

Upstairs of Guanghua Building.

Du Rangneng, Liu Chongwang, Li Xi, three prime ministers, and the eunuchs of the Northern Department supported the emperor and stood behind a large shield, carefully observing the rebels through the gaps.

The thieves are powerful!

Among the court officials, big men like Du Rangneng have experienced many scenes. During the Fengxiang Rebellion, the rebels attacked the palace, and this old man ran faster than the rebels. He rushed into the palace, grabbed Xizong and ran away. He was blocked by the rebels on the way and shouted a few times. During the retreat to the south, the rebels were chasing behind him, but he was still calm and handled government affairs. Generally speaking, the prime ministers are still stable.

Many middle-level bureaucrats have worked in military governorates and are no strangers to military mutinies, but as long as they are not directed at them, it's fine.

It is the newcomers who suffer.

Especially those young people who have just passed the imperial examination and settled down in Chang'an will encounter such things.

You look at me, I look at you, our little faces are pale and the corners of our mouths are trembling subconsciously.

"Kill, kill, kill, kill!!!" After shooting a few rounds of arrows, the rebels whipped their horses and galloped around under the Gwanghua Building, like letting horses run wild. It can be seen that they were in a very good mood, with grins on their faces and loud shouts.

"If the thieves can seize Chang'an, why can't we?"

"Go in and attack the beautiful imperial concubine!"

"Hahahaha!"

"..."

"The four towns are in turmoil, and I am powerless. I am a sycophant, and I have caused this disaster. I am guilty." Du Rangneng's face turned red and he almost fainted. His subordinates helped him up and comforted him, "The country has a thief. This is something that no one wants to happen. Sir, don't blame yourself too much."

Immediately, another servant came to Du Rangneng's ear and whispered, "The enemy is so powerful and the eunuchs cannot repel them. Why not promise them some benefits and order the major towns of Hedong, Bian, and Heyang to come to defend the city?"

"Don't say anything." Du Rangneng scolded.

This force is indeed great, but it is easier said than done.

People like Li Keyong and Zhu Quanzhong were both ambitious and evil.

What if they come and don’t leave? What if they come and want to take the emperor to their own territory?
Confused!

"The next edict is issued, saying: Whoever gets Li Maozhen's head will be rewarded as the governor of Fengxiang. What do you think, sir?" Another subordinate official offered a suggestion.

Du Rangneng glared at the man and said nothing.

Li Maozhen killed people without mercy, and used severe punishments. No one dared to offend him. Who would dare to rebel before he was defeated? There is still room for maneuver. Once the imperial edict is issued, both sides will fight to the death. If the rebels enter Chang'an, we will die, so why put the saint in danger?
Ugh!
The flies are cunning and the rats are short-sighted.

A mediocre official, a mediocre official.

Seeing the Prime Minister's displeasure, the officials exchanged glances, chuckling dryly. Just as they were about to say something to ease the awkwardness, Ximen Chongsui, not far away, blushed. With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth before the sage, stamping his feet and cursing, "These scoundrels! It's all thanks to my brother's generous rewards when he was supervising the army in Fengxiang. The wicked Li Maozhen, without my brother's promotion, how could he have maintained Fengxiang? The Hebei slaves accepted the bribes, and they're now forced to pay tribute every festival and New Year. Their moral integrity is unacceptable, and they have the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog!"

The scene immediately fell silent.

"Things have come to this. I won't be angry if others are angry. If I get angry enough... no one can replace my health." Li Ye couldn't help but comfort her.

Blame it?

Li Maozhen was able to become rich because of his connections with Ximen Chongsui's brother Ximen Sigong. The Ximen family originally kept a dog to guard the door in order to maintain their voice in the court.

Never thought about it.

The dog bites its owner.

Look at this fat old man Hong Wen, haha.

Seeing that Li Ye looked calm and was even trying to comfort himself, Ximen Zhong then scolded him, "The saint is really generous!"

After saying this, he looked at the fake sons and the captains of the Shen Ce Army who were huddled together, and decided to recruit brave warriors with a generous reward: "These cavalrymen downstairs are really hateful, who can shoot them for me? For every cavalryman you shoot, I will reward you with two beautiful women and 300 pieces of top-quality silk!"

You can see that he is really anxious.

It is generally known that the reward for the military commander is only about 200 horses, but Ximen Zhongsui directly paid more than double the price for a group of minions...

The military cadets of the Shen Ce Army had wooden expressions, like statues in a Buddhist temple. They remained silent, with their heads down looking at the soles of their feet.

Standing on the top of the building, shooting the cavalry a hundred steps away, with such good archery skills and such great strength, can they still be in the Shen Ce Army...

I want to kill the enemy, but I don’t have the strength to draw my bow.

As for going out of the city to compete with the thieves face to face...

Whoever wants to go will go.

I'm not going anyway.

“No one???”

After waiting for a long time, no one said anything.

Ximen Zhongsui was speechless, his face darkened, he grabbed the cane and hit the military students on the head: "Good-for-nothings. Why do I keep you? Why! You don't shoot, are you afraid of offending Li Maozhen? Do you have ulterior motives? Do you want to surrender? I will beat you. If the ministers were not watching, I would not want to see blood. This time I will kill you bastards."

The cadets huddled together, covered their heads, and allowed themselves to be whipped without saying a word.

After whipping the emperor more than a dozen times in a row, Ximen Chongsui finally calmed down a little. He threw the cane into the emperor's arms and sighed to the sky, "I'm so angry! Sooner or later, I'll be pissed off by these evil beasts."

Just as he was about to take Li Ye back to the palace, out of sight, out of mind, he heard Li Ye calmly say, "Who can shoot those thieves on horseback downstairs?"

"I come!"

Before he finished speaking, a man with deep eyes emerged from the crowd of court officials.

"I, Liu Xianyuan, the Imperial Secretary of the Guanglu Temple, please shoot the evil thief downstairs for the saint!"

Li Ye was about to ask a question when Han Yu, a Hanlin scholar who was serving beside him, explained, "This is the nephew of Liu Chongwang, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He is the eighth rank lower official of the Guanglu Temple's Taiguan Office, in charge of providing food for ancestral banquets and court meetings, slaughtering and cooking livestock. He has a bad reputation and people are afraid of him."

It turned out that he was a chef with an extraordinary background.

But I don’t know why Liu Chongwang arranged his nephew to be the head chef of Guanglu Temple?

You are an expert at slaughtering pigs and sheep, but this is a technical job for cavalrymen...

But judging from his appearance, he is indeed not someone to be trifled with. He has deep eyes, a high nose, a fierce look, muscular body, and rough skin on his hands.

Who would have dared to imagine that this bastard was actually called Liu Xianyuan?
really.

Liu Chongwang rebuked him: "The emperor is in front of you, you can't speak nonsense, leave."

He knew his nephew well. He could kill people and pigs, and was not afraid of riding and shooting. If he was not too violent and difficult to control, why would he send him to Guanglu Temple for placement? He was capable of doing this, but Ximen Chongsui had summoned warriors to no avail before, and he was in the limelight following the will of the saint. Isn't this a slap in Ximen Chongsui's face? He aroused jealousy and was afraid of being murdered.

But Liu Xianyuan, this half-arrogant warrior, obviously did not take Ximen Chongsui seriously.

I'm an official in Chang'an, and I respect you as the Privy Councilor. If you make me angry, I'll quit my job at Guanglu Temple. What the hell are you?

If you surrender to the feudal lords one day, kill all these useless people.

"Don't act rashly." Liu Chongwang said again, worried that his nephew might be murdered.

Thinking of the contemptuous faces of the thieves downstairs, Liu Xianyuan's anger surged in his heart again. He threw his hands and said angrily: "Father Ji, you don't understand!"

"Alas." Liu Chongwang sighed helplessly.

Seeing this, Li Ye was full of confidence and ordered: "In this case, please hold the bow for the warrior."

The attendant Liu Zipi took out a strong bow.

Liu Xianyuan grabbed it and pulled two full moons directly: "This bow is okay."

Ximen Chongsui was sad. If I could use such a warrior, it would be a great help. ...

downstairs.

The Shen Ce Army hid in their shells and dared not come out. The cavalrymen were so thirsty from the insults that they were almost losing interest.

The horses slowed down, and some even took off their armor.

Always wear it.

tired.

Others took water and dried meat from the horses' stomachs, munched on them and drank to replenish their energy, while talking and laughing loudly about military intelligence.

When the officers saw this, they didn't want to do anything, nor could they.

They are not my own soldiers, so whoever owns their soldiers should take care of them.

The Marshal should be in charge of his own soldiers. Why should we mess with these killers for him?
Such a huge reward was given to the Ya army, but we didn’t get much?
"I say, the emperor is nothing. I have cursed all his ancestors, but he still dares not say a word?"

"Grab his concubines and have fun with them! The way they cry is simply unbearable."

"Hahaha, a few years ago he robbed the daughter of an assistant minister, and the brothers in the camp took turns beating him for more than a month, but he secretly hanged himself. What a pity."

"..."

The soldiers rode their horses and became more and more excited as they thought about it.

This world.

It feels so good.

Suddenly, a white-tailed arrow pierced the neck of a knight who was eating jerky from behind.

puff.

Warm blood spurted out.

The knight spat out the pickled meat he had chewed in his mouth, covered his throat and fell off his horse, his body twitching violently.

“Ho…ho…ho…”

"Swoosh!" Another arrow shot over.

"Be careful!!!" The rest of the people immediately became alert, some grabbed their helmets and put them on, some hurriedly put on armor for protection, and some rushed out on horseback.

"Swoosh!" Another knight who was hurriedly putting on armor screamed and was shot off his horse.

"Come on!"

"Oh no! The Shen Ce Army's dog slaves have also shot arrows!"

Looking back hastily, they saw that the Shen Ce Army, which had been hiding in the parapet, also poked their heads out one after another, cursing and shooting at them.

"Damn it!"

"help me……"

"Who told you to take off your armor?"

The scene was in chaos, the officers cursed and turned away.

……

Behind him, there were more than a hundred corpses.

"Roar, Roar, Roar!"

"Long live, long live, long live!" The soldiers of the Shen Ce Army cheered.

Do these bastards still dare to commit violence?
...

Gwanghwa Tower.

The ministers also stamped their feet. They had been feeling aggrieved for most of the day, and finally they felt relieved!
Good shot, sharpshooter!

"Warriors are good at fighting." Li Ye sincerely admired: "With such skills, why don't you join the army?"

"Hahaha!"

Liu Xianyuan was very proud. He was watching the Qi thief fleeing in a panic. He didn't notice the emperor was talking. He was kicked by Liu Chongwang before he reacted. He bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have wanted to join the army for a long time, but my father did not allow it."

Looking at this useless guy, Liu Chong was furious: "Let you go to the army to be a domineering warrior and bring ruin to the family?"

"Father Ji doesn't understand!" Liu Xianyuan argued, "A real man is on the battlefield, fighting for supremacy in the world, isn't that a joy?"

“Evil beast!” Liu Chongwang almost fainted. He slapped him in the face and cursed, “You little brat, your father will kill you!”

Talking about competing for supremacy in front of the emperor?

"Saint!" Liu Xianyuan was obviously very afraid of the old man and he quickly jumped behind the emperor.

Li Ye held his forehead with his hand.

All the joy in my heart disappeared.

Can you find any honest people in this world?
"The Imperial Secretary has made great contributions and should be rewarded."

The prestige of killing the Qi bandit was boosted, and Ximen Chongsui was so happy that he wanted to recruit him. He said, "According to the reward, I will give you 300 pieces of Sichuan's finest silk and two beautiful women. I will promote you to the rank of General of the Central Army and make you the head of the Shen Ce Army. I will set up a Long Jie Army with 3,000 soldiers. You can recruit soldiers on your own and serve as a military commander. You will be treated the same as other soldiers. What do you think?"

Although this fellow has some domineering tendencies, he is a disciple of a noble family after all, and is not as rude as the average warrior.

Ximen Chong then asked himself if he could keep calm.

Moreover, recruiting them can also eliminate the decadent spirit in the army.

He looked at Liu Xianyuan with an eager gaze and a gentle smile on his face.

"This..." Liu Xianyuan was obviously very tempted, but unfortunately he couldn't make a decision. He glanced at his uncle Liu Chongwang.

Liu Chongwang turned his back on him, flicked his sleeves, and floated away. What should he say? If he refused, he would offend Ximen Chongsui and bring disaster to his subordinates. If he did not refuse, he would be unworthy of his brother's instructions before his death: "Don't let this child cause trouble and ruin our family tradition."

In silence, Li Ye stepped forward and said, "Since the Privy Councilor values you, Xianyuan will accept the offer. In the future, you will be loyal to your duties and serve the court. Lord Liu will also be pleased to see that you are becoming more and more stable."

In fact, Li Ye also had his own little thoughts behind this move.

Although he was unable to control Liu Xianyuan for the time being, he was able to control his youngest uncle Liu Chongwang, and Liu Chongwang in turn was able to control his nephew.

It can also be considered as borrowing strength.

Moreover, he also helped Ximen Chongsui by making the old pigherd treat him better.

The emperor made the decision on behalf of Liu Chongwang, and the matter was settled.

Liu Xianyuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your grace, Saint. The Privy Councilor values you so much."

"Good!" Ximen Zhongsui slapped his thigh and said happily, "I have found a brave warrior now. Please don't let me and the saint down!"

"Privy Councilor, Li Maozhen's display of power was defeated..." Li Ye said in a timely manner, "I'm afraid he won't let it go."

“The saint has no worries.”

Ximen Chongsui was in a good mood, and he said cheerfully with his big mouth tilted, "This is just his test, intended to intimidate the court into submission. Do you think he really dares to kidnap you? People like Li Keyong and Zhu Quanzhong will never watch him become the king and hegemon in Guanzhong. I predict that within two hours, this guy will present the memorial."

This is not what the bosses want to see.

We didn't even kidnap the emperor, do you deserve it?

"As for the memorial, I know what he's going to say." Ximen Chongsui said casually, "It's nothing more than killing people and taking territory. This time he raised the army on the grounds of moving the capital to Huazhou and Yang Fugong interfering in government affairs. He wants to kill these two and then take over Yang Fugong's territory. Killing people is not that simple? When the time comes, you can issue an imperial edict and Du and Yang will be dead. Who will save them?"

"As for the prefectures and counties occupied by Yang Fugong's followers..."

Li Ye didn't want to give it, and Ximen Chongsui didn't want to give it either. He even suppressed his anger and didn't fight with Yang again.

"I will not kill either of them." Li Ye's voice was not loud, but his determination was firm.

"Are you out of your mind again?" Ximen Chongsui scolded, "Yang Fugong treated you like a ball earlier. I haven't hit you yet, have I? I'm still reluctant to let this person get up. As for Du, although he is innocent, he is the prime minister. Now his life is needed to quell the rebellion, so he must die. Who made him the prime minister? Do you think being an emperor is just playing house, and you can do whatever you want?"

"If Li Maozhen really refuses to withdraw his troops and insists on killing the two men and asking for the land south of the mountain, what can you do if you don't give it to him?"

"You have seen this bunch of bastards in the Shen Ce Army, but can they protect you and me, master and servant?"

As he spoke, Ximen Zhongsui's voice became quieter: "It's not easy to be an emperor. Prime Minister Du is loyal and talented. I still hope that he can manage the finances and train the troops. I don't want him to die."

"The four towns of Qi, Tong, Bin and Hua are insatiable, let's show our strength first." The last ray of setting sun shone on Li Ye.

Anyway, let’s fight first.

Tomorrow Li Maozhen and others will definitely attack the city to demonstrate his military strength. If we can blunt their offensive, there will be room for negotiation.

tomorrow……

(End of this chapter)