The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 321 Brotherly Love and Respect (Part Two)

Inside the guild hall, a dozen or so bastards who had escorted Cui Xuan sat on the ground, singing folk songs, roasting meat, and feasting on the pork, mutton, wine, and meat provided by the military government with Cui Xuan in the courtyard.

Five of Zhang Chengfeng's trusted officers, along with their men, sat on reed mats outside the door, watching the lively atmosphere inside. They were all cursing under their breath. Their colleagues were now enjoying themselves in the young marshal's garden, perhaps even with the children of powerful families dancing and playing music.

Putting everything else aside, just getting together to eat, drink, and chat is a pleasant thing. Since the young marshal took office, everyone has been busy training troops, repairing walls, and fighting enemies. In this chaotic world, struggling to survive, there have been few opportunities to relax!
The melodious tune filled the air, and soon the aroma of roasted meat with salt filled the surroundings. The servants brought over several jars of wine, but Cui Xuan and his companions didn't even glance at them, nor did they drink the wine. They simply sliced ​​meat, dipped it in sauce, and wrapped it in flatbread.

The food for these guards of the Guiyi Army consisted only of vinegar cakes, a little pickled soybeans, dried meat, and cheese.

This was already an extra meal hastily prepared by the military government for their banquet. The soldiers, already furious about having to support the 10,000-strong Guiyi Army with only the two prefectures of Guazhou and Shazhou, were distracted as they tore at the vinegar-filled cakes, watching the cattle and sheep on the fire inside, listening to the sizzling sound of oil dripping into the flames. From the five officers leading the troops to the dozens of soldiers, everyone stared intently at the tableware, meat, wine, peppers, garlic, and other seasonings spread out on the ground.

The young marshal was warlike and aggressive. Since taking office, there were starving corpses outside the city. When they could not get food, the whole army often ate only one meal a day. They had almost forgotten what fermented grains tasted like.

Perhaps sensing the situation outside, Cui Xuan inside suddenly beckoned and called out, "Hey guys, come and roast some meat! There are only about ten of us, we can't possibly eat a whole head of cattle and sheep, and the rest will just go bad overnight!"

"Please enjoy your meal, Mr. Cui. We are not worthy to sit at the same table as you." The officers of the Guiyi Army knew their duty. They could tolerate Cui Xuan secretly giving them food and drinks like before, but they dared not sit at the same table in the restaurant. They just smiled and waved their hands.

"Hmph!" This angered Cui Xuan, who kicked over his grill: "You can bring food, but you can't eat it just because you're invited in? Do you want me to grill it myself and feed you?"

Watching the lamb chops and beef bones splatter and roll into the ashes, the soldiers of Shazhou gasped and closed their eyes in heartache, tearing their vinegar-filled cakes to shreds. The leading officer glanced at the military headquarters not far around the corner, then thought that the commanders were currently feasting in the garden and there was no disciplinary officer in sight. He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, what's wrong with having a couple of ladles of wine and a few pieces of roasted meat? Even if we get caught, it'll only be a few lashes!"

He removed his armor and held it in his arms, then led his dozen or so soldiers across the threshold to find seats in the courtyard. Immediately, large bowls of wine and chunks of roasted meat were served. The bastards kept urging the Shazhou soldiers next to them to sit closer, and soon several small bonfires were burning.

Before long, most of the remaining Guiyi Army soldiers outside the door came in, rubbing their hands together and laughing awkwardly.

Cui Xuan then dropped his stern expression and began to chuckle as he recounted amusing anecdotes from the East, including the Jingnan Campaign, the much-anticipated secrets of the Holy Emperor, and the scandalous tales of Zhang Hui. He appeared to be a refined scoundrel mingling with warriors. Before long, the place resembled a traditional garden, filled with laughter, chatter, and song. Wine and meat were passed around among the crowd, and people addressed each other as brothers.

After a few drinks, in the heat of the moment, the leading officer, now unrestrained and boisterous, put his arm around Zhao Si, the Turkic guard beside him, and said, "…Damn it, Emperor Li said the Guiyi Army was suffering? In the end, wasn't it only us who suffered? Unlike you in the mainland, where the lower ranks command the higher ones, and Emperor Li and his officials are scrimping and saving to feed the army! Staying in this godforsaken place, we'll starve to death sooner or later! It doesn't matter who we serve, as long as Emperor Li can defeat the young marshal, we're good to serve. I've only heard that the Eastern Lands are in such a mess, and Emperor Li is saddened. I'm afraid that after following him all this way, if one day the warlords destroy everything, we'll be left with our corpses and won't be able to bury them. It's better to follow the Tibetans!"

His colleagues quickly nudged him in the arm. Zhao Simo, however, didn't seem to care and continued to urge him to drink. Just as they were discussing their melancholy about the future, a loud bang echoed as Cui Xuan slammed the barbecue plate on the table, causing the wine bowl to ripple.

The bastard guards exchanged glances, their faces darkening.

The Shazhou officer, still bewildered, peered out and asked, "I was eating perfectly fine... what's going on? Did I misspoke?"

Ashide, the burly Turkic man beside him, gritted his teeth and gave a forced smile: "You're saying the Holy Emperor was beaten to death, the Holy Tang Dynasty was razed to the ground, and the Tibetans are more friendly?"

"I... I didn't mean that! I just felt that Emperor Li wasn't doing too well... We soldiers are worthless, so we need to find a strong leader..."

While the officer was still in a daze, his colleagues had already become alert, reaching for the hilt of their swords at their waists and secretly tensing their calves.

The Turk cursed, "There are tens of thousands of Tibetan bones covering fertile fields outside Lanzhou. If you think following the Tibetans is safe, then go to hell and find those bastards!"

Amidst the curses, he had already swiftly and with a flick of his wrist, he had the meat cleaver firmly in his palm!
The officer's colleague sitting beside him also suddenly stood up at the same time, drew his sword, and retreated: "Hmph—"

Before he could even utter the word "slow," the bastard beside him had already grabbed a wine jar and smashed it down on the top of his head!

Ashide, obsessively focused, ignored him, slashing the meat cleaver across his face and plunging it into the throat of the arrogant Tang officer. A large amount of blood, mixed with wine and bits of flesh, splattered onto the table. His wide eyes were filled only with bewilderment and terror!
Cui Xuan kicked over the grill, did a somersault, and leaped into the air, shouting, "Attack!"

At the shouts, the dozen or so guards were thrown into chaos, hacking and slashing through the crowd. Gushes of blood spurted out, staining the roasted meat and wine crimson. Screams and curses echoed through the air as hands and feet lashed and kicked, turning the once harmonious meal into a savage arena!
Despite being covered in blood and gore, Ashide, still clinging to his convictions, shouted, "The Tibetans instigated Zhang Chengfeng to betray the country! We will follow Cui Xuan to kill the barbarians!"

The shouts quickly grew louder and more resounding, revealing how many people were chanting in unison: "Kill all the Tibetan dogs! Return to our homeland in righteousness!"

The dozens of confused soldiers from Shazhou, their voices mingling together, could only utter one question: "What's going on? What's going on?"

"Report to the military headquarters immediately! The messenger has rebelled!"

…………

In the garden, Zhang Yunqi stood ramrod straight under everyone's watchful eyes, his usually amiable face now as still as water. Zhang Chengfeng patted Zhang Shouxin on the shoulder expressionlessly and stepped forward to greet him.

Zhang Shouxin remained silent. He wanted to see what Zhang Chengfeng could come up with. Now, all the military officials, the powerful families and sons of military clans in Shazhou were gathered here. At worst, they'd have another tense standoff, like his uncle's generation, and another fight!
Zhang Chengfeng walked up to Zhang Yunqi and patted him on the shoulder: "Jiulang, you're still a member of the Zhang family, aren't you?"

Zhang Yunqi bowed slightly and said, "Yes."

Zhang Chengfeng lamented: "Back then, my uncle doted on his youngest son and wanted to pass the position of commander to him. However, he was captured by his sons Yansi and Yansi, along with my deceased father. The couple died together, and several of their sons were also implicated and suffered the same fate! My deceased father took you in as his illegitimate son, since you were still young at the time... When I summoned you, you came with your sword. Did you want to avenge our father?"

“I had no intention of doing this.” Zhang Yunqi slowly shook his head, only softly recounting: “…My father deposed the eldest son and established the younger one in his place, bringing disaster upon himself. Being killed by his brothers and sons was the retribution he deserved, and I have no resentment…It’s just that some people are different. They strongly encouraged our deceased father and mother to establish a worthy successor, but secretly they planned to use this as an excuse to rebel and seize power themselves. Unexpectedly, our deceased father was killed first by our second father and several brothers. With the two direct branches of the Zhang family unified, the remaining branches had no choice but to submit and submit, which led to the Guiyi Army of today.”

The lawn was completely silent.

Zhang Shouxin stood there, simply listening with his hand on his sword.

The officials and their sons all had different expressions.

Zhang Shouxin's confidants naturally darkened their faces, maintaining a wary distance from Zhang Chengfeng, Zhang Huaishen's eldest and second sons, and their wives' families. The latter glared fiercely at them as well. The other Guiyi Army generals, powerful clan leaders, Zhang family members, and officials were overwhelmed, their minds in turmoil. They looked around, shaking their heads, unsure of what to do.

The current situation is clear.

Zhang Chengfeng's intentions in hosting this banquet were never good. It goes without saying that Zhang Chengfeng wielded great power while Zhang Shouxin was weaker. Aside from Zhang Chengfeng's staunch supporters, others would naturally have reservations when faced with such a blatant military threat from the Holy Emperor. It's also understandable that Zhang Shouxin wanted to bring the military government into the court. However, everyone had kept the matter of Zhang Huaishen a closely guarded secret. Now that Zhang Yunqi had openly admitted his involvement, everyone realized that Zhang Shouxin had also been involved in that coup!
Many people were not entirely sure whether to establish their own independent regime or join the government.

As long as there are soldiers and clan power, there will be no shortage of food. With the Holy Emperor continuing to pressure them, many people may indeed choose to embrace Chang'an and leave. After all, Zhang Chengfeng has only been in power for a few years and has not yet achieved deep-rooted power, nor has he won the hearts of everyone inside and outside the capital.

But there are no soldiers in this garden now!

Now that Zhang Chengfeng and Zhang Shouxin have launched their attack, what should those caught in the middle do?
If the two brothers turn their swords against each other, does that mean everyone else will join in the fight?

Zhang Chengfeng turned around and looked at Zhang Shouxin: "Brother, it seems that's indeed the case. I remember that Uncle trusted you a lot, and my father also said that Uncle's decision to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one was sudden, most likely because someone whispered in his ear and secretly slandered him... I thought it was Aunt Chen and the others, but I didn't expect it to be you... Your actions caused the father and sons to become estranged and kill each other, and you almost got the position of commander!"

Zhang Shouxin crossed his arms: "In this respect, I am far inferior to my elder brother! I am willing to follow you, my cousin, and oppose my own brother... Yunqi, you speak, what do you want? Although we are half-brothers, we share the same blood, and we can talk about it."

“I don’t want anything,” Zhang Yunqi said with a smile. “I just don’t want to go to court. Brother has his own life to live, and I can’t say much about his choice. I only ask that you hand over your two thousand men, and I will be eternally grateful. If you want to go to court, go yourself…”

"Truly brotherly affection!" Zhang Chengcheng clapped his hands and said, "Shouxin, do you really intend to lead your troops into the court or even start a war with me? When I appointed you as commander, is this how you repay the Zhang family? Emperor Li was suppressed in Shanzhou by Zhu Dalang, the one-eyed dragon, and the surrounding lords are still annexing other places. It's still a thousand miles away from Shazhou... I'm still sitting in the commander's seat, and not a single soldier of Emperor Li has arrived yet. You decide to enter the court based on Cui Xuan's persuasion. Isn't that disregarding the foundation of our ancestors and putting the people and soldiers of Shazhou in a deadly situation?"

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together!" Zhang Shouxin shouted, and at this point, there was indeed no more to say.

Luo Tongda stepped forward and pointed at Zhang Shouxin: "Zhang Shouxin! You should go to Chang'an and serve this doomed Tang Dynasty! The Tang Dynasty is already half-buried in the ground. We men, who will stand up for it and be buried with Emperor Li! Guards, seize this traitor!"

The dancer Song Huixian, who had just been gracefully dancing with flowing sleeves, stepped forward and shouted shrilly, "Zhang Chengfeng! You're blinded by greed and courting death! You have such a small territory, yet you dream of becoming a prince or even the emperor. What business is it of yours if we go to court! We, the beautiful women of Pan, are forced to serve as watchdogs for this desert oasis, despite the stench of the barbarians. How lowly can we be! You may not want to go to Chang'an, but we certainly do!"

With a few clanging sounds, the sons of powerful figures like Song Huixian, Song Huixin, and Linghu Jingcheng, along with the generals and officers of Shazhou, drew their swords, displaying ruthless cruelty.

"Don't fight! Don't fight!" Cao Rengui, a kind-hearted man who always valued peace, stood between the two sides, crying out repeatedly, "Why do this?"

Zhang Liangzhen also stood in front of Zhang Chengfeng, pointing at the group of people opposite: "Who dares to make a move?"

Song Huixian sneered, while her cousin Zhang Min shouted, "I dare to be a bodhisattva like that!"

Zhang Shouxin moved with lightning speed, slashing at Luo Tongda with his blade: "Damn it, kill Zhang Chengfeng!"

With his guidance, this garden also became a training ground!

The man and the woman collided with each other instantly.

(End of this chapter)