The Beacon of Kyushu

Chapter 96

The servant said in surprise: "My lord, Zhao Dezhao, the king of Wugong County, and Zhao Defang, the eighth king of thousand years old, came to celebrate his birthday. The two princes each brought countless gifts, and they have already entered the gate of the house!" , Cao Bin didn't have time to think about it, so he got up and walked out quickly.

Before Cao Bin reached the door, he saw brothers Zhao Dezhao and Zhao Defang walking side by side towards the main hall.Cao Bin hurriedly went forward and knelt down on the ground, "I have met the two thousand-year-olds, thank you two for remembering the birthday of the general, the general is ashamed of it!"

Zhao Dezhao nodded slightly, while Zhao Defang walked up to Cao Bin, helped him up with both hands, and said with a smile, "General Cao, you are the birthday star today, and you pay respects to our brothers with such a big gift, are you trying to shorten our birthdays! Our brothers don't know what the general likes, so we randomly took a few from the mansion, and hope that General Cao will not dislike them."

Cao Bin got up slowly, and said, "Why did the eight kings, Qiantui, say that? It is Cao's blessing for several generations to visit the two Qiantui, so how dare they dislike the gift from Qiantui? The two thousand-year-olds followed Cao to talk in the hall, and I also entertained some simple tea and light meals to express my gratitude."

Zhao Dezhao nodded and said, "Then General Lao Cao will entertain you."

Zhao Defang smiled and said: "General Cao, Xiao Wang has heard for a long time that the cooks in your house are very skilled, so I have been hungry all day and night just to wait for this meal. Since you are so polite, Xiao Wang will not be so polite!"

The three of them walked into the main hall talking and laughing, and when all the officials in the hall saw the two princes, they rushed forward to pay respects.Zhao Dezhao hurriedly reached out to help Pan Mei who was kneeling in front of her, and then waved to everyone, and was about to take a seat behind an empty table. Seeing this, Cao Bin hurriedly said: "Qiantui, this is not your place, please take a seat."

Zhao Dezhao looked at the position in the middle of the hall, hesitated for a while, and said, "General Cao, today is your birthday, if Xiao Wang takes your seat, wouldn't it be a violation of the rules?"

Zhao Defang also said: "General Cao, our brothers want to get close to General Cao, so we prepared a special gift and came to the mansion to pay homage to birthday. If General Cao insists on this, our brothers have no choice but to leave. It's a pity that we can't get to General Cao's mansion." The food and wine served is really a pity."

Cao Bin had no choice but to say: "Since the thousand-year-olds are not willing to sit down, then the general will sit down with you." Hearing this, everyone automatically rushed to the door, and vacated the three tables and chairs next to the main seat. Only then did Bin and the two kings take their seats.

As soon as Zhao Defang sat down, she eagerly picked up the chopsticks and tasted each dish.Looking at his style, he doesn't look like a wealthy prince at all, but like a beggar who has been hungry for a long time.

Zhao Dezhao was not in a hurry to drink, he just looked at the crowd with a pleasant face, and finally fell on Yang Ye who was diagonally opposite, and said with a smile: "Old General Yang, I heard that the reason why the officials were able to save themselves from danger this time is all thanks to you." ?”

Yang Ye shook his head, and said sincerely: "Qian Sui's absurd praise, if it weren't for the fact that the official family is the real dragon emperor, whose fate depends on the sky, and with the help of righteous men Wan Jianfeng and Murong Yunyao, I'm afraid it would have been a disaster."

Hearing this, Zhao Dezhao frowned, as if he had thought of something, but he couldn't lose his composure in front of everyone, so he immediately recovered his amiable expression.Zhao Defang said with a smile: "Wan Jianfeng Xiao Wang doesn't know him, but Miss Murong and Xiao Wang are old acquaintances. Although she is a bit unruly and willful, she can be regarded as a heroine. She and Xiao Wang's relationship My cousin still had a relationship, but it was a pity that it ended, and it is a bit regrettable to say it.”

Yang Ye smiled and said: "Eight Kings, you are worthy of being a relative of the emperor and the country, and the people you make friends with are not ordinary people! If you have the opportunity in the future, you should also get to know this Wan Shaoxia. Humorous, he is a resounding righteous man!"

Zhao Defang nodded again and again, "The person recommended by General Yang must not be wrong. Xiao Wang must get to know this young hero in the future." After he finished speaking, he filled the wine glass and lowered his head to drink alone.

Seeing Zhao Dezhao holding up the chopsticks, Cao Bin didn't take a bite of food for a long time.Some embarrassed asked: "Chitose, why don't you eat food? Do you think the food in Cao's mansion is rough and unappetizing?"

Without waiting for Zhao Dezhao to answer, Hu Yanzan laughed first and said, "General Cao, I think you are being overwhelmed. Even though you didn't get the reward, it's really rare that your house can still make such delicious food and drinks!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao looked at Hu Yanzan and asked, "It's been more than two months since the Battle of Yanyun, have the officials not issued rewards to the generals yet?"

Hu Yanzan moaned, and said: "Qiantui, you don't know, not only did the officials not give out the silver rewards for the Battle of Yanyun, but even the silver rewards for the destruction of the Northern Han Dynasty have not been issued for a long time. I Huyan Zan A rough man with a very thick skin, he can eat and drink in your mansions without asking for any rewards, but other adults have a large population, and they all follow the official's saddle, and they don't get any rewards."

Zhao Defang was taken aback, and looked at Gao Huaide, "General Gao, Xiao Wang doesn't understand the rules in the army. I don't know how the reward is distributed? Is it a custom in the army or a reward for victorious battles?"

Gao Huaide said without hesitation: "According to the practice of the Taizu period, a big victory must be rewarded heavily, and a small victory is a small reward. If you lose, not only will you not be rewarded, but you will also be severely punished. Therefore, today's officials do not issue silver rewards for the Northern Expedition. Everyone can understand it, but it is somewhat unreasonable not to award the silver reward for destroying the Northern Han Dynasty."

Cui Han also sighed leisurely, "Who said it wasn't true? Not only did the officials not reward them with any money, but they also demoted Shi Shouxin, the founding father of the country, from the capital because of supporting the establishment of a new monarch. I, Cui Han, have never seen him before. This kind of official who does not reward for meritorious deeds, but must be punished for demerits."

Seeing that these high officials dared to tell the truth, the crowd no longer had any scruples in their hearts, and immediately complained one after another.All of a sudden, everyone poured out their dissatisfaction loudly, and the hall was full of voices and resentment!

After listening for a while, Zhao Defang also felt a little unbearable, stood up and said: "You don't need to say anything, Xiao Wang will go back to the Nanqing Palace to fetch the concave gold mace bestowed by the Taizu, and bring you into the palace to ask the officials to reward you. go!"

Hu Yanzan clapped his palms and laughed, and said: "Okay, the Eighth King Qiansui is the nephew of the official family, and he has the golden mace in his hand to beat the king unconscious and the courtiers down. If you are willing to stand up for us, it is not just a reward, but a reward." It is not difficult for the officials to take back the previous order!"

After listening to Hu Yanzan's words, most of the people were passionate, only Cao Bin, Pan Mei and other veteran generals frowned, their faces sinking like water.Zhao Dezhao, king of Wugong County, didn't look very good either. He got up abruptly and said, "Defang, if you do this, you will undoubtedly force the palace. Not only will it not solve the problem, but it may also cause fire. If everyone must reward money, this king will enter the palace alone. Please reward me, Miansheng, if the officials blame me, I, Zhao Dezhao, will bear all the blame!"

As Zhao Dezhao said, he was about to leave the main hall. Cao Bin hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Qiantui, your fate is unpredictable. Why do you offend the officials for our mere bounty? If you have something wrong, teach us these things." How do people deal with themselves?"

Pan Mei also said: "Qiantui, the officials are still dissatisfied with us for supporting you as the emperor. If you go to the saint to ask for rewards at this time, the officials will definitely blame you. Our generals made mistakes. Qiantui can protect our capital, but if Qiantui offends Holy Wrath, who can save you?"

Zhao Dezhao shook his head, looked at the red sun in the sky, and said resolutely: "You don't need to persuade. Since ancient times, the people are the most important, the society is second, and the king is the least. This king can't just let the emperor's uncle do wrong things, causing the soldiers in the army Our hearts are scattered, and the people all over the world laugh at us for having no rules in the Song Dynasty, even if I gamble with my life, I will risk my life to speak up!"

Zhao Defang couldn't sit still anymore, she stood up and said, "Second Brother, just enter the palace, the younger brother will arrive after he gets the golden mace. It's best if you are safe and sound, otherwise the younger brother will really use the privilege of the golden mace!"

Zhao Dezhao shook his head, and said solemnly: "No! If Brother Yu offends Long Yan and loses his life, you will be the only one left in Taizu's bloodline. Brother, remember, don't act rashly at any time. Preserving a line of flesh and blood is what a virtuous brother should do." After he finished speaking, he didn't hesitate anymore, he resolutely walked out of the main hall, and went straight to the palace at the end of Junyi Street.

Everyone looked at Zhao Dezhao's back, apart from nervousness and apprehension, there was endless gratitude in their hearts.Someone prayed silently for him in their hearts, hoping that he could walk out of the palace safely.Someone is planning how to protect the Wugong County King from losing his life if the matter fails.There are also people who are thinking about how to get out of the incident and not be implicated.More people have red eyes and tears all over their clothes...

(End of this chapter)