Jiuxi

Chapter 380 Chapter 378 [Sunset at the Prime Minister’s Mansion]

In full view of everyone, the box was carried onto the general stage and placed next to Lu Chen.

The soldiers opened the box, and the soldiers below could not see what was inside. This did not prevent them from stretching their necks to get a closer look.

They couldn't see it, but Le Minghong and others standing on the general stage could see it clearly.

There were no gold or silver treasures in the box, only many volumes neatly stacked.

When Lu Chen leaned over and picked up the top file, Le Minghong saw the special mark on the cover, and his expression instantly turned cold.

He turned around and saw that Zuo Yushan had also seen the mark, and his face was also a little ugly.

Lu Chen didn't care about the reactions of the three commanders behind him. He opened the file, took a few glances and said, "Luo Lelin!"

Luo Lelin, the captain of the Zhenwei Army, was slightly startled. Then he saw the look Lu Chen cast on the high platform and quickly responded: "The general is here!"

"Take it."

Having said that, he turned to Lu Chen and said: "General, I am really guilty of not being strict with my subordinates! Luo Lelin has a rough temper and has indeed violated military discipline, but he is quite brave in leading troops. I hope the general can Give him a chance to redeem himself and make meritorious deeds!"

"From the 11th year of Jianwu to the 14th year of Jianwu, Luo Lelin was promoted to captain of the regiment, and every month he would deduct 20% to 40% of the salary of his officers and soldiers -"

Lu Chen did not give him a good look this time, and said coldly: "General Le, I am enforcing military law now. Are you sure you want to stop me?"

The next moment, more than ten fierce soldiers jumped down from the high platform, strode to Luo Lelin like wolves and tigers, and twisted his arms without saying a word.

The three commanders on the stage couldn't help but feel chilled when they saw this, especially Le Minghong's face, which was particularly ugly. Now he finally understood why Lu Chen wanted to hand out his salary in public.

Lu Chen rebuked Le Minghong, turned around and said to the soldiers below: "Luo Lelin broke the law and violated discipline, and his crime cannot be pardoned. Now I have decided to strip him of all military positions and hand him over to the imperial court!"

"Don't back down yet!"

The soldiers on the school field watched this scene quietly, and no one stood up to stir up trouble.

Le Minghong had seen the mark belonging to the Sutra Weaving Department on the file early, and naturally understood that Lu Chen was not guilty of Luo Zhi's crime. Luo Lelin had indeed done those things, but Luo Lelin was a relatively capable captain under his command. If he ignored it, it would lead to many consequences. Troublesome consequences.

Le Minghong was horrified, bowed and said: "I will not dare!"

Luo Lelin's arms were restrained and he couldn't even make a move to beg for mercy. He also knew that being targeted by Lu Chen today was in danger, so he could only pin his hopes on his immediate superior: "General Le, you are unjust for your humble position!"

Lu Chennian stopped here, looked at Luo Lelin, whose face was pale and his body began to tremble involuntarily, and said coldly: "Do you want me to continue reading?"

"In the ninth year of Jianwu's reign, Luo Lelin returned to Beijing during his vacation. Because he was greedy for the beauty of Liu Huiniang, a civilian girl, he had a conflict with his father and brother, causing serious injuries to the two of them. He then visited the house to threaten and force the Liu family to settle the matter. The matter eventually went unsolved. "

"In the eighth year of Jianwu, when Luo Lelin was serving as the captain of the camp, he punished Li Sangen, a subordinate under his command, for personal grudges, causing his left leg to become disabled and forced him to retire from the army. Li Sangen's family was poor and powerless, and he had no way to appeal, but his relatives were harmed, and eventually He hanged himself on July 14th in the ninth year of Jianwu."

What responded to him was Lu Chen's calm tone.

"General, what's the crime of holding such a low position!"

What frightened Luo Lelin even more was that except for some generals who were familiar with him, there was a slight commotion, but no one else responded at all, and the place was completely silent.

Luo Lelin's eyes suddenly darkened.

Lu Chen looked at him indifferently, and then read out in front of everyone: "Luo Lelin, a surname from Ancong Prefecture in Daozhou, was thirty-one years old. He joined the army at the age of nineteen and served successively as the commander of the Zhenwei Army, the commander, the captain and the captain. Captain of the regiment."

Luo Lelin's face was full of panic and he tried desperately to struggle. However, one of Lu Chen's soldiers just raised his hand and touched his shoulder, and his arms lost any strength.

Hearing Luo Lelin's cry for help, Le Minghong immediately scolded: "You stupid thing, you have done so many evil things in private, you are really looking for death!"

Through this straightforward move, Lu Chen captured the hearts of all the lower-level soldiers, which was equivalent to overriding the authority of the lower-level generals and forming direct communication between superiors and subordinates at this specific time and occasion.

This is the reason why he dared to attack Luo Lelin openly. Even if someone wanted to cause trouble, who of those low-level soldiers who had just received full pay would respond?

What's more, there are two thousand elite cavalry nearby, watching eagerly.

Lu Chen continued to flip through the files and called out two more names: "Yan Jingguo, Cheng Gongjie."

These two people are also captains of the Zhang Tuan, belonging to the Chongwei Army and the Liwei Army respectively.

Hearing Lu Chen's voice, they panicked as if they had seen a life-threatening talisman, but they could not hide silently and could only march out of the queue tremblingly.

What awaited them was naturally the same ending as Luo Lelin, being captured on the spot by those fierce soldiers.

While others were uneasy, Lu Chen suddenly closed the file and threw it into the box.

He looked at everyone in the audience solemnly and said loudly: "I know that the problems existing in the Beijing Army cannot be blamed on any one person. The world is like this and it is inevitable. Maybe some of you just think that the law does not blame everyone. , so things like Luo Lelin's behavior are getting worse and worse! I now clearly tell you that the past is the past and the future is the future. If anyone still thinks that they can act recklessly under my command, Luo Lelin and others are your examples!"

"Of course, this is not a problem of any one person, but a problem with the overall atmosphere of the Beijing army, so I will also give those who have made mistakes a chance. I have been looking through the files in the past few days. Luo Lelin and other three people have committed such heinous crimes that they must Punishment, although other people also have various problems, there is still hope for correction.”

Having said this, he raised his hand and pointed to the box beside him, and said seriously: "This contains evidence of your previous mistakes, and I have decided to seal them temporarily. If you don't commit the same crime again in the future, this box will not be opened again, but if you are caught by me again, If you have violated laws and regulations, then the old and new accounts will be settled together, do you hear me clearly?!"

The middle and lower-level generals below all showed joy on their faces and shouted sincerely: "Obey the order!" Lu Chen nodded slightly and said: "If anyone is worried that he can't abide by the rules, I will give you one last chance, no matter you are If you want to quit the army, or if you want to be transferred elsewhere, just look for your connections and connections, I will accept them all. Only by vacating your positions can the soldiers below have a chance to be promoted."

These words made everyone feel secretly in their hearts, and the soldiers at the bottom suddenly became eager, wishing that the generals above would get out immediately.

Looking at this scene, Le Minghong felt his heart full of bitterness.

He suddenly realized the gap between himself and Lu Chen.

This is not an opponent on the same level at all.

He and Zuo Yushan looked at each other, and both of them couldn't help but look defeated.

Lu Chen didn't give them a chance to talk, and announced on the spot that the three border army generals he had brought would take over the three vacant captain's positions. This was the emperor's previous strategy for the replacement of generals between the Beijing army and the border army. Le Ming Hong and others had no reason to refuse.

At this point, the army formation has been initially decided.

……

Beijing, Pingnanfang, Li's mansion.

In Jinlin Hall, Left Prime Minister Li Daoyan leaned on the couch and said slowly: "Lu Chen went to the eastern suburbs today. Do you know about this?"

Li Shizhi lowered his head and replied, "Father, my son knows."

Li Daoyan said with a bit of cunning: "Would you like to make a bet with your father?"

Li Shi was startled. He rarely saw his old father with such an expression, as if he still had the mentality of a child when he was nearly seventy years old.

Li Daoyan continued: "My father bets that Lu Chen can conquer the morale of the army in one day and initially complete the transformation of the three Beijing armies."

Li Shizhi forced a smile and agreed: "How dare a son make a bet with his father? However, Shanyang Marquis is very good at running the army. It is not difficult for him to do this."

Li Daoyan adjusted his posture slightly and said meaningfully: "My father knows that you are dissatisfied with some things, especially Hou Yu's case, but my father did not come forward to speak for him. It's just... you have to abide by the bottom line in everything you do. Once Hou Yu crosses that boundary, no one in this world can save him."

The atmosphere in the hall was slightly solemn.

Li Shizhi knew in his heart that his old father's words were actually trying to encourage him secretly.

After a moment, he said calmly: "Father, we have no control over the situation. What can we do?"

What is potential?
Of course, it refers to the current situation in the court. As the head of the Jiangnan family, the Li family cannot only take into account their own interests in many cases, otherwise they will inevitably be abandoned by their supporters.

The rise and fall of a family's family is sometimes just a matter of thoughts.

Li Daoyan looked at the calm face of his eldest son and couldn't help but sigh: "If you push back the time five years ago, my father may support your view, but this time and the other time, you must retreat when it is time to retreat. "

Until now, Li Daoyan is still trying to change his eldest son's mind in a gentle way.

Li Shizhi took a long breath and said slowly: "Father, your Majesty used Lu Chen to make a knife. This knife is indeed very sharp, and most people dare not face it directly. But this knife is too sharp and rigid. First, there is a risk of self-destruction. Secondly, The person holding the knife may also be injured.”

Li Daoyan said softly: "Even so, this knife has the ability to damage itself by eight hundred and injure the enemy by a thousand. My father doesn't want to pry into your secrets, and I no longer care about the role you played in those previous things. I just hope that You can understand the truth, now is the last chance for you and the Li family to escape."

"Get it right, don't make mistakes."

Looking at his father's sincere eyes, Li Shizhi was silent for a long time and asked: "Father, how can the Li family stay out of this turbulent time?"

Hearing that his tone had softened, Li Daoyan couldn't help but smile and said calmly: "You don't need to worry about this, my father will take care of it. It's fitting that my father has trained you for more than twenty years and placed all his hopes on you." For you, I hope that you can take up the Jinlin Li family’s family business after your father’s death.”

Li Shizhi nodded and said, "My son understands."

Li Daoyan said happily: "Today, we don't talk about the overall situation of the court or the general situation of the world. We only talk about our own family affairs. Although my father is old, he can still persist for a year and a half, and he will help you solve the troubles outside. I will leave a clean Jinlin Li family in your hands. I hope you can put the future of the family first and calm down and walk more steadily."

Li Shizhi's heart sank, he stood up and cupped his hands and said, "I will obey my father's orders."

Li Daoyan waved his hand and said, "Go ahead and think about it carefully when you go back."

Li Shizhi bowed and left.

Li Daoyan looked at his leaving figure, with a complicated look in his dim old eyes.

As his eldest son, Li Shizhi had long been one and the same with the Jinlin Li family. Even if Li Daoyan had the ability to destroy relatives for justice, he would not be able to make that decision, because it would destroy the entire Jinlin Li family's hundreds of years of foundation. Once upon a time.

In the eyes of the world, Li Shizhi was still the gentle, restrained and calm Minister of the Ministry of Justice, but Li Daoyan was vaguely aware that the eldest son had quietly had the ability to influence the pattern of the capital.

This is a very dangerous thing.

It's just...it's too late to change the heir now.

Thinking of this, the old man looked at the dim sunlight outside the door and let out a sad sigh.

(End of this chapter)