Traveling through Tianlong: Starting from the Zhenlong chess game

Chapter 516: The Generals’ Thoughts

When Zhao Mu told the generals about the return to the capital, everyone looked surprised. This was beyond Zhao Mu's expectation.

Logically speaking, these people have made great contributions this time. After returning to the capital, the emperor will certainly reward them according to their merits. Some will be given official positions, and some will be given titles.

Zhao Mu had also estimated in his mind that most of the people who came out with him this time would be able to get a title, at least starting as an earl.

But Zhao Mu was surprised by everyone's behavior. He asked with a smile, "Why? Don't you all want to return to the court to receive your reward?"

At this time, all the generals looked at each other, and finally their eyes fell on King Zhongxiao.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, King Zhongxiao said, "General, I think it is not the time to return to the capital yet. Now Tubo has not been settled, Gaochang is also ready to make a move, and Liao has not reached an agreement with us. If my army returns to the capital now, it will be difficult to consolidate our current victory. So I ask you to think twice."

Hearing what King Zhongxiao said, Zhao Mu laughed and said, "What are you talking about, Deputy Commander? The new Xixia Kingdom has already established itself in Qingtang. Now the Xixia army and the Dali Kingdom have joined forces to encircle Tubo. There is no need for us to do anything now. Moreover, the passes of Yumen and Dunhuang are already in our hands. Gaochang is no longer a concern. As for the Khitan Liao people, I have wiped out 30,000 cavalrymen. They dare not do anything rash again."

When King Zhongxiao heard what Zhao Mu said, he also lowered his head.

Seeing that the King of Loyalty and Filial Piety was unwilling to speak out, the Iron Buddha General Fu Bo stood up and said, "General, since the old prince is unwilling to speak, then I will dare to speak out."

Zhao Mu chuckled and said, "Ah? How dare you speak up? I asked everyone to return to the court to receive the reward. Are you going to harm everyone?" Now Zhao Mu heard the tone of this, and he felt like Song Jiang who returned from the expedition against Fang La. As if he would harm everyone if he returned.

Fu Bo said at this time: "General, we have heard some rumors recently. Those sour scholars in the court have started to gossip in front of Your Majesty again. Now they take turns to advise you, and they are very likely to put you to death. This kind of wrongful accusation of meritorious officials is not the first time. When General Di Qing made great contributions, the civil officials in the court were afraid that military men like us would become powerful, so they slandered General Di Qing to the emperor, causing General Di Qing to be demoted."

"Your Highness, you have conquered Xixia, which is a great achievement. To put it bluntly, you are so great that you are a threat to the emperor. Even if His Majesty can tolerate you, the officials in the court will inevitably criticize you. Moreover, we have punished those young men who violated military discipline. Your Highness has offended many people in the court. If Your Highness goes back like this, you may end up like Han Xin, who was 'killed after the rabbit is dead'."

It’s just that people of this era didn’t know Yue Fei yet, otherwise it would be more appropriate to use Yue Fei as an example.

At this time, Wang Jin also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, General Fu's words are not without reason. If we just turn back, we may be able to get a title and official salary at that time, but what about later? My father followed General Di Qing in the Western Expedition and made great contributions, and eventually fell into the imperial guards. But our Song Dynasty has always valued civil over military, and my father was repeatedly demoted in the following years. Your Majesty is indeed a virtuous man, but three people can make a tiger, and a lot of gossip can melt gold. If Your Majesty goes back like this, you will inevitably fall into the trap of others."

Zhao Mu asked, "Then according to everyone's opinion, what should I do? Should I establish my own regime in Xixia, or lead my troops to attack back and execute all those officials who gossip about me in the name of clearing the court of evil officials?"

Everyone also heard the "sarcasm" in Zhao Mu's words. In order to avoid the yellow robe from happening again, King Zhongxiao quickly tried to smooth things over and said, "Don't be angry, Marshal. We are just worried about your safety. We have discussed it before. If you want to go back to Beijing, you can go back. We will temporarily leave troops in Xixia. We are outside, so you can be safer inside." Zhao Mu stood up, stretched and said, "Haha, father-in-law, you are too serious. How could I not know that the generals are doing this for my own good? It's just that everyone really thought too much this time. Those bastards in the court have slandered me more than once. When we went to war with Liao, didn't they say less nonsense? Didn't Your Majesty still choose to support me against all odds?"

"To be honest, Your Majesty is much more virtuous than we thought. Your Majesty is the Emperor Wu of Han of our Song Dynasty, the ruler of the restoration. We joined the army and served on the battlefield only to gain titles for our wives and children and bring honor to our family. Now that everyone has made great contributions, it is time to return to the court to receive rewards and gain fame and a future. Why should you ruin everyone's future just for me?"

At this time, Fu Bo said: "General! But..."

Zhao Mu also saw the mentality of these people at this time. They were indeed thinking about themselves, but they were even more concerned about their future. After all, this loyal minister who served the king was much better than a small official.

Even King Zhongxiao himself was moved by this achievement.

Now Zhao Mu's prestige in the army is very high, and he is invincible in every battle and conquest. Now he has occupied the Hexi Corridor with abundant water and grass.

Moreover, they still had nearly 200,000 troops, and the invincible Iron Pagoda was also in Zhao Mu's hands. If they fought back in the name of clearing the court and restoring the original order, then they would help Zhao Mu ascend the throne in the name of the Golden Casket Alliance.

Then they can all go one step further.

Especially for the King Zhongxiao, as long as he had the merit of following the emperor, his daughter could even become the queen in the future. And the King Zhongxiao himself had no moral obstacles in helping Zhao Mu seize the throne.

After all, Zhao Mu is also a legitimate son of the emperor, and he is also the direct descendant of Emperor Taizu. According to the Golden Casket Alliance, he should have ascended the throne. Even if he helps Zhao Mu seize the throne now, it is just to restore order, not to betray the Song Dynasty. And helping Zhao Mu seize the throne can also eliminate the treacherous ministers in the court. This is even more beneficial to the country and the people.

Moreover, if they wanted to fight back and stabilize the government, it would not be a difficult task for them now. However, King Zhongxiao still had a trace of rationality and did not want to make things too awkward, so he was a bit conservative.

As for the generals, they were a little crazier. They could choose between going back to be a minor official who was bullied by the civil officials or forcing Zhao Mu to rebel and become a loyal minister. This choice was relatively easy to make. Anyone with a sound mind would choose the latter.

Even with Zhao Mu's current prestige in the army, as long as Zhao Mu raised his arm and called, the brothers who had already returned to the court would also mutiny and defect. With such a huge achievement in front of them, who wouldn't be tempted?
However, this was also planned by Yelu Yanxiu. Yelu Yanxiu sent people to spread "rumors" in the army that loyal ministers would not have a good end. Then he calculated the greed in the hearts of these generals. With just a little guidance, he could force them to repeat the "yellow robe" and force them to rebel against Zhao Mu.

Zhao Mu saw what they were thinking, and he quickly waved his hands and said, "Alright! No need to say more, as the old saying goes, 'Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by God.' This trip will surely be safe for me, and you can go back and receive your rewards with peace of mind. Alright, no need to discuss this matter, tomorrow I will send someone to deliver the report of the army's return to the capital."

(End of this chapter)