Sign a Lu Fengxian at the beginning

Chapter 142 The worst possible outcome will be the opposite later

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Zhou Chen was reviewing memorials and handling government affairs.

As an emperor, Zhou Chen always reminded himself that it is easy to be a coward but difficult to be a saint.

If you want to be a wise king, you must not relax yourself.

Diligence is the most basic requirement.

All those foolish kings throughout history, without exception, all started out as lazy and neglecting government affairs.

Zhou Chen thinks that he is not a talented and strategic hero.

Therefore, Zhou Chen could only start from the most basic requirements and strictly demand himself.

"His Majesty."

"Governor Cao wants to see you."

At this time, the house guard and factory guard came in to report.

"Let him in."

Zhou Chen said without raising his head.

Ever since Dian Wei, the commander of the imperial army, guarded the Yangxin Palace.

Even if Cao Zhengchun, a close servant of the emperor, wanted to enter the Yangxin Palace when he was not on duty, he had to go through a communication.

Not long after the house guard left, Cao Zhengchun walked into the Yangxin Hall.

"His Majesty."

"This is the news that just came from Shu."

Cao Zhengchun walked into the Yangxin Hall and came directly to Zhou Chen's side.

Cao Zhengchun handed a news letter to Zhou Chen.

News from Shu?

Zhou Chen was obviously stunned for a moment.

It seems that he did not ask people from Dongchang to check the news about Shu.

However, when he thought about Dongchang's responsibilities, Zhou Chen felt that this was a matter of course.

Zhou Chen raised his head and took a deep look at Cao Zhengchun.

Then, Zhou Chen took the news letter from Shu from Cao Zhengchun's hand and opened it directly to read it.

The content of the message is not much, but not much.

When Zhou Chen read the news from Shu, he frowned slightly.

Zhou Chen tapped the dragon case regularly with his fingers, his eyes flickering in silence.

After a while.

Zhou Chen raised his eyes and glanced at Cao Zhengchun; "Is there anything else? Is this the only one?"

Cao Zhengchun immediately said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the factory guards have only found out this information so far."

When Zhou Chen heard this, he was silent again.

"The King of Shu should be arriving in Luoyang soon!"

"When the time comes, Cao Zhengchun, you go and greet the King of Shu."

A few minutes later, Zhou Chen looked at Cao Zhengchun calmly and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Cao Zhengchun immediately bowed and said.

"How is the situation in the four northern states?"

"Is Fang Xuanling's progress in the four northern states going well?"

Zhou Chen asked again.

"Your Majesty, the situation in the four northern states has gradually stabilized."

"Master Fang has been doing his best to provide disaster relief and appease the people. The people affected by the disaster in the four states have been properly resettled."

"However, there are still some small groups of bandits causing trouble in the four states."

"Moreover, Mr. Fang has been assassinated several times. It should be the result of those wealthy families who slipped through the net."

"General Lu is already sending troops to exterminate these bandits, and Cao Shaoqin is also chasing down those who committed the assassination."

Cao Zhengchun described the situation in the four northern states one by one.

After Zhou Chen listened, he nodded and said nothing more.

These problems were all expected by Zhou Chen. After all, the four northern states had just settled the chaos, and it was inevitable that there were still some small groups of thieves causing trouble.

Not to mention the fact that Fang Xuanling was assassinated several times.

If a wealthy family could really clean up that easily without any remaining problems, then it would not be a wealthy family.

However, in Zhou Chen's opinion, these will be completely wiped out as time goes by.

…

Northern Xinjiang.

Zhenbeihou Mansion.

In the meeting hall.

Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, sat on the main seat, with an imperial decree beside him.

And on the left and right sides below him, there were more than a dozen figures wearing armor sitting.

A solemn atmosphere filled the air.

Zhenbei Hou Xue Shaowen, who was sitting on the main seat, raised his eyes and glanced at the more than ten generals sitting below, and said calmly, "You should have heard about the decree from the imperial court just now."

"This is the decree given to me by the imperial court. Please take a look at it."

Xue Shaowen picked up the imperial edict next to him and handed it to the more than ten generals present below.

The dozen or so generals present below received the imperial edict and looked at it one by one.

After reading the contents of the imperial edict, every general frowned slightly.

After more than a dozen generals present had read the imperial edict, the solemn atmosphere in the hall became even more depressing.

His Majesty actually issued an order to have Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, return to Luoyang to report the matter.

If this were based on the past, it would be considered normal.

It was common for the emperor to summon important border generals to report matters.

But before that, the emperor in the palace issued an order to suppress the Northern Army and mobilized the Northern Army to go south to quell the chaos.

Their Zhenbei Marquis Xue Shaowen did not comply with the order, but instead used other excuses to get through.

This made the generals here have to think more about whether the emperor's order to Zhenbei Hou Xue Shaowen to return to Luoyang might have other purposes.

Seeing that the more than ten generals present had read the imperial edict, Xue Shaowen, who was on the throne, looked at the more than ten generals below again; "You have also read the imperial edict given to me by the imperial court."

"Your Majesty has decreed that I should return to Luoyang to report."

"What do you think?"

"Do you think I should accept the order and return to Luoyang to carry out the mission?"

Xue Shaowen asked as he glanced at the dozen generals sitting below.

The dozen or so generals here are all Xue Shaowen's cronies, and they are one of the reasons why Xue Shaowen was able to control the Zhenbei Army.

Therefore, Xue Shaowen went straight to the point of these generals without much concern.

Upon hearing Xue Shaowen's question, the dozen or so generals present below looked at each other.

One of the rough and arrogant men couldn't help but stood up first and said, "Master Marquis, this order must not be followed."

"Previously, our Zhenbei Army did not follow the order to mobilize troops south to quell the rebellion, which must have made His Majesty suspicious."

"His Majesty is ordering the Marquis to return to Luoyang to report something. He must have bad intentions."

The voice of this rough and arrogant man was deafening, echoing in everyone's ears.

The other generals had solemn faces and frowned, but none of them spoke easily.

They all knew that the possibility mentioned by this rough and arrogant man was very high.

This is exactly what they are worried about.

But if you don't respect the order and go back to Luoyang to protest, then you are rebelling against the order and disrespecting it, and you are treason.

What is the consequence of treason?

The generals here know this clearly.

Those who conspire to rebel will die, and the nine clans will be killed.

This is the naked conspiracy of His Majesty in the palace, and anyone with a bit of discernment can see it.

Besides, I have never obeyed the order to dispatch troops south to quell the rebellion, and I have never tried to frustrate His Majesty in the palace once before.

If we continue to disobey the order and offend His Majesty in the palace this time, he will definitely be labeled as a traitor by the palace minister.

When the time comes, where will the Zhenbei Army go?

What should these generals do?

"Do you know what the consequences will be if you don't obey the order?"

Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, glanced at this rough and arrogant man indifferently.

The face of this rough and arrogant man changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Master Hou, no matter how serious the consequences are, it is just being accused of resisting the imperial decree and disrespecting the emperor. If the Marquis returns to Luoyang to make trouble, he may also be charged."

There is no difference between committing a crime, resisting an order, and disrespecting someone."

"At worst, the Marquis will lead us to rebel."

"With three hundred thousand Zhenbei troops in hand, what can the imperial court do to the Marquis?"

"With the strength of our true Northern Army, we can march straight into Luoyang. No local armaments can stop us along the way."

"When the time comes, conquering Luoyang will be a piece of cake."

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of everyone in the meeting hall changed slightly.

No one thought that this rough and arrogant man would dare to say such treasonous words.

Xue Shaowen, who was in the main seat, his face darkened. He looked at this rough and arrogant man and yelled loudly, "Shut up."

"Do you know what you're going to say again?"

"How dare you say such treacherous words?"

"Although the sun has set on the imperial court of the Zhou Dynasty, if the sun sets on the west mountain again, a skinny camel will be bigger than a horse."

"Do you think you can compete with the imperial court with 300,000 troops to suppress the north?"

"Let's not talk about the imperial court's garrisons in other places. Even the Shenwu Guards guarding the sacred capital of Luoyang are not something that our Zhenbei Army can deal with."

"If your words get out, do you know what consequences it will bring to the Zhenbei Army?"

"I'll get thirty military sticks later for punishment."

Xue Shaowen looked at the rough and arrogant man and said sternly.

This is not something you can say casually.

Although Xue Shaowen did not have much respect for the imperial court in his heart, he did not dare to blatantly say such treacherous words.

Because Xue Shaowen knew that no matter what the court said, it was the orthodoxy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and a skinny camel was bigger than a horse.

He can find reasons to block the imperial decree, disrespect the imperial decree, and listen to the announcement but not listen to the instructions.

But he is not qualified enough to openly challenge the imperial court.

Especially the recent events in the court made Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, deeply aware that the camel of the court was still very powerful.

The rebellion in the four northern states was easily put down by the imperial court. Even the Boling Cui family, one of the seven aristocratic families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, had nine clans exterminated by the imperial court in an instant.

This is enough to show that even if the sun goes down on the sick tiger of the imperial court, its lingering power still remains.

This forced Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, to treat him with caution.

Facing Xue Shaowen's cold scolding, the rough and arrogant man sat down with an unwilling look on his face.

He was surprised. Didn't he just tell what the Marquis was thinking?

Why did the Marquis scold him instead?

Is it possible that the Marquis will really obey the order and go to Luoyang to carry out the mission?

After what this rough and arrogant man said, the atmosphere in the meeting hall became even more depressing.

Xue Shaowen, who was on the throne, took out another letter and looked at the people below: "There is also a letter from the Prime Minister to this Marquis, please take a look."

The Prime Minister’s letter?

The dozen or so generals present were stunned for a moment, and then they took turns to read the Prime Minister's letter.

After more than a dozen generals had read the Prime Minister's letter, the general on the right hand side looked directly at Xue Shaowen, who was on the throne; "Master Hou, the Prime Minister's letter has already made it very clear."

"Your Majesty has an idea for the Marquis."

"His Majesty has issued an order to summon the Marquis back to Luoyang to report something. It is not a good thing for the Marquis."

"What is the next step for the Marquis to deal with?"

"How should we solve the problem of military pay for Zhenbei Army?"

The general said with a solemn expression.

"Yes! Mr. Hou."

"Military pay is a top priority. The pay for an army of 300,000 is a huge sum of money."

"If the imperial court doesn't approve the pay for our army, what will happen to our 300,000-strong army?"

"They have been waiting for military pay!"

The general on the left also said solemnly.

Prime Minister Yuan Bo's letter has clearly hinted that His Majesty is suspicious of the Zhenbei Army.

If His Majesty does not pay military salaries to the Zhenbei Army, what will happen to the 300,000 Zhenbei Army?

You can’t really wait to drink the northwest wind!

When Xue Shaowen heard the worries of the two generals, he said calmly: "Don't worry! I am sure that His Majesty in the palace will not deny the payment to my army of Zhenbei."

"Judging from what His Majesty has done recently, our Majesty is not a short-sighted person."

"Your Majesty should know that without military pay, the Zhenbei Army will be unstable."

"Your Majesty knows better than anyone what the consequences will be if the morale of the Zhenbei Army becomes unstable."

"Therefore, Your Majesty will not allow chaos in Northern Xinjiang."

Xue Shaowen said with certainty.

Xue Shaowen's words were like a sedative, calming down the minds of the dozen or so generals present below.

As long as you have military pay, it's okay.

If there is no military pay, it will be really troublesome.

"Master Marquis, His Majesty has issued a decree to summon you to Luoyang to report something. Should I go or not?"

The rough and arrogant man from before spoke again.

The other generals also looked at Xue Shaowen in the chief position.

Regarding this matter, they did not dare to speak easily, and they still had to look at Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, for what he wanted.

"My old injury has relapsed and I am seriously ill and am bedridden. Do you think I can still travel far and return to Luoyang to report?"

Xue Shaowen glanced at this rough and arrogant man and said calmly.

As soon as the rugged man heard Xue Shaowen's words, he immediately laughed and said, "Shall I just say it? The Marquis will not return to Luoyang to make trouble according to the order."

The other generals also understood what Xue Shaowen meant and said nothing more.

Only Xue Shaowen, the Marquis of Zhenbei, can decide this kind of thing.

Xue Shaowen ignored the rough and arrogant man, but glanced at the more than ten generals present with a majestic look and said, "You have also read the imperial edict and the Prime Minister's letter."

"You should all know in your heart that our current situation is very bad."

"So, you must manage the Zhenbei Army well so that nothing goes wrong."

"Especially some of the generals below, I have taken good care of them."

"The Zhenbei Army is the foundation for our survival."

"I understand everything."

Xue Shaowen glanced at the dozen generals below with a serious look.

"Don't worry, Lord Marquis."

"I'll understand later."

The dozen or so generals below stood up, bowed in unison and said.

"As long as you know."

"Let's all go do our own business first!"

Xue Shaowen waved his hand.

Then, more than a dozen generals present left the Zhenbei Hou Mansion.

After more than a dozen generals left, Xue Shaowen was silent for a moment and then summoned the steward of the Marquis Mansion: "Steward, send someone to Xiliang to visit the Marquis of Xiliang."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

The housekeeper nodded and immediately understood what Xue Shaowen meant.

(End of chapter)