The dream of a lonely hero

One of the soldiers shouted angrily at Yan Yun and Yuan Da: "Little killer! You are still a novice when you talk about killing people! If you don't get out of here, I will kill you too!"

Guo Jin shouted loudly, "Hey! Are you rebelling?" The sound shook the roof tiles. The soldiers who rushed in all knelt down and cried, "General! We are guarding the border for the court with our heads on the line, and Zhao Guangyi poisoned us! Why? Why?" One by one, with bloodshot eyes, they stood up suddenly, "If we were cowards, we would not serve under you. If Zhao Guangyi doesn't give an explanation today, hehe! Take off your heads!"

Faced with this group of murderers, Jin Wang Zhao Guangyi was scared to death and looked at Guo Jin eagerly

Guo Jin said, "What are you yelling about? "What! If it was really done by the King of Jin, I will be the first one to disobey. The lives of the soldiers in Xishan must not be lost in vain. If I can't find out the truth and give them an explanation, you will cut me to pieces!"

The soldier said: "General! How many days will it take?"

Guo Jin said: "Ten days. The King of Jin cannot take a single step out of the Xishan camp within ten days."

Guo Jin was strict and almost harsh in military discipline, but he was also famous for loving his soldiers like his own sons. This was a combination of kindness and severity. He had a very high prestige among the soldiers, and this imminent mutiny was stopped by him. Civil servants were most afraid of civil uprisings, and military generals were most afraid of mutinies. Especially mutinies at the border. If foreign enemies took the opportunity to invade, the blow to the court would be subversive. The King of Jin and Guo Jin knew how serious it was.

In the back hall of the Marshal's Mansion, the King of Jin Zhao Guangyi was turning around like an ant on a hot pot, and he walked quickly to the door to look out. Yanyun, Yuanda, Mingran, Liaoran, and Wang Yande were guarding outside the hall. After a while, the King of Jin finally saw Guo Jin coming, and hurriedly asked him to sit down. Guo Jin looked serious and frowned.

The King of Jin said anxiously: "Please lead me! The poison in the reward of Xishan Royal Wine has nothing to do with me - nothing! Imprisoning me here will not help - it will not help!"

Guo Jin pondered for a moment and said: "Your Highness! Regardless of whether it is related or not, it is an indisputable fact that this royal wine poisoned the lives of 64 soldiers in Xishan. They are all brave warriors guarding the border and heroes who killed the enemy. If the culprit is not found and brought to justice as soon as possible, the mutiny will happen sooner or later. What does the mutiny at the border mean to the court? Your Highness knows better than me."

The King of Jin said anxiously: "The commander-in-chief wants to use my head to eliminate your mutiny in Xishan! ”

Guo Jin said: “If it really comes to that, Your Highness will die for the Song Dynasty.”

King Jin was terrified, thinking: Guo Jin, nicknamed “Murderous Yama”, is a man who is not afraid of anything. If he really wants to take action, Yanyun, Yuanda and others will be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot when dealing with the fierce army of Xishan. He said: “You—you! I am innocent!”

Guo Jin said: “Your Highness, don’t be alarmed! I just want to see your loyalty to the Song Dynasty.”

King Jin stared at him seriously and said: “Loyalty, loyalty. The emperor of the Song Dynasty is my brother. Do I need to see my loyalty to the Song Dynasty? It’s just—just—”"Stop joking, Commander! What should we do? What should we do?"

Guo Jin said, "This is a serious matter. Your Highness should quickly prepare a memorial to explain the whole story. Send it to the capital at an expedited rate of 800 miles to let the emperor know. Please find the culprit and behead him."

King Jin thought about it and said, "Ten days, the time it takes to submit the memorial and issue the imperial edict, plus the time it takes to investigate, how can it be enough? How can it be enough?"

Guo Jin thought about it and said, "There is no joking in the army. If there is no imperial edict in ten days, either your Highness will be beheaded or I will be cut into pieces."

King Jin was shocked again and said, "This-this-"

Guo Jin said, "Although I cannot die on the battlefield, it is worth it for the safety of the border of our Song Dynasty."

King Jin felt cold all over when he heard it. He hurriedly prepared paper, ink, pen and inkstone, and thought deeply about the memorial. Guo Jin said goodbye and went back.

The King of Jin sat at his desk, burning with anxiety. He pondered for a long time but could not write a single word. The rosary in his hand kept turning, and he kept telling himself to calm down. The more he wanted to calm down, the more confused he became. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself twice. His hands and face suddenly felt burning pain. After a while, he slowly recalled the whole process from the capital to the Western Hills: the imperial wine was brewed by the Imperial Wine Shop in the Palace. Who dared to poison it? The imperial wine rewarded by Yalong Mountain was once looted by bandits, and then taken back by Yuchi Ling, the right first squad leader of the Imperial Guards' Golden Spear Squad. Oh! The imperial wine must have been tampered with during this period. It is impossible to poison the wine. The recovered imperial wine jars were checked one by one and there was no sign of opening. It was swapped - it was only swapped. Was it the bandits or Yuchi Ling? It is very likely that Yuchi Ling was in collusion with the robbers. The robbers stole the real imperial wine, and Yuchi Ling took the poisoned wine to pretend to be the imperial wine. Yuchi Ling was under the command of Zhang Duo, the father-in-law of Zhao Guangmei, the Prince of Futian. Zhao Guangmei could definitely instruct Yuchi Ling to do this; this - can this be reported to the emperor? No, as an imperial envoy, I can't even keep the imperial wine to reward the soldiers. I can't afford to lose face. What's more, there is no evidence. Even if I report it truthfully, it will take more than three or five days for the emperor to investigate the case. By the time the imperial edict comes down, I will have become a ghost under the knife of the fierce Xishan soldiers! No, no!

Just when the King of Jin was in a state of panic, Guo Jin came back again. The King of Jin looked at him helplessly and said, "Gong Yin, Gong Yin! What can I do?" Guo Jin was also extremely anxious. He thought that the King of Jin should have finished writing the memorial, and was ready to send someone to send it out urgently for 800 miles. Seeing that he had not written a word, he said, "Your Highness! Why haven't you finished writing yet?"

The King of Jin said, "What should I write?"

Guo Jin said, "Just report what happened in the Xishan Marshal's Mansion today truthfully."

The King of Jin said, "The emperor wants to send someone to investigate the case. How can we do it in time?"

Guo Jin said, "Your Highness! The emperor is a military man, and he knows the dangers better than you and me. He will investigate and handle it quickly."

The King of Jin immediately picked up the pen to write the memorial. After writing it, he sent Yan Yun to send it to the capital for 800 miles to present it to the emperor.

Nine days passed in a flash. During these nine days, the King of Jin was like a frightened bird, and he was in a state of panic.Every day, he looked towards the capital city with eager eyes, hoping that Yan Yun would return with the imperial edict as soon as possible. That night, the King of Jin couldn't sleep at all. He turned around in the hall like a headless fly, thinking that if Yan Yun didn't come tonight, he would lose his head tomorrow morning. While he was thinking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps, and Yan Yun, who was panting, ran in with a wooden box on his back. He fainted from exhaustion before he saw the King of Jin and couldn't speak. The King of Jin hurriedly bent over and took out the imperial edict from Yan Yun's arms. The general meaning of the imperial edict was that Zuo Chenggui, the wine envoy of the Imperial Wine Shop, and Tian Chuyan, the deputy envoy, were jealous of the outstanding achievements of the Xishan soldiers, so they poisoned the imperial wine, beheaded Zuo Chenggui and Tian Chuyan, and issued an edict to the three passes and seventy-two forts in Xishan; and the families of the dead soldiers were given a large amount of compensation. After reading it, the King of Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the ground. It took him a long time to remember Yan Yun, and it took him a long time to wake him up. Yan Yun looked thin, with deep eye sockets and cracked lips. He said, "Your Highness! The wooden box contains the heads of Zuo Chenggui and Tian Chuyan."

King Jin said, "Thank you Huailong for your trouble! What's the news in the capital?"

Yan Yun said, "Half a month ago, Yuchi Ling, the chief officer of the right first squad of the Jinqiang squad of the imperial army, died of a sudden illness."

King Jin was shocked, thinking that Zhao Guangmei had killed him to silence him, and hurriedly ordered his followers to help Yan Yun down to rest. King Jin thought: How could Zuo Chenggui, the wine shop envoy, and Tian Chuyan, the deputy envoy, poison the soldiers of Xishan because they were jealous of their merits? In order to quell the rebellion in Xishan, the emperor acted decisively and quickly and borrowed the heads of Zuo and Tian. Zuo and Tian became scapegoats. The emperor's prompt decision was a good move. Why didn't he think of it? His Taoism is still far behind the emperor!

The next day, Guo Jin beat drums at the training ground to gather the generals and read the imperial edict, calming the impending mutiny. Seeing that Yan Yun had recovered after a few days of recuperation, the King of Jin set out on the road back to Beijing with Guo Jin and the imperial guards he brought with him to entertain the troops. That evening, the King of Jin and his entourage came to Hanwang Town to find an inn to rest. The King of Jin chose a good pavilion (private room) to entertain Guo Jin. Guo Jin was not good at socializing and reluctantly accepted the King of Jin's invitation for the sake of the emperor's face. At the banquet, the King of Jin used tea instead of wine. The wine was three rounds and the dishes were five flavors. The King of Jin was very excited and said, "Gong Yin's return to the court to meet the emperor this time is different from the past."

Guo Jin said, "What's the difference?"

The King of Jin said, "Gong Yin will rise to prominence."

Guo Jin said, "Oh!"

The King of Jin said, "Gong Yin has been guarding the border for the country, sleeping in the frost and dew, thirsty and drinking blood on the blade, sleeping on the saddle, and his heart is tired. He has also made many outstanding achievements, but he has been a fifth-rank official for nearly ten years. Why hasn't he been promoted?"

Guo Jin smiled faintly and said nothing.

The King of Jin said, "It is often said that it is easy to be an official if there are people in the court. Gong Yin's disadvantage is that there is no one in the court! I have recommended Gong Yin to the emperor many times to take charge of the Palace Front Division. This time the emperor is moved." The Palace Front Division is the most important place in the Northern Song Dynasty. It leads the emperor's guards and is the elite of the imperial army. There are countless generals watching the commander of the Palace Front Division. The King of Jin thought he was grateful and knelt down to thank him.

Guo Jin said: "As a minister of the emperor, Guo Jin should obey the emperor's orders."

The King of Jin was unhappy and forced a smile, saying: "Gong Yin is loyal to the Song Dynasty, which is a blessing for the emperor.Ah! But the tall ones are easily broken and the bright ones are easily stained. You have also attracted a lot of criticism from people. "There is something hidden in his words. He wants to shock the tiger.

Guo Jin laughed and said, "The clear ones are clear and the turbid ones are turbid. Guo Jin has been on the battlefield for many years and survived many deaths. What is there to be afraid of rumors!"

King Jin said, "Gong Yin acts openly and honestly. This is exactly what I respect. But we must be on guard against others. Gong Yin still remembers how he was dismissed from the post of the commander of the first army of the left wing of the Iron Cavalry of the Palace Front Division a few years ago? It must be hard to not hear the military drums for more than two years!"

Guo Jin said, "At that time, Your Highness was the Palace Front Du Yuhou, and Guo Jin was Your Highness's subordinate. If it weren't for Your Highness's gift, Guo Jin would have had a hard time."

King Jin said, "Haha! Gong Yin is still brooding about it. I was doing it for your own good at that time. Haven't you heard that the strongest can be broken easily and the best is like water? You are too stubborn. You offended many people at the beginning. It is hard to offend the public anger! I had no choice but to do this, but it also helped to hone Gongyin's character. Gongyin did benefit from it at the beginning. He was like walking on thin ice, as if facing the abyss. The past can be a lesson for you! " Guo Jin looked down on the Jin Wang, who was a dozen years younger than him. He was a dandy boy who was incompetent except playing power games. Today, he put on the face of an elder who was teaching people a lesson. He stood up and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. Goodbye!" Qingming outing and happy reading! Recharge 100 to get 500 VIP points! Recharge now (activity time: April 4 to April 6)