"I, your subject Liu Guangshi, Military Commissioner (Jiedushi) of the State Army, pay respects to Your Majesty. I never expected to see your glorious countenance again after these many months! Previously in Huaibei, I was pursued by the Jin forces and subjected to the machinations of Zhang Jun and Wang Yuan, almost believing I would never see Your Majesty again in this lifetime!"

Unexpectedly, this midnight imperial audience convened by His Majesty Zhao in the wilderness of Mount Bagong, filled with sorrow and indignation, began with Liu Guangshi kneeling and weeping upon his entrance.

"Liu Qing..."

Under the firelight, even His Majesty Zhao, who had been seething with anger, was somewhat disoriented. He wondered if Yang Yizhong had lied to favor Zhang Jun, and he had misunderstood this veteran general of the Western Army who was the same age as Han Shizhong.

However, he glanced at the two generals following Liu Guangshi, kneeling far away at the edge of the curtain – a commander named Fu Qing, and Wang De, known as "Wang Yacha" (Wang the Devil), whom he had heard about before. It was difficult to deny Yang Yizhong's report.

Helpless, Zhao Jiu, who had just put on his clothes and sat down on the grand master's chair, adjusted himself slightly before勉强 suppressing his emotions and asking again, "Liu Qing, the Jin army aside, you said you were subjected to the machinations of Grand Commandant Zhang and Grand Commandant Wang... what is the matter?"

"Your Majesty!" Liu Guangshi, in full armor, suddenly raised his head, revealing a face covered in mud, so that his appearance was barely recognizable, making him look quite pitiful. "Allow your subject to inform Your Majesty... yesterday in Xiachai, I received Your Majesty's decree, permitting me to分兵 lead troops across the Huai River to rest and reorganize. I was naturally grateful beyond measure. Furthermore, because the soldiers in my army had suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the Jin, they were truly unfit for battle. Even staying in the city made them panic, which was not conducive to defending the city. I therefore thought of asking Grand Commandant Wang (Wang Yuan, Imperial Guard Commander) and Grand Commandant Zhang (Zhang Jun) to grant me a favor, allowing me to lead some of the scattered troops to cross the river at night first, to calm the army's morale..."

Hearing this, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but nod, thinking of the scene of soldiers jumping into the river in fright. Liu Guangshi seemed to be able to make his clandestine river crossing sound somewhat reasonable.

However...

"But why did the dispute arise, why did you seize boats, and why did you burn the docks?" Zhao Jiu frowned and asked, impatient to know.

"Reporting to Your Majesty!" Liu Guangshi immediately raised his head, pointing to Wang Yuan, the Imperial Guard Commander, who had also chosen to kneel and bow his head. "The dispute arose because Wang Yuan was unwilling to let me lead troops across the river at night!"

"Why wouldn't he allow you to cross at night?" Zhao Jiu continued to frown, asking the question like a复读机 repeating machine, but directing it at Wang Yuan.

"Reporting to Your Majesty!" Wang Yuan raised his head at this moment, his face covered in soot and dry mud, even more of a mess than Liu Guangshi's. Only his words were filled with irrepressible sorrow and indignation, as if suppressing something. "I..."

"Allow Your Majesty to know!" At this moment, Liu Guangshi suddenly interjected, continuing to point at Wang Yuan, weeping as he accused, "Grand Commandant Wang had ulterior motives! He had promised many dignitaries in the 行在 temporary capital to secretly transport wealth for them at night, so he was unwilling to transport troops for me! My subordinates were indignant and argued with Grand Commandant Wang's men, and this is what led to the chaos!"

Zhao Jiu was even more puzzled and could only continue to ask, "How many dignitaries are there in the 行在 temporary capital, and what wealth is there that requires transport by troop ships? Even if there were, it should have been transported across the Huai River at Yingkou before. Why would it still be in Huaibei now?"

"It was given by Zhang Jun." Liu Guangshi quickly kowtowed and explained, "Your Majesty does not know that Grand Commandant Zhang has successively and successfully suppressed bandits in Jingdong and Huaidong... When the rebels rioted, the military and state treasuries and the people's property were all seized by the rebels, and Grand Commandant Zhang took them calmly. Therefore, he secretly hid countless riches within Xiachai city, wanting to bribe the dignitaries in the 行在 temporary capital to seek a better future. However, Your Majesty came and was leaving in a few days, and he had no time to do so. Therefore, he asked Grand Commandant Wang to act as an intermediary, sending countless wealth across the Huai River in the middle of the night and giving it to his former subordinate Yang Yizhong to distribute... As for my inability to restrain my subordinates from becoming greedy for wealth and seizing the boats and burning the docks, this is indeed my fault!"

Zhao Jiu was expressionless, first looking back at Yang Yizhong, who had knelt down with a thud, then at Wang De and Fu Qing, who were standing silently at the edge of the curtain, and finally at Wang Yuan:

"Wang Qing, what do you say? Did you transport wealth for Zhang Boying?"

"I... I... I truly did not know!" Wang Yuan stammered for a long time, giving an incredible answer. "When the chaos broke out, I was transporting troops across the river. Perhaps it was my patrol inspector Huangfu Zuo, who was left in Xiachai to oversee the inner crossing, who did it privately? As for after the chaos broke out, I was truly incompetent, unable to restrain the fleet, and unable to extinguish the fire at the docks. I could only flee back in disarray... Today's crime lies entirely in my incompetence!"

Zhao Jiu tilted his head and thought for a moment before understanding Wang Yuan's meaning – Liu Guangshi was pushing all the responsibility onto Zhang Jun, who could not cross the river to defend himself, and onto Grand Commandant Wang Yuan in front of him. And Wang Yuan, for some reason, dared not deny it and dared not take responsibility, so he pushed the responsibility onto a subordinate.

Moreover, without asking, Zhao Jiu could guess that Huangfu Zuo was probably also stranded in Huaibei and would not be able to cross over for a while.

Thinking of this, His Majesty Zhao sneered, then swept his gaze over Lü Haowen, Zhang Jun, and others who had rushed to the scene, and finally fixed his gaze on another person: "Wang Qing, you are the Chief Councilor (Shu Mi Xiang), and now the three Grand Commandants Liu, Zhang, and Wang have conflicting accusations. Only you can judge them. Tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Wang Boyan stepped forward, coming to the center of the curtain. He maintained the decorum of a scholar-official and a chief councilor, neither kneeling nor shedding tears, but that was all... He opened his mouth to speak, but upon meeting Zhao Jiu's cold smile, his heart skipped a beat, and he almost immediately wanted to swallow the words he had prepared. But when he turned his head again, his gaze drifted past the three military officers kneeling before His Majesty Zhao, and landed on the figures of Wang De and Fu Qing at the entrance of the curtain behind him, he finally dared not change his words.

And so, after pausing for a long time, not knowing what to say, Chief Councilor Wang stood there like a wooden block, silent and speechless, utterly ludicrous.

Zhao Jiu sneered even more, but did not say much, quietly waiting, as if determined to see if the other party could open his mouth... However, perhaps having waited for this opportunity, in this interlude, a small eunuch seized the opportunity to lead another military officer in full armor, brushing past Wang De and Fu Qing to enter the curtain.

The newcomer was Huyan Tong, deputy commander under Han Shizhong. After the affair in Shunchang Prefecture, this man had led his unit to stay by Zhao Jiu's side and had been promoted to commander. Clearly, this was another arrangement similar to the Red Heart Brigade, a blatant attempt to expand his direct guard.

The sudden arrival of Huyan Tong immediately drew the attention of everyone in the curtain, but the man had nothing to say. Instead, he came directly before Zhao Jiu and presented a document with a bow.

His Majesty Zhao looked at the seal on the document against the firelight, immediately becoming serious. Then, he opened it publicly and began to read it on the grand master's chair... With this action, everyone in the curtain turned their attention to the document. Clearly, this was a message sent by Han Shizhong from afar.

However, whether it was an illusion or not, although His Majesty finished reading it in a moment and maintained that faint smile throughout, Zhang Jun, the Imperial Censor-in-Chief (御史中丞) nearby, vaguely felt that His Majesty's hands were trembling slightly as he read the letter.

It couldn't be from the cold, could it?

Something was about to happen!

In fact, after Zhao Jiu put down the document and exhaled several long breaths of white air, this was the instinctive reaction in many people's minds.

"Let's end this here!" Zhao Jiu held the document, then suddenly squinted and smiled at Wang Boyan. "I understand what Chief Councilor Wang means. Thank you for your trouble!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wang Boyan did not kneel, but his face was streaked with tears.

"I also understand what Grand Commandant Wang means." Zhao Jiu turned his head again to look at Wang Yuan, who was in a sorry state on the ground. "But you are protecting Grand Commandant Liu so much, willing to blame your own subordinates... apart from some public-spiritedness, could there be some unspeakable reason?"

Before Wang Yuan could speak, Liu Guangshi himself and the others present felt a jolt in their hearts, because His Majesty Zhao's words clearly placed the blame on him, Grand Commandant Liu.

"I..." Liu Guangshi opened his mouth to speak.

"I thought about it," Zhao Jiu raised his hand to stop Liu Guangshi's explanation, then pondered as if talking to himself, "Han Shizhong once told me that when suppressing Fang La, he was led by your subordinate, Grand Commandant Wang, and you, Grand Commandant Wang, were then led by Liu Guangshi's father... In other words, you and Han Shizhong were both former subordinates of Liu Yanqing! And Liu Yanqing and our Grand Commandant Liu, father and son, have always been known for their family's tradition of nurturing soldiers... You are considering yourself as Liu family's retainer, so you are unwilling to identify the son of your benefactor, willing to bear the blame for him, correct?"

Before Wang Yuan could open his mouth, Liu Guangshi kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty! I absolutely have no intention of colluding with the generals in the army! I am just..."

"Grand Commandant Liu has great power!" Zhao Jiu suddenly held the document with a cold expression. "Are you not allowing me to finish speaking in my own 行在 temporary capital?!"

Liu Guangshi was immediately shocked, but quickly lowered his head and said nothing.

"Tonight, I will not say much about your selfish motives. As for your public-spiritedness tonight, it is nothing more than thinking that Grand Commandant Liu is one step ahead, that the matter is a foregone conclusion, and now Grand Commandant Zhang and his troops are in a difficult situation in Huaibei, while Grand Commandant Liu and his elite troops are filling the 行在 temporary capital." At this point, Zhao Jiu could not help but sneer. "So, for the sake of the overall situation, it is better to abandon Grand Commandant Zhang and follow Grand Commandant Liu, or simply fear that if you do not serve him well, Grand Commandant Liu will stage a Chenqiao coup, and you will all become loyal subjects of the Chai family..."

"I am truly terrified!" Hearing this, Liu Guangshi could no longer bear it, kowtowing repeatedly. "Your Majesty says they received the grace of my father and son, but my father and son have always been deeply indebted to the imperial grace! This time, I..."

"If you dare to interrupt me again, I will assume that you want to seize this rotten chair!" Zhao Jiu spoke almost simultaneously with Liu Guangshi. "If you want to speak, then first take a knife and drive me off!"

This time, Grand Commandant Liu was completely speechless and prostrated on the ground.

"Chief Councilor Wang said nothing, Grand Commandant Wang endured humiliation and absorbed dirt, my guards secretly tugged at my clothes, telling me not to erupt at this moment, Chancellor Lü and Censor-in-Chief Zhang repeatedly gave me meaningful glances, advising me to slow down... I understand everyone's public-spiritedness, aren't you all afraid that if you push him too hard, Grand Commandant Liu will rebel, and Mount Bagong today will become the place where the Great Song Dynasty falls?" Zhao Jiu finally finished speaking. "This thought is clearly known to everyone in the tent today, so why are you all hiding it?"

As soon as the words fell, there was another sound of armor clanging at the edge of the tent in the distance, causing everyone to be extremely nervous. In the eerie silence, the sound of the wind and the firelight intertwined. Almost everyone wanted to speak, but no one had the courage to open their mouths. Even Liu Guangshi repeatedly raised his head anxiously, but several times dared not speak.

"Wang Qing! Was that you just now?"

It was Zhao Jiu, whose heart was slightly moved, who broke the silence.

"It wasn't me!" Wang Yuan responded in a flustered manner.

"Not calling you." Zhao Jiu suddenly raised his voice. "Wang De, Wang Yacha, standing at the edge of the tent! Can you hear me? I'm calling you!"

Wang De, his face full of beards, truly resembling a Yacha, was stunned for a moment, but still hurried forward, coming to the campfire and preparing to bow.

"Come forward!" Zhao Jiu waved his hand impatiently. "Don't bow, I have something to ask you."

Wang De was even more confused, but still obediently went around the two Grand Commandants on the ground, coming to Zhao Jiu's side and bowing again.

"Do you recognize me?" Zhao Jiu turned to Wang De in his seat, pointing to his nose with his hand.

"I recognize you!" Wang De answered blankly. "I have seen Your Majesty in Hebei and Nanjing."

"Not that meaning..." Zhao Jiu smiled in relief. "I'm asking you, who am I?"

Wang De was even more confused: "Your Majesty is naturally Your Majesty!"

"Who is greater, His Majesty or the Grand Commandant?" Amidst the heavy breathing of Yang Yizhong behind him and Lü Haowen and Zhang Jun beside him, Zhao Jiu continued to smile and ask.

"Of course, His Majesty is greater!" Wang De blurted out, but couldn't help but add, "But Your Majesty, Grand Commandant Liu truly has no intention of rebelling, he is just a little timid and prone to causing trouble..."

Zhao Jiu nodded, seemingly not taking it to heart: "It's good that Wang Qing knows that I am greater than the Grand Commandant... I will ask you one more thing, Wang Qing was stationed in Xuzhou before. Did you encounter the Jin army before the retreat, or after the retreat? How many were the main forces of the Jin army behind? Was it about ten thousand, or twenty to thirty thousand?"

By the end, Zhao Jiu almost gnashed his teeth, and the few civil and military officials still standing were all dumbfounded. Even Yang Yizhong and Wang Yuan, who were kneeling, raised their heads in astonishment. Before Wang De could reply, Liu Guangshi on the ground suddenly kowtowed repeatedly.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Jiu sneered in his heart, but simply raised his hand to signal: "Wang Qing does not need to answer, go and invite Commander Fu here."

The entire scene was silent, and Wang De,茫茫然 confused, left the grand master's chair throne, but finally hurried to the curtain, grabbing Fu Qing, who was also in full armor... Where was Fu Qing comparable to a粗人 boor like Wang De? Or rather, perhaps only Wang De in this tent was a confused fool, otherwise he wouldn't have been startled by His Majesty Zhao's naked words earlier, and then made his armor clang.

But then again, this Commander Fu, being dragged by this混货 fool, didn't need to waste any effort, and simply went with the flow, following the other party to kneel before the emperor.

"Commander Fu is a new recruit, seeking nothing more than fame and fortune... correct?" Facing Fu Qing, Zhao Jiu changed his tone again.

"I..."

"You don't need to answer either, just listen!" Zhao Jiu simply said in the grand master's chair, "It is said that Grand Commandant Liu's father and son are good at nurturing soldiers. To be honest, I cannot do that, but I can still control Grand Commandant Liu even in this dire situation, which means my capital is still thicker than his Liu family's... Since Commander Fu is doing business, instead of selling yourself to the Liu family, why not sell yourself to me? What he can give you, I can also give you. What he cannot give you, I can still give you!"

"I would rather die than speak!" Liu Guangshi could no longer bear it, suddenly shouting loudly, "Your Majesty! I truly have no disloyal intentions!"

"I know you don't!" Zhao Jiu said from afar. "Otherwise, you should have stopped me when I called Wang De."

Liu Guangshi instantly felt half of his body go limp, and only prostrated on the ground, saying, "It's enough that Your Majesty knows! You can take away my military power this time, I have absolutely no objection!"

"麻烦 Trouble the two of you, help me hold Grand Commandant Liu's two hands." Zhao Jiu ignored him, but turned to look at Fu Qing and Wang De again.

Wang De was stunned for a moment, obviously hesitant, but Fu Qing quickly darted out, pinning the man from behind with his leg just before Liu Guangshi was about to get up, then easily took him down with his hands tied behind his back.

Liu Guangshi was restrained and could only shout desperately, "Your Majesty! I am absolutely not trying to rebel! Please spare me, Your Majesty!"

This time, it was Wang De's turn to be terrified, but after a moment, this brave warrior nicknamed Wang Yacha, under His Majesty's gaze, hesitantly stepped forward and took one of Liu Guangshi's already limp hands from Fu Qing.

Seeing this, Zhao Jiu finally stood up, looking around, and then actually took a shiny steel knife from Yang Yizhong, who was still kneeling.

Liu Guangshi was even more terrified, tears streaming down his face, and he began to babble, "Your Majesty! Let Your Majesty know! My actions this time, although seriously sinful, were揣摩 speculating on Your Majesty's intentions! I have always known that Your Majesty wants to go to Jiangnan, and seeing Your Majesty's decree allowing you to leave, I thought it was a hint from Your Majesty, so I fabricated the story of one hundred thousand Jin troops..."

"I believe Liu Qing." Zhao Jiu walked over with the knife, not stopping at all. "It's just that I changed my mind a long time ago, I don't want to go to Jiangnan!"

"I really didn't know that Your Majesty and Zhang and Han were really going to fight, and I really had no intention of rebelling..." Liu Guangshi continued to defend himself, but suddenly saw a reflection of the knife on his head, and could no longer speak.

"Your Majesty!" At the critical moment, Lü Haowen and Zhang Jun exchanged glances, helplessly stepping forward together, and Chancellor Lü was the first to speak hastily, "Since things have come to this, why not take away his military power and deal with him at your leisure? Where is the reason for Your Majesty to personally wield a knife and kill a Grand Commandant? Where is the state system?"

"Your Majesty." Zhang Jun also cautiously bowed and advised, "I also believe that Liu Guangshi should die, but the current situation is dangerous, and the danger of national demise is not an empty threat. Your Majesty should prioritize the overall situation and not easily損耗 damage the people's morale."

Zhao Jiu had no time to pay attention to these people, because he had been gesturing behind Liu Guangshi, who was covered in armor, for a long time, and didn't know how to start. Helplessly, His Majesty could only turn to ask Yang Sheren, the know-it-all: "Zhengfu, how should I start at this time?"

Yang Yizhong had been stunned for a long time, and when suddenly asked, he blurted out, "Has Your Majesty seen chickens being slaughtered? At this time, you can start like slaughtering a chicken..."

As soon as he said this, Yang Yizhong regretted it... First, he really shouldn't have gotten involved in this kind of thing; second, he instantly realized that His Majesty had never seen what a slaughtered chicken looked like.

However, hearing these words, His Majesty Zhao no longer hesitated, but bent down, grabbing the tassel of Liu Guangshi's helmet, who was already terrified and失态 out of control, with his left hand, and smoothly holding the knife with his right hand, forcefully cutting across the exposed Adam's apple... The movement was so skilled that it seemed like he had really slaughtered chickens before.

After one cut, there was no more sound in the tent.

Wang De and Fu Qing let go of their hands, looked at each other, and then stood silently. Only Liu Guangshi covered his throat and fluttered, fluttered back and forth on the ground, producing a little noise, and seeing him struggling, he was truly like a chicken with its throat cut.

His Majesty Zhao looked at the bloody steel knife in his hand for a while, and after the person on the ground was no longer moving, feeling comfortable all over, he abandoned the steel knife, turned his head, and loudly responded to his prime minister and Imperial Censor-in-Chief:

"I would rather the country perish than kill this man with my own hands!"

ps: This chapter is posted in advance to wish everyone a happy New Year's Day. It's a bit embarrassing, I confused Fu Xuan and Fu Qing. I've corrected it. The one who appeared is Fu Qing. Both of them were subordinates of Yue Fei in history, but there is clear evidence that Fu Qing was earlier under Liu Guangshi.