Volume 1 Chapter 33: Smashing Heads (Part 2)
After a moment of silence, Emperor Zhao, who was sitting there, continued to speak expressionlessly:
"I will be frank with you today. I will do my best to do what I can for you..."
"If you want a reward, I can empty my pockets to give it to you. If you want to speak up for Liu Guangshi, I have prepared military sticks. Even if you want to give a palace maid to you as your wife, it's not that I can't, but I really don't have any."
"But apart from that, there are some things that I can't do anything about... For example, I feel homesick. I can relate to you, but what can I do? If you want to go home, don't you need to work with me? As for those who want to leave the army, I have some preparations!"
"How about this, those who are ready to leave the army and settle in the south stay here, and the rest of you go out of the tents. Those who want to receive rewards go to Prime Minister Lu to receive their rewards, and those who want to receive military sticks go out to find Zhang Zhongcheng... The Jin army is on the north bank, so we should not waste time!"
The tent was quiet for a while, and after a while, under Zhao Jiu's gaze, the man surnamed Zhang was ready to do nothing, so he simply stood up and bowed his hands to respond: "The emperor's intention is clear, and the rewards and punishments are clear. I... I have nothing to say!"
As he said this, he turned around and walked out of the tent, but he couldn't help but mutter at the door of the tent: "Ten military sticks, and my skin won't even turn red!"
In response to this, Zhang Jun and Lu Haowen hesitated for a moment, but finally, at the urging of Zhao Jiu, they took their subordinates and hurried out to deal with the matter.
After the three men left, the rest of the people in the tent looked at each other, stood up, and followed them out... Suddenly, only twelve or thirteen people were left.
Yang Yizhong, who had been standing beside Zhao Jiu, breathed a sigh of relief instantly and even loosened his hand that was holding the knife.
"Are you guys really going to leave?" Zhao Jiu pointed with his finger, still with the same numb expression as before. "Are you no longer considering it?"
"Your Majesty!" Someone couldn't help but stand up. "I just want to ask you one thing. You separated us, so will there be no reward if we leave?"
"That's what I mean... no reward!" Zhao Jiu answered softly, but he remembered the man's name. His name was Hou Dan. He was a team leader, a typical grassroots officer.
"Then I won't leave!" The man stood up and said, gritting his teeth. "I don't know what I can do if I leave the army!"
"Then go and claim your reward." Zhao Jiu continued to speak softly, but couldn't help asking again. "Since you are planning to leave the army, you must be afraid of the Jin people chasing you. If you stay here now, aren't you afraid that the Jin people will attack you?"
"I think that since General Liu is dead, we will definitely follow the emperor soon, so we should just follow him all the way." This person had a cunning look on his face. "If the emperor leaves, I will be safe if I follow him. If the emperor dares to cross the river and fight to the death, why should we care about our lives?"
Zhao Jiu laughed in silence, but waved his hands repeatedly, signaling the other party to leave.
After Hou Dan left, he took two or three people with him. When Zhao Jiu went to check again, he saw that there were only eight or nine people in the tent.
"Are you eight or nine really going to leave?" Zhao Jiu asked again.
This time, someone still answered boldly: "Sir, we have to leave... But can we accept the military stick in exchange for a reward? Without a reward, how can we live in the south? Are you forcing us to become thieves?"
"I understand." Zhao Jiu laughed again. "But there are only eight or nine of you. There is no need to trouble Lu Xianggong and Zhang Zhongcheng. I will personally go and get some easy-to-carry forbidden gold beads. You can secretly divide them here and then leave!"
Several people looked at each other, each with anticipation on their faces, but Zhao Jiu didn't care and just got up and walked out of the tent. Yang Yizhong also hurriedly caught up with him.
When he came out of the door, in the small camp on the top of the mountain, people who were collecting rewards and beating soldiers with military sticks were already busy in the small camp, which was much more efficient than in the mountainside... It seemed that there was still a commotion there. Zhao Guanjia hurriedly turned back to Beiluan Camp and entered his own tent. Yang Yizhong was so frightened that he really thought that the official was going to take his private property, so he hurriedly chased him in.
However, as soon as Yang Sheren entered the imperial tent, he saw Emperor Zhao taking off her clothes. Several eunuchs were extremely frightened and hurried forward to help.
"Take it off too!" Zhao Jiu looked around for something, but when he couldn't find anything, he glanced at Yang Yizhong, who was about the same size as him, and then gave a cold order. "Take off your armor for me!"
Yang Yizhong was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly realized what was going on and was terrified.
"If you dare to say a word of nonsense, you will be kicked out of the camp today and become a village head in Niujia Village, Hangzhou!" Zhao Jiu shouted, but then ordered several eunuchs in the imperial tent. "Hurry up and help Yang Sheren take off his armor!"
Yang Yi's mind went blank. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He could only let a few eunuchs take off his clothes and armor, and then he nervously changed into them with the official.
A moment later, Zhao Jiu came out of the tent and shouted to several fully armed soldiers who had just been rewarded by him in front of the curtain . Then he personally took the bow and arrows he took out of the tent and went to the small camp on the top of the mountain in a menacing manner.
After a while, Yang Yizhong chased out in a panic amid the astonishment of Lan Gui, Hu Yin and others who had rushed over after hearing the news, but he was only temporarily wearing a set of hard armor!
However, it was too late.
Zhao Jiu took the lead and returned to the small village on the top of the mountain. People around him didn't react at all. Even if there were a few smart people who reacted, they just thought that Yang Yizhong came back to "do business"!
Our Lord Zhao drove straight in and stepped into the tent himself, then raised his hand and shot an arrow directly at the man who had threatened to rob him in order to ask for a reward!
Besides, the big tent on the top of the mountain was specially set up for military use. It was a proper central army tent that could hold hundreds of people. But even so, the size was limited, not to mention that those people were lingering near the tent door waiting for rewards? Therefore, Zhao Jiu shot an arrow, but it was as easy as shooting a target in Mingdao Palace in the past, and he shot the man down directly.
There was a moment of panic in the tent. It was not that no one wanted to fight back, but seeing that the officers who were personally shooting arrows were more anxious than them, how could they dare to be perfunctory? They had already rushed in one after another. The first few people blocked Zhao Jiu as a human shield, and the people behind them also quickly drew their swords and killed the people in the tent with their numbers!
After a moment, the tent was silent. Zhao Jiu threw away his helmet and walked out of the tent, holding a head in his hand.
In the small camp, Lü Haowen, Zhang Jun, including Yang Yizhong, Lan Gui, Hu Yin and others who had hurriedly followed, as well as the original imperial guards in the small camp, and dozens of Western Army officers who had just been receiving rewards and military sticks on both sides of the small camp, all looked on in horror, but were frightened into silence...Among them, Prime Minister Lü almost fainted.
Zhao Jiu looked around and said loudly in front of the dumbfounded people, "Aren't you worried because you lost General Liu and your backing? I'm telling you today. I, the former Grand Marshal, will personally lead these three thousand useless soldiers of yours! And these heads will be the first rule of the army from now on... Those who dare not fight for the sake of the army will be guilty of the same crime as Liu Guangshi! As for you, don't just stand there. Those who have received the military sticks and rewards should all go to the mountainside with me. That is the second rule. From now on, I will personally control the rewards and punishments in the army, and the rewards and punishments of the entire army will be decided before my eyes!"
After saying a lot of nonsense, Zhao Jiu saw those generals and team leaders in panic and forming their teams. He was stunned for a moment and felt something was wrong. It was not until he met Yang Yi's gaze that he came to his senses and quickly threw the head in his hand to the ground!
However, no one cared at this time.
