Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 703: Rebels (Part 2)

At the Zheng Family residence, seeing Duke An barely clinging to life, Mr. Zhao dared not repeat everything truthfully. He could only offer some comfort to Duke An.

Duke An struggled for a moment, then managed to squeeze out, "Offer my apologies to the Empress Dowager. Tell her that we father and son have wronged her. We deserve to die!"

Indeed, they deserved to die!

If not for the Zheng Family, the Grand Empress Dowager wouldn’t have to spend so much effort contending with the Emperor. Given her status, she should be enjoying the filial piety of her juniors, living peacefully with Prince Ping.

Now that such a commotion has erupted, the Grand Empress Dowager still has to find ways to protect the Zheng Family, inevitably having to put aside her dignity to plead with the Empress.

Mr. Zhao’s heart leaned towards the Emperor, yet he also felt for the master he served for decades, leaving him with mixed emotions. He softly asked Duke An, "The Grand Empress Dowager sent me to ask, what exactly is the connection between the Zheng Family and Zhao Wu?"

Duke An was rendered speechless.

Mr. Zhao understood this immediately.

At that moment, Mr. Zhao felt the urge to vomit blood in rage.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, he said in a low voice, "Lord, rest well; I shall return to the palace to report."

Mr. Zhao hurried back to the palace.

Upon entering, a little eunuch ran over to deliver a message: "The Emperor is still in discussions with the ministers, and Minister Ji of the Ministry of Revenue has also been summoned."

Mr. Zhao frowned and nodded slightly, quickening his pace.

The anxious Grand Empress Dowager Zheng couldn’t wait to take a few steps forward: "What did Duke An say?"

Mr. Zhao supported the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng inside, whispering, "Please don’t rush, Lady. Sit down and catch your breath, and let me explain slowly."

The fiery-tempered Grand Empress Dowager Zheng, despite her age, angrily replied, "Catch my breath for what! Tell me immediately!"

Mr. Zhao, helpless, had to say in a low voice: "According to your instructions, I asked the Lord, and he didn’t deny it. It seems Zhao Wu indeed has some connections with the Zheng Family."

Fear of what might come had come.

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng swayed, and Eunuch Lin swiftly moved in to support her.

Enraged, the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng trembled all over, gritting her teeth and angrily cursing, "Those two scoundrels! How dare they hide such matters from me! Those two scoundrels!"

The "two scoundrels" in the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng’s mouth naturally referred to Zheng Chen and his son.

The factions of the Prime Minister and the Grand Empress Dowager were like water and fire, constantly battling and using underhanded tactics was not uncommon. However, to incite Zhao Wu to abandon the city and defect to eliminate the Left General and cut off Prime Minister Wang’s influence in the military, using the lives of tens of thousands of people in Peng City and the border army as pawns, such actions are utterly despicable!

The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng could not accept it!

Fiery anger burned in her chest, reaching a fever pitch.

"Both father and son deserve to die! I can no longer care for them!" The Grand Empress Dowager Zheng was so furious that she couldn’t stand, repeatedly cursing, "Those two scoundrels!"

Mr. Zhao and Eunuch Lin supported the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng to sit down, quickly summoning the Imperial Physician to prevent her from fainting from anger.

...

Jiang Shaohua sat on the Dragon Throne, his expression as cold as ice, his gaze sharp and frosty.

The military generals present all had faces filled with anger. Especially the Left General, who, at the mention of Zhao Wu, wanted to skin the rebel alive.

The border army’s crushing defeat and the massacre of Peng City, as the Border Army Commander, the Left General was held accountable by the Emperor and resigned in dismay.

Though reinstated later, he went from being the Border Army Commander to the main general of the Heroic Guard Camp in the Capital City. His force was nearly halved, and his military rank significantly lowered. More importantly, the shame of defeat was a permanent mark on him.

This was destined to be recorded as a major defeat in history.

The court issued a warrant for Zhao Wu, and the Left General privately dispatched trusted aides to search for Zhao Wu’s whereabouts. Who could have thought that Zhao Wu had been hiding in the Yu State Military Camp all along!

The main general of the Yu State Army, General Lu, was from Duke An’s faction. Zhao Wu hiding in the Yu State Army showed early connections with the Zheng Family. Now that Zheng Chen also appeared in the Yu State Military Camp, there was nothing left to say.

"Your Majesty, the Yu State Army dares to kill the imperial envoy, their rebellion is as clear as daylight." Anger flashed in the eyes of the Left General as he boldly stepped forward to announce, "This subordinate wishes to lead the Heroic Guard Camp to quell the rebels!"

General Bao needed to stay in the Capital City, making it unsuitable for him to lead troops. Generals Sima and Song wisely did not compete with the Left General for this task.

The Left General was indeed the best candidate.

Jiang Shaohua looked at the Left General and said, "The Heroic Guard Camp, when supporting the Border Army, once suffered losses in battles. The soldiers now are mostly new recruits in recent years, with little combat experience. Leading such a group of new recruits to Yu State, how confident are you, Left General?"

The Left General responded in a deep voice, "I have been training soldiers for the past two years."

"Having commanded the Border Army for twenty years, to boast a bit, in terms of training and leading soldiers in battle, I consider myself unmatched in the army."

This statement was somewhat boastful.

However, Generals Bao, Sima, and others did not voice any objection.

The city’s troops hardly engage in battles twice a year. The Border Army, however, continuously faces the threat of horseback troops from outside the border. Even primarily defending the city, they engage in more battles, large and small. In terms of combat power, they are genuinely stronger than the city’s garrison.

The Left General’s personal ethics were questionable, and he was exploitative towards soldiers, but he was genuinely skilled in training and leading troops.

Jiang Shaohua said, "Since the Left General has volunteered, then the task of leading troops to quell the rebellion is entrusted to the Left General."

The Left General replied forcefully, "I shall surely bring back the heads of Zhao Wu and Zheng Chen to meet the Emperor."

Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "I intend for Commander Song to accompany you to Yu State to lead the troops."

The Left General, known for his unruly reputation, directly rebutted upon hearing this, "There can be only one main general in the army. Orders from two sources are a major taboo in military operations. If the Emperor doesn’t trust me, just dispatch Commander Song to lead the troops."

These words conveyed dissatisfaction, with a rashness ready to turn against orders at the slightest provocation.

Assistant Minister Ding immediately frowned and said sternly, "The Emperor has his reasons for such arrangements. The Left General must not show disrespect to the Emperor."

The Left General replied with a straight face, "Leading troops to battle is risking one’s life. While I respect the Emperor, I still insist that there be only one main general in the army."

"Either let me lead the troops, or let Commander Song go to quell the rebellion."

The Ministry of War manages the nation’s military forces, so in principle, the Left General should heed Assistant Minister Ding.

In reality, though, civil and military officials form their own factions. The Ministry of War finds it easy to allocate military funds, yet it struggles to intervene in military affairs. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Left General clearly showed no respect for Assistant Minister Ding, leaving the latter flustered and red-faced, wanting to lash out but lacking the confidence.

Jiang Shaohua spoke at the right moment: "Left General, do not be annoyed. In military operations, everything follows your lead. Commander Song’s sole task is to bring back the heads of Zheng Chen and Zhao Wu."