After Liu Yu evacuated Jinan, Wen Boyuan arrived in this once prosperous city three days later. The army he led entered the city gate in a mighty manner, only to find that the streets were empty and the shops were closed, as if the whole city had been drained of life.
"What the hell, Liu Yu ran too fast." Wen Boyuan complained. He originally thought he could make great military exploits in Jinan Mansion, but unexpectedly he only got an empty city.
Although he was unwilling, Wen Boyuan quickly ordered the soldiers to maintain order in the city, and at the same time sent people to escort a group of Daqi officials to Kaifeng to await Zhao Yingluo's disposal.
The atmosphere in the Kaifeng Imperial Palace was extremely tense. Liu Lin and other puppet Qi officials knelt in the center of the hall. They were all trembling with fear and did not dare to raise their heads. Zhao Yingluo sat on the dragon chair, scanning these people with sharp eyes. She had already made a decision in her heart, but her face was expressionless.
"Your Highness, these rebellious ministers and traitors will not be punished for their crimes! Your Majesty, please order them all to be beheaded as a warning to others!" A burly, ashen-faced minister took the lead in attacking.
"Xiangong Li is right!" Another minister agreed, "These people betrayed the Song Dynasty and colluded with the gold thieves. They should be punished for their crimes!"
"Humph! You people only know how to shout and kill." A gentle minister retorted, "Now that Daqi has been destroyed, these people have become turtles in the jar. Why don't we be lenient and give them a chance to change their ways? ?”
"Reform? What a joke!" Another minister sneered, "These people betrayed the imperial court and colluded with the enemy. How can they just change their ways? They must be severely punished!"
"That's enough!" Zhao Yingluo shouted, and the hall fell silent. She stared at Liu Lin and others with burning eyes, and said slowly: "You people, as officials of the Song Dynasty, betrayed the imperial court and colluded with the enemy. Do you know your crime?"
When the officials and other officials of the puppet Qi Dynasty heard this, they were immediately frightened to death. They kowtowed repeatedly and cried for mercy: "Your Highness Princess, please have mercy! We were all coerced by Liu Yu, please have mercy on Your Highness Princess!"
Left Prime Minister Lu Yihao put forward a compromise suggestion: "Your Highness, I think we can deal with the first offender to serve as a warning to others. As for the rest of the officials, they may also have been coerced by Liu Yu involuntarily. We can deal with it as appropriate. Either imprisoned or never used again."
Zhao Yingluo nodded slightly after hearing this. She felt that Lu Yihao's suggestion was quite pertinent. She knew that in this troubled world, many people chose to betray out of helplessness.
She didn't want to kill innocent people out of anger.
"Okay, just follow what Mr. Lu said." Zhao Yingluo said in a deep voice, "Behead more than ten people led by Liu Lin and others as a warning to others. The rest will be dealt with separately according to the severity of their crimes, either imprisoned or never Narrative use."
Although her voice was not loud, every word was clearly heard in everyone's ears.
After Liu Lin and others heard the verdict, their faces turned pale.
They know that their death is not far away.
Those officials who originally had a glimmer of hope lowered their heads, their hearts filled with endless regret and despair.
In this troubled world, if you want to survive, you must have enough means and wisdom. She will not let these betrayers go just because of temporary kindness, because she knows that this will only hurt more people.
Following Zhao Yingluo's order, Liu Lin and others were escorted out of the hall.
They cried and begged for mercy one after another, but none of this could change their fate. After Liu Lin and others were dealt with, the remnants of the Daqi regime were completely eliminated, and the Song Dynasty finally ushered in the long-lost peace.
However, there was another storm in the court.
Some ministers submitted a report, suggesting that they should take advantage of the victory to pursue Liu Yu and force the Kingdom of Jin to hand over Liu Yu as a warning to others.
"Your Highness," a minister took a step forward and said with cupped hands, "Liu Yu betrayed the Song Dynasty and defected to the Jin Kingdom. Such behavior is really a heinous crime. I think we should pursue the victory and force the Jin Kingdom to hand over Liu Yu to show that The majesty of my Song Dynasty!"
As soon as this statement came out, it immediately aroused a chorus of agreement in the hall.
"What Xianggong Li said is absolutely true!" Another minister echoed, "Her Royal Highness, the Princess, has won consecutive battles, and the national power of the Song Dynasty has stabilized the Kingdom of Jin. If we don't force it now, when will we wait?"
Zhao Yingluo sat on the throne, listening to the discussions of the ministers, but her heart was calm.
"My dear friends, I have my own considerations for what you said." Zhao Yingluo spoke slowly, "Pass on my decree, and immediately prepare a letter and send it to the Kingdom of Jin, asking them to hand over Liu Yu and the rest of the evildoers. At the same time, mobilize the army and Chen Bing border to show our determination!"
Following Zhao Yingluo's order, the entire court became busy again.
Clerical officials were busy drafting edicts, while generals were gearing up to prepare for war at any time.
At the same time, an emergency meeting was held in the Jin Palace. over
Yan Zonghan sat on the dragon chair, frowning as he listened to the arguments of the ministers.
He knew that the Song Dynasty was coming fiercely this time, so he must have something to rely on. However, he was not an ordinary person and did not want to easily succumb to the persecution of the Song Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, a letter from the Song Dynasty requires us to hand over Liu Yu and the rest of the evildoers, otherwise we will invade the border." A Jin minister stood up and reported, "I think we should give them a head-on blow to let them know how powerful the Jin country is. !”
"No!" Another minister hurriedly stood up and objected, "Although the Song Dynasty has won consecutive battles, our Jin country is not a lamb to be slaughtered. Now that the two countries are fighting, it is not good for both sides. We should stabilize our position first and then try again. The next step."
"Stabilize the position?" The first minister sneered, "Are we going to watch Liu Yu being captured by the Song Dynasty? How will the Jin Kingdom lose its face?"
"Face is important, but the interests of the country are more important!" the second minister retorted without showing any signs of weakness. "Although handing over Liu Yu will make us lose some face, it can avoid an all-out war with the Song Dynasty. Now The Song Dynasty's national power is at its peak, and we have no guarantee of victory in a war with it. Once defeated, the losses to the Jin Kingdom will be immeasurable!"
"That's enough!" Wanyan Zonghan was upset after hearing this, and interrupted the quarrel between the two ministers with a loud shout, "If you continue to quarrel like this, when will there be a result? I have made up my mind to send envoys to the Song Dynasty first. Sue for peace and promise to severely punish Liu Yu and other remnants to calm the situation. At the same time, we will strengthen border defenses just in case. If the Song Dynasty is still not satisfied, we will discuss countermeasures."
Wanyan Zonghan's decision made the warring ministers dissatisfied, but it also relieved some ministers who advocated peace. They believe that under the current situation, maintaining peaceful relations with the Song Dynasty is the most beneficial choice for the Jin Kingdom.
