flstandardbreds Chapter 359: Should Live Out His Life
Chapter 359: Should Live Out His Life
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Emperor Zhao Guoan sat on the dragon throne, his eyes as sharp as torches as he scanned the ministers below.
"My dear ministers, besides Lord Zhou, who else is willing to go on the expedition with the Crown Prince?"
However, there was dead silence below, and no one dared to respond.
Zhao Guoan frowned slightly, and his eyes fell on General Lin.
General Lin is an experienced veteran who has led troops into battle many times and has made great achievements.
Zhao Guoan thought that perhaps he would be willing to go to war again.
"General Lin, you are a veteran of our dynasty, so leading troops in battle is no problem. This time, the Crown Prince is heading to the Kingdom of Li. The journey is long and the situation is treacherous. Are you willing to assist the Crown Prince in leading the army?"
Before Zhao Guoan finished speaking, General Lin walked quickly into the hall, knelt on his knees and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, I am old and have been feeling unwell lately. If I were to miss any military action due to illness while on the march, it would be a grave sin on my part! I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"
Zhao Guoan's face turned ashen in an instant.
He looked coldly at the other generals and said sternly, "What about you? Is there no one willing to serve the country?"
Before he finished speaking, three more generals knelt on the ground and kowtowed to apologize.
"Your Majesty, I was severely injured on the battlefield before, and my hands are still weak. I am truly unable to take on the heavy responsibility of this expedition!"
"Your Majesty, I was also injured on the battlefield. Now my legs are weak and I can hardly walk, let alone lead the troops in battle. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"
"Your Majesty, I am also feeling unwell..."
"Well done, it seems you are all good." Zhao Guoan was so angry that his face turned green: "Since you are all in good health, then go home and enjoy your old age."
Upon hearing this, the veterans looked at each other in surprise and fear.
They never imagined that simply because they followed the prince's arrangements and did not go to the battle, they would lose their official positions!
"Your Majesty, we..." For a moment, the four of them were so nervous that they didn't know what to do.
At this moment, Gou Hongying saw that the situation was not good and hurriedly walked quickly to the middle of the team.
"Your Majesty, if all the generals were to retire, there would inevitably be vacancies in the army. This would greatly reduce the army's combat effectiveness. Your Majesty, please reconsider this!"
Zhao Guoan snorted coldly, thinking to himself that these veteran generals usually relied on their seniority and military exploits to pretend to obey him as the emperor.
Now is a good opportunity to replace those people who have no integrity, which is killing two birds with one stone.
"Lord Gou, didn't you just say you heard they were all feeling unwell? If they aren't feeling well, they should rest more and not try to be too aggressive. Of course, the court won't treat these meritorious officials unfairly."
After saying this, Zhao Guoan slowly shifted his gaze towards Zhou Yunxi and said slowly, "Lord Zhou, do you have any candidates for these four generals?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yunxi hurried forward, bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, since the old generals intend to retire and enjoy their old age, it is our duty as the younger generation to serve the country on their behalf.
As for the candidates for these four generals, Your Majesty only needs to give the order, and suitable candidates will be ready to take up their posts immediately."
Zhao Guoan nodded slightly, his face full of relief.
However, at this moment, the veterans suddenly shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, although we are old, we are still willing to serve our country!"
"My dear ministers, I know your loyalty is commendable, but you are all meritorious servants of this nation, and the Xia Kingdom will never treat you unfairly. Now that you are advanced in years, you deserve to enjoy your retirement and the happiness of family."
Zhao Guoan looked serious and continued with a smile: "Come here, quickly take back the official seals and uniforms of the generals.
At the same time, I will reward each general with 60,000 taels of silver to show my respect for them. When they return home, they must take good care of their health and avoid overwork.
Following Zhao Guoan's order, the guards rushed forward like the wind and quickly carried out the order.
Those veterans whose official seals were taken away all looked unwilling.
However, now that things have come to this, they can only thank him helplessly.
They were afraid that if they disobeyed the order again, not only would they lose the 60,000 taels of silver reward, but they might even lose their lives.
At this moment, they realized as if they had just woken up from a dream that they had unknowingly become the ones who stood up for Prince Yu.
This discovery filled them with resentment and dissatisfaction, and their hatred for Prince Yu grew more intense in their hearts, but they were powerless to do anything.
As the four veteran generals slowly retreated, the entire court fell into silence.
Zhao Guoan frowned slightly upon seeing this, and asked loudly again, "Who is willing to join the Crown Prince in the expedition to Li Kingdom to fight against the Japanese pirates?"
However, the generals who had remained silent and had not expressed their opinions before were still like statues, with no reaction.
Just as everyone was silent, a clear voice suddenly broke the silence: "Your Majesty, I am willing to follow my brother the Crown Prince to the Kingdom of Li to resist the Japanese pirates!"