"But before that," Song Qingshu changed the topic and looked at the crowd with a sharp gaze, "there is something that needs to be dealt with first."
His gaze seemed to have substance, and the hearts of everyone present trembled one after another.
"Although Li Kexiu's attack was sudden, in terms of strength, she is almost on par with our Golden Snake Camp. Why has Golden Snake Camp been retreating since the start of the battle?" Song Qingshu's voice gradually became stern as he spoke.
The generals looked at each other with shame and lowered their heads in silence. No one dared to provoke him at this time.
"You don't think about how to retreat from the enemy and spend all your energy on doubting me and doubting me. If you drag me down at a critical moment in the future, then what use do I have for you?" Song Qingshu said angrily.
"We heard that our lord was poisoned in Yangzhou, so we suspected that Xia Qingqing and the others had found someone to impersonate our lord." Someone explained in a low voice.
"Worried that they would impersonate me?" Song Qingshu raised his eyebrows and interrupted directly, "They are my women. From now on, if I am not present, they can represent me fully!"
The group of people below cursed in their hearts: Xia Qingqing was clearly Madam Yuan before, who knows when you two got together. But of course, they did not dare to say this out loud and could only nod in agreement.
Song Qingshu looked back at Zhao Min and said, "Miss Zhao, how should we deal with people who openly question the commander and refuse to carry out orders in Mongolia?"
Zhao Min was quick-witted and instantly understood his intention. She could not help but curse in her heart: This bastard wants to use me as the bad guy and buy people's hearts himself.
But this kind of help was only a slight effort and she did not mind it. She took the opportunity and said coldly, "This kind of person should be used as a sacrifice to establish our prestige."
The group of people were so scared that their faces turned pale. They all knelt down and begged for mercy. In truth, they knew very well that their actions would be punished by military law in any well-disciplined army, let alone in Mongolia. However, most of them came from the underworld, and they never paid much attention to these rules.
Song Qingshu was expressionless. His silence made those people more and more flustered. Then, he said lightly, "Seeing that you are loyal to your master, all those who participated in this attempt to force the abdication will be demoted by three ranks. If this kind of thing happens again, you will be directly punished by military law."
"Thank you, our lord!"
Zhao Min secretly sneered when she saw the group of people who looked as if they had been granted amnesty. Song QingShu, this little fox, was indeed cunning. First, he threatened these people with beheading. Then, when these people heard that they would only be demoted by three ranks, not only would they not feel resentful, but they would also be deeply grateful. If he directly said a demotion of three ranks, this group would definitely explode …
But although she saw through this, she did not want to point it out. She just looked at Song Qingshu not far away with a smile that was not a smile.
Noticing the look in Zhao Min's eyes, Song QingShu revealed a tacit smile, but in his heart he was thinking, "This group of veterans of the Golden Snake Camp are all greenwood bandits. They don't have much ability, but they have a lot of bad habits. Moreover, each leader has his own team and his own calculations. This incident of forcing the Emperor to abdicate is a warning." It is time to promote some trusted people to replace them. Of course, the whole thing cannot be rushed. Let the frog be boiled in warm water …
After everyone retreated, Song QingShu asked A 'Jiu: "A' Jiu, I have something I want to ask you. Last time I was chased in Yangzhou, the secret stronghold of the Golden Dragon Gang in Yangzhou was destroyed. Wan … What is the whereabouts of Gang Leader Jiao?"
After all, Jiao Wan 'er was Luo Liru's wife, so Song Qingshu could not be too intimate with her.
Ah-Jiu did not want to go anywhere else, so he replied, "When Li Kexiu's army attacked the base, Wan 'er happened to be away, so she was lucky to escape. She wanted to stay in Yangzhou and wait for an opportunity to save you. Who knew her whereabouts would be exposed? She was seriously injured and had to escape Yangzhou. She is now recovering in Jining. "
"That is good. If she had an accident because of me, then I would feel guilty for the rest of my life." Song Qingshu was very happy.
"That Jiao Wan 'er is also your woman?" Zhao Min suddenly asked.
Song Qingshu's face became hot, and he quickly said, "She has a husband. Don't talk nonsense and ruin her reputation." In front of Zhou Zhiruo and Ah-Jiu, Song Qingshu was too embarrassed to admit it. More importantly, keeping their relationship secret gave him a sense of excitement, and it did not hurt her reputation.
"Really?" Zhao Min looked like she was smiling, but she was not smiling. She seemed to have guessed something.
Feeling guilty, Song QingShu hurriedly changed the topic. "Although we're prepared to negotiate peace with the Southern Song, we can't reveal our trump card directly. Otherwise, the officials of the Southern Song court will take a mile after we give them an inch. Therefore, on my way south, I need you to continue to show an aggressive posture toward the Southern Song, so that they will take the initiative to propose peace negotiations."
Looking at the women, Song Qingshu said, "Ah-Jiu, when the time comes, the Golden Snake Camp will be under your command. You need to keep pressuring the Southern Song, but you cannot go too far and start a war. You need to be careful."
"No problem." Ah-Jiu had been in charge of the Golden Snake Camp for a long time. Plus, he was born in the royal family, so he had a good sense of politics. He was the best person to do this.
"Zhiruo, make use of this opportunity. Don't go back to the White Lotus Society. You'll stay here and absorb Li Kexiu's territory." Song Qingshu knew that Zhou Zhiruo always had a sense of crisis. Instead of letting her return to the White Lotus Society and risk her life, he might as well give her some authority so that she would have more confidence.
The world did not know about the relationship between Zhou Zhiruo and Zhou Ziwang. When Zhou Zhiruo sneaked into the White Lotus Society, she did not use her original name. At the same time, she went through a simple disguise. Therefore, no one would know that she was the Sect Master of the Emei Sect, Zhou Zhiruo. With this disguise, the White Lotus Society would not suspect her for the time being.
When Zhou Zhiruo heard that her husband wanted her to manage Jianghuai, Zhou Zhiruo was pleasantly surprised. She glanced at Zhao Min and came up with a plan. "Sure, but I don't have any experience in dealing with government affairs. Little Sister Zhao happens to be an expert in this aspect. Why don't you let her stay and help me?"
Zhou Zhiruo knew that Zhao Min knew too many of Song Qingshu's secrets. Song Qingshu did not dare to let Zhao Min leave before he took any measures. But if he let the vixen Zhao Min follow him all day, it was hard to guarantee that the two of them wouldn't hook up. The best way was to keep her under his watch.
Before Song Qingshu could say anything, Zhao Min jumped up. "Absolutely not!"
Zhou Zhiruo blinked innocently. "Does Miss Zhao hate me that much? You're not willing to help me at all?"
"Pfft, don't pretend to be so pitiful in front of me. Do you think I don't know what you're planning?" Zhao Min snorted coldly. "If I fall into your hands, I'll lose a layer of skin even if I don't die."
Zhou Zhiruo put on a wronged look as if she was so sad that she was about to cry. "So in Miss Zhao's heart, I'm so unbearable."
Her attitude made Zhao Min feel disgusted. She shivered all over. "Don't be disgusting. I've got goosebumps."
The two women quarreled fiercely. Song Qingshu was also lost in thought. It was really inconvenient to take Zhao Min with him to the Southern Song. The longer she stayed with him, the more secrets she would know. It was a good idea to let her stay in Yangzhou. Besides, with Zhou Zhiruo watching, he was not afraid that she would run away. Although Zhao Min was resourceful, Zhou Zhiruo was also good at scheming. At the same time, she had the advantage of martial arts. Otherwise, the two women would not have been evenly matched for so many years.
However, the only problem now was that if he handed over Zhao Min to Zhou Zhiruo, she would definitely suffer a lot. Although Zhou Zhiruo was his wife, he did not want Zhao Min to be wronged too much.
Unfortunately, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't think of a good way to satisfy both sides. Looking at the two women who were still bickering, Song QingShu's heart suddenly lit up. Why was he blindly worrying? With Zhao Min's intelligence, how could she not have a way to protect herself? What's more, Zhou Zhiruo still needed her help to deal with government affairs, which was enough for the two women to argue.
"Well, let's do it. Miss Zhao, you stay and help Zhiruo. When I come back from the Southern Song, I will accompany you to find the antidote for the Three Corpse Brain Pill." Song Qingshu promised.
Zhao Min frowned slightly. Obviously, she was hesitating whether to accept it or not.
Song Qingshu continued, "I know what you are worried about. Zhiruo, during this time, you are not allowed to bully Miss Zhao."
Zhou Zhiruo smiled slightly, "Don't worry, I will treat Miss Zhao well."
Her tone was strange. Not to mention Zhao Min, even Song Qingshu realized that her words were deliberately vague. He had to point to Ah-Jiu beside him and said, "Miss Zhao, when the time comes, you can find Ah-Jiu if you need any help."
Zhao Min's eyes lit up, and then she was relieved, "Well, I will reluctantly stay and help you clean up the mess here."
Because the situation on both sides of the river was very tense, Song Qingshu was worried that a little carelessness would really lead to a fight, so he did not dare to delay. He arranged a little matters in Yangzhou and left that night.
Song Qingshu was well aware that he could not take the initiative to propose peace negotiations. Otherwise, the Southern Song Dynasty would see through the real situation, and it would be extremely disadvantageous to the Golden Snake Camp at the negotiating table.
However, it was tricky for the Southern Song Dynasty to take the initiative to propose peace negotiations, so he needed a middleman to mediate. Considering the status, weight, and feasibility, the most suitable candidate was Han Xingzhou.
However, Song Qingshu did not directly go to Lin 'an to find Han Xingzhou. After all, he and Han Xingzhou had only met once in Yangzhou, and they were not deep friends. Although they had a good chat at that time, things had changed with the passage of time. He did not know what Han Xingzhou's attitude was now.
Song Qingshu was not afraid of any danger. After all, with his current cultivation, even if Han Xingzhou turned hostile, he had no ability to keep him. What he was afraid of was alerting the enemy at such a delicate time. At that time, it would be impossible for him to find another middleman.
"Then I'll find another middleman to test Han Xingzhou." Song Qingshu quickly came up with an idea. He bypassed Lin 'an and continued south to the Shanyin Six Families.
Special thanks to King of Meat Pigeon, Maple Ayin, Wei Mo, Call Me Peasant, Sand Tells the Wind, Soul Returns to Dreams, Faded Cloud and Breeze Kong, and other book friends for their support! At the same time, thank all book friends for their monthly tickets and subscriptions.
In addition, today's public account book friend A1ONE left a message saying that he read the pirated version, and then tipped 100 yuan at the end of the article. He also said that the money was not much.
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