Song City! At the entrance of the royal palace!
Many haggard people knelt on the ground, crying out in grief.
"Your Majesty, please uphold justice. Return us to justice. Arrest the bandits and return us our belongings!"
"Your Majesty, this commoner has paid countless taxes every year. Now, all of our belongings have been stolen. Your Majesty, please uphold justice!"
"Your Majesty, Imperial Tutor Pang ordered his servants to steal our belongings. Your Majesty, please punish Imperial Tutor Pang!"
"Your Majesty, this commoner has evidence. Imperial Tutor Pang's servants stole our belongings and turned them into bandits. Your Majesty, please punish them!"
… … …
… … …
… …
These were all merchants of Song City. At this moment, they were all kneeling at the entrance of the royal palace, crying as they waited for the emperor to uphold justice.
In a pavilion not far away:
Gu Hai and Gu Han looked at the group of merchants before them, and a cold glint flashed in their eyes.
"Adoptive Father, the few at the front are our men!" Gu Han pointed into the distance.
Gu Hai nodded, "Let's wait patiently. More and more people will be coming to lodge complaints. Not only Song City, but even the wealthy merchants of the surrounding cities will be coming to lodge complaints."
"That Imperial Tutor Pang deserves it. His table manners are too unsightly! Over the past few days, he actually ordered his servants and subordinates to rob the shops, hoping to fish in troubled waters? Hah, we have already made preparations. We have recorded everything! "Gu Han smiled.
"Imperial Tutor Pang? What a shriveled old man. To think that he would be so greedy! "Gu Hai sighed.
"It is fine that he is greedy. What this child dislikes the most is that this old fellow does not respect himself. He is already so old, yet he keeps on harming young girls. He harms them at least once every three days. In the eyes of those rotten nobles, this might be fun. However, to me, it is disgusting and shameless. I heard that more than a dozen young girls were killed by this old fellow! What a sin! "Gu Han said hatefully.
"That is why I said that retribution is here!" Gu Hai smiled coldly.
"Adoptive Father, will King Song really execute Imperial Tutor Pang? After all, he is King Song's teacher! "Gu Han said worriedly.
"Hah, teacher? King Song even beheaded his own grandson, let alone a mere subject, "Gu Hai sneered coldly.
"Yes!" Gu Han nodded with a frown.
"I believe that news of the Chen Nation's army entering the Song Nation has already reached the royal court..
"They should have. This child saw them rushing into the Imperial Palace at top speed." Gu Han nodded.
"The news of the front lines being routed like a landslide should have already spread. The cities in the various regions are no longer able to put up any resistance. The Chen Nation's army is unstoppable, and the Song Nation's citizens and army are not thinking of repaying their country. How can the Song Nation not be afraid? Right now, he should be in boundless fear! "Gu Hai smiled.
Song.... the Song of the nation's Song..... of the nation nation nation nation....... of the nation nation nation nation nation.
It is like a sick adult meeting a child charging at him with a saber. Although the adult is strong, he is so sick that he cannot move. He can only let the child kill him. If the adult had time to recuperate, he might be able to recover. However, there is no time for the adult now, "Gu Hai said as he sipped his tea.
"What the Song Nation lacks the most is time. With the Chen Nation's army pressing in, given their speed, they should be able to reach Song City soon and destroy the Song Nation," Gu Han said after some thought.
"Hence, we can only treat a part of the adult's body as soon as possible. At the very least, we can stop the child!" Gu Hai smiled.
"Treat? How? The citizens who benefited now reject the Song Nation. Now that they are rich, they value their lives even more. As for the citizens who suffered, they already hate the Song Nation and resent it. How can they save the Song Nation? "Gu Han said with a frown.
"The citizens of the Song Nation are split into two groups: the ones who suffered and the ones who benefited. Since neither side is willing to fight for the nation, we can only choose one side to appease. Can we appease the ones who benefited? "Gu Hai instructed.
"Pardon the crimes of robbers and let them resist the Chen Nation's army?" Gu Han's expression changed.
"Is that feasible?" Gu Hai asked again.
"Uh, it doesn't seem feasible. If we pardon their crimes, the citizens who suffered will immediately rebel. The Song Nation will descend into chaos. If they continue robbing and killing, the Song Nation might collapse on its own even before the Chen Nation's army comes. Furthermore, the people who benefited might not join the army. After they benefited, they lost their patriotism. As long as they enjoy wealth, it does not matter whether the nation is the Chen Nation or the Song Nation, "Gu Han said after thinking.
"If we cannot appease the ones who benefited, we can only appease the ones who suffered!" Gu Hai said with confidence flashing in his eyes.
"Appease the ones who suffered? The merchants kneeling in front of the palace and the citizens who did not manage to snatch anything or had their belongings stolen? "Gu Han looked at the plaza.
"Indeed. However, how should we appease them? Can we help them get their belongings back?" Gu Hai asked with a smile.
"That is absolutely impossible. Those belongings have already been hidden by the people who benefited. How can we spit out the fatty meat that is already in our mouths? If we enforce it, it will only cause more chaos. Those people who benefited will definitely rebel. Furthermore, the situation will only worsen, "Gu Han said with a changed expression.
"Then, what should we do?" Gu Hai asked.
"Hold them accountable!" Gu Han's expression changed.
"How do we do that?" Gu Hai asked with a smile.
"Kill them, shake their hearts, and vent their anger!" Gu Han's expression changed.
"Kill who?"
"As long as we can vent the anger of the citizens, the Song Emperor will kill anyone. He will even kill the crown prince! "Excitement flashed in Gu Han's eyes.
"Hence, the third round is the simplest. The situation is already set and cannot be reversed. We are just going with the flow and speeding up the process!" Gu Hai said with a smile.
"Yes, this child understands. This Imperial Tutor Pang deserved it? "Gu Han asked with bright eyes.
Gu Hai nodded.
In the royal assembly in Song City:
"The Chen Nation's army has already charged into my Song Nation. To think that the border city only lasted for one day before falling? Where is Gao Xianzhi? Where is Gao Xianzhi?! "Crown Prince Song said anxiously.
The Song Emperor sat on his throne, his expression changing continuously. The officials below also felt anxious and uneasy.
Crown Prince Song shouted angrily at the messenger. "Disperse!
Everyone dispersed. Grand Marshal Gao's army is also in chaos. There is no way to stop them. Everyone ran away, and no one tried to stop them. Some meddlesome citizens even helped to open the city gates. The Chen Nation's army is still in a state of no one and only met with some resistance, "the messenger said bitterly.
"The people's hearts are already lost? The arrival of the Chen Nation's army is making things worse? "Prime Minister Liu, the leader of the right, said with an unsightly expression.
"What should we do? The citizens and soldiers are not willing to fight. Are they disappointed in my Song Nation? This Gu Hai is too scary! "
"The main problem is the earlier decision. Back then, when the Gu Song Silversmith was robbed, we should not have encouraged them. We should not have started this! "
"Indeed. If we had not started this, we would not have lost the people's hearts!"
…
…
…
At this moment, the group of officials complained endlessly.
Crown Prince Song revealed a bitter expression as he turned his head and said, "Imperial Father, this son is at fault. Back then, this son hated Gu Hai. After hearing the lies of the merchant Tian Han, this son regretted it. However, when I went to look for Tian Han again, he was already gone. The Tian Residence is empty! "
"Tian Han? Tian Han? Tian? Oh no! "Prime Minister Liu's expression changed drastically.
"Huh?" Everyone looked at Prime Minister Liu.
"Your Majesty, this old official knows who Tian Han is. Tian Han is the character for 'Tian'. The character for 'Tian' is' ten in the mouth, 'and' ten in the mouth! '" Prime Minister Liu's expression changed.
"Tian Han? Gu Han? Gu Hai's second adopted son? "The expressions of the officials immediately changed dramatically.
Plop! Crown Prince Song's expression changed as he collapsed to the ground.
Originally, Crown Prince Song guessed that Tian Han was one of Gu Hai's people. However, he did not expect that Tian Han was Gu Hai's adopted son. Tian Han had been hiding by his side all along?
"Gu Hai!" The Song Emperor's expression turned extremely unsightly.
"Your Majesty, we need to appease the resentment of some people and get them to resist the Chen Army!" Prime Minister Liu said bitterly.
"Prime Minister, tell me how to appease the resentment of the people. As long as we can appease the resentment of the people and encourage them to resist the Chen Army, we will agree!" The Song Emperor looked anxiously at Prime Minister Liu.
After a moment of silence, Prime Minister Liu said bitterly, "Your Majesty, it is clearly impossible to return the stolen items now. There is no time. The Chen Army is already here. Even if we use all the money in our national treasury, we will not be able to fill this hole. It is too difficult to appease the resentment of the people! "
"Tell the people clearly that we do not want to do this either. As long as the people have a change of heart, as long as the people are willing to resist the Chen Army, we are willing to satisfy all their requests," the Song Emperor said anxiously.
"To appease the anger of the people, to appease the resentment of the people, to appease the disappointment of the people, we need to get rid of the culprits. Only then can we get the people to trust my Song Nation again! "Prime Minister Liu said seriously.
"The culprits? The culprits are Gu Hai and Gu Han! "the Song Emperor said with a frown.
"Indeed. However, if we cannot find them, how can we get rid of them? In that case, let's move on to the next level. Back then, who was the one who suggested turning the people into bandits? Who infuriated the people? Who was the one who pursued the people? "Prime Minister Liu said seriously.
"Huh?" The royal court instantly turned strange and angry.
"Prime Minister Liu, you want to kill me?" Crown Prince Song's expression suddenly changed.
"Prime Minister Liu, what do you mean?" The Imperial Tutor Pang's expression changed as well.
Prime Minister Liu said bitterly, "The crown prince is the continuation of the nation and cannot be killed easily. Otherwise, it will only make things worse. Back then, when the crown prince suggested it, the Imperial Tutor Pang was the first to support it. I thought that you were thinking for the Song Nation. However, I did not expect that the Imperial Tutor did it for yourself. This time, the Imperial Tutor is the biggest winner of turning the people into bandits, right? You sent out all your servants and subordinates to rob the people. At the same time, you immediately came up with a plan to get your servants to rush to the surrounding cities and get your disciples to join in the robbery. You, the Imperial Tutor Pang, robbed the most. Now that the Song Nation is in chaos, you cannot absolve yourself of the blame! "
"Wow!" An uproar immediately broke out in the hall.
Is Prime Minister Liu going to fight it out with the Imperial Tutor Pang?
"Bastard! Prime Minister Liu, could it be that this old man was the only one who gave the orders? Did you not? Which of the officials in the royal court did not? "the Imperial Tutor Pang immediately shouted angrily.
"But no one is as ugly as you. Do you know whose name those victims are shouting outside the Imperial Palace right now? They have clearly listed all the crimes that the Imperial Tutor Pang committed. Your crimes are very clear. The people want to kill you. Only by killing you can they resolve their resentment. Imperial Tutor Pang, please sacrifice yourself for my Song Nation! "Prime Minister Liu suddenly bowed to the Imperial Tutor Pang.
"Imperial Tutor Pang, please sacrifice yourself for the nation!" the group of officials shouted and bowed.
"Bastards! You all! You all!" The Imperial Tutor Pang pointed at the crowd with an unsightly expression.
The Song Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his eyelids twitching. As he looked at the Imperial Tutor Pang, he did not know how to express his feelings.
"Your Majesty, I did give the orders to my servants. However, I was not the only one. All the officials in the royal court were involved. All of this is Gu Hai's scheme!" the Imperial Tutor Pang shouted in shock.
"Imperial Tutor Pang, the people want you to die. If you don't die, my Song Nation will cease to exist. For the Song Nation, please sacrifice yourself for the nation!" Prime Minister Liu bowed again.
"Imperial Tutor Pang, please sacrifice yourself for the nation!" All the officials shouted and bowed to the Imperial Tutor Pang again.
"You all!" The Imperial Tutor Pang looked at all the officials in fear.
In the past, these officials were very supportive of him. When he gave an order, they would all agree. Many of them were his disciples. However, at this moment, all of them wanted him to die?
The Imperial Tutor Pang suddenly fell into a trance. It was as if he saw Gu Hai standing in the royal court wearing armor. He held a long sword in his hand and pointed it at him. With one order, all the officials became Gu Hai's subordinates and listened to Gu Hai's orders. Was he forcing him to die?
The Imperial Tutor Pang's hair stood on end.
King Song stood up from the Dragon Throne and walked in front of the Imperial Tutor Pang. He suddenly bowed to the Imperial Tutor Pang and said, "Imperial Tutor, the nation is in trouble. Please help the nation and its people!"
The Imperial Tutor Pang's body turned cold.
This Gu Hai was no longer commanding the officials. Even King Song was commanding him. Commanding King Song to force him to die? Force him to die?
The Imperial Tutor Pang suddenly laughed in despair, "Hahahahaha!"
"This old subject has served the Song Dynasty for three reigns and has worked hard for the Song Dynasty for seventy years. I have weathered many storms and solved many difficult problems. I have devoted myself to the Song Dynasty, but in the end …!" Imperial Tutor Pang said bitterly.
"Imperial Tutor!" King Song said bitterly.
"Your Majesty, I don't blame you. I blame that Gu Hai for being too terrifying. I don't have much time left. I hope that my sacrifice will bring good luck to the Song Nation!" The Imperial Tutor Pang took off his official hat and said bitterly.
"The Imperial Tutor is righteous!" Everyone bowed.
The next day.
Under the watchful eyes of the people of Song City. The Imperial Tutor of the current dynasty was tied up and brought to the entrance of the market for his crimes.
In an instant, all the citizens of Song City went to look at the 'culprit'. At this moment, they felt as though they had regained some of their lost hearts.
"That is the Imperial Tutor Pang!"
"Serves him right!"
"It is all the Imperial Tutor Pang's fault. He caused me to lose my family fortune!"
"I heard that the Emperor gave the order to search the Imperial Tutor Pang's house and return all the stolen goods to us!"
"That's great! Long live the Emperor!"
… … …
… … …
… …
The Imperial Tutor Pang knelt on the execution platform. His face twisted as he said, "Gu Hai, my son will definitely take revenge for me!"
"Behead!"
"Peng!"
Blood filled the sky. The Imperial Tutor of the current dynasty, who was below only the Emperor and above everyone else, was beheaded at the entrance of the market for the sake of venting the anger of the citizens.
In an instant, Song City regained some of its vitality. The resentment of the citizens was greatly reduced.
However, Gu Hai and Gu Han, who stood at the back of the crowd, heaved sighs of relief.
"Alright, the Imperial Tutor Pang is dead. Let's begin. This battle is about to end!" Gu Hai said with some excitement.
"Yes!" Gu Han said excitedly.
The news of the Imperial Tutor Pang being beheaded at the entrance of the market quickly spread throughout the Song Nation.
All the City Lords of the various cities received this shocking news.
The Imperial Tutor Pang ordered his servants to rob the citizens of their belongings. He should be beheaded according to the nation's laws!
Song Nation, Rong City: Main Hall of the City Lord's Residence:
When the City Lord of Rong City saw the news from Song City, he was stunned.
"How can this be? The Imperial Tutor Pang? How could he behead him? Rob the citizens of their belongings? He is the Imperial Tutor! "the City Lord of Rong City said with an unsightly expression.
"Master, we also …!" a butler said worriedly.
"What are you afraid of? No one knows. That Imperial Tutor Pang went overboard and the citizens caught on to him. We did it secretly. It will be fine! "the City Lord of Rong City said with raised eyebrows.
"Oh no! Oh no! Master!" A servant quickly ran into the hall.
"What's wrong?" the City Lord of Rong City glared.
That servant immediately took out a piece of paper and said, "Master, it's bad. I don't know who organized this, but it is spreading everywhere in Rong City. This lowly one brought back a copy!"
The City Lord of Rong City snatched the paper and read it carefully. As he read, he broke out in a cold sweat.
"How can this be? Did I order all the robberies? Who to rob, what to rob, and who to send to rob are all recorded in such detail? I don't even remember it myself. How could it be recorded so clearly? Is this evidence? "the City Lord of Rong City exclaimed.
"I don't know. I don't know who spread it!" The servant shook his head.
"Could it be Gu Hai? He made preparations long ago, so he sent people to keep an eye on him, "the butler said worriedly.
"Master, I also heard that many people left the city with this evidence and went to the imperial court to complain," the servant said.
"What? Complain? "The City Lord of Rong City immediately staggered.
Imperial Tutor Pang was such a noble person. However, he was beheaded in front of concrete evidence. How could he compare to Imperial Tutor Pang?
"Master, what should we do now? The Chen Army is about to attack! "the butler said worriedly.
The City Lord of Rong City showed an uncertain expression.
"The Song Nation? There is no point in remaining in the Song Nation. Inform all the officials to come over. We … we will submit to the Chen Nation. We will bring Rong City and surrender to the Chen Nation, "the City Lord of Rong City said firmly.
"Ah?" the two exclaimed in shock.
Chen Liangyi slowly led the army to the Song Nation's capital.
At first, they met with some resistance. However, a strange scene soon followed.
When Chen Liangyi's army arrived, the city gates in the distance opened. The officials in the city welcomed them warmly, crying and complaining about how much they missed them. Their tone expressed their boundless hatred for the Song Nation and boundless love for the Chen Nation.
That scene made those who heard cry and those who heard feel sad. They cried and shouted, wanting to kneel before him. It was like they would commit suicide if he did not accept them as subordinates.
"What's going on?"
Chen Liangyi appeared confused. Back when Guqin asked him to lead the army, he had felt somewhat worried. However, after entering the Song Nation, everything he saw overturned his understanding.
Chen Tianshan felt confused as well.
"This is the Song Nation?" Chen Tianshan asked, finding it strange.
Back then, when Chen Tianshan reclaimed the Chen Nation's lost land, it was not so exaggerated. Not long after, the Song Nation's cities were no longer about to be conquered. Instead, the various City Lords were fighting to hand over authority to him.
Am I dreaming?
Chen Liangyi and Chen Tianshan subdued a large portion of the Song Nation in a daze. How was this subduing? This was simply picking up for free. Even picking up for free would not be so fast. These were free gifts, fighting to be the first to give them to Chen Tianshan.
Chen Liangyi's view of the world turned upside down.
Be it the ordinary people, officials, or soldiers, no one rejected him along the way.
What's going on with the Song Nation?
The Chen Nation's army slowly advanced towards Song City.
When the Song Emperor heard the news from the various places in Song City, he wished he could smash his head into a pillar and die. He made another foolish move, imprisoning the crown prince and killing the Grand Preceptor. Now, the Song Nation's cities were rapidly decreasing.
The Song Emperor still did not know this. At this moment, all the officials in the capital, Song City, revealed horrified expressions.
This was because all the officials received a strange piece of paper in their hands. The paper described how they ordered their servants to steal the wealth of the ordinary people. This was even more detailed than the Grand Preceptor's crime.
The list of crimes made almost all of the ministers feel a sense of despair.
Even the Grand Preceptor was killed. What about us?
The many crimes weighed down on all the officials' hearts like mountains. The officials immediately fell into chaos. They quickly rushed to the residences of the other officials to discuss.
The number of ordinary people kneeling outside the palace gradually increased. These people came from the various cities of the Song Nation, including Song City itself. Countless ordinary people asked the emperor to continue to make decisions.
At this moment, the Song Emperor was at a loss. He sat alone in the hall. He did not know what to do.
"Whoosh!"
At this moment, Prime Minister Liu led a large number of officials into the hall.
"Prime Minister Liu, you are all here. What should we do about the current situation? I heard that the Chen Nation's army will reach Song City in less than five days, "the Song Emperor said helplessly.
The officials looked at each other.
"Your Majesty, sorry for the offense!" Prime Minister Liu said.
"Huh?" The Song Emperor's expression changed.
"Men, seize the emperor. Open the city gates and welcome the Chen Nation's King into the city!" Prime Minister Liu ordered.
"What are you doing? What are you doing? "The Song Emperor's expression changed.
"Your Majesty, we were forced into a corner. We can't win against Gu Hai. We were also forced into this. Your Majesty, please grant us our wish! "Prime Minister Liu said bitterly.
"Your Majesty, please grant us our wish!" the officials said respectfully.
"You … you … you still have the heart of an official? I am the emperor. I am the Song Nation's emperor. How dare you! "the Song Emperor shouted with a glare.
"Your Majesty's incompetence has caused us to lose our hearts. This is the general trend. Your Majesty, we have already taken control of your secret guards. Any further struggle will be futile!" Prime Minister Liu said bitterly.
Lost their hearts! Lost their hearts!
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