"Your Majesty, the Ashina Society has already been executed! Heluugu will be exiled to Lingnan and will set off today. "
In the Taiji Palace, Li Daozong, the Minister of Justice, respectfully reported to Li Shimin. So far, the two main plotters of the assassination case had been executed. On the surface, the rebellion in the Ninety Percent Palace was over, but everyone knew that the real undercurrent had just begun.
Li Shimin nodded slightly. This matter was related to the relationship between the Turks and the Tang dynasty. It was already the best result for both the Tang dynasty and the Turks to control only a few people to be implicated.
"Your Majesty, the main culprits of this rebellion case have been punished, and more loyal people have emerged. Many loyal imperial guards have sacrificed themselves to protect Your Majesty, and many loyal generals have made great contributions. Those who are wrong will be punished and those who are meritorious will be rewarded. I would like to ask for these loyal generals and soldiers to be rewarded," Fang Xuanling said. Fang Xuanling said. He was the head of all the officials, so it was reasonable for him to ask for credit for the Imperial Guard. However, his loyalty was a bit meaningful.
Li Shimin's face relaxed a little. He nodded and said, "Give three times the pension to the soldiers who sacrificed themselves. Give one year's worth of silver to the soldiers who participated in the rescue as a reward. Other generals and soldiers who made great contributions will be rewarded."
After all, the traitors were only a few people, and most people were still loyal to him, which made him feel a little better.
"On behalf of the soldiers, I thank Your Majesty for the generous reward." Fang Xuanling solemnly bowed to Li Shimin.
Li Ji, the temporary Minister of War, followed Fang Xuanling and said. "During the rescue, Merton had the merit of warning. When the Eightfold Palace guards were heavily injured, he led the Eightfold Palace guards to kill dozens of rebel soldiers and led the remaining soldiers to support the Ninefold Palace. He scared away the leader of the rebel army, Ashina Jieshao, and saved His Majesty from danger. He deserves the most credit."
The officials couldn't help but be in an uproar. They had only heard that the Mo Clan's son had made contributions, but they didn't think that he would play such a big role in this assassination. Thinking of this, they couldn't help but recall a rumor that the Mo Clan's son had a peerless weapon that would kill anyone struck.
"This is the Minister's duty. I dare not claim credit for it." Meton stepped forward. After all, he was also on the rebel army's attack list. He was also doing this to protect himself.
Li Shimin looked at Meton with a gentle gaze for the first time. He nodded slowly and said, "Meritorious deeds must be rewarded. If you don't take the credit, what will the others do?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Meton didn't refuse and cupped his hands in respect.
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Meton has the merit of saving His Majesty. He will be promoted by one rank, from the fifth rank to the fourth rank. He will be reinstated as the Fire Weapon Supervisor."
Such a young fourth rank official! When the ministers looked at Mo Dun, they couldn't help but feel a little envious. Not long ago, when they were promoted to the fourth rank, their hair was already white, but the son of the Mo family had already reached it at such a young age. However, this time, no one had any objections. After all, the merit of saving the Emperor was there, and no one dared to object.
No one even objected to reinstating the position of the Fire Weapon Supervisor. First of all, the Fire Weapon Supervisor had been divided into two, and the importance of the position of the Fire Weapon Supervisor was not as great as before. Moreover, even the Western Turks and Tubo had raised the importance of Mo Jiazi infinitely and listed him as a must-kill. If the Tang Dynasty left him idle, it would be criticized. Not to mention, the peerless weapon in Merton's hands had begun to show its power. The Fire Weapon Supervisor could only shine in the hands of Mo Jiazi. Therefore, the position of the Fire Weapon Supervisor could only be taken by Mo Jiazi.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Meton bowed and said.
Zhangsun Chong, the last of the generals, couldn't help but have a strange expression. He had just divided the Fire Weapon Army from the Fire Weapon Supervisor, and in the blink of an eye, Mo Jiazi had regained control of the Fire Weapon Supervisor. He was afraid that their grievances would continue.
Li Ji continued, "Zhe Chong Chaplain Sun Wukai guarded the Jiuchong Palace. He was loyal to his duty and used his quick wit to distinguish between friend and foe. He held on until the arrival of the reinforcements.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to die for you." Sun Wukai plopped down on his knees in the Taiji Palace, expressing his loyalty to Li Shimin excitedly.
Li Shimin nodded his head in satisfaction. He had just experienced a rebellion and liked to hear words of loyalty the most. He immediately said, "Sun Wukai has contributed to the defense. He is promoted from the sixth rank Zhe Chong Chaplain to the fifth rank Zhe Chong Chaplain. He is hereby granted the title of Viscount of Kaiguo County."
Upon hearing these words, Sun Wukai was shocked. He suddenly kowtowed to Li Shimin and said gratefully, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."
He might be able to reach the fifth rank Zhe Chong Chaplain in his lifetime, but it would be difficult for him to reach the title of Kaiguo County in his lifetime. Li Shimin's reward for him was very generous.
"Qin Huaiyu and the other Zhe Chong Chaplains pursued the enemy and captured the leader of the Ashina Society. They are considered to have contributed." Li Shimin bowed and said.
Qin Huaiyu and the other two bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty, we deserve to die ten thousand times."
Li Shimin said, "You know shame and bravery. You are able to atone for your crimes by capturing the leader of the Ashina Society. You should be rewarded. The three of you are promoted from the sixth rank Zhe Chong Chaplain to the fifth rank Zhe Chong Chaplain."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your reward." The three of them heaved a sigh of relief. Their judgment had been correct. Being able to atone for their crimes was already the greatest fortune.
Li Shimin gave out rewards to the following soldiers who had contributed. Of course, the rewards were not as great as those for the first three ranks, but they were all generously rewarded.
Throughout the entire process, there was only one person who was the most disappointed, and that was Xi Junbao. As the general responsible for protecting Li Shimin's safety, he had encountered an assassination attempt. No matter what, he could not escape responsibility.
Just when everyone thought that the rewards were over, the newly appointed Zhe Chong Chaplain, Sun Wukai, stepped forward and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial."
"Oh! What memorial does Minister Sun have? "Li Shimin had a very good impression of Sun Wukai and could not help but smile.
Sun Wukai solemnly said, "This subject observed the assassination attempt and discovered that there was a great flaw in the plan to protect Your Majesty. This subject was immediately unable to sleep at night and spent the night coming up with a foolproof plan to protect Your Majesty."
Li Shimin's eyes flashed and said, "Please explain in detail."
Sun Wukai loudly said, "This subject believes that within the various generals, there is a high frequency of personal relationships. The Fifth and Sixth Palaces were breached by the rebel army because of this, and military orders should be obeyed like mountains. Secondly, the Imperial Guard should be equipped with a code to prevent unknown people from infiltrating. If the code does not match, they should not be allowed to enter to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of the situation. Thirdly …"
"Lastly, this subject believes that Your Majesty's forces should be strengthened. I have heard that Mo Jiu possesses a peerless weapon. If all of Your Majesty's Imperial Guards are equipped with such weapons, I fear that no one in the world will be able to get close to Your Majesty." Sun Wukai cheerfully said.
Coincidentally, it was not only Xi Junbao who had his eyes on Meton's peerless weapon, even Sun Wukai had his eyes on it. Such a lethal weapon was enough to move the hearts of the soldiers.
Meton stepped out and shook his head, "This weapon is not yet mature and cannot be mass produced. However, this subject will order the Firearms Division to continue researching it. I will ensure Your Majesty's safety as soon as possible."
Li Shimin slowly nodded. He had seen the weapon before, and it was indeed damaged after a few uses.
Sun Wukai regretfully nodded and said, "Since the weapon cannot be used for the time being, this subject believes that as long as this subject follows this subject's plan, Your Majesty's safety will be assured."
Sun Wukai eloquently attacked the loopholes in the existing defenses. The important officials in the court were all cunning foxes. How could they not know what Sun Wukai's goal was? On the surface, he was giving a suggestion, but in reality, he was attacking the Imperial Guard Commander Xi Junbao's incompetent guards.
"This subject accuses the Imperial Guard Commander Xi Junbao of incompetent guards, causing Your Majesty to be in danger."
"This assassination attempt was due to Xi Junbao's negligence."
"This subject requests that Xi Junbao be removed from his position and that he be held accountable."
… … …
In an instant, Xi Junbao became the target of public criticism. The officials all began to accuse Xi Junbao.
Li Shimin looked at Xi Junbao and frowned. "Xi Junbao, what do you have to say?"
Xi Junbao stepped forward and knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness. "This subject's negligence has caused Your Majesty to be in danger. This subject is duty-bound. This subject is willing to be punished. However, this subject has something to say. When Your Majesty has finished listening to this subject, you may be killed or punished. This subject will not complain at all."
"Speak!" Li Shimin said expressionlessly.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there is no such thing as a perfect plan in this world. There is only a safer plan. An assassination attempt is not something that can be solved once and for all. The thief army will always try to find loopholes in the security and plot against Your Majesty." As soon as Xi Junbao's words came out, he immediately rejected Sun Wukai's perfect plan. The entire court suddenly felt like they were opposing each other.
Li Shimin frowned, somewhat dissatisfied. In his view, Sun Wukai's plan was already extremely thorough. If he had used it earlier, the thief army would have been discovered as soon as they entered the Palace of Ninety Percent, and they wouldn't have been able to attack him.
Sun Wukai couldn't help but mock, "So General Xi believes that the assassination attempt in the Palace of Ninety Percent wasn't your fault, but that the Ashina Alliance was too cunning."
All the officials couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh. If Xi Junbao had honestly admitted his mistake, perhaps the emperor would have let him off out of consideration for their previous friendship. But now, he was constantly trying to shirk responsibility, and this would probably only make Li Shimin unhappy.
Xi Junbao shook his head. "This subject is not shirking responsibility. Even if General Sun Zhonglang's plan was foolproof, if they encountered Merton's peerless weapon, would they really be able to defend against it?"
Everyone immediately fell silent. According to Xi Junbao's plan, it really would be difficult to defend against it.
"Then according to General Xi, there is no one in the world who can protect Your Majesty.
Sun Wukai coldly snorted. In his view, Xi Junbao was just quibbling, trying to absolve himself of blame.
Xi Junbao solemnly said, "If Your Majesty wants to be safe, there is only one way, and that is to use your own spear to attack your own shield. This subject intends to divide the Imperial Guard into two, one side defending while the other pretending to be assassins. The two sides will attack and defend against each other. If the pretending assassins can break through the defending side, then it will prove that Your Majesty's defense still has a hole, and you will need to strengthen the defense until Your Majesty's defense is impenetrable. Only then can Your Majesty's safety be guaranteed. This is the defense this subject has offered to Your Majesty."
After Xi Junbao finished speaking, all the officials looked at him in surprise, as if they were seeing him for the first time.
Just now, when they heard Sun Wukai's defense plan, they felt that it was perfect. When Xi Junbao's plan came out, Sun Wukai's defense plan immediately became a joke. Sun Wukai's defense plan was only a matter of hindsight, patching up the holes in the Ninety Percent Palace's plan one by one. As for whether or not there were any holes in it, it was unknown.
However, Xi Junbao's defense plan was constantly upgraded until it was perfect. Xi Junbao said that there was no foolproof plan, but everyone knew that this was the foolproof plan.
Sun Wukai's face immediately turned pale. He hadn't expected Xi Junbao to come up with such a plan. Compared to the two plans, his plan that he thought was foolproof suddenly became a joke.
"Minister only wishes for Your Majesty's safety. I offered this plan, not to absolve myself of blame. This time, the Ninety Percent Palace failed in its duty, and this subject is willing to accept punishment." Xi Junbao prostrated himself.
Li Shimin gave Xi Junbao a deep look. Even he was stunned by Xi Junbao's plan. He couldn't help but feel moved. "Using the enemy's spear to attack the enemy's shield. This was something that you came up with."
Xi Junbao shook his head and smiled bitterly. "This subject is stupid. How could I have come up with such a plan? Otherwise, how could I have allowed Your Majesty to be in danger? After the Ninety Percent Palace's incident, this Minister painfully blamed himself for failing to live up to Your Majesty's trust. For this reason, this subject specially asked Merton for advice."
Xi Junbao didn't hide anything. He took the credit for this and directly told the truth about Meton.
Suddenly, the officials understood. They had thought that Xi Junbao's plan was unbelievably good. It didn't seem like it came from a martial artist. When they heard that it was Mo Jiazi's idea, the officials felt that it was normal. After all, they were so surprised.
"This subject has been studying Legalism recently. I've only made some small gains," Meton said with an embarrassed expression.
Li Shimin glared at Meton. He took a deep breath and said, "The commander of the imperial guards, Xi Junbao, has failed in his duty. He must be punished. His official rank will be demoted to the sixth-rank Guo Yi Chaplain. His salary will be deducted for half a year."
"This subject is willing to accept punishment." Xi Junbao accepted without hesitation.
The officials couldn't help but sigh. Li Shimin still only demoted Xi Junbao to the sixth-rank Guo Yi Chaplain. He didn't say that Xi Junbao would be transferred. He didn't let Xi Junbao continue to be a guard. Clearly, he still trusted Xi Junbao. What the officials didn't know was that what really saved Xi Junbao wasn't just the strategy of using a spear to attack a shield. It was that he didn't hesitate to take all the credit for himself in order to escape punishment. Instead, he honestly told the officials about Meton's contribution.
Sun Wukai lowered his head and immediately showed a resentful expression. He had just asked Meton for a peerless weapon to protect the Emperor, but Meton had refused him. Who would have thought that he would help Xi Junbao, allowing Xi Junbao to escape this disaster? His plan was completely ruined.
Sun Wukai's resentful expression quietly fell into Zhangsun Chong's eyes. Now he controlled the firearms army, but he didn't know much about military affairs. He just needed someone to lead the troops. Sun Wukai just happened to have a grudge against Mo Jiazi. In addition, he had proven himself in the ninety-percent palace. He was the talent he needed.
As for Xue Rengui, who was originally in the firearms army, he was Mo Jiazi's man. Naturally, he wouldn't use him.
At this point, the reward and punishment for the ninety-percent palace incident was finally over. Some officials were preparing to report some good things to improve the Emperor's mood. Suddenly, Fang Xuanling came out again and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, in this ninety-percent palace incident, in addition to the loyal soldiers guarding Your Majesty, there are also some who are loyal to Your Majesty. These people must be rewarded."
Suddenly, the officials couldn't help but frown. They didn't understand who Fang Xuanling was talking about.
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