"What!" Li Shimin suddenly stood up. His face was full of shock as he looked at Censor Ma Jiayun in disbelief.
Ma Jiayun said solemnly, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely true. There was indeed a robbery in the Western Punitive Expedition Army. I dare not hide it."
Li Shimin stared at Ma Jiayun and said, "Do you know what you are talking about? Although the Imperial Censor has the right to hear memorials, but slandering a victorious army for no reason is not something that can be explained away by hearing memorials."
The Western Punitive Expedition Army had just returned with the merit of destroying the country. It was a day of celebration for the whole country. At this moment, the Imperial Court was accusing the Western Punitive Expedition Army of plundering. If it was true, according to military law, it was a crime punishable by beheading. The soldiers who had just destroyed the country were going to be imprisoned and beheaded before they could be rewarded. This would not only make the soldiers bitterly disappointed, but also make the Imperial Court look at Li Shimin in a bad light.
Ma Jiayun said firmly, "If there was no conclusive evidence, I would not dare to say anything. The reason was that the soldiers who returned to the Imperial Court first did not divide the spoils equally. That was why this scandal was exposed."
"If the Western Punitive Expedition Army really robbed Gao Chang, why didn't the Commandery Duke of Jincheng report to me when he came to Chang 'an?" Li Shimin frowned and asked.
"Your Majesty, the evidence of the Western Punitive Expedition Army's plundering is conclusive. Recently, a lot of Gao Chang's belongings have been exposed in the market of Chang 'an. The ultimate source is the soldiers who returned to the Imperial Court first. The Commandery Duke of Jincheng did not say anything because he was afraid of retaliation." Yu Zhining followed. In his opinion, the Commandery Duke of Jincheng, Qu Zhisheng, was not only afraid of retaliation. If he had directly reported to the Imperial Court at that time, no one would have believed him.
Li Shimin's expression was unsightly, he flew into a rage and said, "Simply preposterous! How did Hou Junji do his job as the Head of the Marching Army? How did he manage to plunder a large army? How will the other countries view the Tang dynasty and me, the Heavenly Khan? "
Li Shimin felt that he was definitely having an unlucky year. First, there was the incident of the Palace of Ninety Percent, and now there was the incident of the Western Punitive Expedition Army plundering. His so-called title of Heavenly Khan had been tarnished and was about to become a joke.
Yu Zhining shook his head. "It's not that General Hou doesn't care, but he doesn't dare to care."
"Don't dare to interfere? He is the General Manager of the Western Punitive Expedition. The General Manager has military power in his hands. How could he not dare to take charge? "Li Shimin shouted angrily.
Ma Jiayun said with a heavy face, "As the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked. The reason why the soldiers of the Western Punitive Expedition Army plundering was because Hou Junji took the lead in plundering Gao Chang's city. His generals followed suit and plundered Gao Chang's city. Hou Junji's personal morality was lacking, so he didn't dare to stop them, leading to a big mistake.
"Lacking personal morality!" Li Shimin gnashed his teeth and said angrily.
He didn't expect that his most trusted General would do such a thing. The Tang dynasty relied on not only elite weapons but also strict discipline to dominate the world. Only the Tang dynasty's iron cavalry could win every battle. Hou Junji not only led the army to plunder, but also led his generals astray, making the military discipline of the Tang dynasty a laughingstock.
"In my opinion, plundering for the sake of a general is destroying the foundation of the Tang dynasty. We must strictly investigate this matter. Your Majesty, please issue an order to strictly investigate Hou Junji and the other generals of the Western Punitive Expedition Army to enforce the military law," Yu Zhining loudly requested.
Li Shimin frowned and said, "Generals of the Western Punitive Expedition Army? Even the Firearm Army participated in the plundering? "
The Firearm Army became the number one army of the Tang dynasty, so Li Shimin attached great importance to it. He couldn't help but ask.
Yu Zhining's eyes showed a trace of disappointment and said, "Your Majesty, after the Firearm Army broke into the city that day, Mo Jiu and the Firearm Army didn't enter the city because of the safety of gunpowder. Later, because the Firearm Army had fewer soldiers, they didn't capture the city, so there was no plundering."
"No plundering?" Li Shimin's expression eased a little. Meton and the Firearm Army kept themselves clean, which finally saved his face and became the last fig leaf for the Western Punitive Expedition Army.
However, Ma Jiayun immediately said, "However, Mo Jiu secretly stole Gao Chang's secret wine-making and weaving techniques. I think he was affected by the plundering of the Western Punitive Expedition Army, so he can't get away with it. Your Majesty, please punish him together."
However, Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Regarding the matter of Modun stealing the secret techniques of Gaochang, the court has already come to a conclusion. Modun used the secret technique of raisins to exchange for the secret technique of grape wine and the secret technique of weaving. The Great Tang is not inferior to Gaochang, but only used as a reference. Moreover, Modun did not use it himself, but gave it to Ma Village. This matter doesn't need to be mentioned again. "
"Idiot, Mo Jiazi and the Firearm Army are Your Majesty's last shred of face. How can Your Majesty agree to punish Mo Jiazi? Isn't that disregarding Your Majesty and the Tang dynasty's face?" Yu Zhining sighed in his heart.
"Your Majesty, you are wise. Mo Jiu is a virtuous person, and his family is the richest in the world. Naturally, they don't want Gao Chang's money." Yu Zhining quickly remedied.
Ma Jiayun understood and quickly echoed, "It's my negligence. However, Hou Junji and the other generals of the Western Punitive Expedition Army have violated military discipline and damaged Your Majesty's reputation. Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly."
Li Shimin took a deep breath and ordered coldly, "Send my order to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate to investigate this matter thoroughly."
"Your Majesty, you are wise!" Yu Zhining and Ma Jiayun cupped their hands and said. Their lowered heads could not help but flash with a hint of joy. Since the beginning of the Tang dynasty, after a series of wars, the militarists' momentum was unstoppable. The Confucians could take this opportunity to suppress the militarists in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, their plot to attack the School of Mo did not succeed.
With the thorough investigation of the three departments, irrefutable evidence was placed in front of Li Shimin. The matter of the Western Punitive Expedition Army robbing Gao Chang was already set in stone. Moreover, the scale of the robbery, the number of people involved, and the amount of stolen goods were shocking, which made Li Shimin furious.
"Come, put Hou Junji in jail immediately. The three departments will interrogate him! "Li Shimin said with a stern face.
… … …
At this moment, Hou Junji, who had just returned victorious, was complacent and did not know that his robbery had been exposed. He was thinking about how he could become a Marquis and General by killing Gao Chang, and then replace Li Jing's position as the God of War.
"Everyone, Chang 'an City is just 30 miles away from here. I will definitely ask for your merits when you return victorious. In the future, when you become a Marquis and General, don't forget that I am a Marquis and General." Hou Junji said with satisfaction.
Xin Yaoer immediately echoed, "General, what are you talking about? If it weren't for the fact that you are a God in commanding the troops, how could we enjoy the glory of destroying the country? General, you will definitely be rewarded by His Majesty when you go to Chang 'an City."
"General Xin's words are correct. This battle was the result of Great General's strategic planning, allowing us to take Gaochang in one battle and scare the Western Turks a thousand li away," Xue Wanjun agreed.
"Where else can I find such a good thing to be promoted and rich with the General?" Xin Yaoer said with a smile.
The other generals couldn't help but smile. The last time they went to Tuyuhun in the west, although the army had made great contributions, they had only received rewards from the imperial court. This time, they had received an astronomical sum from Gaochang, not to mention that after they went to Chang 'an, they would be conferred the title of Marquis.
Hou Junji nodded with satisfaction. He allowed the generals to set up their troops to rob because he wanted to win them over.
Suddenly, a fleet of carriages came from the direction of Chang 'an City and went straight to the victorious army.
"General, people from the imperial court are here." Xin Yaoer had sharp eyes and hurriedly reported.
They were 30 miles away from Chang 'an City to welcome them. Hou Junji could not help but feel complacent. It was obvious how much His Majesty valued him. He was already at the final step and did not want to be criticized for taking credit for his achievements. He hurriedly went forward to welcome them.
"So it's the two generals." Hou Junji went forward to greet them. He saw that the people who came were Li Ji and Li Daozong. Li Daozong and Li Ji had high status. Li Shimin had sent them over, which was enough to give Hou Junji face.
Li Ji cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations on your triumphant return, General Hou!"
Hou Junji laughed and said, "General Li is too polite. I was just lucky. I don't dare to take credit."
Besides wanting to replace Li Jing, Hou Junji was also afraid of Li Ji. He knew that Li Ji's ability to command troops was not inferior to his, and he was deeply trusted by Li Shimin.
Li Daozong sighed and said, "General Hou's future was bright. Why did you become so muddle-headed and destroy your own future?"
"Muddle-Headed?" When Hou Junji heard Li Daozong's words, he could not help but be stunned. He had a bad feeling.
Li Daozong's eyes flashed with a trace of pity and said, "Minister, the Western Expedition Army has already committed a crime of plundering Gao Chang. Minister, please go with the Ministry of Justice."
Li Daozong was also a commander and had seen the Battle of Tuyuhun. Naturally, he knew how rare it was to destroy a country. However, Hou Junji had personally destroyed his own country.
"Plundering Gao Chang!" Hou Junji was suddenly stunned. He did not expect that his triumphant return would turn him into a prisoner who violated military law in the blink of an eye.
As the Minister of the Ministry of War, he naturally knew how serious the crime of plundering was. In the past, Li Jing had already been criticized for allowing his soldiers to plunder the Turks. In the end, he had to resign and live in seclusion. Now that he had led the soldiers to plunder, his crime would probably be even worse.
It was funny to say that he had been determined to replace Li Jing's position all his life. However, he had stepped into the pit that Li Jing had stepped into and was even stained with mud.
"General Hou has just made a great contribution to the imperial court. You can't disappoint him." When Xin Yaoer saw Hou Junji being taken away, he panicked. He could not escape from plundering Gao Chang. He immediately wanted to incite the generals to collectively resist.
Li Ji immediately shouted coldly, "Are you all trying to rebel? Where do you think this is? This is Chang 'an City. "
Li Ji's words made the generals sober up. They were only 15 kilometers away from Chang 'an City. If they dared to make the slightest move, they would undoubtedly be courting death. Moreover, Li Ji's position was second only to Hou Junji. He had great prestige in the army. Soon, the generals' restlessness was quelled.
"Everyone, please!" Li Daozong looked at the generals and said calmly.
Suddenly, the generals of the Western Expedition walked out dejectedly like ducks who had lost a fight. They naturally knew what they had done to Gao Chang. There was no longer any hope in their hearts.
Li Ji looked at the generals of the Western Expedition who had almost been caught in one net and then looked at Hou Junji who was the leader. He could not help but sigh.
If one were to say that the western expedition had two test papers, one for military accomplishments and the other for moral conduct, Hou Junji had given a perfect score in military accomplishments, but he had given a zero in moral conduct.
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