The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

Faced with his father's sternness, Zhao Chongguo turned pale, shrank back, and was taken away by Han Yong dejectedly.

Zhao Chongguo's children were all grown up. When the women and children heard that their husband had been taken away by the Court of Justice, they immediately began to wail in despair.

Zhao Guang was annoyed by this, so he sent his eldest son, Zhao Ping, to appease his second son's wife. He then went to his bedroom to stay away from the sight of her.

"Sigh." After sitting for a long time, Zhao Guang sighed, his old face showing a mixture of shame, anger, remorse, and regret.

He was lax in managing his household, which led to this incident. His son should be dealt with as appropriate. He harbors no resentment.

But it delayed the Northern Expedition.

Zhao Guang knew he could no longer follow Jiang Wei on his northern expedition.

Now, Jiang Wei's plan to launch another northern expedition is the only major event in the imperial court. Every move Jiang Wei makes affects the hearts and minds of all parties.

Zhao Guang was a pillar of strength, a veteran general who remained steadfast even in his old age. When this happened to him, the news spread rapidly throughout Chengdu.

Inside the study of the General's Mansion.

Jiang Wei suddenly stood up, his face extremely grim, and said, "General Zhao is brave and skilled in battle, and a man of integrity and loyalty. Without him accompanying me on the Northern Expedition, I would have lost an important ally. What do you mean by 'lax household management'? This is Huang Hao's scheme against me!"

After speaking, Jiang Wei paced back and forth with his hand on the hilt of his sword, his large hand trembling, as if he wished he could kill Huang Hao in front of him.

Five men sat to his left and right, all of whom were his trusted confidants, such as Lai Zhong, the military advisor.

The five men nodded in unison, their expressions ranging from resentment and solemnity to anger, and they all gripped their sword hilts. Because of Jiang Wei's slip of the tongue, he was going on a northern expedition to leave the court and avoid being deposed and killed by Huang Hao.

They had already chosen to escape, but Huang Hao was still relentlessly pursuing them, truly not giving them a way out.

Moreover, it's not just Zhao Guang's problem anymore. Although the Northern Expedition has been decided, various problems have arisen.

For example, the registrar Xiang Chong was unable to accompany the emperor due to illness.

The position of Chief Clerk may seem insignificant, but it is actually a crucial position with access to confidential information. Jiang Wei needs to find someone to replace Xiang Chong as Chief Clerk.

In short, Da Han was like a terminally ill old man; problems kept popping up everywhere.

Even those who followed Jiang Wei with the unwavering goal of restoring the Han dynasty sometimes wavered.

"Perhaps the country is truly doomed?"

Jiang Wei paced back and forth for a while before regaining his composure and kneeling down again. He looked up at Lai Zhong and said, "Military Advisor, please intervene on my behalf and persuade Zhao Chongguo to be pardoned so that the old general can send troops."

After a pause, he added, "I'll have someone fetch two bolts of Shu brocade; take them to the old general."

"Yes." Lai Zhong bowed in agreement, stood up, and left.

These are turbulent times. Jiang Wei sighed inwardly, but showed no outward sign. He glanced at his four remaining trusted confidants and said with a smile, "Don't be so gloomy. As always, we thrive in the army. I believe that this time we will surely succeed in the Northern Expedition and restore the Han Dynasty."

He may lose his composure for a moment, but he cannot lose it forever. He is a banner; everyone else may fall, but he alone cannot.

Once he falls, the army immediately collapses.

"Yes." The four trusted confidants would not have gathered around Jiang Wei if they didn't trust him. Hearing this, they were all invigorated, their morale restored, and they responded loudly.

..........

The Imperial Palace, Huang Hao's Residence.

Huang Hao leaned back on the couch, his expression languid, as if he were a concubine sitting on a couch. He said with a smile, "I don't know who did it, but it suits my purposes perfectly. Jiang Wei wants to launch a northern expedition to gain merit and prestige in order to deal with me. That old bastard Zhao Guang is a valiant general and has always supported Jiang Wei's northern expedition. Now, keeping Zhao Guang in Chengdu is like cutting off Jiang Wei's arm."

His struggle with Jiang Wei ended with Jiang Wei's escape. But he had no intention of letting Jiang Wei go; he wanted to relentlessly pursue him like a hunting dog.

Jiang Wei wanted his northern expedition to succeed, so this guy wanted to prevent Jiang Wei from succeeding.

He would oppose whatever Jiang Wei did.

"Father is right. Without Zhao Guang, Jiang Wei has lost his henchman," Zhang Da said with a smile, echoing Huang Hao's sentiments. After speaking, he bowed slightly and said, "Father, should I investigate further?"

"No need. Who did it doesn't matter," Huang Hao said lazily. Who did it, and what their motives were, didn't matter. What mattered was that Zhao Guang couldn't go.

He immediately sat up, looking energetic, and said, "Bring me pen and ink. I want to write a letter to Yan Yu."

Jiang Wei's Northern Expedition has been fraught with setbacks, very good indeed. It seems Heaven intends for him to perish. He needs to put in a little more effort in his alliance with Yan Yu.

"Yes." Zhang Da nodded with a smile, then turned and left.

Huang Hao and Yan Yu continued to correspond without interruption.

...........

Things turned out exactly as Zhao Guang had predicted.

The investigation into Zhao Chongguo's case has been completed. Zhao Chongguo did indeed annex land and take in people. Fortunately, he didn't engage in any other illegal or abusive activities.

It's just a merger of land.

The emperor instructed the Court of Justice to release Zhao Chongguo and restore the original places of origin of the lands that had been annexed and the people he had taken in.

No punishment was imposed.

However, Zhao Guang and his army were also unable to follow Jiang Wei on his northern expedition.

Jiang Wei had no choice but to lead the remaining civil officials and generals on a northern expedition.

Zhao Guang became a veteran general who stayed behind.

noon.

The front yard of the Zhao family.

"Aaaaaah!!!!"

"Father, please forgive your son. I can't take it anymore."

"Father."

Zhao Guang kept his promise. When his son returned, he ordered his son to be tied to a log and whipped in front of all his family members, soldiers, and servants.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!!!!!" Zhao Guang's face turned ashen as he forcefully swung the whip, leaving bloody welts on Zhao Chongguo's body.

Zhao Chongguo's face turned deathly pale, and he convulsed in pain. His screams gradually weakened, and it was clear that he was breathing more gasply than gasply.

"Father, although my second brother is guilty, he does not deserve to die." Zhao Ping, mindful of their blood ties, felt a pang of pity and knelt down to plead for his second son.

"Father." Zhao Tong also came over, knelt on the ground, and hugged Zhao Guang's legs.

Although Zhao Guang was furious, he did not really want to kill his son, so he stopped whipping him.

He said breathlessly, "Your grandfather, Lord Zhao, was such a magnificent man. Our family must remain upright so as not to dishonor him. Why did the emperor personally intervene this time? Why didn't he punish anyone? It's precisely because of the blessings left by Lord Zhao. I tell you, anyone who dares to break the law will be punished even more severely."

After saying this, Zhao Guang threw down the whip, got up, and went back to his bedroom to rest.

Once the annexation of land and the adoption of people were brought to the forefront, the scale of these actions could vary greatly. However, Zhao Chongguo didn't suffer any losses, entirely because the emperor remembered the events of Changbanpo years ago.

In recognition of the events at Changban Slope, the emperor issued a special edict bestowing upon Zhao Yun the posthumous title "Shunping".

Otherwise, even if Zhao Chongguo hadn't been exiled, he wouldn't have had such a good life.

"Alas. I am old, and I don't know how many more years I have left. If I lose this opportunity, will I still be able to lead the army on the northern expedition? I originally wanted to keep Ping'er by my side, to teach her by example, and then arrange for her to inherit the family business and the army. If I die, Ping'er will never have commanded an army before. Will she be able to command the troops? How can she be a good general?"

Zhao Guang returned to his bedroom and sat down. He stared blankly for a while before sighing.

His father, with his white hair, followed the prime minister on the northern expedition back then. Now, without realizing it, his own hair has turned white, and one foot is already in the coffin. He can understand his father's feelings back then.

Zilong can no longer accompany the Prime Minister on the Northern Expedition!!!