Chapter 70

On the imperial desk of Emperor Gaozong of Song, there were two memorials. One was from the Office of Military Affairs, reporting that the military student Chen Qing had led his troops to suppress the bandit Zhang Kui, and had taken Zhang Kui's head. The Office of Military Affairs recommended that Chen Qing be promoted to Xiezhonglang, and all his subordinate officers be promoted one rank, with a request for commendation and rewards.

The other memorial, however, was from the Censorate, impeaching the military student Chen Qing. It accused him of being cruel and ruthless, massacring surrendered soldiers, and dividing the spoils of war without the court's approval. It demanded that the Ministry of War record a major offense against him and demote him.

Both memorials were about the same person and had been endorsed by high-ranking officials. In the memorial from the Office of Military Affairs, Li Hui, the head of the Office, praised Chen Qing highly, noting that he had led a ragtag army to achieve a glorious victory, which was no easy feat.

In contrast, in the impeachment memorial from the Censorate, Fan Zongyin, the Chief Censor, made a severe criticism, condemning the act of killing surrendered soldiers as unrighteous and comparing it to the brutality of the Jurchens. He demanded that the court set an example by punishing Chen Qing and not allowing such behavior to continue.

Normally, matters concerning low-ranking officers should not appear on the emperor's desk and should be handled directly by the chancellor. The fact that these memorials had been submitted to the imperial study indicated a significant disagreement.

Emperor Gaozong pondered for a long time in silence. Coincidentally, Zhang Jun's report on his duties had also caused considerable controversy in the court, with intense debates still unresolved. Was there any connection between these two matters?

At this moment, a eunuch whispered at the door, "Your Majesty, they have arrived!"

Emperor Gaozong came to his senses and quickly said, "Admit them!"

Shortly after, two officials entered. The one in front was Left Censor Xue Liang, and the one behind him was Left Remonstrator Xu Yun.

The two officials entered the imperial study and bowed, "We pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

Emperor Gaozong smiled and waved his hand, "Rise, both of you, and be seated!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The two officials sat down on the soft couches. Emperor Gaozong glanced at Xu Yun and smiled, "I have carefully read your report, Xu Yun. Your stance is very fair and factual, which I appreciate. However, I have a few questions I would like to confirm."

Xu Yun immediately leaned forward, "Please, Your Majesty, ask away!"

"Regarding the killing of prisoners, your report aligns with Governor He's report, and I believe there is no issue. However, I would like to discuss Chen Qing's motives for killing the prisoners with you."

...

Chen Qing did not move back to the Imperial Academy. His dormitory was still there, and the academy had not reclaimed it, but his army had not been disbanded, so he should continue to live with his troops.

The next morning, two officials from the Office of Military Affairs came to the camp to handle various procedures. First, they extended the temporary assignment, second, they formally approved the use of the camp, and third, they provided supplies.

These matters were quite tedious, so Chen Qing had Zheng Ping handle them. He had more important things to do, as the Inspector General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Zhang Jun, had come to inspect his camp.

The training ground was bustling with activity. Some soldiers were practicing spear techniques, some were practicing archery, and several hundred were training in horse stance, while a circle of five hundred soldiers were running in formation.

Chen Qing accompanied Zhang Jun to the group practicing horse stance. Zhang Jun smiled and asked, "They even have stones tied to their legs. Is this training effective?"

Chen Qing smiled, "It's very effective. Their stances are stable, and they won't fall easily, especially in close combat!"

"It should be promoted in all the armies in the northwest!"

Zhang Jun turned to his staff and said, "Write it down and remind me later."

Zhang Jun then inspected other training activities, praising them highly. The quality of the training reflected the capabilities of the commander.

He had not misjudged Chen Qing. To transform the disorganized Ximen Army into such a disciplined force was indeed impressive.

"Are there any difficulties now?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "Today, officials from the Office of Military Affairs came and resolved all our difficulties. For now, we don't need to trouble the Inspector General."

Zhang Jun smiled, "The Office of Military Affairs is not easy to deal with. It takes a lot of pleading to get them to do anything. This time, your suppression of Zhang Kui is credited to the Office of Military Affairs, so they are willing to help you. However, the Ministry of War may not be as pleased."

"There's nothing I can do about that."

"It's not your fault, but you will be the one who suffers in the end!"

Zhang Jun sighed and pointed to the distant tent, "Let's go to the main tent and talk."

They entered the tent, and Zhang Jun sat down. "Your suppression of Zhang Kui is a significant achievement. According to tradition, you can be promoted three ranks, and your subordinate officers can be promoted one rank. The Office of Military Affairs has already reported this. The Western Army does not have such generous rewards; a one-rank promotion is already good. This is because Muzhou is too close to Lin'an, and everyone is paying attention. Good performance will be rewarded, but poor performance will be severely punished. It has its pros and cons."

"I understand, Your Excellency."

"Next month, there will be a military competition. You and Liu Qiong will represent the Western Army. The army you now command also represents the Western Army. I hope you will do your best to show the emperor and the court ministers the prowess of the Western Army."

Chen Qing saluted, "I will not disappoint you, Your Excellency!"

Zhang Jun pondered for a moment and then said, "Actually, I have another reason for coming today. I believe you can guess a bit. The Censorate has already impeached you, accusing you of cruelly killing prisoners and privately dividing the spoils of war."

Chen Qing smiled, "I met the censor Wang Huan in Chun'an County, but I didn't expect these two charges. They are overestimating me."

"This time, the Censorate is just the vanguard. The real person targeting you is Chancellor Fan Zongyin."

"That's why I said they are overestimating me."

"They are not targeting you but me. If you are impeached, I, as your commander and the one who recommended you, will also be implicated. Many of my supporters will remain silent, and those who were neutral will take a stance. So, I take this matter more seriously than you."

Chen Qing apologized, "I am sorry, Your Excellency, for involving you."

Zhang Jun waved his hand, "It should be me who is sorry for involving you. Actually, killing prisoners is not a big issue, but privately dividing the spoils is a bit troublesome. Tell me, how much did you take?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "I did not take a single coin!"

"Tell me the truth!"

"I really did not take a single coin. I did not take any spoils. All my money combined is only eight taels of silver, which is what was left from the thousand taels you rewarded me last time."

"Did you use up the thousand taels?"

"I gave it to the family of the fallen commander Yang Hua. His family only has an old mother, a wife, and two young children. With his death, they would not be able to survive."

Zhang Jun looked at Chen Qing for a long time and finally nodded, "I believe you are an upright person, but in court politics, being upright is not enough. You need to learn to defend yourself and have sharp political skills. What do you think?"

Chen Qing thought for a moment and said, "I believe the best way to respond is to be open. Any underhanded tactics will be ineffective in the presence of many witnesses. So, I hope to have the opportunity to publicly confront the Censorate or Chancellor Fan."

"Reasonable!"

Zhang Jun stroked his beard and smiled, "I will try to arrange a public forum for you to defend yourself."

...

That evening, Zhang Jun visited Chancellor Lu Yihao. Lu Yihao was the chief chancellor, and his attitude was particularly important.

More importantly, Lu Yihao had grown up in the northwest and was familiar with military affairs. He was also from the Western Army and had served as a secretary in Zhong Shidao's staff. Zhang Jun hoped he would speak up for Chen Qing.

In the reception hall, Lu Yihao picked up his teacup and smiled, "Brother De Yuan, when you first went to Shaanxi, you were full of ambition. Now, after just two years, you have become so uncertain. A small impeachment has made you so nervous!"

Zhang Jun smiled bitterly, "If it weren't for the defeat at Fuping, I wouldn't be in such a passive position!"

"I have read the Censorate's impeachment. Actually, the charges that are truly unacceptable are not there. There are no accusations of looting, raping, or lax military discipline. This shows that your subordinate is quite capable, managing to discipline the unruly soldiers of the Ximen Army. So, you don't need to worry too much. These minor charges won't cause much trouble."

"Chancellor Lu, I know these charges are minor, but with the Censorate's impeachment and Chancellor Fan's bias, if no charge is set, Chancellor Fan's face will be lost. But even a minor charge would be unfair to Chen Qing and would greatly affect his future. He is a distinguished general of the Western Army, and I specially recommended him to the Imperial Academy. If he is unjustly charged, I won't be able to explain to the Western Army."

Lu Yihao pondered for a moment and said, "In this matter, I fear I can only remain silent."

Zhang Jun was indeed a bit disappointed. He had hoped that Lu Yihao would stand up for justice, but it seemed he did not want to offend Fan Zongyin.

Of course, Zhang Jun understood that Lu Yihao did not want to take sides in his own issues.

Reluctantly, Zhang Jun said, "Actually, I don't need Chancellor Lu to plead for him. I only hope that Chancellor Lu will give Chen Qing a chance to defend himself, preferably in the morning court, so that it is at least fair to him."

Since Zhang Jun had said this much, Lu Yihao had to give him this face. He thought for a moment and said, "The morning court the day after tomorrow will discuss the suppression of the bandit Zhang Kui. Let's set it for the morning court the day after tomorrow. I will arrange for Chen Qing to appear as a witness and include the Censorate's impeachment. Then he can defend himself."