Chapter 219 Visiting the ruins of Du Fuwei's military base and meeting Fang and Zheng, two wronged ministers

Feng Cheng bowed respectfully and responded, "As you wish!"

Then he turned and left, while Zhu Gang paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back.

He frowned slightly, wondering in his heart what the intentions of these two people who asked to see him at this time were.

Zhu Gang walked while thinking about various possibilities.

However, he was unable to come up with a definite answer, which made him feel confused and uneasy.

After thinking for a long time, Zhu Gang decided to put the matter aside for the time being and wait until he met them tomorrow before making any plans.

After all, only by meeting Fang Keqin and Zheng Keyuan in person can you understand their true intentions.

As the leader of the Jianghuai rebel army at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Du Fuwei was poor when he was young, and he fled to the mountains with his good friend Fu Gongju.

In the ninth year of Daye, Du Fuwei started an uprising and proclaimed himself a general, and marched towards Jiangdu with Miao Haichao and other rebel forces.

In the eleventh year of Daye, Li Zitong crossed the Huai River and merged with Du Fuwei, but later the two parted ways.

In the 13th year of Daye, Du Fuwei defeated the Sui general Chen Ling.

Destroyed Gaoyou and occupied Liyang.

He called himself the general manager and appointed Fu Gongju as the chief secretary.

Because Du Fuwei employed scholars and selected brave men, his power increased greatly.

The following year, he submitted a memorial to Yang Tong, the King of Yue of Sui.

He was appointed as the Grand Administrator of the Southeast Road and was granted the title of King of Chu.

In the second year of Wude, Du Fuwei, who surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, was appointed as the Minister of the Southeast Road and concurrently the Pacifier south of the Jianghuai River.

He was named King of Wu and given the surname Li.

The following year, Du Fuwei was promoted to the envoy with special powers, and was in charge of the military affairs south of the Yangtze River and Huai River. He was later appointed as the governor of Yangzhou and the minister of the Southeast Road, and was granted the title of Wu.

At that time, Li Zitong named his country Wu and occupied large tracts of land in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.

In the fourth year of Wude, Du Fuwei defeated Li Zitong and took him to Chang'an.

The following year, Li Zitong planned to make a comeback, but eventually fled south to Lantian where he was arrested and killed.

At this time, Du Fuwei dispatched troops to conquer Hangzhou, Shezhou and other places. For a time, his army occupied Jiangdong and Huainan.

In the fifth year of Wude, Du Fuwei was summoned to the court and stayed in Chang'an.

In the sixth year of Wude, Fu Gongju claimed to be following Fu Wei's orders and raised an army to rebel against the Tang Dynasty.

Later, he proclaimed himself emperor in Danyang, named his country Song, and at the same time trained troops and gathered grain.

In the seventh year of Wude, Fu Gongju, who was already doomed, was defeated by Li Xiaogong.

After retreating to Wukang and being captured, Fu Gongju was eventually beheaded in Danyang.

During Fu Gongju's rebellion, Du Fuwei, who was in Chang'an, was suspected.

He eventually died of anxiety at the age of 41.

Of course, the reason why Zhu Gang was so impressed by Du Fuwei was mainly due to the influence of "The Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty".

The book portrays Du Fuwei as a shrewd, capable, and extraordinary underworld leader.

Not only is he cruel, but he also kills people without mercy.

The only thing he has complicated feelings towards are the protagonists Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.

Du Fuwei both hated and admired them, and initially held them hostage for the sake of "Yang Gong's treasure house".

Considering the convenience of coexisting in the martial arts world, he forced Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling to call him dad.

Later, Du Fuwei realized that the situation was hopeless, but instead missed the relationship between the two and actually became the godfather of Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.

Thinking of this, Zhu Gang said to himself with hope in his eyes: "If I ask someone to write The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty after the essay contest is over, I wonder if it will become a classic?"

Feng Cheng, who had walked nearby at some point, reported, "I have already brought Fang Keqin and Zheng Keyuan to Huancui Pavilion. Your Highness, please let me know when to summon them." Zhu Gang picked up the water bag he carried with him and wanted to drink some water to quench his thirst.

But he didn't get anything to drink. Then he found that the spring water had frozen.

Upon seeing this, Feng Cheng quickly took off the water bag from his waist and handed it to Zhu Gang.

"Why is there wine in this?"

Seeing Zhu Gang's unhappy expression, Feng Cheng immediately explained: "It's so cold today, drinking can not only keep you warm, but also relieve your fatigue.

Of course, I will not allow anyone to drink alcohol during the march or battle."

The reason why Zhu Gang implemented a "prohibition on alcohol" in the army was very simple, that is, he was worried that drinking would cause trouble.

After all, alcohol will paralyze the nerves of soldiers and make them unable to control their behavior, which will greatly increase the difficulty of managing military discipline.

Even in most of the world's armies in later generations, the control of alcohol is very strict.

If the opponent was not Feng Cheng, Zhu Gang would definitely let him lead the army himself.

"This will not be a precedent. Never do it again. Go and bring them here."

However, when he actually met Fang Keqin and Zheng Keyuan, Zhu Gang couldn't help but frown.

Since the height of the prison van was no more than one meter, the prisoners could only kneel inside with their heads and hands shackled outside.

After a long time, both legs became useless.

Although Fang Keqin and Zheng Keyuan are still able to walk freely, it is obvious that their legs have begun to bend slightly.

"Feng Cheng, bring two stools over for Mr. Fang and Mr. Zheng."

Fang Keqin, who was about to bow, said quickly, "I am a guilty subject who has failed to live up to His Majesty's grace. I really don't deserve the kindness of His Royal Highness Prince Jin."

Zhu Gang smiled and waved his hand, "I heard that Mr. Fang was an ambitious scholar. When he took the imperial examination of the Yuan Dynasty, he discussed the political gains and losses of the Yuan court in his essay.

Therefore, he was suppressed by the examiner and was not hired.

After that, you began to live a life of indulging in mountains and rivers, just like those ancient scholars who were frustrated despite having sharp weapons.

If it weren't for his reputation as a good teacher, he wouldn't have been forced to become the prefect of Jining."

As soon as Zhu Gang finished speaking, Fang Keqin immediately slid off the stool and knelt on the cold ground.

"When the Holy Emperor sits in the throne, all the people will naturally be loyal to him.

I am serving the court in compliance with the will of heaven, and no one is forcing me to do so!"

After seeing the look in Zhu Gang's eyes, Feng Cheng quickly came over and helped Fang Keqin up.

"Mr. Fang, don't be nervous. I called you two here just to understand what's on your mind.

Besides, it was you two gentlemen who took the initiative to ask for an audience with me.

If you have anything to say, you might as well bring it to the table. It is always better to communicate frankly than to be suspicious of each other."

After a brief silence, Zheng Keyuan, who had been silent all along, took the lead in expressing his wish.

"I have a younger brother who wrote a long article advising people not to regard 'empty seal' as a sin, and he was eventually killed.

Now I know I cannot escape death, so I beg Your Highness the Prince of Jin to leave a stick of incense for the Zheng family."

Zhu Gang looked Zheng Keyuan up and down, "I remember that during Mr. Zheng's term, he investigated many corrupt officials, including Zhu Huan's major collective corruption case."

Lost in memories, Zheng Keyuan said with a look of emotion: "Zhu Heng, the magistrate of Dingyuan, relied on his status as a royal relative to openly collect excessive taxes and commit crimes.

He even ordered people to find beautiful women among the people for his own entertainment.

The guilty minister tried to argue that Zhu Heng should be brought to justice, but unexpectedly he angered His Majesty.

If His Royal Highness had not cited the story of Emperor Taizong of Tang accepting Wei Zheng's remonstrance to plead for the guilty minister, I'm afraid this beautiful head would have been gone long ago!"

(End of this chapter)