Chapter 267: Kong Ying: Why Is My Fate So Wretched!

In the hall,

The cabinet ministers Fang Congzhe and Xiong Cili were cursing loudly in their hearts.

They had just recommended Wang Ziteng for promotion to Minister of War, and immediately a disturbance erupted at Jingying.

On a small scale, this could be called a failure to recognize talent, a crime of recommending an unfit person.

On a larger scale, it is a disaster to the nation, a betrayal with treacherous intent!

However, they were somewhat relieved that the Jingying disturbance happened early.

If they had waited until after pushing Wang Ziteng into the Minister of War position, and then Jingying had trouble right after,

they would truly be implicated, even held accountable by the court and bear joint responsibility!

According to the Da Han Empire's protective recommendation system, there is a provision that if one recommends an unfit person, the recommender also shares the punishment!

Compared with Xiong Cili and Fang Congzhe, the Ministry of War official Kong Ying turned pale, his vision blackened, and he almost fainted on the spot in the hall!

He recommended Wang Ziteng twice today.

The first recommendation was for him to patrol the border as a substitute for Jia Jing; the second affirmed his virtue and talent, making his promotion to Minister of War proper and justified.

But the result was this disgrace…

In front of the civil and military officials, two farcical incidents unfolded consecutively, utterly ruining his face and reputation.

He can already imagine that after the court disperses, his joke will spread throughout Shenjing City.

It would not be an overstatement to call it a total loss of decorum and a public disgrace!

Even now he already hears the ministers in the hall pointing at him and laughing aloud.

These mocking voices made Kong Ying's limbs feel icy, his heart sinking straight to the abyss!

At this moment, a sentence involuntarily rose in his mind:

Why is my fate so wretched? Does the world ever have such coincidences?

The previous time I finished speaking, Jia Jing's swift report arrived!

This time, right after I finished speaking, Jingying erupted!

Even a jinxed mouth isn't this lucky!

It's as if I've run afoul of evil!

However, the only thing that gave Kong Ying some relief was that Jing Sheng Di was too busy to attend to him at this moment.

After hearing the report from the Imperial City Office, Jing Sheng Di quickly descended from his throne, frowned, and urgently asked:

"Isn't Wang Ziteng stationed at Jingying? Did he just watch them rebel without acting?"

The Imperial City Officer's face darkened at the words, and he lowered his head, saying:

"Lord Wang Ziteng was originally stationed with the Central Army, and upon hearing news of Zhou Jiwei's rebellion."

"He immediately led twenty thousand troops of the Central Army to quell the unrest, aiming to swiftly suppress the disturbance and stabilize Jingying's situation."

Jing Sheng Di nodded, his expression softened slightly, still retaining some semblance of a high court official, and continued:

"How is it? Have the two sides engaged?"

The Imperial City Officer's voice lowered further:

"The two armies faced each other not far outside Jingying; Lord Wang… Lord Wang's twenty‑thousand troops were scattered the moment they met the rebels."

"Although the rebels numbered only ten thousand, their morale was high and they fought very bravely."

"The twenty thousand men Lord Wang led were mostly newly recruited soldiers, with little training; when the rebels charged, they struggled to hold them back."

"Subsequently, Lord Wang was struck by an arrow from Zhou Jiwei, fell from his horse, and the Central Army, seeing their commander unseated, instantly collapsed."

"At this moment… the defeated army has already retreated back to Jingying; it is said Lord Wang's injuries are serious, and the army's physicians are treating him."

When the Imperial City Officer said this, the officials in the hall who had been listening intently couldn't help but change expression.

In their hearts they felt some worry over this sudden rebellion, and were utterly shocked by Wang Ziteng's incompetence.

What a fellow!

The Central Army's twenty thousand troops were completely routed by the ten thousand rebels at first sight,

Wang Ziteng himself was even "cut down" by the enemy, which is excessively mediocre and weak!

Especially since the civil and military officials had just heard news from the northwest front that Jia Jing had beheaded a general and seized a banner,

In contrast, Wang Ziteng's abilities now appear even more mediocre, even a "bag of wine and rice"!

A person like that, leading an army into rebellion, having his commander shot off his horse,

just now was even advised by Kong Ying to go northwest to replace the Duke of Jing in fighting the rogue? And was repeatedly recommended by several ministers to become Minister of War?

This is simply treating the court's titles and national military affairs as child's play!

Jing Sheng Di's expression instantly darkened, the muscles on his face twitched a few times, and he coldly rebuked:

"The army's organization is sloppy, the commander is cowardly, utterly incompetent!"

However, although Jing Sheng Di was angry, he was not greatly alarmed by the Jingying disturbance rebellion.

In recent years he has endured countless great storms; a rebellion of merely ten thousand men is insufficient to frighten him!

Moreover, the court now boasts countless good generals, including the Prince of Nan'an, the Marquis of Zhongjing, and Marquis Wei Ning, who has just returned from the northwest front as a fierce commander.

In addition, Bashang Daying has tens of thousands of elite troops stationed outside Shenjing City, and the Imperial Guard has tens of thousands of soldiers stationed inside the capital.

Although this rebellion erupted suddenly, it is merely a minor rash!

He just doesn't understand why Jingying suddenly erupted, with over ten thousand participants choosing to follow Zhou Jiwei to "cleanse the court".

What on earth have Wang Ziteng and Jia Zhen done to incur heaven's wrath and people's resentment?

Reflecting on this, Jing Sheng Di took a deep breath, steadied his mood, and asked the Imperial City Officer in a low voice:

"What exactly is going on with Wang Ziteng and Jia Zhen? If it were merely reorganizing the army, it shouldn't have caused such a huge mess!"

At this time, the court's prestige continues to rise, and Shenjing City is as solid as a golden shield.

If not forced by circumstances, no one would choose to launch this all‑or‑nothing rebellion now; it is a grave crime that endangers the lives of the nine clans.

The Imperial City Envoy, upon hearing this, quickly replied:

"According to our investigation, Lord Wang's overhaul of the Jingying troops was too radical and rushed; after weeding out the old and weak, he failed to promptly and properly resettle those people."

"Moreover, the relief funds allocated by the court were intercepted by the Right Vice Censor‑in‑Chief, the Director of Ceremonies, and others, who layered on deductions and embezzled more than half, leaving less than a third to actually reach the dismissed soldiers."

"Thus the dismissed Jingying soldiers harbored resentment, privately saying, 'Lord Wang only cares about cutting people, not about whether they live or die.'"

"These past days they have gathered in crowds several times at the gates of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Governor's Office, but each time Lord Wang sent people to disperse them."

"Originally these soldiers, though dissatisfied, had not yet reached the point of mutiny or rebellion."

"But a few days ago, the Commander of the Left Patrol Camp of the Jingying, Zhou Jiwei, and others clashed with General Weili Jia Zhen."

"General Weili Jia Zhen, entrusted by Wang Ziteng, was responsible in the Jingying for evaluating and retaining officers."

"This was originally a key military affair, but Jia Zhen treated it as a trade."

"He posted fixed prices: a colonel seeking to stay on needed at least eight hundred taels of silver, a captain seeking to stay on needed three hundred to five hundred taels."

"A deputy commander or commandant seeking to stay on needed five hundred to three thousand taels."

"Whoever did not pay, he would find an excuse to dismiss them, regardless of whether they had earned merit or met the court's downsizing regulations."

"Over the past few months, the bribes collected in secret by Jia Zhen and his son amounted to no less than one hundred thousand taels of silver."