The emperor and his group were welcomed into Tanzhou. After entering the yamen, someone arranged for them to wash and change clothes. Liu Wenjun, the chief magistrate of the expeditionary army who was temporarily in charge of military and political affairs in Tanzhou, and a group of officials were waiting for the emperor to summon him in the lobby, but they all looked solemn and felt uneasy. The defeat in the war also damaged the emperor's beloved general Li Zhen, and he didn't know how to punish him.

In fact, anyone with a discerning eye in the court can see that the current group of old ministers in the court have begun to gradually withdraw from the court, and officials from the General's Office have become the backbone of the army and local governments. After the victory of this Northern Expedition and the Central Plains in the north, many of them may enter the capital and enter the court, or become the chief officials of the Muslim side.

Everyone knows that Li Zhen was born in the old camp of the General's Mansion and later became the emperor's guard. He had a close relationship with His Majesty. He then entered the martial arts school and entered the imperial guards. When he left Qiongzhou, he had already become the commander of a brigade. After recovering Jiangnan, he formed and expanded the cavalry, and Li Zhen transferred to the cavalry again. After a Northern Expedition, the court was reorganized, and Li Zhen joined the expeditionary army again.

Li Zhen served in the infantry, cavalry and expeditionary forces one after another. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that the emperor was willing to cultivate it. With his experience in the three major military branches of the sprint, cavalry and navy, he would definitely rise to the sky in the future and would be highly valued, and he would even be in charge of the central government and take charge of the Privy Council. But now he is dead in Tanzhou, so the emperor's mood can be imagined.

"Long live your Majesty, long live your life, long live your life!" Just as everyone was uneasy, the emperor walked into the lobby, Liu Wenjun hurriedly led the crowd to salute, shouting long live the mountain.

"Premium!" Zhao Bing took his seat and raised his hand and said calmly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Everyone saluted again and stood up and pushed to both sides. They looked at the emperor and saw that he had washed and changed into military uniforms after washing and changing clothes. They only removed the military ranks and military symbols. He worked hard and fought fiercely. Although he was tired, he was still in good spirits.

"Your Majesty, the defeat in Bohai City is because his subordinates underestimated the enemy and made improper arrangements. I beg your Majesty to punish him!" Liu Wenjun apologized before the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, the commander-in-chief is far away from the rear to coordinate and dispatch in this battle. His subordinates command the battle in the front of the enemy, and it has nothing to do with the commander-in-chief!" Seeing that he was taking responsibility, Luo Datong quickly said, "This battle was because his subordinates miscalculated the situation and arranged their troops too scattered. When they were attacked by the enemy, they underestimated the enemy's carelessness. They did not shrink the defense line in time and defended the important places, which led to major casualties. Sima Li Zhen was killed. Please pay attention to the heavy responsibility of your Majesty!"

"His Majesty……"

"You don't have to take it. The fault of the defeat in this battle is that I know that the area you control is large, the defense line is long, and the troops are insufficient, but they do not send troops to reinforce in time. I am confused by the enemy's strategy of attacking the east and west, so that the enemy misjudged the situation to be taken advantage of. And your troops can repeatedly defeat strong enemies that are several times more than their own in the situation of lack of troops, protect Tanzhou and stabilize the overall situation. It can be said that they have made contributions and no faults!" Zhao Bing waved his hand and stopped Luo Datong, who was still talking, and took the blame for the defeat on himself.

"Your Majesty, my subordinates still have to say something for Li Zhen..." Luo Datong hesitated for a while and said, "Your Majesty, Li Zhen retreated to cover the troops arranged by the front line. He personally led the troops to cut off the rear and fought with the enemy. He was injured more than ten times and was shot in three places. He was only injured by the sword behind his back. He was considered to be accused of being cowardly with the enemy. He also said that Sima Lin was inappropriate in handling the enemy's enemy and placed the army responsible for cutting off the rear in a dangerous place, causing dozens of casualties. He was defeated and killed, so he should be held accountable. The memorial he asked for the seal was blocked by the Menxia Provincial Government, and he was waiting for the crime to return to his country and be buried. Please ask Your Majesty to make the decision for him!"

"Please make the decision for General Li!" After Luo Datong said that, the generals in the expeditionary army saluted the emperor in unison.

"I already know this, and have also seen the war reports sent by you and the Ministry of War respectively, and there is indeed controversy. However, it was not rejected by the Ministry of Justice. Instead, I will investigate again and discuss it with caution." Zhao Bing pondered for a moment and said, "I may disappoint you. The state has national laws, the family rules, and the military also has systems. Although I am the king of a country, I cannot interfere in the judiciary without authorization and issue an imperial edict."

"Li Zhen has followed His Majesty for many years. He should know that he is a man and will never act cowardly. Moreover, he personally led a battalion of troops to cut off the rear and fought with dozens of times of pursuit. However, when all the troops retreated safely, he was deeply trapped in a heavy siege. But he still opened the way first and led the remaining troops to break through. Later, he was seriously injured and felt unable to break through. In order to avoid influencing others, he turned around and fought back to the enemy and died in a fierce battle. Please let Your Majesty make a clear decision!" Liu Wenjun bowed to the top and said unwillingly.

"I came to Tanzhou this time not to be the emperor's identity to fulfill the relationship between the king and the minister, but to fulfill the friendship of the chariot. Whether it is a merit or a mistake, it doesn't matter. I only think about the dangers of that year. I ate a pot of brown rice with him, rode the same boat, and experienced the bloody storm, the loyalty of unagreeableness and loyalty of each other." Zhao Bing did not answer his request, but just expressed his intention.

"Your Majesty, Li Zhenzhong is brave and devoted himself to the country. How can he tolerate those little ones defiled with the defilement of his heroic reputation?" Luo Datong said again.

Gu Lu

"I also believe that Li Zhen is not a coward. He can stand up in the battle in a crisis, withdraw the frontier troops safely, and take the initiative to lead the troops to cut off the rear. It is the iron rule of the army that "will protect each other when attacking, and when retreating, he will stay together." Zhao Bing said, "The truth about Li Zhen's death should be clearly observed, but I cannot depose the public for personal gain and make decisions without authorization. But if there is any revenge and frame-up of accusation, I will not sit idly by and will return it to justice."

"Your Majesty is wise and will definitely be able to restore General Li's innocence!" Seeing that Your Majesty said this, Liu Wenjun knew that Your Majesty was actually very embarrassed. Now that he forcibly quelled the controversy, the imperial enthronement of Li Zhen would cause criticism, cause more injustice, and make the ministers dissatisfied. What's more important is that this incident has caused resentment from the officers and soldiers of the Expeditionary Army, resulting in unstable morale. His Majesty's coming to mourn can at least calm the emotions of the officers and soldiers and boost the morale of the sluggishness of the defeat.

"When will the spirit come true?" Zhao Bing saw that everyone in the generals were no longer convinced, and looked at Liu Wenjun and asked.

"Report to Your Majesty, Lingli Camp will start at the Mao hour tomorrow and go to the navy camp. The expeditionary army warships escort the coffin back to Lin'an to the Lingling. After a conclusion is made, the place will be buried at an appropriate time!" Liu Wenjun replied.

"Well, I wasn't late at last." Zhao Bing nodded and said, "I'll keep my mind at Li Zhen tonight. Please prepare some application items for you."

"Your Majesty has been marching for days and is exhausted. It's better to take a night off!" Liu Wenjun dissuaded.

"No need, I went to the court alone to inherit the throne. Li Zhen and others stayed asleep day and night, and kept their swords away. They didn't take off their armor and guards for more than ten days. What's the point of being with him overnight!" Zhao Bing waved his hand.

"I obey the order!" Liu Wenjun gave a deep tribute, and everyone in the hall bowed.

According to the Song Dynasty's ritual system, funerals have cumbersome rituals and systems. If the deceased is a high-ranking official or a person with outstanding merits, the emperor will often inquire about his funeral, send officials to serve as a mourning guard and preside over the funeral. If the deceased does not have a suitable heir, the emperor will also arrange for envoys to preside over various affairs for the deceased family. This kind of etiquette of the emperor personally inquiring about the candidates for the mourning guardian shows the harmony and friendship between the king and his subjects. The emperor's attention and condolences to the deceased officials are undoubtedly a great honor for the relatives of the deceased.

But it is a wartime moment, and there are no relatives around. In addition, there is still controversy over Li Zhen's death, and there is no conclusion on whether to reward or punish. In addition, the current situation is that only the spirits are moved and returned to their hometown, and they will be buried in the land after returning home, which also makes it difficult to control funerals. Even if everything can be simple, the army's colleagues are temporarily responsible for the responsibility. Now the emperor is different when he comes to pay tribute. At least the specifications have been invisibly improved by countless levels, which is not only comparable to the official rank.

Then an official who presided over the funeral came forward to report to Zhao Bing about the current arrangements and the items used for the funeral. After hearing this, he had no objection to the funeral of Li Zhen, but he sealed his letter into the coffin and buried it with him. After the rest of the matter was found out, he would be added according to the corresponding official rank and title and buried according to the ceremony.

Of course, in ancient times, there were also gifts for mourning, but at this time it was called 'Zi Ching'. According to the ancient rituals, there were differences between the two, but during the Song Dynasty, the distinction between "Zi" and "Zi" in funeral ceremonies was not particularly clear. One word "Zi Ching" covers all the property given to the bereaved family by mourning people.

When an official dies, the emperor will also give rewards according to his rank and emotional strength, which can be money, silk, land, houses, grain, etc., but most of them are money. Zhao Bing came from afar, and some things were not convenient to carry, so he gave him a thousand taels of gold. This amount was enough to be the status of a military governor in the old days of this dynasty according to the etiquette system, so this gift was not light. While raising Li Zhen's status, the imperial edict would not be lower than this in the future.

When he was ready, Zhao Bing was escorted by the generals to the back hall of the yamen. The soldiers who protected the spirits outside the hall were covered with armor and white clothes, and white spiritual banners danced in the wind. The mourning hall was covered with white silk. When he arrived in front of the spirit, his eyes were already in tears, his lips were trembling constantly. The guards accompanied him placed a set of gold, silver and wine utensils, plates, and tributes.

The incense that accompanied the generals of the Spirit Army was presented, Zhao Bing bowed three times and inserted the incense into the incense burner, sprinkled wine as a sacrifice, and burned paper money. As soon as the ceremony was finished, he walked into the spirit and saw Li Zhen's coffin and couldn't help but burst into tears. He looked at the cover of the coffin and burst into tears, crying silently. Seeing the emperor's back to them, the shoulders were trembling, obviously, it was extremely sad. Everyone was crying, and they were all moved by the emperor's affection and friendship.
Chapter completed!