Chapter 367

Ziyang Haochun said in a deep voice: "Master Zhang Song cannot be Zhong Tian's confidant. I can guarantee this with my own head. Master Tang convicted Master Zhang based on the confession of an enemy general. It is too hasty!"

"Is it hasty?" Tang Yin smiled, and his smile was evil. He tapped the blood letter on the table with his fingers and said slowly: "In my opinion, this is ironclad evidence. There is no need to investigate further. Let's leave the guarantee of General Ziyang to others!" After speaking, he turned his head and looked into the courtyard, and said calmly: "What are you waiting for? Execution!"

The executioners don't care whether you are guilty or not. As long as there is an order from above, they will execute it. Several executioners raised the ghost-head knives in their hands, aimed at the necks of Zhang Song and his family members, and chopped them down viciously.

Puff!

With a crisp sound, Zhang Song's cry of injustice and the crying of his family members came to an abrupt end. Several heads rolled to the ground, and the blood from the broken necks sprayed far away. The executioner did not stop, but immediately walked to the back of Zhang Song's other family members, and swung his big knife to chop them down fiercely. In the blink of an eye, more than 20 men, women, old and young in Zhang Song's family were all beheaded and killed.

"Ah——"

Liang Xing, Wu Yu, Ziyang Haochun, who were sitting in the hall, saw it clearly, and they all took a breath of cold air in their hearts. No matter what, Zhang Song was an official who could attend the court to discuss matters in the first dynasty, but he was killed by Tang Yin like this, and his whole family was executed. How could they not dare to be surprised and horrified in their hearts.

The soldiers of the Tianyuan Army loaded the corpses and severed heads on the ground into the carriage, and covered the blood on the ground with yellow soil.

Tang Yin turned his head with a smile, his eyes swept over Liang Xing and the other two, and said: "Any official who was captured by Zhong Tian and not executed is suspected of collaborating with the enemy. In order to ensure the safety and stability of the capital, such black sheep must be strictly investigated, and not one can be let go."

Hearing this, Liang Xing, Wu Yu, Ziyang Haochun shuddered at the same time. Although Tang Yin's words did not mention any names, they sounded like he was referring to them.

"Sir Tang..." At this time, Ziyang Haochun's momentum also softened, and he looked at Tang Yin in astonishment, not knowing what to say.

Tang Yin laughed and said, "Don't misunderstand, sirs. I am not saying that you are suspected of collaborating with the enemy. You are important and loyal officials of Dafeng, and pillars of the court. How could you have an affair with a traitor like Zhong Tian?"

"Yes... yes." Ziyang Haochun swallowed his saliva and couldn't help wiping his cold sweat.

"Come on, General Ziyang, drink, I'll toast you a glass!" As he spoke, Tang Yin raised his glass to Ziyang Haochun.

Ziyang Haochun didn't want to drink at all at this time, but the scene of Zhang Song being executed by his whole family was still vivid in his mind. He couldn't help but shudder, picked up the cup, forced a smile, and said, "Mr. Tang is too polite! Please!"

The blood letter that Tang Yin took was not written by General Peng, and Zhang Song's affair with Zhong Tian was completely Tang Yin's fault.

He was afraid that after inviting Liang Xing, Wu Yu, and Ziyang Haochun back to the capital to reorganize the court, it would put pressure on him, so he wrote, directed, and performed this play by himself. The purpose was to let Liang Xing, Wu Yu, and Ziyang Haochun understand who is the master and who is the follower, and let them know who is the one who really holds the power of life and death.

As for Zhang Song, he was just an unlucky guy chosen by Tang Yin. Tang Yin had his own considerations for choosing him. Zhang Song was a loyal minister of Feng State and even more so of Zhan Hua. When Zhong Tian became king, Zhang Song opposed it even to death. Tang Yin felt that if he became king in the future, Zhang Song would not support him. Instead of leaving this person as a stumbling block, it would be better to find a reason to get rid of him first, which would also serve as a warning to the monkeys.

Tang Yin's idea was appreciated by Qiu Zhen and supported by the generals of Tianyuan Army. It was under such circumstances that Zhang Song was confused and became a ghost under the knife of the executioner. He was still infamous for colluding with traitors until his death.

Tang Yin's self-written play really shocked Liang Xing, Wu Yu, and Ziyang Haochun, especially Ziyang Haochun. The prestige just now disappeared without a trace, and was replaced by trembling. He felt like sitting on pins and needles next to Tang Yin. Now he once again witnessed Tang Yin's methods and the cruelty and ruthlessness that came from his bones.

Tang Yin and his generals and advisers enjoyed the meal very much, but Liang Xing and Ziyang Haochun had no appetite. They both hoped that the banquet would end soon so that they could return to the mansion sooner.

With the return of Liang Xing, Wu Yu and Ziyang Haochun, the three powerful nobles, to the capital, the new court of Feng State was officially established. All the old officials of Feng State who were dismissed by Zhong Tian were reinstated, and most of them were promoted. The generals and advisers of Tianyuan Army were promoted the most.

Originally, Tianyuan Army belonged to the county army, and its generals and advisers could only be regarded as generals and officials of a county. Now, with the establishment of the new court, Tianyuan Army has jumped from a county army to the central army of the new Feng State. The official positions of its generals and advisers have naturally been promoted several levels, and their titles have also been promoted to the rank of the first mate.

However, Tang Yin, the head of Tianyuan County, did not change his position as the chief commander of Tianyuan Army, and he was still the head of the county. In this way, the generals and advisers under his command were higher in rank than him.

It was not that the new court did not want to promote Tang Yin, but that it could not find a suitable official position for him. With Tang Yin's merits, he should be ranked first among all ministers, but now the three main positions of Left Prime Minister, Right Prime Minister and General have already been occupied. It is impossible to promote Tang Yin and then squeeze out one of the three people, Liang Xing, Wu Yu and Ziyang Haochun. Of course, Tang Yin himself would not agree to do so.

So his promotion was put on hold for the time being. As for Tang Yin himself, he was not in a hurry. What he wanted was the throne. As for the official position, it didn't matter whether it was high or low. As long as he could firmly grasp the military power and control the overall situation, the empty name was dispensable.

At the same time as the new court was established, letters were sent to the heads of the seven counties of Tai'an, Shangqing, Gaoyang, Lingdong, Lingnan, Fuchuan, and Pingxi, summoning the heads of the seven counties to come to the capital to discuss matters immediately. Liang Xing, Wu Yu, and Ziyang Haochun all made guarantees in the letters, promising that as long as the heads of the counties were willing to come to the capital to express their loyalty, the past could be forgiven.

The heads of the seven counties were summoned in the name of Tang Yin, but the seven heads did not dare to come. Now, the new court formed by Liang Xing, Wu Yu, and Ziyang Haochun sent another letter. If they did not come to the capital again, it would be equivalent to not recognizing the current new court, and it would also be equivalent to no longer recognizing Fengguo. This is something the heads of the seven counties cannot afford.

Moreover, the reputations of Liang Xing, Wu Yu, Ziyang Haochun were much greater than Tang Yin, and the heads of the seven counties trusted them more. After receiving the letter, the heads of the seven counties immediately wrote back, saying that they would set out immediately and enter the capital immediately.

Half a month later, the heads of the seven counties arrived in Yancheng one after another, and before them, the heads of Tianyuan County, Guannan County, Lehu County, and Jinguang County also arrived. Now, of the fifteen counties of Feng State, except for the four counties in the south of Yancheng, the heads of the other eleven counties have gathered in Yancheng.

Before officially entering the court, Tang Yin invited the eleven heads of the counties to his mansion for a banquet in his private name the night before.

Now, the house he occupied was also renamed Tang Mansion. Outside the gate, soldiers and armor stood in rows. Looking up, the dark Feng army almost filled the streets. There was no relaxed and joyful atmosphere of the banquet in the air, but only solemn and murderous atmosphere.

When the heads of the counties came to the banquet, they saw this scene. Except for the heads of Tianyuan, Guannan, Jinguang, and Lehu counties, the hearts of the other seven heads of counties were trembling.

There were already quite a few Fengjun outside the mansion, and there were even more Fengjun inside the mansion. In the courtyard, only the middle aisle was empty, and both sides were filled with Fengjun square formations. Moreover, the elite Fengjun standing in the mansion were all of almost the same height, wearing black helmets and black armor, with red tassels on their heads, red cloaks on their backs, guns in their hands, knives on their waists, and longbows on their backs. They were all heroic and murderous.

The seven heads of counties kept wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads as they walked in. They felt that they were not coming to a banquet, but more like they were coming to die. They were all people who had seen big storms, but at this time, their calves were still cramping and their hearts were in their throats.

After finally passing through the array of many Feng troops, I came to the door of the hall. Before I entered, someone inside laughed twice. Then, a young man in his thirties walked out of the hall. He was wearing official uniform, thin and handsome. He naturally exuded a sense of elegance when he raised his hands and feet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please come in. I am Shangguan Yuanji!" The young man smiled and raised his hands to greet everyone.

It turned out that this person was Shangguan Yuanji! The seven county heads had all heard of Shangguan Yuanji's name. Although Shangguan Yuanji was not a general who could charge into battle and capture cities and strongholds, his contribution to the Tianyuan Army was not comparable to that of several generals trapped together. Shangguan Yuanji was actually the chief county head of Tianyuan, Guannan, Jinguang, and Lehu counties. He governed the four counties and continuously supplied soldiers, military supplies, and food and wages to the Tianyuan Army fighting in the front. His role could not be replaced by others.

"It's Lord Shangguan, I'm so sorry, so sorry!"

The seven county heads hurriedly bowed and saluted, and returned the greeting to Shangguan Yuanji respectfully.

"Haha! You are welcome, come in, I have been waiting for you for a long time!" Shangguan Yuanji stepped aside and let the seven county heads into the hall.

At this time, the banquet in the hall was ready. Tang Yin sat in the middle. There were more than 20 tables and mats on both sides. Except for the seats of the seven county heads, the other seats were already occupied.

Seeing the county heads coming in, Tang Yin, who was sitting on the mat, did not stand up to greet them, but waved his hand and said with a smile: "You are so kind to come to the banquet, which really makes my humble home glorious!"

Tang Yin's words were nothing, just polite words, but the seven county heads were shocked after hearing them. Tang Yin had written to them before, inviting them to the capital, but they didn't come then. Now seeing Tang Yin, the seven of them were inevitably embarrassed, and they also felt that there was something else in his words.

After a moment of silence, the seven of them hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir Tang, I am late to visit you, and I hope you will show me some respect!"