Iron Dynasty

Chapter 1100

The morning sun shone on Luo Hong, and the warmth could not make him feel a single bit of heat. He had stubbornly believed that he had done

The morning sun shone on Luo Hong, and the warmth could not make him feel a single bit of heat.

He had stubbornly believed that he had done nothing wrong. In countless nights, he had been justifying his actions.

But now, the lies he had told himself countless times were instantly exposed. Yes, his unwillingness to be outdone, his secret collusion with Ge Yiren, all of it was just for power.

How was he any different from the treacherous ministers and rebels of all the dynasties?

“Your Majesty…” Luo Hong’s throat bobbed, and he could only say two words with difficulty.

“Your Majesty, I beg for your mercy!” Luo Xin, feeling a threatening aura from Xiao Ming, pleaded again.

Xiao Ming did not respond to Luo Hong but turned and went back to his dragon throne. He faced the ministers and said, “Ge Yiren and the others’ attempt to usurp power is a proven crime. According to the Empire’s law, they will be executed by firing squad immediately. Luo Hong, who colluded with Ge Yiren and incited military officers to rebel, has committed a more serious crime and will be punished the same. Guards, take these two away. The execution will be carried out at the execution ground tomorrow!”

As his voice fell, Ge Yiren immediately collapsed onto the ground, and his bladder and bowels let go. Luo Hong, on the other hand, was like a deflated ball, and his entire body went limp.

Upon receiving the order, the imperial guards immediately came forward and took Ge Yiren and Luo Hong and the others away.

Luo Xin glanced at Xiao Ming’s stern gaze and finally chose to remain silent. He had already known that this would be the result.

If people who attempted to usurp power were to be pardoned, who in the Empire would still respect the Emperor in the future? He had already done what he should have done, and there were no more regrets in his heart. If he were to say more, it would probably only cause more trouble.

After all, in the Great Yu Empire, he would have been arrested along with Luo Hong, and the extermination of the entire clan would have resulted in a river of blood.

But even with the Empire’s laws being more lenient than before, he still felt uneasy in his heart. He then said, “Your Majesty, my elder brother’s treason has implicated the entire Luo family. To avoid gossip, I believe I am no longer suitable to be the commander of the Southwest Army. I hope Your Majesty will remove me from my official position as a form of punishment.”

Pang Yukun heard this and said, “Your Majesty, Luo Xin’s words make sense. If he were to remain in his position, there would inevitably be gossip in the army, which would also harm his prestige.”

“Luo Hong is Luo Hong, and Luo Xin is Luo Xin. Luo Xin personally escorted Luo Hong to Qingzhou, which is enough to prove Luo Xin’s character. I believe that Luo Xin is not only without fault but is also meritorious.”

Lu Fei said in a rough voice.

Qi Guangyi echoed, “Your Majesty, although Luo Xin has the temper of a young master, his loyalty to Your Majesty is obvious to all. I also believe that he should not be implicated because of this matter. After all, there were many people involved in this rebellion. If we were to investigate it in detail, there would probably be no one in this court who is completely innocent. And the chaos among the common people has not yet subsided. If it were to be expanded, I’m afraid it would be detrimental to the Empire’s development.”

“Your Majesty, what the two commanders said is reasonable. I also believe that we should just punish them according to their crimes and not implicate innocent people.” Fei Ji hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

Xiao Ming nodded. Ever since the name of the Great Yu Empire was abolished, the Empire had entered a completely new era.

There was no need for the extermination of entire clans to be staged over and over again. The guilty should just be punished according to their crimes, and there was no need to make a big deal out of it.

Moreover, he was also worried that the common people would continue to cause trouble. It was better to pacify this matter and stop when it was appropriate, so as not to make people’s minds become restless, which would be a bad thing.

However, doing nothing was also inappropriate, which was what Pang Yukun was worried about. But he had long had his own solution to this problem.

So he said, “As for dismissing him, that is unnecessary. I have said that you military region commanders will be rotated. The time for that has also come. Logically, all six of you military region commanders should be rotated. But since Zhu Sansi is in Alaska and Lei Ming’s war in Southeast Asia has not yet ended, you and Ye Qingyun will exchange your positions as commanders. As for Qi Guangyi, he is skilled in cavalry warfare. Now that the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia are restless, he is needed in the Northwest Military Region.”

Ye Qingyun was happy. He had had enough of living in the snowy weather for all these years, and now he had finally gotten his turn to be rotated.

Luo Xin was silent for a while, and his eyes welled up with tears. He finally said loudly, “Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!”

He knew that this was a stopgap measure by Xiao Ming. Rotating the military region meant that he would be going to a completely new place where he was unfamiliar with all the generals, so he would not have anyone to lead a rebellion even if he wanted to.

In this way, the other people who were originally uneasy would also feel at ease, and this was also an indirect way of protecting him.

Nodding slightly, Xiao Ming motioned for Qian Dafu to dismiss the court. He was both physically and mentally exhausted during this period. Managing an empire was truly too difficult, and there were too many trivial matters.

After everyone dispersed, Xiao Ming returned to the Imperial Study. He had not even warmed his seat when a eunuch came to report that Luo Quan and Niu Ben were requesting an audience.

After a moment of thought, he had these two old ministers come in.

He had refused to see them before he announced the results of the case, and they were also very shrewd and did not disturb him.

The reason for this was that he did not want to be influenced by the two of them.

“Your Majesty.”

Upon entering the Imperial Study, Luo Quan suddenly knelt on the ground, while Niu Ben had a helpless expression on his face.

“Old General, why are you doing this?” Xiao Ming helped Luo Quan up.

The current Luo Quan was sobbing uncontrollably. He had already learned of Luo Hong’s punishment at the palace gate and was heartbroken.

“Your Majesty, our Luo family has let Your Majesty down. That rebellious son, Luo Hong, attempted to usurp power and deserved to die for his crime. But even so, Your Majesty still gave Luo Xin an important position. For such a great kindness, this old servant can never repay you.”

Sighing deeply, Xiao Ming said, “Old General, there is no need for this. I have already said in court that Luo Xin is Luo Xin, and Luo Hong is Luo Hong. The Empire today is no longer what it was in the past. Whoever commits a crime will be punished by law, and the innocent will not be implicated. Moreover, the Luo family has fought on the battlefield for the Empire for generations, and I will always remember that.”

A bitter feeling filled Luo Quan’s heart. He now only regretted that Luo Hong was so foolish, after all, before this, the Luo family’s favor in the Empire was at its peak.

“Your Majesty’s magnanimity is something this old servant admires. I have not come here today to plead for mercy, but to ask for Your Majesty’s permission to personally execute my rebellious son!”

“This…” Xiao Ming was a little surprised.

Luo Quan said loudly, “The Luo family has been loyal for generations. Today, a rebellious son like this has appeared. According to the Luo family’s rules, such a rebellious son must be cleaned out of the family. I hope Your Majesty will grant me this wish.”

Niu Ben nodded, indicating that the Luo family did indeed have this rule.

Xiao Ming sighed slightly. He said, “In that case, I will hand Luo Hong over to you, Old General. The Luo family has also done a lot for the Empire over the years, and I am not a heartless person. From the execution to the collection of the body, you can handle it yourself. This can also be considered a dignified end for him.”

Luo Quan cried in sorrow when he heard this. This was also the last bit of dignity left for Luo Hong.