Chapter 10 second quarter
Jingyuanzhuang.
The willow shade flicked lightly, and there was no sound.In the evening light, a thin-faced middle-aged man in a purple shirt is sitting on a stone slab by the small lake in the village to fish. He is extremely focused on the golden thread hanging quietly in the lake, as if Do something great.Behind him, a girl in a green shirt sat casually on a big rock, looking around boredly. Crisp ding.If one only looked at the attire and demeanor of these two people, regardless of the ceremonial guards, eunuchs, court ladies, and guards dressed in military uniforms that could be vaguely seen outside the garden gate, no one would have imagined that the men fishing here turned out to be the most expensive The son of heaven is Zhao Xu, the emperor of Song Dynasty, and the girl next to him is Princess Wen, commonly known as "Princess Shushou".
"Sanniang, can you be quiet?" After being annoyed by his daughter for half an hour, Zhao Xu finally couldn't bear it anymore.
After finally attracting the attention of the father, Shushou completely ignored Zhao Xu's non-destructive reprimand, jumped off the rock, pulled Zhao Xu's sleeve and begged in a low voice: "I beg the father to be merciful, so that I can let my son beg for mercy." Go see the white elephant."
Zhao Xu frowned, looked back at his most beloved princess, and couldn't help crying and laughing. In this day, Shushou had begged him at least twenty times.
Up to this year, Zhao Xu had given birth to fourteen princes and ten princesses, but most of them died due to the backward medical conditions at that time. In addition to Princess Wen, the sixth son of the emperor, Zhao Gong, the thirteenth son of Zhao Si, and the tenth daughter of the emperor, Princess Qing, were born to Concubine Zhu De; Princess Kang, the fourth daughter of the emperor; Zhao Si, the fourteenth son of the emperor, born to Lin Jieyu; Zhao Bi, the ninth son of the emperor, born to Wu Cairen; Zhao Ji, the eleventh son of the emperor, born to Chen Meiren.Whether these seven sons and three daughters can survive is still hard to say. The younger princes and princesses are still in their infancy; and the oldest Shushou is only in his teens. This is not a safe age. Zhao Xu The eldest daughter of the emperor, who was born to the queen, died at the age of twelve.It may be because of this, or Zhao Xu loves Shushou's biological mother who died early, and loves this actual emperor's eldest daughter to such an extent that even the Empress Dowager Gao can't stand it.
"You are the princess of the Great Song Dynasty! How can you just go to places like the zoo?"
Although Zhao Xu had a straight face, his eyes and tone of voice completely betrayed him. "Then why did Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother go? They still go on horseback!" Shushou already pouted.
"Brother Six and Brother Seven are men, so it's okay to go." Zhao Xu's voice began to waver.
"But Mrs. Shi's family is also a girl, so she can go too. Many people in Yiyuan have been there." Shushou became more and more dissatisfied, the corners of her mouth twitched, and tears rolled into her eyes.
Zhao Xu's heart almost melted immediately.At this moment, he really wished he could kick Zeng Bu and Xue Yi back to Ling Yamen, if they hadn't offered this white elephant, why would he not be able to fish quietly for a while?For the emperor, this kind of opportunity is very rare. If he is fishing in other places, he does not know how many carps have been secretly put in by the servants... However, this kind of unrealistic idea can only be thought about That's all, he looked at Shushou, and he almost blurted out his promise a few times, but when the words came to his lips, he finally endured them forcefully.
If he agreed to Shushou, how would he deal with the Empress Dowager?
But if you don't promise her, it's hard to let this matter go.His third princess is a little devil at all, even more powerful than Roujia back then.In front of Empress Dowager Gao and several serious concubines, she pretended to be more obedient than Qinghe—this kind of thing, such as sitting on a rock and shaking her feet, might not even be thought of by Empress Dowager Gao and those concubines; Come, she can make the whole palace go crazy.
There are lessons learned from this kind of thing.
She didn't know where she heard about Yiyuan that day. In order to go to Yiyuan to study, she showed her great hospitality to Empress Dowager Gao and the concubines, and at the same time, she used some method to instigate a group of concubines who could speak for her. plead.For a whole month, what Empress Dowager Gao and Zhao Xu could hear were almost all pleading voices for her... Seeing this "behaved" three princesses depressed all day long, not thinking about food and drink, she was getting thinner and thinner. Even Empress Dowager Gao's heart softened.Coupled with the fact that it was so annoying to hear, Empress Dowager Gao and Zhao Xu finally had to agree.
"Come on! Come on!" After thinking and thinking, Zhao Xu finally decided to get out of the catastrophe in front of him. He looked around to see if there was no one around, pulled Shushou closer, and said in a low voice: "San Niang must want to go, I agree with you..." Before he finished speaking, Shushou burst into laughter—Zhao Xu was angry and funny, and continued: "However, you can't speak out. You quietly go to Aunt Nineteen, Let me tell you that it is my will to let her quietly take you to see the white elephant, and keep quiet!" He finished his sentence, but Shushou had already curled his lips again: "Father is lying, there is no proof, nineteen My aunt won't believe me!"
Zhao Xu couldn't help blushing, he really wanted to push the trouble to Roujia first, but his daughter found out, so he could only say: "I asked Li Xiangan to find some people to accompany you to see her."
Only then did Shushou feel happy again, and pretended to turn her back to Zhao Xu, and said in a childish and childish voice, "Thank you, father, Huanglong!"
Seeing her like this, Zhao Xu couldn't help laughing, and couldn't help laughing.Shushou's wish came true, and she hugged Zhao Xu's neck, laughing and fussing, even getting up and down.
Zhao Xu managed to appease Shushou again, and was about to go fishing again. Just as he turned around, he heard Li Xiangan's shrill report from outside the garden: "Your Majesty, Li Xian and Shi De asked to see each other."
"Xuan." Zhao Xu threw down the fishing rod resignedly, and said to Shushou, "Go and play with your aunts first."
Watching Shushou leave happily, a trace of melancholy appeared in Zhao Xu's heart.He didn't look at Shi Deyi who was kneeling in front of him, but just glanced at Li Xian out of the corner of his eye, and said, "Have you met Tang Kang?"
Li Xian murmured for a while, but did not speak.Although his position is higher than that of Shi Deyi, Shi Deyi is in charge of this assignment, and he is only "listening" according to the order.Moreover, Li Xian is also quite self-aware-Xining folklore has "five sable pens". In terms of restraint, Li Xian holds a heavy army, has a high official rank, and is also the most beautiful on the surface; Living in the capital for work, and often dispatched to various places for the emperor; Song Yongchen was in charge of supervising all the construction projects in the capital; It was Shi Deyi who was kneeling next to him.Two years ago, the former eunuch who was in charge of the Imperial City Department retired, and Shi Deyi took charge of the key institution of the Imperial City Department. The long-buried spy function has been unearthed again.He set "homework" for the investigative soldiers of the Imperial City Division, requiring each person to find out how many things to report every day.For a while, the capital was in a mess, and everyone looked sideways, which can be called powerful.Not only were the Taiwan admonitions very dissatisfied with him, and the impeachment continued, even the military secretary had many conflicts because of his overstretched hands.But the emperor thought he was a loyal slave, and Lu Huiqing wanted to use him to attack dissidents, and there were quite a few ministers in the two governments who were wise enough to protect themselves, but no one could do anything to get him.He also became more arrogant because of this.Although Li Xian is far away in Shaanxi, his family and relatives are all in the capital. No one can guarantee that no one in the family has committed crimes. no.What's more, he must be extra careful when leading troops outside.Although Li Xian knew that Shi Deyi would not end well if he went on like this, he never wanted to offend him.
At the moment, he just lay quietly on the ground and listened to Shi De's report: "Report to the official family, and I will go to Yushitai Prison for questioning. According to the imperial edict, no one else is present. I asked: Can I be convicted? Tang Kang replied: The guilty minister was convicted. The minister asked: Why did you transfer the forbidden army? Tang Kang replied: The matter was rushed, and I had to. If you wait for a reply, the military aircraft will be delayed. The minister asked: Why did Tian Liewu, Zhao Long, and Li Hun give the troops to the army? You? Tang Kang replied: Tian Liewu has loyalty and has an old relationship with the guilty minister, so he did not hesitate to die; Zhao and Li Shi did not know. The minister asked: Why did you kill and surrender without authorization? Tang Kang replied: The criminal did not dare to kill and surrender, but killed without authorization Rebel soldiers. One is outraged by righteous indignation, and the other is fear of insufficient troops, which will cause future trouble. The minister asked: Do Tian Liewu and Zhao Long know about it? Tang Kang replied: Tian and Zhao really didn't know about it. It is not a pity for the sinful minister to die, and I hope that your majesty will not underestimate the Southwest Yi. The minister asked: Why did you order Zhang Dun to pass on the son? Tang Kang did not answer. The minister asked again, and Tang Kang replied: The guilty minister is afraid that he will enter Yintai and be attached to the prime minister. See the minister. He refused to submit his name. He also said that if there is a false statement about the Southwest, I would like to be punished by the family!"
Zhao Xu listened quietly with a sullen face. Hearing this, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly: "Zuzhu? Does he think I'm Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty?"
Shi Deyi was quietly raising his eyes to look at the emperor, but seeing Zhao Xu's cold eyes swept over him, he hurriedly lowered his head again, and heard the emperor say coldly: "His crime, the two governments will come up with it, the most important thing is to fabricate it." No matter. Grace comes from the top, can I still add punishment to him? From Wen Yanbo and Shi Yue’s point of view, he will always be rewarded with grace. But now it seems that there is no need to rush for a while. Mutiny of the imperial army, illness of the commander-in-chief Calamity, the fall of Luzhou, the defeat of the admiral and the death of the admiral... Is it possible that Yizhou collapsed overnight? Is there someone who deceived the emperor with ignorance, or someone who made alarmist words? It is always necessary to find out. Wait until it is clear It’s not too late to discuss his crimes. I can forgive him for mobilizing troops to kill without authorization; but if he intentionally scares the words and framed the prime minister and his ministers... Humph!"
The emperor didn't ask any questions, neither Li Xian nor Shi Deyi dared to answer.But lying on the ground with the head and the body, it was just able to cover up Li Xian's expression.He now knows more clearly that this power struggle has reached a critical point.No matter which side wins in the end, the current balance between the DPRK and China is no longer possible to continue, and there must be a big ouster comparable to Xining's early years.Perhaps even crueler than that.
"Li Xian."
"The minister is here."
"You are walking outside, Yizhou is empty and real, have you seen or heard anything?"
Li Xian seemed to feel that Shi Deyi's eyes were staring at his back coldly, he couldn't help trembling, and immediately replied: "I am sent by order from Shaanxi, and I dare not hear about it because of my duty."
The emperor was silent.Li Xian felt an invisible pressure rushing towards him overwhelmingly, and he broke out in a cold sweat.The emperor is the lord of England, he has already heard about the meeting in Wen Yanbo's mansion that day in detail, plus Tang Kang's notes, and the events that happened one after another, if the emperor is not suspicious, it is impossible.
The emperor in front of him hated deceit the most.
Li Xian couldn't help being envious of those scholar-officials. The scholar-officials can hide behind the etiquette and uprightly and confidently refuse to answer things they don't want to answer, but he is a servant. Let them be the most trusted eyes and ears of the emperor. If they refuse to hear what they hear or see, what will the emperor think?
He couldn't help feeling a pang of regret.
"The officials and ministers believe that the most important thing in Yizhou now is to suppress the rebellion of the Southwestern Yi as soon as possible." Li Xian tried to make up for his mistakes, "Today Lingxia Dading, although the usual rules exist, I will guard against danger and use cement bricks Fortification, both cannons and bows are powerful. Western soldiers are all masters of a hundred battles. Although the king's division is not aggressive enough, it is more than successful. Western thieves are no longer a concern. It’s time for revenge! The southwestern barbarians are nothing but clowns. Even if Tang Kang’s words are false, it is not the best policy for the court to spend national power and troops on this; Otherwise, attack both internally and externally, and Yizhou will be in danger."
"I used troops in the southwest, and I also intended to train them! The soldiers from the southeast and Heshuo have not been in battle for a long time. I want to give them a small test in the southwest, so that the soldiers can go through the battle before they can be used in a big way." Although Li Xian looked at them I couldn't see the emperor's expression, but it was obvious that the emperor's tone had softened.He relaxed a little.What is the emperor's greatest ambition?This is an open secret.The emperor's purple shirt was already a strong signal—the purple shirt was one of the clothing worn by soldiers in the Song Dynasty.Sima Guang hated the weak folk customs, and Shi Yue advocated the restoration of the ancient style of saber. In such an atmosphere, the emperor could finally wear military uniforms to see his subjects, but Li Xian knew that the emperor's thinking was different from Sima Guang and Shi Yue.The latter may simply be to change the social atmosphere, but what the emperor thinks is "excellent martial arts"!Since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, there has always been a desire to regain the homeland of Yanyun. Whether the emperor reformed and tried to strengthen himself, or sent troops to Xixia, the ultimate goal was always to the north.This is a knot in the hearts of the emperors and ministers of the Great Song Dynasty.But now, no matter what the situation in Yizhou is, it is obvious that the emperor's hands and feet have been tied there.
Zhao Xu didn't look at the two eunuchs kneeling in front of him, he was a little upset.Half of what he said was from the bottom of his heart. Tiaohe Shuo forbidden soldiers to enter Shu to fight, naturally there was a purpose of training soldiers, but on the other hand, it was also a last resort.But Zhao Xu always wanted to take revenge on Liao.Therefore, despite financial difficulties, Hebei's frontier defense has never dared to relax, and artillery is also given priority to the defense of the two northern frontiers.Xue Yi asked several times to install cannons on sea ships, but he rejected them all because Zhao Xu believed that overseas is always just overseas, while Youji is the "homeland of China".For Zhao Xu, whether it is the South China Sea or overseas trade, it is always just a source of income.His ambition, his ideal, has always been the land in the north.
But at this time, Zhao Xu felt as if he was making a wishful calculation in an orderly manner, but someone suddenly intervened and messed up the calculation.Yizhou, which had been doing well all along, was suddenly told by someone that it was on the verge of a great rebellion!
Zhao Xu was very angry.He felt that he didn't know anything, neither the truth of the matter nor how to deal with it... This feeling especially made Zhao Xu feel angry.He was the Lord of Zhongxing in the Great Song Dynasty. He recovered Hexi and drove Xixia to the west of Helan Mountain. Under his rule, the Great Song Dynasty no longer needed to give the Liao Kingdom and Xixia the humiliating yearly gifts every year; his territory was as far as thousands of miles away. Outside of Lingyamen, Da Song became the overlord of the South China Sea; he almost reduced Goryeo to a semi-vassal state without using weapons!
The grand occasion of the Great Song Dynasty today is the unprecedented prosperity in China after the Anshi Rebellion.And he, Zhao Xu, is the Holy Lord who created this prosperous world!
However, when Lu Huiqing and Wen Yanbo reported to him the situation in the southwest, and when he read Tang Kang's memorial, Zhao Xu suddenly felt disillusioned.His sense of superiority, his sense of pride, his sense of accomplishment, his self-esteem that he thought that Song Dynasty was already extremely powerful, suddenly became unreliable.
He thought that he was a holy lord comparable to Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, but would he become Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty in the end and become the laughing stock of future generations?
This is something Zhao Xu cannot accept.
"The official family temple is far away, beyond the reach of ministers. The Heshuo Forbidden Army has been in peace for a long time. Although it has been reorganized, it is not as good as the Western Army. Before He Qufei advocated sending the Western Army generals directly to the Heshuo Forbidden Army. Both the Yamen and the Ministry of War thought it was a good strategy, but the disharmony between the officers and soldiers was also the cause of the mutiny. It can be seen that this strategy is feasible in theory, but it may not work in practice. It is not easy for officials to train troops in actual combat. It is just the current situation in the southwest There is a change, this policy may be revised a little bit..." Li Xian said his words carefully. The biggest difference between eunuchs and scholar-bureaucrats is that eunuchs will always take into account the emperor's feelings. There may be some light on the southwestern Yi, but Tang Kang's words may not be without exaggeration, and the officials don't need to worry too much. The two governments think that the advance envoys to understand the real situation in Yizhou are also words for the country. Why don't the officials wait quietly for the truth to come out? As for the military, I think it is not difficult to win. As long as we can win a big battle, even if there is a crisis, it will be greatly alleviated. Therefore, the most important thing is to send elite soldiers and generals to Sichuan to quell the chaos—but The officials still cannot lose the purpose of actual combat training. The minister believes that the main force of the battle will naturally be selected from the Western Army. In each battalion of the army, let them learn how to fight with the Western Army. If these soldiers are trained well, they will be able to use these soldiers as the main force to bring the whole battalion and the entire army when they return to the Heshuo Forbidden Army..."
"This is a good idea!" Before Li Xian finished speaking, Zhao Xu had already clapped his hands in praise, "After all, He Qufei is a scholar's opinion, and it is not as good as an old general's. They don't dare to make trouble when one conductor is transferred out."
Hearing the emperor's praise and criticism, Li Xian's heart suddenly moved. He Qufei was originally a scholar in Fujian. Recommended to the emperor what to do, the emperor personally tried the court, played a symmetrical purpose, and specially granted Tong Jinshi's background, and made him a professor in the martial arts school, lecturing on the history of wars in the past dynasties.This gentleman was from the Murongqian shogunate, and he had close contacts with Shi Yue's staff, and his articles were highly praised by Su Shi. Although he was only a small professor, he was viewed differently by Wen Yanbo and Guo Kui. He often published articles on the reform of the military system Opinions and suggestions, every suggestion, was praised by the emperor... Li Xian thought of He Qufei's background, and felt that this person was too inconvenient to offend, so he hurriedly said: "I didn't think about it at first, but I heard the official Based on the theory of actual combat training, it suddenly occurred to me that there is nothing wrong with this. How can ordinary people think so deeply like officials?"
Zhao Xu smiled slightly, and said: "You are exaggerating." He glanced at Li Xian and Shi Deyi again, and then said: "You all get up and talk."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Xian paid it back, but Shi Deyi's legs were sore from his knees. At this time, as if he had been pardoned, Xie En stood up and looked at Li Xian jealously, wishing to roast him to death with his eyes. .
Zhao Xu ignored Shi Deyi, and only said to Li Xian: "Since you need to select elite soldiers from the Western Army, you are familiar with the Western Army. Tell me, how many troops should be transferred to Shu? Which troops are suitable for transfer? I will also listen to them." The person you choose in your heart."
Li Xian raised his eyes quietly, seeing the emperor's hot gaze on him, he was startled, the little bit of complacency in his heart just now disappeared into the sky.Judging by the emperor's expression, he hoped that he would take the initiative to invite Ying, but Li Xian said it easily, but he knew it very clearly in his heart: the battle in Yizhou was not easy to fight, and if the internal affairs were entangled, it would be even more dangerous.Instead of going to Yizhou to fight, Li Xian would rather persuade the emperor to go to war against Xixia again.The achievements of the Southwest should be left to others to build.But even though he had a small calculation in his heart, he never dared to let the emperor see the slightest bit.He quickly lowered his head, avoiding the emperor's eyes, and pretended to ponder. After a while, he replied: "I think that the soldiers in Shu today include the local Xiang army, the rural soldiers, the southeast forbidden army, and the Heshuo forbidden army." , as well as the Western Army, these armies cannot withdraw from Yizhou in a hurry. If you want to be able to control this motley army, you must also know how to use its strength well. Only the generals from the Western Army will be in a difficult position. Most of the generals of the Western Army I look down on Heshuo and the Southeast Army, and the Heshuo Imperial Army will inevitably be suspicious of the generals of the Western Army. In my humble opinion, I think that the strategic commander must be an important minister. If it is not well-known in the army, how can it be able to subdue all armies? Soldiers? And if you want to see success quickly, it is best to have a veteran who fought in the southwest or south, and experienced the Nong Zhigao rebellion..."
"You mean Guo Kui?" Zhao Xu was silent for a while, then shook his head and sighed, "Guo Kui is old." He had signed a letter to the Privy Council, so Zhao Xu had already planned in his heart that he would be directly appointed Minister of the Ministry of War within the next two years, and then he would retire in a dignified manner.In fact, in Zhao Xu's current two houses, except for Lu Huiqing, they are generally too old, which has become a heart problem for Zhao Xu.
Unexpectedly, Li Xian was rejected by the emperor before he had time to say Guo Kui's name.But this time he failed to guess what Zhao Xu was thinking, because he said with a smile: "Although Lian Po is old, he is still good at food."
"Kindness is a lesson learned from the past." Zhao Xu shook his head again and again before Li Xian finished speaking, and said, "That's the end of the discussion. Tomorrow I will go to the Privy Council in person, and I want to meet Tian Liewu and Li Hun."
"Officials." Both Li Xian and Shi Deyi were taken aback.
"What are you afraid of? I can't be kept in the dark all the time." After trying to figure out the meaning of Zhao Xu's words, Shi Deyi's face turned pale.Zhao Xu sneered and said, "The case of Tang Kang and Tian Liewu should not be tried separately. The Privy Council, Weiwei Temple and Yushitai will try it together. Shi Deyi, go and listen."
"Receive the decree." Shi De hurriedly knelt down again.
"Also, you go to announce the decree once. For the sake of the Empress Dowager, Gao Zunhui's crime will not be questioned."
Li Xian and Shi Deyi couldn't help but look at each other. Gao Zunhui had already been pardoned before the trial of the case started, so Tang Kang and Tian Liewu might not be able to ask about the crime of arbitrarily mobilizing troops.Li Xian secretly murmured in his heart, I am afraid that no one will draft this imperial decree for the emperor.
Li Xian was right as he expected, Zhi Zhigao sealed his resignation as expected, Gao Zunhui was not able to stay out of the matter after all.And on the second day, the emperor failed to go to the Shufu——Chen Yi, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments, suddenly fell ill. Although the emperor sent a medical officer from the Imperial Academy to diagnose and treat him, Chen Yi was too old to be cured by medicine and stones. On the fifth day, he died.In order to arrange Chen Yi's funeral and pursue his posthumous title, Zhao Xu left the matter of Tang Kang and Tian Liewu out of the blue.The sudden addition of two vacancies for ministers is a good thing for the courtiers, but for Zhao Xu, it forced him to face a harsh fact-the ministers of his two governments are all too old However, new talents have not yet been cultivated.This is the price he has paid for maintaining the political stability of North Korea and China in the past ten years. Now, the debt collectors are here.
Privy envoy Wen Yanbo, seventy-nine years old; co-signer Privy Council member Sun Gu, sixty-nine years old; official minister Feng Jing, sixty-four years old; household minister Sima Guang, and ritual minister Wang Gui, sixty-six years old; Others, such as Han Wei, are also sixty-eight years old, and Su Song is also sixty-five years old... Among his ministers, only Zuo Servant Lu Huiqing and Minister of Industry Wang Anli are only in their fifties.But his trust in Lu Huiqing has also begun to waver; and Wang Anli, Zhao Xu is not satisfied with him.
At this moment, Zhao Xu had to seriously consider the issue of talents.
It's not that Zhao Xu has never deliberately cultivated talents. He has high hopes for Han Qi's eldest son, Han Zhongyan. The character of the material.But Han Zhongyan's talent is far behind his father's...
The courtiers who are about the same age as Han Zhongyan, Fan Chunren, Lu Dafang, Lu Huiqing, Wang Anli, Li Qingchen, Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, and Su Shi, Su Zhe brothers... In Zhao Xu's view, they are more important than Wang Anshi and Sima. There is still a huge gap in every aspect of this generation of scholar-officials alone.The only one who can really get his approval is Lu Huiqing.
but……
Of course, the imperial court is not without first-rate talents...
That person was even more than ten years younger than Lu Huiqing, but his reputation was no longer inferior to that of Wen Yanbo, and his talent was not inferior to that of Wang Anshi and Sima Guang...
However, this person is just an anomaly after all.Zhao Xu still remembers discussing talents with Sima Guang once. The two monarchs traced back the famous officials of the dynasty and found that in each era, there will be a large number of people with similar talents, talents, and reputations. There are people like Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Feng Jing, and Wang Yu of the later generation, as well as Han Zhongyan and others of the later generation. If you compare them vertically, there will naturally be differences in superiority and inferiority, but if you compare them horizontally, there will be no difference between them. The principle of dominance.Only Shi Yue is a great exception. Not only is he far superior to his peers, even in the entire history of Song Dynasty, he will not be inferior!
For Da Song, is this odd number lucky or unfortunate?
Zhao Xu still has no answer.
He didn't believe that Shi Yue would betray him.But he is familiar with the allusions of this dynasty. When Emperor Taizu wanted Fu Yanqing to lead the military power, Zhao Pujian insisted on not agreeing to issue an edict. Emperor Taizu asked: "Could it be that Fu Yanqing will betray me?" Have you ever betrayed Zhou Shizong?"
Emperor Taizu was a loyal minister in Zhou Shizong, but when Zhou Shizong died, there was a mutiny in Chenqiao.Is this the Emperor Taizu harboring evil intentions?no.This is a situation that is forbidden, and I have no choice but to do so.If God can't take it, you will be blamed instead.If there hadn't been the Chen Qiao mutiny back then, would the Emperor Taizu have ended well when the young gentleman grew up?
In the affairs of the world, whether it is loyalty or treachery, sometimes it is not something that people can control by themselves.
If Cao Cao had been born decades earlier, who said he wouldn't be Huo Zimeng or Zhu Xuhou?
Zhao Xu always kept in mind the legacy of the Empress Dowager. "...Don't let Shi Yue have no good results!" This is the compassionate heart of the Empress Dowager, and it is also the wise insight of the Empress Dowager!Otherwise, why didn't the empress dowager say not to let Sima Guang have no good results?When a person is about to die, his words are also kind.Before the Empress Dowager ascended to heaven, perhaps she foresaw the outcome of Shi Yue...
Shiyue must be used, but to use Shiyue, you must use Shiyue's skills.If it is reused for a few years, it will be idle for a few years. Letting him rise and fall will not only make people unable to guess the emperor's mind, but also make those who follow the trend dare not get too close to Shi Yue, so that there will be no chance to form a deep-rooted, There are cronies all over the court and the public... Moreover, when Shi Yue is left idle and reviled, it can also be used as a bargaining chip to contain the ruling ministers, because the emperor has candidates to replace any important ministers anytime, anywhere.As long as there is a minister with such prestige as Shi Yue, those who want to do whatever they want in the court will definitely be afraid.
But the courtiers will not understand the beauty of the emperor's art.However, Zhao Xu didn't need them to understand.It's just that no matter how many people come forward to ask for the reuse of Shi Yue, or how many people want to take the opportunity to impeach Shi Yue, Zhao Xu will stay.It is a purpose that makes them unable to figure it out and figure it out.
As for Yizhou Road... Zhao Xu hesitated, lamenting that few people in the court could understand his thoughts.Yizhou is a place that can't stir up big waves. In fact, most of the imperial court's financial resources in these years are still used to consolidate the defense of the two northern fortresses. Dealing with it—this was Lu Huiqing's strategy to cater to the emperor, but this reality further deepened Zhao Xu's understanding. He believed that the Southwest Yi could not cause any trouble.In Zhao Xu's view, he not only wants to turn those Southwestern barbarians into registered households, but more importantly, he hopes to use this to create a group of famous ministers and futures, not only for training soldiers, but also for training. Practice generals!Niu Knife was tested in Southwest China first, and then used in Heshuo. He wanted to create an unprecedented prosperous world!
Until now, Zhao Xu was still intoxicated by his imagination.For the current situation, he was only angry, but not much worried.He was only angry at the deception of his subordinates.The things Tang Kang said are definitely not all fabricated, but there must be some alarmist words.What's more, since he knows a remote state, how wide and far can he see the situation?Can he still beat the ministers in the court?The ministers of the DPRK and China made a big fuss because of this, so there may not be no factors of party struggle. "Different theories intertwine", this is the magic weapon of the ancestors, and this is also predictable.
Since it is for the purpose of training talents, it is too unreasonable to send important ministers and veterans there.Like Guo Kui and others, of course he can trust their abilities, but he can't trust their age!In case of another kind of erroneousness, how much impact will it have on the morale of the army?
Zhao Xu still regrets sending Zhong Er to Yizhou until now.
"Officials."
"Well?"
"Shi Yue is here." Li Xiang'an said cautiously.He is Suilong's servant, and it is extremely difficult for him to be cautious and cautious in the court for nearly twenty years.Among the ministers of the DPRK and China, Li Xiang'an has the closest relationship with Shi Yue, but he never leaves any grounds behind.So even in Shi Yue's unsatisfactory years, he has never been affected.
"Show him in."
Zhao Xu had to temporarily stop his thoughts.
In the Shen Jian Pavilion in Guo Mansion Garden.
Guo Kui is sitting with He Weizhi for a drink.While drinking, the two talked about the art of war and battle formation of the past dynasties.One of the two is a veteran general of the Renzong Dynasty, and the other is a famous general in the northwest. They talked about the past and the present, and pointed out heroes, and they became more and more speculative.The cups went back and forth, and after three rounds of drinking, although the two of them had a lot of alcohol, they couldn't help but feel a little drunk.
He Weizhi has always regarded himself as a hero, but since the western affairs gradually leveled off, he has been extremely unhappy in the past few years. He was actually recommended and transferred to the Division of Guards and Infantry, which is one of the so-called "Three Yamen". The Supreme Headquarters of the National Infantry on the Internet, to put it bluntly, is nothing more than a messenger agency between the Privy Council and the various armies. Although it is also responsible for exercises, training, deployment, etc. in name, in fact all these things are the Privy Council. The government decided, and then a piece of official document was sent to the third office, and the third office stamped it and sent it out-even if it is to put it mildly, this is just a "storage place for talents".Thinking of He Weizhi's outstanding military achievements in the war with Xixia, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant of Zhaowu, and he was thinking about his ambitions, but he was sent to Sanya to sit on the bench.At this time, talking about the heroes of the past dynasties will inevitably touch my heart.He drank a few cups of turbid wine, took advantage of the drunkenness, and clapped his hands and sang a long song: "I was traveling in Kansai on the fifteenth year. At that time, Wei picked a bad horse to ride. The iron horse in the west of Huazhou City, a thousand warriors can't be restrained. Bring it and stand in court. Uncertain, two-legged people stand up and neigh against the wind. I am strong-willed and fearful, so I stroke the saddle, tiptoe the stirrups and ride..."
Guo Kui heard him sing sadly and desolately, so he couldn't help drawing his sword and dancing, and said in a loud voice: "The grass and trees in the plains of Guanzhong are short, and they wander around all day long and forget to return. Drive Ningfu to be spurred, and the progress and stop are in line with people's hearts. Come ten In the year when I went south, who would get this horse? Chu Township, water country, and land are filthy, people ride on boats and horses are like dogs. My body is not old and my heart is already weak..."
"I'm not old and my heart is weak..." The two sang this sentence, each with their own thoughts and emotions, but they couldn't sing any more.Guo Kui threw his sword to the ground and sighed: "I am not old yet and my heart is weak! Lianfang is not yet old, but I am already old and empty!"
"Why did the Taibao say that? The Emperor is planning to make a big use of it, and everyone said that the Taibao will soon ask for a military minister..." He Weizhi was stunned.His strangeness is not pretended——Although Guo Kui is only the Minister of the Ministry of War in name, he is actually an acting minister of the Ministry of War. It was the best choice, and he failed to become a minister after Wu Chong's death, it was only because he was too close to Shi Yue, but seeing that the emperor's attitude towards Shi Yue has changed, and he entered the political affairs hall to be in power, it is a certainty .It's all right for me to be depressed and unhappy, but Guo Kui should be proud of it.
Guo Kui was silent, and after a long while, Fang sighed: "Jin Zi is not what he wants, a man should carry a three-foot sword to fight to the death on the battlefield, why would he die at the hands of a son and a woman?" He walked back slowly to the pavilion, picked up a glass of wine, After drinking it all, Fang said: "I have been feuding with Zizi for more than ten years. Back then in Shaanxi, he ridiculed me as a madman, and only used my family background to make use of it; I thought he was a fool, and he only used big words to deceive the world... "
"But the recovery of Suizhou back then was the result of the joint efforts of the Taibao and the Taiwei Zhong..." He Weizhi didn't know the grievances and grievances of these people in the court, so he couldn't help being surprised.
"We don't want to use personal grievances to harm national affairs." Guo Kui seemed to be remembering the Suizhou incident. In order to keep Suizhou, he risked his beheading and hid the imperial edict... There was a trace of yearning in his eyes, But it soon dimmed, "Seed is leading the army outside, but I have been a servant for ten years. He watched the army in Lingzhou City, and his lifelong wish has been fulfilled. He died on the southwest battlefield, but he fulfilled his ambition. I am like a Scholar, working between copybooks, wandering around in the officialdom..."
He Weizhi already understood.Guo Kui did not have any great military exploits in his life. People will count it on Di Qing's account if he is equal to Nong Zhigao; Even if you win, you won't be remembered.For a person who prides himself on being a famous general, it is impossible not to have a grudge.Especially when he was born in a turbulent era...
In the eyes of others, the Minister of the Ministry of War may be the highest point of his life's struggle, but for Guo Kui, there are other values that are more important.
He Weizhi couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic to each other.
"Lianfang, if I have to be an envoy this time and recommend you to join the army, would you be willing to help me?" Guo Kui asked suddenly.
He Weizhi did not immediately answer Guo Kui's invitation.It is not a problem for the dignified Lieutenant Zhaowu to join the army; returning to the army is also He Weizhi's wish... However, He Weizhi is not willing to let others lightly.
"The Taibao, to pacify the Southwestern Yi, cannot be defeated by mere military efforts."
"Of course, there is no military victory, and it is not enough to make peace." Guo Kui's understanding of this aspect is deeper than that of He Weizhi.
"Then the Taibao already has a winning strategy?"
"There are battles that can be won in this world, but there is no battle that can be won." When it comes to military affairs, Guo Kui suddenly regained his spirits, sat down with He Weizhi again, poured wine, and said, "I was with Duke Di Wuxiang Zheng Nong Zhigao, at that time, those officials in the imperial court who thought they knew soldiers after reading a little military books and classics wrote letters one after another, thinking that cavalry was useless in the land of Guangdong and Guangxi. In fact, I was skeptical at the time. But Di Wuxiang insisted on his own opinion I think that it is not that cavalry is unavailable, but that it depends on what kind of cavalry to use. If it is the Khitan cavalry that can only charge and attack on the plains, it will be useless in the south. But if it is the Hengshan cavalry, it will be useful. ——Hengshan cavalry is like walking on flat ground in the mountains. If it is about fighting in the mountains, it is the best in the world. This was the magic weapon for the founding of Xixia. Therefore, Di Wuxiang asked for an order to check the Fanhan soldiers and horses who had fought in the battle from the northwest. , so he used this to defeat the enemy. In this matter, only Mr. Pang Ji supported Mr. Di Wuxiang in the court and the public. Even the scholar-bureaucrats in the court today, nine out of ten, only know that Di Wuxiang is an elite in the west. But they don't know that the key to victory is Hengshan Panqi!"
It was also the first time He Weizhi had heard of it. Now, recalling the Hengshan cavalry he had seen, he couldn't help nodding his head frequently, and said, "I've seen the familiar cavalry, the Han cavalry, who only charged on flat ground. He is no match for Fanqi."
"That's right." Guo Kui poured He Weizhi a glass of wine and sighed: "The barbarians in the south have always lived among the mountains, and they come and go like flying. The soldiers of our forbidden army, don't say that the soldiers of Heshuo are the soldiers of the West." The infantry, even if they don't care about the formation in the southwestern mountains, can't catch up. Besides, if the infantry has no formation in marching and fighting, wouldn't it be self-inflicted defeat? The only way to win is to use cavalry. Southwest barbarians have never He has fought against the cavalry, and he has no knowledge of reality and no experience. This alone has the upper hand. Therefore, the seed is leading the Dragon Guards into Shu, and he is quite knowledgeable. But he is too self-confident, so I politely asked someone to remind him , but he looked down on Fanqi, thinking that his Dragon Guard Army is now the number one cavalry army in the world——Hengshan Fanqi fought on the plains. Fanqi had no discipline and did not defend their formation. Naturally, they may not be the opponent of the Dragon Guard Army , but on the mountain, the Dragon Guards may not be able to do it. The seed is right for this person, it is too proud!"
Guo Kui shook his head slightly, as if regretting.He also said: "In order to defeat the Southwestern Yi, you don't need many soldiers. Many soldiers are useless and waste food and grass. You only need to select 10,000 cavalrymen who have fought in the northwestern border, and then recruit from the Hengshan tribe. Supplemented by 5,000 infantry troops who served in Bubazi in Xixia, with 15,000 troops as the main force, supplemented by the existing soldiers in Shuzhong, plus Lianfang who is familiar with the terrain and customs, as long as the commander does not underestimate the enemy, It is not difficult to break the thief!"
After all, Guo Kui Jiongjiong stared at He Weizhi, waiting for his reply.
"Has the Taibao ever heard of Li Shiwu?" He Weizhi still didn't answer Guo Kui directly.
"Li Shiwu?" Guo Kui vaguely felt he had heard of this name somewhere.
"This person used to be Shi Xueshi's guard, and later he became the captain of Zhiguo because of his military achievements." He Weizhi said indifferently, "Before Shi Xueshi returned to Beijing, he made an order for the Wulufan people in Shaanxi to 'touch the canal. First, the policy of transforming the people and recruiting elite soldiers', Li Shiwu has been recruiting strong warriors from various tribes in the Xihe and Qinfeng areas in the past few years."
"There is such a thing?!" Guo Kui looked at He Weizhi in surprise.Recruiting soldiers is something that the Ministry of War should be in charge of, but he didn't even know about it.
"The Fifteenth Division of Li is the establishment of Fanbing, and it is the Fanjun of Weizhou in name. It is not very eye-catching, but two years ago, it had an exercise with Huanzhou Yiyong. According to the rules, it had to pass through the Sanya. Only then did I notice this Weizhou fan army. This fan army only has more than a thousand people, and it is actually stationed in Xi'an Prefecture. The barracks may be near Tiandu Mountain, and the military expenses and armor are specially allocated by the Shufu..."
He Weizhi's description made Guo Kui even more curious.
"Huanzhou Volunteering was brought out by the last general himself. He is the only unit among the Shaanxi township soldiers that maintains its rank." Fighting at night, fighting in the mountains and jungles, Huanzhou volunteers will not lose to anyone. When Shi Shuai asked me to train Huanzhou volunteers, he prepared this elite army to go deep into Xingqing Mansion and make waves in the heart of Xixia It's a pity that Shi Shuai changed his mind when things came to an end." He Weizhi still couldn't help sighing when he voluntarily brought up this unknown secret, and he even changed his address to Shi Yue unknowingly.Until now, He Weizhi still thought that Shi Yue was suddenly conservative, but he didn't know that Shi Yue was worried that the elite soldiers trained by He Wei would lose control if they were too far away.
"However, the reported result of this exercise was that Weizhou Fanbing attacked Huanzhou Yiyong at night." He Weizhi said shyly, "Even though many military officers of Huanzhou Yiyong were transferred to the Imperial Army and their strength dropped sharply, this Weizhou Yiyong Fan soldiers should not be underestimated either. Shi Shuai recruited warriors from various fan tribes and trained them into an army, not just for the purpose of weakening the strength of the fan tribe. The last general always believed that among the court ministers, Shi Xueshi might be mediocre if he made a decision on the fly. But when it comes to foresight and foresight, no one can match it—now it seems that the heroes see the same thing, and this Weizhou Fanbing also happens to be cavalry..."
"You mean..." Guo Kui's eyes widened, and he shook his head again and again for a moment, saying, "Impossible. According to what you said, Xining's naturalization hadn't even started at that time."
"He may not be for the Southwestern Yi. However, the Song Dynasty has a vast territory and many species. If Bachelor Shi deliberately trains elite soldiers suitable for fighting in the mountains and jungles in advance, in case of emergency, the general thinks it is possible. The Forbidden Army involves the pivot The government, the Ministry of War, and the three government departments move the whole body, so the Xiangbing and Fanbing are the first to try, which is also the usual practice of Shi Xueshi." He Weizhi analyzed calmly, "However, no matter what Shi Xueshi's idea is, , if the Taibao passes through Yizhou, and transfers Li Shiwubu and Huanzhou Yiyongzheng to its subordinates, it will have two wings like a tiger!"
"If this is true, half of the battle has already been won before the battle is fought." Guo Kui raised his eyebrows happily, and after speaking, he suddenly realized that He Weizhi had actually promised him.
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