Chapter 67 Section Eleven

At the beginning of February in the second year of Kaiyuan, all the prime ministers had a meal in the political affairs hall.This was a routine daily business, and the prime minister had to deal with complicated affairs. After the daily court meeting, everyone had to gather in the political affairs hall to discuss important military and state affairs, and had no time to return to their respective departments.If there are important matters in each department, the principal will directly bring the documents to the court, and the minor matters will be decided after the prime ministers return to their respective yamen in the afternoon.

Today, there are six people who are eating in the Zhengshi hall, including Yao Chong, Lu Huaishen, Wei Zhigu, Song Jing, the four prime ministers, and Gao Zhongshu and Qi Huan from Zhongshushe.These two were recommended by Lu Huaishen to Yao Chong. Gao Zhongshu was well versed in classics, and Qi Huan was well versed in current affairs. Having these two people to advise on political affairs and communicate with various departments made the work of the prime ministers much easier. "Brother Lu, please use more." It was only recently that Yao Chong learned that Lu Huaishen might skip dinner every day if he had a full meal at noon.The meal in the political affairs hall at noon was provided by the national currency allocation. This money is commonly known as "food material", and it is quite rich in fish, meat, and vegetables.

Lu Huaishen was short and thin, and the purple robe on his body seemed too bulky. What was different was that his purple robe was made of coarse silk from Xiangyang, which was extremely inconsistent with the brocade robes everywhere. Although facing the table full of high-quality food, Lu Huaishen eats very little, and his eating seems to be quite refined and restrained. "Yuanzhi." Lu Huaishen was a few years older than Yao Chong, and his name was Yao Chong. "What are you going to do about Yingzhou?" Hearing this, Yao Chong put down the silver-inlaid wooden chopsticks in his hand a little discouraged. "The emperor has made a big decision on the affairs of Yingzhou. If he insists on it again, it will hurt the emperor's self-esteem."

Yingzhou is located at the junction of the borders of the Tang Dynasty, Xi and Khitan. At first, the Tang Dynasty established Fuxi and Khitan as governors of Yingzhou. During the reign of Queen Mother Wu, Zhao Wenhui, the governor of Yingzhou, failed to govern the border, and Yingzhou was captured by Xi and Khitan. up.Since then, Yingzhou has been nominally managed by Yuyang County under the Governor's Mansion of Youzhou. In fact, it is already a ruined city, but occasionally some horse thieves in the desert use the ruins as a temporary den. At the end of last year, there were rumors that Xi, Mohe and other border tribes could not bear the Khitan's bullying and wanted to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. It was only because the Tang Dynasty refused to rebuild Yingzhou and deployed troops as a barrier between them and the Khitan. They did not dare to act rashly. move.The most supportive person for this statement was Bingzhou Governor Shi, who was deeply appreciated by the emperor, and Xue Na, the Jiedu ambassador of Herong, Dawu and other military states. He wrote to the imperial court, requesting to attack Khitan and restore Yingzhou.

The young and energetic emperor has become a little impatient with being restricted by the power he bestowed on Yao Chong in the past few months, and he will never let go of this kind of heavenly opportunity.What's more, when the Supreme Emperor lost troops and generals in the battle of Lengjing, this account has not yet been settled with the rude and rude Khitan people. Wang Ju, the official censor who was ordered to patrol the border, did not miss the opportunity to join in the fun at this time, and wrote thousands of words, talking about the benefits of restoring Yingzhou. However, both Yao Chong and Song Jing, who had served as the governor of Youzhou, knew that Yingzhou was located in a desert with little water and no grass. Putting tens of thousands of troops there would be a heavy burden just to transport the luggage.

"Qisheren, what do you think?" Yao Chong wanted to hear what new ideas Qi Huan had. Qi Huan hadn't answered yet, but Gao Zhongshu interrupted. "The affairs of Yingzhou are important, but a courtier should not only be patriotic, but more importantly, be loyal to the emperor." Although Gao Zhongshu is talented, he likes to play tricks, and he always speaks half and leaves half of his speech. "Bullshit, is it disloyal to oppose the resettlement of Yingzhou?" Wei Zhigu didn't like Gao Zhongshu, and he always looked for opportunities to teach Gao Zhongshu a few words in front of Yao Chong.

"Wei Xianggong, this is not what I mean. What I mean is that after decades of heroine rule in the Tang Dynasty, there is finally a wise leader. Helping the emperor establish prestige is our primary responsibility. Do you want to rebuild Yingzhou? That was a year or two later, but it is a fact that the Khitan people have been invading the borders of the Tang Dynasty recently, and it cannot be said that they sent troops to conquer at this time, and it cannot be said that they have no name." Gao Zhongshu is full of business spirit, and he has no reservations about the prime ministers Eloquently.This is also one of the reasons why he has not been promoted again in Zhongshu Province for more than ten years as a member of Zhongshu Sheren.

"At this time, if we send troops to Khitan, what are the chances of victory?" Wei Zhigu kept his eyes on Gao Zhongshu. "I am not good at marching and fighting. This is a matter for Yao Xianggong and the prime ministers. What I mean is that internal affairs are more important than external troubles. If the monarch and his ministers are at odds, it will not be a good thing for the country." "Okay." Yao Chong stopped the argument between Wei Zhigu and Gao Zhongshu with a wave of his hand.Gao Zhongshu's words touched Yao Chongda. Recently, the prime ministers were busy with all kinds of messy affairs, but neglected to attach importance to the emperor.Although the emperor is currently fully supporting Yao Chong's various propositions as always, it seems that he is emotionally alienated.There is an important point hidden in Gao Zhongshu's words, which he himself may not be aware of.That is, the emperor himself is also an important driving force to promote the reform of the government. To establish prestige for the emperor and portray him as a real master of ZTE will naturally block the rumors of Yao Chong in Beijing. Seize the power and spread rumors about the emperor.

Yao Chong happened to have two materials suitable for this matter.One is the case of Wang Xiantong, the uncle of King Xue and Li Longye, who robbed the daughters of the people at Yuanye and threatened them to death.The other is that Shen Wang Li Chengyi wrote a letter, asking the emperor to promote Yan Chuguichao, the recorder of the ninth rank in his mansion, to join the army at the seventh rank.The emperor has already approved this matter, and he has written to the Ministry of Zhongshu and Shangshu, and he will sue him soon, and officially take office.