Volume 4
What is the point of great success? Ruling chaos is as easy as turning over one's hand. When the time comes, one can achieve the Tang and Yu dynasties. It is better to be content with life than to be careless. Planting mulberry trees, making wine, and breeding chickens and pigs is the way to maintain the king's career. Once the opportunity comes, it will be realized after a thousand years.
Chapter 1: Self-disturbance (Part 1)
The autumn leaves have not yet fallen, and the war has not yet begun.
In the late summer and early autumn of the fourth year of Jianyan, the war between Song and Jin came to an end. As Yue Fei's imperial army escorted a large number of Hebei refugees across the river to Henan, the battle lines of both sides returned to their pre-war positions.
Not only that, as the two armies returned to their respective safe zones, almost at the same time, the Song and Jin sides immediately began to reduce the pressure on each other in an orderly manner on the border.
A large number of field troops withdrew in an orderly manner from the front line, auxiliary troops and civilian laborers were disbanded, and both sides tacitly retained only some garrisons in key locations for surveillance and necessary precautions.
The same thing happened in the rear, where military troops were stationed and civil officials began to take control of the local areas again.
The reason for such tacit understanding is, firstly, that in the just-concluded battle, both sides were inevitably injured, and both sides had a lot of internal problems and troubles to deal with, so they didn't want to waste each other's energy; secondly, after this battle, almost all knowledgeable people realized that the strategic balance between the two sides was officially reversed, and for a period of time, the two countries would not be able to cause a fatal blow to each other... The Jin army had no ability to destroy the Zhao Song or seize large tracts of Zhao Song territory, and the Zhao Song was unlikely to be beaten for the past five or six years and then suddenly turn from defense to offense... The strategic confrontation between the Song and Jin countries across the Yellow River, which had been clamored for for a long time, ended here and was officially formed.
In this case, only Zhang Rong's Imperial Camp Navy was granted the right to "move freely". As for the rest of the places, it was not that they could not engage in large-scale friction, but that it was unnecessary.
What's more, as the old saying goes, things have their priorities, or in other words, one must first stabilize the country before fighting against foreign aggressors. With the achievement of strategic balance, the priority of some things has finally been adjusted.
It is the hottest month of July and we have clearly entered autumn, but the heat is still as intense as before.
On this day, a team consisting of donkey carts and mules arrived at the abandoned city of Luoyang, and then went straight to the ruins of the old palace in the abandoned city... In the garrison living area built against the city, many soldiers and their families had long been accustomed to this, because these days, anyone going from Tokyo to Kansai, or from Kansai to Tokyo, as long as they were an official, whether civil or military, or even scholars and passing merchants, had to go to the place where Prime Minister Wang died for his country, and then burn incense and write poems.
And since this man could gather so many donkey carts and mules, as well as attendants and entourage at this time, it was obvious at first glance that he was a serious civil servant, so he would definitely not miss this trip.
Of course, these people are ignorant, because unlike those passers-by who come here to join in the fun and save face because of Mr. Wang's reputation, the Wanqi Censor who is passing by here today is not a sham, he and Mr. Wang are real colleagues, and Mr. Wang can even be called his "benefactor"... After being appointed as an official in the Nanyang Palace that day, Wanqi Yuanzhong has been working in the Privy Council and is a direct subordinate of Wang Zhongmu.
Therefore, when passing through Luoyang this time, although Wanqi Xie was extremely tired and the journey was urgent, he still had to go to the ruins of the old palace in the abandoned capital to offer incense and candles and pay homage to Prime Minister Wang.
However, after shedding a few lines of tears, it stands to reason that Wanqi Yushi should have followed the example of the scholars and officials and written a mourning poem on the broken eaves and walls that had just been painted. But for some reason, he picked up his pen and dipped it in ink, but he got nothing. Instead, he suddenly remembered the "Ruins" that Emperor Zhao had written for Luoyang in the past. As the saying goes, "Ten thousand palaces have turned to dust. When the country prospers, the people suffer; when the country perishes, the people suffer"... In the end, he could only put down his pen and leave with tears in his eyes.
Not only that, after leaving the abandoned city of Luoyang, Wanqi Xie continued to travel westward, taking the ancient road of Xiaomian, passing Shanzhou, entering Tongguan, and traveling westward along the Wei River without stopping, but he was always depressed, and this depression made him feel unbearable.
Moreover, Wanqi Yuanzhong was such an insightful person that he could see his own thoughts clearly: the so-called depression was caused by what he saw and heard before and after the battle. First, he crossed the river with the vanguard of the imperial camp and saw the "thousands of deserted villages" in Hebei. After returning, he heard about the Prime Minister's behavior. After the sacrifice, he was naturally depressed; and the unbearable thing was that he was always annoyed that he could not get out of this mood.
You have to know that Wanqi Xie wasted his middle age and gradually got his official position by speculating in Nanyang. He just wanted to be a good official and a high-ranking official. He didn't care about his reputation before and after his death. This doesn't mean that he can't have such a depressed mood. After all, people are not plants and trees. But the problem is that, for some reason, time and time again, the higher the official, the easier it is for this kind of meaningless emotion to appear. This time, it was even more obvious.
Only then did I feel unbearable.
Of course, what kind of person is Wanqi Yuanzhong? He felt bad in his heart, but never showed it on his face. That evening, when he arrived at the posthouse outside Linwei City, he heard that someone was visiting. He knew that he was going west to see the emperor to do something big, so he immediately put on an attitude of keeping strangers away:
"No matter who you are, tell the people outside that I am the Imperial Censor, a member of the imperial court, and a close official of the government. I have not had any private contact with anyone before I came to see the emperor on this journey to the west..."
Upon hearing this, the attendant, who was a retired soldier from the front army of the imperial camp, naturally went out to report it properly.
However, after a moment, the servant turned back again.
"The man claims to be from northern Shaanxi?" Wan Qixie hesitated for a moment. "A civil official or a military commander?"
"He didn't bring any attendants. He looked like he was dressed like a civil servant, but he had a strong build and rode a very powerful horse. He spoke in a weird tone..." The attendant who had followed Wanqi Xie only after the battle told everything, as if he didn't recognize the man.
Before he could finish his words, Wanqi Yuanzhong simply laughed and went out to greet him in person.
Sure enough, the person who came was none other than Wanqi Yushi's 'old friend from northern Shaanxi', Qu Duan, who had made outstanding contributions in the Battle of Yaoshan not long ago.
When the two met, Qu Duan started to curl his lips: "Censor Wanqi, are you here to Guanxi this time to imitate Yang Zhen and become a gentleman of four knowledges? Why don't you look at yourself in a bronze mirror? Do you really think you can become a minister for three generations?"
Wanqi Xie said nothing in front of him, and returned to the small courtyard where he was staying. He twirled his beard and sneered, "Who cares if he is the fourth or fifth magistrate? At this juncture, it's a good thing that you, Qu Da, have fallen into the army. If you had really been transferred to a civilian position and dared to bother me, I would have shouted in public that there was a thief first..."
The two exchanged a few sarcastic remarks before sitting down in the courtyard. Qu Duan then became serious: "If that's the case, then Wanqi Yushi is not afraid of military generals, but is afraid of civil officials instead? What's the reason for this?"
"What's the reason?" It was hot in July, and the daytime was scorching, but the night gradually became cooler. Wanqi Xie sat with his hands clasped together, and did not hide it. "After this battle, the emperor has a firm grasp on all of you military leaders. The emperor wants to reorganize the Western Army here. Liu Xi rebuked him with one word. The remaining three major military leaders, one of you Qu Da, one Wu Da, and one Liu Er, do you really dare to argue?"
"According to the system of this dynasty, the emperor can control the military generals at will." Qu Duan shook his head and sighed. "It's just that this official is a horseman who can shoot arrows, so he is particularly conspicuous... But if that's the case, if you don't mind the military generals, why should you mind the civil officials? First, reorganize the army, transfer tens of thousands of Western troops to the imperial camp, deploy the troops, and keep tens of thousands of brave soldiers in place, then go and reward the idle land in Guanzhong, who dares to cause trouble? Who can cause trouble?"
Wanqi Xie sneered and said nothing.
Qu Duan was stunned for a moment, then realized it, and he also sneered: "I understand... Minister Wang died for his country, and Minister Lu was just promoted to minister, the provincial government and the Privy Council are both vacant, and the ministers and officials below are like black-eyed chickens. You are determined to be a sycophantic official, and you don't want to be regarded as a minister's man."
Wanqi Xie shook his head repeatedly: "Qu Da, Qu Da, you are a man of both literary and martial abilities, but it's a pity that you have a big mouth."
"So what if I have a big mouth? The commander of the imperial cavalry is still mine." Qu Duan said proudly. "The decree came down a few days ago!"
"Really?" Wanqi Xie was slightly startled, then shook his head. "Then why are you here? Are you really here to argue with me?"
"There is indeed something going on." Qu Duan finally became serious. "I'm involved in a lawsuit...Does the Imperial Censor Wanqi know Guo Cheng?"
"Of course I know about General Guo Cheng. He was already a famous general during the Shenzong Dynasty's campaign against the Western Xia." Wanqi Xie seemed to be thinking. "For many years, he has been transferred to Huanqing and Jingyuan, that is, the northern Shaanxi area... and northern Shaanxi is also where you and the Wu brothers started their careers. I can guess that there is a lawsuit between you without you saying it. It's nothing more than you snatching away their military power or ostracizing their descendants, right?"
"If we can't gather the troops from these rubbish at that time, how can we do anything?" Qu Duan frowned and simply admitted it.
"Then you can just tell the emperor like this..." Wanqi Xie disagreed. "Since the emperor has made the appointment, he still values ​​you in his heart."
"The key is that Guo Cheng is going to die." Qu Duan frowned more and more. "He is a veteran general who has served four dynasties and has always had military achievements. After the departure of old Taiwei Yang, he is the most senior person in the Western Army. However, I have been in poor health for these years and have been waiting to die in the fortress of Huanqing Road. I have been fighting with his son Guo Hao for many years. I took advantage of the chaos in the past two years and gained power. It was mostly because of the face of this old general that I did not kill him. As a result, I did not expect that he would suddenly appear in person today... Two days after the decree to appoint me as the commander-in-chief of the imperial camp cavalry came down, Guo Chengren was still recovering from his injuries in the fortress on the border of Jingyuan Road waiting to die, but the letter had already been sent to the emperor, which publicly impeached me for ten major crimes in northern Shaanxi two years ago."
"Only ten deadly sins?"
"In fact, I committed more than twenty serious crimes back then, but what's the point?" Qu Duan said disapprovingly. "If we really want to talk about the crimes, that poem and the matter with Wang Shu are enough to kill me, how can it be Guo Cheng or Guo Hao's turn?"
"That's true, then what are you afraid of?"
"Isn't it that the emperor is about to change the entire Western Army into the Imperial Camp Rear Army? Since the army is to be reorganized, it is reasonable to appease the Western Army generals. If the emperor wants to give face to the dying old general and relax my Imperial Camp Cavalry Commander, what will happen?" Qu Duan finally got to the point. "And I won't hide it from you. Guo Cheng and Guo Hao are from the same hometown as the Wu brothers. I am also afraid that the two villains Wu Da and Wu Er are also involved in this matter. I was getting irritated and happened to hear that you were coming, so I personally rode the Iron Elephant to meet you, and I also wanted to consult you on this matter."
Wanqi Xie finally smiled again: "You are too concerned..."
"What do you mean?" Qu Da finally cheered up.
"Let me ask you." Wanqi Yuanzhong twisted his beard and looked at you. "Guo Cheng is dying, why did he impeach you before he died? Doesn't he know that you are the emperor's favorite candidate? Isn't he afraid that you will wait for him to die and take revenge on his son? Such a senior veteran, risking his last dignity and his son's future, just to vent his anger? If you were Guo Cheng, would you do the same?"
Qu Da sneered: "If it were me, I would naturally do the same."
Wanqi Xie's face darkened for a moment.
But Qu Duan continued to smile and said, "But I understand what you mean... Guo Hao has not made any achievements this time, and the Western Army is about to reorganize, so his father sacrificed his face to remind the emperor not to forget that the Guo family has been loyal for two generations and four dynasties, and he wants the emperor to give his son a future for his sake... As long as Guo Hao is given a position, these things will disappear."
"That's exactly what I meant." Wanqi Xie finally nodded again, twirling his beard, but then he asked curiously, "But Guo Haozheng was in his prime, and he was a regular military officer in Huanqing Road, so why didn't he make any achievements in this battle?"
"Because I was the one who dispatched troops to the city north of Huanqing Road, and I have always found this bastard annoying, so I specifically summoned only his soldiers and left him behind to take care of his father." Qu Duan waved his hand casually, as if he was saying casually that Tiexiang had bred yesterday.
"Just be a good human being!" Wanqi Xie grabbed his beard, getting angry for a moment.
"If I were as good at dealing with people as Wu Da, why would I be involved with you?" Qu Duan still didn't care. "Wu Da is also your old friend in northern Shaanxi. Did he come to see you today? You don't know, Wu Da is now in love with Liu Ziyu, and with the support of Hu Jinglie in the past, Zhang, Hu, Liu, and Wu are almost in control of all matters in Guanxi, and even Yuwen Xianggong is just a figurehead..."
Wanqi Xie was silent for a moment.
As the saying goes, fish seek fish, shrimp seek shrimp, turtles seek turtles... Although this saying may be vulgar, some things are really true.
Wanqi Yuanzhong knew that he was born with deficiencies, so he was determined to be a flatterer. He had done things several times, which had already attracted the attention of the serious ministers in the court... In this case, who would want to hang out with him if they had a serious way? He had finally found a way with Uncle Wang and Uncle Zhao, but as luck would have it, he encountered the Yiyou Gate to entrust his son to him. After this, Uncle Zhao was destined to have no political achievements, and Uncle Wang and Uncle Zhan were embarrassed for this. It was really that Qu Da, who had an extra mouth, was his biggest political companion at this time.
However, after being angry for a while, Wanqi Yuanzhong changed his mind and started laughing again... Because no matter what, Qu Duan came here this time and spoke so bluntly, and his intention to be a companion was already very clear.
Although both of them are outliers, one is the Imperial Censor in the Palace and the other is the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Cavalry, so they are enough to support each other.
Even, as for that lawsuit, with this smart man who is both civil and martial, he might have already understood it all, and it was just an excuse to come and see me.
Compared with this, it is meaningless to let this guy take advantage of you with words.
Thinking of this, Wanqi Xie sighed and twirled his beard, but he was unusually frank: "I can see that what you, Qu Duan, care about is not the Guo father and son, but the Wu brothers..."
"Don't you care about Liu Ziyu, Hu Yin, and Zhang Jun?" Qu Duan responded coldly. "These people are all together, connecting left and right, and the officials and generals of the country are almost one. Where is there a place for us to hide? People in Guanxi are saying that when the emperor returns to Tokyo, it will be the day when Zhang Jun will be appointed as prime minister!"
"You are still shallow." Wanqi Xie became more frank. "It is possible for Zhang Jun to be promoted to the position of prime minister, but whether we can survive depends on the emperor, not them. To put it another way, even if this group of people gain power and want to embarrass us, we can just hide for a while, because although they may be in the upper hand for a while, they cannot always be in the upper hand..."
"What do you mean?"
"Two theories... One is that things that come together after a long time will eventually separate, and the other is that flowers do not last forever." Wanqi Xie was really frank today. "The so-called long-term separation means that although these people are united now, they only appear to be united because of the senior ministers before. When it is their turn to handle state affairs, they will inevitably dislike each other due to their age, political views, backgrounds, and habits, and they will inevitably separate at that time; and the flower does not last forever means that the emperor is young and strong, and there are many days to come, and there are many things to do. These people may not have enough talent or a bad temperament. How can they keep up with such a powerful emperor?"
Qu Duan raised his eyebrows and blurted out: "If they can't keep up, how can we keep up?"
Wanqi Xie shook his head repeatedly, feeling inexplicably: "Even if we can't keep up, so what? In this chaotic world, with this wise ruler, you and I will do our best, and with the things and achievements we have made, our reputations after death will probably be higher than those of the prime ministers in peacetime, right? Not to mention us, those who died before, didn't their lives have value? Why must we seek the best?"
However, after these words were spoken, Wanqi Xie himself felt a little dazed, and Qu Duan wanted to mock him, but in the end he said nothing.
Just like that, not to mention how a treacherous minister and a domineering general colluded secretly, let's just say that early the next morning, Wanqi Xie continued his journey west, and entered Chang'an the next day. When he met the emperor, he was ordered, as the Palace Censor, to check the ownership of the fields around Jingzhao Prefecture in Yongxing Army Road in Guanzhong during the autumn harvest, in preparation for the granting of land after the Western Army was commended and reorganized... This was an expected important task, as some other important ministers who had arrived before were either going to reorganize the army or to measure the fields, and there was no third important event in Guanxi.
Therefore, Wanqi Xie certainly had nothing to say.
However, after receiving the order, he was about to say goodbye, but was stopped by Emperor Zhao in public: "Guanxi has been raided by Lou Shi many times, and there have been wars for several years. Some local tycoons rely on their forts and able-bodied men to wantonly occupy ownerless land, and among them, Jingzhao has the most and strongest tycoons. Wanqi Qing should be aware of this."
Of course Wanqi Xie knew what was going on… The emperor was not reminding him of the fortresses. Even if there were fortresses in Guanxi, how could they dare to fart under the eyes of tens of thousands of troops? The emperor was asking him to be stricter, and to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to break up some of the big landlords and distribute the most fertile land around Jingzhao properly… How could he not know what was going on?
Seeing Wanqi Yuanzhong repeatedly bowing in response, Zhao Jiuqing knew that he was a "flatterer" who knew his intentions, and he was naturally satisfied. But then he seemed to suddenly remember something and continued to ask with a smile: "I heard that Qu Duan went to see you?"
"yes."
Wanqi Xie was calm. "I and General Qu had a story in northern Shaanxi... His subordinates first imprisoned me, and I later escorted him to Tokyo. It was a rare friendship that we became friends."
"This is truly an ironclad friendship." Zhao Jiu couldn't help laughing. "He's just looking for you to reminisce about the past?"
"That's not the case. After he went there, he first asked me how to deal with Guo Cheng's impeachment... I told him to be more generous and recommend Guo Hao for a better future." At this point, Wan Qi Xie obviously hesitated, but still glanced at Hu Yin and Xiao Lin, who were standing on the side, and continued. "Later, he told the truth. He was worried that the Wu brothers would be connected with Liu Chengzhi, Hu Jinglüe, Zhang Zhuanyun and others, and would bully him in the future... Therefore, I comforted him a few more words and let him work hard for the public."
Zhao Jiu smiled and nodded, without expressing any extra opinions: "I understand. Wanqi Qing will have to work hard on the matter of measuring the land in Jingzhao... But don't worry, I will support you here. After this matter is settled, we will return to Tokyo together."
Wanqi Xie didn't dare to say much, and then bowed and said goodbye.
After Wanqi Xie left, Zhao Jiu looked directly at Hu Yin who was standing to the side: "Mingzhong, Qu Da said that you guys are forming a clique, do you have anything to say?"
Hu Mingzhong calmly stepped out and said, "Qu Da is usually a mediocre person. He judges others by himself, so he is making trouble for himself!"
Zhao Jiu nodded, and then continued to ask calmly: "Then let's not talk about this. Let me ask you again, after this matter, have you ever thought about returning to Tokyo to be a prime minister?"
Hu Yin was obviously stunned for a moment, but then he shook his head with a serious expression: "The prime minister is in charge of the world. My temperament and ability are not enough to take charge of the world. I am presumptuous and still ask to stay in Guanxi and take charge of a place."
Zhao Jiu nodded again and continued to ask casually: "Do you think Zhang Deyuan can be the prime minister?"
Hu Yin finally fell silent.
Zhao Jiu looked at the other person for a while, then came to his senses and nodded three times.