Volume 2 Chapter 12: Fangcheng (Part 2)
"Your Majesty, Fan Qiong, the governor of Xiangyang, has not arrived yet. Moreover, he has taken in the guilty minister Zong Yin. He deserves death!" At this moment, Hu Yin, the imperial censor beside Yan Xiaozhong, once again spoke out to disturb him regardless of the occasion and atmosphere.
"Officials!"
Just as Emperor Zhao was about to speak, Liu Ji immediately expressed his opinion. "Fan Qiong is not to be feared. I have been appointed by the Emperor to take up my post in Xiangyang. I am just a warrior and I would never dare to cause trouble easily!"
"Not really..." Zhao Jiu quickly subdued the old man, and immediately looked at Han Shizhong who was watching the fun.
Han Shizhong, who had been watching the excitement for half a day, hurried out and saluted: "Your Majesty, I will transfer my troops to the city of Xiangyang, and then within ten days, I will capture Fan Qiong alive!"
"I was just about to say this..." Zhao Jiu paused halfway through his speech. To outsiders, it seemed that the emperor was moved by the enthusiasm of his subjects.
Of course, in reality, Emperor Zhao was a little overwhelmed by this private team that he had deliberately recruited but had not yet formed... Just take a look and you will know. Compared with those mature husbands, none of these people look like important officials:
Han Shizhong was a man of good character, as recognized by the government, but he was also a scoundrel recognized by the Song, Jin, Liao, and Xia dynasties.
Zhang Jun was promoted to the position of Chief Censor at the age of 30, which was almost equivalent to half a prime minister. He could not help but have some thoughts of breaking the record, so most of his energy was spent on trying to figure out the thoughts of this official.
Hu Yin does not care about the atmosphere when speaking, and his views are intense;
Scholar Kobayashi is a taciturn man, and seems to like crying recently;
Liu Ziyu likes to put on airs, looking down on others and unable to put down his pride;
I don't know if Yan Xiaozhong is just a sudden success or just naturally like that. It may also have something to do with his appearance, but he likes to interrupt loudly.
Yang Yizhong looks perfect on the outside, but he is actually a smooth talker on the inside;
Even Liu Ji, who was thought to be an experienced person who could be won over and used, ended up crying and wailing just after a casual handshake. No one could understand what was going on...
At this time, Emperor Zhao began to miss Zhao Ding. At least the man acted and spoke normally.
But back to the present, no matter how much they complain, these people are the hope of Emperor Zhao in the future. Because Zhao Jiu knows very well that he is not a real emperor!
Do serious people like to secretly write down people’s good and bad secrets in a small notebook and study them before every meeting?
Serious officials are showing excessive desire all day long?
A respectable official is disrespectful every day, plays tricks on ministers, and loses his dignity by joining the army of local tyrants?
In addition, the more important point is that these people either have some abilities or some integrity. If he were to leave these people, would Zhao Jiu be able to defeat the Jin army's two hundred thousand households in the east and west with his small body, or control the chaotic half of China?
So, we should tolerate each other for the sake of the country, what else can we do? !
"I was just about to say this." After a pause, Zhao Jiu returned to normal and continued to hold Liu Ji's hand... Actually, Liu Ji held it too tightly, and it was difficult for him, Emperor Zhao, to let go... He said to Han Shizhong in a serious tone. "Mr. Han, since Shanzhou has been restored, I want you to lead your troops north to Xijing immediately. First, carefully supervise Wanyan Yinshuke and Wanyan Balisu to withdraw their troops. Second, you must quickly defeat the military thief Yang Jin who surrendered to the Jin people, and assist the big and small Zhai to recover Xijing and regain a foothold; third, try to open up the Shanzhou passage and provide some assistance to Shanzhou... The Xiping Zhai family originally belonged to Caizhou, and you are in charge of it. You are also related to the big and small Zhai brothers. After today, you will take them with you! When Xijing is stabilized, you can return to Huaixi to rest and train the troops."
"I obey your command." Han Shizhong was obviously a little surprised by this dispatch, but he immediately bowed and accepted the order. However, after receiving the order, he couldn't help but ask seriously. "But since I am going to Xijing, I have to ask the emperor two questions..."
"Tell me."
"General Lu Jing, who is in charge of the affairs of the Imperial Guard Infantry Department, is still in Sishui. When I arrive there, whose military orders should I follow first?" Han Shizhong replied solemnly.
"Of course, Han Qing comes first!" Zhao Jiu blurted out without thinking, but after a little thought, he still reminded him solemnly. "But a good minister must also respect the contribution of General Lu in defending Sishui for so many years!"
This was a bit against the system, but no one around objected, and some were even a little too quiet.
Although Lü Xing's posting was somewhat of a low-ranking position, he was still a proper chief of the Three Yamen, that is, the so-called Infantry Commander of the Three Yamen, and like the Palace Commander held by the famous sportsman Mr. Gao, he was the highest military rank in the Song Dynasty. The Three Yamen and the Privy Council formed the two highest military power institutions in the Song Dynasty. One had the power to use troops but not the right to send them out, and the other had the right to send them out but not the power to use them.
However, another obvious fact is that since the emperor ascended the throne, he used the military force of the Marshal's Office to rebuild an imperial camp, and then actually replaced all the functions of the three yamen with the imperial camp. Therefore, in this matter, all the ministers, both civil and military, would only support Han Shizhong.
Otherwise, it would be denying the overall legitimacy of the practice!
Of course, there is another point that Emperor Zhao did not think of for the time being, but the people below all took it for granted - Lu Xing has always been dependent on Zong Ze, the governor of Tokyo, in Sishui, and restricting Zong Ze, a governor with great power, is almost the instinct of all the civil officials in the city!
This has nothing to do with morality or political stance. It is truly the instinct of bureaucrats, even though Zong Ze is a serious civil official.
In fact, Han Shizhong had previously established a town in Huaixi and taken away Caizhou and Shunchang Prefecture (Yingzhou, Fuyang area in later generations), which theoretically belonged to the northwest of Beijing. Then Li Yanxian was appointed as the pacification envoy of Shanzhou, and even Yue Fei and Zhang Rong were appointed as pacification envoys. The reason why it was so smooth was that deep down these bureaucrats felt that this move was vaguely politically correct - Caizhou and Shunchang Prefecture theoretically belonged to the gray area of power left in Tokyo; Li Yanxian's previous commendations were all made through Zong Ze; and the presence of Yue Fei and Zhang Rong could effectively control Zhang Suo and Zhang Jun.
Be prepared for dangers and control crookedness... It has not changed for many years, and Emperor Zhao, who always claims to fight against these things, has not noticed the twists and turns involved at all.
"He has a clear sense of justice in major matters, is extremely talented in minor matters, is sincere to others, and seems to have a beginning and an end in doing things, with the main and the end clearly visible. However, he is rough in the middle, not very careful, and acts aggressively. This is his problem"... This was the evaluation of a certain person made by Li Gang, the Prime Minister, in a letter to his confidant and good friend, Lin Qi, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, a few days ago.
Let's not talk about small things anymore. Turning to the front, Han Shizhong immediately accepted the order and continued to play the poem.
But at this moment, someone around him suddenly couldn't control himself: "Your Majesty, I, the Minister of the Imperial Censorate, Zhang Jun, would like to make a statement. After all, the Three Yamen system has been in place for a hundred years... Well, Taiwei Lu has made no mistakes, and although Han Zhizhi has a sound military strategy, he is hasty in his actions and lacks moral integrity. I am afraid that Taiwei Lu will be dissatisfied with Han Zhizhi's actions, and trouble will inevitably arise."
After hearing only the second half of the sentence, Emperor Zhao almost thought that it was Hu Yin who was speaking, because the words were so much like Hu Yin's style.
But then again, since it was Zhang Jun who said this, there must be another deeper meaning behind it.
In response, Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, and still asked in a deep voice: "What does Zhang Qing want?"
"I'm so presumptuous that I would like to ask to go to Ruzhou to temporarily supervise the military affairs of Xijing." Zhang Jun bowed his head and replied. "It is a precedent in this dynasty that civil officials supervise the army... If I go to Ruzhou, I will be able to ensure the stability of General Lu and the restoration of Xijing."
"No need, I will talk to Zong Liushou about this." Zhao Jiu was reminded and came to his senses. "General Lu has always relied on Zong Liushou in Sishui. With his mediation, there will be no problem."
Zhang Jun retreated in embarrassment.
Emperor Zhao finally took the opportunity to let go and turned back to his seat... At the same time, Liu Ji, Yan Xiaozhong, and Hu Yin also returned to the queue.
"Actually, there is one important matter that I wanted to say last, but since it involves the discussion of the Three Yamen and the Imperial Camp, and there are indeed not many urgent matters today, I will just speak frankly." Zhao Jiu looked around and spoke loudly. The ministers in the court also understood something in their hearts, and then stood up in silence. Han Shizhong, the only one still standing in the middle, saw that the situation was not good, and quickly withdrew.
"The national system is the fundamental task of the country and should not be changed easily." Emperor Zhao said slowly. "But now is different from the past. The situation between the Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty is a foregone conclusion. I have already made this decision at Bagong Mountain. It will never stop unless one side is destroyed. In this case, the system must be changed to adapt to the situation..."
Although the officials below were serious, they remained calm because this topic was something everyone had thought about. In fact, as early as in Nanjing (Shangqiu), someone mentioned it. After Bagong Mountain, Yangzhou Governor Lu Yihao even wrote a letter to the emperor, proposing a package of plans involving official system, military affairs, and finance.
Afterwards, other important ministers from all walks of life also put forward their own plans. In the previous two days, although it was hasty, the ministers who were qualified to discuss matters in front of the emperor had also discussed this issue and put forward some general plans.
Overall, the final plan was a simplification and merger for the convenience of military coordination.
"First, the four ministries of the Secretariat, Shangshu, Menxia and Mishu are merged into one. From today on, there will no longer be Shangshu Youcheng and Zuocheng... The Prime Minister of the East Palace is the real Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. They are in charge of government affairs, commanding the six ministries, nine temples, five prisons and six courts. They are qualified to discuss military and political affairs in front of the emperor. In the imperial court, Lu Xianggong is the prime minister and Xu Xianggong is the deputy!"
After Emperor Zhao finished speaking, Lu Haowen and Xu Jingheng stepped out with serious expressions and bowed.
"Of course." Emperor Zhao quickly added, "Li Xianggong is still in charge of important military and national affairs, in charge of the two eastern and western governments, and in charge of all officials. He is still higher than all the ministers."
Naturally, no one cared about this nonsense, because no one thought that Li Gang had really returned and that someone like Lu Haowen could compete with him.
"Secondly, the Western Palace will no longer have the position of co-director of the Privy Council, and will only use the title of Privy Envoy or Privy Deputy Envoy... The Privy Envoys are naturally the Prime Minister Zong, Prime Minister Wang, Prime Minister Yuwen, and Prime Minister Zhang (Zhang Que) who is recuperating in Huainan. The Privy Envoy and Privy Deputy Envoy, that is, the Prime Ministers of the Western Palace, will still participate in the imperial court's affairs as before."
This Privy Council is almost equivalent to just changing its name... When everyone saw Wang Boyan and Yuwen Xuzhong standing up, they couldn't help but criticize them in their hearts.
However, Emperor Zhao paused for a moment, but continued:
"Third, from today on, the three yamen will be abolished, and all power and responsibilities will be returned to the Imperial Camp. Yang Weizhong and Lu Xing will be changed to deputy commanders of the Imperial Camp, and the Imperial Camp will belong to the Western Palace Privy Council. The Zhifang Division under the Ministry of War, the Sanban Court under the Ministry of Personnel, and the Western Court of Examination will all be moved to the Privy Council, and the Zhifang Division will be in charge of confidential documents and military advisors. The chief and deputy commanders of the Imperial Camp, the military advisors of the Zhifang Division, and the frontline garrisons, the governors, the governors, the appeasers, the pacification envoys, and those who have established military authority in the army can all discuss military affairs with the Privy Council."
Everyone was slightly startled. This was the true integration of power and responsibility... The Song Dynasty's century-old design of military power division was forced to be unified due to the current situation.
If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?
"Fourthly, the power and responsibilities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs overlap. In addition, there is the lesson that most of the six thieves were born eunuchs. In addition, when the country is in danger, it is not appropriate to expand the number of eunuchs, so they are merged into the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is also simpler. There is a chief escort, Lan Gui, who will continue to be responsible for the documents of the Forbidden City. There is a deputy escort, Shao Chengzhang from the Queen Mother of Yangzhou, and the rest are demoted to escorts, and they are still in charge of various tasks as before."
"Fifth, the imperial guards will be listed separately, with one imperial commander, Yang Yizhong, and one deputy commander, Liu Yan, who will be directly under my command along with the troops in the imperial camp."
There is even less to say about these two, but it is interesting that Feng Yi's return did not shake Lan Gui's identity at all.
"These are a few important matters that have been discussed. As for the Censorate and the Academy of Scholars, they are simple in nature and will not change. They will still be directly under me like the two eastern and western prefectures." Zhao Jiuyan slowed down his tone at this point, as if thinking about something. "In fact, there are also the governors of various military states, governors, and judges, the governors of border counties, the mayors of the villages and cities, and the transport envoys, the generals, the pacification envoys, the governors, and the pacification envoys. There is still a suspicion that the powers and responsibilities are unclear, and there is too much emphasis on qualifications, which makes the names inconsistent and the functions overlap and cumbersome. I also intend to change it. However, time is short, and the imperial court has just decided, so it is not easy to shake the place. It can only be discussed later... That's it for now."
Without any hesitation, everyone stepped out of the line immediately. Then, under the leadership of the four ministers, they bowed their heads solemnly and performed great courtesy. Lan Gui, the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also immediately shouted for peace.
"Gentlemen, please wait a moment. I have something in my heart to tell you." Lan Gui had just finished speaking when Emperor Zhao on the throne saw everyone stand up, but he did not let them return to their lines. Instead, he spoke again, which was quite surprising.
"First of all, I must hold court in Fangcheng Mountain, rather than wait until we enter Nanyang, which is right in front of us. In fact, there is only one purpose, which is to cut the Gordian knot. I hope that you will cut off all the rights and wrongs, grudges, political disputes, rewards and punishments in the imperial court since the Jingkang period." Zhao Jiu sighed slowly, but raised his voice as much as possible. "We must travel light and start anew in Nanyang... It is for this reason that we must deal with Fan Zhixu here and make the prime ministers of the East and West Palaces take their positions."
"Your Majesty has good intentions, but I am the one who has not thought it through." Lu Haowen, who had previously thought that Emperor Zhao acted rashly, was slightly stunned, and then quickly became the first to admit his mistake.
Wang Boyan and Wang Yuan were completely relaxed.
"Wait for me to finish." Zhao Jiu raised his hand to stop him. "Next, regarding the war and peace between Song and Jin, I have already said it at Bagong Mountain. No peace talks are allowed until one side is destroyed... But based on this, there are two more sentences that I must tell you seriously... Let you know that the Jin people only had one Wanhu to make Jingxi like this, but now the Jin people have more than 20 Wanhu, so the Jin people's troops are strong, which is a fact; at the same time , the Song Dynasty has been defeated in succession, first losing Hebei and Hedong, and then the Jingkang Shame, and just now Jingdong, Jingxi, and Guanzhong have all collapsed together, and our army is weak and unable to fight in the field, which is also a fact."
"Not only that, the Jin Kingdom was established only 17 years ago, and it defeated the Liao and Song dynasties, which were thousands of miles apart. It dominated the world for a time, and was arrogant and invincible. But our Song Dynasty had its capital destroyed last year, and lost a hundred years of savings. Even the emperor was abducted. I have traveled around and seen many wealthy military states that were ruined after the war, and countless people were displaced and scattered. There were also countless people with ambitions who took advantage of the situation and shook the local areas. The danger of national destruction is not an empty talk."
There was an instant of complete silence within the tent, with only the sound of the south wind blowing the tent, bringing a rustling sound that matched the words of Emperor Zhao.
"However, Zong Liushou resisted the enemy in Huazhou, Yue Fei and Zhang Rong defeated the enemy in Liangshanpo, Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun fought against the enemy in Huaishang, and Li Yanxian just recovered Shanzhou. This made the world see clearly that the Jin people are also human beings, with the same appearance as the Song people. As human beings, we can win, and as human beings, we can also lose... At the same time, our population, wealth, culture, and system are far superior to theirs, which is beyond doubt!"
"So there are only two sentences in a thousand words." Zhao Jiu said solemnly. "First, no matter how difficult the situation is, the Song Dynasty will always have a solution! Never give up! Second, although the Song and Jin have been fighting for three years, from me down, you must be prepared. It will take another ten, eight years, or even until your death to succeed! This is a national war, you can't hope for luck!"
The four gentlemen bowed their heads in silence.
After saying these two sentences, Emperor Zhao seemed to be very tired, and simply stood up and waved his hand: "That's all for today, and we will sort out the rest of the chores on the way to Nanyang tomorrow!"
After saying this, Emperor Zhao ignored the ministers who had not yet stood up, and directly held his belt and walked out of the tent with Lan Gui, Yang Yizhong and others.
However, when he was about to pass by Han Shizhong, the official stopped again, as if he remembered something: "Good minister, it seems that you have something to report before?"
"Yes..." Han Shizhong quickly stood up and answered carefully.
"I just happen to have two things to tell you." Zhao Jiu said seriously. "When you arrive in Xijing, you will inevitably see the mausoleum of the ancestors of the Great Song Dynasty... As for the mausoleum, we must do our best to protect it. But as Prime Minister Li said when he talked about the two saints, if we want to get the two saints back, we must defeat the Jin Kingdom militarily. Then by the same token, if we want to keep the mausoleum for a long time, we must make Xijing completely stable. So when you get there, you must tell General Lu and Generals Da Zhai and Xiao Zhai not to force military action because of the mausoleum, which will lead to the loss of soldiers and generals. That is putting the cart before the horse. If there is any damage in the battle, it is naturally because I and the two saints are unfilial sons of the Zhao family, and it has nothing to do with them!"
The ministers around Han Shizhong were in a commotion for a moment, but soon calmed down. Han Shizhong was also stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded.
"The second thing... I heard that you like to give nicknames to scholars. You used to call him Zi Yue, but you suddenly changed it later?" Zhao Jiu asked with a frown, still holding his belt.
As Emperor Zhao asked this question, Scholar Kobayashi, who was not far away, suddenly raised his head and stared at this place.
"Yes, I call them 'Meng'er' now!" Han Shizhong did not dare to lie, but as soon as he said it, the ministers around him ignored the solemn atmosphere and countless people laughed out loud.
Only Emperor Zhao still held his belt and said solemnly: "I know very little, may I ask General Han, what is 'Meng'er'?"
Even though Han Shizhong was a scoundrel, he could see that the emperor was not kind, but he dared not not answer, so he could only blush and explain: "Good sir, you know, '萌儿' refers to a boy who has never had sex, just like calling a girl '初儿'... I heard someone say recently that some civil officials are not even good at riding horses. After riding a horse for hundreds of miles, they can't even close their hips..."
None of the four or five censors around, from Zhang Jun to Hu Yin, could stand it and were ready to impeach this scoundrel immediately.
However, Emperor Zhao spoke first and responded sternly: "This is the second thing I want to tell Han Qing. Han Qing, you are my backbone, but the 'Meng'er you mentioned is also my confidant! They say you are a military ruffian, and you say they are 'Meng'er', aren't they both insulting me?!"
Han Shizhong fell to the ground in shame, and several imperial censors suddenly calmed down. Scholar Kobayashi even shed tears secretly. However, the powerful envoy Yan Shaoyin of Nanyang Prefecture, who was watching coldly at the side, finally realized...it turned out that the government was venting its anger on this man.
"It's your turn to speak." After venting for Xiaolin, Zhao Jiu slowed down his voice and continued talking. "What do you want to say?"
"I was just trying to say that although Wang Yasha is brave, he is only a general and cannot be a commander..." Han Shizhong said quickly, and then he saw Wang De beside him looking up at him angrily, so he hurriedly explained. "I really don't mean to slander or despise my colleagues, this is the truth... So I am really worried, if I go to Xijing, who will deal with Fan Qiong, the villain, for the emperor?!"
After hearing the explanation, Wang De became even more furious. If Emperor Zhao had not been by his side, he would have almost fought a life-and-death battle with someone here.
"It's just a Fan Qiong. I, a cute girl, can take care of her myself!" Zhao Jiu answered simply, then walked away holding on to his belt which was too wide.
As soon as the emperor left, all the ministers dispersed. In the end, only Han Shizhong and Wang De were left facing each other, but they did not dare to take any action.
