Volume 4 Chapter 46 Qualifications
Yue Fei led the way with his axe in front and covered with a large banner behind, escorted by the imperial guards on both sides, rode through the palace, out of Xuande Tower, and returned across the Imperial Street, which was truly a scene of unparalleled glory. The next day, the imperial newspaper that had been prepared published Emperor Zhao's evaluation of Han, Li, and Yue, detailing their military exploits and praising them generously.
After this incident, public opinion in the capital really changed. People were talking about it everywhere, and only talked about the Shaolin Temple... Some people praised it, some were jealous, some thought that the emperor was going down the evil path of emphasizing military power over culture and would never turn back, and some felt that the emperor was top-heavy and was forced into a corner by previous public opinion, so he had to win over generals and ministers to strengthen himself.
In any case, it’s not wrong for Emperor Zhao to say that he can guide public opinion.
Of course, compared to the public opinion that is easily guided and controlled, the high-level imperial elites are also paying attention to this matter, and their focus is not so superficial. A small number of top officials have long known it, and a small number of middle and high-level officials have sensitively realized something based on their own political level... That is, as the pseudo-Qi was unexpectedly swept away in a weak posture, and the south was completely stabilized, the national strategy that was originally to be adjusted was bound to be forced by the times to make a more thorough and faster adjustment.
Among all these, since they had to maintain a military confrontation with the Kingdom of Jin and at least a nominal state of war, they had to maintain the military-first policy. Under the military-first policy, the adjustment of military deployment would inevitably be given top priority.
Not to mention anything else, since the Battle of Yaoshan at about the same time last year, a whole year has passed and many things have happened. A comprehensive confrontation on the Yellow River line has been completely formed, which has caused congestion on the front line and concentration of troops... The previous front (Yue Fei's troops), rear (Wu Jie and Wu Lin's troops), left (Han Shizhong's troops), right (Zhang Jun's troops), plus the navy (Zhang Rong's troops), cavalry (Qu Duan), and the central army were actually divided into three parts (Li Yanxian, Wang De, and Li Qiong's troops). The overall distribution of nine army groups seemed somewhat inadequate to the situation.
Especially on the two sides, that is, the lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Guanzhong region, the central government cannot reach them at all, and it should not wait until the war breaks out to issue an edict saying who should listen to who... This requires the appointment of several generals with the power to make decisions in advance in actual operations.
That is to further clarify the ownership of front-line command.
Guanzhong is mainly composed of the Left Army of the Imperial Camp led by Han Shizhong and the Rear Army of the Imperial Camp led by Wu Jie. It is naturally Han Shizhong, and it can only be Han Shizhong. Han Shizhong is not only a matter of merit, but also the most senior among the remnants of the Western Army... No one has any extra thoughts about this candidate.
As for Li Yanxian of Shanzhou.
Frankly speaking, Li Yanxian would not have much chance to command other units, but his position was too important, so important that even Han Shizhong should not interfere with and command him, and even the central government should not dispatch him easily, so he must be listed separately and given the highest status and position to ensure his absolute command over Shanzhou, Luoyang, Hezhong, Mengzhou, and Jiezhou.
This is an army group that exists on the surface but does not actually exist. It is still just Li Yanxian’s headquarters.
Going further downstream along the Yellow River, you will reach Kaifeng Prefecture. Needless to say, the emperor and the Privy Council are both here. The Central Council directly commands a considerable number of troops, including the Imperial Cavalry, the left and right divisions of the Central Army, and the navy. This is a self-evident, very large army group that does not exist on the surface but actually has a stronger presence than both sides.
Then going further down, that is, the area around Jingdong at the lowest reaches of the Yellow River, the current situation of the shrinking terrain of the Shandong Peninsula is self-evident. Yue Fei and Zhang Jun should have been assigned the primary and secondary positions, but the choice of this person was a little unexpected.
"Of course I know that the east must be divided into primary and secondary, but I still can't figure out why it is Yue Jiedu?"
At the banquet held in the Hu family's residence to celebrate the appointment of the new Jingdong East Route Governor Wanqi Xie, Hu Hongxiu's father-in-law, Wang Shuzhan, finally put down the wine glass in his hand.
"Why not Yue Jiedu?" Wanqi Xie sat in the main seat, raised his glass calmly, unable to hide his smugness. "Mr. Wang, I'm going to say something inappropriate today. If you can't figure this out, then don't even think about filling the vacancy this time, because even if you fill the vacancy, you'll be easily dumped sooner or later."
Moreover, ever since Emperor Zhao reformed the system in Fangcheng Mountain, he has always emphasized the continuity of governance. Therefore, unlike the more than a dozen prime ministers a year in the past during the Jing Kang period, the prime ministers, central government officials, and local officials are all extremely long-lasting, and the names, powers and responsibilities are becoming clearer day by day, so the official positions are becoming more and more valuable... Therefore, Wanqi Yuanzhong has now become the governor of a town, and according to the new rules, he has been given the title of the Secret Council. He is now a serious official, and he has fulfilled his long-cherished wish. He sat in the first seat at the banquet at the Wang Mansion with a dignified manner.
By the same token, the reason why Wang Shuzhan was so hasty and direct was that he saw that the official position was becoming more and more valuable, and he wanted to take advantage of this vacancy to ask for a reinstatement.
At such a banquet, it is impossible not to talk about human affairs.
"It's not that Yue Pengju is incompetent, but why should we go beyond Zhang Boying?" Hearing Wan Qixie's words , Wang Shuzhan quickly responded with a serious look. "You must know that although Zhang Boying has a bad reputation for wealth, he is also a real talent. In the battle of Huaishang, it was he who defended Xiacai; later, the Jin army entered Henan in large numbers, and Nanjing (Shangqiu) fell, and he also tried his best to maintain it; not to mention that his son-in-law Tian Shizhong's two great achievements should also be attributed to him. What's more..."
"What's more?"
"What's more, Zhang Boying is 46 years old this year, the oldest among all the generals, while Yue Pengju is only 29 years old. Moreover, Zhang Boying's seniority in the army is second only to the Prince of Yan'an, and he became famous a little later than the Prince of Yan'an, while Yue Pengju has only been famous for a few years?" Wang Shuzhan said earnestly, obviously speaking from the heart. "Don't the military value seniority the most?"
"Lord Wang!" Wanqi Xie shook his head repeatedly, sneering, but he no longer called Uncle Wang Zhan, who was only a few years older than him, his great uncle. "His military exploits are fine, but age and seniority are not good terms at this time."
Wang Shuzhan was startled, and then asked hurriedly: "What does Jinglüe mean by this?"
Not only Wang Shuzhan, but also Wang Ruohai and Hu Hongxiu who were sitting with him looked up seriously.
Wanqi Xie sighed, then smiled and said, "Mr. Wang, have you ever heard of the phrase 'coming from behind to win'?"
Wang Shuzhan immediately stamped his feet and laughed bitterly: "Is this the current situation?"
"Why not?" Wan Qi Xie continued to smile. "Whenever the central government needs to do something, and the emperor is young, this word will always be used. Even if the emperor is not as cold-blooded as Emperor Wu of Han, you should know the principle that a new emperor chooses new ministers, right? The word "seniority" depends on when the seniority was acquired. You know, the current emperor has only been on the throne for five years. I dare to ask if the seniority of the person in power in Shaolin Temple can be used? Therefore, even if we compare seniority, we can only look at the seniority of the past few years... Yue Pengju rose to prominence in Huaishang, and inherited Zong Zhongwu's capital, so his seniority is not bad!"
Wang Shuzhan seemed to be thinking about something, and his face became more and more ugly... He was not stupid. According to Wanqi Xie's words, let's not talk about whether the emperor had forgotten the matter in Mingdao Palace. Even if he hadn't, he was just discussing his qualifications in front of the emperor now, just to ask himself, do you have the capital to support Nanjing (Shangqiu)? Do you have the foundation of guarding Bagong Mountain on Huaishang? Do you have the experience of defending Nanyang? Do you have the merit of saving the emperor at Yaoshan?
If we put these aside, what qualifications do we have? !
But the problem is, he has none of these… Of course he has the merit of supporting the emperor, but that was due to his relative, the Grand Zongzheng Zhao Shiqi, and it seems that this Zongzheng will no longer be in charge of things. Instead, it is his son Wang Ruohai who has something to do with supporting the emperor. Of course he has military merits and qualifications, but they belong to his son-in-law Hu Hongxiu, and long before that, he himself had made a fool of himself in Nanyang.
Thinking of this, Uncle Wang Zhan couldn't help shaking his head.
But that was not all. Soon Wanqi Jinglüe seemed to see through him and gave him another heavy blow.
"As for age," Wanqi Xie sighed again. "The emperor is only 25 this year, and still prefers young people. It's a bit late for you and me... Lord Wang, listen to my advice. Instead of taking this opportunity to return to the central government to fill a good position, it's better to push your son and son-in-law. Especially Liangbi (Hu Hongxiu's pen name), who was originally named in the official register and had merits and qualifications. It's just that unfortunately, after Yaoshan, the two people he relied on in the Privy Council, one Wang Xianggong died for the country, and the other Liu Chengzhi was hastily sent to an external post, and the new Prime Minister Zhang did not recognize him. And with your family's capital, if you put a little effort on him, he will be able to see through it at once."
Uncle Wang Zhan was embarrassed for a moment, and ignored the fact that his son-in-law was right beside him, and just ignored the conversation.
Seeing this, Wanqi Xie shook his head in his heart and changed the topic back to the previous casual conversation: "In fact, if we say that Zhang Boying has something to rely on, it is not his seniority and age, but his merit in supporting the emperor back then... Among the meritorious officials who supported the emperor back then, only Han and Zhang are left on the military side. They are capital that Zhang Boying will never use up in his lifetime. It's just a pity that he met Yue Pengju."
"Although Yue Jiedu has made contributions, it is not so clear that he is much stronger than Zhang Jiedu, right?" Wang Shuzhan's son Wang Ruohai suddenly interrupted. "Why is he treated so politely by the government?"
"Jiedu Yue's contribution lies not in quantity but in quality; not in size but in timing." At this moment, probably because he saw his brother-in-law speaking, Hu Hongxiu, who had been silent, also responded.
"Liangbi (Hu Hongxiu's courtesy name) is absolutely right!" As soon as these words came out, Wanqi Xie nodded immediately. He was still very optimistic about Hu Hongxiu. At the very least, this person's future was at worst, but he would rise to prominence after the group of people from Guanxi came back. This was also an important reason why he still maintained the relationship with this family.
"What do you mean?" Uncle Wang and Uncle Zhan looked at each other curiously.
"May I ask, Mr. Wang, what is the most difficult thing about the country's internal affairs right now?" Wanqi Xie's expression became slightly serious.
"Yes..." Uncle Wang hesitated for a moment, but still gave a tentative answer. "But is it still finance?"
"It's the finances." Wan Qixie confirmed the other party's answer. "Without money, nothing can be done."
"I know a thing or two about this." Wang Shuzhan finally nodded, understanding a little. "Yue Pengju's campaign to clean up the rebellion in the south was not to mention his military achievements. The key point is that he was clean. The four hundred bandits were gathered so efficiently. It was really amazing. Moreover, compared with others, although his troops once caused some complaints in Jingxiang, they still caused the least harassment to the local area. Looking back now, the local officials in the south also praised him a lot... In any case, it can always give the South a break, which can be regarded as a move to save the situation."
"It's not just that." Wanqi Xie saw that Hu Hongxiu was still a taciturn person in front of his father-in-law, so he simply told him everything. "The emperor was criticized for the Shaoxing incident, and the court was somewhat turbulent. Although Yue Jiedu's battle in Zibochuan was a battle with casualties, it was a quick and clever move... For the central government at this time, it was a great success."
"Then I understand why the government is so kind to him." Wang Shuzhan nodded again. " Letting Yue Pengju do it has its own merits and reasons, but he is young and needs the government's endorsement, so they arranged a marriage, granted a flag, and then went out to Xuande Tower. But this kind of behavior is a bit embarrassing for Zhang Boying, isn't it?"
Wanqi Xie pondered over what he said, but he didn't know if it was because he was so proud of himself after becoming a governor, so he said without hiding it: "Mr. Wang, you don't know the pros and cons again... Why did I just say that the emperor was just criticized, and then there was some turmoil in the court? It's because the emperor's authority is the most important in the court. In civil affairs, it was because the emperor was wise and knowledgeable, and he was willing to give up, so that the civil officials looked decent. If he really didn't want the civil officials to look decent, what about the Shaoxing incident? What about the military officials? In my opinion, even if there are some political tricks this time, they are mostly deliberately done to reassure people like you... As for marriage and granting flags, nine out of ten times, it's just the emperor's own interest."
"So, the key is to please the emperor himself?" Wang Shuzhan hesitated for a moment, and when he saw that there were no outsiders at the table, he whispered. "But the emperor doesn't allow the harem to get involved in government affairs, so how can we get directly to the emperor?"
"If Lord Wang only takes advantage of this wave of vacancies with this mentality, even if he gets one or two good jobs, how can he keep his seat?" Wan Qi Xie was completely helpless. "The emperor must be an ambitious emperor. If you want to be favored by him, you have to learn from Yue Pengju to do a good job... Lord Wang, do you think that I can get what I want and become a governor at this age because I used to be as scheming as you, or because I have experienced many things and recognized the situation, and I have given the emperor frank advice and worked hard? It would be better for you to listen to me, put aside your own thoughts, and focus on planning for your son and son-in-law."
Uncle Wang became more and more embarrassed, but he never talked about the matter.
Wanqi Xie saw that this man was obsessed with power and didn't know what to do. Besides, since he was now the governor, which was different from the past, and he had an ally like Qu Duan who was both civil and military, he didn't bother to pay any more attention to him. After persuading him a few more times, he left, got on his donkey, and returned home leisurely under the escort of several guards riding tall horses, preparing to take up his post in Jinan.
However, let's not talk about how Wanqi Xie took office and finally became a senior official at the age of more than 40. On the other hand, after Yue Fei, Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian were highlighted, the court did indeed impose many restrictions and back-up plans... This was expected by many people.
For example, after nearly two or three years of calls starting from the Nanyang period, the right to produce armor and weapons for various departments of the Imperial Camp was finally returned to the central government to a considerable extent...The most important and representative one was the unification of the shape of lamellar armor. From now on, the lamellar armor of various departments would be uniformly produced by the Central Military Equipment Supervision, the shape and size would be standardized, and the weaving paradigm of lamellar armor would also be established to ensure its universal use on the battlefield.
Not only that, the scale of martial arts has been further expanded. From now on, not only the Imperial Camp Rear Army and the Imperial Camp Right Army, but also all other places, if the soldiers of the Imperial Camp want to be promoted, from the actual captain who leads a hundred soldiers, they must undergo short-term training in martial arts. Promotion in the eyes of the emperor is not the favor of the generals.
In addition, after searching for craftsmen, collecting available wood, and then successfully trial-making a large thirty-wheel ship, the ship workshop in Heyin Biankou was officially established and incorporated into the Military Equipment Supervision. Zhang Rong's troops also officially handed over the ship machinery and logistics to the central government.
At the same time, the war horses confiscated by Yue Fei's troops were also distributed as a whole to the imperial cavalry in Jingdong at that time, and the Nanjing (Shangqiu) defender and veteran general Lu Xing also entered Xuzhou early.
In fact, to be fair, the previous move to unify the shape of armor plates and armor was necessary, martial arts had been brewing for a long time, and the ship workshop had been built early, otherwise Zhang Rong would not have been able to have a large ship with 30 wheels as his flagship, but the next two things seemed a bit urgent... In addition, Yue Fei was still in Beijing and Zhang Jun was still in Dengzhou, and Zhang Jun's closest nephew and son-in-law were also in Beijing, and there was also the matter of Yue Fei's eldest son Yue Yun being left in martial arts after his engagement. When you look at all these things one by one, it seems that the central government is overly concerned with power politics.
But there's nothing I can do.
Zhao Jiu himself certainly knew that Yue Fei would not embezzle the war horses, nor did he think that Zhang Jun would start a war to secede because of this setback... Zhang Jun did not have the courage or the ambition... But there was really no other way. Even if it was to be done for outsiders to see, to reassure the central government officials and the people, and to prevent "some bastards" from misjudging, this kind of behavior should be done appropriately.
In fact, based on Zhao Jiu's understanding of Zhang Jun, it is possible that General Zhang himself hopes that the court will do this.
"Pray for blessings?"
The autumn wind was rustling, the sun was warm, and Zhao Jiu had just returned from his martial arts and archery training. He was practicing calligraphy in the pavilion, but suddenly turned his head to face the other person. "Who are you praying for?"
"For the emperor, for the queen mother, for the heir in my womb, and even more for the Song Dynasty." Concubine Pan held her belly and looked at him carefully. "Didn't the emperor fall into a well at this time four years ago? The two queen mothers have to return and are unwilling to show up easily. Outsiders only say that I am unfilial. In addition, the heir died early due to convulsions in the past. I often regret it. Today, I feel the fetus moving again. Everyone says it's a prince, so I feel uneasy... So, I want to go to Mingdao Palace with the emperor."
Zhao Jiu glanced at Concubine Pan, his expression unchanged but speechless in his heart. He knew very well that although this concubine was beautiful, fair-skinned, fragrant, and had good cooking skills, her brain was far inferior to that of the younger Wu Yu. This time, she must have been easily instigated by someone because of the key words of the crown prince, the queen, etc.
According to Zhao Jiu's usual style, he usually pretends to be ignorant about small matters, and simply eliminates the other party's thoughts when dealing with big matters... In fact, after hearing this, Zhao Jiu instinctively denied the matter neither softly nor hard.
However, the man raised his pen to write, and just as he was about to reject it, he suddenly laughed: "Is it convenient for you to go to Mingdao Palace in your current state?"
Concubine Pan's face lit up with joy, and she immediately said, "I need to go there before I become inconvenient."
"It's already very inconvenient." Zhao Jiu shook his head and continued practicing calligraphy.
"Then... how about in the capital?" Princess Pan seemed to be prepared, and immediately said hurriedly. "No restrictions on Buddhism or Taoism."
"No money?" Zhao Jiu sighed as he practiced calligraphy. "The country needs money everywhere, and if there is money, it should be used for the right things. Where does the money come from for the ritual?"
"No need for the government to pay," Princess Pan said without stopping. "There are people willing to pay..."
Zhao Jiu nodded, and without asking who was willing to pay, he asked directly: "How much can you pay?"
"There are always tens of thousands of taels of silver."
Zhao Jiu sighed: "That's about it."
Concubine Pan was overjoyed.
"You can work with Concubine Wu and ask her to gather 100,000 or 200,000 strings of cash so that we can do a big show." Zhao Jiu finally put down the brush in his hand and looked at it seriously. "Do it at Yuetai."
Although Concubine Pan was stunned when she heard this, she had no choice but to respond and then left, supporting her slightly pregnant belly.
As soon as Concubine Pan left, Zhao Jiu looked at Yang Yizhong again: "Official Lan is not here, Zhengfu will make a note of it and bring him to him for punishment."
“Yes.”
"Go to Xiangguo Temple, Shaolin Temple, Lingjiu Temple, White Horse Temple, Yuquan Temple, Wuyue Temple, Mingdao Palace... In short, send a letter to all the temples and Taoist temples that can arrive in the capital before Mid-Autumn Festival, no matter where they are, and tell them that I want to hold a formal grand ceremony, not the small ceremony to welcome the Queen Mother in the palace before. Ask them to pay money and send people. Limit it to nine temples and nine Taoist temples. Whoever pays the most will be allowed to come..."
Even though Yang Yizhong was knowledgeable and experienced, he was stunned for a moment before nodding.
"Then send a letter to the capital, telling them that rumors and gossip have been rampant for a while since Shaoxing, and it's time to get back on track. I want to offer sacrifices to the innocent people who died and sacrificed officials and civilians since the Jingkang period, to put an end to it, and have them prepare a large list."
"And have them quickly assign the tasks that actually need to be done."
“Yes.”
"We must also specifically remind the Ministry of Revenue that in case of a shortage of money and grain, we should be properly prepared to issue a batch of special government bonds."
"clear."
"Then let Wang Yuan list the names of the officers and soldiers who died in the battle and offer sacrifices to them all..."
“Yes.”
"Don't worry about the generals. Go back if you need to. Stay where you are and don't run around."
"yes."
"Ask a few Yutang scholars to write an article. The general idea is that the country has finally regained its footing. From now on, the next war will be an attack rather than a defense... The momentum should be high and it should be linked to the official newspaper."
"I know."
"...Tell the people from Mingdao Palace not to come, but just leave a place for them."
“…Yes.”
"That's it for now. Go ahead and let me be quiet."
“…Yes.”
