Volume 4 Chapter III Self-determination
Zhao Ding's rise to power was both unexpected and reasonable.
The so-called reasonable refers to Zhao Ding's own qualifications, official position, and age, which are all very confident. As the oldest of the few people who fled to the Imperial College during the Jing Kang period (Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Hu Yin), Zhao Yuanzhen was already one of the first confidants of Emperor Zhao in Huaishang, and he was promoted to the transport envoy of the two routes in Huainan at an early stage, becoming one of the local officials... This position is basically second only to a few envoys and ministers.
In fact, taking into account Lu Yihao's unscrupulousness and the sudden retirement of Xu Jingheng, as well as the fact that Li Gang was once again being put on hold by the emperor, and potential candidates for the emperor's confidants such as Hu Yin, Liu Ziyu, and Xiaolin Xue Shi being left in Guanxi, everyone realized at that time that among the three prime ministers, there must be a position for Zhao Ding of Huainan.
But, as the saying goes, the unexpected happens.
It was obvious that Emperor Zhao wanted to serve his relatives, and the person he used had to at least be related to Emperor Zhao's ascension to the throne, that is, the so-called "emperor's confidant". From this perspective, Zhang Jun's personal relationship with Emperor Zhao was undoubtedly much closer than Zhao Ding's... Therefore, the night before, many people believed that Zhang Jun would be the prime minister of the capital, and Zhao Ding would be the privy councilor or even the deputy prime minister. However, they did not expect that Zhao Ding, who had said nothing and was thousands of miles away, would be the leader in the end.
Of course, for a smart man like Wanqi Xie, even if he didn't know that there was a little brother Hu Yin who had inserted a thread between the two 'Imperial College brothers', he still had some guesses - no matter what, the government needed a prime minister who was capable and had rich grassroots experience. Before, it was Xu Jingheng, and now it is naturally Zhao Ding.
As for Liu Ji, to be honest, in the abnormal situation before, no one could be sure whether he was a real or fake official. Moreover, in terms of relationship, this Liu Xianggong was a little distant from the government. Relatively speaking, Zhao Ding, who had been in the government's eyes for settling refugees from Huaibei in Huainan and had worked diligently in Huainan for several years to ensure the supply of financial tribute, seemed much more reliable.
To put it nicely, this kind of thing is because Emperor Zhao puts public affairs first and appoints people based on their merits. To put it bluntly, Emperor Zhao has no experience and is feeling guilty!
Of course, it’s a good thing after all… Can it be a bad thing if the leader doesn’t use his confidants indiscriminately?
"Who is the Goryeo envoy?"
There was no military parade or ceremony this time. The last imperial camp troops simply stopped at Yuetai in the west of the city. Zhao Jiu simply led the imperial camp squad straight into the city. After entering the city, without having time to rest in the harem, the emperor gathered all the officials in Wende Hall and asked them about the previous matters in the city.
Lu Haowen was already old and had always been quiet. After he was promoted to prime minister, he became more calm than before, whether he was pretending or really, and he just stood there in silence when he heard the words, without saying a word.
Soon, seeing that the minister Lü Haowen, the newly arrived Privy Councilor Zhang Jun, and the co-director of the Privy Council Chen Gui were speechless, the Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei stepped forward and bowed to them, "Your Majesty, the servant here is Zheng Zhichang, a Hanlin scholar in Goryeo who is good at writing imperial edicts...I wonder if Your Majesty wants to summon him? When will he be summoned?"
"Isn't he Kim Bu-sik?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly in the throne. "Is this person in Goryeo from the Kaesong Yangban or the Pyongyang Yangban? Is he for war or peace with Kim?"
Zhu Shengfei was speechless for a moment. After a moment of silence, he cupped his hands and said, "Let the emperor know that this man has always been accompanied by Wang Lun, the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple. He really doesn't know the so-called Kaijing Yangban and Pyongyang Yangban officials. But when the emperor won a great victory before, he hurried over by sea and wrote poems praising the emperor's might. The poems are really good... I think he should be the one who is fighting against Jin."
This answer was obviously wrong, but as the Minister of Rites, Zhao Jiu knew that this level was already qualified, so he did not pursue it. Instead, he nodded, and then directly asked on the throne: "Where is Wang Lun?"
Wang Lun, the Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple, who had been prepared, stepped out immediately, bowed his head and responded swiftly: "Your Majesty, this man belongs to the Western Capital Liangban, and is a member of the Myo-Ching Monk's party. He has always advocated war and is Myo-Ching Monk's official ally in the Goryeo court. He is one of Kim Bu-sik's biggest political enemies in Goryeo..."
At this point, Wang Lun paused for a moment, then added carefully: "This man and Jin Bu Shi are not only political enemies, but also rivals in the Goryeo literary world. They have deep public and private grudges against each other."
"Something is still wrong." Zhao Jiu frowned more and more. "Last time you said that Jin Bushi was determined to do big things. He followed Song when Song was strong and Jin when Jin was strong. He watched and adjusted in time when there was a slight change. On the contrary, Xijing Miaoqing monk's party was not clear-headed. They intended to expand the power of Xijing Pyongyang Yangban by attacking Jin, so they advocated war against Jin... Then why did Zheng Zhichang, since he is a member of Miaoqing monk's party, also come to "do big things"?"
"So that the emperor knows." Wang Lun explained quickly. "Zheng Zhichang is a serious civil official. He formed a party with Monk Miaoqing because they both took Pyongyang, the Western Capital of Goryeo, as their base and opposed the two classes in Kaesong. It is impossible for them not to be in the same party, but when it comes to specific opinions, they still have different opinions..."
At this point, not only did Zhao Jiu understand, even the Song officials in the palace who had experienced decades of struggle between the new and old parties suddenly realized it.
"I understand." Zhao Jiu smiled. "This is a man who was dragged into advocating war because of political struggles. He advocates war only because Jin Bu Shi does not advocate war... But in this case, this man is both a big shot and a war advocate. Isn't he more beneficial to us than Jin Bu Shi?"
Wang Lun hesitated for a moment, but still said cautiously: "Your Majesty, this man and Jin Bushi have always had some rumors in Goryeo..."
Zhao Jiu laughed even more: "Just say whatever you want to say, whatever you want to say?"
"It is said that Jin Bushi gave himself this name because he admired the scholar Dasu, but his conduct as an official was very similar to that of King Shu. Zheng Zhichang had endless factional disputes with him, but he was not like Sima Wengong, but more like the scholar Dasu..."
Zhao Jiu laughed for the third time: "Are you trying to say that this person is a political waste and that it may not be useful to focus on him?"
"The key is that it is difficult for us to really exert force on Goryeo at this time..." Seeing that many ministers around him were looking at him sideways, Wang Lun quickly skipped the topic.
"How can we truly exert force?" Zhao Jiu kept asking.
"If the land of Qi and Lu can be recovered and the sea is unobstructed, we can do something." Wang Lun said frankly.
Zhao Jiu nodded and made a decision: "No matter what, we still have to do something, and we should spend some time on Goryeo. After all, it is the only country behind the Jin Kingdom that we can contact right now, and it is a great country thousands of miles away. As for this person, I have some different opinions from Wang Shaoqing. I think that since this person has such a relationship with Jin Bu Shi, then putting effort on this person is the same as putting effort on Jin Bu Shi. In other words, even if he dies in the future, the effort he put in can be earned back on Jin Bu Shi..."
Many people in the hall nodded. When it came to the internal affairs of the small country of Goryeo, these people might not be as knowledgeable as Wang Lun, but when it came to political skills, these people were much better than Wang Lun. But at the same time, many people frowned.
"Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei, Minister of Honglu Temple Zhai Ruwen, Junior Minister of Honglu Temple Wang Lun." Zhao Jiu ordered solemnly. "You should treat this scholar Su of Goryeo well, with super-class treatment. You, the ministers and ministers of a great country, should accompany him to compose poems and drink wine, so that he feels at home. Then tell him clearly that I hate Jin Bushi, but I like his poems of Zheng Zhichang. I will prepare additional rewards, and finally prepare a formal banquet. I will personally summon him and reward him... Don't be reluctant to spend money, and don't feel embarrassed. Anything that can kill a few more Jin people, or really hold back one or two Jin Meng'an during the Northern Expedition, is worth a million dollars. Besides, if we really go straight to Huanglong, we can get back any money!"
When everyone heard the words, their expressions varied.
Some people nodded repeatedly, some seemed to be thinking about something, some expressions did not change at all, and some frowned repeatedly.
By the way, the Goryeo issue is of course important, because as Emperor Zhao said, Goryeo is the only great country thousands of miles away that the Song Dynasty can contact and is visible to the naked eye, and it can have a substantial restraining effect on the Jin people in the future.
After six or seven years of war, everyone understood that as long as the Jin people were involved, everything was worth it.
But the problem is that Emperor Zhao's blatant "deception" and "exploitation" of the Goryeo envoys, as well as his talk of "taking it back" in the future, just doesn't make sense.
Especially at this moment, all civil and military officials were present in the grand Wende Hall.
Therefore, quite a number of moral gentlemen cannot help but feel worried and uncomfortable.
In fact, in the past, these people would have come out to advise long ago, because they are true moral gentlemen, they really think it is inappropriate, and they are indeed not afraid of the wrath of the king...but the problem is that when these people think of the prosperous and decent Emperor Tai Shang Dao Jun who abandoned his country twice and ended up with the fate of Duke Hun De, and this utilitarian emperor who is always talking about interests and is not decent at all is the one who is truly rebuilding the Song Dynasty, they can't help but feel speechless and can't keep up.
If you really come out to advise, this official will directly put down the Emperor Taishang Daojun. Do you think you will feel uncomfortable?
Therefore, although Chief Censor Li Guang, Minister of Rites Zhu Shengfei and others felt uncomfortable, they still had to endure it. Zhu Shengfei had no choice but to step forward to receive the order and do such an indecent thing.
"Okay." Zhao Jiu finished talking about the Goryeo envoys, but he didn't stop and asked about another important matter. "What happened to Nianhan in Damingfu?"
At this moment, many people in the hall looked at each other and shook their heads. No one could answer.
After waiting for a long while, Chen Gui still had to do his duty and said a few words helplessly: "Your Majesty, we really don't know the truth about that place, we can only make a rough guess..."
"It's okay to speculate." Zhao Jiu laughed. "Such a big thing can't be left hanging without even a guess, right?"
"I'll discuss this with you." Chen Gui responded with a serious expression. "Nianhan suddenly came to . In fact, he didn't come to deal with Dongjing, but to control the troops in Damingfu to deal with Yanjing and the Jin ruler Wuqimai and the eldest prince Wanyan Oben in the north."
Zhao Jiu nodded. This was actually the result of discussions among the civil and military officials in Guanxi.
You know, although the Jin army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Yaoshan, because Wanyan Wushu's reinforcements were surrounded and annihilated, the losses of Nianhan's Western Army may not be as great as those of the Eastern Army... But the problem is that from the highest level, Nianhan, as the prime minister, was the top leader of this battle and was ultimately responsible for the defeat .
The defeat in this battle and the death of Lou Shi led to a large-scale loss of political prestige for Nianhan, which was the most fatal difficulty for the powerful official of the Jin Dynasty. Especially since he had previously staged a drama of forcing the emperor to abdicate... After the defeat of Lou Shi, some things were no longer secrets. The Zhao Song people had already learned the whole story from the envoys of Goryeo and the Han officials who fled from Hebei.
In other words, after this battle, Wanyan Nianhan had lost his dignity in the political game on the table, and had to maintain his authority by seizing military power, which was very effective but extremely degrading and even seemed a bit ulterior motive.
To be honest, Nianhan suddenly went south to Damingfu, suppressed the cowardly Talai, and seized the military power of Damingfu. From the perspective of internal effects, it was indeed a brilliant move, even a stroke of genius. But from an external perspective, it undoubtedly exposed the contradictions within the Jin Dynasty.
"In this case, throw a stone to test the water... or make a move to alert the enemy!" The ministers discussed for a while and all had similar opinions. Zhao Jiu thought for a while and immediately made a decision. "Let Zhang Rong take the old Yellow River route and send the letter directly to Daming Prefecture to punish Nianhan! Let him return the envoy (Han Xiaozhou) who was detained before and surrender within a time limit! Otherwise, I will turn Daming Prefecture into another Yaoshan!"
Many people hesitated for a moment.
"It's just to alert the enemy..." Zhao Jiu hurriedly explained. "It's just to tease him. The biggest hope is to add fuel to the internal situation of Jin. It's not really to send troops."
Chen Gui and others were relieved.
After all, these people have no reason to panic. Since ancient times, there have been many emperors who became arrogant after winning a battle, and there have also been some who died soon after winning and their country was destroyed!
Of course, Zhao Jiu also realized this, and couldn't help but say a few more words: "Don't worry, my friends. Although we won at Yaoshan, it was extremely dangerous. After this battle, I didn't underestimate the enemy, but I was a little scared. Liu Ziyu, who insisted on persuading me to hold on before the battle, was rewarded and made a military commander. I already wanted him to be rewarded and made a military commander... And I can say it again today. After this battle, I really can't imagine how our troops will fight against the Jin cavalry on the Hebei Plain. We must conserve our strength and advance step by step to destroy the Jin people."
Everyone in the palace was finally relieved.
After all, Zhao Jiu had just returned from a long journey, so after asking two questions that could not be delayed any longer, he asked about the progress of the institutionalization of the Sanshe system, gave a few instructions to the ministers, and finally announced the dissolution of this "welcoming event".
But everyone dispersed, and the prime minister Lu Haowen, who did not participate in the discussion of the affairs throughout the whole process, was invited to the harem alone by the chief escort Lan Gui.
In this regard, the ministers were silent... After all, he was a prime minister with an exceptional status, and this was not a sensitive period. The position of prime minister had already been given out, and there was no story of a separate memorial to mention.
It's nothing more than the government asking a routine question to show favor to old and important officials.
As expected, when everyone dispersed, Zhao Jiu and others were in the small pavilion in the harem. When they saw Lu Haowen, they stood up to greet him and asked directly outside the pavilion: " Prince Lu, why do I always feel that the atmosphere in the palace is not right today?"
"Reporting to the emperor, I think there are many reasons for this."
The weather was crisp and clear in autumn. Lu Haowen's eyes moved from the yellow flowers around the pavilion, and then he raised his head slightly, only to see a group of wild geese flying south overhead. The prime minister raised his head and thought seriously, but surprisingly did not perfunctorily answer. "First, the emperor won a great victory in Yaoshan, and returned with the Eagle Shooting. The whole country was shocked, and the civil and military officials were in awe. Although this happened several months ago, the emperor had already adapted to it in Kansai, but for the civil and military officials in Tokyo, it was the first time they met the emperor after the war, and they were inevitably a little nervous..."
Even though Zhao Jiu knew that he shouldn't get carried away, he couldn't help but smile slightly and then nodded.
"Secondly, the government has made a large-scale replacement of prime ministers and has no doubt about its intention to reform the political situation. People at all levels don't know the government's intentions, so they can't help but wait and see." Lu Haowen was neither hurried nor slow, clasping his hands together.
Zhao Jiu seemed to be thinking about something, and his smile faded a bit.
"Three," Lu Haowen sighed. "Your Majesty shouldn't be analyzing the Goryeo envoy and Nianhan in public today based on 'benefits and disadvantages'... It's inappropriate."
Zhao Jiu finally frowned: "I know that these things are a bit too calculating, but when it comes to the enemy, isn't it right to use military tactics to confront each other and use cunning tactics?"
"I didn't say that your Majesty handled these two matters wrongly." Lu Haowen remained calm. "But since it concerns the enemy and us, why can't you call the prime minister, the Privy Council, and the generals of the imperial camp to discuss it alone? Your Majesty, the cruelty and barbarity of the Jin people are known to everyone in the country. In this extraordinary time, we don't ask you to be a saint, but even if you are an emperor on horseback, you are more important than Mount Tai, and you still need to be a saint on the outside and a king on the inside... and today you must be both civil and military, and be listed in the Wende Hall!"
Zhao Jiu fell silent, and Lu Haowen also stood there with his hands behind his back, remaining silent. Lan Gui, who was standing by, had already started counting his own heartbeats, but after counting to about a hundred, Emperor Zhao finally spoke up: "Prime Minister Lu is absolutely right, I was too impatient!"
Lu Haowen looked calm, but Lan Gui was the first to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Does the emperor have anything else to say?" After Lu Haowen nodded, he continued to ask.
Zhao Jiu hesitated for a moment, but said frankly: "I wanted to talk to Mr. Lu about some old things, but as Mr. Lu reminded me, I am a little too impatient. Let's talk about it in two days..."
Lu Haowen finally laughed, but took two steps back and bowed: "You have worked hard to maintain the country. You have been gone for half a year. It is time for you to rest early."
Zhao Jiu said no more, but directly sent the other party out of the harem, and asked Lan Gui to follow. When he turned around, he saw Feng Yi had already come behind him and was waiting for him.
"Did Concubine Pan send you here?" Zhao Jiu came forward and asked.
"Yes." Feng Yi bowed his head.
"Are all those chrysanthemums beside the pavilion also arranged by Concubine Pan?" Zhao Jiu continued to stand facing him.
"It was Madam Pan who ordered it to be put there," Feng Yi responded immediately. "But it was not paid for by the government. It was sent by the wives of the rich and powerful who returned from Yangzhou... They came to the palace to pay a visit to Madam Pan, and when they saw that the place was run-down, they took the initiative to collect money and sent a lot of flowers and furniture to the palace."
Zhao Jiu nodded and said, "I will go to see Concubine Pan now. I will accompany her from now until tomorrow. But before I go out to do things tomorrow, you must return all these things that were sent to me. If anyone dares not to accept them, you will carry them to his home in person... Do you understand?"
Feng Yi was stunned for a moment, then nodded continuously.
"That's right." Zhao Jiu turned around and walked a few steps, then turned back. "Don't move the furnishings in Concubine Pan's room... Why not go to Concubine Wu's house and ask for some money to pay those people! Tell Wu Guozhang that I didn't take his money for nothing, and his homemade 'Blue Bridge Wind Moon' will be the national wine from now on. Starting from entertaining the Goryeo envoys, I will use his wine."
Feng Yi was stunned again, and it took him a long time to come around. Then he nodded, but Emperor Zhao had already walked away with his hands behind his back.
