. When this news was quickly sent to Jiankang, I had just finished inspecting the embankment and returned to the palace. It was already autumn. [Want to read Piao Tian Literature. ] The great flood that swept across the country was finally successfully overcome through the concerted efforts of the top and bottom. Although there were heavy losses, the Song Dynasty has fully resumed production. I believe that it will not take long for the Song Dynasty to return to its former glory.
After a busy summer, I did feel a little tired, especially when I returned to the palace and saw the mountains of memorials, I was full of the urge to turn around and run away.
However, Sima Feng and others probably guessed this situation and asked for supervision. They had no choice but to sit behind the imperial desk, review the memorials one by one, and directly approve some that had been agreed upon. They were busy until late at night, and finally Finished.
"Your Majesty is so fast. I made a bet with Sister Xue that it would take three days for Your Majesty to complete the approval. Unexpectedly, it was completed in less than one day. Your Majesty is really a rare wise king!" Zi'er handed over a cup of hot tea, Rou said. Praise.
"I don't care if you are a wise king or not, but I know that from today on, I will be in trouble!" I held up a memorial with a headache and complained to Zi'er, "Look, I know Caiyun Doing this will attract criticism, but even Wu Wu and Shang Yi believe that the Fire Phoenix Legion should be restricted, which is beyond my expectation, what do you think?"
"My body is entirely subject to His Majesty's decision, and I will obey everything!"
"Forget it, forget it, as soon as I come back, you become a silent gourd. Is it difficult to talk to me about these things? You are the most caring people to me. If I don't talk to you about these troublesome things, how can I talk to other people? Is anyone going to tell you?"
I held my head in distress and leaned back on the chair with some disappointment.
Zi'er waited for a moment, then stepped forward and said: "Since His Majesty said so, I have no choice but to boldly say a few words. In fact, what the ministers said is not unreasonable. Sister Caiyun already has hundreds of thousands of troops, and now it is said that they have been recruited again. The armies in Hebei, Liaodong and other places have 200,000 elite soldiers. It can be said that the soldiers of the Fire Phoenix Legion can already equal the soldiers of other armies. Even if Sister Caiyun has no selfish motives, such favoritism will still cause dissatisfaction among other soldiers. Yes, all the ministers did this just because they saw this!"
"I'm not saying that what they said is wrong. As for the 200,000 elite troops in Hebei, Liaodong and other places, it's just an exaggeration. Having 50,000 usable troops is a big deal. However, it is a fact that Hebei, Liaodong and other places have elite troops. We can control them. When it reaches the court, it is considered a big matter. I have asked Mei to handle this matter. I believe that within a year, the Jiankang government will be able to reach Hebei and Liaodong. What really bothers me is that these people actually asked for Caiyun to be recalled to the capital. I'll be idle for a while. It really bothers me!"
Zi'er looked at me carefully and hesitated before saying softly: "Your Majesty, don't blame me for being too talkative. Sister Caiyun's Northern Expedition did not receive any explicit permission from the military, nor did she ask for any assistance from the court. She did it entirely on her own. Later, I heard that Sister Caiyun also contacted Gao Li privately and bought back a large amount of grain.
Even if I know that Sister Caiyun will not have any bad intentions towards His Majesty, others must be wary of this. Master Wu Wu and Master Shang Yi would do this, probably because they want to nip it in the bud! "
"Hey, I knew it was a mistake to agree to Caiyun at the beginning, but no matter what, this time the matter was completed smoothly, and Hebei and Liaodong were recovered, which is also a great joy. I think I won't reward or punish Caiyun, only for meritorious service. Just reward the soldiers. As for the reorganization plan of the Fire Phoenix Legion, let's follow Caiyun's advice. Reduce the entire Fire Phoenix Legion to about 100,000. The excess soldiers can be resettled in two batches. One is to stay in the local area as a garrison; It is to put them on the grassland and serve as a garrison. Then let Caiyun send the spoils and Yao Lishi, Pu Xianwannu and others to Jiankang. In this way, the concerns and dissatisfaction of the imperial court can be calmed down. Do you think this is so? "
"It's good, but I feel a little bit sorry for having wronged Sister Caiyun!"
"You can see clearly and do it procrastinating!" I stood up, pulled her over, and said teasingly, "I haven't seen the Queen for a long time, so please stay with me today!"
Zi'er's cheeks instantly turned red, she glanced at me with shame and joy, lowered her head meekly, and let me do whatever I wanted.
I laughed again and again, picked her up, and strode away with an exclamation.
The next day, I will tell the world about the treatment of the Fire Phoenix Legion and Caiyun, which caused an uproar in the government and the public. Some were opposed and some were in favor. Anyway, it was a mess.
"I didn't care about this. Instead, I used the great reputation brought by the victory in the northwest and the control of the flood to roll out some long-planned reforms across the country. A large number of young officials full of enterprising ideas were filled into the imperial court and local governments. As time went by, these people became more and more energetic, various policies were effectively implemented, and the national power of the Song Dynasty began to recover.
Just when things are looking great,At that time, I received a report from the Mongolian envoy and Shi Tianze who came to Beijing almost at the same time.
Another problem faced me.
In the royal study of the Song Dynasty Palace, I summoned all the close ministers to discuss the issue of the envoy and Shi Tianze. There were two topics, light and dark. The light was how to receive both parties, and the dark was about Caiyun.
The people in the imperial study room at the moment are all high-ranking officials of the Song Dynasty. The civil servants are headed by the Prime Minister Sima Feng, Qiao Xingjian, the president of the Imperial Council and Minister of Supervision, Ye Qian, the president of the Inspection Council, and Li Biru, the president of the Finance Council. , Wengui, the Chancellor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shangguan Tiannan, the Minister of Punishment, Han Qing, the Minister of Dali Temple, Song Shixian, the Minister of General Affairs, Li Jin, the Minister of Industry, Zhao Erzhuo, the Minister of Household Affairs, Zheng Qingzhi, the Minister of Agriculture, Wu Qian, the newly appointed Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, etc. The important ministers followed closely. As for the military generals, only Wu Wu, the Minister of Military Affairs, Shang Yi from the Operation Department, and Guiying from the Military Intelligence Department represented the military department. As for the leading generals, according to convention, they were not allowed to participate in such internal affairs decisions.
Because it was to receive foreign missions, Wengui deservedly took the lead. He spoke first: "Your Majesty, Mongolia just had a war with us and is weak. I heard that the mission sent this time was to discuss the marriage between the two countries. I guess it was I want to make peace with the Song Dynasty, what do you think, Your Majesty?"
I didn¡¯t answer, but looked at Sima Feng. He was the Prime Minister, so it would be outrageous not to come up with a resolution.
Sima Feng just pondered for a moment, then stood up and said: "Wei Chen believes that although the Northwest War was won, it still cost the whole country. Now that everyone has just suffered from floods and needs to restore people's livelihood, it is not appropriate to create extraneous problems. According to Wei Chen's opinion , this matter should be feasible. What's more, if a peace treaty can be concluded with Mongolia, and Princess Caiyun has recovered Shandong, Hebei, Liaodong, and most of the Northeast, it can be said that the northern barrier is completely in my hands. With Princess Caiyun's ability, it must be We are not afraid of Mongolian invasion. We will take advantage of the peace treaty to do business with Mongolia. Firstly, we can spy on Mongolia's real situation. Secondly, we can also send our Song Dynasty's products to Mongolia and exchange them for the cattle, sheep and horses that our Song Dynasty urgently needs. National strength and mutual benefit are indeed the best. But Mongolia is ambitious and has a bloody feud with me, the Song Dynasty. Even if a peace treaty is signed, it cannot be wrong.
Be prepared. Please also ask your Majesty to make a decision. "
What Sima Feng said was Lao Cheng's theory of seeking a country, and most of the participants agreed. Later, several people spoke, and most of them did not go beyond what Sima Feng said. They all believed that peace talks with Mongolia should be temporarily held, and this opportunity should be used to restore national strength. Mongol revenge.
I was greatly appreciative of these words. After that bloody night of purges, the Jiankang court finally took on a new look. There were no longer those so-called loyal ministers who uttered idiotic words but were still eloquent. Everyone understood their position, and How should I speak so that I can be satisfied and let me deeply feel the true meaning of what is good above me and what is good below me.
Dictatorship may not be the best, but for a court that is so weak that it is already full of cowards to stand up, dictatorship is an indispensable method. It is just a method and cannot be regarded as a routine, nor can it be used to make a slight difference. Let it go when things get better.
I understand this very well.
Seeing me thinking silently, no one dared to disturb my thoughts. After a long while, I raised my head and said calmly: "The Prime Minister is old enough to seek for the country, which is the blessing of the Song Dynasty. It's just that the Prime Minister doesn't know that the other party intends to get married." It's two-sided. On the one hand, they want to marry the former Mongolian prisoner princess Ashaibeji to me, and send so-called dowry personnel to infiltrate our Song Dynasty and wait for opportunities to spy on all aspects of our Song Dynasty's intelligence. On the other hand, they also want to use a large number of cattle, sheep, horses, gold and silver jewelry to impress the Song Dynasty and make me agree to marry Princess Caiyun to Mongolia. However, they only want Princess Caiyun to enter Mongolia alone and do not need the dowry or other things from the Song Dynasty. "
This news shocked Sima Feng and other ministers. After a long time, Ye Qian, the head of the Inspectorate, stood up and said indignantly: "Wei Chen has always thought that these barbarians cannot be trusted. Wei Chen heard that this Shi Tianze used to be from Mongolia. The important ministers of the Song Dynasty are now taking refuge in me, the Song Dynasty. It may be a move made out of necessity and must be guarded against."
Wen Gui also thought for a while and stood up and said: "Although Azhaibeji is also a Mongolian princess, I heard that she was once married and was captured by our Song Dynasty, but Mongolia wanted to exchange her for Princess Caiyun. , It¡¯s such a good plan. It simply treats me as a nobody in the Song Dynasty. Wei Chen thinks that we must never agree.¡± Wengui has been engaged in diplomatic work, and has been deeply influenced by our country. He is well aware of the principle of equivalence in the exchange of national interests. . Now Mongolia wants to exchange a captured princess for a princess who commands the army of the Song Dynasty, but that is absolutely unfeasible.
After these two people spoke, other ministers also spoke out. Most of them thought that this matter was unbelievable. A defeated general dared to think like this. He just wanted to humiliate the Song Dynasty.
After many officials made impassioned speeches, Li Biru, who had remained silent, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, after I heard about Princess Caiyun's Northern Expedition, IShe has been paying attention to the movement of money and food in the north. According to Weichen's investigation, Princess Caiyun did not ask the court to pay a penny or a grain of food during this northern expedition. Only the military department sent a batch of ordnance.
Now that Princess Caiyun's Northern Expedition has been successful, Hebei, Liaodong, Northeast and other places have fallen into the hands of the imperial court. Although the imperial court has sent Master Mei to rectify the military affairs in several places, as far as Wei Chen knows, the Fire Phoenix Army has already obtained a large amount of money and food through this northern expedition. The amount of hoarding is extremely huge, enough to support the rectification of several places.
Now that the imperial court has taken over the military and political affairs of several places, Jiankang is required to pay money, food and supplies. Wei Chen really can't figure it out. Since the Fire Phoenix Legion has a lot of money, food and materials in its hands, why does the court still need to pay for these money, food and materials? Although the return of the Japanese expeditionary force brought back a huge amount of gold and silver, which greatly improved Jiankang's finances, these gold and silver cannot be directly circulated in the Song Dynasty and can only be stored by the court. What's more, hundreds of people throughout the Song Dynasty are now The waste is waiting for new ones, and a lot of money is needed. I have worked hard to ensure that the turnover is smooth. Now that several places in the north are added, I not only feel that it is beyond my ability, but also feel that this matter is inappropriate, so I would like to appeal to your majesty. Ruling. "
As soon as Li Biru spoke, everyone fell silent. Everyone knew what Caiyun was doing in Hebei, and they also knew that this matter had a great impact on the court. However, because of His Majesty's connivance and Caiyun's contribution, they wanted to say it, but they didn't know how to say it. , at this moment, they were quite happy to hear that Li Biru was starting with money and food, and vaguely pointed out the threat of the Fire Phoenix Legion.
I looked at the ministers and I know their thoughts very clearly. Aren't they just worried about Caiyun's rebellion? Although I had full confidence in refuting their remarks, at this moment Li Biru talked about money and food, but it also made me feel a little embarrassed, and my eyes turned to Wu Wu.
When Wu Wu saw me looking at him, his eyes shrank slightly and he didn't want to speak. This surprised me, but I also suddenly realized that he wanted to avoid this issue. But when Guiying saw this, he stood up and said: " Your Majesty, military affairs are not as effective as civil affairs, and they can be effective in a timely manner, not to mention that the north is vast and your majesty has great ambitions, so of course you will not turn a blind eye. Princess Caiyun's recovery of the north is an unprecedented joy for our Song Dynasty, and it is not inferior to your majesty's northwest victory. It¡¯s time to continue our efforts and bring the north under the rule of the Song Dynasty. However, the north has been ruled by barbarians for a long time, and there is fear that there will be dissatisfaction with our imperial rule. We are asking the Fire Phoenix Army to use strong troops to deter these people from acting foolishly. Now the court is in trouble. , the Fire Phoenix Legion has no choice but to raise money and food on its own, not to mention that the imperial court has taken back the military and political administration in the north. The Fire Phoenix Legion will eventually have to rely on the support of the court in the future. The current actions are just a last resort to maintain stability in the north. Your Majesty, please Mingjian.¡±
I glanced at the ghost with great joy and stopped Li Biru from speaking: "I have ordered rectification of Shandong, Hebei, Liaodong and other places. The Fire Phoenix Army will also lay off a large number of sergeants. As for the money, food and materials that Caiyun has hoarded, there is indeed another He used it, this is related to the overall strategy of dealing with Mongolia, so you don't have to worry about it anymore. As for the cost of the newly recovered north" I thought about it for a moment and immediately decided, "I will capture some of the things I captured in the northwest, plus send them to Caiyun. Except for some of the trophies needed by the military, the rest are sold to the private sector. I believe these difficulties can be solved."
Li Biru hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
When other people saw me like this, it was hard to say anything. What's more, the Fire Phoenix Army was in the process of downsizing, and Caiyun had no intention of rebellion. He had made such great contributions. If he continued to pursue the case, he would be considered to be suspicious of the hero and to others. It¡¯s not good for yourself.
On the other hand, I was surprised when I saw that these ministers did not pursue Caiyun's bold behavior blindly. I sighed that now there are finally more people in the court who understand, so I can relax.
After discussing with them how to reorganize the Fire Phoenix Army for a while, I talked about the return of the Shi brothers to the Song Dynasty.
Shi Tianze and others traveled from Shandong to Huaihei, and finally came to Jiankang. They made a huge noise all the way, and almost half of the southeastern part of the country knew about it. With such a huge momentum, if the court did not give a clear explanation, I am afraid it would not be easy to explain. But if this thing is done well, the significance will be far-reaching. Let¡¯s not talk about it far away. Let¡¯s talk about Jin Kingdom and Xixia. Presumably the generals there also have different ideas. In the future, when the two armies confront each other, this is the one that can determine the growth and decline of each other. inducement.
No one present
Everyone knew the significance of this matter to the Song Dynasty, so they were a little cautious. Wu Wuyin was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, the three brothers Shi Tianze have been under the command of Mongolia for a long time. This time they defected to the Song Dynasty because of Princess Caiyun's attack on Zhongdu. It¡¯s the result of people being desperate. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s hard to say how loyal they are to me, the Song Dynasty. If I were entrusted with a heavy responsibility right away, I¡¯m afraid there would be problems.¡±
"Otherwise!" Wu Qian, who had just succeeded Shi Songzhi as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, stood up and objected. "Whether it is true or false, the Shi brothers voted for the Song Dynasty, but this matter has been spread to the north and southeast, and I believe that soon northwest Henan will also hear about it. , if we treat them lightly, I am afraid that other generals from other countries who are interested in returning to the Song Dynasty will have doubts. In the opinion of Wei Chen, not only should they be reused, but also?Let others feel the great importance our Song Dynasty places on them. This move can quietly dismantle the enemy's fighting spirit, comparable to a hundred thousand troops. "
Sima Feng frowned slightly and said nothing. Others agreed and objected. From a military point of view, re-employing a surrendered general who did not know his thoughts would probably cause heavy losses to one's own side if any problems were caused in the future. But from a political point of view, when others learn about it, Reduced generals can also be reused in the Song Dynasty, which will definitely have a huge impact on them, especially those who are talented but don't want to go all the way to the dark side.
"Don't think that everyone is an extremely loyal and wise person. Everyone has selfish motives. It is human nature to seek life and fear death. If you add the temptation of high-ranking officials and generous salaries, you can win over people's hearts and achieve results you can't imagine. The one who is the best cannot ask everyone to be loyal. That is unrealistic. The most beneficial way is to use his talents and restrain his people.
Whether it is Cao Cao's meritocracy or Liu Bei's ability and political integrity, they are not good standards for selecting and employing talents. In my opinion, the best standard is to make certain restrictions and then employ people without doubt, just like Sun Quan.
It¡¯s just that this clamping system must be grasped well. If it is too tight, the meaning of talent itself will be lost. If it is too loose, it will easily contribute to some other problems. There is no fixed rule for this issue, and it can only be judged based on the actual situation.
Shi Tianze is talented. Caiyun even said that he has the talent of a prime minister. I don¡¯t know anything else, but I know that this Shi Tianze once served as Kublai Khan¡¯s prime minister in the past history. According to historical evaluations, his performance was extremely outstanding. But yes, people who can be valued by Kublai Khan must be outstanding in some aspects.
As for whether he is loyal, I don¡¯t think he is really loyal to me, but he is a sensible person. As long as the Song Dynasty keeps rising, he must be a loyal minister and good general of the Song Dynasty, and his performance is even better than that of many people. outstanding. Such people are not heroes, but they are all people who are wise in worldly matters. Their talents can be combined with civil and military affairs. They can run the army on horseback, manage the people when they are off horse, and give credit to the government. Only such people can do it.
In this sense, Shi Tianze is a great talent, and he is a great talent who has to be reused.
Seeing that others were still arguing, I didn¡¯t bother, and just silently considered how to treat Shi Tianze?
I don¡¯t know how long the debate lasted, but Sima Feng stepped forward and made a conclusion: "Whether it is heavy use or idle use, there are pros and cons. However, Wei Chen believes that Shi Tianze and others are Han people in the north, and the north first belonged to the Liao Dynasty, and then to the Jin Dynasty, and then to the Jin Dynasty. It was also occupied by Mongolia, and was recently taken back by our imperial army. When it comes to how loyal Shi Tianze and the others were to our Song Dynasty, Wei Chen was the first to not believe it, but since he chose to defect to the Song Dynasty and worked tirelessly to return from the north all the way to the south, there is no doubt that It proves that he is a sensible person and knows that the unification of the world by the Song Dynasty is inevitable. In this case, I believe that he will make a wise choice. If your majesty is still not at ease, it is better to let him meet the Mongolian envoys to get a glimpse of his mind , but this time, it seems that I, Da Song, are a bit stingy!"
When I heard this, I was immediately overjoyed and said repeatedly: "Be stingy but not so stingy that you don't have to worry about it. In this way, you can also solve the problem of the Mongolian envoys. Let's do it like this."
As soon as I made the decision, I immediately ordered: "The problem of receiving the Mongolian envoy is still Wengui's intervention. It is said that this envoy came from the northern starry night to the Song Dynasty. In just over two months, he rushed from the northern grasslands to the Song Dynasty. It is really Thank you for your hard work. You can take them to play more in the Song Dynasty, and even let them meet Acihaibieji, so that they can rest well and play well. As for other things, put them off as long as you can, but don¡¯t talk about the topic!"
Wengui was very skilled in this matter, so he naturally agreed. Since he knew that Mongolia had bad intentions, he certainly had no objection to this arrangement.
I was silent for a moment and then slowly said: "As for Shi Tianze and the others, I think we should let them stay outside Jiankang City for a while. Shang Yi, you are responsible for entertaining them. You can let them visit our Song Dynasty military camp, or you can Let them see the power of firearms in our Song Dynasty. Even sensitive locations such as the Hussars Barracks and the Shenzhou Military Academy can be opened to them. The specific situation is up to you based on reality. Be sure to let the historian brothers realize the military power of our Song Dynasty. The armor is sharp and the warrior is brave, don¡¯t let him develop a feeling of contempt and contempt!¡±
Shang Yi also stepped forward to accept the order and asked casually: "How should I arrange for them to meet with the Mongolian envoys?"
I smiled and looked at Wen Gui. The latter was very smart and said directly: "Don't worry, Mr. Shang. This matter can be arranged by you. Sir, please arrange the Shi family brothers well. This will make the matter more real."
Shang Yi also had great confidence in Wen Gui, so he stopped questioning and accepted the order to retreat.
Finally, when I mentioned Caiyun, I thought about it and said to Li Biru: "The situation in the north is very complicated, but recovering the north is very important to us. The Fire Phoenix Legion is the key to stabilizing the north. I hope you can overcome the temporary difficulties and don't Because of the fire phoenix army's hoardingWhen it comes to money and food, I feel lazy and have to think about my plan for the next hundred years of the Song Dynasty. "
Li Biru also stepped forward and said with certainty: "We must take the overall situation into consideration and contribute to our Song Dynasty!"
I nodded with a smile and solved these three problems. The current task returned to how to restore the national strength of the Song Dynasty. However, at this time, my reform measures had been fully rolled out. With a large number of new officials taking office, the situation of the entire Song Dynasty was very good. , it won't take long, and it is estimated that we will be able to regain our national strength, and even take a big step forward.
??Although it has only been a few short years since my arrival to the completion of the imperial reform, only I know the ups and downs during this period. But no matter what, I finally completed this matter, and the Song Dynasty will be different, and China will also change. This is much more difficult than simply wiping out Jin Xia. It can be said that if I had not taken advantage of these years of war, I would not have been able to achieve my goal.
Although the Song Dynasty is now in devastation, it is pregnant with vitality. I believe that it will not be long before the iron hoof of the Song Dynasty will advance again. By then, everything will be different.
Looking at the group of confident officials in front of me, my mood became more and more cheerful, and a knowing smile appeared on my face.