The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 85 Hearing
In the afternoon, the weather was extremely hot and humid in the backyard of Penglai Palace. Several temple servants who were taking care of the flowers and plants had their faces sunburned.

Zhu Xie held the saint's waist and leaned against her chest, snoring softly. The saint was wearing short sleeves, with his elbows on the table, carefully flipping through the memorials.

"Feng Xingxi was originally a military officer in Junzhou, and he was resourceful. The bandit Sun Xi gathered several thousand people, and the people were worried. Xingxi threw a flying spear from a small boat in the river and killed Sun Xi on the shore. Then the soldiers of the state obeyed him. Junzhou was located at the passage from Xiangdeng to Shu. The bandits made a living by plundering tribute. Xingxi pacified them, and the grain transport was safe. He had no far-sighted ambitions. The generals and subordinates of the military office indulged in singing and dancing and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The soldiers were not arrogant, but only guarded the pass and protected the people..."

"As for the territory of Jin Shang, there are mountains and forests everywhere, and the terrain is rugged, which is not conducive to fighting. There are also snakes and insects lurking, tigers and leopards baring their teeth, which easily breed diseases. If the people are conscripted for labor service, five or six out of ten will be reduced. This is what I saw when I came to Beijing from Xuanzhou in the second year of Zhonghe. If the princes are dedicated to benevolence and righteousness, respect Huang Lao, value sentiment, but despise military affairs and military achievements, they think that the natural barriers cannot be crossed, so the warriors will be lazy in the battle and seek other things, and the farmers will be lazy in the fields and go to other places. If the Jin Shang people are not destroyed, there will be no such thing. The opportunity of war is unpredictable. I have not experienced the army and my duties are limited. I respectfully attach a table to make random remarks and draw a crude strategy. Your Majesty, Gongdu, is extremely terrified and bows his head in respect."

"The Zhongsan Dafu, the Imperial Academy's Jijiu, and the Imperial Censor, the Senior State Minister Wu Gongdu, submitted this petition."

The memorial was a thousand words long, describing all aspects of the gold merchants. After all, it was a southern vassal state, where life was peaceful and affluent, the military and civilians lived in harmony, and the warriors were not very aggressive.

"Let the Hanlin Academy draft an edict to see if Feng Xingxi will enter the court," the sage ordered.

This kind of vassal state follows whoever is stronger. If Feng Xingxi has the courage to come to the court to prove his submission, the sage will not move his position and will temporarily treat him as a vassal state. Secondly, there is really no suitable candidate to replace him. It is difficult for civil officials to defend their territory. Military men dare not be sent out, even those who are absolutely trusted, such as Wang Congxun, Zhao Fu, He Chuyu, and Wang Bin.

Jin Shang was not close to Chang'an, and it was adjacent to Jingnan, Xiangdeng, Xiakui, and Duji. To survive, it had to be given full power and could not play political constraints, but this gave it the opportunity to be independent - especially Jin Shang was surrounded by mountains and rivers, rich, and had more than 20,000 soldiers. A new Jiedushi would inevitably recruit surrenders and rebels to expand his power.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that there will definitely be a rebellion, but it is possible and very likely.

A warrior cannot stand the test.

Li Maozhen is a good example. He was in the Shen Ce Army, protecting the former emperor and repeatedly defeating the rebels. Wang Jian was in the Shen Ce Army, with the imperial seal hanging around his neck, one hand holding the emperor on his back, and the other holding a sword to clear the way, protecting the emperor on the plank road on the hundred-meter cliff to escape; his heart of serving the country was extremely strong. Why not learn from it?
Letting people like Wang Congxun go is not love, it is harm.

This was the case with the warriors of the late Tang Dynasty, unless you had absolute prestige like Li Keyong—well, okay, my father-in-law’s subordinates rebelled every year, An Jushou, Shen Xin, Feng Ba, Li Cunxiao… There were military envoys with thousands of soldiers, as well as junior officers and adopted sons who were brought up from childhood. In other words, there was no Jiedushi whose subordinates did not rebel in those days.

The Zhenhai Army's Zhou Bao recruited a thousand brave men and called them the Rear Tower Soldiers. The Ya Army thought they were being suspected and were unhappy. Lieutenant Liu Hao said angrily, "They will only rebel!" So the troops rioted. Zhou Bao ran barefoot to call on the Rear Tower Soldiers to resist the enemy, but - "The Rear Tower Soldiers also rebelled!"

Zhou Bao burst into tears and ran away with his family in a dog hole.

Le Congxun of Weizhou gathered 500 fugitives as his personal soldiers. The Ya army was suspicious and said, "The emperor is displeased with us!" So they planned a rebellion. Le Congxun was so scared that he covered himself with soot from the bottom of a pot and quietly escaped in the middle of the night disguised as a beggar.

When one man causes trouble, all the troops cry out.

To put it in the words of these people themselves, do you need a reason to rebel? If you are unhappy, just kill your boss's family to get good luck.

There is no way to solve this problem in a short period of time.

The emperor had been operating on thin ice until now, and both inside and outside the court believed that he had already gained control of the military's hearts. Even the saint was worried that a certain military officer would suddenly go crazy and trigger something like the "Xingjiaomen Incident" - the emperor was shot to death in his bedroom by a volley of arrows, let alone sending a military officer out to lead the military and political affairs of a town.

"Should we first confer an official title on Feng Xingxi and then summon him to the court?" Yang Kezhen, the deputy privy envoy sitting next to him, asked.

"Enter the court and seal it again."

“Yes.” Yang Kezhen finished it in one stroke, and then the attendant came up, took the official document and sent it to the Hanlin Academy.

"Take another look at this." Yang Kezhen gathered her hair around her ears, took out a crumpled envelope from the pile of documents and handed it to the saint.

"I bow my head and kowtow again, I bow my head and kowtow to the Youzhou Nest..." The sage fell silent in the middle of the sentence, squinting his eyes and asked, "How do you pronounce this word?"

“Nest.” Yang Kezheng glanced down and explained, “Zuo Si’s “Fu on Three Capitals” - Strange beasts dwell in caves, and strange birds live in nests - a nest is a place where insects and livestock gather.”

"I believe that Youzhou is a nest of violence and lawlessness, and the arrogant Taiya army is particularly dangerous. They are like tigers, leopards, wolves and bears, and their tempers are raging. Most of the county officers and generals have resigned to avoid disaster... I hope that 5,000 of my personal troops will come to the court today to serve Your Majesty and pacify the rebels both inside and outside. I just want to know if it is possible to report to you as soon as possible. The governor of Youzhou and the governor of this town, Li Kuangwei, will submit a petition..."

The letter was submitted by Li Baozhen, the Youzhou official.

In order to rally the army, Li Kuangwei launched another large-scale westward invasion, deep into Yunzhou and Daizhou to seize Li Keyong. Li Keyong led the main force northward to confront him. At this point, advancing, he still could not defeat Li Keyong. Retreating? The soldiers had gained nothing from the fierce battle, and they were afraid that they would return to Youzhou today and kill the general tomorrow to vent their anger.

Don't believe it? The last governor of Youzhou died this way.

In a dilemma, Li Kuangwei presented a petition to the court, hoping to find a way out in Chang'an. If nothing unexpected happened, there should be envoys going to Bianzhou and Zhenzhou to find Zhu Quanzhong and Wang Rong to find a solution, as the cunning rabbit has three burrows.

"Kuang Wei has the ambition to swallow up the enemy. He has repeatedly led Helian Duo and Li Situ to fight for Daibei. The two sides have been fighting for years and their hatred is as deep as the sea. If we accept him, I am afraid that Concubine Xian and Li Situ will be unhappy." Seeing the saint in deep thought, as if weighing the pros and cons, Yang Kezheng reminded him, "Besides, the Youzhou soldiers have been stationed on the border all year round, and they are on the edge of blood. If we accept them, they will probably cause chaos if they are not satisfied."

This is the disadvantage of forming an alliance with Li Keyong. You cannot protect any of his enemies.

"Send the official from Youzhou with courtesy." Caressing the face of Zhu Xie Wusi who was sleeping soundly in his arms, the sage made a decision and said, "Tell him that if things don't go well, he can lead hundreds of cavalry to the capital."

Li Kuangwei can be protected, which will be beneficial to building the authority of the court.

As for what my father-in-law thinks.

At the beginning of the year, he sent him seeds to help him with the urgent need for spring farming. Last month, at Zhuxie Wusi's request, he sent someone to buy horses. Two days ago, he lent him 300,000 shi of grain. In just two months, he helped him three times, even though his own life was not easy. This son-in-law is very kind.

Not to mention returning the favor, would it be embarrassing for his father-in-law to still make a fuss with him about this?

Li Kuangwei said he would bring 5,000 personal troops, and he wouldn't even give them away for free.

People must be self-aware.

An Lushan, An Qingxu, Shi Siming, Shi Chaoyi, Li Huaixian, Zhu Ci, Zhu Tao, this great commander and that Khan saint, the Youzhou soldiers have seen many of them. When they are in high spirits, they even treat Li Keyong and the Khitan prince as rabbits. Who do you think you are, the emperor of Chang'an? If they don't rebel against you openly, just be happy.

"Take another look at this." Yang Kezhen handed over another roll of petition wrapped in sheepskin.

"I bow my head and write to the Khan of Heaven: We have heard from the surrendered city that there are thieves in the northwest of Beijing... The emperor has traveled across the wilderness and the country has no money. I offer 20,000 furs, 10,000 sheep, and 10,000 camels to relieve the urgent need. I also offer 3,000 pieces of wood to repair the palace and come to the court from Taiyuan. I sincerely hope to send 20,000 troops to Zhenwu Army and Zhongcheng to enter the pass to help. We, the ministers, will stay outside the Great Wall and wait for your progress..."

The Uighurs sent envoys to pay tribute?
The sage stroked his chin and suddenly remembered the records he had read in his previous life. The last time the Uighurs submitted a petition as Tang officials was in the second year of Tianfu (902). It was heard that the bloody battle between Qi and Bian was endless, the emperor and empress lived on boiled cowhide, and several princesses starved to death. So they sent an envoy with money and goods to pay tribute and request the emperor to come to their aid, but the court could no longer make the decision.

The Uighurs at this time were similar to the Tang. After being defeated by the Khitans, the Khan led the tribes to wander around the world. He originally wanted to occupy the Datongchuan area, but after being beaten up by the killers in the border towns, he gave up. Most of the able-bodied men from various tribes went south to make a living. The Shuofang Army, Tiande Army, Zhenwu Army, Datong Army, Hedong Army, Yunzhong Army, and Youzhou Army all had Uighurs serving, forming a black Great Wall, just like Xiazhou, Daizhou, and Youzhou. What are we guarding against? We are from the grasslands...

"Keke, what do you think?" The saint patted Yang Kezheng's face and asked. Yesterday, he pampered this wild horse from Linzhou by leaning against the pillar of the porch. Blood splattered five steps away, very tight.

Hearing this intimate address, Yang Kezheng lowered his head and said, "In ancient times, when foreign soldiers entered the court and saw that the cities were in ruins and the royal army was not strong, they would certainly look down on China and become greedy. Dong Zhuo, Sima Jiong, An Lushan, and Zhu Ci were all like this. There was no difference between the barbarians and the Han people. Moreover, during the Huichang period, the Uighurs were defeated by us, and we are afraid that they will take advantage of the situation and complain again. The letter given to the Khan should tell the small bandits not to worry and to send three to five hundred noble sons to guard them. This is also a precedent in the Zhenguan, Yuanhe, and Xiantong dynasties, and it can be followed as a precedent."

"Yes, that's right." The saint pinched her face and ordered: "Don't forget to reward the Khan. Inform Yanzi, Zuozang, and Qionglinku to give back some Shu brocade, Xuanzhou paper, salt, and tea."

Come and don't go indecent.

Twenty thousand furs, ten thousand sheep, and ten thousand camels were indeed a lot, as the Uighurs had a hard time. They also thoughtfully cut down three thousand old trees and transported them via Taiyuan for the emperor to build the palace.

Is it appropriate for you to be stingy? "Take a look at this." After drinking a mouthful of water, Yang Kezheng did not feel tired at all and continued to work: "Li Qun, the Minister of Agriculture, reported that more than 300,000 hooligans in the Tong, Wu, and Dasan passes have moved to Qilong. Please give them farm tools, seeds, money, clothes, and food to help them survive this year. The Ministry of Revenue has submitted the household register. The Ministry of Revenue has submitted the accounts."

There were indeed a lot of hooligans. In less than two months, the Ministry of Revenue had settled more than 300,000 men and women in Fengxiang, and each county took in a portion of them. Many of them were powerful landlords who had fled from Guandong. It seemed that their Wubao could not withstand the huohu.

If the imperial court does nothing, will there be 50,000 people left by next spring?

"Do as you say, but..." He warned, "Reply to Li Qun and ask him to warn the officials not to embezzle the resettlement items and food rations allocated to the gangsters. Otherwise, the important task of farming will be delayed, and there will not be enough food. The soldiers will make a fuss and want to kill the corrupt officials. I can do nothing about it."

“Yes.” Yang Kezheng wrote the text quickly without adding any marks. Then he placed the pen on the inkstone and picked up the rice paper and handed it to the saint for review.

"Order the Hanlin Academy to approve the request of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Finance, and send it to the Shangshu Province to the county magistrates of Qi and Long Prefectures: the hooligans have been settled, and they have no assets. The coming winter will be harsh and will cause disasters, which will really hurt people and severely affect crops. The local officials must distribute tools and grain seeds, handle them carefully, love the villains, obey the king's laws, and do not destroy the military farms. Otherwise, there will be a commotion in the palace, and the soldiers will be in turmoil. It cannot be replicated."

"Well written!" The sage looked at it and found no problem, so the official on the side took it away and sent it out. After this official document was delivered to the Hanlin Academy, the on-duty scholar would draft an edict according to this meaning, and after the Privy Council confirmed it, it would be forwarded to the Shangshu Province officials to connect with Youfufeng for execution.

If the emperor was too busy, the upper and lower envoys of the Privy Council would naturally handle it.

The pros and cons are obvious. If the emperor is diligent, the Privy Council is the mouthpiece. Otherwise, the envoy Zhao Ruxin and the deputy envoy Yang Kezheng are the emperor.

Zhao and Yang are well versed in politics, and the saints can no longer do without them. Otherwise, should they do all the work themselves? That would be too tiring and too stupid. A leader who does everything himself is incompetent, which means that no one can be trusted and no one can be used. And a leader who has no one to use, who is suspicious and dare not trust anyone, is no different from a waste.

Of course, we have to consider what we should consider. When the saint is in his prime, he can control these scheming female politicians. What if he is critically ill one day? Will someone forge the imperial edict? It's hard to say. If the sons of Zhao and Yang are already adults by then, the probability will be infinite. I'm afraid that He Yuqing and Zhu Xiewusi will not be able to escape the disaster of extermination.

When the imperial examination is over next year, perhaps some young Jinshi with no connections can be selected to join the Privy Council, just like the Hanlin Academy. When a new batch of untainted Huangmen children grow up, the good ones can also be used.

After finishing a day's hard work, the sun was setting.

"Get up." The saint put his hands into the gauze dress, rubbed Zhu Xie Wu Si's soft cushion and forced him to turn on the machine: "Raise your arms, the urge is coming."

The slight taste is simply intoxicating.

Zhu Xiewusi glared at him fiercely, walked up the stairs in a few steps and returned to the main hall.

Yang Kezhen was tidying up files and papers on the table nearby.

She squatted there, her green dress sunk deeply into the gap between her hipbones.

The saint drank some water, and while recalling the shocking scene of blood splattering five steps that evening, he asked, "Besides your Yang family, who are the other noble families in Linzhou?"

Yang Kezheng paused: "Zhe clan, its leader Zhe Zongben was a general of Zhenwu Army in his early years. After the Qianfu Rebellion, he retreated back to Linzhou."

"Are the Zhe family members Tanguts?"

"Yes, but after the Tuoba family took over the Xia Sui position, the Zhe family was squeezed hard."

"Do you know about the Tiande Army?" The saint thought of the Tiande Army not far northwest of Linzhou.

This weak vassal town held out in Fengzhou for thirteen years after the fall of the Tang Dynasty, until Yelü Abaoji's expedition to the west broke through the military city. This would lose the support of the court, and three or four thousand warriors would become motherless. Could they rely on robbing the Hu people to survive?

"My father Zhongfu served in the Tiande Army. I heard him talk about it when I was a child. I don't know much about it. You can ask the officials in the Ministry of War."

"If the imperial court recalls the Tiande Army, will you obey the order?"

Yang Kezheng sighed, "Of course, it is what I want, but there are many Han and barbarian people in Fengzhou. The reason there has been no chaos in recent years is entirely due to the pressure of the Tiande Army. If we want to recall them, we must have soldiers to replace them. Or we can put the Tiande Army under the jurisdiction of Xiasui and Shuofang, but I don't recommend doing so."

Well--

It's time to send an envoy with treasures to visit the Tiande Army.

If possible, transfer them back. The sage urgently needs to neutralize the composition of his soldiers. Preventing the military from rebelling is the first priority of politicians and military leaders in the late Tang Dynasty and the core of all work. No matter how well they do other things, as long as there is a rebellion by the military, they will return to the pre-liberation era.

"Let's go, it's time to get off work." After packing up, the saint picked up a pile of files and walked in front, while Yang Kezhen followed behind with an inkstone.

The sun sets in the west, and the blood-red sunset shines across the palace. It is quiet and beautiful.

Yang Kezhen's eyes were slightly closed.

She had been learning from the men in her clan since she was young, such as the six arts of a gentleman, poetry and prose, and historical events of the past dynasties. When she grew up, because of her natural beauty, tall stature, and sincere and serious temperament, her fate was decided by her elders. However, the Ye Ting Bureau was cold, lonely, and painful, and Chang'an was dangerous. The emperor who ruled the world was humiliated by warriors at will, and the eunuchs beat him at will, slapping him randomly.

Many times, she thought that the saint was going to run away again, and her fate would be to fall into the devil's den forever like the other concubines.

And now...it seems like a dream.

"Flowers near high buildings hurt the heart of visitors, and it is difficult to climb this place amidst all difficulties. The spring scenery of Jinjiang River comes from heaven and earth, and the floating clouds of Yulei change from ancient times to the present. The North Pole court will never change, and the bandits of West Mountain should not invade each other..." With the afterglow of the setting sun shining on his face, Yang Kezhen murmured softly.

Inside the palace, Zhao, who had just returned from the Privy Council, frowned when she saw the “short sleeves” on the saint.

"What are you wearing? Is it in accordance with Zhou Li?" She could even see the hair in her armpits, which was simply immoral.

"Short sleeves." The weather was extremely hot, estimated at 40 degrees at noon. The saint could not bear it any longer, and he could not hide in the Qingliang Palace all the time, so he had to resort to this last resort.

"If you are seen in this ragged state by foreign officials—"

"I only wear it privately in the dormitory. It's no big deal."

"Who made this... short-sleeved shirt for everyone?"

"Self-control." The saint took off his short-sleeved shirt and quickly changed into his regular clothes with his bare chest: "Do I have to tell you that I am proficient in the art of tailoring? Let's go to the Immortal Watching Platform."

Zhao's face turned pale. What a bird! Last time, she, He Yuqing and Nangong Chongyan were forced to "play cards". At the end of the game, the three women hugged their shoulders with their hands, their legs were tightly twisted, and they were all naked...

"Don't be dissolute." Zhao pulled him out.

"Concubine Chen has given birth to a son for everyone, weighing 15 pounds and 30 grams. Go and take a look."

(End of this chapter)