I am Emperor Shizu of Song

Chapter 37: Riding on General Liang's horse makes things easier
A quarter of an hour later, Zhao Zicheng left Genyue, and no one else knew what had just happened.

Given Liang Shicheng's high position and power, even though he thought Zhao Zicheng was a man of both civil and military talents and also understood craftsmanship, given Zhao Zicheng's youthful vigor and ideals, Liang Shicheng ultimately only regarded Zhao Zicheng as a tool at most.

Since they are tools, they are naturally useful. And you have to give them benefits and ensure their safety while doing things, so that they can do their best to serve you.

Therefore, in the foreseeable future, Zhao Zicheng should not have to worry about being retaliated by Zhu Jie for "stealing Zhu Jie's people to please Liang Shicheng". At least for one or two years, Liang Shicheng will protect him.

But that’s where the two sides end up.

Fortunately, Zhao Zicheng felt that this level of intersection was enough.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Fang La will rebel next year, with the slogan 'Kill Zhu Jie.' Historical records say that as soon as this news reached Tokyo, Zhao Ji immediately issued an order to abolish the Yingfeng Bureau to appease public anger. By then, even if Zhu Jie hasn't completely lost power, he will certainly not be as much of a threat to me.

"As long as Liang Shicheng can protect me for a year or two, I'll be fine. From now on, I'll have to rely on my own achievements, quickly get promoted, and gain strength when I'm suppressing the La Rebellion, so that I won't be afraid of Zhu Jie."

As he left, he thought to himself and roughly sorted out the follow-up plans.

Zhao Zicheng walked to the entrance of the construction site absent-mindedly, while Yang Zhi was still waiting there anxiously. As soon as he saw Zhao Zicheng, he went to greet him.

Thanks to Zhao Zicheng's mediation, Yang Zhi did not encounter any difficulties in delivering the flowers and stones, and the delay was directly exposed.

The merits of killing bandits and making contributions along the way can be settled additionally at the Palace Marshal's Mansion. One thing is one thing, so Yang Zhi's future can be said to have taken a big step forward with the support of Zhao Zicheng.

"Are you okay, sir? Are you not being bullied?" Yang Zhi spoke sincerely with a humble expression. He was holding a BMW in his hand and handed the reins to Zhao Zicheng.

Zhao Zicheng was called out by him and finally came to his senses. He took the reins and was slightly stunned: "Where did the horse come from?"

They traveled to Beijing by boat, traveling by water all the way, and did not bring any horses.

Moreover, this horse is extremely valuable and majestic. Even an outsider like Zhao Zicheng can see its extraordinaryness at a glance.

This horse is completely black, but its four hooves are snow-white. According to opera, horses with this appearance are called "Treading Snow Black Horse".

In the Song Dynasty, which was short of horses, it was worth at least a thousand strings of cash, or even more.

"It was just allocated by the people from the Grand Marshal's Mansion. They said that the young master was traveling to the capital by sea and had no mount to travel with while on business. They also gave me several horses, including one, but the rest were just ordinary war horses, not nearly as good as this one."

Yang Zhi didn't understand why someone suddenly sent him a horse when he was just waiting there. But since it was a request from the higher-ups, he accepted it respectfully without asking any further questions.

The "Grand Marshal's Office" he mentioned was not Tong Guan or Gao Qiu, but Liang Shicheng. In the late period of Emperor Huizong of Song, the title of "Grand Marshal" was somewhat overused. Liang Shicheng's previous title was "Inspecting Grand Tutor", and later he was given the titles of Grand Marshal and Kaifu Yitong Sansi.

These "Grand Marshals" were not all real officials, nor did they have military power. They were just treated as the chief ministers.

Zhao Zicheng pondered for a moment and observed it carefully. He found that the horse had the seal of the Inspector General's Mansion and the saddle and bridle also had special markings. He immediately understood.

Liang Shicheng needed to go to Jia Dan and others to do the work himself, but he didn't want to make it clear, and was afraid that Jia Dan would not cooperate, so he gave himself some tokens.

Just like when Zhu Zhen wanted to use him but didn't want to be known as someone who made friends with the royal family, he privately gave him the badge of Yingfeng Bureau but did not give him a public title.

The horse Liang Shicheng gave was similar to Zhu Jie's waist badge. It must be said that Liang Shicheng was generous, as he gave away a good horse worth more than a thousand strings of cash.

Others who use the Studebaker principle all send Studebaker outwards.

Only Zhao Zi claimed that he was bringing Stupunks into his home and exporting brains.

"I know what Mr. Liang means. Since I'm taking refuge with someone, I naturally have to be loyal to him. First, accompany me back to the Ministry of Works to do something for Master Jia."

After Zhao Zicheng figured it out, he immediately gave orders to Yang Zhi.

Yang Zhi immediately reined in his horse and walked slowly, clearing the way for Zhao Zicheng. As they walked, Yang Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Sir, are you going to work for General Liang? Will this offend Prime Minister Zhu? And General Liang's reputation is..."

Zhao Zi said: "How many important officials in the court have good reputations now? Brother Yang works in the Palace Marshal's Mansion. Does that mean Gao Qiu's reputation will be improved?
In these troubled times, if we want to get things done and protect ourselves, we can only be honest and upright, and be able to stand firm even in the midst of tigers and wolves, and just flatter these people."

Yang Zhi was uneducated and didn't know the origin of these two lines of poetry. He thought they were just improvised by Zhao Zicheng. It sounded like the meaning was to make people be prudent and protect themselves, to get along with everyone, but to stick to their original intentions and not do evil.

It seemed that this was the only way things would go on for now, with treacherous officials in power. "Young Master is truly a prodigy, seeing things clearly and speaking eloquently." Yang Zhi recalled his own experiences working under Gao Qiu over the years and felt a deep empathy.

Zhao Zicheng couldn't help but laugh. "This was written by Feng Dao of the previous dynasty. Feng Dao has a bad reputation. Ouyang Xiu, when compiling the History of the Five Dynasties, listed him as a traitor."

After hearing this, Yang Zhi did not feel ashamed of his ignorance. He just casually expressed his willingness to learn. He then asked about Zhao Zicheng's subsequent arrangements in the capital.
"I wonder how long you will need to stay in Bianjing as you are employed by General Liang? After I hand over the work here, I will go to General Gao to report my achievements, and then everything will be fine."

Zhao Zicheng did not hide it from him and selectively told him the conditions Liang Shicheng had promised him before he left: "I will probably have to stay for a month or two, until the matter with the Ministry of Works is settled. And Zhu Jie will help me arrange the vacancy, which will also take a month or two to complete the formalities.

General Liang promised me that as long as I do my job well, he will not interfere this year, but he will definitely give me a promotion after the New Year. It's May now, and if nothing unexpected happens, I can leave Beijing in July. Generally, new officials are given three months to travel, and must arrive in October at the latest. If I can get another promotion next spring, it would be considered a good result.

Zhao Zi said that he was quite satisfied with this pace. He felt that it was not easy to come to Bianliang, especially after becoming a local official in the future, it would be troublesome to move around freely.

During the one or two months before being appointed, I could do more things in Bianjing, set up some plans, and make more connections. I could also plan my route back home to take up my post.

When we came here, we were carrying heavy goods and had to take the canal waterway, but we didn't have to take the waterway again when we returned.

Moreover, Liang Shicheng also rewarded them with several horses, so that they could ride the horses back and have more flexibility in their route.

Zhao Zicheng also comforted Yang Zhi, saying, "As for you, I just mentioned this to General Liang. He doesn't need to personally address these minor matters. Once Gao Qiu commends your achievements and it's time for a promotion, the order to send you to Jiangnan will naturally come."

The status of military officers in the Song Dynasty was low. A envoy like Yang Zhi had a very low rank. Even if he made meritorious service and wanted to be promoted or transferred, the favors required were not worth much.

Zhao Zi said he had inquired and that if Yang Zhi wanted to be transferred to the local imperial guards as a battalion commander, it should be no problem. The two waves of bandit killings on the road were definitely enough. In the future, he would be able to properly manage 500 imperial guard infantry.

Although most of the Imperial Guard officers were drawing salaries without paying, as long as Yang Zhi defected to Zhao Zicheng and received at least one battalion's staffing, Zhao Zicheng would definitely not allow him to draw salaries without paying. As long as he could get enough money, he would definitely use the 500-man Imperial Guard staffing to its full capacity and raise his first regular army. This would give him the confidence to face Fang La's rebellion next year.

Moreover, five hundred people are far from enough. This is just the first step. In the future, we will use this as a seed to slowly split and expand the army. The officers needed will not only be Yang Zhi.

Zhao Zi said that there was still time. As long as his own official position was gradually promoted, he would naturally be able to win over and arrange more confidants.

He told Yang Zhi the whole story, and Yang Zhi was naturally grateful and said that if he could be officially transferred to Jiangnan by the court, he would be loyal to him wholeheartedly.

As the two chatted, they rode back to the Commandery.

When the gatekeeper saw Zhao Zicheng and his party, he pretended to stop them.

Zhao Zicheng did not bother to be polite with the other party and directly asked him to go find Jia Dan.

"Who are you? Can you see Master Jia whenever you want?" A young gatekeeper was ignorant and dared to scold.

Fortunately, there was an elderly veteran nearby, with sharp eyes. He only glanced at Zhao Zicheng's mount, immediately pulled his colleague aside, and invited him in with a smile:
"Sir, please come in. We'll serve you some tea and rest while we go inform Chief Clerk Jia."

After bringing Zhao Zicheng into the Ministry of Works, the old official lowered his voice and scolded his colleagues, "You're blind! That horse belongs to the Grand Marshal's Mansion. Do you need to pass it on to a chief clerk?"

The young gatekeeper was taught a lesson and finally admitted his mistake. After Zhao Zicheng was led into the side hall, someone quickly and respectfully served him tea.

Zhao Zicheng brought some tea, blew off the foam, and took a few sips. Then Jia Dan appeared in a hurry.

Only an hour later, Jia Zhubu saw Zhao Zicheng again, but he no longer dared to look down on him.

But an hour ago, Jia Dan could still accept the gold from Zhao Zicheng with a clear conscience, give Zhao Zicheng advice and teach him how to behave.

"Master Jia, I didn't expect to see you again so soon. There's something I need to discuss with you. I'll need to use some of your spare time. I'll need to mobilize some of the Supervisor of Works to help."

Zhao Zicheng considered his wording and was still thinking about how to make Jia Dan accept his plan.

Unexpectedly, Chief Clerk Jia was extremely obedient. Without waiting for Zhao Zicheng to speak, he immediately took charge of the matter: "Master Zhao, please speak up. It's not a matter of one person working for whom. We are just learning from each other."

Zhao Zicheng was stunned.

It is easy to get things done while riding Liang Shicheng's horse, and there is no need to explain much.

(End of this chapter)