After traveling through time, I became Han Zhang’s grandson?

As the news of the great victory in the northwest reached Beijing, a long-lost old acquaintance also caught the eyes of the emperor and his ministers of the Song Dynasty. That was Zhang Yuan, who had once suppressed the Song Dynasty.

Turning back the time to when the meeting was held in Wende Hall, the ministers headed by Han Zhang had their lunch in the palace.

Together with His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress, they held the highest-level luncheon in the Song Dynasty.

The dozen or so people attending the meeting were the top leaders of various departments of the Song Dynasty, including civil and military officials. It could be called an ancient version of the Politburo meeting.

"I never thought that after all these years, I would still hear this name. It really touched me!"

Emperor Renzong took a bite of food with a smile and pointed at the victory report with the words "Zhang Yuan" written on the table.

The ministers under him did not have such thoughts. They knew that the shame Zhang Yuan brought to them could never be washed away.

Especially the prime minister Han Zhang who was sitting in the first seat, his face was as gloomy as the bottom of a pot, and he drank silently without saying a word.

"I never thought this old fellow was still alive."

Hearing Han Zhang's somewhat stiff tone, the old emperor understood very well. In the past, several of their ministers and the emperor were bullied by Zhang Yuan.

Fan Wencheng and Han Daxiang were demoted, and the emperor himself was slapped in the face by the Xixia monarch and his ministers.

This shame has caused the elderly emperor to feel heartbroken and uncomfortable in his dreams for many years.

"But I still have to say, Han Qing, you gave me and the Song Dynasty a good grandson!"

After saying this, a smile unconsciously appeared on Han Zhang's old face.

"It's fair to say that to be able to plan such a large-scale strategic decisive battle, and to specifically choose Haoshuichuan as the location, I'm afraid our Han Jinglie is determined to avenge his humiliation, right?!"

Fu Yanguo smiled and drank from his glass, then changed the subject to praising Han Ming.

"Indeed, judging from the entire course of the war, Han Jinglüe probably knew long ago that the opposing commander was the same one from back then, and therefore planned to have a showdown at Haoshuichuan."

Zeng Mingzhong also praised him generously. This junior subordinate really gave his boss too much face.

"From this, we can see that Han Jinglue's strategic vision and tactical methods are unmatched by others. His style is no less than that of Xia Zhenggong."

The person who spoke was Bao Xiren, who was transferred to be the Three-Division Envoy. This big man finally faltered, and in the last period of his life, he moved from the Censorate to the position of 'Prime Minister of Strategy'.

The Duke Xia Zheng he mentioned was none other than Xia Song, the supreme commander who guarded the northwest at that time. Duke Fan Wencheng and Han Zhang were his deputies.

During the Kangding period, he was also the envoy of the four routes of Shaanxi, the governor of Yongxing Army, and presided over the war against Western Xia.

Later he was transferred to Hezhong Prefecture, promoted to Tongpingzhangshi, and was appointed as the judge of Daming Prefecture.

In 1047, he entered the court and was appointed as prime minister, and was soon appointed as privy councilor. The following year, he was appointed as co-prime minister.

In the first year of Huangyou (1049), he was promoted to Duke of Zheng.

In the third year of Huangyou (1051), Xia Shuo died of illness and was awarded the titles of Grand Tutor, Minister of the Central Secretariat and Minister of the Chancellery, and was posthumously named "Wenzhuang".

This big man is no less inferior to the famous ministers of the Renzong Dynasty.

"It's all good, it's all good. We are all people who have devoted our lives to the Song Dynasty!"

Emperor Renzong took over the conversation with a smile. After all, there was really no need to bring up an old meritorious official who had passed away long ago and compare him with Han Ming. It would not be good for anyone.

"I wonder if Han Jinglüe has any other strategic plans that require the court's cooperation."

Chen Zheng, who has been serving as the Imperial Counselor for many years, asked.

It seems like a normal statement, but to those who listen attentively, there is always a sense of Han Ming's "a general in a foreign country is not bound by the orders of his king".

After all, Han Ming never reported the strategic plans before and after the Song-Xia War to the court, and he was the only one who had the final say in the northwest.

To put it simply, this was to ensure the successful implementation of the strategic decisive battle plan; but to put it more broadly, it was the crime of deceiving the emperor.

In recent years, the Taijian and Censorate had been somewhat weakened due to the rise of Han Ming and the complementary cooperation between him and Emperor Renzong.

If Han Ming had been allowed to continue on his path, the censors would have been completely pushed aside to sweep the floors, or to guard the gates of the court, and would have had no influence or prestige at all.

Chen Zheng's words were somewhat inappropriate in today's occasion. They were just trying to flatter the emperor when he was in a good mood.

All of a sudden, the originally noisy lunch became strangely heavy, and many people began to secretly look at Emperor Renzong's expression.

But after observing for a long time, the old emperor just kept chuckling and showed no reaction at all.

"If you ask me, it's still what Minister Han said that we should do our job and let professionals do their job. Only in this way can everything go smoothly. What do you think?"

Emperor Renzong took a sip of the wine and smiled.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers echoed them and tried to figure out the emperor's intentions.

It seemed that the emperor was not at all moved by Chen Zheng's words. At the same time, he was also using Han Ming's words to tell Chen Zheng that as a counselor, it was normal for him to say these words and there was nothing wrong with it.

This made these old foxes frown and think secretly.

So did Chen Zheng’s words cause the government to be wary?

No one could know. After all, the person in front of them had been the emperor for nearly forty years. To outsiders, he was just a puppet with no ability...

But only those who have truly understood it know how difficult it is to be a wise and enlightened emperor who can truly rule the country with ease.

"It's a pity that Zhang Yuan died in the chaos. Otherwise, he would have to be escorted back to the capital and severely punished as a traitor!"

Zeng Mingzhong was quick-witted and attentive, and he immediately changed the subject.

"There's nothing we can do about it. On the battlefield, anything is possible. For that old bastard Zhang Yuan to die on the battlefield is what he wanted!"

Emperor Renzong spoke in a bad tone, and indeed he harbored deep malice towards Zhang Yuan, who had once caused unrest in the Song Dynasty.

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom in promoting Han Jinglüe, a talented person, to guard the border that we have achieved this success. Your Majesty and the entire Song Dynasty deserve congratulations!"

Han Zhang took this opportunity to flatter Emperor Renzong and raised his glass to toast him.

"What Grand Minister Han said is absolutely true. We should congratulate His Majesty, the Song Dynasty, and all the people of the world!"

Fu Yanguo also followed suit and tried to liven up the atmosphere, not wanting to talk about those bad things anymore.

"Congratulations to His Majesty, to the Great Song Dynasty, and to all the people of the world—!"

"Congratulations to His Majesty, to the Great Song Dynasty, and to all the people of the world—!"

"..."

The ministers were excited and raised their glasses.

Seeing this, the old emperor laughed heartily for the first time in a long time and celebrated with his ministers.

"By the way, such a magnificent sight has not been seen for many years. Tonight, we will hold a celebration in the Jixian Hall. I invite all the ministers and their families to celebrate together!"

Emperor Renzong waved his hand and gave everyone a holiday tonight, and then held a banquet to celebrate!

At this moment, everyone showed a sincere smile and shouted "Your Majesty is wise!"

The entire lunch passed slowly in such a celebratory atmosphere.