Cai Jing has been in power four times, with a term of seventeen years. He is wise, otherwise he would not have been able to survive for many years.
Ever since Gao Qiu disappeared, he always felt that the way Zhao Ji looked at him was a little strange. It was different from the past. His eyes were so hot and bright that it was scary, as if he was looking at some treasure. He also started to find faults in his words. This scared him.
Affected by this, he suffered from insomnia. There is no way, if the leader behaves strangely, the subordinates should figure it out, think about what the leader thinks, and worry about what the leader is anxious about. This is the secret of his having held great power for many years. I don't understand what the leader means. It's strange that he can fall asleep.
After pondering this for a while, he suddenly realized. First of all, he has been the prime minister for a long time and has too many relationships in the court, which has made Zhao Ji a little uncomfortable. Being called an emperor makes you insecure and always wants to control everything. There are so many people connected to him up and down, it is indeed almost the same.
Secondly, the arrogant Wang Yan showed Zhao Ji how to get money. Gao Qiu had a fortune of 1.2 million guan. Counting the businessmen involved, he had nearly 2 million guan. So how much money does a prime minister like him, who has held power for many years, have? How could the emperor, who was obsessed with spending money, not worry about this?
It’s broken, I’ve become a pig…
After he came to his senses, he sat up in shock in the midst of a dying illness. He was so frightened that he was covered in white hair and sweat. Understood, he understood what Zhao Ji looked at him. It's the way he looks at the pig waiting to be slaughtered, sharpening his knife and studying how to start, while at the same time looking forward to the delicious meat. It's the way he looks at the animal.
At this moment, he regretted extremely why he had deceived Zhao Ji, who was not proficient in business, lived a frugal life, and was relatively diligent in government when he was the emperor, and said that he was "Fengheng Henan University" and deceived Ke Jin to spend money. Now this is purely It's just shooting yourself in the foot.
Of course, he also knew that he had taken a fancy to Zhao Ji's original temperament in the first place, so he took the right medicine as he liked. Even if he doesn't encourage him, when Zhao Ji becomes proficient in his business, he will still do whatever he wants, and he can't be entirely blamed. Besides, if he hadn't done this, he probably wouldn't have the power he has now. With one drink and one peck, the outcome would have been determined.
It is said that thunder, rain and dew are all due to the king's kindness. Even if he had resentment in his heart towards Zhao Ji, he did not dare to express it. Then he had no choice but to scold the bitch named Wang. He originally thought that he was enough of a treacherous person, but he didn't expect that there was someone more treacherous than him in the world. He was really a big scourge to Chao Gang.
But what about scolding? After all, he was scolded a lot, and it didn't hurt. He still had to solve the problem after all. He knew that if he was ignorant, Zhao Ji should help him. I have been an official for so many years and have experienced so many things. If I really want to investigate, I can always find something.
As a prime minister, as a close minister who has served Zhao Ji for many years, and as a guide who helps Zhao Ji open the door to spending money, his end will certainly be better than Gao Qiu, but it will not be much better. He is over seventy years old, and if he was casually asked to go to Qiongzhou to see the sea, he would basically be disappointed. It would be the last trip in his life at public expense, and he would die in a foreign country. If possible, he still wants to go back to his hometown in Xianyou, listen to the familiar accent again, and take another sip of hometown water...
In the second year of Xuanhe, shortly after the Shangyuan Festival, Cai Jing submitted a letter to plead guilty, saying that his discipline was not strict, and his tribe members committed crimes and ruined his reputation. He occupied land, colluded with businessmen and local officials, raped women, and committed lawlessness. The confiscated property, property and materials worth two million guan have been escorted to the capital. All the criminals were arrested and returned to Beijing, asking Zhao Ji to deal with them.
After all, there was some affection. Cai Jingdu was so sensible. What else could Zhao Ji say? Of course, it was "You Hu Tu" with a regretful look on his face. Afterwards, the magnanimous one did not execute anyone, and all of them were assassinated by the armies of various regions. As for the "lax discipline" Cai Jing, he was asked to retire and return to his hometown in Xianyou to take care of himself...
Everyone knows that Cai Jing is finished this time and will never be able to appear again four times. And even if you return to your hometown, you have to be honest. Because everyone knew that when he spent two million dollars to buy his life, he must still have a lot of money. Although Zhao Ji put it away simply, it was just because Cai Jing had enough money in the past many years.
If Cai Jing feels uncomfortable when he returns to Xianyou, then Zhao Ji must not be used to illness. And if he doesn't look for trouble, once Cai Jing dies, Zhao Ji will not let go of Lao Cai's family.
The reason why he let it go this time is because he felt that Cai Jing had a good life in just a few years and he had feelings for him, so he would forgive her for the time being and he could still have a reputation as a good leader so that others could rest assured. Two million yuan was obtained casually, and a lot of it was money obtained from the houses of businessmen, and it had little involvement in the direct branches of the Cai family. Of course Zhao Ji was also thinking about the things he had not taken out, and he did not believe that the old Bangzi could live as long as him.
The candidate to succeed Cai Jing is Wang Fu, who is also one of the famous Six Thieves. He once helped Cai Jing regain his prime ministership and treated Liang Shicheng like his own father. This is also a ruthless man who steals concubines and covets rare treasures. He is a scourge. Even what he provided to Zhao Ji was less than 10%, and he took all the remaining things that he collected.
Zhao Ji is really discerning when it comes to looking at people, and he can always find people like this...
In the palace, Wang Yan looked at Zhao Ji who was happily making the children laugh. He shook his head and smiled, then sat there drinking tea.
In fact, there is nothing to ask for. According to the original history, Cai Jing should have left this year. The difference is that there were originally four reappearances, but now there will be no more. Not to mention that Zhao Ji was staring at Cai Jing, he was also staring at him, and because Cai Jing was standing on the fence, the old and new parties were dissatisfied with him, and those who were simple and pure couldn't stand Cai Jing. If he made any mistake, he would kill Cai Jing. Most people were not willing to watch. Go to Cai Jing to rise again. Zhao Ji would not protect him to death, he would just go along with the situation and confiscate his property.
"Zi Yan, this little thing's eyebrows and eyes are all yours. You, your eyebrows are unworldly. The rest, this nose and mouth, are all mine." Zhao Ji held the child in his arms and wandered around in the hall. Fei, I didn't forget to make a little sarcastic reference to Mr. Wang. His eyebrows and eyes are so refined. The implication is that he is just as vulgar as other places. The vulgar meaning is almost, it means average.
"I'm just a wild boy from the country. I'm lucky enough to have a pair of refined eyebrows. How dare I ask for more. This boy is also a good child, and he has inherited the natural beauty of an official family."
"Flattery again." Zhao Ji shook his head and smiled: "This time Yupan returns to Beijing and stays longer. I think the child likes it."
Zhao Yupan replied: "Dad, I had planned to go back after Fu."
"Okay, that's good. Go ahead and bring something small to show to your mother-in-law. She is also looking forward to it." Zhao Ji handed the child to Yupan and asked her to take the child away. I've just arrived here as soon as I entered the palace, and I haven't gone anywhere else yet.
YY
"Zi Yan, the Fubei Army has been training for two years. When will it be ready to fight?"
"The officials want to start the Northern Expedition?"
"Yes, if I don't take action for a day, I will feel unhappy. The day before yesterday, the Imperial City Division came to report that Lu Zhishen and the Liao State joined forces to attack from both front and back. They fought in Yizhou (Yixian) and defeated Wanyan Agu's 50,000 soldiers. Horse, beheaded 4,000 and captured 8,000. After the war, Lu Zhishen sent troops to cross the sea and directly captured Yuguan (Shanhaiguan) and Juhua Island (Juehua Island). Occupying the geographical advantage, he divided the Liao Kingdom between Beijing and Nanjing, and took advantage of maritime transportation. Materials and supplies can be shipped from Suzhou, and isolated cities can also be defended. They also occupied Jinzhou, and the Liao Kingdom did not dare to raise troops to attack, so they could only hold it by the throat. This was actually a good opportunity for the Northern Expedition to regain the sixteen states of Youyun. Just around the corner.”
Of course Wang Yan knew this news, and he knew it far before Zhao Ji. After all, he was the one who planned it. Zhao Ji was right. He stood at Yuguan and captured Juhua Island in order to divide the power of the Liao Kingdom. Those who are in the south return to the south, and those who are in the north return to the north. It’s not called the most powerful pass in the world for nothing. The topography there determines its importance. The exchange of resources in the Liao Kingdom must go through Yuguan. Now that he had directly attacked and occupied it, if the Liao Kingdom wanted to dispatch supplies, they would have to take a long way around. In addition, Liaoning is currently facing a lot of domestic and foreign troubles, so this blow is not a big one.
And if the Liao Kingdom really attacks him, Jinzhou is not far from Yuguan, which is his bridgehead. If we want to recapture Yuguan, we must raise heavy troops, which must be dispatched from other places. Once mobilized, it is easy for chaos and mistakes to occur, and he will attack wherever there is weakness. And you can also join forces with Jin Guo to put pressure on the front line, which is fatal.
It is possible that Liao and Jin would join forces to attack him, but it would be extremely small.
First of all, now on the surface, he is still the weakest party, trying to survive by riding on both sides.
Secondly, his business is big, and the nobles of Liao and Jin countries have contacts with each other, which involves a lot of involvement. Moreover, in order to fight the war, the people's livelihood of the Jin Kingdom was very poor. To put it bluntly, the materials for the Jin Kingdom's war, except those captured from the Liao Kingdom, were sold by him. If you beat me with the supplies I sell, if the fight succeeds, but if you don't, it will be a disaster for the Kingdom of Jin.
Thirdly, the Liao, Jin, and Lu Zhishen families have been fighting against each other for many years. Trust is a big problem. The two countries, Liao and Jin, joined forces to attack Lu Zhishen. What if Lu Zhishen and Liao attacked Jin instead, or what if he attacked Liao and Liao together? Who can guarantee that it won't happen?
The basis of these is strength. Although he looks weak, both Liao and Jin have fought against Lu Zhishen in single combat and were beaten all over the head, so he is a tough guy. So I'm not quite sure. Even if I feel itching to hate myself, I have to hold it in.
It has been five years since the war started, and his soldiers are getting stronger and stronger. This is because his training is sufficient, and most importantly, his logistics are strong. Soldier Jia didn't care about food and drink, and the military doctor accompanying the army took care of him. He even came up with penicillin. In a cold weapon duel, only a few people died directly on the battlefield, and most of them died of diseases due to poor treatment. His armor is superior in materials and has protected the soldiers very well. Those who were injured have penicillin to reduce inflammation and alcohol to disinfect. The army has health management regulations, food and drink are guaranteed, and the injured are treated to the maximum extent. .
From this, there are naturally batches of veterans who have fought in hundreds of battles. The more we fight, the more veterans we have, and the stronger we become. The two countries of Liao and Jin were in internal trouble and the other was not supporting the people's livelihood. How could they compete with him for supremacy?
But when it came to Zhao Ji, this kid just couldn't count. After four years of fighting with Xixia, he almost broke himself. Now that I have only had a break for more than two years, I am thinking about fighting against the Liao Kingdom? What are you dreaming about in Spring and Autumn Period?
And speaking of it, in the past two years or so, it has not really benefited from the people's livelihood, and it is still a disaster no matter how bad it should be. It's just that there is no war and the expenses are much less. If war breaks out again, and civil and military officials use their hands to fight, it will not be so easy to fight. Besides, in the original history, it’s not like the Song Dynasty didn’t use troops against the Liao Kingdom, and it was still beaten up by others.
Over the years, the money he has given has amounted to tens of millions, which is actually quite good to meet Zhao Ji's expenses and support part of the money to repair the garden. But now the officialdom is unclean, political orders are unkind, taxes are poor, the military is slack, etc. These problems have not been properly resolved and have even become worse. In this case, if you want to make the Northern Expedition, you are courting death.
After pondering for a moment, Wang Yan said: "Officials, please let me express my thoughts."
"I'm just asking you, tell me."
"Yes, officials. Nowadays, the three parties in Liaodong are fighting for supremacy and are in a stalemate. Weakening us, the Song Dynasty launched the Northern Expedition, which will break the current stalemate among the three parties. By then, Lu Zhishen and the Jin Kingdom will join forces to destroy the Liao Kingdom. It will be just around the corner. Wait for that At that time, Lu Zhishen was evenly matched with the Jin Kingdom, and they bordered the Song Dynasty. The prosperity of the Song Dynasty was known to the world. They had no choice but to attack each other, and they would definitely attack the border of the Song Dynasty. The officials also knew the strength of both sides. If the Liao Dynasty was destroyed, The country is afraid of taking it to the next level. With the soldiers of the Song Dynasty, we can deal with one side, but it will be difficult to deal with two sides."
Without waiting for Zhao Ji to find a reason, Wang Yan continued: "There are a lot of complaints from officials and people about Cai Jing and Gao Qiu. It's because they only care about themselves and don't care about the lives of the people. They frequently increase taxes and frequently issue decrees that harm the country and the people. , I don’t know how many people have been harmed by harsh government. I heard that there is a situation of "not raising children" in the south of the Yangtze River, that is, newborn babies are not raised and drown directly. They cannot feed them and cannot afford taxes. This is just one of them. Xiang, and others have invaded and occupied land, causing refugees to sell their children and daughters, etc., making people's livelihood difficult.
These things can all be blamed on Cai Jing. The officials followed the way of the saints and governed with dignity. However, Cai Jing deceived the saints and brought disaster to the country and the people. It was the reputation of the officials that was so ruined. Fortunately, the officials had keen eyes and discerned every detail, even if they fell into Cai Jing's favor. The officials may not know it, but now the people are full of praise for the officials sending Cai Jing back to his hometown in Xianyou, and they are calling him a saint.
I thought that I should take this opportunity to severely punish a group of corrupt officials, clean up the official atmosphere, and urge others to be loyal to the country and serve the country with sincerity. Secondly, this time the inspection asked for two million guan, and Cai Jing sent back another 2 million guan. Corrupt officials in the court, central and local governments must have some money, which can be used to buy land from the officials to expand the palace, or prepare Some supplies for the Northern Expedition. Thirdly, by taking down this group of corrupt officials and vacating positions, the officials can choose people who are sincerely caring for the country and can keep abreast of the local situation to prevent the ministers of the DPRK and China from being confused and whitewashing the peace.
Qi Chen thought that the officials should go out for a walk, and it would be boring to be in Bianjing all the time. Officials practice Taoism intensively. The so-called Taoism is natural. When officials go out for a walk, they can get closer to nature and gain more understanding. Furthermore, officials are responsible for all over the world, and their governance is based on the overall situation. This time when I visited the territory of the Song Dynasty, I could also see the people's livelihood and see the details of the overall situation.
If the officials really want to mobilize troops, I believe that the most important thing is to destroy Xixia, so as not to cause chaos in Xixia during the Song Dynasty's Northern Expedition in the future. Although the training of the Fubei Army is still a bit poor now, it still has to go through battles and accumulate experience. It was inevitable that there would be trouble, so I asked myself to lead the Northern Army to march to the northwest, and raid and train troops in Xixia territory. With only a force of 50,000 people and cavalry that can move freely, they can feed on the enemy and consume less materials from the Song Dynasty. If there is an opportunity to attack through cavalry, our army can cross the Great Wall and go straight to Huanglong.
What do the officials think? "
What he said was quite acceptable, but he had no choice but to tell the truth. He had tried his best to consider Zhao Ji's emotions. In fact, it is really difficult to fight now. If I don't tell the truth, then Wang Fu is instigating, and Zhao Ji has a team. The team is full of talents, so how can they take care of the subordinates. As long as Zhao Ji is happy, they will follow suit and the more they talk about it, the more energetic he becomes, so that's fine.
But he thought wrong, because Zhao Ji and Na thought for a long time, and their focus was obviously not on the little truth he said: "Going on a cruise? Attack Xixia again?"
"Yes, officials. When going on a tour, officials don't have to make a big show like Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty, because officials want to understand nature and understand the people's sentiments. If the show is big, they will see less. And fight Xixia, we cannot destroy Xixia this time. It can not only train troops, but also consume Xixia's national power. If we are lucky enough to open up the grassland, we can also buy the cattle, horses, sheep, etc. there at a low price. This is a new trade route, and the profit is not high. Fei."
There are only five things that can make Zhao Ji tempted, fresh things, good-looking women, famous calligraphy and painting antiques, making money, and spending money. Now what he said basically covers four things at once. When you go on a cruise, you will find new things and beautiful women. You can make money by fighting Xixia, and you can spend the money you get back.
Zhao Ji nodded, seeming to agree with Wang Yan's words: "The matter of the parade will be discussed in public in the morning in a few days. As for the return of the Northern Army to Xixia to harass the military training..."
"Don't worry, officials. If we lose soldiers and generals this time before we achieve any success, I will have people carry the bodies back."
"Hey..." Zhao Ji shook his head and waved his hands: "I'm worried that you may have some shortcomings before going into battle. What should I do?"
"I thank the officials for their sympathy. However, over the years, I have continued to practice martial arts and have bravely practiced fighting with the Fubei Army. Saving my life on the battlefield is not a problem. As for command, there have been many support from the officials in recent years. You have the ability to do things. , I have also learned a little bit, and I should be able to respond when the opportunity arises. In addition, there are eunuchs and civilian officials who supervise the army, so the officials can rest assured. The Fubei Army was trained by me, and it cannot be regarded as an army now. This time, Let me teach them in the end."
"Hey, I can see that you have great martial arts skills. If you don't put them to use, you won't be willing to do it for the rest of your life. That's all, let it go. But you have to be careful. Don’t let anything happen. When are you going to break camp and head north?"
"Even the cavalry, of course, can leave at any time. Today I will go home to talk to Yupan and the other two concubines, and I will set off north early tomorrow morning."
The Fubei Army always needs to test its combat effectiveness. Although two years is still a short time, it has already practiced what it needs to practice. The emperor Zhao Ji is anxious again, so there is nothing he can do. He has to do what he needs to do. He didn't care. It happened that he hadn't been active for a long time, and he hadn't been on the battlefield to kill someone for more than two hundred years. He might as well go for a walk. Although it is really tragic, it is also the ultimate romance for men.
Zhao Ji nodded, and then took Wang Yan to visit the garden. He was chatting in a mess, and asked casually: "Zi Yan, do you remember the retro thing?"
"I know if I go back to my official home. Last winter, the son of my housekeeper got family leave. He and Li Tu, the chief of the retro style, were classmates and had a very good relationship. I happened to follow him to visit my Wangjiazhuangzi. Let's talk carefully. I heard about this from the steward, and chatted with that Li Tu for a long time, and let them eat."
"Is this happening? What do you think of Li Tu?"
"The battlefield was not in vain, and it is a good thing to know how to cherish your life. As for their clamor of putting the people first, it is just nonsense after reading. Now the scholars of the retro school are all young and full of blood. People, no matter how much trouble they make, it won’t last long.”
Zhao Ji shook his head and smiled: "Let's make trouble, let's make trouble, let me see how capable they are."
