Thinking of this, the emperor sighed.
When the emperor and his ministers were facing each other, they were enjoying themselves happily, but as soon as Xu Ding left, the emperor's face became full of sadness.
After Tu Shanyi's death, the emperor thought that he could take advantage of the situation to expel powerful ministers and consolidate power. But in fact, the authority in the court was not consolidated, but merely transferred.
Among the current officials, Geng Duanyi is seriously ill, Wanyan Chenghui is busy with military affairs, Tu Dan Gongbi is used to appease the Tu Dan clan, and Ni Ni Jinzhong leads troops to garrison at Datong Mansion in Xijing and cannot leave. Therefore, Xu Ding, who was originally relatively weak in terms of qualifications, naturally recruited Wang Weihan, Zhang Xingxin, Gao Ruli and others as his wings and became the person leading government affairs.
Xu Ding himself controlled the affairs of Daxing Mansion, Wang Weihan was the Minister of Punishment, Gao Ruli was the Minister of Husbandry, Zhang Xingxin controlled the Ministry of Personnel and a group of admonishers, and even the left and right departments of the Shangshu Province were filled with a group of their associates, such as Zuo Si Langzhong Li Fuheng was Xu Ding's old friend.
When these people gather together, they are actually more terrifying than Tu Danyi. They are Han'er!
Since ancient times, few Han people have been loyal and upright. When the Liao soldiers arrived, they came from the Liao Dynasty, when the Song Dynasty arrived, they followed the Song Dynasty, and when the current Dynasty arrived, they followed the current Dynasty. Their customs follow suit, and they come naturally! Therefore, it can survive many changes without being broken, and even occupy more and more high positions in the court.
Although these people did not have the huge appeal among the Jurchen nobles like Tu Danyi, they posed another threat to the imperial power and even the control of the Jurchens out of thin air. What's more, Xu Ding also colluded with Guo Ning?
According to Xu Ding, Guo Ning just wanted to make more money to buy the grain smuggled in from the Southern Dynasties. However, once the news of horse smuggling got out, it would definitely cause trouble. It would be better for Xu Ding to step in and turn a blind eye. Close one eye. For the sake of horses, Guo Ning must go north to Liaodong and conflict with the Mongols, which also consumes the strength of the Ding Navy.
At first glance, this sounds correct. The emperor was even a little happy at that time.
But the problem is that the imperial court earlier awarded Guo Ning the position of Shandong's Xuanfu envoy in order to make him and Yang An'er consume each other and compete for the exhausted Shandong. Now, a hole has been opened out of thin air, allowing him to move around Liaodong again?
The strength of the Ding Navy has not yet been exhausted, the Dading Mansion in Beijing has been lost, and the imperial court is cut off from the ancestral land between the white mountains and black waters! Now that the influence of the imperial court has declined, who knows what kind of situation Guo Ning will create in Liaodong?
Anyone who has ever spent time in the court knows that these civil servants are very talkative. They can say seventeen or eighty different truths about the same thing.
The emperor didn't react for a while, but after thinking about it, didn't he still understand?
That Xu Ding was just to give Guo Ning an eye and support the navy's expansion in Liaodong! He and Guo Ning are really colluding together. Like Tu Danyi, he is using this powerful army to intimidate the court!
The emperor closed his eyes and patted the balcony with his hand. Anxiety, worry, panic, and anger were all a flood of emotions, echoing in his chest. He felt aggrieved, he felt tired, and there were some things he said that suddenly made him uncomfortable.
"Since I came to the throne, I have faced pressure from the Mongolian army every day. That day, the sound of fighting outside the city of Zhongdu shook the earth. The soldiers were dead and wounded, and the people in the city were frightened. One night, dozens of people were shocked. So much so that I had to use the king's words. A charlatan like Shouxin leads the scoundrels in the market forward and backward. Without him, he is just trying to calm people's hearts and barely keep the situation from falling."
"After a series of hard battles, we finally secured the central capital and forced the enemy to retreat. However, the Central Plains was in ruins. Seventy-eight percent of the people died. There was nothing to harvest in the fields and nothing to accumulate in the barns. And inside and outside the court, there were tigers and wolves everywhere, and dangers abounded. After less than two months of respite, the Mongolian army came again and actually captured my Dading Mansion in Beijing!"
The emperor opened his eyes, looked around at the attendants, and felt sad: "Autumn is about to come, and a large-scale war will break out at any time. What can we do in the capital city? Thinking of the current situation, I feel tired day by day. Sleeping long and hard, tossing and turning all night, many times I can't even eat well! But among so many courtiers, which one has shared my worries? Just like Xu Ding, who did a little bit of work, but colluded with Guo Ning for his own benefit. Can’t I see that he is entrenched in power? I’ve seen it a long time ago!”
He slowed down his tone: "But why am I so tolerant of them? Why should I be angry at my own confidants?"
When the emperor said this, his back was stained with blood. Qingshan Nu, who was kneeling beside him, began to cry and said repeatedly: "It is because of my incompetence that Your Majesty has worked so hard!"
The emperor leaned down and pressed Qingshan Nu's arm: "Everyone in the civil and military court has selfish motives. For the sake of the overall situation, I, the emperor, have to tolerate them again and again. I know in my heart that none of these people can be trusted. , I can only count on you, my close friends who share my heart and mind!"
At this time, all the attendants including Ti Dian, the chief and deputy envoys, Zhi Chang, Feng Yu and others who gathered around the emperor knelt down.
The emperor seemed to be questioning, but also seemed to be asking himself: "But you people are loyal, do you have the ability to solve my problems?"
"Your Majesty, as long as you have your orders, we will not give up even if we die!"
"good!"
The emperor returned to the Xishang Pavilion and hid his figure in the shadows: "I immediately issued an edict to give orders to all the armies. From now on, although the generals are entrusted with the responsibility, they will be served by the Bureau of Internal Affairs. Supervising wars in the army, no matter how the system changes, I can refute and discuss on behalf of the emperor. In addition, I must also represent me, make good friends with local military generals, and promote the benevolence of the imperial court."
The attendants looked at each other.
The emperor's palace was extremely deep, and none of his attendants knew about such a major event beforehand. But this in itself is a good thing for the servants. Although the positions of the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are humble, they must be as close as the prime minister, just like the secretaries of the old days. Therefore, most of them are noble relatives, aristocratic families, and those who are lucky enough to hold their positions to fight against the prime minister.
Since they had the favor of the emperor, they had already been willing to contact local commanders and governors to expand their authority. At that moment, everyone said one after another: "I am willing to serve your Majesty."
"Then, who is willing to be the first to go to the army to supervise the battle on my behalf? Let us discuss it!"
The attendants looked at each other again.
The Qingshan slaves knelt and remained motionless, and Xielie, the attendant of the bureau, came out and asked, "Your Majesty, I don't know which army you want to go to, or where you want to go under the command of General Jiezhen?"
The emperor suddenly leaned back and forth, laughing happily: "You have just assumed the important task, so naturally it is not easy to go directly to the tents of various Xuanfu envoys. First go to the newly appointed Jiedu envoy to practice your skills... Then go to command Fuzhou, The Liao Navy's military commander in Gaizhou, under the command of Li Ting!"
The attendants were stunned.
Someone was completely confused and asked subconsciously: "Liao Haijun? Is this a new bugle? Who is Li Ting?"
However, the Secret Service envoys Xie Lie and Zhi Chang Sahe Nian, who came into contact with the secret very early, reacted immediately.
Although the envoys of Heshi Liehuanduan and others had not yet entered the court, they had already had their attendants inquire about the situation in Liaodong.
The emperor already knew that Li Ting, a heroic general under Guo Ning, had played a major role in the Northeast War. Moreover, in the early years, Li Ting had the same status as Guo Ning in Tangluo, Hebei, and they both defeated their troops together. leader.
very good! Since Li Ting has merit, he must be rewarded! Since you have talent, you should be promoted!
This is as it should be, who has any opinion?
Ding Haijun and Liaodong are separated by the sea, so it may be inconvenient to send troops to support them. Then, wouldn't it be good to leave a force and promote a new Jiedushi?
Thinking about it, Ding Haijun and Liao Haijun, one in the south and one in the north, will definitely be able to work together and help each other. And Li Ting must be able to deeply understand the imperial court's intentions and conscientiously do a good job as a governor!
Xie Lie and Zhi Chang Sa He Chai, the envoys of the Internal Affairs Bureau, immediately kowtowed and praised: "Your Majesty is really a wise man!"
The emperor waved his hand: "Remember, I'm not asking you to go out and show off your prestige and hold me back! This candidate must be smart and capable, and he must also know how to win over Li Ting for me! He must be regarded as an ally and partner! Only by treating him as one of his own family members can he truly become our own family member and be able to do great things for us! Do you understand?"
The attendants kowtowed again: "I will not dare to delay His Majesty's important event!"
(End of chapter)
