Du Gao entered the imperial study and met Zhao Hong talking with the ministers in power with a dark face. Looking at Zhao Hong's expression, Du Gao knew something big was going on.
The imperial guards moved a chair and motioned for Du Gao to sit down. Du Gao saw that several ministers in power were "sitting and talking", with only half of their buttocks on their shoulders, so he sat down carefully.
The new king has a new atmosphere, and he actually has a chair to sit on. The emperor is indeed extraordinary.
"The Chuzhou Loyalty Army rebelled, and Huaidong Zhizhi made Xu Guo flee and hang himself to death. His staff Zhang Meng was killed first. Why did it take half a month for me to know about such a big thing? What are the local officials doing?"
No wonder Zhao Hong was so angry. In the early morning of New Year's Day, there was a military turmoil in Chuzhou, and he only received the report on New Year's Eve. Is this efficiency slowed down by the rebellion of Li Quan and Yang Miaozhen?
What made him even more embarrassed was that on New Year's Eve, he had just issued an order to Xu Guo, asking him to appease Li Quan and not to deduct money and food from the loyal army. Before the imperial edict arrived, Li Quan went into trouble the next day on New Year's Eve.
Isn't this a slap in the face?
The Zhongyi Army and Li Quan launched a rebellion on the morning of the first day of the year. They had a sharp eye and saw the right opportunity!
"Your Majesty, Li Quan rebelled on New Year's Day, and local officials are taking a nap. No one knows what happened in Chuzhou. In addition, Zhao Fan, the prefect of Yangzhou, has just been demoted. Therefore, it is not surprising that he has received a local report now. "
Xue Ji's words made Zhao Hong slightly startled, and what he wanted to say was stuck in his throat.
I go!
It turned out that Li Quan was responsible for the rebellion, and he was also one of the instigators.
I just don’t know if the military rebellion in Chuzhou has anything to do with the demotion of Zhao Fan, the prefect of Yangzhou? If this is really the case, it means that Zhao Fan has done quite well in the local area. It is still too impulsive to beat Brother Zhao Fan to the end.
However, when he thought that Zhao Kui had four white tigers in his home, he felt much more balanced.
"Your Majesty, Li Quan rashly attacked and killed the court ministers for his own selfish reasons. He was incompatible with the law and violated the law. He committed a heinous crime. Minister Humilius should be sent to lead the army north to kill this thief and uphold the law of the country!"
Zhen Dexiu continued with a dark face, impassioned.
"Your Majesty, I have a different opinion."
Prime Minister Xue Ji was worried, but he had a different opinion.
"Your Majesty, there are more than 100,000 loyal soldiers in Shandong. If all the ministries follow Li Quan's example, wouldn't it mean that the world will be in chaos? Li Quan has already controlled Chuzhou. If he cooperates with the Jin people inside and outside, Yangzhou will be in trouble, Huaidong will be in chaos, and the world will be in chaos. I ask your Majesty to appease Li Quan and calm down the trouble!"
Xue Ji's words made several ruling ministers whisper to each other again.
Since the Shandong Zhongyi Army resisted the tyranny of the Jin people and joined the Southern Song Dynasty, they have been attracted and divided by the Southern Song Dynasty court. However, there are always ambitious people who are unwilling to be manipulated. Li Quan is such an example. Nowadays, Li Quan's power is getting stronger and stronger, and he even dares to kill high-ranking officials like Xu Guo, which shows his domineering nature.
This also confirmed the complete failure of the Southern Song Dynasty in dealing with the Zhongyi Army.
A regime that is not enterprising is doomed to achieve nothing in the face of a group of pampered scholar-bureaucrats.
Zhao Hong had a sullen expression and glanced at Du Gao, who was sitting at the end of the table.
"Du Gao and Li Quan rebelled, killed court officials and burned down government offices. What do you think of the loyal army? How to deal with this matter?"
When the emperor asked, Du Gao stood up unconsciously and bowed.
"Your Majesty, although the Zhongyi Army is named after returning to the Song Dynasty, not many of them understand the national righteousness. Most of them are seeking survival or profit, and their purpose is just to obtain property and food. The Zhongyi Army is brave and aggressive, and the good and the bad are mixed. If they are not handled properly , is no different from raising tigers, which will eventually lead to catastrophe."
Du Gao paused for a moment, looked at Zhao Hong and nodded slightly, then continued.
"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and everything is waiting to be done. The only way is to appease Li Quan and buy peace with money and food. He must cultivate good governance internally and organize the military preparations for the future. At the same time, he must choose other good ministers to go out to Yangzhou to prevent Li Quan from going south. .”
Du Gao's words made Zhao Hong look better.
This Xu State is a useless fool! He still put on airs and played official power in front of tigers and wolves. He was really a coward who harmed the country and the people. His death was not unfair at all.
"Du Gao, sit down."
Zhao Hong waved his hand, and Du Gao secretly sighed in relief and sat down.
The border army is weak and the national power is lacking. After all, there are smart people who can see the shortcomings of the current situation.
"Your Majesty, Li Quan is ambitious and wantonly attacks and kills important officials of the imperial court. If he is not severely punished, where is the majesty of the imperial court? Where is the majesty of the emperor? How can your majesty govern the country and control the people of the world?"
Zhen Dexiu was unyielding and continued to play.
Now that Shi Miyuan has been eliminated in this court, one family is no longer the dominant one, but a hundred flowers are blooming. The ruling ministers have become bolder and can speak freely.
"Xuanqing, you are the Minister of War, what do you think?"
Zhao Hong turned his eyes to Xuan Zhen, the counselor of political affairs, with a gentle expression on his face.
My teacher, if this battle continues, aren't you worried about defeat?
The key is that he has a lot of things to do, and they are all big things. Even if he could win this war with Li Quan, he had no intention of starting this side incident right now.
Everything he has to do now is to deal with the powerful Mongolian cavalry in the north, not just Li Quan.
"Your Majesty, I believe that one incident involving Li Quan will affect the whole body. Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, so he should handle it properly and not act hastily. Li Quan has occupied Chuzhou, and the riot must be quelled immediately to prevent the disaster from spreading. I recommend Xu Xiji, the general judge of Chuzhou. Serve as the envoy of the Huaidong system, so that he can appease Li Quan and prevent further trouble."
Xuan Zhen, the political counselor, frowned and said, he probably understood what the emperor was thinking.
Chuzhou general magistrate Xu Xiji once guarded Haizhou and served as an official in Chuzhou. He got along well with Li Quan. Letting him serve as the envoy of Huaidong system seems to be the best way to deal with it at present.
"Your Majesty, Li Quan killed the important ministers of the imperial court. He was so ambitious and insane. If he blindly tolerates traitors, he may be raising tigers for trouble. Your Majesty is aware of this!"
Zhen Dexiu was impatient and rushed to speak.
Zhao Hong nodded slightly without saying anything.
He had just ascended the throne, and Li Quan made trouble. This was too disrespectful to him.
But now that government affairs are busy and everything is waiting for improvement, he really doesn't have the courage to use troops against Li Quan.
That supermodel-shaped Yang Miaozhen, why is she causing trouble?
"Your Majesty, Li Quan's rebellion will shake the world, and the Jin people will surely take action after hearing the news. When Huaidong is shaken and Jiangnan is endangered, Your Majesty should quickly pacify him and select another minister to go out to control Huaidong to ensure that everything is safe!"
Xuan Zhen spoke again, insisting that peace is the most important thing.
The late emperor passed away and the emperor has just ascended the throne. At this time, it is better not to start a war rashly, lest the court be devastated.
"Your Majesty, I second the proposal to declare the prime minister. In an emergency, Xu Xiji, the general magistrate of Chuzhou, can be ordered to serve as the envoy to Huaidong to appease Li Quan and avoid trouble!"
The ruling minister Hu Ju finally spoke and agreed with Xuan Zhen's view.
Several ruling ministers had different opinions. Zhen Dexiu took the lead in fighting, while Xue Ji took the lead in appeasing Li Quan. Zhao Hong looked at Du Gao.
In fact, he was really undecided.
In other words, he has no confidence in the strength of the Song Army.
"Du Gao, should we appease Li Quan or send troops to attack him? What do you think?"
Yuan Fang, how do you see?
"Your Majesty, I second the proposal to Xuan Xianggong and order Xu Xiji, the general magistrate of Chuzhou, to serve as the envoy to Huaidong to appease Li Quan. At the beginning of your Majesty's accession to the throne, it is not advisable to use weapons rashly unless you are sure of victory."
Du Gao's gentle words made several ruling ministers either remain silent or nod in agreement.
"What Du Gao said is true."
Zhao Hong said helplessly.
According to the rhythm of history, although Li Quan is domineering, he will not rebel yet. He could only go with the flow and give himself time to prepare his weapons.
He needs time, even a year may be enough.
Zhao Hong glanced at the memorial on the imperial table and raised his head.
"Peng Yibin was dissatisfied with Li Quan. Li Quan attacked Enzhou and was defeated by Peng Yibin. Peng Yibin sent a letter to Zhao Shanxiang, the envoy along the river, hoping to suppress Li Quan and send troops to recover the Central Plains. How do you think we should deal with it?"
Zhao Hong's words caused an uproar among the ruling officials. Several people whispered to each other, and Xuan Zhen, Minister of the Ministry of War, followed suit.
"Your Majesty, Peng Yibin has occupied Shandong, Hebei and other places, and has tens of thousands of subordinates. We still need to be on guard against danger, and don't let Peng Yibin become the next Li Quan!"
"Your Majesty, both Peng Yibin and Li Quan are too strong to lose. This is a good opportunity to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, just in time to eliminate the power of these northern troops!"
Hu Ju reported carefully.
"Your Majesty, you must not!"
"Don't!"
Xuan Zhen and Du Gao said it almost in unison.
The two looked at each other, and Xuan Zhen spoke first.
"Your Majesty, Li Quan's murder of important officials in the imperial court is tantamount to conspiracy. Even if it is an expedient measure, it cannot be rewarded! As for Peng Yibin's tribe, they are all loyal and righteous people. Your Majesty should reward them to calm the hearts of the soldiers at the front. Rewards and punishments are clear and can Knock on the mountain and shake the tiger, so that Li Quan will know the difficulty and retreat."
Xuan Zhen said slowly, his voice echoing in the hall.
"Li Quan is rebellious and has strong soldiers and horses, but we have hundreds of thousands of border troops in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River. Are we still afraid of a mere Li Quan?"
Several people involved in political affairs, including Du Gao, were silent for a while.
The hundreds of thousands of border troops in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River areas may not be afraid of Li Quan. But do you dare to give it a try?
To make iron, you need to be tough yourself, and you need to train your troops.
"Your Majesty, what Xuan Xianggong said is absolutely true. We have always faced the enemy head-on. I have never heard that you can retreat from the enemy by simply asking for compromise. Please give Peng Yibin a generous reward and exempt Li Quan from being rewarded!"
Zhen Dexiu bowed his hand and supported Xuan Zhen's court discussion.
The emperor wanted to implement the New Deal and did not want to go to war with Li Quan immediately. In this case, it is also an option to avoid Li Quan's reward.
"I second the proposal to declare you Prime Minister!"
Xue Ji said loudly and seconded Xuan Zhen.
"I second the proposal to declare you Prime Minister!"
Hu Ju also supported Xuan Zhen's advice.
"Zhen Gong, you guys in power, do you have any resolutions?"
Zhao Hong said softly, seeming to end today's conversation.
"Your Majesty, you can appoint Peng Yibin as the envoy of the Jingdong system and reward his officers and soldiers with a reward of 300,000 yuan. You can appoint Xu Xiji, general magistrate of Chuzhou, as the envoy of the Huaidong system to appease Li Quan. Send important officials to Yangzhou and serve as deputy envoys to appease Huaidong. Just in case something unexpected happens.”
Zhen Dexiu played, Zhao Hong nodded and made a quick decision.
"Pass an order to Peng Yibin to quickly withdraw to the south of the Huaihe River. The Tatar army is in full swing, with the Jin men in the middle and Li Quan constraining them on the flanks. Peng Yibin has no chance of winning."
Zhao Hong also wanted to make a last-ditch effort to prevent Peng Yibin from fighting alone in Hebei and ultimately failing.
"As for Li Quan, he will provide money and food as usual, and appoint Xu Xiji, general magistrate of Chuzhou, as an envoy to Huaidong to appease Li Quan."
I am not strong enough, so I can only swallow my anger, endure hardships, and trade time for space.
Several ministers in power obeyed the order. Zhao Hong pointed at the uneasy Du Gao and suddenly asked:
"Du Gao, was the arrow wound on your face caused by fighting with the Jin people?"
"Your Majesty, that's right. During the battle in Chuzhou, the military situation was urgent, so I had to fight fiercely on the battlefield and was hit by two arrows. But one day, I must ask the Jinren to get it back."
"Well said! A man is happy with his grudges from morning to night. Not to mention the hatred of the country!"
Zhao Hong's eyes showed admiration and he said seriously:
"Du Gao, from now on, you are the governor of Yangzhou and the deputy envoy of Huaidong system! Don't tell me, are you overwhelmed?"
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness! Your Majesty has given me the kindness to meet you. I will live up to your Majesty's trust and ensure that nothing happens to Huaidong. Li Quan will not dare to take a step to the south of the Yangtze River!"
Du Gao knelt down, kowtowed solemnly, and shouted long live the mountain.
"Du Gao, you are a great talent. It is related to the safety of thousands of soldiers and the peace of the government. You should not be easily involved in danger, and I don't want you to be messed up. Li Quan of Huaidong is domineering, things are not peaceful, and everything is waiting to be done. I want you to protect the people." By the way. You and I will have a detailed discussion later, and you can take up your post as soon as possible."
Zhao Hong said warmly, feeling relieved a little.
Famous generals who have proven themselves in history should be reassuring.
