"Cui Qing, besides the Wei Gao family and the Wu family, are there no other candidates?"
Zhao Hong frowned slightly. The Sichuan scholar-bureaucrats were so powerful that the Wei Gao family in Pujiang could no longer use them. He did not want to see Sichuan separated from the imperial rule again.
As for the Wu family in Ningguo, Wu Qian is already the deputy envoy of the coastal system. His brother Wu Yuan is also an important official in the court. His character is unknown and it is difficult to mobilize.
"Your Majesty, Hong Zikui, a native of Lin'an and a former imperial examination officer, can be the pacification envoy on Kuizhou Road. As for the transfer envoy on Tongchuan Road, Peng Xuan from Guangdong can be appointed as the transfer envoy."
Cui Yu had no choice but to recommend him.
"Hong Zikui, a former examination official and foreign minister?"
Zhao Hong couldn't help but be stunned, feeling that this was a talented person in the field.
"Your Majesty, Hong Zikui is knowledgeable about local affairs and has great talents. He once served as a judge for Chengdu Road, but he is not an adulterer. He was impeached and dismissed from his post because of his offense against Shi Miyuan. Now he is idle at home."
Cui Yuzhi introduced them one by one.
"Since Hong Zikui has great talents, why do I ask the court officials to recommend talents? Du Gao, Meng Gong, Song Ci and other talented people are among them, but there is no name of Hong Zikui, a native of Lin'an?"
Zhao Hong asked in surprise.
"Your Majesty, Hong Zikui has always prided himself on his talent, and is an upright official, loved by the people. He has repeatedly written letters to expose the bad government, but he has also offended the powerful. From the prime minister to the prefecture and county, he has always pointed out his shortcomings, and has been repeatedly suppressed by powerful ministers."
Cui Yu said it with an awkward smile and explained everything one by one.
"As for Peng Xuan, who is sentenced to death in Guangdong, he is upright and upright, and is as famous as Song Ci. More importantly, both of them are from humble backgrounds and have no official entanglements. Your Majesty can use it with confidence."
I see.
Zhao Hong nodded, understanding a little bit.
It seems that this Hong Zikui is proud of his talent, somewhat cynical, and has an upright personality. Such a noble-minded person is of course not tolerated by the muddy officialdom.
Some people can only be the boss, not the second child. For this Hong Zikui, is the post of Kuizhou Road pacifier a little overqualified?
"Dong Songchen, drafted the decree. The former imperial examination officer Wai Lang Hong Zikui was promoted to the pacification envoy of Kuizhou Road and the prefect of Kuizhou; Peng Xuan was sentenced to punishment in Guangdong and served as the transfer envoy of Tongchuan Road and the general magistrate of Luzhou."
Zhao Hong made a decision immediately without hesitation.
He was also pleased with Cui Yu's broadmindedness when promoting virtuous people without avoiding relatives or enemies.
When implementing the New Deal, it would be much easier for Cui Yu to handle the military and political affairs if his own people were at the forefront.
"Cui Qing, I have ordered Fan Zhong to serve as the general consul of Sichuan and the envoy of Chengdu Road to assist the old husband in implementing the New Deal in Sichuan. Fan Zhong gets along well with you. Regarding the implementation of the New Deal, I want you to warn Sichuan officials and cooperate with the imperial court. New Deal.”
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
Cui Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it was Fan Zhong.
The imperial court abolished exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and the China Daily promoted the benefits of the Jingjie Law. The common people looked forward to it. Of course, those powerful officials, including many officials, opposed it.
This is great. Meeting Fan Zhong, a tough guy, provides another layer of guarantee for the smooth implementation of Sichuan's New Deal.
"Cui Qing, since the imperial court issued the decree, are there still many cockfights, cricket fights, and foot binding?"
Zhao Hong asked with a smile.
"Your Majesty, things have changed a lot. Especially the establishment of a branch of the Sichuan Martial Arts Hall has attracted young people from Sichuan. The first phase of this year recruited 600 students, and the number of people who signed up was ten times as many. If we want to recruit new ones, I’m afraid the army will also be filled with responders!”
As soon as Cui Yu said his words, he felt a little regretful.
Isn't he just like Zhao Hong, who resorts to militarism?
"Cui Qing, there are as many as 230,000 officers and soldiers in all areas of Sichuan, but I'm afraid not even half of them can be used on the battlefield. If I need 100,000 elite soldiers, I can go west to garrison the fields and cultivate the land." , Immigration is real."
Zhao Hong pointed to the Hexi Corridor and smiled slightly.
"Old husband, do you know my painstaking efforts?"
Cui Yu was secretly shocked. Zhao Hong, this is trying to draw chestnuts out of the fire!
"If you don't take the gift from heaven, you will be blamed for it. I have a hundred thousand soldiers and firearms. In those uninhabited places, I, the Song Dynasty, will not be polite."
Zhao Hong said and laughed.
"In addition to reorganizing the official army and selecting the best, we can also recruit soldiers from Sichuan civilians. The Sichuan people are bloody and brave, and a little training can make a strong army. The official army is 50,000, and the soldiers are recruited. 50,000, plus the border troops, 200,000 Sichuan troops are the most important weapon of the country. By next year or the year after, I may be of great use."
Cui Yu was shocked and asked again.
The number of old, weak, sick and disabled people to be laid off should be about 50,000, which is about the same number as the number of new soldiers recruited. There will be no pressure on food and salary.
The thought of an army of 200,000 makes people look forward to it.
"Your Majesty, in order to cope with future border wars, it is too difficult to transport grain and grass from Sichuan. Farming in Hanzhong is the foundation and is enough to ensure the supply of grain and grass for the 200,000-strong army."
As the leader of Shu, Cui Yuyu is quite familiar with the military and political affairs of Sichuan.
"Your Majesty, Mianzhou City has Chang Pingcang, which can store 2 million shi of grain. As long as Hanzhong's farming is done properly, it should be able to cope with a half-year war of 200,000 troops."
Cui Yu's analysis made Zhao Hong nod secretly.
"Well said! The Hanzhong farmland depends on your and Chen Longzhi's methods. The military will also give full support!"
An official is an official, and he is familiar with all aspects of political affairs.
"There will be big events next year. Therefore, next year, the official warehouse on Lizhou West Road will increase the storage of grain by 1 million shi, reaching 3 million shi. In addition, the soldiers will go to Xixia, and 3 million will be allocated from the Sichuan General Command to Lizhou Rong. Secretary, the funds are earmarked for special use.”
The reason why he appointed Fan Zhong as the general commander of Sichuan and the transport envoy of Chengdu Road was also to ensure that the transportation of grain and grass was foolproof.
As for the use of the 3 million reserved for the soldiers who went to Xixia, after the Sichuan New Deal, it should be possible to achieve a balance of payments.
"Cui Qing, if the government's transportation capacity is insufficient, you can ask merchants to transport it, and the government will pay the fees. Just leave these matters to Fan Zhong, so don't bother yourself."
Seeing that Cui Yu looked troubled, Zhao Hong made suggestions for him and took the initiative to reduce the pressure.
Cui thanked him repeatedly.
The emperor appointed Fan Zhong and said he was assisting him, but in fact, he was already responsible for some things on his own. Although he was a little disappointed, he was also inexplicably more relaxed.
Speaking of which, in terms of military and political affairs, he actually struggled a lot and was not relaxed.
"Old husband, the country is prosperous, and there are a lot of things for you and me to do. You have to take care of your body and bones!"
Cui Yu is already over seventy years old. Although he has a long life in history, he is already old after all.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's grace. I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, and I am not a womanizer. I can still live for ten or eight years, and I can still share your Majesty's worries."
Looking at the thick pile of memorials on Zhao Hong's table, Cui Yu quickly stood up and left.
The emperor had many things to do every day, traveling thousands of miles back and forth from Jiangnan to Sichuan. Much harder than myself.
As for the implementation of the New Deal, there was Fan Zhong, an official, and new officials sent by the imperial court. All the "leading officials" of Sichuan scholar-bureaucrats were transferred away. The emperor has done so many things, and the rest is of course his duty.
"Cui Qing, just take these Korean ginseng, deer antlers and other nourishing things in case you need them in case of emergencies. I have brought a doctor with me to see you tomorrow and make sure you are healthy and live to be a hundred years old!"
Zhao Hong laughed, and Dong Songxia came up with a bunch of items.
"Your Majesty's grace, I will deeply appreciate it."
Cui Yu wanted to kneel down to thank him, but Zhao Hong stood up and stopped him.
"Cui Qing, go down and rest early."
He still understands the principle of respecting the elderly and loving the young. Many important events still happen to this veteran minister.
