In the late autumn afternoon, with a soft golden breeze, in the Xingyuan Mansion Yamen Back Garden, in a pavilion on the shore shaded by green trees, Zhao Hong was lost in thought looking at the green water of the lake.
There are willows on the shore, birds are chirping on the high branches, a breeze blows, the lake surface sparkles, microwaves appear, the reflections of the buildings and trees sway, and the scenery is beautiful.
However, no one in the pavilion paid attention to this at this moment. Everyone was looking at Zhao Hong's back, cautiously, with different thoughts.
Finally, Zhao Hong turned around and sat on the chair in the pavilion, his face calm, as if nothing happened.
Only his slightly trembling hands revealed the anger in his heart.
Despite efforts to govern, the anti-corruption yamen followed up, but corruption still continued, and this time it also spread to the military.
Yang Dayuan, the ruler of Taozhou, deducted the pay of his Tibetan officers and soldiers, and privately laid off the soldiers to eat up their pay, totaling more than 50,000 guan. He also occupied more than 200 hectares of fertile farmland from local people.
Yang Dayuan's elder brother Yang Daquan also served as the commander of Zhangye County on Hexi Road. Moreover, the two Yang brothers had a special status. They were not only local tycoons of the Tianshui Army, but also close friends of Cao Youwen, the governor of Xixia Road, and Cao Youwan, the governor of Lizhou East Road. Cao Youwen promoted them all the way and regarded them as confidants.
Xu Zihui, grandson of Xu Xuan, minister of Dali Temple, general of Xingyuan Mansion on Lizhou East Road, grain and grass officer of Jinzhou, graduate of the first phase of Jinling Academy. In just two years since he took office, there have been tens of thousands of crimes committed.
Wang Kui, the commander of Lizhou East Road, guarded Yangzhou. He also arbitrarily deducted the soldiers' pay and stole more than 100,000 pieces of armor and weapons to the Jin Kingdom.
Fortunately for Xu Zihui, Wang Kui and Yang Dayuan were both generals with thousands of soldiers under their command. At this time, it was the eve of the battle with the Mongolian army. What happened was really a headache.
In the past, corruption among civilian officials has now spread to the military.
Moreover, they are all generals who have direct contact with pay.
"Did brothers Lu Wende, Cao Youwen, Yu Jie, and Wang Jian, the frontier army commanders, violate the law?"
Recalling that Lu Wende was famous in history for his corruption and nepotism, Zhao Hong subconsciously asked.
If something happens to these generals, then the future war will be...
Zhao Hong's face darkened unconsciously.
Everyone has desires, and corruption cannot be eliminated. But what shocked him was that, while we were still in the war era, the military had already begun to become corrupt.
Aren't they afraid that the strict laws and ruthless military law will cause heads to fall off their necks?
"Your Majesty gave you many rewards and gave you many instructions. Yu Jie and Cao You heard nothing happened, and they often helped the officers and people under your command. They have a high prestige in the army."
Seeing Zhao Hong's eyes looking over him, which was so cold, Zhou Ping quickly continued.
"Lu Wende only accepted some small things, such as wine, meat, tea, etc., which only cost a few hundred guan. I guess he couldn't save his face. Cao Youwan promoted military generals privately. Although he did not accept bribes, his nepotism was extremely harmful. That Yangzhou Commander Wang Kui was dismissed for embezzling military pay. Two years later, he was brought up again by Cao Youwan, making a big mistake. As for Wang Jian, he married two more concubines, but nothing has been found to be wrong."
Zhou Ping's words made Zhao Hong frown slightly.
He has always used high rank and generous gifts to reward officials and generals for their merits and prevent them from corruption. Now it seems that it still works.
As for the corruption of officials and generals, no one is perfect and everyone is different. He cannot require all generals to be like Fan Zhong and Yu Jie, who care about the world and the people's livelihood. But you can't break the law, that's the bottom line.
"How did you find out about Wang Kui?"
Zhao Hong asked curiously.
Speaking of which, he seldom asked about the specific personnel of the Intelligence Department and how they did things, and he had no time to do so. He was relieved about Zhou Ping.
His eldest son Zhao Quan, Zhou Ping's nephew, is now seven years old and studying at Zishan Hall, and may go to Jinling Martial Arts Hall in the future. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be promoted to prince and will succeed him in the future.
As for the Zhou family, they will also be rich and powerful.
"Your Majesty, our 40,000-strong army will be deployed in Yangzhou, and all armor, weapons, firearms, food and grass, etc. will be inspected. Wang Kui's generous spending has attracted the attention of the Intelligence Department. When Your Majesty came to Hanzhong, Wang Kui knew that he would reveal his flaws. He escaped in advance. Some people saw him escaping from Ziwu Road, so he probably either surrendered the money or surrendered to the Tatars."
Zhou Ping was a little embarrassed. Although the general was found to be corrupt, this guy still escaped.
"Your Majesty, now that the war is imminent, the Tatar army may not be long before they go south to fight with our army. In order to avoid unstable military morale, it is better to wait until after the war to deal with all the crimes. The officials involved in the case will send people. Just keep a close eye on them so as not to worry about them escaping."
Zhang Jin, head of the Sichuan Anti-Corruption Department, whispered advice from the side.
Dealing with generals before a war, and they are all high-ranking officers, may cause panic and even affect the war situation.
"Your Majesty, Cao Youwan is the commander-in-chief of Lizhou East Road, and his brother Cao Youwen is the commander-in-chief of Xixia Road. The old generals under his two brothers are all over the northwest border. It is better to appease the morale of the army and wait until after the war to deal with Cao Youwan as Zhang Jin said. It’s never too late for everyone to wait.”
Zhou Ping also followed suit and persuaded softly.
If Lu Wende and Cao Youwan were replaced due to trivial matters, the morale of the army would inevitably be weakened.
"Don't worry. Lu Wende and Wang Jian, I will give them a beating. As for Cao Youwan and other three generals who committed crimes, they must be severely punished. You don't even think about it. You are all focused on making money. How can you still fight wars and order soldiers? ?”
Lu Wende and Wang Jian are just having a small fight now, and there is no serious crime. Maybe they are not aware of it. Knocking it in time to wake it up is the best method at present.
As for Cao Youwan, Wang Kui had been dismissed because of corruption, and was promoted because of Cao Youwan. He really didn't believe that Cao Youwan had no idea about this.
Zhao Hong glanced at Zhou Ping and nodded appreciatively.
"Your Anti-Corruption Department has done a good job. You punish past mistakes to avoid future ones, treat illnesses and save lives. You must investigate and deal with corrupt people in accordance with the law to prevent these things from happening."
The Intelligence Department deserves a lot of credit for being able to trace it so carefully.
I don’t know what is happening to those lurkers in the North now?
"Your Majesty, as the saying goes, wealth should not be exposed. Salaries are distributed by the imperial court to various military commanders, and then to the commanders. Salaries are paid out every three months, which is 70,000 to 80,000 guan at a time. Who wouldn't be tempted? If the salary is paid directly In the hands of soldiers and their families, it may not be easy for the general to be greedy."
Dong Songchen said softly from the side.
Pay and silver will be sent directly to the soldiers and their families!
Zhao Hong looked at Dong Songchen, and after a while of surprise, he laughed.
Not only can salaries be paid directly to soldiers and their families, but the same can be done to officials as well. In this way, it would be much more difficult for extremely greedy people like Hu Ju and Wang Kui to be greedy.
Banks, don’t they solve everything?
I am so obsessed with the authorities, why did I forget about the bank?
But is now the time to think about banks?
"Your Majesty, Cao Youwan and Chen Longzhi are here with Wang Shixian himself."
"Your Majesty, Cao Youwen, Lu Wende and Yu Jie are all here."
The guards came in one after another to report, and Zhao Hong couldn't help but be slightly startled.
This Wang Shixian, the commander-in-chief of an army and the leader who "traitored his country for glory", actually came to meet him in person, which shows the sincerity of this man.
"The guilty minister Wang Shixian and his two dogs came to see me, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty!"
Wang Shixian and his two young sons knelt down and saluted together, their faces full of shock and surprise.
Obviously, he did not expect that sending his two sons to the Song Dynasty as hostages would be personally received by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
The Emperor of the Song Dynasty came to the northwest border in person, and it seemed that he was going to take charge in person and fight the Tatar army.
"Get up. Wang Shixian, you have read poetry and books, and are deeply immersed in Chinese culture. You are already one of my Chinese subjects. This time you have surrendered to the Song Dynasty. I am very happy and will not treat you badly!"
Zhao Hong said warmly, and Wang Shixian quickly took his sons and kowtowed again.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Get up. You brought the two young masters here, aren't you here to ask for a reward?"
Zhao Hong made a joke and laughed.
These two teenagers were only eleven or twelve years old, and Wang Shixian was very considerate in his work.
"Your Majesty, I have heard about the name of the Jinling Martial Arts Hall for a long time and know that the people who come out of it are all pillars of the country. I am bold and want to let my two dogs go to the Jinling Martial Arts Hall for training. Please forgive me!"
Wang Shixian quickly came up with an idea and said respectfully.
"Wang Shixian, the two young masters are young. After the autumn and winter wars are over, let them go to Jinling University to study first, and then to Jinling Martial Arts Hall for further study. What do you think?"
This is not about asking his son to enter the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall, but clearly letting him feel at ease and using his son as a pledge.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Wang Shixian felt relieved and quickly saluted.
During the autumn and winter battles, Zhao Hong came in person, and the Song army was indeed well prepared. This also made him feel relieved that he would no longer have to face the front of the Tatar army.
"Your Majesty, General Cao Youwen's two sons are also the sons of General Yu Jieyu. The three of them are going to Jinling for a tour. Why not let the two Wang Gongzi go to Jinling with them for a tour and come back when the war is over. "
Dong Songchen played softly from the side.
Zhao Hong was slightly startled. It seemed that Dong Songchen was pretending to be a public servant for personal gain again on the "publicly funded tour".
"Dalang, Erlang, why don't you thank me quickly?"
Before Zhao Hong could speak, Wang Shixian was already urging him urgently.
Cao Youwen and Yu Jie were both feudal officials and the favorite generals of the Song Emperor, commanding tens of thousands of troops. It will definitely be beneficial and harmless for the sons to travel with their young masters and make acquaintances.
"Wang Shixian, don't rush the two children. It depends on whether they want to travel."
Zhao Hong got off the donkey and said warmly.
Let these young people travel to Jinling, and the new environment may help them find the direction of life earlier.
"Your Majesty, I do!"
"Your Majesty, I do!"
Wang Zhongchen and Wang Dechen's faces turned red and they spoke out one after another.
Young people, who doesn’t want to go out and play, and it is the rumored famous city of Jinling.
"Young people are the future of the country."
Zhao Hong nodded, and the imperial army took Wang Shixian's sons down.
"Wang Shixian, I don't want to use your sons as hostages. In that case, you are too underestimated. I have this confidence."
Zhao Hong smiled slightly, his domineering aura leaking out.
"I don't dare. Your Majesty's civil and martial arts skills, your Majesty does not need to do this, and there is no need to do this."
Wang Shixian said with a smile.
"I like young people. From them, I can see the hope of the country. Therefore, I hope that they can all become talented. One generation in ten years, three or five generations later, they will be able to change this era and jointly build a strong Central Plains Dynasty.”
Zhao Hong looked at the stunned Wang Shixian and patted his shoulder affectionately, which was also his habitual action.
"Wang Qing, since you have surrendered, I will not hide it from you. After you return, immediately strengthen the wall and clear the country. Our northwest frontier army will march eastward later, and then we will march into Shaanxi and seize the land of Shaanxi in one fell swoop."
Zhao Hong said seriously, and Wang Shixian was shocked.
From this point of view, the Song army was already prepared to fight the Mongolian army on the northwest border.
"Wang Qing, the news about my arrival in Hanzhong and the army's eastward march must not be leaked. These are military secrets."
Zhao Hong gave instructions seriously.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I know the priorities."
Wang Shixian said solemnly.
These military and national affairs are nothing but child's play. Naturally, he will not reveal them to others.
If nothing else, he had to worry about the lives of his two sons.
However, Zhao Hong was so frank, which also made him feel at ease. Those words "country" and "hope" made his heart heat up.
Emperor Qin, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Tang Zong, Song Zu, and Genghis Khan all looked down upon him, but he was impressed by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
"Wang Qing, you go down and rest first, I have other things to deal with. Let's have dinner together in the evening, and you and I will discuss it in detail."
Zhao Hong said warmly, and Wang Shixian quickly retreated.
"Dong Songchen, you are really smart. In the future, it is better not to make opinions on these matters, just speak frankly. Am I a foolish king who can't get enough of you?"
Zhao Hong put on a serious face and warned his favorite.
"Your Majesty, forgive me. Chen Longzhi, Mr. Chen, was worried that you were soft-hearted, so he warned this slave. I wanted to appease the ministers, and was also worried that Wang Shixian was pretending to surrender, so I thought of using a proton to appease Wang Shixian."
Dong Songchen quickly knelt down and fell to the ground.
"Chen Longzhi is really ruthless! Get up and speak out in the future. There is nothing to shy away from!"
Zhao Hong shook his head and continued to ask:
"Are the descendants of those generals coming? Don't tell me, you are just being mysterious, right?"
"Your Majesty, it is indeed true. In addition to Cao Youwen's son and Yu Jie's son, there are also the children of Wang Jian, Ma Zhong and others. The children of Lu Wende and Cao Youwan are too young, so they are not included in the invitation."
Dong Songchen quickly reported the matter of "tourism at public expense" in detail.
"Okay! It's not easy for the generals in the northwest frontier. In this case, let the commander and the generals' descendants above, who are of suitable age, regardless of men and women, arrange a trip to Jinling. Let the imperial army protect them and eat and drink along the way. They have to be taken care of when they have fun. If their family members want to accompany them, they are welcome and welcome."
"I obey your decree! Your Majesty is wise!"
Dong Songchen smiled happily and quickly accepted the order.
The emperor's vision was much broader than his.
Zhao Hong paused and thought for a moment before continuing:
"Let Cui Yuyu and Cao Youwen come in."
