Early the next morning, Chen Chong woke up naturally from Xiaozhu. It was still dark outside and snowflakes were still flying. When he went out and looked up, the haze in the sky was still very heavy, and he didn't know how long it would continue to rain.
In a hurry, Chen Chong hurriedly put on a black robe, washed himself with hot water, wrapped himself in a cloak, took a bamboo umbrella, and went to the side compartment to wake up Wei Yan, Hu Zhen, and Dong Yue.
The three of them were all in a daze, and they didn't know what time it was. Seeing that the sky outside the door was still dark, they were reluctant to go out. It was only after Chen Chong's repeated urging that they finished dressing up. When they were about to set off, Chen Chong happened to bring back a few biscuits from a roadside stall, and the four of them ate separately and walked to Beique not far away.
When passing the palace gate, the gatekeeper Yu Linlang greeted Chen Chong. Wei Yan recognized him as Shi Tao and smiled: "Guangyuan, you are rich now." Shi Tao smiled and gave him a slap in the hand, and replied with a smile: "Of course. Don’t provoke me again, or I’ll catch you and send you to jail.”
The two joked for a while before Chen Chong stopped them and asked Shi Tao: "How many adults are here at the Shangshutai?"
Shi Tao shook his head and said: "Teacher is always the first to come, and today is no exception. There are also sixteen ministers and seven ministers who stayed in the palace to rest. The teacher may have to wait for two moments before he wants to open the palace. .”
"Two moments is not too much." Chen Chong answered, raised his eyes and looked around for a moment, and then asked: "Did Lu Fenwu stay in the palace last night?"
"The student didn't see him come out, and he asked about Gongwei. There was no movement in the East Palace. He must be still in the palace. Teacher, do you want to see him today?"
"Yes, his matter has been delayed for almost a month. With his frivolous temper, if it continues to be delayed, there will be many troubles. Speaking of which, he can be regarded as a loyal minister who saved the country. He has made great achievements twice and is both emotional and rational. No one should be treated badly." Having said this, he pointed his eyes at Shi Tao to Dong Yue and Hu Zhen behind him, and said: "Fortunately, all the people I wanted arrived yesterday, so let's make arrangements for this matter. "
Wei Yan listened at a loss, but Hu Zhen and Dong Yue had both participated in government affairs and already vaguely knew the arrangements for this trip.
The group of people bid farewell to Shi Tao and continued walking into the palace. Walk two hundred steps south, then turn right and pass the two attics. In front of you is the courtyard of Shangshutai. Chen Chong led them directly into the main hall where the meeting was held. There was no one in the hall yet, and no one even lit the candles. The dark hall seemed cold and empty. Chen Chong arranged for them to sit down at the tail seats on both sides, and went by himself. Take the fire sickle and light the candle first and then the charcoal fire. As soon as the fire lights up, the whole hall is filled with light and looks much brighter. Chen Chong sat on the left seat and took some documents and silently turned over them.
After a while, people came in one after another, including Yang Biao, the official of Guanglu, Sun Rui, the official of Jinwu, Xun You, the servant of the left minister, Zhong Yao, the servant of the right minister, Ma Rixi, the Taiwei, and Wang Yi of Dahonglu. , Guang Luxun Yang Hui, Shaofu Fu Wan, Da Si Nong Han Rong, Taichang Huang Wan, Hu Cao Shangshu Jian Yong, Situ Zhao Qi, Shi Cao Shangshu Sun Yan, Sikong Chunyu Jia, Yu Shi Zhongcheng Huangfu Li, San Gong Cao Shangshu Chen Qun, Jingzhao Yin Sima Fang, Weiwei Zhao Wen, host Cao Shangshu Wang Jing and others. Among them, Wang Yi, Yang Hui, Jian Yong, Chen Qun and others were promoted to Taiwan after the war. Chen Chong requested merit and reward for them, so that most of the ministers in China and the DPRK came from Bingzhou Prefecture.
Jianping General Dong Cheng and Fenwu General Lu Bu were the last to arrive. After they all took their seats, it happened to be two o'clock in the morning. The emperor slowly entered the stage accompanied by his sister Princess Wannian and walked to the side hall. There were only two rooms in the two halls. Separated by a wall, they will listen to the discussions between China and North Korea.
When Chen Chong saw that everyone had arrived, he put down his papers and stood up. He slowly said to everyone: "Today's meeting is the same as the last meeting. We are still discussing the expedition against the moth thieves." After saying this, he paused for a moment and said, Looking at the faces of Ma Rixi, Huang Wan, Wang Jing and others, he recalled the last court meeting and said: "Four days ago, when I mentioned this matter, Ma Gong, Huang Gong and others thought that the affairs in Kansai had not yet been settled, and the situation in Kanto was unknown. Make plans after detailed planning. I also agree with this, so I have been thinking broadly in the past few days and have gained something."
Before Chen Chong could continue, Ma Rixi interrupted: "Chen Jun is wrong. What I mean is that the country's most urgent problem is still the cold. The world has been suffering from the cold for a long time. First there was Qiang chaos, and then there was the Han Dynasty. Ma, Dong Zhuo is also causing chaos in the capital. Although Chen Jun defeated the thieves in the south of the city and drove the enemy to Lianshui, there are more than ten thousand thieves left. If they collude with Han Ma and connect the Qiang and Di in the south, won't they become a big problem? In this way, then Xijing is in danger. Although the moth thieves are powerful, they are just a handicap. Although the Liang people are defeated, they are a thorn in their side. How can we send troops to Guandong before regaining Liangzhou? "
As soon as they finished speaking, Chun Yujia, Zhao Qi, Dong Cheng and others all nodded in agreement. They believed in the natural security of Hangu Pass and were indifferent to the affairs of Guandong. However, they only remembered the horrific scene of the Liang people's siege. , Therefore, although he has no intention of going against Chen Chong, he is willing to agree with Ma Rixi's proposal.
Chen Chong thought clearly about this. He asked Wei Yan, who was sitting at the end of the table, to come forward and inform everyone of the latest news that Xuzhou had fallen, Tao Qian was dead, and Liaodong Gongsundu had surrendered to Linzi. At the end, Wei Yan followed Chen Chong's previous instructions and said specifically: "When Cao Cao learned that I came to the capital to ask for help, he repeatedly warned me that the moth thieves are not what they used to be. If the imperial court does not send reinforcements, the survival of Yanzhou will be difficult to come."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Since August, the Chang'an court has been busy stabilizing order and rebuilding political governance. Only Chen Chong knew about the war in Guandong. Chen Chong only got the news about the fall of Xuzhou ten days ago, but he waited until Wei Yan came to the capital before he came here. when thrown.
"If even Yanzhou falls, do you dare to ask Chen Qing, can Henan still be defended?" After hearing this, the emperor in the side hall also sent Huang Menlang to ask questions.
Chen Chong replied: "Our army is in danger of eight passes and cannot be lost suddenly. However, if we allow the traitor army to behave like this, the people of Guandong will definitely not follow it. If the Central Plains are unified at a moment's notice, the traitor army will be uncontrollable and the foundation of the Han Dynasty will be seriously damaged." .”
At this point, it would be unwise to stop the Eastern Expedition. Ma Rixi immediately kept silent, but Shaofu Fuwan asked: "It's just that the thieves are so powerful. If we want to quell them, we will need a lot of troops. If we send out a large number of troops, one will lose the national strength, and the other will destroy the capital." "Empty, doesn't this give Liang people an opportunity to take advantage of? This is a serious matter, so we must act with caution."
Chen Chong nodded and said with a smile: "What Mr. Fu said is exactly what I planned."
He waited for everyone to look at him, and then said slowly: "This year, merging all the states to rescue them will greatly damage the people's strength. If we send troops to march eastward next year, we will probably only have 40,000 troops, and no more. With this, although we can march eastward, If we are not defeated, we may not be able to win. Therefore, in the name of the imperial court, I plan to send an edict to Jizhou, Youzhou, Yuzhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou to send reinforcements and materials to each of them. Combined with the material resources of Guandong, led by the general, I will rescue Yanzhou and conquer Linzi. .”
When Situ Zhao Qi heard this, he said with some surprise: "If it can work, it will be a clever plan. But there is such a melee in Guandong, Yuan Benchu and Gongsun Zan are still fighting, Yuan Gongli is attacking Huainan, Zhang Ziyun is invading Wuling, and trying to get them to send troops to help is tantamount to How can they respond if they are in chaos?"
Chen Chong said: "What Mr. Zhao said is reasonable, so I think that if you want to send troops to Guandong, you must first stop the war in Guandong. Therefore, the imperial court should send people with high moral character and respect to be sent to the states to help the princes fight and stop their troops, and then the common people can Cut Qingxu. How about it?"
"That's a good idea, but who is this highly virtuous person?"
"The right ones are Duke Zirou, Duke Qing and Uncle Weng." Chen Chong's intention was to have Zhao Wen appease Yuan Shu and serve as the shepherd of Yangzhou, Zhao Qi to mediate Yuan Shao Gong Sun Zan, and Ma Rixi to mediate Liu Biao and Zhang Jin.
Zhao Wen, Zhao Qi, Ma Rixi and others were all shocked when they heard this, but after careful consideration, Zhao Wen had no objection, while Zhao Qima, Rixiye wanted to refuse. He also heard that Chen Chong said: "Since Emperor Huan, I have been under the control of the party. His reputation is greater than the rest of the world, and he is the only one who has survived in the world. And Yuan Benchu has always regarded himself as the leader of the eunuchs, and he will not dare to treat the party's famous officials badly. If he goes to Jizhou to fight the battle, who else can he do except Zhao Gong? "
"And Ma Gong is a grandson of a great Confucian family, a famous scholar in Confucianism, and Liu Jingsheng is one of the eight heroes, so he will not be rude. Ma Gong also has an old relationship with General He, and Zhang Ziyun is his old subordinate, so he will not be disrespectful. The trip to Jingzhou , and who will he give up his horse?"
For this reason, if Ma Rixi and Zhao Qi did not accept the appointment, it would appear that they did not care about the court. They had no choice but to swallow their words of refusal and said: "In that case, I am willing to make this trip."
After talking about the arrangements for Guandong, Chen Chong returned to the arrangements for Guanxi: "As for the Liang people, we really must consider it. It's just that the mountains and valleys in Longban cannot be pacified in a hurry, so we need to take a long-term approach. The most urgent task is to collect the scattered Liang people. People, strengthen the defense of the three auxiliaries."
He asked Dong Yue and Hu Zhen to come forward and tell them to recruit the remaining troops and defend Yixian County. This appointment once again caused an uproar. All the previous ministers strongly opposed it and said: "Liang people are untrustworthy. If they do it again If you rebel, you will bring trouble to the capital again!" The voice of criticism was so loud that Dong Yue and Hu Zhen, two eight-foot-tall men, couldn't help but bend down and lower their heads, not daring to look directly at others.
But Chen Chong remained calm. He clapped his hands to signal for everyone to be silent and said, "Of course I am more than making these arrangements." Then he turned to look at Lu Bu, who was staring at him, and said, "Fenwu has come to the table many times before. I hope that the other side of the town will follow my instructions." Seeing this, I appointed Fenwu to guard Liangzhou, accept the orders of Liangzhou Mu, and also take charge of the affairs of the Western Region Protector, how about that?"
After Lu Bu recovered from his injuries, he knew that he had no hope of ruling the central government, so he kept asking for help from other towns, but Chen Chong kept delaying, and the two sides were not happy. At this time, an appointment suddenly came down. Lu Bu was overjoyed, and immediately stood up and said: "Put down the rebellion. This is what Bu hopes, if he can win Zhenliangzhou, Bu will do his best to serve the dogs and horses!"
As soon as this appointment was made, the original controversy disappeared. Xun You had been watching without saying a word. At this time, he couldn't help but admire in his heart: What a brilliant strategy! Lu Bu hated the Liang people deeply, so if he was sent as the general to conquer Liang, there would be no fear of defection. And once Lu Bu leaves, there will undoubtedly be fewer ministers in the palace who can speak out against Chen Chong. It can be said that he kills two birds with one stone without losing any blood.
Chen Chong smiled and said: "It's just not enough to defend Liangzhou with just recruiting troops. Fenwu, in addition to your old troops, I can also transfer to you the more than 10,000 Northern troops who previously defended the city. How about it?"
Lu Bu naturally agreed with all his heart. Only Dong Cheng hesitated for a moment and asked, "If the Northern Army is transferred to Fenwu, what will happen to the defense of the capital?"
"There is no need to worry about Jianping. By next month, the general will come to the capital to discuss the Eastern Expedition. At the same time, he will also rebuild the Northern Army, which will not affect the safety of the capital."
At this point, no one has any reason to object anymore, and this is the end of China and North Korea. But many people are thinking: Chen Tingjian spent two months planning, first promoted his official office to Taiwan, and now drove all the opposition to Chang'an. With the Northern Army's military power in hand, he can really say that he has taken over all the power in the DPRK and China. But are things in the world really as easy as he planned?
Chen Chong didn't think about this. He waited for everyone to leave, and was responsible for entering the palace to give lectures to the emperor. When the emperor saw him coming in, he quickly sent his attendants out. He first saluted Chen Chong as a disciple, and then asked him: "Sir, are you still teaching history today?" Lecture?"
Chen Chong nodded and said: "Yes, history is the foundation of the classics, and the classics are the end of history. Teaching history is teaching the classics. If your majesty can be familiar with historical events, there is no need for me to teach the classics."
The two of them sat down and talked, and time seemed to flow like water.
