Chen Chong pushed the door open and entered the hall. He first smelled the fragrance of oil, and then saw a bronze eagle-fish lamp standing in front of the door, and a lamp holding a cup for a palace lady in the hall. The lights of the two lamps were intertwined, and he saw a solitary person sitting beside the desk on the left. silhouette.
The change in light and darkness made Chen Chong feel a little dazed, but the man beside the case came to his senses. He looked at Chen Chong with the candlelight behind his back. He quickly stood up and walked towards the eagle fish lamp, revealing his thin appearance. It was Dong. Zhao. Dong Zhao slowly saluted Chen Chong and said, "I have met Duke Ming."
Chen Chong naturally knew Dong Zhao. In the early ten days of the month, Yao Gong had told him about arranging Dong Zhao's entry into the government, and Chen Chong also met Dong Zhao. At that time, Chen Chong didn't interfere too much with Dong Zhao. Firstly, he trusted Yao Gong, and secondly, he was busy with everything and had no energy to worry about it.
There was no one around at this time, so Chen Chong had time to take a good look at this new assistant: Dong Zhao was wearing a military robe, a silk scarf on his head, and only cloth socks on his feet, which was not an ordinary official dress. In addition, Dong Zhao has a thin face and a tall body. He is originally quite solemn, but his eyes are unprecedentedly childish, so he has a Taoist look.
After Chen Chong helped him up, he slowly asked him: "It's not yet Mao hour, why did Gongren come so early? Or did you stay in the house last night? Do you have many official duties?"
Dong Zhao looked directly at Chen Chong and responded with a smile: "How can Zhaoxin be so busy when he comes to the palace? He just teaches himself some things." He did stay in Sili's mansion all night, but this was because he was new here, so Yao Gong asked him to help with the calculations. Spring plowing was spent, and the rest of the time was spent in the government office looking through old documents to familiarize oneself with government affairs. Unexpectedly, he stayed all night last night.
Chen Chong followed him into the hall and saw that his desk was piled with documents. He casually took out a few volumes and flipped through them. There were actually account books for currency exchange and grain adjustment last year. Chen Chong asked Dong Zhao what he could gain from it. Dong Zhao pondered for a while and then talked about the use of Chen Chong's New Deal, the annual income and material use before and after the New Deal, and discussed the changes in the national finance over the past few years and future plans. Most of them were in line with Chen Chong's wishes.
But what impressed Chen Chong the most was not Dong Zhao's extraordinary conversation and careful thinking, but that when he talked about the account books and records, he didn't even look at them. It showed that he was familiar with the number of account books, which showed that he had made a lot of money. A lot of effort. In today's Sili Mansion, Yang Xiu is probably the only one with such wisdom, but after all, he is young and immature, and his behavior is far inferior to that of Dong Zhao.
Chen Chong admired Dong Zhao from the bottom of his heart, and couldn't help but consider whether to transfer him out of Zhizhong as his deputy. But considering that Dong Zhao's lack of qualifications made it difficult to convince the public, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. But when his mind changed, he suddenly remembered that Dong Zhao was born in the capital of Jizhou, and asked Dong Zhao, "What does Gongren think of the Wuhuan incident?"
Dong Zhao asked, "Please let me discuss it in detail, Ming Gong."
Chen Chong then listed the recent changes in the situation in Youzhou and the countermeasures he was considering, and asked Dong Zhao for his opinion. Dong Zhao lowered his head to consider, then shook his head slowly and said, "Ming Gong sent someone to appease me, but I'm afraid it won't be of much use."
"How to say?"
Dong Zhao replied: "The gap has become established, and it can no longer be solved by appeasement."
He then explained in detail to Chen Chong: Tadun was capricious. He first accompanied the imperial court to resist Xianbei, but the king's army was defeated. Then he supported the rebel Zhang Chun and fought against Gongsun Zan for several years. When the people's livelihood was in decline and the country's strength was exhausted, he ignored his old feelings and killed Zhang Chun anyway. So far, he has raised the flag of rebellion again and rebelled and surrendered as many as three times. The prestige of the imperial court has been lost. Moreover, Gongsun Zan was at fault in this rebellion. If the imperial court sent someone to appease him, Tadun would definitely propose to resign Gongsun Zan. If he resigned, who could the imperial court use to control Youzhou? If he cannot resign, even if Tadun temporarily appeases him, it will only be a truce for a few months and then fight again in autumn and winter.
This analysis can be said to be to the point, and it is no different from Chen Chong's worries. Chen Chong immediately asked: "In the interest of justice, is there any other strategy?"
Dong Zhao leaned his body back slightly, twirled his beard with his hand, and said: "Tsk, since comfort cannot be achieved, it is better for Ming Gong to make a decisive decision at the moment and use thunderbolt means to restore the power of heaven!"
"Reestablishing Tianwei?"
"The barbarians have been fearful of power and unethical since ancient times. The Ming Dynasty can still send people to appease Tadun publicly, but privately select a few brave and righteous men and hide them among the envoys. When they arrive at the royal court of Tadun, they can let these few The righteous men chose the right moment, rose up in rebellion, and beheaded Tadun in the Khan's tent. Once Tadun was dead, the envoys could take advantage of the situation, reduce Wuhuan to a small one, support one group, and destroy their stubbornness. The rebellion would be over. It’s settled quickly.”
Chen Chong closed his eyes for a moment and commented: "It's too dangerous."
Dong Zhao had a look of surprise in his eyes. He obviously didn't expect Chen Chong to comment like this, so he couldn't help but explain: "This plan may seem dangerous, but Ming Gong has a good reputation abroad and sent people to assassinate him. Tadun will not doubt it. In fact, it is a dangerous plan." The best strategy!"
Chen Chong did not answer the call. Now he is in the middle of the court. He has no decree to assist the government, but he is actually the prime minister. He has also implemented reforms and has not caused major chaos so far. He relies on his own integrity. Although others may criticize him for cherishing feathers, they also think that because of his reputation as a virtuous and upright person, he is unwilling to cause trouble on his own initiative. Although Dong Zhao's plan could quell the chaos, it could easily arouse suspicion among all parties in the court and China. The benefits were temporary, but the disadvantages were long-term. But this was not something Chen Chong could say clearly to Dong Zhao.
However, Dong Zhao proposed this plan, which reminded Chen Chong of the rumors about him in Wei County. Three years ago, Gongsun Zan supported Han Fu's son Han Chun to go south, and many people in Wei County tried to respond. It is said that Dong Gongren wrote letters by himself, pretending to have received secret reports, and arrested people in the county on charges of treason. They killed them without trial. He massacred sixteen tribes one after another, which frightened the whole county. Later, he claimed that he would only arrest the culprits and not the rest. After all, with this appeasement one by one, Wei County was finally pacified. The strategies used are the same as those used today. Words and deeds are expressions of the heart, and it can be seen that his character is not pure and good.
Thinking of this, Chen Chong asked Dong Zhao about the current situation of his family and any friends and acquaintances in Hebei. Dong Zhao replied that his family had been arranged in Yanzhou and was taken care of by his younger brother Dong Fang. Although he had lived in Hebei for many years, he did not have many close friends.
These words made Chen Chong feel disgusted. Dong Zhao was born in a wealthy family in Jiyin, so there was no problem in arranging his family here. But since he was promoted as Xiaolian, he has been in Hebei for several years. He has countless celebrities and heroes around him, so he has no friends and only a few friends.
Now that Dong Zhao said nothing, there were only two possibilities. One was that he was in the state capital and really never made friends. The other was that he was worried about his future and was afraid that the old affairs in Hebei would become a burden, so he did not dare to be honest. No matter what the intention is, it is enough to show how cold it is. At this point in the conversation, Chen Chong had given up the idea of promoting Dong Zhao.
The conversation came to an end. Just when Chen Chong was about to end his words and leave, Dong Zhao suddenly said: "I have a question in my mind for a long time. I have to meet Duke Ming today. I am not happy to express it. Can you please help me clarify my doubts?"
Chen Chong was a little surprised when he saw his sudden question. After all, he didn't look like someone who would disturb his lord. However, no one was listening at this time. He was also curious about what questions Dong Zhao would ask, so he continued the conversation that was supposed to end for a while and replied: "What questions does Gongren have?"
Dong Zhao couldn't help but feel a little nervous when talking about the important things in his heart. He took a few breaths softly and asked slowly: "Ming Gong assists the emperor. When you know the affairs of the court, the most difficult thing is to give rewards. If you don't do enough, you will lose. If people's hearts are indiscriminate, it will easily lead to chaos. Now the general has made several eastern expeditions, regained several states, and has killed more than 100,000 people. No rewards have been awarded yet. However, once you have made meritorious service, you must not refuse to reward it, otherwise you will inevitably be criticized by future generations. , Presumably Ming Gong would not act like this, but I don’t know, the general is already a very popular minister, how can Ming Gong reward him so that he can be convinced?"
After the words fell, the two looked at each other speechlessly, and the only sound in the room was the crackling sound of the candle burning quietly. Chen Chong didn't need to look at Dong Zhao's reaction to know that he looked extremely ugly now. He never thought that the first person to mention such a sensitive issue would be a Dongren who had just entered Sili Mansion.
After all, this matter not only involves himself, but also involves the emperor, Xuande, Jinyang Bafu, and even the political direction of the government and the opposition in the next ten or even twenty years. Therefore, both the government and the public avoided talking about this matter, planning to wait for the world to calm down before making long-term plans.
Chen Chong himself had the same attitude, so he remained silent for a moment, looked at Dong Zhao, slowly calmed down his mind, and then asked calmly: "Why does Gongren think so? Rewarding is a matter for the emperor, and this is not the case. The minister should ask."
His attitude had been made clear. Unexpectedly, Dong Zhao did not give up. He still stepped forward and whispered: "But Ming Gong is not an ordinary minister, and the general is a member of the imperial family. It is related to the country for hundreds of years. It is by no means a matter of not being able to interfere." fixed."
Dong Zhao paused for a moment, then continued: "If you say that you can't interfere, the emperor has already surrendered. Why does Ming Gong still hold the three positions alone and not return the government to the emperor?"
Regardless of Chen Chong's cold look, he made a sincere gesture and said: "I have observed that Duke Ming's troops are as powerful as lightning strikes and as powerful as fire. It can be seen that Duke Ming has long understood that the first thing to do is to do things quickly, not to mention that this matter is still the key point. , if the reward is not determined early, the status cannot be determined, and people in the world will look at it with suspicion, and chaos will naturally follow!"
There is nothing wrong with this statement, and it is exactly what most people think, but it is not Chen Chong's idea. He re-examined Dong Zhao and formally responded to his questions for the first time: "Gongren's idea is not unreasonable, but now that the country is seriously ill, selfishness in everything will lead to serious mistakes. The most urgent thing is to stabilize the government. If the emperor, I, and the general know each other and work together, there will be no chaos. Therefore, giving a reward is just a small matter."
Dong Zhao shook his head and said, "This is not common sense."
Chen Chong smiled slightly, stood up and said: "Governing a country is an extraordinary matter. Planning the country is naturally an extraordinary person and follows extraordinary principles. When Shang Yang raised a tree, the people of Qin were also suspicious, but as long as they keep their word, Then we can change the law and system, and make the weak easy to be strong, which is no different from what I am doing today."
After that, he pushed open the door and went out, leaving Dong Zhao alone in the house.
It was already daybreak, and the lights in the room seemed a bit redundant. Dong Zhao stood up and blew out the two lights, then sat back on his seat and looked at the morning light. After a moment of contemplation, Dong Zhao looked at the account books on the table, shook his head and smiled helplessly, and said to himself: "Chen Tingjian is talented, but he doesn't understand people's hearts, so I'm afraid he won't be able to achieve anything. .”
"If this method fails, then we can only test the attitudes of those two people."
