Time flies like an arrow, time flies, and time slowly enters the late autumn of the first year of the great cause. The Double Ninth Festival has just passed, and the majestic Daxing Palace has gorgeous colorful ribbons hanging on the eaves and palace lanterns. Golden chrysanthemums can be seen everywhere, and the noisy atmosphere remains everywhere.
In the evening, the night of Ganlu Hall was low, and the lanterns were first turned on, and the lights were bright. Yang Guang was sitting behind a desk, holding a brush dipped in cinnabar red ink to draw outlines, and concentrating on reviewing each memorial.
Prince Yang Zhao stood aside respectfully. The fat he had gained in the winter had lost a lot of weight after a summer of exercise and running in all weathers.
Yang Guang saw his efforts and admired his fat son's tenacity. Not only did he allow his son to continue to serve as the internal historian, but he also allowed his son to form a new East Palace Ten Rates based on his own bodyguards; Shi leads more than 20,000 elite soldiers and military generals, who will be his son's team in the army in the future.
Yang Zhao lived up to his father's expectations and performed these two positions with great success.
After Yang Guang finished reviewing a memorial, his tough face couldn't help but frown deeply. Since the founding of the Sui Dynasty, he and the late emperor had been able to work late at night and work late at night. However, for some reason, the world was experiencing constant disasters, such as severe drought in the north or fires in the Huai River and Yellow River basins.
When a flood comes, dozens of states will be submerged at every turn, with victims everywhere.
A few days ago, there were heavy snowfalls and hailstorms in the northern parts of Yongzhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou in the hot summer, causing all the crops in the farmland to be destroyed. If nothing else goes wrong, the disaster-stricken areas will have no income this year. Not only will the imperial court not receive taxes, but it will also provide money and food to relieve the victims.
When the news reached Yang Guang's ears, the joy that the new capital was about to be completed suddenly disappeared.
Yang Guang threw the memorial in his hand aside and said coldly: "The memorial from Li Zixiong, the general manager of Youzhou, urging for ordnance and military rations, has been sent to me. How do the Shangshu Province and the Council do things?"
After Dong/Tujue and Tuyuhun were weakened by Yang Ji and Yang Liang's rebellion was suppressed, Yang Guang set his sights on the northeast and devoted himself to strengthening Youzhou's military power. It’s not that he has to attack any country or tribe in the northeast; it’s because he considers the security of the new capital:
Due to the population explosion and other reasons, the food produced in Guanzhong was in short supply. In order to solve the problem of the people in Guanzhong living in Luoyang due to the small land area, the late emperor dredged rivers and built water conservancy projects in Guanzhong. The opening of the Guangtong Canal has indeed enabled an endless supply of Dongliang and Nanliang to arrive in Guanzhong. However, due to the huge transportation costs of long-distance grain, the price of grain has not actually dropped; the reason why the people eat at low prices of eastern grain and southern grain, but that was at the expense of the imperial court's annual losses. How could the imperial court afford it in the long run?
Therefore, purely from the perspective of food, the capital must be moved. Only in this way can the large number of garrison troops, officials, and their families who are not engaged in production be directed to Luoyang, which has convenient transportation and short transportation lines, so as to reduce the burden on the court.
However, the economy of Guanzhong is indeed not self-sufficient, but it has the strength of Weihan and the danger of mountains and rivers, so it can attack when advancing and defend when retreating. But this is something that Luoyang cannot possess.
During the August 5th Rebellion of the Jin Dynasty, foreign armies penetrated Bingzhou and marched their troops to the gates of Luoyang City, which shocked the world. This also showed that Luoyang had an inherent disadvantage in terms of defense. But now, no matter from the perspective of economy, politics, military, governance of the world, etc., the capital must be moved to Luoyang.
However, the land between Luoyang and Hebei in the north is vast and flat. If a war suddenly breaks out in the northeast, Xindu will be affected immediately. Once the Hebei army fails to respond properly, the enemy can ride directly across the Yellow River and kill Luoyang when the Yellow River is frozen. Therefore, only by ensuring that Youzhou, the very critical northern gate, is foolproof, can Hebei and the Central Plains be worry-free.
However, since the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the focus of the imperial court's defense has been on the Turks and Tuyuhun in the north and northwest. It owes Youzhou too much historical debt. Military-related roads, as well as various fortresses and castles must be renovated and rebuilt, and the army must be reorganized. and layout.
"Aye! Manager Li's memorial is more important, so he copied two copies. There is one copy each for the Shangshu Province and the Assembly Hall. The one you are looking at is the original." Yang Zhao cupped his hands and said: "At this moment, both the Shangshu Province and the Assembly Hall are discussing This matter."
Yang Guang's expression softened slightly and he asked, "Shiming, what did you think about it?"
Yang Zhao understood that his father was testing him, so he quickly said: "Ah, the military situation in Youzhou is so fierce that there is no need to delay, and there is a snow disaster. I think that first let Uncle Teng and Uncle Dao prepare a response in Yanzhou and Jizhou, and Uncle Dao in Qingzhou." Military food, military equipment, and disaster relief materials can be sent northward by land or sea as long as the imperial court orders them."
"This is the old way, but!" Yang Guang nodded, and then said to Yang Zhao: "Who is on duty in the meeting hall tonight?"
According to customization, a prime minister is on duty at the official office of the Imperial City Council every night to deal with emergencies.
Yang Zhao said: "It is Xiao Xiangguo, but because the capital is about to be moved and there are many complicated things, King Ande also stayed."
Yang Guang said: "Discuss this matter with them and listen to their opinions."
"My child, please leave!" Yang Zhao bowed and slowly withdrew. When he arrived at the gate of Ganlu Hall, Yang Guang glanced at the next memorial and suddenly said: "Don't go. Send someone to call you two to discuss the matter." .”
"Here!" Yang Zhao exited the hall, ordered a chamberlain to go to the imperial city to convey the order, and then returned to the hall.
Yang Guang ignored him and looked at the memorial in his hand seriously. His eyelids raised, his face was filled with anger, and he said coldly: "He is a soldier during the day and a bandit at night. He robs homes and houses and commits all kinds of evil. What a great soldier of the Sui Dynasty!"
This is a memorial written by Xiao Jue, Minister of the Ministry of War. Since the capital is about to be moved, too many people's interests are involved, and the army and other things have to be redeployed. Therefore, Yang Guang ordered officials from the Ministry of War to conduct overt and covert inspections at military mansions in various places, so that he could investigate the situation in the north. Fu Bing has a detailed understanding.
However, Xiao Jue's general memorial made Yang Guangda furious. He knew that the military mansion was very dark; the "credit" of the darkness lay with the hussars and chariot generals of the military mansion.
The hussar generals and chariot generals are either the children of the Guanlong nobles, or their disciples, old officials, and family generals... It is precisely because of this that the Sui Dynasty soldiers are almost single-handedly controlled by the Guanlong nobles. This is also the most important thing for the Guanlong nobles. The horror.
When the late emperor was still alive, he said that the army was the top priority of the Sui Dynasty. In order to nationalize the military power, the best way was to divide the Guanlong nobles from top to bottom. As long as they fought among themselves, some cancers would be exposed, and The imperial court can follow the general trend and cut them off one by one. When they are almost done fighting, the military reform will be almost completed. It's just that the Guanlong nobles are not fools, so they must be cautious, cautious, and cautious again. Never act too hastily. They can only cut off bit by bit instead of doing it all.
If they take full action, the Guanlong nobles may join forces to counterattack. Such consequences are beyond the Sui Dynasty's ability to bear.
Yang Guang always kept his father's words in mind, so he endured it, but he never expected that local officials were so lawless that they became "soldiers by day and bandits by night."
"If you want to reorganize the army, you must first remove the rotten flesh of the Guanlong nobles in the army, and the Guanlong nobles must not tamper with it..." Thinking of this, Yang Guang let out a long sigh like a deflated rubber ball, and continued After reading this shocking memorial, I silently thought: "If Yu Wenshu plans to come back, he may be allowed to inspect military offices in various places and clean up the incompetent people in the army. If he is truly serving the country and cutting off the rotten flesh in the army, let alone being reinstated." The position is just to confer a prime minister, so why not?"
From the first year of Renshou, Yang Guang took over the duties of emperor on Yang Jian's behalf, and gradually took over the Twelve Guards and other Beijing troops through the former ten generals of the East Palace. However, the forces in the Guanlong aristocratic army were still intertwined, and Yang Guang also found a breakthrough. , that is, Yang Su, Shi Wansui, Yu Wenshu and other prestigious people used their prestige to intimidate the Guanlong nobles.
However, Shi Wansui and Yu Wenshu themselves were members of the Guanlong nobles, and Yang Suzhen could also be considered a Guanlong noble. Therefore, although they cut off a lot of carrion, they also promoted people they admired; so including The army, including the Twelve Guards, was still dominated by the Guanlong nobles.
Change the soup but not the dressing.
It is far from the purity Yang Guang wants.
Xiao Jue's memorial made Yang Guang more and more bored as he read it. He simply stopped reading and picked up another memorial. On it was the inscription "Li Changya, the Governor of Yong Dynasty, would like to memorialize this memorial." Yang Guang felt a little curious.
This brother-in-law had been dormant for several years. After his comeback, he actually changed from the lazy celebrity demeanor of the past and started doing things down-to-earth. He became a steady and good official with a selfless demeanor.
After Yang Guang planned to move the capital, he would move Li Changya to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and let him study under Niu Hong for a year. Then he would become a governor. After figuring out the ways and means of local officials to deceive superiors and subordinates, he would then return to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to serve as subordinates. Prepare to refresh the official administration in one step.
Yang Guang picked up Li Changya's memorial and read it. He pondered for a moment, his face was clouded and his eyes were cold.
The Yuan family colluded with the bandit Zhang Zhongjian to murder the Ba Shang Cao Gang. In order to annex the Xuanwu Gang, they intercepted the official grain ships carried by the Xuanwu Gang in the Yellow River, intending to force the other party to submit by burning the official grain. This Yuan clan is simply lawless and damned!
Yang Guang was already very angry with the Guanlong nobles because of the affairs of the Northern Military Government. The publication of this memorial was tantamount to adding fuel to the fire!
Just at this time, Changqiu Supervisor Yang An entered the palace, bowed and saluted and said: "Sage, Xiangguo Xiao and King Ande are already waiting for the order outside the palace."
Yang Guang said in a deep voice: "Xuan."
At this time, Xiao Cong and Yang Xiong walked into the palace and each saluted Yang Guang and his son: "I have seen the saint and the prince."
"Ping Shen." Yang Guang put down the memorial and said calmly.
Xiao Cong glanced at Yang Guang and saw that his face was as dark as water and he looked uncertain. He raised his hands and asked, "Is the saint worried about Youzhou's military?"
Yang Xiong thought for a while and then raised his hands and said: "Sage, the Jizhou army that was ordered to move to Youzhou has arrived in Youzhou. As for the military rations and ordnance mentioned by General Manager Li, I and Xiao Xiangguo think that we can let Jizhou, Yanzhou and Qingzhou supply them first. You can just add it in the future. Saint, please take care of your dragon body so as not to worry too much."
Yang Xiong's statement was the same as Yang Zhao's suggestion. Yang Guang nodded when he heard the words. He glanced at the two prime ministers and said in a deep voice: "Border affairs and border troubles are nothing to worry about. As long as the emperors and ministers of our Sui Dynasty work together and work together, I am not afraid of appointing one country or one clan. However, the internal troubles within our Sui Dynasty are like ants in rotting wood. Even the majestic buildings may not be able to withstand the gnawing day and night."
Xiao Cong didn't know what Yang Guang meant, so he said with relief: "Sage, the imperial court is about to move its capital. Once the imperial court stabilizes, the ants and thieves in the territory will be nothing more than scabies. As soon as the officers and soldiers arrive, they will definitely disintegrate the ice."
"Scabies?" Yang Guang said with a cold smile: "People say that Liangzhou has poor mountains and harsh waters and many unruly people. Some even say that Liangzhou is infested with bandits and horse thieves are everywhere. However, since the Silk Road was restarted, I, the Sui Dynasty business traveler, all It is praised that Liangzhou has good public security, and the officials in the territory have done nothing wrong. Even the lowly merchants have become guests of various countries when they go to the Western Regions. Looking east of Liangzhou, Guanzhong, where the capital is located... Hey! It is simply embarrassing. "
Speaking of this, Yang Guang became even more angry and recounted what happened in Guanzhong recently: "Since the beginning of summer, more than ten cases of bandits robbing passing caravans have been reported in various states in Guanzhong. Businessmen from the Western Regions who did not receive justice even complained to The Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple, what does this mean? It means that the officials in Guanzhong did not act, which made our Sui Dynasty disgraced and sent abroad."
"Looking east of Guanzhong, even the fleets carrying official and military rations were robbed by bandits! Later I found out that it was Zhang Zhongjian's Jiangnan League, so I asked Wei Wentong to assist Yongzhou and Tongzhou in suppressing the bandits. Although the officers and soldiers succeeded They destroyed the Jiangnan League. But Zhang Zhongjian is just a small group of bandits. He has been wanted by the court for so many years, but the officers and soldiers have been working hard without getting anything!"
"If this incident hadn't happened, I wouldn't have known that these ferocious beasts were living right under my nose in Daxing City. I'm worried that one day, the thieves and bandits will kill outside the palace, and the officers, soldiers, and officials especially don't know it."
"I'm scared." Xiao Cong and Yang Xiong said in unison.
As Yang Xiong lowered his eyes, his heart moved slightly.
He is now one of the mouthpieces behind the Xuanwu Gang, and he naturally knows what is going on with the annihilation of the Jiangnan League. It is simply because their leader is Zhang Zhongjian. If not for this, how could the concubine target such an unworthy little character? If this matter hadn't become a big deal, the government would only turn a blind eye to the living conditions of the Bashang Cao Gang.
He knew that the Sage was very likely to reuse Li Changya, who had great political achievements, and that Li Changya was solely responsible for thoroughly investigating the Jiangnan League, so it was inappropriate for him to intervene.
"What does Brother Wang think about the security in Guanzhong?" Yang Guang looked at Yang Xiong and asked coldly.
Yang Xiong pondered for a moment and then answered with cupped hands: "The imperial court's principle is that state soldiers cannot leave the state on a large scale without orders, let alone cross-border operations. I believe that the states can be ordered to strengthen their efforts to suppress bandits."
Yang Guang glanced at Yang Xiong with disappointment, shook his head and said: "Brother Wang's approach is certainly a mature opinion, but with this order, the states will definitely shirk their responsibilities, and finally the big thing will become a trivial matter. And the gangsters only need to escape. After arriving in the border between the two states, he lay dormant for a period of time and could continue to do evil in the future. However, King Wei was able to completely annihilate the Liangzhou bandits. Why do you think this is?"
Yang Xiong paused, speechless for a moment.
He knew that the saint was determined to rectify the order in Guanzhong, or in other words, he planned to deal with the Guanlong nobles severely before moving the capital, so that they would be more peaceful in the future.
At the same time, he also knew who would take this job. He would be blessed with a holy family and have a worry-free career in the future, but he was not Yang Ji after all. It was not that he did not have the courage of Yang Ji, but Yang Ji was a young man in his early twenties. There is plenty of time to fight with the Guanlong nobles. Even if he is temporarily deposed, as long as he has the support of the saint, he will come back soon. It doesn't matter if he goes back and forth like this for decades.
Looking back at Yang Xiong, he is too old and has only a few years left to live. Once he dies, he may die before he can come back. It doesn't matter if he dies, but what about his descendants?
However, he could feel the saint's dissatisfaction with him. After thinking about it, he cupped his hands and said, "Sage, the reason why the bandits are at large and can come back after the news is over is because they have some relationship with the local officials. They received the news in advance and hid it." When the wind got out, he came out to do evil again, which led to repeated bans on bandits. The reason why King Wei was able to annihilate all the bandits in Liangzhou was because he did not use any soldiers from each state, nor did he notify the states in advance Instead of officials, they directly asked the army to suppress bandits across the border. When those officials who were in contact with the bandits received the news, it was too late to notify the bandits."
He raised his eyes and glanced at Yang Guang. Seeing that his expression was slightly better, he continued: "I think that in order to completely annihilate the thieves in Guanzhong, it is best to learn from King Wei's method and appoint a few trustworthy generals, without the knowledge of local officials. , leading an elite army to cross the border to suppress bandits."
Yang Guang asked with a smile on his face: "Heroes think alike, who does Brother Wang think can be a general?"
Forced by this, Yang Xiong secretly smiled bitterly, but thought that although it was not suitable for him to stand out, his sons could! Yang Ji can live such a carefree life, so what does his son have to fear? If Yang Ji did something like this, the saint would definitely become his confidant.
He thought for a while, then said with a bachelor's hand: "My son Gongren is upright, honest, and knowledgeable about military affairs. He can help the saint solve his problems."
"Okay! Brother Wang does not avoid suspicion when appointing people, and does not avoid relatives when promoting talents. This is the courage and responsibility that the prime minister and the children of the royal family should have." Yang Guanglongyan Dayue, in his plan to deal with the Guanlong nobles, the royal family and his relatives and his honor and disgrace Yes, it is the main force.
However, the Xiao family was weak in culture and had no military skills, and could not shoulder heavy military responsibilities. Therefore, the Xiao family could only compete with the Guanlong nobles in the court, while the royal family, which had many military talents, fought against the Guanlong nobles in the military.
But to this day, among the royal family, only King Wei is fighting alone, and he is the most reckless Yang Lun. Apart from staying in Yanzhou to build the embankment of the Yellow River, he has done nothing radical. This makes Yang Ji unable to sing alone. , not only could not shake the foundation of the Guanlong nobles, but because of establishing the foundation of the Sui royal family, they were in trouble from time to time. If Yang Guang had not personally acted and played games again and again, Yang Ji would have been unable to support it.
As a result, Yang Guang became dissatisfied with the other royal children. Among them, Teng Wang Yang Lun was a straight man, and Dao Wang was young. They were not monsters like Yang Ji, so whether they could understand what he meant was a matter of course. unimportant.
However, the powerful Cai Wang Yang Zhiji, Ande Wang Yang Xiong, and Nayan Yang Da are all smart people, and they also know that the crisis of the Great Sui Dynasty originated from the Guanlong nobles, but the three of them clearly know everything, and they clearly know that their father and He has to deal with the Guanlong nobles, but he pretends to know nothing, and is conservative no matter what he does, and adopts a moderate compromise no matter what he does. This is going too far.
If they were ministers with foreign surnames, or if they were ignorant young men, Yang Guang wouldn't care. But not only are they royalty, they know everything!
What qualifications does this kind of "one of our own" who sacrifices his life for his own benefit have to be Yang Guang's "one of his own"?
Now, Yang Xiong finally realized it and recommended his eldest son Yang Wen. Regardless of Yang Wen's ability, Yang Xiong's attitude alone was worthy of Yang Guang's praise.
This made Yang Guang's anger towards Yang Xiong disappear.
He turned to Xiao Cong and said, "Brother, how capable is your eldest son Xiao Xuan?"
"Sage, this child can only be a rich and idle person at best." Xiao Cong cupped his hands and said bitterly: "I can't control this child at all, so I left him to Shi Wen and asked him to discipline him on my behalf."
He knew that Yang Guang planned to let his eldest son become Yang Zhao's team, which was also a great opportunity for the eldest son; however, the eldest son failed.
Yang Guang pondered for a long time and then asked: "How long has Xiao Xuan been with Shi Wen?"
Yang Guang knew what Yang Ji and Xiao Yu were. Xiao Xuan, a smarter son of the Xiao family, could not live comfortably under the eyes of his uncle and uncle, because Yang Xiong's son Yang Shidao was the best example. If he was in Liangzhou, then The edges have been around for a long time, so some of the edges must have been smoothed.
Xiao Cong thought for a while, then cupped his hands and said, "In the third year of Renshou, the late emperor appointed King Wei as the general manager of Liangzhou and Shi Wen as the legal director of Liangzhou, and Xian'er followed him."
"That's it!" Yang Guang thought for a while and then asked, "Has he ever been an official?"
Xiao Cong replied: "Never!"
When Yang Guang heard this, he lost interest in Xiao Xian and asked, "Mr. Xiao, do you have any descendants who can shoulder the important responsibilities?"
Xiao Cong thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Huaijing, my nephew, is pretty good."
Yang Guang said: "Then let him be the prince's friend."
"Here!" Xiao Cong responded.
Yang Guang glanced at Yang Zhao and ordered: "Shiming, the security of Guanzhong is entrusted to you. Gongren and Xiao Huaijing will be your generals and staff, and the bandit-suppressing army will be your East Palace Ten Leaders. If you encounter someone who doesn't understand, I can send a letter to your Uncle Wei Wang, he is an expert in this field."
"After you figure out what to do, give me a memorial and I will grant you the power to cross the border to suppress bandits."
"My child accepts the order." Yang Zhao solemnly accepted the order and said, "My child will never let his father down."
Yang Guang nodded, was silent for a moment, and then said to the second prime minister: "Tomorrow, you will work with the Ministry of War to list out the names of the generals of each military palace, from the generals of chariots and cavalry to above. I want to know their resumes and ages. , merits and other basic information.”
"Follow the orders of the saint." Seeing that Yang Guang had no other instructions, Yang Zhao, Yang Xiong, and Xiao Cong bowed and left.
Yang Guang approved a few more memorials, and his stomach suddenly growled. He looked at the hourglass and felt deeply puzzled: In the past, Empress Xiao would have sent someone to inform him to go to dinner, but today it was delayed. No one was sent, and he suspected that Queen Xiao had forgotten him. So he stood next to Yang An and asked, "Changqiu Prison, has the Queen sent someone?"
Changqiu Supervisor Yang An's hair was already gray. He was holding a fly whisk in his hand and standing upright. After hearing this, he thought for a while and said, "Sage, the queen has not sent someone to notify you. How about I go and ask?"
"No need!" Yang Guang was so hungry that he stood up and said, "I can just go back by myself."
What he didn't know was that Queen Xiao had really forgotten about him.
Everything is because of Yang Ji.
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