And as the king of a country, how could Huang Qiong not know Yu Mingyuan's difficulties? Huang Qiong naturally understands the difficulties faced by the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War. But he still disagreed with this urging that seemed to be forcing him. No matter how high the pressure is, the pressure cannot be turned downwards. This kind of head-on confrontation on the battlefield, the more critical the moment, the more patience is needed. Blindly urging may lead to loss of troops and generals.
Thinking of this, Huang Qiong picked up his pen and wrote a secret message to Yu Mingyuan himself. On the secret mission, the first thing Huang Qiong did was to tell Yu Mingyuan to stay calm and dare to withstand pressure from all sides. Again, he doesn't need to worry about matters in Jingzhong. What he is doing well now is just doing what he should do. If that doesn't work, then we should focus on defense and fight a war of attrition.
The troops and horses mobilized by Bei Liao this time were not only the so-called 50,000 Pishi Army and Shushan Army with bodyguards, but also a large number of troops and horses from various tribes and vassal countries. Compared with their bodyguards and pro-army troops, these two types of military horses are the real main force. In particular, the tribal army composed of nomadic tribes in the hinterland, which usually grazes and guards the area, and is called upon to follow the imperial army in wartime, is equivalent to the guard of the Qi Dynasty.
A large number of young and middle-aged men were recruited to fight with them, which will certainly show the strength of Bei Liao, but in the long run, it will inevitably affect the nomadic tribes. Although there are some Han people in Northern Liao today, most of them are nomadic. The foundation of the Northern Liao Dynasty was also the nomadic tribes in its hinterland. As for the Jurchens, they rebelled and surrendered to Wu Chang, while the Bohai people were destroyed by them and had no choice but to be drafted.
Now that the Northern Liao invaders have invaded, they have mobilized all the warworthy troops from all over the country to go south, which is certainly a great momentum. But coupled with the troops left behind in Shangjing, Tokyo, and Zhongjing, it can be said that most of the young and middle-aged people in the Northern Liao Dynasty have been wiped out. The young and middle-aged men of the nomadic tribes were all sent to serve as soldiers, but who would graze the cattle and sheep? The Han people and the Bohai people have also been taken away to fight. Who is left to cultivate the farmland?
Beiliao always fought without food and grass. To raise food and grass, they relied on plundering grass and grain. To put it bluntly, they meant robbing. Now the passes on the front line of the Great Wall are all controlled by the Qi army. They have no place to rob even if they try to rob them. The longer it is delayed, the more favorable it will be for Da Qi now. At that time, not to mention anything else, more than 200,000 soldiers and horsemen would eat their horses and drag them to death.
The one who is anxious now is Bei Liao, not Da Qi. So, be sure to stay calm. With his own backing, he has nothing to worry about. As for Zhou Zhiyuan, since he is alone now, let him adapt accordingly. Zhou Zhiyuan is not a pedantic person. He knows what he does to best benefit the court. As for himself, he needs to be more stable now and not be swayed by other people's thoughts.
At the end of writing, Huang Qiong pondered for a moment and added a sentence at the end of the secret decree. I am here for everything, so you can just go ahead and do it. As for Yu Mingyuan's next move, Huang Qiong didn't ask a single word about this secret decree. After putting down the pen in his hand, Huang Qiong did not pretend to be someone else's hand. Instead, he sealed it with wax himself and sent someone to hastily send the secret edict for 800 miles.
After approving the papers, Huang Qiong, who always felt that she had overlooked something, suddenly remembered something. He immediately sent someone to summon Li Hai and asked him to take several small sedan chairs to pick up people from Zhang Qiaoer. By the way, Zhang Qiaoer and her three children were also brought into the palace. After Li Hai left, Huang Qiong sent an order to the Ministry of Officials to ask Liu Chang to go to Beijing immediately to report on his duties. As for whether Liu Chang was transferred to the capital or promoted to Ningxia.
At the moment, Huang Qiong has not yet made up his mind. If Liu Chang was still sent to Ningxia, Huang Qiong knew that he would not be able to let Zhang Qiaoer go with him. Although Ningxia Mansion has recovered a certain amount of vitality, the situation is still very bad. How could Huang Qiong be willing to let Zhang Qiaoer take his son to endure hardships? Just according to the customization of this dynasty, seventh-grade officials can bring their dependents.
If I don't let Zhang Qiaoer go with me, what will Liu Chang think? One of the two concubines he gave to Liu Chang was in Jiazhou and had given birth to another son for Liu Chang. Zhang Qiaoer's gaffe yesterday may also be related to this matter. No matter how virtuous a woman is, or even if she has done the same excessive thing, she is still jealous over such things.
Thinking of this, Huang Qiong pinched the bridge of her nose and temporarily decided to put down Liu Chang's appointment. Wait until he comes back and see what he thinks. Liu Chang was far from the only one who was hesitant about using Huang Qiong. Liu Chang is not the one who really gives him a headache. What really troubles him the most is Zheng Daoyuan, his de facto brother-in-law, who is now in Xining Prefecture.
In the past few years, Zheng Daoyuan was in Xining Prefecture, dividing alliance flags, appeasing the Tibetan tribes in Qingtang, and reorganizing the vassal army. It can be said that he has made outstanding achievements and gained a far-reaching reputation. When mentioning Governor Zheng among the Tibetan tribes in Qingtang, there was no one who did not give a thumbs up. Before Zhou Zhiyuan set out, he successfully recruited thousands of Tibetan cavalry from various Tibetan tribes in Qingtang. This was really because he benefited a lot from Zheng Daoyuan's administration.
Now that the three-year period agreed between him and Zheng Daoyuan has passed, he still keeps this person in his post in Xining Prefecture. Even though he was given the title of First Grade Grand Bachelor, he still breached the contract. As for his breach of contract, in addition to the fact that he couldn't choose a suitable successor among the high officials in the court in Xining Prefecture, there was also the reason of Princess Jincheng.
It's just that this guy, although he didn't say anything in the memorial, the problem is that every time Sister Jincheng enters the palace, her resentful look always makes him feel very uncomfortable. During these days, Sister Jincheng entered the palace much more frequently. And always dangling in front of himself, intentionally or unintentionally. It seems to be reminding myself that three years have passed and some promises should be fulfilled.
There is no problem with his position when he transfers Zheng Daoyuan back to Beijing. According to the customs of this dynasty, there are two people under the Zhongshu family of the Zhongshu, and there are usually three to five people for the Deputy Prime Minister's political affairs. When we got here, Fu Yuanshan was the only one under Zhongshu's family. As for the political affairs, there are three people, but except for Lu Mengzheng, the remaining two are the products left by the old man for himself.
To be honest, those two people have some abilities. But the problem is that it is basically a glazed egg, a legacy left by De Fei’s father. Although he has undergone some changes since he ascended the throne, his true nature remains the same. The other one is an honest person. Although he works hard, there are some things that are hard to explain in words. Now that he is involved in political affairs, it is really difficult for him.
What should have been shared by three people, 70% of it fell on Lu Mengzheng alone. As a result, Lao Lu, who was already a bit thin, lost weight every time he saw him. This would definitely not work in the long run. As for the transfer of Zheng Daoyuan to Beijing to take over the political affairs office, there was no problem in terms of ability or qualifications, and it was just right to share the burden for Lu Mengzheng.
But the question is what to do in Xining? Who over there can take over this position? After thinking about it, Huang Qiong picked up the pen and wrote a letter to Zheng Daoyuan in person. The reason why it was said to be a letter rather than an imperial edict was because Huang Qiong did not intend to use the jade seal in this letter at all. Even Xing Xi is not going to be used. In the letter, Huang Qiong clearly told Zheng Daoyuan that there would be no problem if he wanted to work in Beijing.
As an emperor, I can approve this at any time. But before being transferred, he needs to choose his successor. The qualifications of this candidate are not important, the most important thing is ability. Even if it can't be as good as him, it can at least be much worse than he can't be. Moreover, this candidate should not be too greedy. When selecting a candidate, one must pay more attention to avoid making the same mistakes as Li Jiedu.
He can recommend this candidate himself, and as long as there are no major problems, the court will definitely approve it. But until someone is selected, he can only stay in Xining Prefecture. Because even though he is the emperor, there is no suitable candidate to replace him now. If he can find a suitable candidate, he will transfer him back to Beijing. If he doesn't have such a suitable candidate, he can only continue to wrong him.
Anyway, there is only one central idea, and I don’t have this candidate. If you want to come back, find a scapegoat who is not bad at his ability and is also relatively honest to take over your position. Of course, if the person you recommend is capable but not good in character, he will be able to blow up the sky three feet high when he takes office. If there is a problem, his head will be sure, and you will not be able to live with it.
After writing the letter, Huang Qiong used his own seal and handed it over to someone to send it out. This small seal engraved with the master of Xishan Hall was carved by an old carver when he was in Xijing. When he was in Xijing, some things were not suitable for seals, so he always stamped them with this personal seal. When Huang Qiong was in Xijing, Zheng Daoyuan had always been his right-hand man, so he was naturally no stranger to this small seal.
After the letter was sent, I thought that this guy would definitely have an affair with Sister Jincheng again after returning to Beijing. The two of them had even done things like renting a house and living together semi-living together last time. They might get into something bigger this time. Huang Qiong pinched the bridge of her nose with a headache again. Fortunately, Sister Jincheng is now the same age, so the possibility of Lao Ben holding a pearl is not too great, otherwise it would be a lot of fun.
In fact, if Zheng Daoyuan is a mediocre person, Huang Qiong doesn't mind helping them. After all, the eldest sister has been a widow for three years now. Although the daughter-in-law of the Tian family is generally not allowed to remarry, there is not a single exception after all. But the problem is that Zheng Daoyuan is equally talented and virtuous. After being transferred back to Beijing, I will definitely be reused, and not just reused.
The iron rule of this dynasty is that the Prince Consort has always been in a high position but not very powerful. He is not allowed to serve in the three provinces or six ministries, and he is not allowed to hold political affairs under Zhongshu's sect, participate in political affairs, or hold such important positions as Shangshu and Zuocheng. In this dynasty, there were successive ministers of Zongzheng Temple, and there were quite a few princes-in-law. If a talented person like Zheng Daoyuan is allowed to become a Zongzheng Temple Minister with the virtue of King Yong, he can do it.
That would be too much of a waste of talent. Originally, Huang Qiong had planned to cancel the department that was just a decoration most of the time. Based on the various ministers in the province, a vassal management institute was established to handle vassal affairs. The responsibilities for vassal affairs, southwestern barbarian affairs, and foreign affairs with neighboring countries, such as Dali and Uighur, were taken out from the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Education.
If Zheng Daoyuan can find a scapegoat to return to the capital, Zheng Daoyuan will be allowed to serve as Shangshu of the Lifan Yuan as a political advisor. Regardless of whether Zheng Daoyuan can find a scapegoat or not, he is still someone he wants to reuse. She could accept the open and covert relationship between him and his eldest sister after he came to Beijing, but he could never let him die with the false title of Prince Consort because of a word of love. That would be a disgrace to him.
Therefore, Huang Qiong also made up his mind. If Zheng Daoyuan was transferred to Beijing, he would have to find a wife, even if it was just a decoration in name, he would have to find one. You can point out one of them, or he can pick one that he likes. But the relationship with Sister Jincheng must not be settled. What's more, it involves so many noble families and extremely complicated relationships.
