"I respectfully welcome the king on his triumphant return." Outside Handan City, the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty lined up in two rows. When they saw Zhao Kuo's chariot, they hurriedly bowed and saluted.
"All my dear friends, please get up." Zhao Kuo waved his hand, "I just returned home after fighting the war. There is no need for so many people to welcome me."
"This is an unprecedented victory for our Zhao country, and everyone welcomed it spontaneously. There was no force on the part of the ministers." Lin Xiangru said with a smile.
"Xiangguo has also learned to flatter. If you don't inform me specifically, will everyone know when the army will come back?" Zhao Kuo stretched out his hand to pull Lin Xiangru into the carriage and said in feign anger.
"Your Majesty, you have really wronged me this time. I only informed the whole country a few days ago that the Qin State was suing for peace with our Zhao State. I did not tell everyone when the army would return home. It was just that someone got the news by chance, so they rushed to tell each other, and everyone We all know." Lin Xiangru said, stroking his beard.
It is rare for the army to return home in triumph and be welcomed by the people of the city. This is another highlight on his resume. I dare not say that his name will last forever, but he will definitely leave his name in history.
In this way, there is no regret.
"Is there nothing important in the court?" Zhao Kuo asked in a low voice.
"No." Lin Xiangru shook his head.
"That's good. I'm tired. Let's talk about anything tomorrow." Zhao Kuo said.
"No." Lin Xiangru bowed and said.
As soon as Zhao Kuo returned to the palace, he saw four children running towards him. Zhao Kuo picked them up and put them down one by one. The four children refused to let go. Two of them hugged Zhao Kuo's arms, and two hugged Zhao Kuo's thighs. Hanging on Zhao Kuo like this.
"Did you study hard when your father was away?" Zhao Kuo touched Zhao An's little head.
"Yes." The four little guys said with their little faces raised.
"My father will take a test on you later," Zhao Kuo said.
"Father, you just came back from the expedition and you still have things to deal with, so we won't disturb you anymore." Zhao Zheng said quickly, pulling Bin, Zhao Ponu and Zhao An and ran outside.
"These four guys are not young anymore. They need to be disciplined well." Zhao Kuo scolded with a smile and continued to walk forward.
Zhao Kuo first came to his mother's residence and told his mother that he had returned safely. He chatted with his mother for a while and talked about some things on the battlefield. Zhao Kuo ignored the more dangerous places. Then he returned to the harem to comfort himself. several concubines.
The next day, Zhao Kuo bid farewell to the Qi army outside Handan City.
"After the general returns, he must tell the King of Qi that I have invited him to visit the Kingdom of Zhao." When leaving, Zhao Kuo held Wang Sunjia's hands tightly and said solemnly.
"I will remember it, general." Wang Sunjia nodded. Zhao Kuo had mentioned this matter to him twice. He always thought it was a joke before. Zhao Kuo mentioned it again before leaving this time. Wang Sunjia realized that Zhao Kuo Kuo is serious.
However, these days, it is normal for a king of a country to visit another country, so Wang Sunjia did not pay attention.
"I will send you off not far away," Zhao Kuo said.
"General, please retire." Wang Sunjia led all the generals to bow and bow, then turned and left.
Zhao Kuo also turned around and walked towards Handan.
"Here's the order. In three days, I will go to Jixi County to offer sacrifices to the people who were massacred by the bandits." Returning to the court, Zhao Kuo ordered.
Last year, there was a massacre in Jixi County. Zhao Kuo only ordered the local people to collect the corpses and build tombs for the people, but did not go to express condolences in person. It was not that he did not care about the deceased, nor that he had many things to do and could not spare the time, but that he had no face to go.
He is not King Zhao Huiwen. He cannot watch the people of his country being wantonly slaughtered and turn a blind eye.
He could accept everyone dying of old age, fighting, or illness...but he would never accept being wantonly massacred.
This is a dereliction of duty as a monarch.
Mencius once met King Xuan of Qi and said to him: "Your Majesty, there was a minister who entrusted his wife and children to his friends to take care of him. He went to travel to the state of Chu. When he came back, his wife and children were suffering from cold and starvation. What a waste of time for such a minister. What should friends do?”
King Xuan of Qi said: "Break all relations with him!"
Mencius added: "The prison officer cannot control his subordinates, so what should he do?"
King Xuan of Qi said: "Depose him."
Mencius said: "If a country is not well governed, what should we do?"
King Qi Xuan stopped talking.
Officials have the duties and responsibilities of officials, and the monarch has the duties and responsibilities of a monarch.
However, due to the lack of restraint by the monarchs, most monarchs did not assume their obligations and responsibilities.
Zhao Kuo could not achieve the ancient times imagined by Confucianism. When a sage gave up his position as king to others, he did not think that others would do better than him. However, as long as he reigned for one day, he would work hard to make Zhao Guo change. Better.
He had not avenged the deceased before and had no shame to do so.
Now he finally killed all the gangsters, including Qin Wangji and Fan Ju behind him. He avenged all the dead before going to offer sacrifices to the dead.
"I will make arrangements." Lin Xiangru nodded and said.
"There are also meritorious deeds of the soldiers. Check them as soon as possible and distribute them all within a month. A month later, I will commend the soldiers outside the city." Zhao Kuo looked at Lin Xiangru, "Is there any financial pressure?"
"Although our country of Zhao is poor, we still have enough money to pay rewards to our soldiers." Lin Xiangru said with a smile.
"By the way, let the workshop rush to make a batch of merit medals. There are two types of medals, team awards and individual awards. They are divided into three levels, corresponding to first-class merit, second-class merit and third-class merit. As for the specific style and size , material, etc., you can decide after discussion. I only have one requirement: after the soldiers wear it, they can hold their heads high and chest high. After others see it, they can know that this person has shed blood and made meritorious service for our Zhao country. I want to serve at the conference. The officers and soldiers were awarded honors," Zhao Kuo said.
Soldiers in the State of Zhao have a fixed salary, and there are additional rewards for meritorious service. As long as there are no bad habits, it is very easy to support a family.
But material rewards alone are not enough, reputational rewards are also needed.
For example, the previous roll call, subsequent commendations, and merit medals, etc.
Zhao people are good at martial arts, but he still wants to add more fire.
"It's hard to imagine how happy our Zhao people will be when they hear about the war in the future." Yu Xin whispered to Xunzi.
There are many generous and tragic people in Yanzhao. These people are called righteous people at best, and bad boys at worst. They are commonly known as gangsters. They like to pursue fame and loyalty. It is hard to imagine how crazy these people would be if they knew that joining the army would have so many benefits. .
Xunzi is not as optimistic as Yu Xin, and there is a slight sadness between his eyebrows. The current strength of the Zhao State is already the undoubted overlord of the world. When the newly occupied Yandi and Guanzhong are completely digested, the strength of the Zhao State will be comparable to the remaining five countries combined.
As long as nothing unexpected happens, it is only a matter of time before Zhao Guo will dominate the world.
According to Xunzi's idea, at this time, it should gradually transition from conquering the world to governing the world, but Zhao Kuo also wanted to inspire the martial spirit of the Zhao people, which made Xunzi a little worried.
Although a country is large, if it is warlike, it will perish.
"One more thing, I promised that if disabled soldiers from Han, Wei, and Qi are willing to come to Zhao, I will support them. The kings of Wei, Han, and Qi have agreed. During this time, many soldiers expressed their desire to come to Zhao. Lord Xinling, please send someone to pick them up. Then free up three alleys in Handan to accommodate them." Zhao Kuo continued.
"I will personally go to Wei and South Korea to pick up the disabled soldiers." Wei Wuji said solemnly.
"I will make room as soon as possible." Lin Xiangru said.
"One last thing, inform all counties and counties that the civil service examination will be held in Handan in October. All civil servants in our Zhao State can participate. Well, officials can also participate. Officials in the Guanzhong area, Longxi, and Zhangye can also participate in the exam. The top eighty will all have official positions, up to and including county magistrates," Zhao Kuo said.
"I will notify all counties as soon as possible." Lin Xiangru said.
"Well, there's nothing else to do. You go ahead and do your work." Zhao Kuo waved his hand.
"Your Majesty, please leave." The Minister of Civil and Military Affairs leaned over and said.
"Your Majesty, these are the official documents from the country during this period, all of which need your approval." The minister moved a large number of official documents to Zhao Kuo
before.
"Just put it on the table. I'll take a look right away. By the way, what's your name?" Zhao Kuo looked at the new servant, as if he hadn't seen him before.
"Your Majesty, my name is Guo Kai." The minister leaned over and saluted.
"You... are very good. Do a good job." Zhao Kuo was stunned for a moment and patted Guo Kai's shoulder heavily.
"I will definitely do a good job." Guo was a little excited. Zhao Kuo was his idol, and to be praised by his idol was a good thing that no one else would ever experience.
Touman silently remembered Guo Kai's appearance in his heart. There is a legend that has been circulating in Zhao State. Zhao Kuo said that whoever has ability must be capable. He is more accurate than Xunzi and has never made any mistakes.
Now since Zhao Kuo said that Guo Kai is very good, then Guo Kai is definitely not an ordinary person. He must ask the other party for advice when he is fine.
Touman is well aware of his shortcomings. He has been delayed for too long in raising horses, and it will take a lot of time to catch up.
It is true that his talent is very good, but who among Zhao Kuo is not a genius?
Touman did not dare to relax at all.
"While I was away from Handan, did anything important happen in the State of Zhao? Let me know." Zhao Kuo said.
"There are no big things. Under the governance of the king and the prime minister, the people of our Zhao country live and work in peace and contentment, and the people's hearts are stable. It has been a prosperous age that has not been seen in hundreds of years. Moreover, no matter how big the thing is, it will not be conquered by the king himself. But there are a few interesting things, and I will tell them to your Majesty."
"There was a disciple of the Gan family who looked at the sun every day and studied how to fly to the sun. As a result, he became blind. After telling others, they did not believe in the evil, so they also looked at the sun every day. Later, this matter was spread to the Shi family. Normally Under the circumstances, when everyone heard about this incident, they would not look at the sun, but the Shi family is worthy of being a family as famous as the Gan family, and their reaction was the same. Now there are more than a dozen blind people in the two families." Guo Kai said.
Touman stood nearby, covering his mouth and not daring to laugh out loud. The nobles of the Central Plains knew how to play, and such a weird thing would never happen on the grassland.
"Didn't the Gan and Shi families find a doctor?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"I found them. Mr. Xiangzi cured them once, but they continued, so Xiangzi just ignored them." Guo Kai said helplessly.
"Where are the two old men Gan De and Shi Shen?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"They are not blind. They did not study how to get to the sun. They studied how to get to the moon, so they saw the moon. I heard that they also applied for research funding from the Prime Minister, but the Prime Minister did not approve it." Guo Kai said.
"These two old men are quite capable of tossing around." Zhao Kuo said with a smile, "Is there anything else you can do?"
"Someone saw a dragon in the Taihang Mountains." Guo Kai said.
"A few years ago, General Yan Xiong captured a dragon in the Taihang Mountains. I even shared the food with other soldiers." Zhao Kuo waved his hand.
Touman's eyes moved slightly. Even if the dragon was placed on the grassland, it would be auspicious. The king dared to share food with the soldiers, and nothing happened after that.
"The Mo family made a four-wheeled carriage." Guo Kai said again.
"Four-wheeled carriage? Has the steering problem been solved?" Zhao Kuo said in surprise.
The transportation capacity of four-wheeled carriages is much stronger than that of two-wheeled carriages. The disadvantage is that it requires too much terrain, and it will be affected when encountering mountain roads, rivers, and rugged trails.
But in the face of the wide and flat official roads of Zhao State, it was not a problem at all.
"I don't know the specific details, but I saw with my own eyes that the Mo family's four-wheeled carriage can indeed turn." Guo Kai said.
"The Mo family does have something. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Mo Feng for a long time." Zhao Kuo said with a smile. Mo Feng is the minister with the lowest sense of presence in Zhao State. He almost does not participate in discussions of national affairs, except for some important court meetings. , Usually he doesn’t even attend court meetings.
Even when Zhao Kuo went on a personal expedition and when his troops returned to the court, all the ministers in the court went out of the city to see him off or greet him, even the petty officials with a hundred stones were no exception, and Mo Feng did not even have a shadow of himself.
The reason for the decline of Mohism can also be seen here. In the era of officialdom, people did not want to fight for power and gain.
If you marry your boss, only think about inventions and creations, love everything but not attack, doesn't this deserve your decline?
If the king of Zhao State was not Zhao Kuo, Mo Feng's position would have been replaced by someone else long ago.
"Why don't you inform the engineer to come see the king?" Guo Kai said.
"No need, wait for me to finish the matter and go see the engineer later." Zhao Kuo said.
Guo Kai's expression changed slightly. Considering Mo Feng's performance, it would be great if Zhao Kuo did not convict him, but he also came to the door in person. He had never heard of such a thing before.
"By the way, have you studied at Handan College?" Zhao Kuo looked at Guo Kai.
"Your Majesty, I studied at Handan College for four years." Guo Kai said proudly. His grades in the college were among the best. Only Fan Zeng and a few others could surpass him.
"It just so happens that you are familiar with the academy, so I will leave it to you to take the lead in enrolling." Zhao Kuo looked at Touman again, "Although your martial arts are far superior to ordinary people, your cultural foundation is too poor, and you are at best a reckless man. If you want to become a famous general, you should be proficient in astronomy and geography, and have hundreds of schools of thought. You first go to the academy to study for a few years and learn the cultural knowledge of Zhao country."
"The final general will definitely live up to the king's expectations." Touman said solemnly.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, this general will be handed over to me." Guo Kai said, patting his chest. Although he didn't know Touman's identity, it was definitely not easy for Zhao Kuo to take him with him and explain it in person.
