Even though he found a new love, Liu Chengyou fell in love with her for a day and had a romantic relationship with her for two nights, and then devoted herself to state affairs. As for Huifei Fu, after all, she is not the kind of helpless concubine. She will never be lonely in the palace, at least she has a sister.
The development of the Han Dynasty has reached a very critical point. Liu Chengyou and the court officials need to control the next steps and direction.
Zhong Mo, the envoy of the Southern Tang Dynasty, finally got to meet the Emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty, Liu Chengyou, after waiting in Tokyo for more than half a month.
"I have been busy with many things recently, so I didn't have time to summon you. I've been waiting for you for a long time, Minister Lao Zhong!" Looking at Zhong Mo who was saluting in the palace, Liu Chengyou expressed his apology.
Although the Northern Han emperor's remarks were completely untenable and even appeared to be somewhat dishonest, Zhong Mo had to humbly agree: "Your Majesty is diligent in political affairs and busy with state affairs. Now he can take some free time to meet with foreign ministers. I am so grateful from my heart!"
"Haha..." Liu Chengyou chuckled twice, looked around Zhong Mo, who seemed to be very polite, and asked directly: "What is the matter with the Lord Tang sending his servant to the north?"
After hearing the question, Zhong Mo couldn't help but glance at Liu Chengyou who was behind the imperial case. The Han Emperor's appearance was obviously pretending not to know. But when he asked a question, he hurriedly answered: "I went north on the emperor's order, and actually consulted before. In the land of Hunan, the emperor is ignorant, the ministers are treacherous, the military and government are in ruins, and hundreds of thousands of people are suffering. Your Majesty, come with me. The court has made an agreement to send troops to save the people from fire and water and bring peace. Now we have prepared troops, horses, money and food, and they can be sent out at any time. I wonder when the Han Dynasty will send more troops and horses?"
Hearing Zhong Mo's high-sounding words, Liu Chengyou grinned slightly and looked at Feng Dao, who was also serving at the bottom: "Is there such a thing?"
Seeing this, Feng Dao also cooperated with Liu Chengyou appropriately and said: "Your Majesty, the false King of Chu has rebelled, arrogated the title of king, and betrayed the imperial court. Since our army is insufficient and far away in the Central Plains, it is difficult to reach Hunan, so last winter I sent Tao Gu, a member of Zhongshushe, as an envoy to Jinling to contact us about this matter and invite the Lord of the Tang Dynasty to send troops to relieve the suffering of the people of Hunan..."
"Oh!" Hearing this, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but hold his forehead and shook his head repeatedly, looking regretful: "I forgot such an important matter!"
"I still remember that in order to stop the war, I sent two thousand troops to station in Lizhou!" Liu Chengyou said.
Feng Dao looked calm: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhong Mo, watching the young and the old, the monarch and his ministers singing in harmony, felt a little unsure in his heart. What is the meaning of this kind of acting, which is too exaggerated.
Turning his attention to Zhong Mo again, Liu Chengyou showed a hint of embarrassment on his face, thought for a while and said: "As for the Hunan matter, I still need to discuss it with the ministers before making a decision. After we reach a consensus, If we contact you again, please ask Master Tang to wait for a while."
"This..." As soon as Liu Chengyou finished speaking, Zhong Mo rolled his eyes and showed embarrassment: "Your Majesty, after all, Jinling and Tokyo are thousands of miles apart. The transportation takes a long time and the transmission of news is inconvenient. When I return to the court, I still need to report this to my emperor. It’s just a small thing for me to waste my time traveling around. I’m afraid it will delay important military and state affairs.”
"Well... your consideration is not unreasonable!" After hearing what he said, Liu Chengyou nodded with a considerate expression. After thinking for a long time, his eyes flashed and he said to Zhong Mo: "In this case, you can answer The court replied to the Lord of the Tang Dynasty that it was midsummer and the heat was unbearable, so it was not the time to launch an army. It would be better to wait until autumn when the weather turns cooler, and the annual grains were put into the warehouse, and there was enough grain, before launching an army. Of course, if the Lord of the Tang Dynasty could not wait, In order to catch people by surprise and save the people of Hunan from fire and water, my two thousand soldiers in Lizhou can cooperate with the Tang army in the battle!"
"Just replying to Lord Tang like this, I will definitely not break the previous agreement!" Liu Chengyou emphasized again at the end.
Zhong Mo thought about the Han Emperor's words for a moment, then he cupped his hands thoughtfully and said, "Yes!"
After saying this, he felt as if he had gone away from a heartache. Liu Chengyou seemed much more relaxed and said to Zhong Mo: "When I was in Tokyo, I heard that the prosperity of Jinling is unparalleled in the world. However, since taking the throne, I have worked hard to develop and boast that Tokyo is also the best place in the world." No less than Jinling. Why don’t you, Lord Minister Zhong, stay in Tokyo for a while? I’ll send a specialist from the Ministry of Rites to take you around and have some fun.”
"Your Majesty's kindness, I am extremely grateful!" Hearing this, Zhong Mo quickly declined: "Tokyo is the largest city in the Central Plains, and I have experienced the prosperity of the scenery here. It's just that I have been away from Jinling for nearly a month, and I urgently need to return. , tell my Lord your Majesty’s wishes. Therefore, I can only boldly live up to Your Majesty’s good intentions!”
"That's such a pity!" Liu Chengyou sighed: "Since Mr. Zhong has a mission, I can't force him to stay. Don't be offended if you don't treat him well!"
"How dare I?" Zhong Mo showed unusual humility and bowed: "I resign!"
After Zhong Mo left the palace, Liu Chengyou resumed his usual cautious demeanor and sneered: "This Zhong Mo is really afraid that I will leave him in Tokyo!"
"This person came with a mission and wanted to test our dynasty. Now that he has gained something, he is naturally eager to return to his life." Feng Dao said.
With his eyes slightly focused, Liu Chengyou asked Feng Dao: "What does Feng Qing think that after the Tang envoy returned to Jinling and reported my answer, he pretended to be the emperor of the Tang Dynasty?"
As a man matures, Feng Daoke has been witnessing the performance of the Emperor Shicai, and he also played a supporting role. When asked, he responded leisurely: "The envoy from the Tang Dynasty is here. Your Majesty first made excuses to avoid seeing him. Then he asked about the right person in the palace, and how many times did he say it?" Showing hesitation, there are many flickers between words, but after speaking, he wants to stay more."
"In my humble opinion, if Zhong Mo reported all his experiences and experiences to the Lord of the Tang Dynasty, his rulers and ministers would definitely think that our dynasty was eager to deal with the threat of the Khitans and was unable to take care of it, and did not want them to monopolize the land of Hunan, so there was Such repeated delays. In this way, the pseudo-Tang monarchs and ministers will feel more at ease and let go of conquering Hunan!"
"Feng Qing is Feng Qing!" After listening to his answer, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but praise: "You have insight into people's hearts, analyze the situation, and get to the bottom of things!"
"Your Majesty is so flattering that I dare not accept it!" Feng Dao said with a smile.
Liu Chengyou sat silently, with a thoughtful expression on his face, still thinking about something. Seeing this, Feng Dao took the initiative and said, "Your Majesty, I have a question in my mind."
"Oh, Feng Qing, tell me." Liu Chengyou was a little curious.
After bowing to Liu Chengyou first, Feng Daofang answered the question in his mind: "Since this year, the Han Dynasty has mainly focused its energy on defending the Khitan in the north. If the Khitan invades, it will be unable to take care of the south. However, judging from His Majesty's intentions, he still wants to lure the puppet Tang Dynasty. Attacking Chu, with Ma Chu's current situation, it will be difficult for him to stop the Tang army. The land in Hunan must be owned by him. Doesn't this increase his territory and increase his power?"
Hearing Feng Dao's concerns, Liu Chengyou chuckled, raised his hand and said confidently: "The situation in Hunan seems to me to be extremely complicated. The Ma Chu regime is on the verge of collapse, but Tang Yi stepped in , if handled slightly improperly, it will turn into a quagmire. The Hunan proposal was originally a strategy to divide its troops and use up its money and food, so as to reduce the resistance faced by our country when it attacks Huainan."
"Even if the Puppet Tang Dynasty really takes all the land in Hunan, it is still open to question whether Hunan's long-standing disadvantages can be absorbed by it and it can provide taxes and soldiers. Even if the Puppet Tang Dynasty really has the ability to stabilize the states in Hunan, how can it be so easy? of!"
There was already a hint of sinister tone in Liu Chengyou's tone: "If I put two thousand troops in Lizhou, I won't be able to control Hunan. If we want to cause chaos, it won't be a big problem. Furthermore, the Ma family's forces are now cunning and unethical, and they can be exploited." , there are quite a few of them!”
After listening to Liu Chengyou's words, Feng Dao secretly sighed at the emperor's terrible intentions. He bowed his waist and complimented: "Your Majesty, you are a man of great talent and wisdom, with a broad mind, and the whole world is in one heart!"
"What a pity!" Liu Chengyou couldn't help but sigh.
Feng Dao asked: "Your Majesty is still concerned about the Khitan people?"
"If it weren't for the chaos caused by the barbarian bandits, the pseudo-Tang Dynasty would seize Hunan and fall into a quagmire. If I take Huainan, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?" Liu Chengyou said bitterly: "Look, one day, I will completely eliminate the threat from the north."
In this regard, Feng Dao could only say comforting words: "With your majesty's broad plan, given time, it will be realized!"
Without dwelling on this issue, Liu Chengyou looked at Feng Dao, changed the subject and said: "Now, in the political affairs hall, the only ones who lead the affairs are Yu Qing, Li Tao, and Fan Zhi. Fufeng Gong (Su Yugui) is no longer in charge, and Changguo is no longer in charge. The Duke (Wang Zhang) is ill and unable to return, so I asked for his bones. I have allowed him to serve as an official in his original position and return to his hometown to recuperate. I want to add two ministers to smooth Zhang's affairs. Do you have any candidates?"
Liu Chengyou's words caught Feng Dao's heart. For three generations, civil servants had been weak. Even those who were in charge of ministers were despised and suppressed by military officials. Since Qianyou, the emperor has seized military power, suppressed warriors, opened schools to recruit scholars, and overhauled historical records. The status of literati has gradually improved, and the power of the prime minister in the court has also been continuously strengthened.
However, what Zhao Ying said before leaving the capital was a warning to the old fox. Feng Dao said cautiously: "This matter involves the appointment of prime ministers. I dare not speak nonsense. I leave it to Your Majesty to decide on the selection of talents!"
"Haha... How can I see clearly the talents of the entire dynasty with just one glance? It's better for you and others to discuss this together!"
