Guangzheng Hall, Zhengshi Hall.
The Zhongshu officials, headed by Prime Minister Li Tao, were handling domestic and foreign affairs in an orderly manner as usual. Fan Zhi had an expression of bitterness and hatred on his face, saying that he would not let strangers in. During this period, Fan Xianggong was not in a good mood.
The root cause still lies in the previous dispute with the emperor over the handling of the "Meng Hanqing case". At the end of the dispute, Fan Zhi's original words were: Your Majesty can kill him, but if there is a lawsuit, I dare not issue the edict.
Then, as expected, the emperor directly ordered Meng Hanqing to commit suicide, and he also issued an order to the world to be civilized and military as a warning. Although he understood that the emperor wanted to use Meng Hanqing's incident as a warning to his officials, Fan Zhi did not agree with this method of killing chickens to scare monkeys in vain.
Fan Zhi even had the feeling that the emperor killed Meng Hanqing in front of himself...
More importantly, if you can kill someone today without being able to kill someone in Zhongshu or the Ministry of Yamen, you will be able to implement a policy in the Ming Dynasty. This is an invisible harm to the authority of the Zhengshitang. If things go on like this, I am afraid it will be ignored.
Zhao Pu was not the only capable person in the court. The arrangement of ministers and officials in Chongzheng Hall had long attracted attention. Now it just doesn't have the power to issue edicts. If there is an opening in the future, it can directly replace the role of the political hall.
After all, it involved another conflict between monarch power and prime minister power, but this time, Liu Chengyou did not give in and ended in victory by forcing Meng Hanqing to death.
As the Han Dynasty became more prosperous and stable, similar conflicts and disputes have increased significantly in recent years. Under Liu Chengyou's solemn appearance, he had a heart that was unwilling to be restrained. However, many times he was a little more tolerant and tolerant towards the prime ministers.
As for Fan Zhi, it was a little unfair. His arguments were ultimately no match for the emperor's authority. After all, the emperor's pronouncement on the Constitution is above the law after all, and Liu Chengyou can be regarded as the founding king of the country. If he wants to be tough, how can Fan Zhi stop him.
Moreover, the emperor put aside Fan Zhi and found someone else to revise and improve the "Xing Tong", which frustrated him even more. The emperor's words can change the law, and Fan Zhiruo is determined to be the same. He will have to maintain the revised "Xingtong" like this in the future.
At the same time as the conflict between monarch and ministers, Liu Chengyou also extended great favors to Fan Zhi. He also praised Fan Zhi in front of the ministers for his uprightness and loyalty to the country. He also promoted the queen's advice and showed a picture of "the emperor is wise and the queen is wise." "loyalty" picture.
At the moment, Fan Zhi is still wearing a winter robe gifted by the emperor. It is filled with duck down and has brocade embroidery, which is very warm. Originally, Fan Zhi was kept at home, but two days ago the emperor thoughtfully asked if it didn't fit and if it needed to be replaced.
The next day, Fan Zhi went to the palace to manage the affairs of state in his clothes. It was like wearing a "warning". He really felt the feeling of being so grateful.
"Wen Su, come and have a glass of wine to warm yourself up!" As the chief, Li Tao walked up to Fan Zhi's case with a delicate small porcelain bowl in one hand and a kind smile on his face.
Putting down the chapter in his hand, he looked up at the steaming bowl handed to him. He frowned slightly, took it, touched it with Li Tao, and took a sip.
"Thank you Mr. Li!"
Seeing this, Li Tao showed a satisfied smile. When Feng Dao was here, he proposed a glass of wine and wanted to be advised by the cautious old man. Nowadays, he is the boss of Zhengshitang. A little wine can not only warm up the body, but also refresh himself. Li Tao can relax a little...
"Why is Wen Su so sad?" Li Tao asked, paying attention to Fan Zhi's somewhat stern expression.
Fan Zhi handed the memorial in his hand to Li Tao, put down the wine bowl, took it and glanced at it for a few times, and Li Tao's expression became serious.
"This is already the third civil unrest in Cheng and Feng prefectures!" Fan Zhi said with a hint of worry in his tone.
Li Tao thought for a while and said: "The two states are at the forefront of advancing to Shu. They have been attacked by wars one after another, and they need to fully support the battle in Hanzhong. It should be better after this winter passes."
The report in hand comes from Qin Fengdao. Ever since Xiang Xun was appointed as Kexi County and launched a large-scale conscription in Xinzhanzhou County, there has been turmoil and instability. Although Xi County was conquered, after the tragic casualties were reported back, almost every family of the conquered people was mourned, and the public sentiment was greatly depressed.
The situation in Chengzhou is still serious. This winter there is a lot of cold and hunger. A few days ago, more than 300 villagers attacked the government. Of course, they did not cause too serious consequences and were easily extinguished. The strength of the Han army stationed in Qinfeng was very sufficient.
"Tomorrow, I'm afraid the conquest will continue!" Fan Zhi said with some indignation: "In this cold winter, we should have stopped the troops to calm the people and recuperate. But the frontline generals only care about conquests and don't care about the life and death of the people. If they continue to wage war like this, even if Even if we capture Hanzhong, we are afraid that the people will lose all their support and lose again after gaining something!"
"This time we conquered Shu, we have achieved a complete victory. Your Majesty is still desperate for Hanzhong..." Fan Zhi looked at Li Tao and said: "After all, conquering Shu is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Cheng and Feng are related to the food road. On the way back, we must ensure its peace and make progress again. Otherwise, our life is at stake, and even if a hundred thousand troops march forward, we may be in danger of being destroyed!"
After listening to Fan Zhi's words, Li Tao took a deep breath and sighed softly: "Your Majesty may also know these truths, but his considerations are based on another aspect. If Hanzhong can be captured in one fell swoop this winter, then he can Suppressing the middle of Shu. After that, we will provide peace and relief to the people. It is not complete, it is just a matter of succession!"
"I do not agree with the conquest of Shu, but the use of troops should be based on the current situation. The people are in poverty, there are complaints, and the rear is unstable. Why bother to go your own way!" Fan Zhi said in a very serious tone: "The same goes for Zhao Jue. I heard that this person has succeeded in governing. I have been in Chengzhou for many years, but as a parent, I don’t have any kindness towards the people under my rule! I blindly cater to the generals in front. I heard that the people in Chengzhou were in chaos because of this person who recruited too hard and urged too hastily... .”
"Wen Su, I know that you are very public-spirited and worried about the country!" Li Tao put down the memorial, thought for a while, looked at Fan Zhi and said: "But now, the matter has come to this, His Majesty has given Xun Quanquan authority to attack there, We are far away in Tokyo, how can we control it? I can only hope that the war in Hanzhong can be ended as soon as possible and that the soldiers and civilians can rest and recuperate!"
After taking Xi County, there was almost no pause. Taking advantage of the rare sunny day, Xiang Xun left some troops and horses, and then led the army to seize them, forcing them to surrender and march eastward to Nanzheng.
The war is still going on, and this is where the courtiers headed by Fan Zhi are the most difficult to understand and the most fiercely opposed. But when he went to the emperor, Liu Chengyou replied. Since he was entrusted with the power of conquest and left to his own disposal, Xiang Xun was a great general. His decision to march had his own reasons.
"Except for Qinzhou, the newly acquired lands are probably already suffering from food shortages. Especially in Fengzhou and Chengjizhou, in order to prevent the hungry people from spreading and causing greater unrest, the imperial court should provide food relief!" Li Tao said seriously, There is no intention to have an in-depth discussion on whether to use troops in the front.
In major military matters, they, as prime ministers, had little say in influencing the emperor's thoughts. If you overreact, you will only make the emperor unhappy. In the past two years, Li Tao has become a bit smarter after his official career. Although he does not blindly cater to the emperor like Feng Dao, he also does less useless work.
"The Qinlong Road is blocked, and it is difficult to transport grains in Guanzhong and Beijing in large quantities." Fan Zhi thought for a while and said: "The most convenient solution is to allocate part of the stockpiles for war preparations and the seizures for wars. , to benefit the people!"
"Xiang Xun is still fighting against Nanzheng and using military rations to help the people. Will the army be willing to do so?" Li Tao's first reaction was to frown and subconsciously looked at Fan Zhi, thinking that he had other plans.
Fan Zhi looked serious and calm, and said: "Are we going to sit back and watch the hungry people die and cause chaos? We just need to survive this winter, and when spring comes next year, the court's support will be there!"
"This can be regarded as a solution strategy!" Li Tao stood up, walked a few steps, turned to look at Fan Zhi, and rolled his eyes: "This matter requires His Majesty's approval. You and I can make suggestions to Chongzheng Hall together!"
As if aware of Li Tao's concerns, Fan Zhi nodded and didn't care.
While the two prime ministers were discussing, an official came in and bowed and saluted: "Prime Minister Li, Prime Minister Fan!"
The man was in his forties, with a pale face and a mustache. He was Wang Min, the Minister of War. Looking at him, Li Tao asked: "Li Shilang, what's the matter?"
"Come from the southwest to report that Nanzheng has been captured and Hanzhong has returned to the Han Dynasty!" Wang Min said in a relaxed tone.
Li and Fan looked at each other and both subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Li Tao directly put his hands on his hands and smiled: "Good! Very good! Xiang Xun is indeed a talented general and he has lived up to the trust of the court!"
"Now that Nanzheng is under way, the war in Hanzhong has finally come to an end!" He tilted his head towards Fan Zhi and said, "Wen Su, can you relieve your worries now?"
After hearing the question, Fan Zhi's expression on his face softened significantly, as if the haze had dissipated. He stroked his beard and said in an emotional tone: "It's time to think about the aftermath!"
