The hot summer day was unpleasant. When Murong Yanzhao was summoned to see him, he first enjoyed a bowl of ice drink and felt a chill in his heart before he started to think about business. There are fewer and fewer people in the civil and military affairs of the Han Dynasty who can enjoy such treatment in front of the emperor.
Putting down the ice handkerchief he used to wipe his sweat, Murong Yanzhao raised his hand to Liu Chengyou and asked for instructions: "Your Majesty, why are you summoning me?"
"How have you been recuperating during this time? Has your body recovered?" Liu Chengyou did not talk about business directly, but was concerned about Murong Yanzhao's physical condition.
During the Northern Expedition, he endured the wind and snow, and commanded the army several times in battles. He was under great pressure. He was exhausted both physically and mentally, and his body was also a little weak. In fact, after this Northern Expedition, many veterans, especially the generals who stood alone, had some physical problems during the high-load military journey.
From the founding of the Han Dynasty to the present, more than ten years later, Murong Yanzhao participated in most of the foreign wars and was entrusted with important tasks. He fought in the south and in the north, and his troops were ruthless. As he grew older, Murong Yanzhao He also became ill due to overwork.
After returning to the court, he took the initiative to ask Liu Chengyou to rest and recuperate. Liu Chengyou showed great importance and concern for his physical condition. In addition to rewarding him with a large number of imperial medicines and supplements, he also specially asked the imperial hospital to dispatch an imperial doctor to stay in the palace to provide care for him and conduct inspections from time to time.
At this time, facing Liu Chengyou's concern again, Murong Yanzhao responded humbly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty! He has been suffering from a chronic illness for many years, and it may be difficult to recover. Thank you very much for Your Majesty's kindness. The imperial doctor has taken care of me. I feel much better!"
"That's good!" Liu Chengyou nodded: "You are the pillar of the country and a minister of meritorious service, so you should take care of yourself!"
Liu Chengyou's words came from the bottom of his heart. Among the generals of the Han Dynasty, in terms of merit, Murong Yanzhao ranked first. To put it bluntly, he was the representative of the Han army. But on the other hand, if Liu Chengyou was afraid of him, it was not entirely true. First, it was because of Murong Yanzhao's always humble style of doing things, and second, because of his brilliant military achievements but little influence on military and political affairs. In addition, it has been the twelfth year of Qianyou, and no one in the Han army can pose a great threat to Liu Chengyou.
Over the years, Liu Chengyou's adjustments and rotations in important military and political positions were less out of fear for his subordinates and more out of consideration for the balance of the court, military and political affairs, and power. For example, the main reason for replacing Chai Rong and letting him rest is just this. Letting him take care of his body is just a "warm" reason.
"Zheng Guogong is seriously ill, his body is overwhelmed, and it is difficult to manage. He has been guarding Lingzhou for many years, and he has been exhausted and injured. I can't bear it. I have issued an edict to call him back to Beijing to recuperate. However, Lingzhou affairs still need someone to preside over the election. Who do you want to send? I want to hear your opinion?" Liu Chengyou explained his purpose.
Shi Hongzhao's health had already deteriorated during the previous Northern Expedition, when he withdrew his troops from Hetao and returned south. This was due to health reasons. However, after recuperating in Lingzhou for so long, he did not get better, but got worse. Only then did he report to Tokyo to inform the situation and ask the court to make arrangements.
For Shi Hongzhao, because of his experience in Luoyang, coupled with his achievements in guarding Lingzhou and stabilizing the northwest border, Liu Chengyou no longer had his initial bad feeling. As a die-hard loyal minister of Emperor Gaozu, his feelings for the Han Dynasty are worthy of recognition. Because of his character and temper, holding military power in the center would be a disaster, but on the frontier, it is a sharp edge and a useful sharp knife. The courage to do things is also a quality developed in him by Liu Chengyou.
Now that Shi Hongzhao is only in his fifties, Liu Chengyou still hopes that your body will recover, and there are many places where he can be used.
However, after learning about this situation, Liu Chengyou asked Murong Yanzhao for his opinion on the personnel arrangements in Lingzhou. While expressing regret, Murong Yanzhao did not give any advice at the first moment, but said: "The appointment of Lingzhou will be done by myself." Your Majesty and the Privy Council have considered it, and even if it doesn't work out, the Ministry of War has proposed it, how dare I dare to be so good at superficial opinions?"
Murong Yanzhao showed his behavior by keeping to himself and not exceeding his authority and violating the rules. Of course, Liu Chengyou didn't take it seriously. With Murong Yanzhao's current status, there are many people who have been promoted and benefited from him, and not all of them are based on the rules of the imperial court system.
Furthermore, there is nothing taboo about the emperor asking his ministers for their opinions on official matters. However, he did not directly ask the person in power, which showed the emperor's political attitude, or perhaps sent a political signal.
Liu Chengyou, on the other hand, said directly: "Since your health has recovered well, you should continue to serve the court. I intend to let you serve in the Ministry of War as Minister of War!"
Of course, Murong Yanzhao knew politics. He was slightly surprised when he heard this. Wei Renpu had been the Minister of the Ministry of War for a long time. He had cut off the power from the Privy Council and returned to the Ministry of War. He has stayed in this position. Now it seems that he will also be moved. location. And considering the rumors in the court since the emperor's class returned to the court, perhaps a major change in the court situation is inevitable.
Murong Yanzhao was very smart and did not struggle with this issue. He no longer avoided Liu Chengyou's inquiries. He thought about it and said, "How about letting Wang Yansheng of the Dingyuan Army take over Lingzhou? He has been in the northwest for a long time and is quite famous. It can be suppressed!"
"Wang Yansheng has enough ability and prestige, but his temperament is too rough. Lingzhou is an important land in the west of Hexi and connects the east and west. The situation is more complicated than Yanzhou. When Zheng Guogong was here, he was too overbearing and kind to the local people and tribes. I hope there will be changes. , choose a general who can combine kindness and power!" Liu Chengyou expressed his considerations.
After hearing this, Murong Yanzhao thought again. There were many generals in the Han Dynasty. Many of them met this requirement and were qualified for the job, but not many were suitable to be sent to Lingzhou.
Names flashed through his mind. Murong Yanzhao had been thinking about it for a long time, but Liu Chengyou was not in a hurry and was waiting for him. Finally, Murong Yanzhao raised his eyes and spoke a name: "How about meeting Kang again, Commander of the Protector's Right Wing?"
"Yes!" After hearing this, Liu Chengyou thought for a moment and agreed directly: "Just him!"
Kang Zaiyu was the general who had previously served as Shi Yanchao's deputy general and followed him in pursuit. This was a military general with a low status in the Forbidden Army but with high qualifications. With Yang Ye's second pursuit, they fought a turnaround and barely wiped away the shame of "defeat".
Later, the specific circumstances of Shi Yanchao's defeat were investigated clearly, and Kang Zai and his performance also caught the attention of Liu Chengyou. At this time, Liu Chengyou agreed to use Kang Zaiyu to take over in Lingzhou because he had two qualities: he was calm and rational, and he was full of strategies. Although he had no great military exploits, he was a person who could be entrusted with important tasks.
Speaking of Shi Yanchao, although he was defeated and suffered heavy casualties from the imperial cavalry, he still fought hard and died for his country and refused to surrender. Liu Chengyou finally took pity on him and did not hold him accountable. He treated his descendants kindly and demoted his son to the rank of raider. In addition, people such as Wang Yin have also received posthumous gifts. Pampering their descendants is the best comfort to these heroic spirits.
After Murong Yanzhao resigned, Liu Chengyou took out a piece of white paper and wrote and drew on it, appearing thoughtful from time to time. What finally appeared on the paper was a diagram of the structure of the imperial offices, with the names of the officials.
Yes, he is indeed determined to make another adjustment in personnel arrangements. The current upper echelon of Han Dynasty has been maintained for too long and has become somewhat solidified. It has been more than a month since I returned to Beijing. All major and minor matters have been arranged, and it is time to put this matter on the agenda.
Today I summoned Murong Yanzhao to ask about Lingzhou's arrangements, just to start.
