The next day, after all the ministers paid homage to the emperor in the court hall, Fang Shutong, Minister of the Ministry of War, took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, a battle report came from Yancheng yesterday. A thousand Jie cavalry crossed the mountains and entered the territory of Yancheng to rob them. His Highness King Yan led his troops to intercept and kill, and the whole army of a thousand cavalrymen of the Jie tribe was annihilated. For King Yan to have such courage and courage at such an age, it is very majestic to his majesty. This move not only broke the record of our great Xia for more than ten years. The passive situation has greatly boosted the power of our Daxia army. I congratulate and congratulate Your Majesty."
When Yang Guozhong saw that Fang Shutong had started, he knew it was time for him to appear, so he also stood up from the queue and said: "Congratulations to your Majesty, congratulations to your Majesty."
Zhao Wuji was sitting on the dragon chair, his face filled with inexplicable pride. He thought about how courageous he was when he personally led hundreds of thousands of troops in the Northern Expedition to regain Hebei Road.
The officials from other aristocratic families in the main hall had serious expressions, especially the prince's and eldest prince's faction.
But seeing His Majesty Long Yan overjoyed, the two old guys from the Ministry of War fanned the flames. They had no choice but to flatter him in unison: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Congratulations, Your Majesty."
"Hahaha, King Yan is young and promising, and he does have some of my style," Zhao Wuji said with a smile.
Zhang Rang, the left minister of the Ministry of War in the audience, is the uncle of the prince. When he was at the Ministry of War yesterday, Fang Shutong did not say that he would ask for merit for King Yan today. He had tried to win over Fang Shutong many times, but Fang Shutong did not They clearly expressed their support for the prince or the eldest prince, so the Zhang family has always maintained an attitude of wooing the Fang family. Today, Fang Shutong actually publicly spoke for King Yan in this hall. It seems that he has made his own choice.
Zhang Rang knew that Fang Shutong could not seize the opportunity in this matter, so he went out and said: "Your Majesty's prestige is far and wide, and your power is powerful all over the world. The ability to intercept and kill the Jie cavalry this time is all due to your Majesty's Tianwei, and he led the troops to intercept this time." The ones who killed the Jie cavalry were also the escort sent by His Majesty. Among them, Zhou Hu and Lu Biao had the greatest merit, and I think these two should be rewarded."
As soon as Zhang Ju finished speaking, the prince's party hurriedly came out to the platform. Meng Xiangli, the Minister of Civil Affairs, came out and said: "The old minister seconded the suggestion. These two people are brave and resourceful. The old minister thinks they can be reused."
"The right minister of the Ministry of Officials, Zhang Ju, seconded the proposal."
"Second by Pan Ling, the left minister of the Ministry of Punishment"
Xue Qing cleared his throat in the crowd and said, "Veteran Xue Qing seconded the proposal."
As soon as Xue Qing moved, the prince's group got the instructions and came out one after another to ask for the memorial. Zhao Wuji, who originally had a smile on his face, gradually turned gloomy. He knew this would be the case. He had been on the throne for more than twenty years, and he was considered to be the one who had been in power for a relatively long time. He had been fighting with these wealthy families for such a long time, and everyone was familiar with each other. Although his face gradually darkened, he was not angry. What the emperor wants is balance, not only to balance the power of various aristocratic families, but also to balance the power of aristocratic families and the royal family. He slowly turned his attention to Liu Wenda, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, who was the weakest family among several major families.
Liu Wenda, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, noticed Zhao Wuji's gaze and naturally understood the emperor's intention. Since the Liu family has benefited from King Yan, they must speak for King Yan. Otherwise, the Liu family will not only offend the prince and the eldest prince, but also King Yan. Please. Thinking of this, Liu Wenda did not hesitate and stepped out and said: "Your Majesty, Liu Wenda, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, seconded the opinion. I feel that the ability to intercept and kill the Jie cavalry this time is first of all due to His Majesty's Tianwei, secondly to the King of Yan's proper command, and finally to the soldiers. Serve your life. The officers and men should be rewarded, and so should the King of Yan."
Zhao Wuji's face reappeared with joy, and he said: "What you dear sirs said is absolutely true. Although my power of heaven spreads far and wide, King Yan and the guard army have also made indispensable contributions, and they should be rewarded. In your opinion, dear sirs, how about Is it appropriate to seal it?”
Fang Shutong hurriedly answered: "What your Majesty said is true. Previously, King Yan invented the method of making salt from sea water. This was a move that benefited the country and the people. This time, he intercepted and killed the Jie tribe's cavalry, which shocked the Xia army." I thought that I should reward you greatly. Hebei Province was always facing the invasion of the Jie tribe and was full of dangers. The King of Yan had previously exchanged fine salt and Xianbei people for a large number of war horses. I thought that I could rely on this advantage to establish a cavalry force in Yancheng. Under the command of the King of Yan, firstly, it can guard against the attacks of the Jie tribe's cavalry, and secondly, it can support the northern pass to block the enemy."
Fang Shutong's words were like a thunderbolt from the blue that exploded in the hall. As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of shock erupted from the hall. The prince's pupils suddenly dilated and he shouted sternly: "How dare you, Fang Shutong, you want to plot." If the rebellion fails, our ancestors have ordered that the vassal king is not allowed to use mercenaries. As the Minister of War, don’t you know that?"
Xue Qing, the Minister of Household Affairs, narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Fang Shutong indifferently. The eldest prince Zhao Tong originally wanted to scold Fang Shutong, but seeing that Xue Qing was indifferent to this, he took back the step he took.
Fang Shutong looked at the prince and said calmly: "Back to your highness, the veteran is considering the border defense issue. Now the Jie tribe and the Xiongnu in the north are unprecedentedly powerful. If the Jie tribe and the Xiongnu unite to go south, then the war will resume and the people will be devastated." , what should we do?”
"Hmph, now that my father is at his peak in the Spring and Autumn Period, and my army in Daxia wears millions of armors, why should we be afraid of the Xiongnu and the Jie people?"
Fang Shutong did not answer, but turned to Zhao Wuji and said: "Your Majesty, we have always been short of war horses in Daxia, and the south is not suitable for raising horses. Now King Yan is exchanging fine salt and Xianbei people for war horses, which can greatly supplement the shortage of war horses." , and the north is vast, suitable for raising war horses and training cavalry. If we don’t take this as an opportunity, I’m afraid there will be no chance again in the future.”
The prince couldn't hear it, but Zhao Wuji could. Fang Shutong's words were not meant for the prince to hear, but for himself to hear. At first, he was bent on regaining Hebei Province. In order to achieve a united front, the royal family gave up a lot of ground. The sphere of influence made the major families support the Northern Expedition. If the northern nomads invaded the south again, what else could the royal family offer in exchange? Do we have to give up the only hinterland of the Central Plains that the royal family has? Then can Daxia still have the surname Zhao?
Meng Xiangli, the Minister of Civil Affairs, said: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. The vassal king has his own troops and respects himself. Once there is disobedience, it will easily cause turmoil in the country, Your Majesty."
"Yes, Your Majesty, Fang Shutong is committing an act of rebellion with this move," Zhang Ju, the right servant of the Ministry of Personnel, agreed.
Zhao Wuji glanced at the people in the audience and suddenly looked at Dai Yan, the Minister of Punishment, and asked: "Dai Yan!"
"Is your minister here?"
"What do you think, sir?"
Dai Yan said calmly: "Your Majesty, you should ask the Ministry of War for the establishment of the army, the Ministry of Households for military supplies, and the Ministry of Rites for royal family law. The Ministry of Punishment does not know." Dai Yan's attitude made it clear that you are fighting for it. Anyway, this is This matter has nothing to do with my Dai family, and I won't wade into your muddy waters.
Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, cursing the old dog in his heart.
"What does the emperor think of this matter?" Zhao Wuji turned to Zhao Ren, the Minister of Rites. Zhao Ren was Zhao Wuji's imperial uncle and the father of Heng Wang Zhao Wuzheng. He was currently serving as the Minister of Rites.
"Ahem, cough, cough." Zhao Ren coughed a few times and walked out of the train and said: "The cavalry can be established, but it does not have to be led by King Yan. After all, he is still young. The Ministry of War can submit candidates and the Ministry of Personnel will approve them. Hebei Province The territory is vast and sparsely populated, so any place you choose can be used as a training venue immediately.”
At first glance, the plan proposed by the old prince is very good, but if you think about it carefully, it is almost impossible to implement. The Ministry of War will definitely nominate the Fang family, but the officials will definitely obstruct it. They definitely hope that the person in charge of the cavalry will be The prince's party may be members of the Zhang family, and the Xue family of the household department will obviously not provide money to train the army for these two families.
Sure enough, Xue Qing was the first to come out and said: "Your Majesty, the current treasury tax revenue is unable to provide the food and equipment needed by the cavalry." In Xue Qing's view, he neither wanted the King of Yan to have an army, nor did he want the court to add cavalry. Because no matter who is in charge of this cavalry, he will be a threat to his Xue family.
"Your Majesty, I have a compromise." Everyone followed the call, and it turned out to be Shangguan Lingyu, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Say!" Zhao Wuji said.
"Yes, at present, the imperial treasury tax revenue cannot support the formation of large-scale cavalry, and the formation of cavalry is indeed an urgent matter. There are still 5,000 city defense troops in Yancheng. The King of Yan can command the 5,000 city defense troops and transform them into The cost of the cavalry will be borne by Prince Yan's palace itself. There are only five thousand soldiers and horses, which can not only prevent the vassal king's mercenaries from rebelling, but also assist the northern pass in defending against the Jie tribe's attack."
"Sir Shangguan, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. You don't have to pay a penny, but you still ask me to help the court raise five thousand troops. Doesn't this seem like a reward?" Yang Guozhong interjected.
Shangguan Lingyu smiled and said: "Master Yang is joking, the five thousand soldiers in Yancheng were originally supported by local taxes, but now they are still maintained by local taxes. How can they not pay a share? , not to mention with King Yan’s ability, this little thing shouldn’t be a problem.”
"Okay, let's do this as Lingyu said. Do you still have any objections?" Zhao Wuji interrupted.
"Father, I still feel that this move is inappropriate. If we set a precedent, firstly, it will be inconsistent with our ancestors' laws. Secondly, if other vassal kings follow suit, it will eventually lead to catastrophe." Prince Zhao Chong said.
Zhao Wuji's face showed displeasure: "Then why don't you, Prince, go to Yancheng to garrison?"
The prince's face suddenly turned pale, and he knelt down in a hurry and said: "My son made a mistake, please forgive me."
In fact, Zhao Wuji's words were not only meant for the prince, but also for everyone in the audience. How could Zhao Wuji not know the dangers of the feudal king's mercenaries? However, given the current situation, there is really no way. The more powerful the aristocratic family is, the more powerful it is. , the more the royal family will be weakened. Once the northern nomads move south in large numbers again, Daxia may really be in danger.
Seeing that no one in the audience raised any objections, Zhao Wuji said: "This matter has been settled. In addition, Zhou Hu and Lu Biao will each be promoted to half a rank and receive a hundred taels of silver as a reward!"
"Let's break up the court!"
"Long live, long live, long live my emperor!"
