While traveling across the country, Zhao Gou reached the backyard and felt a splitting headache, so weak that he could not move even a single step. He endured the discomfort and sat down on the stone bench under the flowers and trees nearby. He held his forehead and messaged for a while, and then said to the chamberlain beside him: "I have ordered the Prime Minister and the Privy Council to enter the palace. We will discuss matters in the palace in a while."
The waiter promised and left quickly.
Zhao Gou raised his head and looked at the blooming lotus in the pond next to him, his eyes gloomy.
Wang Xiaolie talked happily in Xiangyang, and the news spread quickly. Thousands of miles away in Yuezhou, including Emperor Zhao Gou and all the ministers in the city, they got the news eight days later. This morning, the ministers had a heated debate. Many people said that Wang Xiaolie's disloyalty was clearly revealed, and he must be punished for his crimes to serve as a warning to others. Others say that Wang Xiaohunting has a heavy army and cannot act rashly in the first confrontation with the Jin people.
We went to court before dawn, and it was past noon, but there was still no conclusion to the debate. Zhao Gou couldn't bear it anymore and ordered him to withdraw from the court. The matter would be discussed later. That being said, how could such a major matter be delayed? There was no other way but to discuss the matter with the apse.
After resting for a while and feeling that he had regained his strength, Zhao Gou stood up. After thinking about it, he sent another chamberlain and invited Hanlin bachelors to enter the palace together.
Not long after, Prime Minister Fan Zongyin, political advisors Ye Mengde, Zhang Shou and Qin Hui, as well as deputy privy envoys Li Hui and Fu Zhirou entered the palace and went to the side hall to see Zhao Gou. After the ceremony, Zhao Gou ordered people to be seated. Since the morning court was too long, he also gave tea soup to a few people to cushion their bellies.
A few people had just had a few bites when Hanlin bachelors Wang Zao and Qi Chongli entered the palace. They were given seats and tea soup for them to use first.
It didn't take long for a few people to eat, and the waiter removed the tableware. Several people thanked Zhao Gou together.
Zhao Goudao said: "The king of Xiangyang talked nonsense in front of the officials a few days ago, without the courtesy of a minister. You all know the news. Today, the ministers in the front hall are making noises and talking a lot, but there is no conclusion. This is a big matter, As a human being, you cannot leave things to chance."
Fan Zongyin has been attacked by Qin Hui these days, and his head is as big as a bucket. After hearing what Zhao Gou said, he just frowned and did not answer.
Qin Hui held the scepter and said, "I wonder what your Majesty wants?"
Zhao Gou said with a dark face: "We have summoned all the ministers to discuss something together. This matter is important, how can I decide it with just one word!"
Zhang Shou held the scepter and said: "Wang Xiaolie was speechless and should have been severely punished! But he has a hundred thousand troops to guard the key places of Xiang and Deng. The court should not push too hard. If it is pushed too hard, Whether he is relying on his army to cause chaos everywhere, or whether he is Beitou and puppet Qi, he is a serious problem for the imperial court!"
Fuzhi Judao: "These governors were supposed to guard their places and share the worries of the imperial court. Unfortunately, for more than a year, there were some who caused trouble everywhere and some who committed mischief in the local area. Except for the governor of Tongtai, the people who were under their rule were safe. Yue Fei is Wang Xiaolie and Chen Gui, Jie Qian and Wang Yan around him. Wang Xiaolie holds a heavy army and lives in a key place in the world. He is far away from the court and has no chance to listen to the teachings of the saint. For a moment, he doesn't know what he has received. It's not a big deal if someone confuses you and makes some weird remarks. Your Majesty can just send a minister to question him face to face."
Qin Hui said nothing. Standing below, holding the wat board in his hand, he carefully looked at Zhao Gou's face.
Zhao Gou's face was as heavy as water, neither happy nor angry, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Qi Chongli, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, said: "In the past few years, Wang Xiao has indeed made several achievements in hunting and guarding Dengzhou. The court has not hesitated to reward him, and he has lived up to him when he was in his twenties and became an envoy. Watch what he said in Xiangyang a few days ago. , It is really treasonous to say that the earth replaces the sky. Considering that he is young, your majesty does not need to punish him severely. But you cannot ignore it. You should send ministers to show him righteousness and let him know the courtesy of a minister. "
Qin Hui looked at Zhao Gou's face and knew that he was extremely angry. Holding the scepter in his hand, he said: "Speaking such treacherous and unethical words, we know that Wang Xiaolie must not be reused! With a large army in hand, even if he is successful for a while, if time passes, he will become a serious trouble for the court! I think that your majesty might as well issue an edict. In the past, He was promoted to an official title and ordered to go to the palace soon. Then he secretly ordered Chen Gui and Wang Shu to select loyal and available generals from Wang Xiaolie—"
Hearing this, Zhao Gou nodded slightly and said nothing.
Wang Zao said: "Now that the world is in turmoil, it will be difficult to control the generals with heavy troops outside. Wang Xiaolie's father, Wang Rudai, was originally a general judge and started his career as a Jinshi. During the Jingkang crisis, he raised troops to serve the king and died in the battle outside Kaifeng City. From then on, Wang Xiaolie took charge of the army. In the past few years, Wang Xiaolie pacified the place and defeated the Jin soldiers several times in a row. He became a good general for a while. I thought that it would be inappropriate for a general to have troops outside, but although Wang Xiaolie made lies, he still He did not show contempt for the imperial court. Your Majesty still sent ministers to investigate, so there is no need to severely punish him."
Zhao Gou sneered: "Wang Xiaolie is not bullying the emperor, he is trying to defy God! Humph——"
Seeing that Zhao Gou's words were very serious, all the ministers hurriedly accused him together.
Zhao Goudao said: "People say that Wang Xiaolie has one hundred thousand soldiers and covers ten states. I don't know if that is the case. It is not easy to raise one hundred thousand soldiers."
Fuzhi Judao: "A hundred thousand troops are enough to run rampant in the world. I think that the governor is a good man, so you don't have to believe him. However, even if Wang Xiao's troops and horses do not have a hundred thousand, there are tens of thousands. If If you support your troops and cause chaos, it will definitely become a serious problem for the world!"
Now Zhao Gou's generals can hardly form an army of 100,000 together. Wang Xiaolie said there were 100,000 troops, but Zhao Gou didn't believe it. How much does it cost to raise such soldiers and horses a year? Although the world is in turmoil, Zhao Gou can only control nearly a hundred state capitals, and it is difficult to support an army of 100,000. With more than a dozen states and being on the front line, how could Wang Xiaolie have so much money?
But Fu Zhirou was right, Wang Xiaolie had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses instead of one hundred thousand. With literally tens of thousands of soldiers capable of fighting, who in the world can pacify them now? If Wang Xiaolie is really forced to rebel, the world will inevitably be in turmoil.
Qin Hui said: "Wang Xiaolie has a large number of troops and is in a critical place. If he is disobedient, he will be a disaster to the court! I think that the court should lure him with high-ranking officials and order him to go to the palace quickly. Your Majesty will tell you in person whether it is good or bad. , to strengthen his heart!"
Li Hui favored Qin Hui because he recommended him to him last year. Now he is trying to use Qin Hui's power to rise from Tongzhi Privy Council to participate in politics. After hearing what Qin Hui said, he hurriedly responded: "As long as Wang Xiaolie goes to Que, when he arrives in Yuezhou, no matter how many heavy troops there are, he will not be able to control him!"
Qin Hui secretly shook his head after hearing this. Who doesn’t understand this? If he didn't say it out loud, it was because everything was left unsaid, and Zhao Gou understood it. Now that I say it out loud, it becomes unsightly.
Zhao Gou said to Fan Zongyin, who had been silent, "What does the prime minister think?"
Fan Zongyin held the scepter and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that now is the time to employ people, and we should not offend the general suddenly. Wang Xiaolie has been in Nanyang. He has made great achievements in recent years, and the reward may not be enough. With his achievements, there is no harm in establishing a festival. ? It’s better to over-promote him. Wang Xiaolie is a general of the imperial court. After receiving this reward, he will definitely return to the court to express his gratitude. Your Majesty has given you blessings and misfortunes, so why worry about him not paying attention to state affairs!"
Zhao Gou slowly scanned the crowd. He nodded and said: "That's what the prime minister said. The Jin army came from the south and their troops were unstoppable. The one who can stop the Jin army and win the battle is Wang Xiaoxie. There is only one Wang Xiaoxie in the world. With such good generals, there is no harm in establishing a festival!"
In terms of merit, it is reasonable for Wang Xiaolie to be promoted to Jiedushi. However, Wang Xiaolie was only in his early twenties and was from a militia background, so it would be difficult to establish a festival. In this era, Zhao Gou really relied on people from the original Forbidden Army system, not militiamen like Wang Xiaolie.
