Guo Kui's reputation in the northwest is really extraordinary. You must know that he was promoted by two generations of prime ministers, Fan Zhongyan and Han Qi.
Is this a way to lure him into the water?
Because in a case like this, you are afraid of this kind of thing!
Facing everyone's gaze, Guo Kui just smiled. After all, he had seen big scenes, and he had also seen a lot of bloodshed in the officialdom.
"President Lu, please rest assured that Mr. Guo is also one of today's witnesses. I will ask him about relevant matters later."
Zhang Fei smiled and nodded, then lowered his head to read the copy.
At this time, most of the guests sitting here had seen the trial of the imperial court for the first time. When they saw Zhang Feixuan dilly-dally asking two questions and then looking through the copy, they couldn't help but shake their heads.
This is what is called rising to the top based on ability.
Are you prepared?
Cramming here.
For example, when Bao Zheng and Fan Zhongyan tried a case, they memorized all the evidence beforehand, so that they could deal with unexpected events in court.
You can't read a book while arguing. This is very embarrassing for literati.
After carefully reviewing the copy, Zhang Fei raised his head, looked at Lu Shen and said, "At the beginning of the fourth year of Zhiping, the chief of the Xixia tribe ordered Hope to surrender to our court, and the person in charge of this matter at the time seemed to be Magistrate Lu."
Lu Shen was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Many civil servants were upset.
Many of them also knew about this matter, but it actually had nothing to do with the Suizhou battle. Zhang Fei suddenly mentioned this matter, obviously to catch Lu Shen's weakness.
really!
This guy is biased towards cheating.
On the other hand, the generals on Zhong'e's side were secretly happy.
Zhang Fei asked: "I wonder how Magistrate Lu made his decision at that time?"
Lu Shen said: "I refused at first."
Zhang Fei asked: "Why?"
Lu Shen said: "Because I am worried that it will trigger a war between the two countries."
If I were an Erbi and he answered like this, he would be doomed. Alas, it's a pity that I am the president of the court. Zhang Fei'an endured the turmoil in his heart and nodded, "What happens next?"
Lu Shen said: "Later, Zizizheng persuaded me to accept his surrender, and I agreed. I remember that not long after, Xixia came to ask for someone, and it was Zizizheng who gave me the idea to ask Xixia in exchange for Jingxun. The other party did not Agree, and the matter will be settled."
In this case, he never denied Zhong'e's military talent and foresight, but he also believed that Zhong'e was arrogant and did not obey military orders.
Zhang Fei asked: "Who is this Jing Xun?"
Lu Shen said: "Jing Xun was originally a general in Yanzhou. Later, he fled to Xixia because of a crime. He knows the terrain of our Yanzhou very well."
Zhang Fei nodded, "When faced with the surrender of enemy generals, Magistrate Lu seems to be extremely cautious. Can Magistrate Lu explain his views on foreign affairs?"
Lu Shen said: "I have always advocated peace talks, not war. Because facts have proven that in peacetime, we, the Song Dynasty, will gain long-term advantages. This is the strength of our country. It is precisely because of this that the other party always hopes to challenge Cause disasters, interrupt the prosperity of our country, and at the same time stabilize the uneasy situation in the other country. And every time we, the Song Dynasty, launch a war, no matter whether we win or lose, the people will be devastated and mourning will be everywhere."
Having said this, he paused for a moment, looked at Zhang Fei and said, "Has President Zhang seen the scene after the war?"
Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, shook his head and said, "No."
Lu Shen said: "Eating for children, eating grass and gnawing trees. There is no grass growing for hundreds of miles. It is not a natural disaster, but caused by hunger. You will understand why I hope to avoid foreign wars."
Many officials looked moved and nodded frequently.
Officials in the northwest knew that what Lu Shen said was true.
But there were also some officials who sneered and muttered, as if they wanted to argue with Lu Shen.
Zhang Fei nodded and said: "Although I have never seen the devastation that Magistrate Lu said, I hope that I will never see it in my lifetime. And I have seen Magistrate Lu's political achievements in Yongzhou. In the face of harassment from local tribes, Magistrate Lu is Choosing to rectify the local government, strengthen military armaments, use martial arts to intimidate, and subjugate the enemy without fighting, finally forced the South to send envoys to pay tribute, so that the people of the two places could live in peace."
Lu Shen couldn't help but froze, as if he wasn't used to it. In his mind, Zhang Fei was the enemy, but these words were obviously beneficial to him.
Is this a flattery tactic?
The guests on both sides also looked confused.
Which way are you heading?
Lu Shen's political achievements in Yongzhou can indeed prove that his propositions in Yanzhou are reasonable and consistent. In Yanzhou, he also rectified the administration, built fortresses, strengthened armaments, and forced the opponent not to dare. To attack, he just does not advocate starting a war.
He is a standard dove. Doves are not capitulationists. Doves just believe that war cannot achieve political goals and the result will only be losses for both sides. On the contrary, peace is beneficial to oneself.
In fact, a mature political system must have doves and hawks, because war is just a continuation of politics. If there are only hawks, the result is that it must be fought, no matter what problems have arisen within the country, even if this war cannot bring about If there is any benefit, we must fight it to the end, and the ruling class will be placed on top, unable to step down. If we continue to fight, the country will be destroyed.
If there are only doves, then it means that people have bricks and I have a face. If I use the Tianling Gai to catch the mace, it will be even worse. At least the hawks will fight back.
Only when both factions exist can the ruling class choose whether to use the dove or the hawk based on the current situation.
For example, now, Zhao Xu has begun to reuse the hawks one after another, but he has not given up on the doves in the government. If he cannot defeat them, he will have to switch back.
In foreign affairs, we must be flexible, be brave when we should be brave, and be cowardly when we should be cowardly. But a mature politician will be very cowardly, at least on the surface, it cannot be seen by others.
But inflexible diplomacy will definitely lead to a dead end.
However, Lu Shen himself did not think of using his own evidence in Yongzhou to support his claim.
conspiracy!
There must be a conspiracy here!
There will definitely be a twist.
But just when everyone was bracing themselves and expecting a turning point, Zhang Fei said: "The president of this court has no problem for the time being. Magistrate Lu can go down and take a rest first."
Is this gone?
Lu Shen looked stunned.
What kind of trial is this?
The guests on both sides also looked at each other.
I didn't even ask for a result.
After this series of questions, no one could tell which side Zhang Fei was leaning towards.
You must know that the people sitting here are all veterans of the officialdom, and their ability to observe words and emotions is first-rate. After all, the people and things they encounter every day are very complicated.
Suddenly, a court policeman came forward.
Lu Shen stood up, suddenly feeling unfinished and wanting to continue talking.
Because this kind of semi-public, straightforward chat is extremely rare in official circles, without those false compliments and sinister calculations.
Anyway, Zhang Fei asked directly, and he answered truthfully, and everyone did not shy away from it.
After coming down, he felt that this imperial court was really unusual.
Zhang Fei took the opportunity to drink a cup of tea, then banged his gavel and said: "Pass the seed to the deputy envoy."
Zhong E came to court consciously, but compared to Lu Shen's calmness, his expression was a bit complicated. In fact, when he was sitting below, he was eager to try and wanted to argue with Lu Shen in court. But when he actually appeared in court, I felt uneasy again, like sitting on pins and needles.
After Zhong E sat down, Zhang Fei asked: "Deputy Ambassador Zhong, you should have heard the confession made by Magistrate Lu just now."
Zhonge nodded.
Zhang Fei lowered his head and glanced at the copy, then raised his head and said: "According to the evidence we obtained, the content you reported to the court clearly stated that you had successfully lured you to surrender to Weiming Mountain.
But Magistrate Lu just said that you lied about the military situation just to ask the court to allow you to send troops. What is your explanation for this? "
Zhong E suddenly said with an excited expression: "I didn't lie, I just reported the truth."
It turned out that the words he just said had been kept in his heart.
Zhang Fei asked curiously: "But some soldiers saw Wei Mingshan mounting a gun and getting ready to fight with our army. Is this true?"
Zhong E hesitated for a moment and said: "This is also true, but I only learned afterwards that Wei Mingshan did not agree to surrender."
Zhang Fei asked: "You found out later?"
Zhong'e said: "Because I went to persuade his brother Wei Mingshan to surrender through Wei Mingyishan who had already surrendered. It was not because I had direct contact with Wei Mingshan. And Wei Mingyishan went to persuade Wei Mingshan to surrender through Li Wenxi, a close confidant around Wei Mingshan. But Who would have thought that Li Wenxi would get in the way and, in order to get money, lied that Weimingshan had agreed to surrender.
If I really just want to be greedy for success, then I don't need to spend money to induce surrender, which may also fail. "
Zhang Fei nodded and asked, "Then how did you accept Wei Mingshan's surrender?"
Zhong E pondered for a moment and said: "As Magistrate Lu said, I attacked with the entire army and surrounded the clan account in Weiming Mountain in a surprise attack. But this is very normal on the battlefield."
Zhang Fei asked: "Really?"
Zhong E nodded and said: "First of all, even if Wei Mingshan agrees to surrender, there may be fraud. I must be fully prepared. No matter whether the other party really surrenders, I will choose this method, so as to ensure that in case of any eventuality .
I also reported the facts to the court, and I would not be surprised if I was not sure. Therefore, in the later edict issued by the court, it was also ordered that the prefect Lu and the then envoy Xue Zhuan were to plan the matter, and that I would contact them. It can be seen that the court did not think that our army had captured Suizhou, but only supported our army. Lure the opponent to surrender.
Secondly, in past cases of inducement to surrender, many tribal leaders agreed to surrender, but their subordinates were unwilling to surrender. As a result, when our army accepted their surrender, their subordinates defected on the battlefield, causing the entire plan to fail. I could not give them this opportunity.
This is why I sent troops directly without waiting for the imperial edict, because once the news about this kind of thing leaked out, the success would probably be in vain. It was a critical moment at that time. "
Zhang Fei said: "So Deputy Chief Zhong considered all possible accidents and made careful arrangements."
Zhong'e nodded and said: "Before sending troops, I knew very clearly where the opponent's main force was, as well as the number and deployment of their troops. Therefore, even if Weimingshan did not intend to surrender at that time, our army could do it without any trouble. With one soldier and one soldier, he captured 300 chiefs and leaders, 15,000 households, and 10,000 soldiers.”
Zhang Fei said: "But did deputy envoy Zhong consider that this would lead to a war between our country and Xixia? At that time, the official family had just ascended the throne, and we were not ready for a war with Xixia."
Zhong'e said: "I never thought that the Song Dynasty and Xixia coexisted peacefully at that time. The war on the northwest border never stopped. Suizhou is my hometown in the Central Plains, but it is still occupied by Xixia. Where does this peace come from? Talk about it.”
(End of chapter)
