In the first year of Jie Zhao Taining, only three months after Shi Hu ascended the throne, his condition worsened. He was bedridden all year round and often in coma. All state affairs were entrusted to the hands of Rong Zhao general Zhang Jack. He was frightened by Liang Du's momentum and was already on his deathbed.
Zhang Jack colluded with Queen Liu, gained the support of the Huns, and became extremely powerful in the court, surpassing other Han officials such as Li Nong, Zhang Ju, Liu Qun, and Wang Mo.
When news came back that Shi Bin had "pacified" the Liang thieves, Shi Hu was overjoyed and his condition seemed to have improved greatly.
"...The Liang thieves were extremely fierce. Sikong's army of 100,000 people could not stop them. They were defeated in one battle and lost Luoyang and Hulao in another battle. The thieves' army rushed straight to Xingyang. The fierce flames were billowing, the sky and the earth changed color, and all the seas were destroyed. I called the champion general. , the generals of chariots and cavalry attacked them, and the tribes begged for support from the army. There were seven bloody battles, big and small. The sons and ministers did not avoid the arrows and stones, supervising the battle in front. Thanks to the great blessing of their father, the soldiers used their lives to kill the thief chief Liang Du..."
Zhang Jacky finished reading Shi Bin's memorial in a mellow tone, and spoke a thousand words eloquently, half praising Shi Hu and half bragging about his own military exploits.
Even Yao Yizhong and Pu Hong only mentioned it casually, and Heiyun Army never mentioned it.
Shi Hu smiled softly. Although Shi Bin was the bravest among his sons, he was just a middle-aged man. The central army he commanded were all second-line troops guarding Ye City, not elites.
Yao Yizhong and Pu Hong must have put in a lot of effort in this battle.
But it doesn't matter whose hands Liang Du died, the key is that he died.
Jie Zhao barely saved his last dignity.
If Liang Du crosses the Yellow River and approaches Yecheng, the last trace of Jie Zhao's prestige will be removed.
Zhang Jack finished Shi Bin's memorial and took out another memorial, which belonged to Sikong Li Nong.
Shi Hu frowned and waved his hand. Zhang Jack exchanged another letter. It was from the champion general Yao Yizhong.
However, the content of the letter was very different from that of Shi Bin. It described the entire battle in detail, including Shi Min and Li Yue's defense of Xingyang, Shi Bin's retreat in the face of the battle, Pu Hong's bloody battle with Gaoli's guards, and Shi Min and Li Yue's surprise attack. Liang Du's army formed a formation and beheaded Liang Du.
At the end of the memorial, he directly advised Shi Hu, "The black cloud thieves are quite powerful and Sikong can no longer control them. If your majesty cannot use them, you should mobilize all the armies from the north and the south to get rid of them as soon as possible to avoid trapping Jiangdong and causing endless harm."
Shi Hu half believed other people's memorials, but he believed Yao Yizhong firmly.
However, even though Yao Yizhong is an experienced advocate for the country, how can Jie Zhao still have the strength to encircle and suppress Heiyun Mountain?
Liang Du rebelled, killing all the way from Longxi to Xingyang, which changed the structure of Guanzhong and the Central Plains.
What was before Shi Hu was how to fill the emptiness in Guanzhong and Luozhou.
Speaking of threats, who else is more serious than Fangtou’s enemy?
Pu Hong was like a thorn piercing Jie Zhao's heart. Shi Hu did not dare to pull it out easily even though he knew it hurt.
"The king of Yan was appointed prime minister and recorded the ministerial affairs. Yao Yizhong was made the Duke of Xiping. He went to the palace with swords and shoes. He did not go to the court and paid homage without being named! Pu Hong was made the Duke of Lueyang. He was the general of chariots and cavalry. He also opened the mansion with the same three officials. Si, the governor of Yong, the military of Qinzhou, and the governor of Yongzhou. Then he promoted Shi Zun, king of Pengcheng, to the rank of general to guard Guanyou!"
Shi Hu said so much in succession, but his face became even more rosy, as if he had returned to the time when he was young and vigorous.
Shi Bin's performance on the battlefield was not good, but he was able to defeat Pu Hong, which shows that he has the means and vision, and knows who is the most serious enemy, which is more important than charging into battle on the battlefield.
Therefore, Shi Hu was even more certain that promoting Shi Bin to prime minister was a wise move.
"Your Majesty..." Zhang Jack frowned when he heard these appointments, "If Pu Hongruo enters Guanzhong, wouldn't he be like a fish in water?"
Shi Bin was promoted to prime minister and recorded the affairs of the minister, which was equivalent to monopolizing the power of the court. Without him, Zhang Jack would have nothing to do.
Secondly, Pu Hong was the governor of Yong, the military of Qinzhou, and the governor of Yongzhou. This was clearly giving Guanzhong to him.
Zhang Jack did not dare to oppose Shi Bin, so he could only hold Pu Hong.
Shi Hu said: "Pu Hong has become too big to lose. It is better to be transferred to Guanzhong than to stay in Hebei. Moreover, Guanzhong is already broken. Qinzhou has Ma Qiu, Liu Ning, Wang Lang and Wangzhao generals, and Dazhi (Shi Zun) is in charge. Chang'an, if you can put some checks and balances, he is in Fangtou, and I have trouble sleeping and eating in Yecheng."
Jie Zhao had already defeated the strength of nine bulls and two tigers in dealing with Liang Du, let alone dealing with Pu Hong.
In more than ten years, Pu Hong has established a strong reputation in Hebei.
This battle allowed Shi Hu to see the fighting power of Di Ren.
In Shi Hu's view, if Pu Hong hadn't resisted the Gaoli Imperial Guard head-on, how could Yao Yizhong, Shi Min, and Li Yue have attacked from behind?
Moreover, the Di army that went south to suppress the rebellion was not Pu Hong's entire combat strength.
Fangtou has 40,000 elite soldiers, all of whom followed Pu Hong in his northern and southern campaigns.
"Then, how will your Majesty reward Sikong, Xiuchenghou, and Heiyun Mountain?" Zhang Jack stared at Shi Hu nervously.
At present, Li Nong, Zhang Ju, and Zhang Jackal are all grasshoppers on the same rope.
Without Li Nong, Zhang Jack would not be able to deal with Shi Bin, who was promoted to prime minister.
Shi Hu coughed twice, and his face flushed, "The beggar army can only be driven like cattle and horses, and used like hawks and dogs. They cannot be fed. If they are fed, they will have to carry me! This battle is over here. Here is the edict, Yan Wang Shibin quickly returns to Yecheng to receive the reward."
Li Nong, Shi Min, and Hei Yunshan all have beggar army backgrounds. From the perspective of Jie people, they will always be Jin people.
Even if he adopted his grandson Shi Min, Shi Hu never let down his guard. A Jin person will always be a Jin person.
In other words, Shihu could allow the Qiang people to rise and the Di people to grow, but he would never allow the Jin people to rise in power in Jie Zhao.
At this time, Shihu replaced Huaxia's national policy with Zhuhu since the founding of the country.
Li Nong and Zhang Liang were both loyal dogs raised by Shihu in captivity.
Zhang Jack looked slightly disappointed.
But Shi Hu suddenly said: "When I was ill, you took care of the internal and external affairs. You were very talented and promoted to the general of the guard, the general of the army, and the minister of the Ministry of official affairs."
The title of "General of the Guard" is a false position and represents status.
But the leading general is no small matter. The Wei and Jin Dynasties implemented various Chinese and foreign military systems. The leading general is the central leading army. He commands the central army in Yecheng and has great power.
You know, Zhang Jacky is just General Rong Zhao, who is relatively behind in the Jie Zhao court.
Shi Hu was demoted from so many official positions. Zhang Jack's eyes suddenly flushed, he burst into tears of gratitude, and his voice trembled, "I, I will do my best to assist the great Zhao!"
Zhang Jack is not good at fighting, but he is good at maneuvering camps. He has been immersed in power for many years and soon figured out the secrets. Li Nong went to battle with a hundred thousand troops and was defeated like a mountain. Shi Hu was disgraced. Even if he was not dealt with, he certainly would not Will be as favored as before.
Therefore, Shi Hu needs to support another person to replace Li Nong.
Zhang Jack is from Prince Shishi. Promoting him is tantamount to increasing the strength of the Prince's family and being able to check and balance each other with Shi Bin.
Although Shi Hu was cruel, in the twenty years since he usurped the throne, the Hu and Jin clans had obeyed him and were willing to be driven, which shows his prestige.
Liangdu's mutiny was largely caused by Zhang Mao, the governor of Yongzhou, seizing his horse and mistreating him.
After saying so much, Shi Hu felt a little tired and waved his hand, "You will assist the prince."
Zhang Jack surrendered.
People are in high spirits at happy events. After calming down Liang Du, Shi Hu felt that his legs no longer hurt. Looking at the plump figures of the maids coming and going, a small fire sprang up in his heart and he couldn't stop it no matter what.
Licking his lips, he pointed at the two maids and said, "Go to bed!"
(End of chapter)
