"Profess the king?" Zhao Yun frowned, and a string in his head suddenly tightened.
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, many princes have been granted titles. At the beginning of the founding of the country, Chai Zongxun was granted the title of King Zheng, and then Shi Shouxin, Gao Bade, Tong Guan, Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun and others were granted the title of king successively.
It can be seen that there were many kings in the Song Dynasty, but most of them were posthumous and were prepared for the dead.
In the history of the Song Dynasty, except for Chai Zongxun and Qian Chu, emperors and kings during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, as well as relatives and posthumous princes, there were actually very few people who truly relied on merit and were awarded princes during their lifetimes. Only Wei Wang Fu Yanqing, Taiyuan County Prince Wang Jing, Guangyang County Prince Tong Guan, Tong'an County Prince Yang Cunzhong, Qinghe County Prince Zhang Jun.
Among them, Fu Yanqing was the king in the later Zhou Dynasty. After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, this fact was acquiesced.
Wang Jingnai was a tumbler of the Five Dynasties, and was already a duke in the later Zhou Dynasty. After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, he could only be granted the title of county prince after his achievements.
Tong Guan did not mention that both Yang Cunzhong and Zhang Jun had made meritorious service during the resistance against the Jin Dynasty, and Zhang Jun took the initiative to surrender his military power before being replaced by the Qinghe County Prince.
From this point of view, compared with the later Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Song Dynasty found that it was easier to say that it was a king, but it was not easy, and it was not that simple.
The Mongolian army entered the Huaihe River, but Zheng Qingzhi was unable to control the power to expel the Mongols.
Now Zheng Qingzhi can only hope that Zhao Kui and Zhao Fan can withstand it, and then ask Zhao Tai to send troops to harass and force Mongolia to withdraw.
As a civil servant, Zheng Qingzhi was also wary of Zhao Tai.
This was the reason why he didn't try his best to help Zhao Tai when Zhao Tai asked for help, but now the situation was different and he didn't care so much.
"Your Majesty, the current situation is critical. To recruit Zhao Guorui, the court can gain two thousand miles of land and one hundred thousand soldiers. Moreover, he is the descendant of Taizu and comes from the clan..." Zheng Qingzhi said.
Zhao Yun furrowed his eyebrows into the Chinese character "Chuan", waved his hand to interrupt Zheng Qingzhi's speech, and said in a deep voice: "I know the situation! So, the envoy sent to Shandong has returned, and the request to establish a feudal lord was made by Zhao Tai?"
Zheng Qingzhi nodded, "Jia Sicheng has just arrived in Lin'an. The request was made by Zhao Guorui's subordinates. He asked the Song Dynasty to grant Zhao Guorui the title of King of Qi and establish a vassal in Shandong."
It's nothing to be crowned a king, but to be crowned a king with real power, you need to be vigilant.
Zhao Yun couldn't make up his mind about this matter for a while. He waved his hand and dismissed several people, saying: "This matter allows me to think about it. Please retreat later."
This matter really requires caution. Seeing this, Zheng Qingzhi could only bow to Zhen Dexiu and leave.
Li Zhixiao was thoughtful, came to his senses, and resigned from the palace.
He walked out of the palace and found that Zheng Qingzhi and Zhen Dexiu had not left. When they saw him coming out, Zheng Qingshang stepped forward and slightly cupped his hands, quite sincerely, "I just thanked Prime Minister Li."
Li Zhixiao snorted coldly, "I am thinking about the country of the Song Dynasty, not to help you!"
Seeing this, Zheng Qingzhi smiled helplessly and took Zhen Dexiu away.
Li Zhixiao looked at the backs of the two people, but his thoughts were racing, and he even regretted not adding insult to injury just now.
Now Zheng Qingzhi's intention is obvious, which is to let Zhao Kui and Zhao Fan hold up the enemy to prevent the Mongolian army from crossing the river, and then rely on Zhao Tai to attack from behind and force the Mongolian troops to retreat.
Just now, Li Zhixiao considered the overall situation and did not undermine Zheng Qingzhi and did not let Zhao Yun mention leaving Lin'an. This was considered to help stabilize Zhao Yun in Lin'an and prevent the morale of the frontline troops from wavering.
Li Zhixiao stood at the door, lost in thought, "If the imperial court recruits Zhao Tai, and Zhao Tai sends troops to force Mongolia to retreat, then the credit for retreating the enemy will go to Zheng Qing's party!"
Li Zhixiao shook his head vigorously, "No, Zheng Qingzhi can just stop the Mongolian army. They must not let them take the credit for repelling the enemy!"
Thinking of this, Li Zhixiao suddenly picked up his steps, quickly walked to the sedan and got in, "Go back home!"
At this time, Zheng Qingzhi and Zhen Dexiu returned to the political hall and continued to discuss the current situation. Zhen Dexiu was involved in political affairs and did not participate in military affairs. As soon as he sat down, he asked: "Prime Minister Zheng, just now I didn't dare to do it in front of His Majesty." Ask, now that there is no one else around, tell me honestly, how sure are you of defeating Mongolia?"
Zheng Qingzhi sat down and said truthfully: "Your Majesty wants to leave Lin'an, which is absolutely impossible. I did hide something in front of Your Majesty! It's true that Zhao Kui and Zhao Fan are guarding the north of the Yangtze River, and it's true that there are navymen on the Yangtze River. However, in the first year of Duanping, the invasion of Luo failed, and tens of thousands of elite soldiers were lost in the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River. Now the people fighting the Mongols are the Sanya Forbidden Army who have not been trained well. The navy on the Yangtze River has been in peace for a long time, and its armaments are also weakened..."
Zhen Dexiu's face changed greatly, "Oh my god, Prime Minister Zheng! You've done me a lot of harm. If the Mongols attack across the river, you and I will both be sinners!"
Zheng Qingzhi said: "Don't panic, Mr. Xishan. Mongolia is not used to water warfare. This is also a fact! As long as Sichuan and Jinghu send troops and recruit the loyal army, everything will be fine!"
Zhen Dexiu sighed, "Oh! I hope so!"
The two sat in silence for a while. After a while, Zhen Dexiu asked again: "Will your Majesty agree to recruit the Zhongyi Army? Although Zhao Tai is a member of the royal family, he has a heavy army. Our dynasty has always treated such people. We will step up precautions!”
Zheng Qingzhi said: "The situation is like this! Mongolia is an urgent need, Zhao Guorui is just a hidden danger, I think the officials will agree!"
After Zhao Yun waited for the three people to leave, he paced around the hall with his hands behind his hands. He couldn't make up his mind for a moment. He walked back and forth for a while and suddenly said: "Let Jia Sidao come to see me!"
Jia Sidao had just returned to Lin'an, and before he had time to wash off Feng Chen and change his clothes, he hurried into the palace to pay his respects.
"Your Majesty!" Jia Sidao entered the palace, saw Zhao Yun pacing back and forth, and bowed to see him.
Zhao Yun came back to his senses, saw Jia Sidao, stopped, sat back on the throne, and said directly: "I have a hard time going to Shandong, my dear, please tell me about your trip quickly!"
Now Zhao Yun doesn't trust Zheng Qingzhi and others very much. Although he knows that the main war faction is doing something for the benefit of the Song Dynasty, and most of them are loyal ministers, but they do not consider their own safety first. In such a dangerous situation, they will not let It's a bit too much to go alone and let him drive and fight in person.
As the emperor of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Yun had to consider the interests of the Song Dynasty, but he first had to consider his own throne and life safety.
Compared with most ministers in the court, Zhao Yun trusted Jia Sidao.
This is not because Jia Sidao is capable, but because he is his brother-in-law and Concubine Jia's younger brother. He is one of his own and will not cheat him.
At present, the Mongolian army is pressing down on the border, and the front line is relatively dangerous. It is beneficial to recruit the loyal army to fight against the Mongols, but Zhao Yun is worried that Zhao Tai will become a hidden danger to the court and threaten his throne.
Jia Sidao heard the words and quickly saluted, "Yes!"
At the moment, he carefully recounted his journey to Shandong and what he had seen.
When Jia Sidao talked about the miserable situation of the soldiers and civilians in Shandong, they still persisted in fighting against the Mongols, and when they entered Zhao Tai's camp and saw the banner that read "loyalty and justice to serve the country", Zhao Yun was also moved in his heart.
"So, Zhao Tai is a loyal man!" Zhao Yun murmured.
Jia Sidao nodded, "I have observed that Zhao Tai is very determined to fight against the Mongols. Previously, the imperial court was deceived by the Mongols and ignored the Mongolian attack on Shandong. Zhao Tai could have led his troops to evacuate, but he chose to stick to Pizhou and serve the imperial court. If you set up defenses and buy time, you can be called a national soldier!"
Zhao Yun thought of this incident and remembered that Zhao Tai seemed to have posted a message, so he asked his servant to find it and read it. He was indeed moved by Zhao Tai.
"So, this Zhao Tai can be trusted?" Zhao Yun pondered for a while, then shook his head again, "No! If he is loyal, how could he threaten me to make him the King of Qi in this critical moment!"
Jia Sidao saluted, "Your Majesty, at that time Zhao Tai advocated sending troops to reinforce the imperial court, but the generals of the loyal army opposed it, thinking that the imperial court was not sincere, and asked the imperial court to establish a king and a vassal!"
Zhao Yun frowned, "So, Zhao Tai cannot completely control Zhongyi Town. His subordinates are like the Hebei tooth soldiers in the late Tang Dynasty."
Jia Sidao said: "I have observed that Zhao Tai has certain control over the Zhongyi Army. Although the Zhongyi Army has civil and military requirements for this kingship, Zhao Tai is also a human being and must have this idea in his heart!"
Zhao Yun nodded slightly, already making a decision in his heart, "This Zhao Tai is quite loyal and has feelings for the Song Dynasty, but his troops are mainly remnants of the Jin Kingdom and have no loyalty to the Song Dynasty. The court is not easy to control. Since Zhao Tai is a member of the clan, so make him king and control these remnants of the Jin Kingdom to help the Song Dynasty fight against the Mongols. When the Mongols are defeated in the future, as long as Zhao Tai is loyal, it would not be a bad idea to summon Zhao Tai into Lin'an and slowly dismember the loyal army! "
Thinking of this, Zhao Yun made a decision, "I have decided to recruit Zhao Tai, but it is a bit inappropriate to be granted the title of King of Qi. I think I should give it to a county king first! After all, Zhao Tai is still young, so as not to have no title to be granted later!"
