Chapter 65 The king and his ministers are in harmony
Because he was delayed for a day in Zhongmou County, Yantuo also waited for an extra day at Xiangfu Post, but he was still received smoothly. However, facing the emperor's courtesy of receiving him in an imperial chariot, Chai Rong did not dare to sit down. Courtesy, one's heart comes from one's heart. As a minister, in the face of such favors, he should still show his due humility. Therefore, Chai Rong and Yan Tuo escorted the empty carriage to Qionglin Garden to pay a visit to the saint.
In this way, it also achieves the effect of killing three birds with one stone. The emperor's respect for the kindness shown to the hero is reflected. As a minister, he is equally beautiful. It once again highlights the majesty of the imperial power and the emperor's supremacy. The royal chariot is not something that ordinary people can ride on.
"Your Majesty, Chai Rong, comes to see you!"
"Chai Qing, please forgive me!" Liu Chengyou seemed very happy about Chai Rong's return, and the smile on his face could almost warm people's hearts.
"Since you left for the northwest, we have not met each other for nearly two years. At last year's ceremony, you were not in Beijing to share the grand event. I feel empty in my heart. I feel very sorry!" Liu Chengyou personally helped Chai Rong up. , lead him to sit down.
Chai Rong was also very emotional about this, and he smiled and said complimentary words: "Although I am far away in the northwest, I have heard about the affairs of the imperial court. Your Majesty has worked hard for fifteen years, and finally wiped out the separatist regimes, unified the world, and rebuilt the country." Taiping's merits and virtues are as high as those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He can be called a person through the ages and is admirable.
Although I did not attend the grand gathering, I, like hundreds of millions of people of the Han Dynasty, sang praises to His Majesty and prayed for the prosperity of the Han Dynasty..."
"Stop it! Stop it quickly!" Liu Chengyou stretched out his hand and said with a smile: "Chai Qing praises me so much that I almost blush. I don't dare to take it. I really don't dare to take it!"
"I speak from the bottom of my heart!" Chai Rong said slightly, then he couldn't help but laugh, but his expression quickly returned to solemnity.
To be honest, Liu Chengyou was a little surprised by Chai Rong's performance. When did the British Duke start to say such flattering and complimentary words? In the past, when monarchs and ministers interacted with each other, Chai Rong had not never praised Liu Chengyou, but It's not like this.
The merits of the Three Emperors and the Five Emperors were as high as those of the Five Emperors. Although in the eyes of Emperor Liu, the Three Emperors and the Five Emperors were nothing, in the eyes of the world, they were still a model of the emperor's merits. This was a high praise. Therefore, after listening to Chai Rong's words Boasting, Emperor Liu was still very happy.
This kind of compliment depends on who is speaking. For a minister like Chai Rong to come out with such force, it is quite a surprise.
The two of them drank ice-cold watermelon juice to relieve the summer heat. Looking at Chai Rong, Liu Chengyou said: "The war in Hexi was fought beautifully. It only took a month to recover Hexi and make the Han flag grow again." Go up to Yangguan and pass the city to show off the majesty and military might of our great Han Dynasty. When I heard about it in Tokyo, I could not help but feel excited, and the whole court was delighted!"
Of course Chai Rong would not listen to everything Emperor Liu said, but the attitude shown by the emperor still made Chai Rong feel at ease.
"Finally, we have lived up to the great trust of His Majesty and the imperial court!" Chai Rong sighed heavily and said, "Unfortunately, compared with the original plan, there were quite a few deviations and accidents, which resulted in setbacks and almost affected the three armies!"
Listening to the words, Emperor Liu immediately understood as soon as Chai Rong said this. It was impossible for Chai Rong to ignore the criticisms in the court, and with his nature, no matter how calm he was, he had the kind of firmness and perseverance. It cannot be changed. The British public is obviously dissatisfied with those voices.
Regarding this, Liu Chengyou was naturally magnanimous, raised his hand, and said: "How can we demand perfection? There is never an unchanging plan. Soldiers are unpredictable, and water is unpredictable. We should adapt to the times and local conditions.
Just ignore some comments, but the scholar's opinion is not the same. If the battle in Hexi was not fought well enough, then the Han Dynasty fought so many battles before and after, and lost many soldiers and generals, wouldn't they all be punished? ?”
"Your Majesty is wise!"
On issues of principle, Chai Rong is still very insistent. He may not care about the criticism of others, but he cannot tolerate the obliteration of the achievements of his soldiers in bloody battles. A qualified commander will love his subordinates and will not let his soldiers suffer. disappointment.
"However!" After understanding the emperor's attitude, Chai Rong began to discuss the matter again, and said solemnly: "After all, I and the generals underestimated the Uighurs and were arrogant and underestimating the enemy. With the strength of the Han Dynasty, it only needed ten thousand Jun's force was so strong that he rushed over, but in the end, the forward troops went deep alone and were almost killed by the enemy.
Although the battle at Rouge Mountain was brilliant and had the effect of decisively defeating Hexi, Guo Jin and the others fought very hard and were close to being destroyed at one point. They lost more than half of them and the rest suffered many injuries. This was all the fault of improper arrangements by the ministers. !”
Listening to Chai Rong's summary, with a look of shame on his face, Liu Chengyou naturally played a comforting role and said: "You don't have to blame yourself, and I am not someone who seeks perfection. Although the process has some twists and turns, the result is always good. I am also very satisfied. The imperial court will not forget the merits of the soldiers. The Ministry of War has already arranged and implemented the reward for the soldiers who recovered Hexi. When Wang Yansheng, Guo Jin and other generals arrive in Beijing, I will also hold a royal banquet for them. Celebrate!”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chai Rong stood up and bowed solemnly.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chai Rong asked Liu Chengyou: "May I ask Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with Wang Yansheng and Guo Jin?"
"What should we do with it?" Liu Chengyou looked surprised and seemed unable to react.
Unable to figure out the emperor's inner thoughts, Chai Rong still vaguely mentioned the killing of prisoners, which caused huge criticism. In response to this, Emperor Liu's expression darkened visibly, and he cursed: "These two people are really... It’s outrageous and audacious!”
Then his face changed again, and he chuckled: "You, the commander-in-chief, are responsible for dealing with problems that arise on the battlefield. How did you punish them at that time?"
Upon hearing this, Chai Rong said: "The military staff is eighty!"
"Since you have already dealt with it, there is no need for me to interfere or impose additional punishments! I and the court are only responsible for the aftermath and rewards!" Liu Chengyou said in a relaxed tone.
"Your Majesty is so generous, how can the soldiers continue to be loyal and do their best in return?" Chai Rong said with some emotion.
"Soldiers go through life and death, open up frontiers and expand territories, and the imperial court should not let it down!"
"What do you think about the Guiyi Army issue?" Liu Chengyou mentioned another thing that made him unhappy.
"I think that the internal problems of the Cao family can be solved by themselves. After our army stationed in Guasha, it was already in the hands of the imperial court. Lu Duoxun's talents are enough to stabilize it. As for Cao Yuanzhong, he is a smart man. He will give an explanation to the court!" Chai Rong said.
In the plan of the Han Dynasty, Yang Tingzhang marched eastward with Guasha troops to cooperate with the imperial court to capture Hexi. However, the result was not very smooth. Although Cao Yuanzhong, who was in charge of the situation, made up his mind to surrender to the imperial court, the Guiyi Army was not his alone after all.
There are opponents within the Guiyi Army and the Cao family. These people really have no feelings for the Central Plains and the Han Dynasty. They all regard Guasha as their territory and family property. It is said that they will receive preferential treatment from the imperial court, but how can the imperial court Can you treat everyone with high positions, high titles, and generous salaries?
As a result, a group of people with vested interests formed a group to oppose the invasion of Han Dynasty, which caused a conflict within the Guiyi Army. With such a group of people holding back or even confronting each other, Lu Duoxun and Yang Tingzhang's mission in Guasha naturally did not go smoothly.
Fortunately, Cao Yuanzhong sincerely wanted to surrender to the Central Plains, and he had important civil and military support such as Cao Yuangong, so he calmed down the opposition. However, the long delay also perfectly missed the opportunity for a pincer attack, waiting for the thousands of rebels to be organized When advancing eastward, the Han army had already surrounded Suzhou.
Although the result was satisfactory, Emperor Liu was still very dissatisfied when the twists and turns that occurred in the Guiyi Army reached Tokyo. In his view, this was a manifestation of half-heartedness and double-mindedness.
That is to say, Cao Yuanzhong's performance has been consistent before and after, otherwise the big stick from the emperor would have been struck down long ago. At this time, listening to Chai Rong's suggestion, Emperor Liu also agreed. The current situation in Hexi is still based on stability.
However, he had already made up his mind. Originally, he did not plan to take any big action against the Guiyi Army and the Cao family, but now, according to Emperor Liu's plan, the Guiyi Army must be completely split and reorganized, and the Cao family and Guasha The main families in the regime have all moved inward!
