There were many famous ministers in the Northern Song Dynasty, and famous ministers came one after another. However, among these famous prime ministers, Lu Yijian was the most controversial one. Some people said that he knew people and made good use of them to appease the frontiers, while others said that he was jealous of the virtuous and excluded ministers. Among them, the great writer Ouyang Xiu hated him especially, saying that Lu Yijian "destroyed the world in twenty years."

It can be said that no matter at that time or later generations, many people praised and criticized Lu Yijian, but no matter how many people scolded Lu Yijian, he was one of Zhao Zhen’s most trusted ministers. Later, during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of Zhao, Lu Yijian also enjoyed the Song Renzong Temple with Wang Zeng and Cao Wei. This kind of treatment is not something that everyone can have.

Li Zhang had a lot of contacts with Lu Yijian, and he also had a very high evaluation of this person. In Li Zhang's opinion, Lu Yijian may be the best person he has ever seen and is also the best person to be an official. When Liu E was in power, he made an advance arrangement to show his goodwill to himself. Later, he had contacted him many times. At the critical moment, he gave Liu E a fatal blow, thus winning Zhao Zhen's favor and avoiding the fate of being liquidated in the future. This kind of person is a real human spirit.

However, in addition to being a good person and being an official, Lu Yijian's talent is very comparable to foresight, otherwise he would not have gained the trust of Zhao Zhen. Especially when the Song Dynasty sent troops to attack Dangxiang last time, Liu E and other ministers in the court did not want to send troops, but Lu Yijian opposed the opposition and sent troops to hold Li Yuanhao's back, which made Dangxiang unable to be unified. Therefore, at this time, Zhao Zhen asked Lu Yijian for his opinion.

I saw Lu Yijian pondering for a moment, then he went forward and said, "Report to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is now in a new mourning. Although Your Majesty takes power, it will still cause a little turbulent situation, so now is not the time to use troops..."

Just as Lu Yijian said halfway, Xue Kui and others also showed joy, but at this time, Lu Yijian suddenly changed his mind and said, "But Dangxiang's strength gradually recovers, Li Yuanhao's ambitions and talents are far superior to his father Li Jiqian. If Dangxiang is allowed to grow up again, he will become a confidant in the future, so I think it's better to get rid of it as soon as possible!"

As soon as Lu Yijian said, it almost determined Li Yuanhao's life and death. Zhao Zhen said without hesitation, "Lu Xiang's words are deeply loved by me, and it is time to eradicate the troubles of the Dangxiang!"

When they heard Zhao Zhen's words, Xue Kui and others also showed disappointment. However, since Zhao Zhen made the decision and even Lu Yijian supported this matter, it would be useless for them to oppose it. What they did not expect was that the Privy Councilor Zhang Qi immediately expressed his support at this time. Although he was suspected of being a fence-bearer, he was also praised by Zhao Zhen.

Li Zhang also breathed a sigh of relief at this time. He did not show any unexpected expressions for Zhang Qi's sudden support. Zhang Qi has now lost his biggest backer and has always been worried about being liquidated by Zhao Zhen. After all, he is not Lu Yijian. If Zhao Zhen wants to liquidate Liu E's confidant, he may be the first to be unlucky, so he is also changing his attitude at this time, hoping to win Zhao Zhen's favor. Maybe Zhao Zhen will now decide to send troops to attack Liao Kingdom and he will be the first to agree.

The matter of sending troops was decided. Next, Zhao Zhen discussed with the ministers the specific matters of sending troops, such as the transportation of money and grain, the mobilization of troops, etc. The war was not the end of the soldiers rushing up at the emperor's order, but a systematic and complex project involving all aspects of the country.

Fortunately, the country in the Song Dynasty has been stable in recent years, and with the promotion and cultivation of potatoes, food is no longer a problem. As long as there is food, the Song Dynasty has a great advantage, because even if it cannot fight quickly, it is not afraid of even suffering some setbacks at the beginning. The Song Dynasty can completely rely on money and food to drag the enemy to death, which is also a benefit for a great country.

Of course, it would be best if the war could be ended as soon as possible. After all, the opinions of the Liao Kingdom must be taken into consideration. Although the Liao Kingdom is now in chaos because of Xiao Nojin, it is impossible to use troops to the outside world in a short period of time, it is also impossible to avoid being on guard.

At the end of the discussion, one of the most critical issues finally emerged, that is, the candidate for the main general to send troops this time. Now, Lu Yijian and Xue Kui, the civil servants, were all silent. If the enemy attacked the Song Dynasty, the civil servants could still use civil servants to control military affairs. However, if they use military forces abroad, they would definitely use military generals to lead their troops. After all, using military forces to the outside world is not to defend the city. If they were not experienced military generals, they would probably not be able to bear this important task at all.

"Report to Your Majesty, I have thought about it carefully. There are two most suitable generals in the Northwest Army, one is the Xinzhou regiment training envoy, Ren Fu, deputy general manager of Fuyan Road, and the other is Liu Ping, deputy general manager of Huanqing Road. These two are both long-standing generals in the army, proficient in military tactics, have fought with Dangxiang people many times, and have made many contributions. Moreover, these two are in their prime and are suitable for being the chief generals this time!" At this time, the Privy Councilor Zhang Qi stepped forward and suggested.

The Privy Council originally had the power to mobilize troops and was very familiar with the generals in the army. As for Ren Fu and Zhao Zhen recommended by Zhang Qi, they were indeed famous generals in the army. At least Zhao Zhen had some impression of them. It seemed that he had seen the names of the two people in some memorials in the northwest. However, Li Zhang frowned when he heard Ren Fu's name, because this person was the general of the Northern Song Dynasty who later died in the battle of Haoshuichuan. It is said that he was extremely brave and could use dozens of kilograms of iron maces. After being besieged by the Dangxiang army, he was unable to retreat and finally died in exhaustion.

Zhang Qi recommended two people at once, probably because he wanted Zhao Zhen to select one of the main generals and the other to go out together as the deputy generals. However, Zhao Zhen only had an impression of these two people and did not know how their abilities and personalities were, so he was also unsure of the idea at this time. Finally, he suddenly turned to Cao Wei and asked, "General Cao, you have been in the northwest for a long time and are the most familiar with the generals in the northwest. I wonder who do you think is the most suitable?"

Cao Wei thought for a moment, but finally shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I think neither of these two people can be the chief general!"

As soon as Cao Wei said that, Zhang Qi's face changed, but Zhao Zhen showed a very interested expression and asked, "Why is this?"

"Your Majesty, Ren Fu was once a subordinate of a minister. He knew his personality very well. He was extremely brave and loyal to the court, but his personality was a little impatient. If he was asked to lead the army, he would suffer a loss when encountering a treacherous person like Li Yuanhao. As for Liu Ping, he was both civil and military, but..."
Chapter completed!