When there were more people, it was impossible to say anything serious. Zhang Lun and the other three were a little disappointed. They all wanted to know as soon as possible why the emperor had sent them back. After knowing this, they could go back and make preparations as soon as possible.
Today's banquet guests came in neatly, and as they exchanged cups and cups, they knew that the emperor would not explain anything to them at this time, and they would probably have to wait for another two days.
The generals had no shortage of topics to talk about. The familiar ones talked about the past, mentioned the changes in personnel, the unfamiliar ones complimented each other, and then they took turns toasting to the emperor and patting him on the back.
No one is exempt from these matters. No one will stand up and say that it is very unseasonable for the soldiers to fight on the battlefield and how hard it is for us to drink and have fun here.
Even Zhang Shigui and Dou Cong, two people with relatively arrogant temperaments, drank until their glasses were dry during the banquet and put away all the thorns in their bodies.
No one dared to imitate He Ruobi, who banged the table with the emperor after drinking too much, saying that you were treating me unfairly and so on.
Li Po's experience played a big role at this time. Most of the military generals were his old subordinates, so no one would dare to question the emperor's ignorance of military affairs or suggest that the emperor had no military merit. It was we who pushed him to the top.
Emotions such as claiming the throne.
The generals seemed to be harmonious, but in fact the factions in the army had already formed, and they were not even influenced by their will.
For example, Zhang Lun and the others have been leading troops in battles all year round, so there is some gap between them and the generals stationed in the capital. It is not too obvious now.
Because the military merits of Zhao Shixun, Luo Shixin and others are not much worse than others.
But once time passes, the generals outside will definitely think that the people who are permanently stationed in the capital are incompetent.
On the contrary, if Luo Shixin and others are on the emperor's side, they will have a closer relationship with the emperor, and they will have less favorable impressions of those who want to show off their military exploits in front of them.
In addition, everyone has different origins, origins, and personalities, and there will be many small groups born, just like children playing house, who is good with whom, who doesn't deal with whom, who has robbed my things, and who has.
He said small things about me and so on.
There were already clues to this in the Jin Dynasty, and after the princes were pacified, it became clearer.
A few people headed by Zhang Lun talked and drank very casually. Luo Shixin was on good terms with Zhang Shixun. Yuchixin had already taken up the post a few days after being promoted to Minister of War, and had a few drinks with Dou Cong, and they became good friends.
The meaning is clear at a glance, because they are all from serious aristocratic backgrounds.
Xu Shiji, on the other hand, was very comfortable getting along with him. He could chat affectionately with anyone and seemed quite naughty.
As a consort, it is naturally convenient to be friends with anyone, which is enough to cover up the shortcomings of his low background.
Li Po saw these things for real, and he was as clear as a mirror in his heart, but he didn't want to interfere too much. There were many factions in the court, and the army was also inevitable.
As long as everyone is obedient, there is nothing to argue about. Again, if everyone is monolithic, the emperor will not be able to sit on his seat or sleep on his pillow.
In addition, after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the situation of the Wei Mansion was completely different from that of the former Sui Dynasty. For example, if a high-ranking official like Wei Chixin, Minister of War, had been in the former Sui Dynasty, he would have held the title of General of the Wei Mansion.
Especially some of the big nobles in Huijing, or relatives of the emperor who did not hold military positions in the Imperial Guard, would be embarrassed to speak highly of them in front of others.
That roughly continued the political structure and ethos of the Western Wei Dynasty. The twelve generals of the Eight Pillar Kingdom were almost the founders of the current Kansai clan. Their shadow can be seen in all aspects of the pre-Sui Dynasty, and their influence has not yet been reached.
disappear.
At that time, the military and government were almost integrated. From the late Han Dynasty to the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, and pre-Sui Dynasties, it became more and more concrete, so there was also a theory of generals and prime ministers.
It reached a peak in the Sui Dynasty. The famous prime ministers Gao Xi, Yang Su, Su Wei, Pei Yun and others all led troops on expeditions, and achieved outstanding military exploits with almost no defeats. Where do you think the subsequent prime ministers should put their shame?
But now the situation is different. Under Li Po's intentional or unintentional control, the military and government have gradually become separated. When Yuchi Xin was promoted to Minister of War, he also handed over the military power of the Wei Mansion.
And today's generals of the Wei Mansion do not have any actual civil service positions. At most, they are granted casual positions such as Guanglu Doctor.
It's just that the division is not very clean, because the local area has not yet completely calmed down, so the general managers in various places still hold military and political power.
The most conspicuous one here is Li Jing. He is the first real governor in the Tang Dynasty. He can appoint officials below the fourth rank on his own. How many senior officials of the fourth rank do you think there are in Jiangyou?
Of course, this is just a temporary measure, and it will definitely not be the case in the future. Military and political power will be returned to the central government. This is Li Po's established strategy, and it will not change because of who is more friendly to him.
Therefore, regardless of the prominence of these people here, the road to becoming a general or a prime minister has actually been cut off. There will no longer be figures like Gao Xi among them. Perhaps only people like Li Jing and Xu Shiji can still use their identities to gain the upper hand.
A gap...
At this time, when Xu Shiji saw the emperor's uncle's eyes wandering around him for several times, he immediately shrank his head and spoke less.
He wanted to do some activities today and follow Zhang Lun and others out of the capital to lead troops...but he couldn't let the emperor worry about him.
During the dinner, Li Po briefly asked about the situation in front of the Hebei and Shandong armies. The soldiers had been fighting for a long time and were feeling homesick. Several generals said that it was okay. Anyway, the battle that was tired of fighting and never tired of fighting was over.
, all ministries are resting and recuperating, waiting for orders from the court.
It is impossible for such a large army to be stationed in Hebei, Henan, Shandong and other places all the time. The war ended in March and April. Because they received the imperial court's order to station on the spot, the ministries simply started to cultivate the fields and maybe grow a crop of food.
come out.
The conscripted soldiers are returning one after another to prepare for the autumn harvest. They have not caught up with any major battles. They are just transporting food and grass to the army, watching over surrendered prisoners, etc., which is just to tidy up the head and tail.
In addition, even if the army is attrition, these people will be given priority to replenish it. Therefore, from the perspective of various departments in the army, the Jin people still occupy an absolute dominant position.
Furthermore, it is difficult to suppress bandits over there. There are still many refugees hiding in the mountains and forests. If you go into the mountains, they will move deeper. When you come back, you will hear about them going out to rob the mountains again, which will make people very annoyed.
Many people there have completely lost their trust in the government, but they don't blame them. Almost every family has someone killed in the war, and with wives and children separated, hatred is not easy to eliminate.
Even if the world has changed outside, they are unwilling to come out and deal with the government...
So this will be the norm. When the lives of people outside get better and better, the refugees will naturally come down and return to the people under the rule.
In the final analysis, suppression is not the answer. It depends on whether the officials have the ability to make the people under their rule live a good life.
