In the Daqing Hall, Zhao Zhen was sitting high on the throne, listening attentively to the report of Yan Shu, the third envoy. All civil and military officials were also attracted by the content of Yan Shu's memorial, and they all stretched their necks to listen without blinking. .
"Your Majesty, Su Jin, the Special Envoy for Food Affairs, sent someone to report that the situation in Yangzhou has basically calmed down. Su Jin urgently transferred 500,000 dan of grain to be sold at the official price. Now the grain price has been stabilized, and the trouble of the people in Yangzhou City has been reduced. The industry has perished due to this move. Facts have proved that Su Jin's policy was very targeted. The people's troubles started from the lack of food. Once the food problem is solved, the trouble will naturally subside; it cannot be compared with the use of violent suppression methods." Yan Shu's voice was high-pitched. , seemed very excited.
Lu Yijian and Du Yan frowned when they heard this. It was the two of them who had strongly advocated using it to suppress the civil uprising. Yan Shu's mention at this moment was obviously exposing their scars secretly. The two looked at each other and decided to tolerate it for the time being. When good news comes, it is not the right time to refute it.
"Oh? That's great. Su Jin has grasped the key points of the matter. I didn't expect that this person is still young and has some tricks. I am very pleased." Zhao Zhen smiled, and his words were also revealed. With a touch of relaxation.
"More than that, Su Jin not only solved the crisis in Yangzhou, but also eradicated the banditry that had been entrenched in Bagong Mountain for several years. Those were the bandits that King Zhuan Envoy of Huainan West Road had encircled and suppressed several times. It was really amazing. "
Zhao Zhen almost jumped up from the dragon throne, and the eyes of the civil and military officials in the court were also jumping on the ground. Who is this Su Jin? He actually wiped out the Bagong Mountain bandits. How can this be justified? What should be done? If something can't be done in a few years, it will be solved easily if it shouldn't be done.
"What did you say? Tell me again." Zhao Zhen didn't believe his ears.
"Your Majesty, what happened is this. Su Jinben sent Long Zhen, the deputy commander of the horse army, to Luzhou to escort the grain to Yangzhou. Unexpectedly, the desperate bandits from Bagong Mountain came out halfway and robbed all 500,000 shi of grain. So much so that the crisis in Yangzhou city continues..."
"Wait a minute...are you saying that the bandits robbed the food escorted by my imperial guards?" Zhao Zhen asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, it is the food delivery team escorted by two hundred guards and horse troops."
"Two hundred cavalry were robbed just like this on the official road?" Zhao Zhen simply couldn't believe this was true.
Yan Shu consciously did not respond. He knew that the emperor was on the verge of anger, so it was better not to offend him.
"How many bandits are there?"
"Your Majesty, about six to seven hundred people have been dispatched."
Zhao Zhen raised his eyebrows and was about to speak. Du Yan quickly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
Zhao Zhen glanced at him angrily and thought: The good talent you recommended is a shame. But he didn't want to refute his face and snorted: "Say."
"Although I don't know how the battle is going, I think there must be a reason for this. The deputy commander of the horse army, Long Zhen, is capable and restrained, and behaves steadily. He should not be defeated by hundreds of bandits with his two hundred cavalry."
"Then what do you think the reason is?" Zhao Zhen asked, frowning.
"I would like to ask about the specific date of the grain robbery. I wonder if it was mentioned in the official report of the grain envoy?" Du Yan tilted his head and said he was talking to the emperor. In fact, this sentence was a question. Yan Shu.
Zhao Zhen looked at Yan Shu with a hint of questioning in his eyes.
Yan Shu said honestly: "Su Jin did not specify the date in the letter he submitted to me. It is around November 78th."
Du Yan said with a cold face: "This Su Jin, the official document does not even mention the day in detail. Around the 7th and 8th, is it left or right? It has a big impact."
Zhao Zhen said lightly: "How come I didn't know that there is such a big difference between the two? Is it possible that one day earlier, one can defeat the bandits, one day later, one cannot defeat the bandits?"
Du Yan hurriedly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, what you said is exactly the key to the problem. As far as I know, there was a heavy snowfall on Huainan Road on the seventh day of November. If food was robbed before the snow, it must have been that
Long Zhen was afraid of the enemy and neglected his duties, which led to his food being robbed; but if it was after the seventh day of the lunar month, he would have been defeated in a strong fight. Not only was he not at fault, but he was actually meritorious."
Everyone understood. How could Zhao Zhen not know about the snow on Huainan Road? Yangzhou was located on Huainan Road and was in turmoil. That heavy snowfall made Zhao Zhen's heart twitch. What did Du Yan mean?
Yes, Snow Queen Bandit
When it comes to robbing food, the cavalry has no effect at all on the snow that is as thick as the knees. The cavalry, who are good at fighting on horseback, are not even as powerful as the infantry without their horses. It is really difficult to resist the attack of bandits several times their size.
"What you said makes sense, Yan Aiqing. Send someone to Su Jin's side to inquire in detail about the date of the robbery and find out whether it was before or after the snow. You shouldn't just smear the reputation of the Forbidden Army."
The anger in Zhao Zhen's heart has subsided. If he is the Queen of Snow, his face has not been disgraced. Otherwise, the two hundred cavalry of his imperial guard army were defeated by six to seven hundred bandits. If word spreads, he will definitely be talked about as a laughing stock in the world.
, Zhao Zhen doesn’t want to see this.
"I obey the order. I will immediately send someone to find out the date. I hope this happened after the snow."
Zhao Zhen rolled his eyes and pretended not to understand Yan Shu's words. Yan Shu's word "hope" actually expressed Zhao Zhen's inner feelings.
"Then how did Su Jin break the stronghold? Tell me, I am becoming more and more interested in him. How many officers and soldiers did you bring to encircle and suppress him?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, Su Jin has brought a thousand soldiers from Yangzhou, plus a hundred government officials from Tianchang County Magistrate Li Zhong, and the 200 horse troops we sent to him, for a total of 1,300 people."
"What? How many people can wipe out the Bagong Mountain bandits? How many people were killed or injured?"
Not only Zhao Zhen was surprised, but also the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty did not believe it. The Bagong Mountain bandit invaded the Huainan Road and mobilized nearly 5,000 soldiers from two states to encircle and suppress it several times. However, they failed to remove the bandits' nest. Su Jin only took this
Thousands of three hundred soldiers were able to remove this thorn in the heart, which is simply incredible.
"Sixty of our officers and soldiers were killed and more than a hundred wounded. 498 bandits were annihilated and 471 were captured. The second bandit leader Qiu Dabao was executed on the spot. The big leader Shen Yaozu has been escorted to the capital.
Now he is being held in the prison of Kaifeng Prefecture to await His Majesty's decree. There is not a single bucket of food missing from the 500,000 shi, and all the captured bandits' weapons and supplies have been registered and stored in the Yangzhou official treasury, awaiting inspection."
"Good boy!" Zhao Zhen slapped his thigh and stood up from the dragon seat, fisting his fist and saying: "I want to reward him well, Yan Aiqing, you can order Su Jin to make a list of meritorious personnel and report them. Central Committee Lu Aiqing will discuss the reward with all the ministries.
Unexpectedly, I never expected that Su Jin really has such great ability."
All the civil and military officials were also affected by Zhao Zhen's emotions, and they started talking a lot. Some of them praised him, and some of them nodded their heads with big fingers.
Lu Yijian stood up from the seat specially given by the emperor, turned around and glanced at the ministers. The ministers were suddenly silent. Lu Yijian staggered to the dragon throne and saluted: "Let's start the memorial to the emperor. I have something to say."
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "Lu Aiqing, please tell me."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I believe that the matter of meritorious deeds and rewards should be postponed. The current situation is urgent. Yuanhao's rebels in the northwest are already on the move. The winter offensive is about to break out. Food supplies are tight in all parts of the Song Dynasty. We should not do anything at this time.
They were overjoyed with their small victory. The banditry in Bagong Mountain was caused by scabies. Even if Su Jin did not eliminate it this time and the court freed up his hands, they would surely perish. Of course, Su Jin's move to eliminate a banditry should be punished.
Praise, but I think that at this critical moment of food affairs, there is no need to exaggerate the matter. After all, the Third Division shoulders the heavy responsibility of food affairs. Su Jin's responsibility is not to suppress bandits, but to run the food affairs emperor's job well. It would be better to wait
Once the food service is done, it would be best to give him a reward as well."
Zhao Zhen didn't understand what Lu Yijian meant, so he asked: "Where did Lu Aiqing's suggestion come from? Sometimes there are rewards and punishments, and excessive delay will not make the meritorious people lose their motivation."
Lu Yijian said: "I am a little worried. There are tigers in Nanshan. The emperor sent someone to kill the tiger, but this person killed another hungry wolf. In the end, the tiger was not killed. Your Majesty, do you think we should be rewarded or punished?"
Now everyone understood. What Lu Yijian meant was that Su Jin was responsible for the food service, but he killed the bandits by mistake. Now he will be given a reward such as an official status. If he fails to complete the serious task in the future,
, isn't it a joke? It would be better to issue an edict to comfort him first, and wait for his food affairs to be completed before combining the rewards, which seems logical.
Yan Shu was the first to quit. What kind of logic is this? It was obvious that he was trying to force his reasoning. How could Yan Shu hold back this tone?
Immediately he stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I think what Prime Minister Lu said is inappropriate. It is the consistent practice of the imperial court to make clear rewards and punishments. If you have merit at this moment, you will be rewarded, and in the future, you will be punished. If rewards and punishments are not timely, doesn't it mean that the people who are doing things are in trouble?"
Are you disappointed by the lack of positivity?"
Lu Yijian said calmly: "Master Yan, there are some things that I cannot say clearly in the court, and some things are not as you imagined. I understand Master Yan's mood very well. The person I recommended has merit, so I will naturally argue with my reason. However,
I doubt whether you really know the inside story."
Everyone couldn't understand even more. What kind of medicine was Lu Yijian selling in the gourd? His words became more and more incomprehensible. He was just a reward for a small Su Jin, and he may not have spent much money to give him a big official position. He used it so shamelessly.
Poor vernacular?
Not only did Zhao Zhen and everyone else not understand, but Du Yan, who had always claimed to be Lu Xiang's confidant, also didn't understand.
"Lu Aiqing, there seems to be something in your words. What is it that prevents you from speaking clearly? You are not usually so hesitant," Zhao Zhen said.
"Your Majesty, I planned to go into the palace to talk to the Emperor alone about this matter after the morning court. Unexpectedly, Lord Yan happened to mention this matter, so I stepped forward to stop him. Your Majesty should know that I am not a person who doesn't know rewards and punishments. It's just that there are some things that I can't talk about. That's all.
"
"Is there anything you shouldn't say about Su Jin? The imperial court is the place where state affairs are discussed, so why not talk about it and listen to it." Zhao Zhen looked unhappy. What on earth was Lu Yijian trying to do?
Lu Yijian looked embarrassed, hesitating as if he didn't feel comfortable speaking. Yan Shu felt more and more that he was being mysterious, so he said, "Your Majesty wants Lu Xiangming to tell you. If you have anything to worry about, just say it."
Lu Yijian glared at Yan Shu and said, "You really don't know about this?"
Yan Shu was confused and said, "What's going on? I really don't know what Prime Minister Lu is referring to."
Lu Yijian asked again: "This matter was not mentioned in the official document Su Jin submitted to you?"
Yan Shu took out Su Jin's official report from his arms and said, "Here is the full text. Please look at it, Prime Minister Lu."
Lu Yijian took it and looked at it quickly, then said with relief: "If it is not mentioned, that's fine. This matter has nothing to do with Mr. Yan. Since Mr. Yan is not involved in this matter, I have nothing to worry about.
"
Yan Shu felt more and more that something was fishy. What on earth was Lu Yijian going to say? Could it be that the previous concerns were out of fear of involving him? Could it be that there was something hidden in Su Jin's report?
Zhao Zhen urged: "Lu Aiqing, stop beating around the bush and speak quickly." dd