Shen Yi was very calm. He took a sip of tea and said quietly: "Uncle, Qi people are not fools. On the contrary, most of them are very smart."
Having said this, Mr. Shen smiled and said: "Speaking of which, it is precisely because they are smart that I can achieve today's results by luck. If the Qi people were not so smart, I would not even have the chance to go north, let alone He said we would capture a few provinces."
Part of the reason why the Huai'an Army was able to fight until now was naturally because of the rapid formation of the Huai'an Army, which was beyond everyone's expectations and caught Northern Qi by surprise.
But the deeper reason is that the people of Qi are not united, and many of them are very smart, so that now there are many mountains and the power is crisscrossed.
It was this disunity that allowed the Huai'an Army to find an opportunity.
Shen Yi continued: "Up to now, the main force of the Qi people has not been lost. In other words, if we lose the next battle, it is still unknown whether the Northern Expedition can continue."
"Let's make another assumption. Assume that we are invincible in the subsequent battles and push all the way to Yandu. Master, do you think those Zhuli masters will stay and fight with us to the last person for Yandu? Will the Zhu Lizhen clan be exterminated?"
Zhao Changping has been in the officialdom for many years and naturally knows what Shen Yi is talking about. He stroked his beard and said slowly: "Ziheng, you mean that they will escape from Yandu..."
Shen Yi smiled bitterly and said: "Uncle, our elder Chen all escaped from Yandu more than seventy years ago, so naturally they will escape too."
Zhao Changping's expression froze, and then he said silently: "But, the fight can't be continued."
"Zi Heng, the war cannot continue like this. If the war continues like this, the imperial court will be unable to support it. When the time comes, it will collapse. No matter how large the territory is, it will be of no use if the people cannot make a living."
Shen Yi nodded.
"I know this truth, so I plan to take down Yandu, drive Zhu Li outside the pass, and then call a truce temporarily. However, both Zhu Li and the Tatars are hidden dangers."
"Uncle, you have never seen the Tatars in the north. You may not believe it. The entire Tatar tribe can only produce about 100,000 people at most. But if you leave the city aside, I will collect all the Tatars. Army, go and fight these Tatars in the wild..."
"True may not be their opponent."
Mr. Shen whispered: "The harder it is to survive in a place, the more likely it is to breed hungry wolves and thin tigers."
Zhao Changping let out a long sigh: "But it is impossible for your generation, Ziheng, to accomplish everything. The Zhu Lizhen who fled outside the Pass may be very different from the Zhu Lizhen inside the Pass."
Shen Yi nodded lightly and said with a smile: "I don't have the ability to do things for several generations by myself. I can only take it one step at a time."
"I came to see my uncle today. I have one more thing that I need to ask my uncle for help."
Zhao Changping nodded: "That's what you say."
"About senior brother."
Shen Yi sighed: "Master uncle has probably met senior brother."
"I met you yesterday."
Mr. Zhao sighed with emotion: "We haven't seen each other for several years, and Yi An has really aged a lot. He is not yet forty years old, and he already has gray hair."
Shen Yi nodded: "Senior brother has done a lot for the court in the past few years and has made outstanding contributions, but he is still a powerful official. I can give him credit here, but I can't give him an official position. The court has decided I'll ask my uncle to help me. This year I should at least remove the word "quanzhi", and wait until his term as feudal lord is completed."
"The next term will have the opportunity to govern the country."
Mr. Zhao thought for a while, nodded and said: "He is my student. I will definitely speak for him if I should speak for him. It will not be difficult for him to remove the word "quanzhi" this year, but the governor..."
"I'm afraid it will have to wait until you finish your Northern Expedition."
Speaking of this, Xianggong Zhao said in a deep voice: "After all, he is not very old. If he is appointed governor too early, he will easily be hated by others. Wait until his two terms as governor of Shandong expire."
"If I am still in the center at that time, I will try to find a way to transfer him back to Jiankang and find a position as the Minister of the Sixth Division."
Shen Yi smiled: "With my uncle helping me take care of it, my nephew feels more at ease."
The current situation is that as long as Shen Yi does not fall, Prime Minister Zhao Changping will be as stable as Mount Tai.
Unless Xianggong Zhao is really unable to do his job due to physical reasons, the emperor will not dismiss Zhao Changping as prime minister even if he dismisses Chen Jing.
Mr. Zhao stood up and patted Shen Yi on the shoulder, and said with emotion: "I am Yi Anmeng's master. I should be worried about him. What's rare is that you, Zi Heng, are still running for him at this time."
"In the past few years, I have owed a lot to my senior brother."
Shen Yi sighed: "If I don't do something for him, I will really feel uneasy."
That night, Mr. Zhao and Mr. Shen chatted secretly until late at night.
It wasn't until the moon was at its peak that Shen Yi sat in a sedan chair and returned to the Marquis Mansion to rest.
Early the next morning, when it was still dark, Mr. Shen, who liked to sleep in, got up early and put on a second-grade official uniform under Ye Chan's service.
Ye Chan helped him adjust his collar and asked: "Didn't Your Majesty promise that the Marquis will not go to court? Why do you have to go to court again so early in the morning?"
Shen Yi straightened the crown on his head and said with a smile: "Today I will give my husband a reward. It would be more beautiful to receive the title in the court."
"There's more..."
Mr. Shen smiled and said, "Also, let's see if some people are really so courageous. Let's see if your husband's temper has really improved in the past few years. ."
After saying a few words, Shen Yi was already dressed. When he walked out of the room and came to the front yard, Shen Heng, dressed in a fifth-grade official uniform, was already waiting in the front yard. After seeing Shen Yi, he stepped forward and held his hand. : "Brother."
Mr. Shen stepped forward, grabbed his brother's sleeve, and the two of them got into the Shen family's carriage together.
The carriage squeaked away from Shen's house and walked in the winter morning. From time to time, it would crush ice shards on the roadside, making a crisp sound of ice breaking.
When they arrived at the gate of the imperial city, the two brothers got off the car together. Shen Heng followed his brother, looked up at the imperial city, and said with a smile: "Last time, your majesty rewarded the eldest brother with a horse in the imperial city, but the eldest brother never rode a horse." Pass."
Mr. Shen also raised his head to look at the imperial city and said calmly: "The prime ministers all walked in honestly. There is no need for us to be in the limelight. Walking a few steps will not kill us."
While they were talking, the two brothers entered the imperial city one after another. As the sky slowly grew brighter, they arrived at the gate of Deqing Palace.
At this time, many officials had gathered at the entrance of the main palace of Chen. They were talking in groups of twos and threes at the entrance of the palace.
But after seeing the Shen brothers, most officials took the initiative to salute.
"Master Shen."
After saluting Shen Yi, they would often bow their hands to Shen Heng and call him "Master Shen."
After hearing a few people shouting, Shen Yi looked back at Shen Heng and said with a smile: "Did they also call you that when I was away?"
"yes."
Shen Heng touched his nose and said with a smile: "The eldest brother is so powerful that the younger brother will naturally become Xiao Shen."
Shen Yi smiled slightly and did not answer. Then after seeing Jiang Jian, the Minister of War, and several prime ministers, he said: "I'm going to talk to an acquaintance, and you go say hello to your colleagues in the Hanlin Academy."
Shen Heng lowered his head and said hello.
Mr. Shen walked up behind Jiang Shangshu, reached out and patted the little old man on the back, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, you came so early today."
Jiang Jian was startled. When she turned around and saw that it was Shen Yi, she glared at Shen Yi angrily: "Why are you such a high-ranking official? He still looks like a hairy monkey."
After saying this, he added another sentence.
"Now, I can't afford to be treated as a noble person by you."
Shen Yi smiled and said, "That's true. After today, I won't call you that, my dear sir."
Jiang Jian was stunned for a moment, then reacted.
"Is it going to be promoted?"
Shen Yi smiled and nodded.
Jiang Shangshu's face darkened: "It seems that I am going to retire and return home to make room for you."
Master Shen laughed: "Add a title, add a title."
"My dear sir, you have to work for a few more years so that I can occupy the position of Minister of the Ministry of War."
Jiang Jian glanced at Shen Yi.
"When you return to the court, will you still be able to appreciate my position?"
While the two were talking, a bell rang in Deqing Palace.
Mr. Shen raised his head and looked at the main hall, and said with a smile: "The position of Lord is really the only one suitable for me. Otherwise, where would I be an official?"
"You can't just send me, a Hanlin scholar, to the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army?"