General Zhendong, who stayed at the Zhongduhu Mansion but had never been to court before, took the initiative to request to enter the palace to meet the emperor for the first time, and it was not before going to court.
Secretary Zhang's eyes fell on the envelope on the desk.
General Guan glanced at her, said nothing, and continued to dress himself.
Secretary Zhang glanced at General Guan, walked to the desk, and turned to look at General Guan.
General Guan was fastening his belt and did not look at her.
Secretary Zhang reached out and picked up the letter, then turned to look at it.
General Guan was putting on his outer robe and did not look at her.
Secretary Zhang opened the letter. There were only a few words in the letter:
"The military affairs of the government are under the supervision of the fine king. I will bear all the consequences."
Isn’t this just nonsense!
Who doesn’t know General Zhendong, who stayed behind to guard the Central Dufu and oversee the military affairs of the Central Government?
But Secretary Zhang couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
It is only four sentences and fifteen words, but it gives people an inexplicable sense of stability.
The letter didn't seem to say anything, but Alang had people work hard to send such a few nonsense words back, which is enough to explain everything.
Secretary Zhang raised the letter in his hand and finally showed some relief on his face:
"Sister, how could Alang know about Bingzhou so quickly?"
Logically speaking, the government should have just sent the news to Caoqiao Pass.
Even if he flew, Alang wouldn't be able to send the letter back right away.
General Guan stretched out his hands and buckled the copper buckle at his waist.
“Click!
A handsome and handsome young man appeared.
He has a tall and tall figure, arms and waist, a calm and resolute face, and eyes like deep ancient pools.
Coupled with the noble purple clothes that only important officials in the court are qualified to wear, there is a long sword hanging on the waist, the hilt of the sword is wrapped with gold thread and inlaid with jade.
In this outfit, walking on Zhangtai Street will attract countless women to watch.
General Guan held the long sword at his waist with his left hand and said:
"I don't know. But when I come to Bingzhou, someone should have sent the news in advance."
If it were General Guan himself, she would do the same thing.
Deng Zhi was a right-guard general, so he didn't even have this sensitivity.
He could send the news to Chang'an, and naturally he could also find a way to send the news directly to Alang.
As one of the few remaining veterans of the Han Dynasty, Deng Zhi didn't have to be afraid of Wei Yan, nor did he have to worry about what anyone in the palace would think of him.
A loyal minister in his sixties has worked tirelessly over the years and has been leading troops to defend the country's borders. What else do you want from others?
If you really want to return to Chang'an and enter the palace to see the emperor, the emperor will have to stand up to greet you and ask you to sit down.
This is the benefit of seniority.
"Open the gate, swing the car and drive!"
The gate of General Zhendong's Mansion, which has always been closed, heard a rare rumble today, and the heavy door was slowly opened.
General Zhendong stepped out of the gate, climbed down the steps, took the horse rein from the guard, and got on his horse.
"drive!"
"Da da da!"
The cavalry guards who had been waiting for a long time escorted General Zhendong towards the palace.
Many people living nearby not only saw the open doors of Zhendong General's Mansion for the first time, but also saw General Zhendong for the first time.
When women or girls saw the face of General Zhendong clearly, many of them immediately felt like deers, and some even had their cheeks flushed red unconsciously.
"Is that General Zhendong? I heard that he is more beautiful than any other woman in the world. He is called Hua Guansuo, and he is indeed named as he is!"
Looking at the formation that was gradually receding, I felt that the nobility that had just come over me was still as if it was condensed and lingering for a long time.
Some people couldn’t help but grit their teeth and stamp their feet:
"A rare good man from the Han family has taken advantage of a barbarian girl! Damn it! Damn it!"
He twisted the silk cloth in his hands so hard that it almost broke.
General Zhendong came to the gate of Weiyang Palace and handed over the talisman to prove his identity.
Responsible for leading the Little Yellow Gate, he also couldn't help but glance at General Guan several times.
Because before he was sent here, he saw the words "beautiful appearance" written on it in the book that recorded the appearance of General Zhendong.
I was still a little curious at first, thinking about what kind of outstanding person General Zhendong was, so that he could be worthy of these four words.
After seeing the real person at this time, I finally felt enlightened, and then I felt that it was natural - probably only this kind of person deserves those four words.
"General Guan, please come this way. Your Majesty knew that the general was going to enter the palace, so he had already asked me to wait here for a long time."
General Guan nodded slightly: "Thank you."
Bypass the front hall used for court meetings and follow the small yellow gate to Xuanshi Hall.
Xuanshi Hall is the place where the emperor personally handles important affairs and summons important ministers.
"Xuan, General Zhendong, have an audience!"
General Zhendong took off his sword, took off his shoes, walked in, kowtowed and saluted:
"My lord, please pay homage to your majesty. May your majesty live long and be happy forever!"
Adou, who was sitting on it, stretched out his hand to help: "Get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"General Zhendong, please sit down."
Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, and Dong Yun, who were on duty at the central government office in the front hall of Weiyang Palace, had arrived early.
Wendong, Wuxi, and General Zhendong did not sit in the same row with them, but walked to the opposite side of them and prepared to take their seats.
Just before taking his seat, he glanced at General Guan Xing, who was sitting below him, without leaving any trace.
General Zhendong's figure froze slightly.
Guan Xing, watch your nose with your eyes, watch your heart with your nose, and sit upright.
When General Guan sat down, Adou managed to squeeze out a smile:
"As soon as the urgent report from the Shangdang arrived, I thought about sending someone to the Central Protectorate. Unexpectedly, General Zhendong sent an invitation to the palace first, which saved me a lot of trouble."
Upon hearing this, General Guan leaned forward in his position and said slowly:
"I have been entrusted by the Central Protector to stay at the Central Protector's Mansion. I dare not neglect the military and state affairs in the slightest."
The voice was neither urgent nor slow, but it made the smile on Adou's face become more awkward.
The originally round and chubby face had lost some weight due to the restless sleep and eating these days, and even his face looked a little haggard and gray.
The little fat man before now no longer looked as happy as before.
Seeing that everyone was here, Adou coughed and started to raise issues:
"I think you all know about the Shangdang matter. This time, I summoned you here because I want to ask you for advice on how to repel the enemy at the moment."
As A Dou spoke, he glanced around.
But seeing the positions of generals, Guan Suo, Guan Xing, Zhao Guang...
There is no one who is not a young person to be feared, and there is no one who is old.
Thinking about the current Han Dynasty, the only ones who can still lead the army at their old age are Wei Yan and Deng Zhi.
Next were Chen Dao and Wu Ban.
It's just that these four people can be generals but difficult to be commanders.
Recalling that before the death of my father-in-law, I entrusted him to Feng Mingwen instead of Wei Yan, it was indeed a foresight.
I regret that I should have tampered with my father-in-law’s arrangements!
While Adou was reflecting, his eyes fell on Jiang Wan, the eldest minister.
Jiang Wan looked at General Zhendong and said:
"The Governor of the Central Protectorate oversees the internal and external military affairs. Although the Central Protector is not here now, General Zhendong remains in the palace. I wonder if General Zhendong has any good ideas?"
General Zhendong shook his head:
"Not yet. The change in Shangdang was too sudden. In such a hurry, I can only guess that the thieves were probably well prepared."
"According to the news, Wei Wenchang ordered his son to guard Gaodu, and he led most of the soldiers back to the north to recapture his eldest son."
At this point, she sighed, "Wei Wenchang's move, in my opinion, is too greedy."
On normal days, General Guan would have said something a little presumptuous at best.
But at this point, how could she still think about saving some face for Wei Yan?
It would be polite not to call him by his first name!
When Adou heard what General Guan said, his face changed slightly and his body leaned forward subconsciously:
"General Zhendong means that General Wei's actions were inappropriate?"
General Guan glanced at Adou and said calmly:
"I don't know whether it's appropriate or not. Maybe Wei Wenchang has other plans."
"Anyway, if I change my position, I will only shrink my troops at Gaoping Pass and try to protect the passage from Hedong to Shangdang, waiting for reinforcements."
"If you are like Wei Wenchang, who doesn't want to give up Gaodu, but also wants to recapture the eldest son by himself, it will only make the troops too scattered."
Both want and want, how can there be so many good things in the world?
Isn't this too greedy?
Having said this, General Guan intensified his tone:
"Judging from the current situation, Sima Yi may have been plotting to join the party for a long time! Wei Wenchang has been attacking Gaodu for several months, and the military teacher is exhausted. Now he is in a hurry to go to the eldest son."
General Guan snorted and stopped talking.
General Guan stopped talking, and everyone understood what she meant, and many people's expressions changed slightly.
Only a voice with hidden anger was heard:
"Wei Yan was arrogant and unwilling to submit to others. He was attacked and lost to the party. With his temperament, he naturally refused to wait for the imperial reinforcements to arrive."
Adou followed the sound and saw that it was Jiang Wan who also spoke:
"In the Battle of Guanzhong, Sima Yi was still able to escape intact despite being attacked by the Prime Minister and the Central Protector."
"Looking at Guo Xun's incident again, it can be seen that this person is not an easy person to deal with. He is actually a very scheming person... ahem, a very scheming person."
Having said this, Jiang Wan glanced at General Zhendong and continued:
"There is a saying in the art of war: if you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. Sima Yi is a man who is good at commanding troops. If this person really wants to do what Zhendong said, he will have a conspiracy against the upper party."
"Then when Wei Yan leads the army back to his eldest son, is it possible that he is also part of his plan?"
Jiang Wan is a tolerant man and rarely has disputes with others.
At this time, General Zhendong still called Wei Yan Wei Wenchang, but he simply called him by his first name.
There was even a hint of disgust in his tone and demeanor that was not easily noticeable.
It can be seen that Jiang Wan was extremely angry that Wei Yan had lost Shangdang due to his carelessness.
Seeing that neither of the civil and military leaders was optimistic about Wei Yan, Adou's originally gloomy face became a little more panicked:
"Then based on this, we should send people to Shangdang for rescue as soon as possible."
It must be saved, otherwise everyone comes to Xuanshi Palace just to chat?
But how to save?
Who will save?
Where to mobilize troops to rescue?
Is there enough money and food in the treasury?
These must be discussed in advance.
As the great housekeeper of the Han Dynasty, Jiang Wan was the first to feel a headache.
The soldiers and horses have not moved, but the food and grass go first.
I saw him sighing:
"The former Zhongduhu led the army into the battle and already used the last grain stored in the treasury. Fortunately, the summer grain came into the treasury, which can be regarded as making up for it."
Jiang Wan glanced at Adou and continued:
"If we send out troops this time, I'm afraid the treasury will be empty again. Your Majesty, it's only the seventh month and there won't be any grain left in the treasury. I'm afraid it won't work."
When Adou heard this, all the color drained from his face:
"What Mr. Jiang means is that there is not enough food and grass to support the army's expedition?"
Jiang Wan rubbed his temples, with a sad look on his face:
"Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty has deployed troops three times in a row this year, and has never stopped its troops. If we add this time, it will be the fourth time."
Wei Yan attacked Gaoyang, Zhang Bao led the southern army to station in Hedong, and Zhongdu escort attacked Caoqiao Pass.
Money and food are spent like water.
This does not include the costs of restoring production and building water conservancy projects in Hedong, Guanzhong and other places.
Jiang Wan looked at Adou and said seriously:
"Your Majesty, no matter how rich the treasury is, it cannot afford such expenses!"
That is to say, now that the Han Dynasty is rich and powerful, if it were in the past when the prime minister was here, he would have to calculate carefully before he dared to send troops.
Jiang Wan didn't say anything, not to mention that it was Adou, and even everyone didn't realize it.
Upon hearing this, everyone present suddenly felt that the money spent this year was indeed too much.
"Then what should we do? Are we just going to abandon the Party and ignore it?"
Adou finally couldn't sit still anymore:
"Mr. Jiang, there is still some money and food in the palace's internal funds. If you think of a way, you have to raise more food and grass."
Jiang Wan smiled bitterly:
"Your Majesty's current plan to collect food and grass is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure."
"The current situation puts the upper party's war as the priority, so in my opinion, it is best to notify the Central Capital to protect the troops as soon as possible."
"In this way, not only will there be enough soldiers and horses to rescue Shangdang, but the saved food and grass can also be used for Shangdang's war."
As he said that, he glanced at General Guan.
General Guan nodded: "What Mr. Jiang said is very reasonable. I also think that it would be most appropriate for Your Majesty to immediately issue an order for the Central Protector to return to the army as soon as possible."
Adou said hurriedly: "Okay, okay, I will give the order now."
Letting his brother-in-law lead the army back to the army was exactly what Adou had in mind.
But seeing that he dictated the imperial edict on the spot, Dong Yun wrote it down, stamped it with the emperor's seal, and had people send him out of the palace as quickly as possible.
Then Adou asked again:
"Besides asking Zhongdu to protect the army, do you have any other suggestions?"
Jiang Wan said again:
"Your Majesty, even if the guards from the Central Capital are sent back to rescue the Shangdang, it is just a cost-cutting move. We still need to increase revenue."
Adou was a little confused: "But where can we get more money now? We can't increase taxes temporarily, right?"
"It is impossible to increase taxes!" Jiang Wan firmly objected, "Your Majesty has just moved back to the old capital not long ago. If you don't reduce taxes to win over the people, how can you increase taxes and disappoint people!"
“Where will the money and food needed come from?”
Jiang Wan slowed down his tone, looked at Adou meaningfully, and said:
"Your Majesty, the Central Protector was going to lead the army on an expedition a few months ago. The old minister also discussed the shortage of money and food in the treasury with the Central Protector, and proposed a plan with the Central Protector."
When Adou heard this, he was immediately excited:
"Mr. Jiang is talking about expanding the number of seats in the Joint Reserve Board?"
"Exactly." Jiang Wan emphasized his tone and persuaded, "Your Majesty, the Party is in a hurry!"
"If you want to collect enough money and food in a short period of time, expanding the number of seats in the Joint Reserve Board is the best and fastest way!"
Ever since the news of the expansion of seats in the Joint Reserve Bureau came out, in the past few months, no matter whether it was the Central Protectorate's Mansion or the Chiang Kai-shek's Mansion, countless people came to inquire about this matter.
It's a pity that this matter got stuck at the last moment and the progress was unsatisfactory.
Because as one of the major shareholders of the Reserve Board, the Royal Family agrees with the expansion of seats.
But it has been hesitant about how many seats to expand.
To be precise, the royal family has not yet decided how much benefit it will give up.
This made Jiang Wan, who was already somewhat dissatisfied with certain actions in the palace, even more annoyed.
Now that I have a good opportunity, how can I be polite? Of course I am happy to add insult to injury.
A Dou's lips were trembling a little, he really didn't know how expensive firewood and rice were when he was not a master!
No wonder when my father-in-law was still alive, he often warned himself not to be too extravagant.
Thinking about the time when the big man was in critical condition, I don’t know how my father-in-law managed to survive with only that little money and food.