In the thirteenth year of Tianbao, at the beginning of July, the victory report of the Battle of Talos was sent to the DPRK.
Chang'an, Yang Mansion.
In the huge main hall, many heads of prominent clans in Chang'an City were gathered, and if anyone was randomly pulled out from among them, they would all be famous figures.
These people gathered together, cupped their hands, and looked inward in unison, waiting for the master to appear.
Not long after, a tall, dignified-looking middle-aged man stepped into the hall from the back.
When the dignitaries in the hall saw the visitor, they stood up one after another and all praised him: "Youxiang Yang."
Yang Guozhong hummed, walked to the seat, and sat down.
Seeing that Yang Guozhong remained silent, everyone in the hall looked at each other. The head of the Xue family in Hedong finally couldn't help but said: "Right Prime Minister, the Anxi Army's capture of Talluos City is a rare victory for the Tang Dynasty in recent years."
Although it was a great victory, no one in the hall had a happy look on their face.
Yang Guozhong raised his head and glanced at the head of the Xue family, and replied: "Xue Zhongcheng, Talluosi has been lost and recovered, and the Anxi army has promoted the power of the Tang Dynasty. When the saint heard the news, he was overjoyed and has not slept a wink for a day and a night."
When Xue Zhongcheng heard this, his face became even more worried, and he cupped his hands and said: "Right Prime Minister, the Prince Consort of Zhou first pacified Shazhou, then killed the rebels, then attacked the false Buddhas, and now he has recovered Talos. This is really a mark of history.
, unparalleled in the limelight.”
Yang Guozhong's face twitched a few times.
While observing Yang Guozhong's expression, Xue Zhongcheng said: "I heard someone in the palace say that His Majesty cherishes talents and intends to transfer Zhou's consort from Anxi back to Chang'an and then entrust him with important tasks."
After hearing this, Yang Guozhong finally couldn't bear it anymore and slapped his palm on the table.
Seeing this, Xue Zhongcheng exchanged glances with the people next to him and smiled.
Yang Guozhong was indignant: "The Shazhou battle report clearly stated that the person who led the troops and made the plan was Guo Ziyi, the envoy of the Moli Army. Zhou Jun did nothing and achieved great success; as for killing the rebels, it was even more of a joke.
Isn't it rare among the border troops to kill a group of illiterate barbarians and take credit for it?"
Someone in the hall heard this and whispered: "It is true that the Anxi Army has recaptured Talos. After all, Gao Xianzhi was once killed by the Great Eater."
Yang Guozhong said angrily: "Gao Xianzhi is also a fool! There are 20,000 Anxi troops and tens of thousands of followers, but he can't defeat a group of Tibetans from the west!"
Seeing that Yang Guozhong was really angry, everyone kept silent.
After a while, Xue Zhongcheng said to Yang Guozhong: "Right Prime Minister, no matter what you say, it is always true that your Majesty intends to transfer Zhou's consort back to Chang'an. In case Zhou's consort returns to Chang'an and has great power, I'm afraid you will..."
Yang Guozhong sneered: "What will happen if he comes back? Is it possible that Zhou Jun can still ascend to the throne?"
Xue Zhongcheng lowered his voice: "The holy family of Zhou Jun is in full swing, your majesty may really introduce him to the court..."
Yang Guozhong: "Zhou Jun is the consort. According to the ancestral system, how can he enter the court and become an official?"
Xue Zhongcheng looked at Yang Guozhong: "According to the ancestral system, the prince-in-law should not be released outside, let alone lead troops, but your majesty made all exceptions for Zhou Jun alone. From this point of view, if your majesty decrees to introduce him to the court as an official
, but it’s not impossible.”
When Yang Guozhong heard this, he was stunned on the spot, and then fell into a long silence.
Xue Zhongcheng: "Zhou Jun came from a humble background. He was originally a servant, and he was not the same traveler as us at all. In the case of Daqi Trade Road, he killed the sons of aristocratic families in the name of rectification, which is the best evidence. If such a person is allowed to
I'm afraid we'll all be in trouble when we return to Chang'an."
Yang Guozhong sighed softly: "The saint has deep faith in Zhou Jun, and Princess Wanchun and the imperial concubine are close friends. How easy is it to make Zhou Jun lose the holy family?"
Xue Zhongcheng: "I'm afraid it will be extremely difficult to overthrow Zhou Jun in one fell swoop, but if you just want him not to enter Chang'an, you can give it a try."
Yang Guozhong sighed, and then asked: "How do you say this?"
Xue Zhongcheng: "As long as I give advice to the sage, it means that the situation in Anxi is complicated and a virtuous person must be in charge to handle the management strategy, and Zhou Jun is the best candidate."
Yang Guozhong: "Will the saint agree?"
Xue Zhongcheng: "There are dozens of large and small neighboring countries around Anxi such as Dashi, Tubo, Uighur and so on. Several previous Jiedu envoys, such as Tang Jiahui, Gao Xianzhi and others, failed to defend the situation in Anxi. The sage knew clearly that the situation here was complicated and full of dangers.
Among the people watching the dynasty, only Zhou Jun is qualified for this position."
Yang Guozhong snorted coldly, but his expression relaxed.
Xue Zhongcheng: "As long as Zhou Jun stays in Anxi, he will not be able to return to Chang'an, nor can he threaten the right minister, and naturally he will not be able to embarrass us."
Yang Guozhong frowned, weighed carefully for a while, and finally nodded lightly.
Seeing Yang Guozhong's approval, Xue Zhongcheng said again: "Right Prime Minister, there is something else."
Yang Guozhong: "What's the matter?"
Xue Zhongcheng: "If your Majesty is persuaded to allow Zhou Jun to stay in Anxi, then his concurrent post as envoy to Longyou should also be suspended."
Yang Guozhong: "Longyou deposed the envoy from Zhi?"
Seeing that Yang Guozhong had not yet reacted, Xue Zhongcheng had to wake him up and said: "Shazhou..."
Yang Guozhong woke up from a dream: "What you want to say is the Daqi Trade Road."
Xue Zhongcheng nodded: "The saint originally gave Zhou Jun the right to depose the envoy Zhi in the hope of rebuilding the Daqi Trade Road. But if the latter stayed in Anxi, another person should naturally be appointed to repair and manage the Daqi Trade Road."
After hearing this, no matter how slow Yang Guozhong was, he understood what the group of people in front of him wanted to do.
Yang Guozhong remembered Li Longji's previous hatred for the Daqi Trade Road rebels, and shuddered unconsciously, and said to everyone in the hall: "The saint values Daqi Trade Road. This matter is the most sensitive. It is best not to think about it.
...Besides, haven’t you all been selling houses recently? Don’t you think the money you make is not enough?”
At the mention of selling a house, many dignitaries in the hall complained incessantly.
Someone said: "The clan acquired some land in Jinzhou and Puzhou, and spent a lot of money to build a house. At first, the sale went smoothly. Since the beginning of the year, floods have accumulated, and the house has been soaked and collapsed, and all the money has been lost.
No return.”
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Someone said: "In Gyeonggi Province, Gannai Province, Hadong Province, Henan Province and other places, floods and droughts are getting worse and worse, and people are using their money to buy
Food, cannibalism has even appeared in some places, how can anyone buy a house anymore?"
Someone else said: "If we continue to lose money like this, our family property will almost be lost... It seems that only Daqi Trading Road is a profitable business."
Listening to everyone's chatter, Yang Guozhong shook his head first and then said: "When Wang Xian ran the Daqi Trade Road, it was because of the proliferation of private companies and the competition for profits with the government, which eventually caused the saint to be furious and implicated countless people. Did you go through this?
Don’t you remember things for a long time?”
There were many prominent families in the hall, and they all praised him without daring to praise him.
Xue Zhongcheng also quickly said to Yang Guozhong: "The reason why Daqi Trading Road was in chaos when Wang Xian was running it was because many families who went to Shazhou to do business did not choose a leader, which made everyone not cooperate with each other.
, acted recklessly and eventually caused the situation to get out of control."
After a pause, Xue Zhongcheng handed over to Yang Guozhong and said: "This time, we have discussed it. We plan to use the method of a trading company to operate the Daqi Trading Road. With the right minister as the host, we will take second place."
When Yang Guozhong heard this, he became interested: "What's the explanation?"
Xue Zhongcheng: "As for the planning, opening and operation of Daqi Trading Road, all matters involving decision-making are dominated by the right prime minister. From the right prime minister's house, one person can be sent as the boss to take charge of all matters of Daqi Trading Road. We
I am only responsible for contributing money and effort, and then participating in profit sharing, and ignore other things."
Yang Guozhong made some calculations and found that the matter was profitable and he had great power. He didn't have to worry about losing control of the trade route like Wang Fei did.
After much deliberation, Yang Guozhong agreed, and then told everyone in the hall that everyone should come up with a strategy and then give advice to the saint.