There was actually another person who asked Xiao Tang to resign on the grounds of his advanced age.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the construction of the imperial city of Yanjing also required a long time. However, Daming Palace not only had the residence of the Siguan Office, but Song Renzong adopted the advice of Minister Lu Yijian and designated Daming Palace as the companion capital and also called it "Beijing". At that time, one hundred thousand taels of silver from the inner treasury was used to build the palace in Beijing. It was also built on the basis of the imperial city built during the period of Guo Wei, Taizu of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and was built according to Bianliang in Tokyo. The palace was slightly like the capital city, although it was not as good as the emperor in Bianjing. Although it is the size of the city, it is also used as the residence palace of the Song Dynasty emperor. The middle gate of Song Zhenzong's residence palace is Shunyu Gate. The palace contains the main hall, Banrui Hall, Jingfang Hall, Qingning Hall, Shizheng Hall, and Chongzheng Hall. The Hall of Virtue, the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Qianfu... are enough to show off the dignity of the king of a country. Therefore, at this time, Xiao Tang was making do with simplicity, and at least for the time being, he was not willing to rush for success and waste money on large-scale construction projects, which made the Song Dynasty here. Accompanying the imperial palace to temporarily handle the government affairs and banquet expenses is just right now.
At this time, in front of the Tianqing Palace, which was located in a corner of the imperial city and was used as a study by Xiao Tang and for private meetings with courtiers, there were tall and powerful guards in charge of Xu Ning, the prefect of the palace. Li Rongwei. Now he is temporarily in charge of the left and right squads of the Golden Spear Squadron of the Royal Guards. They are responsible for following the emperor. Most of them are talented and brave among the military officials. Xu Sheng, the son of Xu Ning, personally went to pick him up. The elder who came to pay homage to Xiao Tang was taken to Tianqing Hall...
In the spacious hall beyond the library, several tables and seat cushions are arranged in an orderly manner. Smoke rises from the incense burners in the four corners. Xiao Tang sat at the front and hesitated for a moment. Finally, he sighed and said: "I have already It is said that all the brothers who gathered together in Shuibo Liang Mountain for righteousness and treated each other with sincerity are now independent of official positions. If there are no foreign ministers, there is no need to stick to the rules and follow the complicated etiquette of monarchs and ministers. Otherwise, the brotherhood of sharing weal and woe will be weakened. But the brother ...Have you really made up your mind now?"
The man Xiao Tang asked was already over half a hundred years old. Although his body was still strong and strong, the long beard under his chin was also much grayer and he looked slightly older. But this man was exactly the same. It was Chao Gai, the Pagoda King who also held the first place on Shuibo Liang Mountain.
It is true that Song Jiang, who was already in his thirties when he appeared in Water Margin, was ten years younger than Chao Gai. When Shuibo Liangshan was appointed to his duties, except for Wang Huan and other ten festivals, and now due to his age, Gao Duo was working as a consultant on a temporary basis and always enjoyed his leisure time. Apart from Chang Shun, whose previous duties had been shared by Huangfu Duan and his grandson Chang Boda, Chao Gai was almost the oldest.
However, it is still a bit far-fetched to decide to resign based on old age. After all, Chao Gai is not yet in his seventies. It seems that his age is also the period when courtiers are most active in the political arena. But Xiao Tang We can probably figure out Chao Gai's thoughts. After all, he is a well-known tower king in the world, but his personality is completely different from those of the experienced court officials.
The true skill of fighting on the battlefield with swords and spears. Even among the horse infantry, even the righteous general Zuo Jiu who was born in the green forest has been honed for a long time. Most of them are no longer just tricks in the arena. Even if Chao Gai has thirty or fifty people, he can't get close. During the time, Xiao Tang had many good generals under his command, and there was no need to teach him, who was the master of Liangshan after all, to go to dangerous battles in person; Chao Gai was always popular in the world, but he seemed to be in a certain group in later generations. Or a big brother in a certain job, who is righteous, enthusiastic, and charming, and can teach people around him to call him "boss" willingly. However, this kind of person is not necessarily suitable for social entertainment, and is accustomed to working in officialdom or In the business world, he is a person who tries to attract customers just for fun, but in fact, he will probably be repelled by that kind of overly utilitarian dealings. Now Chao Gai has also been granted the title of Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, by Xiao Tang, and of course he is far away. Not as good as Chai Jin, who was well-founded in his speech and suitable for dealing with the kings, grandsons, dignitaries, and foreign envoys. Especially with the expansion of Ma, diplomacy such as Hu Yanqing also entered the camp of Xiao and Tang, and Chao Gai's role inevitably became more and more important. downplay...
Moreover, Chao Gai has always been a man of Jianghu. No matter when he was the lord of Liangshan, or later when he angrily came down to join Xiao Tang, he never expected to be a high official or a powerful person. The temple is high, and the Jianghu is far away. , however, Xiao Tang has now proclaimed himself the emperor and founded the country, and his original concept of caring for his brothers has inevitably gradually changed. When thinking about and planning everything, he can no longer just do things with a happy and happy mind like a green forest hero. It’s just that The world in Chao Gai's heart has never faded away.
Therefore, after hearing Xiao Tang's question, Chao Gai smiled calmly and said with emotion: "Chao was lucky enough to be praised by some fellow Jianghu people. He was originally just trying to maintain integrity with the common people in the village, but later he was sued by the Song Dynasty. He had no choice but to go to Liangshan to capture the village of Xiaoluocao. Now that I think about it, although Chao Gai thought he was loyal, in reality he only took his brothers one step at a time, just for the sake of immediate happiness. However, when the Jinlu invaded the Central Plains a long time later, I waited. In the eyes of the world, they are just free and happy grass bandits, and I am afraid they cannot be used to resist external humiliation. Even if Brother Song Jiang was obsessed at first, at least he put himself in the shoes of his brothers and fought for an official status. , there is no need to stay in Liangshan Po for the rest of your life and be a strong bandit.
And thanks to His Majesty... Xiao Renxia, who has been so kind and supportive, taught Chao to become famous, and he dared to say that he had done his best to help the country. It was all because of Xiao Renxia's grace that he granted me a job in the Ministry of Household Affairs. , the emperor's favor is so great that all the leaders who worked hard for Xiao Renxia will be rewarded and reused. But in fact, Chao Mou asked himself and hated Gao Qiu the most in his life. I am a treacherous coward who has ruined the country with his dictatorship, and no matter how much I can do nothing, I still have to figure out how much I weigh. I am neither an official material nor can I contribute to state affairs. If I don’t want to leave, I will be on the same level as Gao Qiu. What's the difference between a powerful official and a traitor? So Chao is sincerely willing to accept the official title. This can be regarded as a successful retirement, but he hopes to live in peace and happiness in this life."
After hearing Chao Gai's candid words, Xiao Tang felt something in his heart and could understand his thoughts. This was his character as a Jianghu man. No matter whether the Song Dynasty was in a state of disgrace at the beginning, or it was the Song Dynasty at the beginning of the founding of the country. In the new Qi Dynasty, for people like Chao Gai, who lived in high spirits and never took fame, fortune and wealth too seriously. He felt that he was not suitable to be an official, so he would never be greedy for officialdom. After being in the throne, his great deeds are accomplished, he retires after his success. This is exactly the martial spirit of Chao Gai, the King of Pagoda who was widely respected and admired by all the heroes in the world.
However, now that Chao Gai came to express his intention in person, this taught Xiao Tang that he had been planning and thinking for a long time, and that the plan he was about to implement already had the most suitable candidate. After thinking about it briefly, Xiao Tang asked Chao Tang again Guy asked: "If I promise my brother to hand over the official title, do you plan to return to your hometown in Dongxi Village, Yuncheng County, Jeju?"
When Chao Gai saw this, he smiled and replied: "Yes, Dongxi Village is his former residence, and now he has returned to his hometown with honor. Now that the land boundary between Jingdong and East has been taken over by Xiao Renxia, Chao is returning to his hometown to Dongxi Village. They can also live in peace, not to mention that the old friends of the Liu and Tang brothers were ordered to lead the army and horsemen to command the envoys under the rule of Jingdong Road. It is also convenient for them to gather and reminisce when they have the opportunity... What's more, Dongxi Village and Liangshanbo are not far away. Ren Xia, and even many heroes, once gathered at the place where they made their fortunes and expressed their heroic spirit, but it is also Chao's wish to be able to revisit the old place from time to time and recall the happy times."
After hearing this, Xiao Tang nodded, and then said: "As you said, I am willing to agree to your brother's request for an official title. However, I have another task. Although it is not a mission from an official title, it is not a mission.
But because of our great righteousness, our friendship and the spirit of the world, I entrusted it to you, and you are also the most suitable candidate."