Xixia was a neighbor of the Song Dynasty. Gao Zhanggong knew more or less about the situation in Xixia. He knew that the words of the lord of Xiazhou City were true.
Gao Chugong stared at the city lord of Xiazhou City and said in a deep voice: "Since you are from the Song Dynasty, why didn't you take the initiative to surrender to the Song Dynasty after taking control of Xiazhou City?
Choose to surrender to me, the Song Dynasty?"
The Lord of Xiazhou City was silent for a while and said: "I'm afraid that if you take Xiazhou, you won't be able to bear it. The people who will suffer then will still be the people."
Gao Chugong snorted coldly: "Thieves of the country are thieves of the country. There is no need to be so righteous as what you say."
The Lord of Xiazhou City stared at Gao Chugong and said very seriously: "It's not like the Song Dynasty has never launched troops against Xixia. You should know better than me what happened to those officials who took the initiative to defect to the Song Dynasty during the war.
A colleague of mine, when Cao Wei was in the north, led his people and took the initiative to surrender to the Song Dynasty.
But what is his ending, do you know?
The Song Dynasty accepted the Song people he brought back, but handed them back to Xixia, leaving them at Li Deming's disposal.
Li Deming chopped him into pieces with three thousand knives.
From then on, no one led his own people to surrender to the Song Dynasty."
What the Lord of Xiazhou City told was a story from when Zhenzong Zhao Heng was in power.
The person was secretly sent to Xixia by Zhenzong Zhao Heng in order to quell the war, so Gao Chugong did not know the inside story.
Gao Chugong heard the words of the city lord of Xiazhou City, gritted his teeth and did not refute.
Because the story told by the city lord of Xiazhou City, the Song Dynasty could really do it.
When Zhenzong Zhao Heng was in power, he often used the heads of his own people to calm the anger of the Liao people.
Sometimes they would even send people to kill the Liao people.
For example, the group of nemeses raised in the palace.
They were responsible for sending them out to be killed by the Liao envoys when they provoked them.
It was Kou Ji who took the place of the neijizi in the Song Dynasty palace and accompanied the Liao people in a killing spree, which made the court give up on sending those neijizi to be killed by the Liao people for fun.
Gao Chugong waited for the Lord of Xiazhou City, snorted coldly, and said: "The Song Dynasty today is different from before."
The Lord of Xiazhou City nodded slowly, "I know that the differences in the Song Dynasty were brought about by Kou Ji. But now that Kou Ji is dead, I'm afraid that the Song Dynasty will return to its original state in the future."
Gao Chugong sneered: "Who told you that Kou Ji is dead?"
The Lord of Xiazhou City widened his eyes in astonishment, "Didn't you tell me that?"
Before Gao Chugong could speak, the Lord of Xiazhou City suddenly realized something and said in shock: "Kou Ji is not dead?"
The Lord of Xiazhou City glared at Gao Zhanggong and asked: "You said that His Majesty the Emperor of the Song Dynasty and Kou Gong were so angry that they led hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Xixia, did you also lie to me?"
Gao Chugong said calmly: "Of course I am the one responsible for the thunderous anger of the officials and Kou Gong. But it is true that our Song Dynasty has hundreds of thousands of troops attacking Xixia.
Our leading generals of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Neng, Wang Kai, Liu Heng, and Zhong Shiheng, are now leading troops and horses to attack various places in Xixia.
In addition, there are several troops and horses on their way to Xixia.
Before winter comes, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses will arrive at Xingqing Mansion."
The Lord of Xiazhou City stood there blankly, without saying a word.
…
At the same time.
Inside Bianjing City.
In the Zishi Hall, Zhao Zhen stood in front of the Long Case, holding a volume of documents in his hand, without saying a word.
Empress Cao, who was standing next to Zhao Zhen, called softly twice, "Guan family, what do you think of Kou Ji's proposal?"
Zhao Zhen put down the document in his hand and laughed loudly: "Fourth brother still has a solution. I was looking at how to punish the civil servants who stood up to disrupt the situation, so the fourth brother sent someone to deliver the solution to me.
Through donations, the civil servants were forced to spend a lot of money.
Very good, very good.
Each of them has a rich family and should contribute some to the imperial court.
If the soldiers who are far away in Yanyun land receive their support, they will definitely spend the cold winter warmly."
Zhao Zhen looked at Empress Cao and continued to smile: "What's more important is that they donated cotton-padded clothes, quilts and other things for the winter, and they inevitably used the cotton and fabrics grown by the fourth brother.
The fourth brother can make a lot of money from it.
The fourth brother said in a private message that this money could be sent to Cao Wei quietly.
In this way, the shortage of food and clothing in Cao Wei's army will be greatly alleviated.
Fourth brother’s plan can be said to kill two birds with one stone.”
Zhao Zhen pondered for a moment and then said with a smile: "I will add fuel to the fire and ask the people in the inner government to customize a batch of gold and silver locks and reward them to those civil and military officials who generously donate.
Those who donate more will be rewarded with gold locks.
Those who donate a small amount will be rewarded with a silver lock.
If the donation is pitifully small, then you can’t expect to get anything.”
Queen Cao was stunned and asked: "Does the official's move have any profound meaning?"
Zhao Zhen smiled calmly and said: "If their descendants want to use Yinbu to serve as officials, it must depend on my mood. Over the years, I have not loved other things, only gold and silver.
It will naturally be smoother for younger generations with golden locks to take up official positions.
Young people with silver locks may encounter some obstacles when they want to take up an official position.
If there is nothing, then it depends on whether their fathers and ancestors contributed much to our Song Dynasty."
Empress Cao said dumbfounded: "Kou Ji has already made a fuss about their reputation. If you continue to pinch the career of their descendants, wouldn't you be too cruel to them?"
Zhao Zhen snorted, "Am I cruel? Compared to them, I can be considered kind-hearted. The soldiers in the front are fighting desperately, but they are making a fuss about the soldiers' rations behind their backs.
I didn’t kill them in one breath, it was already an advantage to them.”
Empress Cao smiled bitterly and said: "Thank you so much for the great love of the officials that I took the place of my uncle. My uncle was able to successfully fight in the front, thanks to the support of the officials at the rear."
Zhao Zhen sighed slightly, "Cao Wei is ill and has to fight on the front line to fight for my country. The fourth brother can't live a peaceful life with his wife and children, so he is ordered to rush to the northwest to fight for my country.
Kill and make suggestions for my country.
All I can do is sit in this deep palace and wait for news.
It is my duty to do something for them now.
I have finally seen clearly that in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, there were countless people who competed for fame and wealth, but there were very few loyal ministers and good generals.
It would be against my conscience if I treated them harshly."
When Empress Cao heard this, she was a little moved. She took a deep breath and saluted Zhao Zhen: "I take the place of my uncle. Thank you for your love."
Zhao Zhen never evaluated the military officials of the Song Dynasty.
Nowadays, evaluating Cao Wei as a good general is a kind of affirmation of Cao Wei.
Queen Cao would naturally like to thank you.
Zhao Zhen said quietly: "You don't have to thank me. Cao Wei has been working for our Song Dynasty for decades. He has lost both energy and blood and is plagued by serious illnesses. After this battle, I'm afraid I will never use him again, and he will have to stay in the future."
Be an idle prince in the house.
When the time comes, just don’t curse me in your heart."
The implication.
Cao Wei's contribution is already great enough. He can't give Cao Wei another chance to make contributions. Otherwise, Cao Wei's reputation, power, and achievements may threaten him. Therefore, after this battle, Cao Wei will definitely be hidden.
When Queen Cao heard this, instead of being angry, she bowed to Zhao Zhen very seriously, "I have to thank the officials for their consideration. How dare you blame the officials?"
The fact that Zhao Zhen could tell her what was in his heart was enough to prove Zhao Zhen's trust in her.
After this battle, Cao Wei will be hidden in the snow.
Everyone in the Cao family knew about this.
So Queen Cao had no complaints about this.
Speaking of which, Zhao Zhen's move was not a harm to Cao Wei, but a kind of protection.
If Cao Wei wins this battle, if Zhao Zhen continues to keep him in the court.
Cao Wei will definitely become the target of impeachment by the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty.
If a person with great achievements is still standing in the court and still holding power, not only the emperor will be jealous, but also the civil servants of the court will be jealous.
With all the talk, Cao Wei will not end well.
Li Di is a good example.
The only difference is that Li Di is a civil servant and can survive even if he is moved.
But as a military minister, Cao Wei would most likely die if he was moved.
Zhao Zhen was very satisfied with Queen Cao's attitude, nodded slowly and said, "Fourth brother asked you to do this with Xiang Yan so that Xiang Yan can share some of the pressure for you.
After all, the money of hundreds of officials is not so easy to collect.
As a queen, standing among those imperial orders, it is difficult to say some things.
With Xiang Yan helping you, you can get twice the result with half the effort.
You go find Xiang Yan now.
As soon as possible, collect cotton-padded clothes, quilts and other items and send them to the soldiers on the front line.
If he had been sent a day earlier, many lives might have been saved."
Empress Cao nodded and said with a smile: "I naturally don't dare to neglect the matter of fighting for my reputation."
After saying this, Empress Cao bowed and prepared to retreat outside Zishi Hall.
Zhao Zhen seemed to have thought of something and called out to Queen Cao, "If Xiang Yan is too busy to take care of Tianci'er, let her send Tianci'er to the palace and I will take care of him.
Tianci'er's biological father is not here, but my godfather is here."
Queen Cao smiled bitterly and nodded slowly.
After leaving Shishido, I glanced at my belly and sighed sadly.
After Empress Cao left, Zhao Zhen asked Chen Lin, who was standing aside like a statue, with some wan interest, "Where did that old man Wang Zeng go? He always talks endlessly in my ears, why don't you see me today?"
Trace?"
The corner of Chen Lin's mouth twitched.
I don’t know who taught him this, but now Zhao Zhen has a tendency to be a bad imitator, always calling some senior ministers in the court “old man” behind his back.
Chen Lin bowed and said, "Military rations on the front line are in short supply. The prince has gone to the Hubu Yamen to dispatch rations."
Zhao Zhen nodded slowly, "I'm not used to it without him nagging me."
As if he felt that his hobby was a bit too vulgar, Zhao Zhen coughed dryly and told Chen Lin: "Don't spread this word, otherwise the old man will be very energetic and nagging in my ears."
Hearing this, Chen Lin hurriedly said: "Don't worry, officials, I have a very tight mouth. I won't say a word more than I should."
Zhao Zhen nodded slowly.
Most of the eunuchs and maids in the palace could not hide their words under the temptation of money.
But Chen Lin is obviously not among them.
Not a word of what he said to Chen Lin was spread.
On the contrary, what was said in private in front of many eunuchs and concubines was always spread.
Zhao Zhen was thinking about Wang Zeng in Zishi Hall.
Wang Zeng seemed to sense it. After instructing the Ministry of Revenue to dispatch military supplies as soon as possible and send them to the front line, Wang Zeng left the Hubu Yamen and walked to the palace in a carriage.
When passing by Yujie, there were a lot of horse-drawn carriages passing through Yujie, which was a bit congested.
Although the imperial court has regulations, no other carriages or horses are allowed to pass on the imperial street except official vehicles.
A horse street was specially set aside for this purpose.
But the people in Bianjing City seem to have become accustomed to bullying the rules set by the royal family.
Not to mention they broke the curfew.
By the way, it also broke the rule that only official vehicles are allowed to pass on Imperial Street.
Zhao Zhen didn't want to go to jail because of this, so he relaxed this rule.
There are many shops on both sides of Royal Street and there are many pedestrians.
If there are too many cars and horses, there will naturally be some congestion.
Wang Zeng was about to send someone to the Inspection Department to dispatch manpower to clear the traffic on the imperial street.
Then a scream was heard.
Wang Zeng opened the curtain of the carriage and took a look, and saw the three cavalry rushing into the crowded imperial street and running rampant on the street.
They had deliberately avoided pedestrians, but they still bumped into some stalls and huts lined up on both sides of the street.
All of a sudden, there was a lot of excitement on the Imperial Street.
"Eight hundred miles urgent?!"
After Wang Zeng heard the shouts of the soldiers on horseback and saw the letter flags carried by the soldiers on horseback, he murmured in a low voice.
"I rushed eight hundred miles, and now I have arrived in Bianjing City. There is no need to rush all the way in the imperial street just because of the rush, right?"
Wang Zeng frowned.
Wang Zeng ordered the entourage outside the carriage: "Stop them and ask if there is an urgent military situation on the front line. If it is not an urgent military situation, let them follow me behind the carriage and enter the palace together."
After hearing Wang Zeng's order, the attendants immediately went out and stopped the soldiers who were rushing eight hundred miles away.
After eight hundred miles of hasty soldiers arrived at Wang Zeng's side.
Wang Zeng frowned.
The other party did not dismount, nor did he mean to stop. It seemed that he just wanted to say a few words to him on horseback and then rush to deliver the message.
Wang Zeng stared at the panting soldiers on horseback and said solemnly: "But there is an urgent military situation on the front line?"
The soldier on horseback shook his head decisively.
"no!"
When Wang Zeng heard that it was not an urgent military situation, he became angry and said, "Since it is not an urgent military situation, it will be delayed. I ordered you to stop, why don't you obey!"
The soldier on horseback gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "It's not that I and others don't obey the Prime Minister's orders, but the matter is urgent and I can only offend you once."
Wang Zeng said angrily: "What can be bigger than the military situation?"
The soldiers on horseback said in a deep voice: "Kou Jinglue has been assassinated!"
Wang Zeng stared in astonishment, "Say it again!"
The soldiers on horseback repeated: "Kou Jinglue has been assassinated!"
Wang Zeng's eyes widened in horror, and he asked in a trembling voice: "Kou Ji?! Is your life in danger?"
The soldier on horseback gritted his teeth and said: "When we left the northwest, our lives and deaths were unknown!"
Wang Zeng's expression changed drastically.
The soldiers on horseback no longer stayed, left Wang Zeng's side on horseback, and ran towards the palace.
Wang Zeng was trembling all over and his face was pale. After a long time, he trembled and screamed.