Chapter 0682 Debate between monarchs and ministers
Kou Ji laughed softly and said: "The craftsmen in the palace are naturally extraordinary..."
It's just that most of them are studying some fun things, just to win the king's smile, but they are useless to the country and the people.
As for the craftsmanship in the Kou Mansion, it is natural that the craftsmen in the Kou Mansion are not as good as the craftsmen in the palace.
Zhao Zhen laughed, grabbed Kou Ji's sleeve, and walked into the tent, "Come on, follow me into the tent!"
Kou Ji did not follow Zhao Zhen into the tent, but stopped his steps and said with a guilty look on his face: "I made a mistake, please ask the officials to punish me."
Zhao Zhen let go of Kou Ji's sleeves, the smile on his face faded, and he sighed: "I didn't mention it on purpose, but you insisted on mentioning it."
Kou Ji cupped his hands and said, "After all, it was my fault that caused the official family to suffer hardship all the way to the northwest."
Zhao Zhen lowered his hand and sighed: "It's not your fault... You were assassinated and fell into a coma. You have no control over what happens next."
At this point, Zhao Zhen's eyes fell on Liu Heng and said calmly: "If you really want to say something wrong, it's Liu Heng's fault. If Liu Heng hadn't found out the truth and reported it to the court, I wouldn't have done anything.
Come to the northwest in a hurry."
When Liu Heng heard what Zhao Zhen said, he frowned, bent down, and said, "I, Liu Heng, am guilty..."
Zhao Zhen's eyes lingered on Liu Heng for a moment, and he said in a neutral tone: "Your injury healed very quickly..."
Liu Heng looked embarrassed.
Zhao Zhen continued: "I thought you would be more stable after becoming a Duke, but I didn't expect that you would not be as good as before."
Liu Heng lowered his head in shame.
Zhao Zhen said again: "Your title was hard-earned, so I won't take it away from you. I sent someone to punish you with a stick. This is considered a punishment, and I will not pursue this matter again in the future.
However, the civil and military forces of the entire dynasty are making things difficult for you, but I will not help you."
Liu Heng bowed deeply to Zhao Zhen and said, "Thank you so much for your kindness..."
He made a big mistake by falsely spreading news and causing turmoil in the Song Dynasty. Zhao Zhen did not dismiss him from office, nor did he reduce his title, but only gave him a small punishment, which can be considered an extra mercy.
Kou Ji, who had been standing aside silently, waited for Zhao Zhen to finish admonishing Liu Heng, and then said to Zhao Zhen with a wry smile: "In the official family, Liu Heng is my subordinate. I will naturally bear the responsibility for the mistakes he made."
Zhao Zhen curled his lips and said: "Okay...I will help you block that part of your fault. If anyone is dissatisfied, just come to me."
When Kou Ji heard this, he couldn't laugh or cry.
Zhao Zhen continued: "In order to prevent the officials accompanying you from embarrassment, I sent them to herdsmen in various places before you arrived. They will not be able to come back within a month or two.
If we, the Song Dynasty, could destroy Xixia, they would probably stay longer."
The implication.
Zhao Zhen deliberately released the officials accompanying him.
Probably because they thought they were always doing some unsightly things in Bianjing City, so they wanted to stuff them into a corner so that they could be out of sight.
Kou Ji was moved and saluted Zhao Zhen, "Thank you for the official love..."
Zhao Zhen waved his hand, "Don't mention this matter again in the future. Since I have arrived in the northwest and brought many soldiers and horses, I cannot just go back without doing anything.
Xixia has repeatedly provoked our Song Dynasty, and now it has sent assassins to assassinate our important officials of the Song Dynasty, which has angered me.
I can't tolerate it."
Kou Ji and Liu Heng looked at each other and raised their hands in unison, "I was originally a vanguard, appointed as an official to annihilate Xixia."
Zhao Zhen nodded slowly and said, "Go to the tent and talk."
Three people entered the big tent.
The furnishings in the big tent are the same as those in the small side hall of Zhao Zhen's palace.
It was probably because Chen Lin moved everything in the palace to make Zhao Zhen's stay comfortable.
Entering the big tent, Zhao Zhen sat on the throne with a golden sword.
Since King Zhao Yuanzuo of Chu killed the dragon chair in anger, Zhao Zhen no longer sat on the dragon chair. Instead, he asked the craftsmen in the palace to build a seat similar to a couch.
After Zhao Zhen sat down, he ordered Chen Lin to give seats to Kou Ji and Liu Heng.
The three of them sat down.
Zhao Zhen said: "After I left Kaifeng Mansion, I got the news that Fourth Brother you are safe and sound. After I found out about this, I breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, I began to think about what I should do after arriving in the northwest.
Kou Gong told me that Xixia is an ambitious person and must be eliminated.
When I arrived in the northwest and saw the people who had been tortured by war all year round, I felt very convinced.
I originally wanted to send a large army northward immediately, rush to Xiazhou, and cooperate with the troops and horses in your hands to conquer Xixia by force.
But Mr. Kou doesn't agree with my idea.
Kou Gong said, I left the palace and took all the soldiers and horses north of Bianjing City to the northwest.
The Liao people would definitely be aware of such a big move.
After the Liao people become aware of this, they will definitely take action.
In order to prevent Cao Wei from running into trouble in the land of Yanyun, I need to postpone the conquest of Xixia.
We need to wait until the Liao people take action in Yanyun land before making a decision.
I thought about it and felt that what Mr. Kou said was reasonable, so I did what Mr. Kou said."
After listening to Zhao Zhen's words, Kou Ji nodded slowly and said: "My grandfather has been an official for decades, and naturally he has a far-sighted view than the officials and ministers. He thinks that the Liao people will do something, then the Liao people will definitely do something.
.
It is indeed appropriate for officials to act cautiously."
Zhao Zhen laughed out loud, "Don't talk about these nonsense in front of me. If you have any ideas, please tell me happily."
Kou Ji pondered for a moment, looked at Zhao Zhen and said with a wry smile: "On this trip, the officials have mobilized a large number of troops. Seven to eight hundred thousand soldiers and horses to conquer Xixia is like killing a chicken with a sledgehammer."
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "Now that the matter has come to this, I can't go back on my word. As soon as I receive military pay, food and fodder, I will allocate a sum of money from the internal treasury and bear part of it, which will be regarded as the price of my mistake."
Kou Ji said dumbfounded: "The official family doesn't have to be like this. All the faults are caused by the Xixia people. If they have to bear the responsibility, it will be their responsibility."
Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Ji without saying anything, waiting quietly for Kou Ji's next words.
Kou Ji continued: "I agree with my grandfather's idea. The soldiers and horses in the hands of the officials should be put on hold for the time being. Seven or eight hundred thousand soldiers and horses are not seventy or eighty people.
It's very complicated to mobilize.
Now without a good commander like Cao Wei in charge, and other people commanding the troops, it may be difficult to bring out the power of 700,000 to 800,000 troops."
Zhao Zhen sighed and said nothing.
Kou Ji knew why he sighed.
There are many military ministers in the court, but there are very few who can truly command the three armies.
Once the imperial court deploys heavy troops, there is always a sense of powerlessness as no one can help.
Whose fault is it that no one can use this huge country?
Han Yu gave a standard answer in his article "Ma Shuo".
"There are Bole in the world, and then there are thousand-mile horses. Thousand-mile horses always exist, but Bole does not always exist."
There were tens of millions of people in the Song Dynasty, and among them there must have been many people who were useful to the court.
The reason why there is no one available in the imperial court today is not because there is no talent in the Song Dynasty.
But Zhao Zhen's father and grandfather did not discover talents in this area.
They only favored civil servants and spared no effort to discover them.
Only the military minister turned a blind eye.
The son said his father was wrong.
Naturally, Zhao Zhen couldn't fault his father and grandfather.
Kou Ji knew Zhao Zhen's thoughts, so he did not bring up the matter in detail. He continued: "If we rashly command 700,000 to 800,000 troops to enter Xixia, not only will it be impossible to achieve significant results, but we may also
There will be some damage.
To be on the safe side, we have to wait.”
Zhao Zhen said with a hint of resentment: "Wait... when will I find a good general who can lead the three armies?"
Kou Ji said dumbfounded: "That's not necessary...I have already sent Zhu Neng, Zhong Shiheng, and Wang Kai to attack Xixia respectively. Li Deming, the disobedient Marquis, is now sitting in Xingqing Mansion and does not dare to act rashly.
Zhu Neng and his three men will definitely attack the city and plunder territory in Xixia territory.
When the three parties of troops and horses are close to Xingqing Mansion, it will be time for our army to attack.
By that time, all the firearms that I sent to escort should have been transported to the northwest.
With the help of firearms, and the only place we need to attack at that time is Xingqing Mansion.
Seven or eight hundred thousand soldiers and horses can be pushed forward in one go. There is no need for too much planning or frequent deployment of troops and generals. The army will be much less dependent on the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
We don’t have to lose too many soldiers and horses.”
Zhao Zhen sighed, "So, I've been waiting for a while?"
Kou Ji smiled and said: "That's not true...the northwest has been stabilized now, and our soldiers and horses of the Song Dynasty have pushed outside the Great Wall.
The territory within the Great Wall will no longer have to worry about being invaded by military disasters.
The previous methods of governing the people are no longer suitable.
Officials can take the opportunity to sort out the civil affairs in the northwest and sort out the officials in the northwest.
To be honest with the officials, after I led my troops to seize Xiazhou and other places, I had no one to use, so I had to implement military control in Xiazhou and other places."
Zhao Zhen was slightly stunned. He had heard about this, but he did not delve into it.
Now that Kou Ji mentioned this matter, he naturally wanted to say something.
"Can't we select the Xixia officials who have surrendered?"
When Kou Ji heard this, the smile on his face disappeared, "We, the Song Dynasty, cannot use them. Most of them defected from our Song Dynasty. They are disloyal to our Song Dynasty, so naturally we cannot treat them with benevolence and righteousness.
We, the Song Dynasty, can use corrupt officials and corrupt officials, but we can never use national thieves."
Zhao Zhen thought about Kou Ji's words and pondered: "Fourth brother seems to hate national thieves very much?"
Kou Ji said loudly: "Everyone can find the great thief of the country and punish him."
Zhao Zhen pursed his lips and said: "I heard that there are many people with lofty ideals among them, but they were frustrated in the Song Dynasty, so they joined Xixia."
Kou Ji said solemnly: "There are not 10,000 people in the Song Dynasty, but 8,000. Why didn't others defect to Xixia, but they fled to Xixia? If they just fled to Xixia to make a living, they were idle
Officials, I can tolerate that too.
But even if they fled to Xixia to make a living, they actually helped the Xixia people to cause trouble on the border.
Not to mention that there are many rats in Xixia who wantonly slander our Song Dynasty, and what they say and write is not entirely true."
Zhao Zhen nodded slowly and said with a stern face: "If this is really the case, then I can't tolerate them. It's the fault of the imperial court and my fault that I, the Song Dynasty, failed to reuse them.
Even if they escape to Xixia and help the Xixia people, I can still sympathize with them.
But they slander us, the Song Dynasty, and criticize us, the Song Dynasty, with some untrue words, and I cannot tolerate it."
"This type of people, who have forgotten their ancestors, should be killed!"
Chen Lin suddenly interrupted, with a look of gritted teeth.
Zhao Zhen looked at Chen Lin.
Chen Lin hurriedly said: "This slave is guilty, and I should not interrupt at will."
Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes and said, "I think what you said is reasonable. They should be cut into pieces by a thousand swords."
Chen Lin said with a smile: "As long as the officials don't blame the servants."
Zhao Zhen shook his head, looked at Kou Ji, and asked, "What else can I do?"
Kou Ji thought for a moment and said with a smile: "Extort Xixia!"
Zhao Zhen looked stunned.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "My soldiers and horses are attacking Xixia. The officials have brought hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses to the northwest, but they have not touched Xixia. The Xixia people may think that the officials are trying to scare them. As long as they beg for mercy, the officials will
The family will let them go."
Zhao Zhen asked suspiciously: "Can they be so stupid?"
Kou Ji smiled and said: "It's a glimmer of hope after all. Even if the Xixia people don't believe it, they will still find a way to catch it. After all, we, the Song Dynasty, have 700,000 to 800,000 troops approaching Xixia, and Xixia may be destroyed at any time.
In this case, the officials expressed to them that they would let them go as long as they begged for mercy.
They will definitely try their best to submit to the officials."
Zhao Zhen thought for a while, looked at Kou Ji, and said with a smile: "Knock on it, maybe there will be a surprise?"
Kou Ji smiled and nodded.
The smile on Zhao Zhen's face became even brighter, and he said with emotion: "I finally feel a little bit like the emperor of the suzerain country."
In the past, although the Song Dynasty regarded itself as the suzerain state, the vassals also recognized the Song Dynasty as the suzerain state.
But when the Song Dynasty faced its vassals, it always showed a smile and gave generous gifts.
Even so, those vassals were not respectful to the Song Dynasty.
Many vassals were also duplicitous. While relying on the Song Dynasty, they also relied on the Liao Kingdom.
Things are different now. The Song Dynasty no longer treated its vassals favorably, but instead used military force to entertain them.
The vassals were very respectful to the Song Dynasty.
In order to show their sincerity to the Song Dynasty, some vassals also cut off contacts with the Liao Kingdom.
For example, Qingtang.
After Qingtang truly felt that the Song Dynasty really regarded them as allies and vassals, they decisively cut off exchanges with the Liao Kingdom.
Qingtang is not afraid of Liao at all.
It's not because Qingtang is so strong that it is not afraid of Liao.
But Qingtang is too far away from the Liao Kingdom. Qingtang Zanpujiao Siluo writes a letter every day to greet the Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu and his family, but the Liao Emperor Yelu Longxu can only stare.
Because Emperor Yelu Longxu of the Liao Dynasty could not bypass the territory of the Song Dynasty or the territory of the Xixia Dynasty to attack Qingtang.
Kou Ji heard Zhao Zhen's sigh and said with a smile: "My Song Dynasty is naturally the suzerain state."
The monarch and his ministers looked at each other and smiled.
After laughing, Zhao Zhen invited Kou Ji to eat with him.
During the dinner, Zhao Zhen revealed to Kou Ji intentionally or unintentionally, asking Kou Ji to find a way to take him to the battlefield.
Kou Ji pretended to be deaf and mute and did not dare to agree to him.
When Kou Ji went down to rest, Zhao Zhen stared at Kou Ji and let out a long sigh, "I have been practicing martial arts for many years, but I have no use for it. It's sad and sad."