After hearing Zhao Zhen's explanation, Queen Cao's expression softened.
The country will eventually fall into the hands of her son. The safer Zhao Zhen manages the country, the safer it will be for her son to succeed to the throne.
But Queen Cao still had some objections to the place that Zhao Zhen entrusted to the Cao family.
Liuqiu is very far away from Bianjing City, separated not only by mountains and rivers, but also by a sea.
In the eyes of most people in the Song Dynasty, Liuqiu was a barren land.
People in the Song Dynasty hardly ever went to Liuqiu. Only some people from coastal areas moved to Penghu and other islands. There were almost no people on Liuqiu Island.
The entire Cao family moved to Liuqiu, which was a distribution arrangement.
In addition, Queen Cao also had some other concerns.
If the Cao family moves to Liuqiu Island, there will be no way to help Zhao Run, and Zhao Run will lose a lot of help.
Zhao Zhen heard what Empress Cao said and frowned tightly, "What's wrong with Liuqiu? Liuqiu is also my territory of the Song Dynasty. Go out and ask and see who dares to say that Liuqiu is not my territory of the Song Dynasty.
, I guarantee that he will not survive tomorrow."
When Queen Cao heard this, her face became ugly again.
Zhao Zhen snorted and said: "You think I am assigning a mate to the Cao family, but Cao Wei doesn't think so. When I made him the Nanhai County King, I came to discuss it with him, and he agreed wholeheartedly.
Therefore, Liuqiu is what he promised to ask for, not something I forced on him.
Also, he was named a living king with a different surname, and was not tolerated by the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.
I put him in Liuqiu, so that the voices of impeachment against him will be smaller.
If I sealed him in Bianjing City, do you think he would dare to ask for it?
Can the civil and military forces of the entire dynasty tolerate him?"
When Queen Cao heard this, she gritted her teeth slightly. She had already heard some anger in Zhao Zhen's voice. She also knew that Zhao Zhen had made up his mind and the matter was irreversible.
She knew that if she spoke again, she might offend Zhao Zhen, but she still spoke cautiously, "Even if the government wants my Cao family to relocate, my fourth uncle must be left in Bianjing City, right?
My fourth uncle is in critical condition now. There is no way to go to Liuqiu. He will probably die on the road.
I am a nephew, how can I see him die on the road?"
Zhao Zhen's face turned slightly cold, "He can also pass the throne to his son Cao Xu, and let Cao Xu leave with the Cao clan while he stays in Bianjing alone.
I did not force him to die, and I will not harm heroes.
The specific situation depends on him, not me."
Queen Cao frowned subconsciously.
Zhao Zhen sighed in his heart and said: "I forgot to tell you one thing, that is, Cao Wei asked me to hire a husband for Run'er.
Run'er's husband is in Liaodi now, go back and help Run'er pack his things and send him there."
Queen Cao was stunned and said in astonishment: "Liao land?"
Zhao Zhen stared at her without saying anything.
Empress Cao hesitated and said: "Kou Ji?"
Zhao Zhen still stared at her without saying anything.
Queen Cao has already got the answer.
Nowadays, the only person in Liao who can serve as Zhao Run's husband is Kou Ji.
Queen Cao originally thought that Zhao Run would lose a lot of help when the Cao family left, but she didn't expect that Cao Wei had made all the arrangements.
He actually found a great gentleman for Zhao Run.
"I want to take Run'er to see my fourth uncle..."
After Empress Cao knew everything, she bowed down without any hesitation.
Zhao Zhen waved his hand and let her leave.
After Queen Cao left, Zhao Zhen sighed deeply.
If Empress Cao and Zhao Run hadn't forced Cao Wei out in the first place, Cao Wei would rush to the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun, thus establishing the victory of the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun.
I'm afraid Zhao Zhen wouldn't talk so pleasantly to Empress Cao.
Not long after Queen Cao left.
Lu Yijian and the other two hurriedly entered Zishi Hall.
After entering the hall, after saluting.
Lu Yijian hurriedly asked: "I heard that the officials have given Cao Wei the title of king?"
Zhao Zhen glanced at Lu Yijian lightly, "The imperial edict has been passed down, and it has spread throughout Bianjing City. Do you still need to hear about it?"
Lu Yijian looked embarrassed.
Wang Zeng coughed slightly and said: "The officials just want to make Cao Wei the king. Isn't it inappropriate to split the soil and seal the territory for Cao Wei? Aren't the officials afraid of the danger of raising tigers?"
"Raising tigers?"
Zhao Zhen asked: "With the current national strength of the Song Dynasty, how long do you think it will take for the tiger of the Cao family to have the strength to compete with the Song Dynasty after it goes out?"
Wang Zeng looked stunned.
Zhao Zhen continued: "Our Song Dynasty now has 660,000 forbidden troops, and there are countless local soldiers and horses. When our Song Dynasty completely takes back the Liao land, we will add two more forbidden troops. By then, our Song Dynasty's forbidden troops will be
The number is 760,000.
Chen Yaozi is now plotting against Qingtang, and he believes that Qingtang will soon become our military force in the Song Dynasty.
By that time, I, the Song Dynasty, may have to set up another forbidden army to guard Qingtang.
The number of our imperial army in the Song Dynasty will definitely exceed 800,000.
How long do you think it will take for the Cao family to accumulate 800,000 troops to fight against me?"
Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng were speechless.
Zhang Zhibai hesitated for a while and said something fair, "It will never be possible just by relying on Liuqiu."
There are probably not even 10,000 people living on Liuqiu Island.
When the Cao family moved, they took ten thousand people with them.
It is almost impossible to accumulate enough troops to compete with the Song Dynasty's 800,000 imperial troops.
Even if the Cao family worked hard and continued to annex other islands overseas to strengthen themselves, it would still take a long, long time before they could reach some scale.
After all, the ocean is no different than the land.
Islands in the ocean are separated by seas. To fight a war, you need to fight across the sea. It takes a very long time and requires a lot of preparations.
Unlike land, as long as there is sufficient food and grass, soldiers and horses can attack it anytime and anywhere.
Even when there is insufficient food and grass, it can be fought quickly.
There is no need to do much preparation at all.
Therefore, expanding at sea is far more difficult than on land.
Therefore, after the Cao family moved to Liuqiu, it would be impossible for them to challenge the imperial court within a few decades or hundreds of years.
Zhao Zhen knocked on the dragon table in front of him and said: "In that case, why should I be afraid of the danger of raising tigers? Even if the Cao family wants to become a tiger, it will take three or four generations.
If I don't seal the Cao family, I can't seal anyone else.
There is no way to block other people, this tiger will be entrenched right under our noses.
No one knows when the attack will occur or how much impact it will have on my Da Song Dynasty."
Zhao Zhen spoke in a deep voice to Lu Yijian and the others about his idea of dividing the kings among himself, emphasizing the stakes involved.
After Lu Yijian and the others finished listening, they fell into silence.
If Zhao Zhen did not enfeoff the kings, those military ministers with great achievements would live in Bianjing City, and many people in Bianjing City would be frightened day and night.
If you want to get rid of it once and for all, you can only kill them all.
But the problem is that he can't be killed.
As long as the knife is opened, the Song Dynasty will definitely be in chaos.
Therefore, dividing the kings among themselves was the only way.
However, the enfeoffment of kings had a great impact on the Song Dynasty.
It was so big that after word spread about it, everyone in the Song Dynasty would pay attention to it.
People's hearts are different, and it's hard to guarantee that no one will have other ideas.
Although people who have ideas may not necessarily act on them.
But once the seeds are planted, they will one day grow into towering trees.
This incident would bring great harm to the Song Dynasty.
Zhao Zhen saw that Lu Yijian and the others had thoughts in their minds, but he did not speak again.
As long as Lu Yijian and the others don't stop him from becoming the king, he doesn't care about the rest.
Not long after Lv Yijian and the others stayed in Zishi Hall, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty entered the palace, and they all asked to see Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen left the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty to Lu Yijian and the others, and hid in the harem to enjoy his leisure time.
Prime Minister.
It's just to solve his troubles. If he can't solve his troubles, then he's not a prime minister.
The three of them, Lu Yijian, faced off against the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, and it was difficult to deal with them either.
I can only keep arguing with the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.
The matter of conferring the king did not stop because of the civil and military turmoil in the Manchu Dynasty.
After Queen Cao visited the Cao Mansion with Longevity King Zhao Run, Cao Wei made the decision and passed the title of Nanhai County Prince to his younger brother Cao Qi.
Cao Wei only left an old servant to accompany him. Cao Wei asked Cao Qi to take the rest of the Cao Mansion away from Bianjing City.
Before the people from the Cao Mansion left, they made a settlement with the people from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Cao Mansion's properties, houses, and shops were all handed over to the court.
As the No. 1 nobleman of the Song Dynasty, the Cao family's wealth was unimaginably huge.
After people from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs counted the property of Cao Mansion, and reported the specific figures to the court, everyone in the court was shocked.
There are three houses worth millions of dollars, and thirteen villas worth millions.
There are more than 200 shops in total and more than 397,800 acres of farmland.
This is only the Cao family in Bianjing City and the ancestral land of the Cao family in Zhending Prefecture. The Cao family's family business is even larger.
The imperial court has sent officials to do the counting, and I believe it won't take long before a specific number can be reported to the imperial court.
After a brief shock, the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty came up with ideas about the Cao family.
Unfortunately, Zhao Zhen just handed over the shop to the Ministry of Household Affairs and sent the upright Zhang Zhibai to supervise it.
With Zhang Zhibai on one side, no one else could take advantage.
The houses, villas, and properties that the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty cared most about were collected by Zhao Zhen into the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty also petitioned Zhao Zhen for this purpose, threatening that the family property should be returned to the imperial court.
Zhao Zhen's answer was simple. He wanted to reward the meritorious officials with those houses, villas, and fields.
If the treasury is willing to bear all the subsequent rewards for meritorious officials, he would not mind transferring those houses, villas, and properties to the imperial court.
Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng vetoed the matter almost without hesitation.
joke.
Although the Cao Mansion's wealth is astonishing, the number of meritorious officials who will be rewarded by the court later is even more astonishing.
The property of the Cao Mansion is simply not enough to reward meritorious officials.
If the imperial court agreed to Zhao Zhen's request, he would have to pay a lot of blood.
Just when everyone in Bianjing City was discussing the matter of being crowned king, just when everyone in Bianjing City set their sights on the Cao Mansion's property.
Cao Wei was carried to Wenchang Academy by Zhao Run, Kou Tianci, Yang Huaiyu and others.
After Yang Wenguang's enlightenment, the knot between Kou Tianci and Yang Huaiyu was resolved, but they became much more silent than before.
Things are also a bit more secure than before.
Queen Cao assigned Zhao Runfa to Cao Wei and asked him to serve Cao Wei.
Zhao Run couldn't move Cao Wei by himself, so he had to ask for help from Kou Tianci and Yang Huaiyu.
After Cao Wei entered the Wenchang Academy, he put on a Confucian uniform and gave the last lesson to the martial arts students in the Wenchang Academy through Zhao Run.
Then he returned to his residence.
Kou Zhun and other gentlemen from Wenchang Academy gathered in Cao Wei's house.
Zhao Run, Kou Tianci, Yang Huaiyu and other juniors are also there.
Cao Wei was lying on the rocking chair with a smile, his mouth opening and closing.
The old servant of the Cao Mansion whispered to the side, "The general said that he is afraid that he will die in Wenchang Academy. By then, I am afraid that Wenchang Academy, a place blessed by saints, will be tainted with the atmosphere of sadness and martial arts.
I hope Chief Kou Shan will not blame him."
Kou Zhun said with a sad face: "Although I don't like the military ministers, it was in the court. Now that you and I have resigned and have a good personal relationship, how can I blame you?
Besides, you are the teacher of our Wenchang Academy, and you should be buried here to protect all the students of Wenchang Academy."
Cao Wei grinned, opened his lips lightly, and said a few more words.
The expression of the old servant of the Cao Mansion changed. Just as he was about to repeat it, he heard Kou Zhun sigh and say, "I understand."
The old servant of the Cao Mansion said no more.
Cao Wei didn't say any more, but instead focused on Zhao Run.
Zhao Run felt Cao Wei's gaze and walked closer to Cao Wei.
Cao Wei signaled to the old servant of Cao Mansion to take out a letter from his arms, handed it to Zhao Run, and gave Zhao Run a warning.
Retelling by an old servant of Cao Mansion.
"The general asked you to give this letter to your husband, otherwise he may not accept you."
Zhao Run had already known through Empress Cao that she wanted to become a disciple of Kou Ji, so after hearing Cao Wei's instructions, she solemnly nodded.
Cao Wei smiled, opened his lips slightly, and said, "The Song Dynasty is so good nowadays... I really can't bear to part with it..."
As soon as the words fell, Cao Wei closed his eyes with a smile and never opened them again.
The eyes of the old servant of the Cao Mansion turned red instantly, and he choked with sobs: "The general has gone..."
Zhao Run stood there stupidly.
Kou Zhun closed his eyes in pain, sighed, bowed and said: "Well done, General..."
"Well done, General..."
"Well done, General..."
"..."
The news quickly spread to the palace.
Zhao Zhen hurried to Wenchang Academy with Empress Cao.
After Zhao Zhen arrived at the Wenchang Academy, he saw Cao Wei dying with a smile on his face and his eyes were red.
Zhao Zhen ordered people to set up a mourning hall for Cao Wei at Wenchang Academy.
At the same time, an order was issued to inform the world about Cao Wei's death and ask the whole country to mourn together.
At the same time, Zhao Zhen also gave Cao Wei a posthumous title.
Wu Mu!
The highest posthumous title a military official can receive.
In addition, Zhao Zhen also ordered people from the Ministry of Industry to build a tomb in Gong County and bury him in Gong County.
Why is it said to be buried in Gong County?
Because that is the place where the mausoleum selected by Qin Tianjian for Zhao Zhen is located.
Although after the restructuring of the Song Dynasty, emperors' tombs were no longer built during their lifetimes, the location of the emperors' tombs was decided in advance.
The purpose is to avoid conflicts between the land used for the emperor's tomb and the land used by the common people.
The emperor of the Song Dynasty royal family was always very kind to the people, whether it was sincere or for show. In short, when there was a conflict with the people, the emperor always chose to give in to the people.
It is precisely because of this that the location of the emperor's tomb must be decided in advance.
This was to avoid conflicts with the people who built houses there while the emperor was building his mausoleum.
The construction of Cao Wei's tomb was quickly completed, and on the day of burial, Zhao Zhen personally attended the funeral.
The bell, which was only rung when the emperor, queen mother, empress, prince and others passed away, also rang.
"Dong...dong..."
The dull bells sounded, thick and majestic, and spread far and wide.
It seems to be seeing off the general and letting him go well.
It also seemed to be telling people in the distance that a general was gone.
"Did you hear the bell?"
On the hill outside Shangjing City in the Liao Kingdom.
Kou Ji heard the sound of bells in a trance, and couldn't help but turned his head to ask Zhong Shiheng beside him.
Zhong Shiheng looked at Kou Ji suspiciously, and then made a gesture of listening.
"What kind of bell? There's nothing?"
Zhong Shiheng listened carefully and heard nothing, so he couldn't help but said to Kou Jidong.
Kou Ji frowned, "But I clearly heard a bell ringing?"
Zhong Shiheng curled his lips and said, "It's probably an illusion."
Kou Ji frowned and said nothing.
Zhong Shiheng had something important to discuss with Kou Ji. Seeing that Kou Ji was fussing over the illusory bell, he couldn't help but said: "Maybe God knew that we were about to overthrow the Liao Kingdom, so he sounded the death knell to overthrow the Liao Kingdom.
.”
Kou Ji took a breath and said, "Probably..."
Zhong Shiheng saw that Kou Ji recognized his statement and hurriedly said: "The official family has made Cao Wei the king."
Kou Ji glanced at Zhong Shiheng and said, "I know... the official's move is somewhat inappropriate."
Zhong Shiheng said excitedly: "There is a fiefdom!"
Kou Ji stared at Zhong Shiheng and said, "So what?"
Zhong Shiheng asked hurriedly: "Do you think I have a chance?"
Others may have objections to Zhao Zhen's decision to entrust the king with fiefdoms. For example, they may be dissatisfied with the fact that Zhao Zhen threw them and other heroes into remote areas to suffer.
But Zhong Shiheng would never have such thoughts.
Because what Zhao Zhen did coincided with his ultimate goal.
When he first established Qingjian City in a remote and remote area, he was aiming to become a vassal.
But before his goal was achieved, Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji teamed up to take care of him.
Now Zhao Zhen takes the initiative to let the military ministers become the vassals, and he is still the kind of vassal king with great power.
He was naturally interested.
Seeing Zhong Shiheng's excited look, Kou Ji said angrily: "Aren't you afraid that the officials will throw you to Yanshan Mansion outside the desert and let you eat sand?"
Zhong Shiheng shook his head decisively and said: "I'm not afraid! I'm just afraid that the officials won't seal me!"
Kou Ji rolled his eyes and said, "If you can't win the Liao Kingdom, you will never have a chance."
When Zhong Shiheng heard this, he said a little arrogantly: "Nearly 70% of the elites of our Song Dynasty have gathered here to fight against the Liao Kingdom, which has lost all its elites. If we cannot defeat it, then we will have no shame in going back to see the officials, let alone
Become a king."
Kou Ji snorted and said, "If you want to be crowned king, let's take over the Liao Kingdom."
Zhong Shiheng said excitedly: "Now that the frozen soil has thawed, snow water has seeped into the soil, and the road is no longer muddy, we can set off.
After Gao Chugong and Zhu Neng learned that the official family had conferred the title of king on Cao Wei, their hearts became wild.
It's hard for them to find you, but they often run into my cave.
They are now looking forward to winning a big battle so that they can go to the officials and ask for a prince."
Wang Jue is too attractive to old guys like Zhong Shiheng and Gao Chuanggong.
In the past, the imperial court did not seal living kings with different surnames, so they did not dare to care about them.
Now the court has set a precedent.
Let them see the opportunity, how could they miss it.
Not to mention them, even Di Qing and other young generals were also eyeing Wang Jue.
"Yes, the Liao Kingdom may not survive Xia Tian."
Kou Ji couldn't help but sigh.
A group of killers, with enough troops to push the Liao Kingdom to the ground and frantically rub it against them, rushed into the Liao Kingdom with red eyes.
In order to strive for glory and be crowned king, they must sweep through the remaining territory of Liao Kingdom as quickly as possible.
One winter passed, and the firearms that Kou Ji should equip the army with were also equipped.
Now 70% of the soldiers in the army have obtained firearms.
Combat effectiveness increased again.
It will be easier to defeat Liao.
"Hey hey hey... just sit in the tent and write us a petition for merit."
Zhong Shiheng heard Kou Ji's words and said with a smile.
Kou Ji glared at Zhong Shiheng and said, "If I insist on remonstrating, do you think the officials will take back the prince who was given the title?"
Zhong Shiheng was shocked when he heard this, "No! We are all our own people, why are we killing each other?"
Kou Ji said dissatisfied: "Who is your friend? I am your Shangguan! Is this how you talk to your Shangguan?"
Hearing this, Zhong Shiheng said with a stern face: "Privile Kou's words are right, but the official is at fault. When the official went back, he wrote a letter to the people in the house, asking them to give the money that the official had earned in recent years.
and delivered to your home.
Please also say a few kind words for me in front of my family."
"Get out!"
Kou Ji couldn't help but curse.
A smile appeared at the corner of Zhong Shiheng's mouth.
Just when Zhong Shiheng was about to leave, Chen Lin ran to the top of the mountain panting.
Chen Lin's face was covered with fine sweat, obviously she had run a lot.
When Kou Ji and Zhong Shiheng saw this, they both frowned.
For Chen Lin, his behavior was considered a loss of temper.
Chen Lin is a person who rarely loses her temper.
If he lost his composure, something earth-shattering must have happened.
"What happened?"
Don't wait for Chen Lin to approach.
Kou Ji and Zhong Shiheng asked almost in unison.
Chen Lin sadly shouted, "Cao Wei is gone..."
When Kou Ji and Zhong Shiheng heard this, their bodies trembled at the same time.
Kou Ji let out a long sigh, feeling very uncomfortable.
Zhong Shiheng sighed and said: "I thought he could survive until the Liao Kingdom was destroyed, but I didn't expect that he would just die like this..."
Kou Ji took a deep breath and said slowly: "Pass the order, set up a memorial service, and everyone in the army will see off Duke Cao. Three days later, troops will be sent to the capital to destroy the Liao Kingdom, so that Duke Cao can sleep peacefully under the Nine Springs."
"
"Here!"
Zhong Shiheng solemnly agreed and quickly went down to deliver the order.
After Zhong Shiheng left, Chen Lin walked to Kou Ji and put a letter in Kou Ji's hand.
Kou Ji unfolded the letter, read it carefully and sighed: "He deserves the word Wu Mu. It's just..."