Chen Yaozuo fell in love with Lu Yijian, not because Lu Yijian was outstanding, nor because he believed in Lu Yijian.
It was Kou Ji who coaxed Chen Yaozu into giving up his position as prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture and becoming the general of the Yongning Army, which angered Chen Yaozuo.
The three Chen brothers were all Jinshi scholars, and they were very comfortable among the civil servants.
Chen Yaozi even sat in a key position as the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture.
For Chen Yaozi, entering the political affairs hall and becoming the prime minister was just a final touch.
But at this critical moment, Kou Ji actually coaxed Chen Yaozi into giving up his position as the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture and becoming the general of the Yongning Army.
And it lasted for several years.
Not only did he lose the opportunity to enter the Political Hall, he also failed to get into the Privy Council.
Chen Yaozi was very satisfied with Kou Ji's arrangement.
But Chen Yaozuo, the elder brother, was not happy.
If you dare to deceive my brother, do you really think that my Chen family has no one left?
It is precisely because of this that Chen Yaozuo decisively turned to Lu Yijian when Kou Ji and Lu Yijian were fighting for power.
Anyway, it's just a fight for power, there's nothing to be afraid of.
Kou Ji must be taught a lesson, let him know the price of deceiving the Chen family's children.
After Lu Yijian and others listened to Chen Yaozuo's thoughts, they fell into silence again.
Is there really no way to solve this matter?
"The official's decision to let Kou Ji replace Prime Minister Lu is just to use Prime Minister Lu to do things. As long as Prime Minister Lu does what the official wants to do, the official will naturally not let Kou Ji replace Prime Minister Lu."
Chen Yaozuo glanced around and said calmly.
When Lu Yijian and others heard this, they looked at each other and said nothing.
Chen Yaozuo added: "As of today, we have no choice. The official just needs to ask people to do things for him. If we can't do it, then he can only let Kou Ji come."
When Lu Yijian heard Chen Yaozuo's words, he gritted his teeth and said, "Nothing the official family has to do is simple."
Han Yang nodded solemnly, "What the officials are most concerned about now is the recruitment of troops in Jiangnan and Hedong, and they are often furious about this.
But this matter is not easy to solve at all.
The official family wanted many people, but the wealthy families in Hedong and Jiangnan would not agree to it.
Because the people the government wants are precisely the main labor force among wealthy families."
"How about asking them to pay? How about asking them to pay to find someone to go for them? In the past, the imperial court recruited soldiers or conscripted corvees. This was the case for the rich households in Hedong and Jiangnan."
"What the officials want are people, not money. Now that the treasury is full, the officials do not need to change the place where they recruit soldiers just for that little money."
"Yes, the official family only needs people now. When the official family first recruited soldiers, if they did not resist, if they obeyed the official's wishes, or offered to spend money to hire people, there might be room for negotiation.
But they regarded the imperial court's recruitment documents as if they were nothing.
No face is given to the officials at all.
Now that the officials have been offended, they naturally have to recruit people.
The officials probably want to use this to punish them and let them understand who is the master of this country."
"Even so, we can only let those wealthy families in the Jiangnan and Hedong areas to hire people. But letting them hire people is a bit difficult to handle."
"It's already autumn, and it's the slack time for farming. We should be able to recruit some soldiers now."
"Why do officials insist on two million?"
Lu Yijian and others were talking about it, and Chen Yaozuo spoke again, causing everyone to fall into silence again.
Two million people is not a small number.
The imperial court moved the people several times before and after, and all the poor and idle people in various places were collected.
Now that two million people are needed to serve as soldiers, the main labor force in the hands of wealthy families can only be used.
If the levy is about 100,000, then it will not have much impact if it is distributed randomly to places such as Hedong and Jiangnan.
But with two million people, that would be a stretch.
The rich and powerful will inevitably resist.
Lu Yijian and others were silent for a while, then Lu Yijian suddenly gritted his teeth and said: "If you can't do it, you have to do it. We can still control them.
The Song Dynasty is the Song Dynasty of the officials, not their Song Dynasty.
The official, the person in charge of the family, has spoken, and yet they dare not listen."
Everyone looked at each other, and someone hesitated and said: "In this case, we will offend the wealthy households in Jiangnan and Hedong."
Lu Yijian said disdainfully: "Who is not a wealthy person? If they really want to cause trouble for us, then we will deal with them severely.
They only have people and money in their hands.
We not only have people and money in our hands, we also have power.
In our Song Dynasty, I have never seen anyone whose power cannot be suppressed."
Everyone pondered for a moment and nodded together.
Now that Lu Yijian has made his decision, they will accompany Lu Yijian to fight against the wealthy families in Jiangnan and Hedong.
Everyone is a wealthy family, they have it, Lu Yijian and others also have it.
What they don't have, Lu Yijian and others also have.
Even so, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Although losses may occur in the course of the struggle.
But once they win, they will not only receive praise and promotion from the court, but they may also be able to move the assets of the wealthy families in Jiangnan and Hedong to their own homes.
Seeing that they all agreed, Lu Yijian said in a deep voice: "I will go to the palace to find the official in a while and promise the official this matter. Later, you can pick some confidants and some experts from your own mansion, and we will go to Jiangnan and Hedong together."
.
After next spring, the two million soldiers and horses required by the government must be fully recruited."
Lu Gongzhu reminded from the side: "Dad, the official family has recruited 600,000 people."
Lu Yijian glared at Mr. Lu and said, "Of course I know this. Not only do I need to help the officials recruit 1.4 million soldiers and horses, but I also need to recruit 600,000 civilians.
I want to help the officials get rid of this bad mood.
We also need to recover some interest for the government.
I want the officials to see that I, Lu Yijian, can not only do things, but also do them beautifully."
After Lu Yijian finished speaking, Han Yang hesitated slightly and said: "Prime Minister Lu, don't let your anger go..."
Lu Yijian glanced at Han Yang and conveyed his experience as an official, "Being able to do things is one thing, being able to do them beautifully is another thing entirely.
If you do the same job as others, why should the official choose you?
Only when you handle things beautifully and make the officials feel comfortable will they choose you.
I left Bianjing City and went on inspection tours in various places.
Why did the officials immediately recruit me back to Beijing to serve as a counselor for political affairs after not patrolling for a period of time?
You know, Kou Zhun was the regent of the country at the beginning.
I had dealt with Kou Zhun before when I followed the Queen Mother.
Why did Kou Zhun ignore the previous suspicion and let me enter Bianjing City as a political advisor?
Could it be that Kou Zhun promoted me?
no.
Kou Zhun's son-in-law Wang Shu had the opportunity to get involved in political affairs.
As long as Kou Zhun favors Wang Shu, Wang Shu might become a political advisor.
But in the end, why did Kou Zhun not favor Wang Shu, but chose me?
It's because I punished corrupt officials when I was touring the world, and I did a good enough job.
I am able to convince the public when I serve as the Councilor for political affairs, but Wang Shu cannot."
Lu Yijian finished speaking.
Everyone bowed their hands and saluted, thanking Lu Yijian for teaching them how to get promoted.
Chen Yaozuo curled his lips, but did not refute Lu Yijian's words.
What Lu Yijian said is right, it can be said to be the essence of how to promote high-ranking officials.
It can even be said that it applies to all officials.
It's just that compared to officials with higher grades, officials with lower grades have more choices for promotion.
After everyone bowed their hands and saluted him, Lu Yijian said seriously: "I leave it to you to recruit troops in Jiangnan and Hedong."
"Mr. Lu is joking..."
"Mr. Lu is too polite..."
"The official and others will definitely take care of this matter..."
"Even if I send people to rob, I still have to help Prime Minister Lu rob enough people..."
"..."
Everyone was talking in a hurry.
Lu Yijian laughed and said, "Everyone, go to the side courtyard and have a drink..."
Lu Yijian smiled brightly and invited a group of officials to the side courtyard for a banquet.
After having enough wine and food, they each went back to their homes.
After everyone left, Lu Yijian put on court clothes and hurriedly entered the palace.
When he arrived at the palace, he saw Zhao Zhen and immediately offered to Zhao Zhen to recruit soldiers.
When Zhao Zhen saw that Lu Yi simply took the initiative to help him solve his troubles, he naturally had no reason not to agree.
Immediately, Zhao Zhen generously handed over the matter to Lu Yijian for full authority.
After Lu Yijian received Zhao Zhen's approval, he immediately ordered troops and generals and sent them to Jiangnan and Hedong and other places.
Accompanying them are the clansmen behind their respective mansions.
"A large group of strongmen crossed the river, and there was a lot of excitement in Jiangnan and Hedong."
In the small courtyard named Zhuyuan by Kou Ji.
Kou Ji, Zhao Zhen and Liu Heng were lying side by side.
The three people stared at the bare persimmon trees above their heads and talked indifferently.
There were still persimmons on the persimmon tree a few days ago.
Kou Ji and Liu Heng often wait for rabbits under the tree.
Kou Ji and Liu Heng were simply bored, but some people really believed that they could wait under the persimmon tree until the sweet persimmons fell into their mouths.
So I waited under the tree for a long time.
As a result, before even a single persimmon fell, in a fit of anger, he hugged the persimmon tree and shook it for a long time.
As a result, my face was smeared by the fallen persimmons.
Then she went to find Xiang Yan crying.
Xiang Yan ordered people to knock down all the persimmons on the persimmon tree to prevent some unscrupulous person from bringing up the children.
So Kou Ji and the others could only stare at the bare persimmon trees in a daze.
Zhao Zhen looked up at the persimmon tree and said with a faint smile: "I didn't force him to recruit soldiers. He took the initiative to recruit soldiers. If he offends others and gets a bad name, he can't blame me."
Kou Ji smiled and said: "Lu Yijian took the initiative to bear the infamy, so naturally we have to follow his wishes."
Zhao Zhen said with a bright smile: "Lu Yijian not only wants to help me recruit 1.4 million soldiers, but also plans to help me recruit 600,000 civilians and send them to Liao Dynasty together."
Kou Ji was stunned and said in astonishment: "It's great to help you gather two million soldiers and horses. How dare you promise to recruit 600,000 civilians? Is he crazy? He actually said it so confidently?"
Zhao Zhen said with a smile: "He said this in private, not in front of me."
Kou Ji pondered for a moment and asked, "Have you placed someone in the Lu family?"
Zhao Zhen shook his head, "Didn't you advise me not to infiltrate people into the ministers' mansions before? So I didn't embed people into the ministers' mansions."
Kou Ji thought for a moment and stared at Zhao Zhen with raised eyebrows, "Someone under Lu Yijian has taken refuge with you."
Zhao Zhen rolled his eyes, "What does it mean to take refuge in me? All civil and military officials in the dynasty are my ministers. Is it wrong to help me do things?"
Kou Ji curled his lips and said, "That means someone secretly wants to have a relationship with you and slander you. You have to be careful."
What Kou Ji hates most is people who snitch behind everyone's back.
Zhao Zhen shook his head and said with a smile: "This was not something he did willingly, I forced him to do it. Lu Yijian did things flawlessly and never showed any flaws. I wanted to remove him, but I couldn't find a suitable reason.
So when I saw him, I asked him to help me scratch Lu Yijian's painful foot."
When Kou Ji heard this, he immediately realized that he had misunderstood, and held back his words: "Who is so miserable that you force him to do such a thing?"
The smile on Zhao Zhen's face disappeared, "Why are you so miserable when you help me do things?"
Kou Jiqian smiled and said: "Speaking out such things will damage your reputation and it doesn't sound good."
Zhao Zhen stared at Kou Ji and said, "Then do you want to know who he is?"
Kou Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "Forget it, if one day I can't control my mouth and tell this matter, it will ruin other people's reputation for no reason.
When the time comes, people will come to me to fight for their lives, but I won’t be able to be cruel to them.”
Zhao Zhen saw that Kou Ji didn't want to know, so he didn't say anything.
A smile appeared on his face again and he said: "Lu Yijian helps us do what we want to do, and we can hide away and enjoy our leisure."
Lu Yijian took the initiative to serve as a pawn for Zhao Zhen and Kou Ji, helping them charge into the battle, so they were naturally free.
"It not only achieves the goal, but also saves time and effort..."
Liu Heng whispered.
Zhao Zhen glanced at Liu Heng, "When will you go to Xiyang?"
Zhao Zhen didn't like seeing Liu Heng a little bit.
One is because of the dirty things Liu Heng's brother Liu Congmei did before.
The second reason is because when I was with Liu Heng and Kou Ji, I always felt that my brother was divided into half.
But considering that Liu Heng and he were in the same boat and had only one brother like Kou Ji, he didn't say anything harsh.
"After the officials and fourth brother are finished..."
Liu Heng felt Zhao Zhen's malice, but he did not expose it and just replied softly.
Kou Ji interjected: "I just don't know what Lu Yijian can do, if he can help us finish everything.
Then we won’t have to suffer.”
When Zhao Zhen heard Kou Ji's words, he shook his head slightly, "It's impossible... Recruiting soldiers is only a small part of our plan. Although there are difficulties, they are not big.
The real trouble is other things, any one of which is enough to overwhelm Lu Yijian."
Kou Ji nodded and said, "I just said it casually... in case a miracle happens."
Zhao Zhen sighed: "There are no miracles... Fourth brother, you should be ready. When Lu Yijian hits the wall, you should go to court."
Kou Ji smiled and said: "Don't be in a hurry..."
Zhao Zhen turned his head and looked at Kou Ji.
Kou Ji smiled and said: "Qingtang and Jiaozhi have not been resolved yet. After Qingtang and Jiaozhi are resolved, it will not be too late to go to court."
Zhao Zhen was stunned for a moment, nodded, and said slowly: "Chen Yaozi came to report a few days ago, saying that Qingtang has been tortured by the Black Khans. The people of Qingtang have been conquered by the Black Khans.
, running around.
Yuan Shan thought this was a good opportunity, so he sent people to discuss with him, preparing to enter Qingtang with him and completely destroy Qingtang.
This matter is extraordinary, so Chen Yaozi wrote a letter to ask me to make a decision.
I asked Yang Wenguang, and Yang Wenguang said that you are most familiar with Hexi and asked me to find you."
Kou Ji shook his head and smiled, "Yang Wenguang knows that I am here, and also knows that the situation in Qingtang today was planned by me, so he does not want to overstep his authority."
Zhao Zhen nodded, "I knew this, so I didn't embarrass Yang Wenguang. Fourth brother, do you think we, the Song Dynasty, should join hands with Yuan Shanbu?"
Kou Ji was not in a hurry to answer, but asked: "Have the soldiers and horses in Hexi become accustomed to the climate southwest of Qingtang?"
Zhao Zhen replied: "Some people have adapted, but some people have not."
Kou Ji nodded and said: "If someone adapts, then you can take action. The reason why the Black Khan people were sent into Qingtang to torment the Qingtang people was to buy time for our Song soldiers and horses to adapt to the southwest of Qingtang.
climate.
We can join hands with the Yuanshan tribe, but we must send someone to negotiate with the Yuanshan tribe and clarify the ownership of Qingtang."
Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly and asked: "Give part of the Qingtang territory to the Yuanshan tribe?"
Kou Ji turned his head to look at Zhao Zhen and said bluntly: "It's just because we don't know the difference, that's why we have to make it clear to them."
Zhao Zhen smiled and said: "Then what can we do to get the Yuanshan tribe to send troops?"
Now both the monarch and his ministers are absolute hegemonists.
Qingtang is the meat pie that the emperor and his ministers had already ordered. Now that the meat pie is in their mouths, how can they share it with others?
Kou Ji smiled and said: "You can give it to the Heihan people and the Qingtang people. We have played tricks on a lot of Qingtang people. The Qingtang people must be hostile to us, so sooner or later something will happen if we keep them. It's better to let Yuan Shan
The department accepted it.
As for those Black Khans, now that they have established a strong presence in Qingtang, they may be wild again.
Keeping it will be a disaster sooner or later, so why not give it to Motoyamabe as well?"
Zhao Zhen asked with a smile: "Aren't you afraid that the Yuanshan tribe will completely become powerful in the Western Region after digesting the Heihan and Qingtang people?"
Kou Ji glanced at Zhao Zhen and said, "The officials are not afraid, so what should I be afraid of?"
If Zhao Zhen was afraid that Yuan Shanbu would become powerful, he would not have laughed when asking about this matter.
Today's Song Dynasty is not afraid of anyone taking over.
If someone really gets too old, just give him a beating.
Zhao Zhen said with a smile: "If the Yuanshan tribe stays in power, sooner or later it will become a threat to our Song Dynasty."
Kou Ji pretended to think about it and said: "Give them some support and let them go west. Whether they harm the people of Tianzhu or the cannibals, as long as they don't harm us, the Song Dynasty, that's fine."
Going west was something that Kou Ji specifically reminded Yuan Shan when he left Hexi.
If Yuanshan is ambitious, he will definitely go west after digesting the Qingtang and Heihan people.
He didn't dare to go east.
Unless Kou Ji is dead.
As long as Kou Ji lives, he will not have any thoughts of going east.
Kou Ji gave him everything, but he could also destroy everything for him.
After hearing what Kou Ji said, Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "I hope he can be more sensible and follow our thoughts to the west.
If you dare to miss me, the Song Dynasty, then I can only forget about the old friendship and send people to conquer the Yuanshan tribe."
The Song Dynasty is now at its most victorious, and can attack whoever it wants.
So Zhao Zhen said this very leisurely.
Kou Ji felt very comfortable. He felt that his hard work for more than ten years was not in vain. He smiled and said: "If the officials feel uneasy, they can send someone to keep an eye on him."
After Kou Ji's cronies withdrew from the Yuanshan tribe, Kou Ji and Yuanshan no longer had much of a relationship.
All that remains is the relationship between master and servant.
If Yuan Shan comes according to Kou Ji's instructions, then the relationship between master and servant can still be maintained.
If Yuan Shan disobeys, then Kou Ji no longer needs to think about the relationship between master and servant.
Hearing this, Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "Fourth brother really understands me. I have already decided. As long as Chen Yaozi can conquer Qingtang, I will set aside a fiefdom for him in the corner of Qingtang and let him guard the edge of Yuanshan.
, leave Motoyamabe alone.”
Kou Ji was stunned and said hesitantly: "Yang Wenguang's contribution is no less than that of Chen Yaozi."
Zhao Zhen knew what Kou Ji meant by saying this, and he said frankly: "Di Qing's contribution is higher. I still want to use them now, so I can only keep them in the hinterland of the Song Dynasty.
When they grow old, I will naturally reward them.
The area outside Wei's house and the area outside Gumeng's Mansion are now unguarded."
Hearing this, Kou Ji asked in a deep voice: "Aren't the officials planning to let future generations expand their territory?"
Zhao Zhen sighed and said: "Our territory of the Song Dynasty is now unprecedentedly vast, and I managed it with great effort and hard work.
I can't guarantee whether my descendants will be able to conscientiously manage our Song Dynasty.
How dare I expect them to expand their territory?
If they really have that ability, they must first defeat your descendants one by one.
Only if your descendants can defeat you will they be qualified to open up new territories.
If they refuse to win, what qualifications do they have to expand their territory?
It would be great if you can hold on to the foundation I left behind.
What I can do now is help them manage the country better.
Leave them with a strong foundation.”
When Kou Ji heard this, he couldn't laugh or cry and said, "Guan Jia, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to say this in front of our two vassal kings?"
Zhao Zhen sighed and said, "I can only speak my mind in front of you."
After saying this, Zhao Zhen turned his head and said: "Even if I don't say this, you still want it. After all, we can't be the master of the affairs of future generations."
Kou Ji and Liu Heng nodded in unison.
Once a person dies, there is nothing.
There is no way to be the master of a living person.
After all, when a person dies, he may not even be able to decide where he is buried.
After nodding, Kou Ji said with emotion: "Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Don't be a beast for your children and grandchildren..."
Zhao Zhen followed: "Liu Heng did this the most thoroughly and was better than the two of us."
Liu Heng opened his mouth, but made no sound.
Kou Ji, Zhao Zhen and Liu Heng lay in the bamboo courtyard and sighed about life.
Lu Yijian was so busy that she had no time to rest.
Because the number of people he sent out was large enough, his power was also powerful enough.
Therefore, as soon as his people arrived in Jiangnan and Hedong, they put on a posture like a fierce dragon crossing the river.
Then, it was inevitable that he would start fighting with the local wealthy families.