Summoning the world to be one

Chapter 634 The Test of the Eastern Palace
Chapter 635: The Test of the East Palace
In the fourth year of Tiantong, in December, Wancheng, as the new year approached, the streets of Wancheng became lively, but compared with previous years, it was also much less angry. After all, hundreds of thousands of troops attacked Guanzhong, and Nanyang The strength of the area has been adjusted a lot, and it is normal that there are fewer people, but the expressions of the common people are still full of joy.

In Jingyang Palace, all the ministries are making the final year-end settlement. Because of the severe winter, the Guanzhong war has temporarily stopped, and the nerves have been tense for half a year. The Guanzhong battle started in March this year and ended in October due to the severe winter. It has been fighting for seven months, and the armies from all walks of life have achieved considerable results.

The army on the East Road was led by Xue Rengui, the general of the General Governor's Mansion. First he broke Xingyang City, then captured Hulao Pass, and occupied Luoyang City. Now the soldiers are approaching Hangu Pass. As long as Hangu Pass is broken, the army can drive straight in. , directly approaching Chang'an City, but Hangu Pass is a famous dangerous pass in the world, and it cannot be broken in a short time.

The army on the South Road has made the slowest progress and is still blocked outside the Lantian Valley. However, considering that Murong Ke's opponent is the No. Moreover, the soldiers and horses led by Bai Qi are the most powerful and strongest among all the armies of Qin State. Murong Ke's ability to hold a stalemate with Bai Qi is already formidable.

The West Route Army can be said to be the most dazzling existence. Although the South Route Army has the fewest soldiers and horses among the three routes, it is the most successful. At the beginning of the war, everyone was worried that the West Route Army would not be able to break through the Qin Dynasty. The defense line of the army entered Guanzhong. After all, the [-]-mile Qinchuan was an insurmountable moat. Back then, Qin Lie, Zhang Hao, and Luo Cheng also forcibly crossed the [-]-mile Qinchuan by surprise. This time, Qin Jun has set up many obstacles. How easy is it to break through?
However, the most difficult thing was actually the easiest. In just a few days, Li Siye led the West Road Army to forcibly break through the Baoxie Road, defeated the famous Qin Army General Geng Yue, and then sent troops to attack Chencang City, annihilating all the Qin Army in Sanguan , forcibly broke Mei County, and executed Geng Yue.

When he was unable to attack Chang'an, he moved to Xiliang, successively conquered the Sima family, the Ma family, and the major Qiang tribes headed by the Naifing tribe, the Pinni tribe, and the Mengya tribe, and captured Wudu County, Longxi County, Jincheng County, Wuwei County, Dunhuang County, Zhangye County, and Jiuquan County have basically controlled the situation in Xiliang. After the spring of next year, they can enter Guanzhong eastward.

In Qianyang Palace, after receiving the good news from Xiliang sent by Li Siye, Deng Sheng immediately found Prince Deng Hao.

After Deng Hao arrived, Deng Sheng handed him Li Siye's brochure, and said, "Li Siye's army on the west road has basically controlled the situation in Xiliang, and the Ma clan contributed a lot to making such great progress. He is a new voter to my Great Deng, but he also has merit, and Great Deng never treats meritorious ministers badly, so Li Siye wrote a letter, hoping that I can reward the Ma clan."

Deng Hao read the victory report and was very happy with the results of Li Siye's army. He was very pleased with the surrender of the Ma clan, and said: "Father, although the Ma clan is new to my Deng, but for this battle His contribution is no less than that of a general in the army, and when he persuaded him to surrender, Li Siye, the general of the hussars, promised that the Ma family would be treated as the Sima family, and with the contribution of the Ma family, the minister thought that he could bestow a marquis. The Ma family is a family of generals, and Shangli Palace still lacks a young general, so you can choose a young talent from the Ma family to enter the East Palace to assist your ministers."

Deng Sheng nodded in satisfaction, and said: "That's very good. If that's the case, then I will leave this matter to you. The title will be Marquis, and the specific title will be determined by you."

"Here!" Deng Hao responded.

"Also, the end of the year is approaching, and all ministries are making final settlements. Some places may be short of manpower. You can bring people from the Six Caos of the East Palace to help, but remember not to make arbitrary claims!" Deng Sheng said.

"Here! Father, don't worry, my ministers will make arrangements!" Deng Hao replied, this is also the first test for the Six Caos of the Eastern Palace. Since the establishment of the Six Caos in the Eastern Palace a few months ago, although the officials of the Six Caos have I went to various ministries to study many times, but I didn't participate too much. This time, Deng Sheng specially called Liu Cao officials to participate in the year-end settlement of each ministries. No one would dare to make irresponsible remarks.

"Besides, it's almost Chinese New Year, and the soldiers are still at the border. The court has to say that you will work with the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of War, and the General's Governor's Mansion to draw up a draft of rewards, and release it as soon as possible, and try to send it to the soldiers before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. In our hands." Deng Sheng also said that the New Year is a day for the whole country to celebrate, but the soldiers on the front line are still confronting the Qin army and cannot reunite with their families, so Deng Sheng specially asked Deng Hao to join the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of War, and the General Assembly The General's Dudu Mansion drafted a draft of rewards to reward the soldiers of all ministries.

"Here!" Deng Hao responded.

After leaving Qianyang Palace, Deng Hao returned to his East Palace, Shangli Palace, and went to Yaoguang Pavilion where Liucao worked. Yaoguang Pavilion was originally the place where Deng Hao studied as a prince. It became Liucao's office. Later, Jiang Wan felt that there were female relatives in Shangli Palace, and it was not appropriate for foreign ministers to move around, so he simply put the offices of all the officials of the Eastern Palace in Yaoguang Pavilion.

"Your Highness, I don't know why His Majesty summoned His Highness?" After Deng Hao came to Yaoguang Pavilion, Zhao Pu, the official in charge of Cao Cao, asked cautiously.

Deng Hao said: "It's nothing, just that General Li Siye of Hussars sent someone to deliver the good news, and he hoped that the imperial court could grant the Ma clan of Xiliang. His Majesty has entrusted this matter to the Palace."

"Your Highness, this is a good thing!" Everyone was overjoyed when they heard the words, especially Sima Hong from Xiliang. Clear, so he smiled and said to Deng Hao: "Your Highness, the Ma clan has rooted in Xiliang for three generations, and has deep friendship with the major Qiang tribes. I will have a good impression of His Highness, and it will be of great benefit to His Highness in controlling Xiliang in the future!"

Deng Hao was also very happy when he heard the words, but he still pretended to be calm and said: "Sima is careful in his speech. Now that the father and emperor are in their prime, Xiliang can only be controlled by His Majesty. If this is the case, don't say it again!"

When Sima Hong heard this, he immediately shut his mouth. Yes, no matter how much Deng Hao valued Deng Sheng and how much power he held, he was still just a prince, a prince. This prince, if Deng Sheng wanted to, could do it at any time. It was changed, so the more this is the case, the more attention should be paid to the words and deeds of the officials of the Eastern Palace, so that others cannot be caught.

"Your Highness, forgive me, this subordinate has made a slip of the tongue!" Sima Hong hurriedly apologized to Deng Hao.

"Sima shouldn't be doing this, I'm doing it for your own good, just pay more attention in the future!" Deng Hao didn't blame Sima Hong too much, but just asked him to pay more attention in the future.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Sima Hong thanked.

"Your Highness, I wonder what kind of title Your Majesty intends to give to the Ma family?" Xing Cao asked.

Deng Hao said: "General Li Siye of Hussars once promised the Ma clan that if they were willing to surrender to Deng, they would get an earl. However, with the help of the Ma clan, our army basically controlled the situation in Xiliang. Therefore, His Majesty grants permission to raise the treatment of the Ma family to the same level as that of the Sima family, and he is also a marquis!"

When everyone heard this, they all looked at Sima Hong in unison, because as we all know, in Xiliang, the Sima family and the Ma clan are at odds. Although it is not a life-and-death enmity, they are enemies.

"Cough! Cough!" Sensing the strange gazes from everyone, Sima Hong paused and said, "Colleagues, please don't treat a gentleman with a villain's heart. Although there are some rifts between our Sima family and the Ma clan, That was in the past, and now we are both working for Deng Deng, as long as it is beneficial to Deng Deng, there is nothing wrong with it!"

"Sima is engaged in high righteousness!" Deng Hao praised, and then said: "Your Majesty said, the specific title will be decided by this Palace. I wonder if you have any suggestions?"

"Your Highness, what's so difficult about a mere title? Any one is fine, but it's just a marquis!" Li Cao engaged Shang Yun and said disapprovingly. In his opinion, a marquis is not worth entangled in the title for so long. .

"Otherwise, it's wrong for Shang to do that!" Zhao Pu retorted: "The Marquis ranks seventh in my Great Deng's titles. It stands to reason that such title awards are usually drafted by the three provinces and six ministries and submitted to His Majesty. That's fine, why does His Majesty need to hand it over to His Majesty in person? This shows that His Majesty cares about the Ma clan, just like Sima's father's Marquis of Lintao, His Majesty also takes care of it personally."

"The marquis was set by His Majesty himself and cannot be changed. Therefore, in order to express the imperial court's importance to the Ma family, the title must be carefully considered. The Sima family's title of Marquis of Lintao comes from the city of Lintao, where the Sima family has been rooted for a hundred years. It is affirmed. The contribution of the Sima family to the stability of Xiliang." Zhao Pu continued.

"Sima is engaged. You have lived in Xiliang for a long time and are familiar with the Ma family. Please tell me about the history of the Ma family." The Ma family is far away in Xiliang, and Deng Hao doesn't know them at all. I didn't have any idea about the title for a while, but fortunately there is a Sima Hong who has lived in Xiliang for generations.

Sima Hong recalled a little, and said: "It is said that the Ma family was originally from Lantian County in Guanzhong. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, one branch migrated to Xiutu, Wuwei County, Xiliang. After entering the customs, Ma Zhi, the patriarch of the Ma family, was appointed as General Pingxi, in charge of Xiliang military power."

Deng Hao thought for a while and said: "My ancestral home is Lantian County, but now Lantian County is still in the hands of the Qin State. It is not appropriate to confer the title of Marquis of Lantian. Tianshui County is governed by Pingxiang City, Wuwei County is governed by Guzang City and the Ma clan. Xiutu, we can choose one of these three places."

"Your Highness, Guzang is the accompanying capital of the Qin State, and its status is no lower than that of Wancheng. Taking Guzang as the title does not mean that it is a courtier, even if it is a royal family and noble person, it is not suitable. As for Pingxiang, as a county seat, although the Ma family is quite There are meritorious deeds, but it is not enough to be a title of a county government!" Bao Zhao thought for a while and said.

Although the state of Qin has moved its capital to Chang'an, Guzang is still regarded as the accompanying capital by the state of Qin. Only Deng Sheng's favorite daughter, Deng Qian, is eligible, and the title is only Nanyang Princess, not Wancheng directly.

As for Pingxiang, as a county government, it is not impossible to give it a title, but this is for those who have made more contributions. Obviously, the current Ma clan is not qualified enough.

"So, Xiutu No. [-] is the only one?" Qin Xu murmured.

Deng Hao thought for a while and said, "Okay, then let Ma Zhi, the patriarch of the Ma clan, be granted the title of Marquis of Xiutu, and the title of General of Pingliang, with the same character as Ping, and the title of fifth-rank official."

In Deng Guo, since Deng Sheng set up the guard system and the general's governor's office, the previous Sizheng, Sizhen, Siping, Si'an, and Siding generals have gradually become an existence similar to military ranks, just a status, not an official position. , Later, Deng Sheng felt that the positions in the court and the army were not enough to reward meritorious ministers, so he specially established eighteen ranks of official ranks to commend ministers who had meritorious service but could not be promoted for the time being.

Everyone thought about it and thought it was very suitable, so they didn't have any opinions.

After setting the rewards for the Ma clan, Deng Hao said again: "This palace has already proposed to His Majesty that a young talent from the Ma clan be selected to enter the East Palace to serve as a military officer, and Sima will do it. What about the more outstanding children?"

Sima Hong thought for a while and said: "There are many young talents in the Ma family, but the three brothers of the Ma family are the most outstanding. They are all the sons of Ma Zhi. The eldest son Ma Zun, the second son Ma Tai, and the fourth son Ma Among them, Ma Zun is the most capable, but Ma Zun is already over the age, and has been in the army for many years, and has great prestige in Xiliang, while Ma Tai is unruly, so I think the most suitable candidate is Ma Jing!"

"Ma Jing? How old is it?" Deng Hao thought for a while, and first rejected Ma Zun and Ma Tai. Ma Zun had been in the army for many years, and it was difficult for Deng Hao to hold back such a strong man, while Ma Tai was rebellious, and Deng Hao I won't make trouble for myself either.

"Ma Jing just won the championship this year!" Sima Hong said.

Ji Guan, who was just 20 years old, was a very suitable age, so Deng Hao said, "Okay, then issue an edict to Ma Zhi, asking him to send his fourth son Ma Jing to Wancheng, and issue it together with the conferring edict!"

"Here!"

"There are two more things for you to do!" After arranging the affairs of the Ma clan, Deng Sheng also gave Deng Hao two things, and these two things need to be completed by the officials of the East Palace.

"Your Highness, what do you know?" the crowd asked.

Deng Hao said: "Now that the end of the year is approaching, all ministries are in the process of year-end settlement, and there is a shortage of manpower. Your Majesty asked us, the Liucao of the Eastern Palace, to go to the various ministries to assist. In addition, the battle in Guanzhong is not over yet. The soldiers are far away from their families and are away from home. Let me, together with the Ministry of Households, the Ministry of War, and the Governor’s Mansion of the General, draw up a draft of rewards to reward the frontline soldiers. You should carefully consider these two matters and present your ideas to me. Shang Shu Zhuge Liang, Shang Shu Wang Meng of the Ministry of War, and the officials of the General’s Governor’s Mansion discuss it!”

"Don't worry, Your Highness, this subordinate will complete the task!" Everyone was very excited when they heard this. Participating in the decision-making of various ministries, most of them just appeared as bystanders, but this time Deng Sheng let them directly participate. This is a test for the East Palace. If it is done well, there will definitely be many opportunities in the future.

"Okay, this matter is about the face of the East Palace, and your future careers. Take care, don't provoke criticism, let people take advantage of it and attack the East Palace!" Deng Hao warned.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, this subordinate will definitely not lose the face of the Eastern Palace!" Everyone nodded heavily and said, even if Deng Hao didn't say anything, they would know what to do. This is their opportunity, although they, as officials of the Eastern Palace, After Deng Hao ascends the throne, there will definitely be a bright future, but now that Deng Sheng is in his prime, who knows when Deng Hao will be able to sit on the throne, so now the opportunity is in front of them, and they must seize it.

(End of this chapter)