Fenghou

The two nodded, "We understand!"

Chapter 891 New Official

Jinxian Hall is the former official post house. Local officials who came to Jingzhao on business trips lived here. However, there are three such post houses in Jingzhao, so this post house is specially reserved for officials who come to Lin’an to seek jobs.

The conditions are not bad, three people live in a small courtyard, each has a room, all kinds of utensils are complete, there is a special dining hall, three meals a day are served, the food is also very good, every meal has meat, and the most important thing is that it does not cost a penny Pay yourself.

Wu Fu and Liu Xuan lived in a small courtyard. The person next door to them was Huang Yougong, a native of Ezhou, who was also a Jinshi in the second year of Shaoxing. Wu Fu knew this person. He used to be the county magistrate of Qianjiang County. Last year, his grandfather passed away, and Ding You resigned. Officer, I didn't expect that he also went to Jingzhao to apply for a job.

Huang Yougong is 30 years old this year and has been a magistrate for several years. He is obviously much more mature than the two of them. Before it was time to eat, Huang Yougong came to see Wu Fu.

"Brother Wu Xian, it's been a long time. We have made an appointment to go to Baifenglin for a drink. I heard that Jingzhao's oiran is from Baifenglin. Let's go together!"

Wu Fu wanted to agree, but he hesitated when he heard his last words, "I went to drink flower wine when I first came to Jingzhao, in case I was..."

"I said that you are not a three-year-old child, let alone a student back then. An adult who is almost 30 years old is still afraid of drinking flower wine? In Lin'an, who cares about you!"

Wu Fu still didn't want to go, so he shied away and said, "My little brother just arrived in Jingzhao. I'm too tired from walking all the way, and I have big blood blisters on the soles of my feet. I want to take a good rest. Let's talk about it later!"

At this time, someone outside was calling Huang Yougong, and Huang Yougong could only resentfully said: "It's fine if you don't go, let's go to rest early!"

He promised loudly, and several people left talking and laughing.

……

Early the next morning, Jiang Yanxian came to Chen Qing's official room and put a stack of materials on Chen Qing's desk, "This is the second batch of Song Dynasty officials who came to Jingzhao to seek jobs. There are 17 people, plus the first batch of 34 people, a total of 51 people."

Chen Qing flipped through his resume and said with a smile: "It seems that they are all unwilling officials!"

"Your Highness is right. They are basically unemployed officials in Lin'an. It's not that they are incompetent, but more because they made mistakes in standing in line. For example, the subordinates of Li Gang, Lu Yihao, Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding in the past, basically In the state of being dismissed from office and demoted, there are also some candidates who have not been able to get the real vacancies after being admitted to Jinshi, and there are quite a few of them."

Chen Qing fully understands that the Song Dynasty was famous for its party struggles, and basically a prime minister lost power, so the officials he promoted would basically be demoted. Now Qin Hui has the most party members in the court, followed by Xu Xiantu, and then the Queen Mother Among the three major factions, two major factions are the main faction and the surrender faction, which is why the various armistice agreements between Song and Jin were signed so happily, and the dozens of states in the Central Plains that had just been recovered gave up again.

"Is Orihiko the only heavyweight official?"

"If Lu Datong is counted, there are two of them."

Chen Qing shook his head, "Forget about Lu Datong, let's just count for Zhe Yanzhi alone!"

Because of his firm opposition to Yue Fei's withdrawal, Orihikozhi angered the emperor Zhao Gou, dismissed him from office and devalued him, and moved his family to live in Xinzhou. In a rage, Orihikozhi did not go to Xinzhou, but took his family directly to Xinzhou. Chengdu, and from Chengdu to Jingzhao.

At this time, Chen Qing found a resume. He was surprised that it was Shen Gai. Shen Gai was the son of the Shen family who proposed to Lu Xiu with Chen Qing back then. ?

"He was implicated by Zhang Jun. He was dismissed from office last year and has been at home all the time. Moreover, he has a letter of recommendation from Lu Yihao."

Chen Qing didn't have any bad feelings towards this Shen long ago, he wanted to fight for a woman!He is the winner, and Lu Xiu has already given birth to two children for himself, so he has long since ignored what happened back then.

"Since there is Lu Yihao's recommendation, I will ask the Ministry of Officials to follow up later. Did any of the people I called last time come over?"

"Have!"

Jiang Yan first took out two resumes and handed them to Chen Qing, "Zhao Wenxin and Wu Fu, these two are here."

Zhao Wenxin is the second son of Xiangguo Zhao Ding. He is the official director of the Military Weapons Supervisor. Zhao Wenxin, the director of Longyan County, was extremely dissatisfied and resigned on the grounds of taking care of his father's health.

As for Wu Fu, the No.3 Jinshi in the second year of Shaoxing, he has a strong sense of justice. He wrote to the emperor to criticize the prime minister Qin Hui for his monopoly and traitorous power, and was dismissed by the emperor. Chen Qing appreciated this courage and justice.

Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said: "I will determine the positions of a few people, and the others will be considered by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. One is Orihiko. I need to talk to him, and then Lu Datong. His situation is quite special. I will consider it." Let him be the governor of Fangzhou, but his family members must stay in Jingzhao, so they are not allowed to follow him to the post."

"The humble staff understands, and the humble staff will make it clear with Lu Datong."

Chen Qing nodded and said: "Then there is Shen Gai. I want to use this Shen family to establish contact with the Jiangnan family. I will have a talk with him, and then I will appoint him as the general judge of Jingzhou."

Jiang Yan took notes first, and Chen Qing continued: "Zhao Wenxin is very capable. I want to appoint him as the Deputy Commander of the Military Weapons Administration. Wu Fu is very suitable as a supervisor, so I appointed him as the supervisory inspector of the third department of the Supervision Department. Go to Sichuan Road to perform supervision duties, that's all, the rest will be assessed and arranged by the Ministry of Officials."

After a pause, Chen Qing said again: "If the official position is not enough for a while, we should follow the old method and arrange them to go to various schools to teach first, but the official residence and salary should not be low, so as not to chill their hearts, and tell them that it is only a temporary teaching. , once an official position appears, it will be arranged first."

"The humble job will be arranged, please rest assured, Your Highness!"

Jiang Yanxian took out three more resumes and said: "There is one more thing about the humble position. According to the internal guard's feedback to the Supervision Department, several officials went to Baifenglin to drink flowers and wine yesterday. The Supervision Department has confirmed that this is the list of three people."

Jiang Yan first handed the three resumes to Chen Qing, and Chen Qing's face immediately darkened. It was not Chen Qing's order that officials were strictly prohibited from drinking flower wine and whoring. Private life is not ambiguous at all, Chen Qing never goes there himself, nor does he allow his officials to drink flower wine or visit brothels.

On the contrary, Chen Qing was very tolerant towards the soldiers and encouraged the opening of brothels near the barracks, which was needed to appease the soldiers.

"These three people will be dismissed, they will not be hired, and they will leave the Jinxian Hall within a time limit!"

"I understand it."

Jiang Yan saluted first and hurried to make arrangements.

……

Chen Qing generally welcomes these officials who came to Lin'an to apply for jobs. On the one hand, it has a good talent pool, and on the other hand, it will greatly improve his own reputation. However, Chen Qing must also consider the feelings of local officials. It cannot be said that foreign monks are easy to recite scriptures. Maybe their abilities and virtues are not as good as those of local officials.

Therefore, Chen Qing considered releasing this group of officials, such as the northern part of Hedong Road or the Central Plains, so as not to affect the interests of local officials as much as possible.

At this time, Chao Qing reported at the door, "His Royal Highness, the Deputy Commissioner of the Prosecutor's Office ordered Zhang Yanming to bring an official named Shen Gai, saying that His Highness wants to have a talk with him."

Chen Qing nodded and smiled, "Please come in!"

Not long after, Zhang Yanming walked in with a 30-year-old man. He was very thin and had a good appearance. Chen Qing recognized at a glance that it was Shen Gai, his love rival back then.

Zhang Yanming handed Shen Gai's information to Chen Qing, and then withdrew. Shen Gai felt uneasy. Although his son was four years old in the past, he was still a little embarrassed at this moment.

"Brother Shen, I haven't seen you for many years, please sit down!"

Chen Qing's smile was very gentle, without the slightest hint of sarcasm, which made Shen Gai feel calmer.

"Is your father and Lingtang all right?" Chen Qing asked again with a smile.

It's time for Shen to remember that Chen Qing has met his parents, and it seems that they don't get along very well.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness, they are all in good health."

Chen Qing nodded, "I heard that you were dismissed because you were implicated by Zhang Jun. What's the reason?"

Shen Gai sighed and said, "Actually, my dismissal had little to do with Zhang Jun, but because Li Qiong led the army to join the enemy, the emperor was furious, and all the officials under Zhang Jun's account were implicated and removed. , so it is hard to escape the disaster of dismissal."

Chen Qing summoned him just to ease the relationship between the two, to appease him, and then said: "I see that Mr. Lu's recommendation letter speaks highly of you, and this letter alone is important to me."

"Mr. Lu thinks too highly of a humble job."

Chen Qing smiled and said: "Zhang Yanming told you! About your appointment."

"Zhang Shuling hasn't mentioned it to the humble official yet."

Chen Qing said with a smile: "I plan to let you be the general judge of Jingzhou, and be promoted to Cheng Zhilang, the sixth rank."

When Shen Gai was dismissed, he was still a seventh-rank official. Unexpectedly, Chen Qing was promoted to the sixth-rank Cheng Zhilang, and he was still a judge in one prefecture. Foresight!

Shen Gai was surprised and delighted at the same time, he quickly got up and saluted, "I am willing to serve Your Highness, and I will definitely be a good official of Jingzhou people's parents!"

Chapter 892 Veteran

In the afternoon, Chen Qing came to the Jinxian Hall to visit the officials who came to join him. This kind of visit also needs to be done according to the occasion, and the literati have dignity. It's cold, a little too much.

But if the enthusiasm is too much, if you give a high salary to a high-ranking official and visit him attentively, not only will you not be grateful, but it will make the other party feel contemptuous.

Therefore, it is very important to be careful. The reason why Chen Qing came to visit was because these officials were going to teach first, and they were teaching primary schools, so he needed to appease the emotions of the job-seeking officials.

Hearing that His Royal Highness King Yong was coming, officials who hadn’t left the house came to see him one after another. Everyone was in the officialdom and knew the importance of leaving an impression on the leader. When an important official position appeared, King Yong might think of himself.

As a matter of fact, Chen Qing only has the power to appoint officials above the general judge or subsigning order, and he only has the right to recommend officials who are down. The appointment power is in the hands of Jiang Yanxian and the Ministry of Officials. , nor can it go downward.

As the supreme ruler, Chen Qing can also forcibly appoint a county magistrate, but if this official has not gone through a series of procedures such as assessment, nomination, review, discussion, and appointment by the Ministry of Officials, he will often be looked down upon by other officials in the officialdom. This has the same meaning as the oblique appointment of officials in the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, the Chinese pay attention to flexibility in doing things. There are no absolutes in everything, and it is impossible to follow the rules in everything. Therefore, there are derogatory words such as ultra vires appointments in the words, and there are also positive words such as extraordinary promotions. He will work against Chen Qing, and occasionally promote an official, and the Department of Officials will complete the formalities later.

The key is the word 'accidentally', which must be grasped to a certain degree, and everyone can tolerate breaking the rules by chance, but no one can stand too many times.

Therefore, Chen Qing appointed Lu Datong, Shen Gai, Zhao Wenxin, and Wu Fu in the morning. There is also a difference. Here, he appointed Lu Datong, Shen Gai, and Zhao Wenxin. However, if Zhang Miao, chief supervisor of the Supervision Department, does not accept it, Chen Qing has nothing to do.

But even if Lu Datong, Shen Gai, and Zhao Wenxin are appointed, there are rules. Lu Datong has served as the prefect of the state three times, and his qualifications and ranks have been reached. Zhao Wenxin has worked in the military department for ten years. .

Only Shen Gai was promoted out of the ordinary, so Chen Qing wanted to meet him to show his importance, and then he had to explain to Jiang Yanxian and Zhou Kuan why Shen Gai was promoted out of the ordinary, because he was the eldest son of the Shen family, a famous family in the south of the Yangtze River. Marriages influence each other. For example, Shen Gai's mother is the daughter of the famous Lu family in Taicang, Suzhou, and his wife is the eldest daughter of the Yu family, a famous family in Kuaiji.

This kind of unconventional promotion is definitely not happening all the time. Even though Chen Qing admired Chao Qing very much and he is also Lu Xiu's cousin, Chen Qing still did not unconventionally promote him, and he still followed the rules. Now he is the seventh rank.

For so many years, there were actually only three people promoted by Chen Qing, his wife and brother Lu Wei, Xu Ning, the prefect of Fengxiang, and Shen Gai.

Of course, the army cannot be compared with the civil service system. As long as the army has made military achievements, it is normal to be promoted exceptionally. The reason why Zhong Huan was promoted to command envoy in two years was because the internal guards belonged to the army system.

It's a bit far away, turn back.

There were not many officials in the Jinxian Hall, and the weather was crisp and clear in autumn. Chen Qing gave each person a subsidy of ten taels of silver, with ample pockets, and many people went out to play and shop together.

Chen Qing greeted more than a dozen officials. At this moment, he suddenly heard a roar, and someone yelled, "Huang Yougong, you are bullying too much!"

Chen Qing was still a dozen steps away from a small courtyard. He saw two officials fighting in the courtyard. Their hats were off and their clothes were torn.

Chen Qing was displeased, snorted, turned around and left, he shouldn't be in charge of things like fighting.

Chen Qing had to meet Ori Yanzhi in the afternoon. He didn't have time to stay in the Jinxian Pavilion, so he returned to the official room soon. Chen Qing sat down and drank tea, still feeling very upset. He didn't expect to encounter a fight when he visited the officials. Could it be that the treatment I gave was too high, and these people have nothing to do?

At this time, Zhang Xuan said at the door: "Your Highness, Mr. Zhe is here."

"Ask him to wait in the staff room, I will come right away!"

It was Orihiko who came, and this time Orihiko brought his wife and children to join him and completely betrayed the court, which really moved Chen Qing.

Chen Qing had a very good friendship with Zhe Yanzhi. Zhe Yanzhi was Li Gang's lieutenant general who fought against Wan Yanchang's invasion on the Jingbei Road back then, and cooperated with Chen Qing tacitly, and finally defeated Wan Yanchang's massive invasion.

Zhejia generals have high prestige in the Western Army and even the entire Northern Song Dynasty army. In the novel, the Yang family generals are very good, but in fact it is the Zhejia generals and the Zhong family generals who are really powerful, such as the old lady She among the Yang family generals , in fact, it should be Zhe Laotaijun, the wife of Yang Ye.

Chen Qing attaches great importance to Orihiko, and he needs such a steady and prestigious veteran to sit in the north of the East Road for him. It can be said that at the juncture when Chen Qing is about to launch an offensive on the north of the East Road, Orihiko's return coincides with the right time. Time.

In the staff room, Orihiko looked at the sand table on the table in shock, and he recognized it. The sand table on the table was just north of Taiyuan Mansion, including the entire north of the East River Road, including the hometown of Xixia. The entire sand table was one foot long and one foot wide. On the sand table, there are undulating mountains, clear outlines of cities, vertical and horizontal official roads, and surging rivers. Important strategic locations are all marked with red flags. Where you can ambush and where you can camp are clearly marked with small triangular flags.

It was the first time for Orihiko to see such a sand table map, and he knew why Chen Qing was able to win all battles. It's hard to fail.

At this moment, there were footsteps coming from behind him, Zhe Yanzhi turned his head and saw Chen Qing standing behind him, he hurriedly bowed and saluted, "See His Royal Highness King Yong!"

Chen Qing stepped forward, pointed at the map and smiled, "This sand table is pretty accurate!"

"Very accurate!" Orihiko said sincerely.

Chen Qing smiled slightly, "Why do you see that?"

Orihiko pointed to the sand table and said: "There are three official roads from Lanzhou to Linzhou and Fuzhou, which are all marked on it, but I know there is another secret road that can take cavalry and luggage. Anyone who knows There are very few, but it is also marked on this sand table, which is amazing."

"right here!"

Orihiko pointed to a thin black line and said: "It needs to be more than eighty miles along the ridge, and even this secret road can be marked. It can be seen that the scouts are paying attention."

Chen Qing nodded, "It's really hard work. It started after capturing Taiyuan last year. It took [-] scouts a whole year to make this sand table."

"When is Your Highness going to send troops?"

Chen Qing said with a smile: "I have deployed [-] troops, of which [-] troops are going north from Taiyuan, and another [-] troops are going to go east from Xiazhou to attack Fengzhou, Fuzhou, Linzhou, Lanzhou, Huoshan Army and Baode Army. I will send Niu Gao as the main general for the [-]-strong army, but for Xiazhou's [-]-strong army, I want Zhe Gong to lead it, I wonder if Zhe Gong is willing?"

"I?"

Zhe Yanzhi was stunned, and said for a while: "Let me lead, I'm afraid... I'm afraid the three armies will not accept it!"

Chen Qing said indifferently: "Mr. Zhe used to be the commander of the Jinghu army, and also served as the privy secretary of the imperial court. In terms of high official position, the whole Sichuan and Shanxi are only under me and Lu Qingshan, but I let Mr. Zhe lead the army. It is disrespectful to Duke Zhe, I just remember that I promised Duke Zhe that if there is a chance, Duke Zhe will lead his army back to Fuzhou to comfort the ancestors of the Zhe family, so I am worried that the official position will be humble and the identity of Duke Zhe will be humiliated."

Zhe Yanzhi had a sore nose, and tears almost rolled down his face. Leading the army to return to Fuzhou, this is the greatest long-cherished wish of his life. He is now in his fifties, and he thought it would be impossible to realize it. Wang still gave himself this opportunity, and actually let him command [-] troops. This trust moved him very much.

He knelt down on one knee and cupped his fists and said, "I have been demoted by the imperial court to a commoner, and the past is nothing but mist. From now on, Zhe Yanzhi will be a soldier under King Yong's account!"

Chen Qing was overjoyed, and quickly helped Zhe Yanzhi up, "From now on, I will officially appoint the old general as the commander of the Western Army, Feng Mingwei, and lead [-] troops to capture the three armies of the four states from Xiazhou, and Li Muqing will be the general and deputy general. You are responsible for cooperating with Niu Gao to capture the entire northern part of the River East Road."

"The end will obey orders!"

Chapter 893 Running

Next, Chen Qing personally led Orihiko to the Military Department to go through the entry procedures. Guan Shigu and Orihiko had old friends, and he was also happy that Orihiko had the opportunity to return to the Western Army.

Guan Shigu said with a smile to Chen Qing: "It is rather cumbersome to go through various procedures, and it will take at least half a day. Your Highness, go back first! I will accompany the old general to complete the procedures."

Orihiko also saluted and said: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, since you are a general in His Highness's account, you should obey your dignity, Your Highness, please come back!"

Chen Qing understood Zhe Yanzhi's intentions, so he didn't force himself anymore, and went back after a few instructions.

Back in the official room, I saw Zhang Yanming, the Deputy Commissioner of the Prosecutor's Office, pacing back and forth anxiously outside the gate.

Chen Qing stepped forward and said with a smile, "Did Zhang Shuling come here for the fight in the Jinxian Hall?"

Zhang Yanming hurriedly bowed and saluted, "The humble official is here to report this matter!"

"Go in and say, this is not a place to talk."