Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Xu Shi Zhao Zhen's tone sounded very casual and brisk, with a gentle smile on his face, Ding Wei and Cao Lili looked at each other, and decided to speak again to see if there was room for turning around.

Ding Wei said sternly: "In my opinion, Lu Ci, as the magistrate of Qinzhou, can defeat [-] Tubo elites with a mere [-] locals, and make us happy. Although the contributions of his subordinates are indispensable, However, Lu Ci attributed all the merits to his subordinates, which is obviously too self-effacing. Although I have never witnessed it with my own eyes, it is not difficult to imagine the courage and strategizing. Military officer'. Although the beacon fire in the northwest is extinguished, the surrounding barbarian tribes are still invading, and there is a lack of such loyal and brave pillars to guard the frontier. Will the stars shine, and they want to live in this world?"

Zhao Zhen listened with gusto to the first half of his praising the young master, nodded from time to time, and when he heard the last sentence, there was a hint of approval in his eyes.

"The safety and security of the border is the most important thing, and it needs to be entrusted to people who are virtuous, capable and courageous. Both are indispensable." He asked humbly: "My minister thinks, how should we arrange the northwest defense line?"

Ding Wei said awe-inspiringly: "Although Lu Ci is young, his talent is far superior to that of the same year, making the elders feel ashamed. It is an extraordinary opportunity, we should do extraordinary things, and we should not stick to seniority. Your Highness may wish to use this to repay the earth-shattering deeds. Turn his literary assets into martial arts, guard the border, and keep the Song Dynasty safe."

Zhao Zhen hesitated: "I'm afraid it's inappropriate. Even in the Taizong Dynasty, Khitan was arrogant and the country was in crisis, and it never forcibly transferred civil servants to military officials. I never asked Lu Ci, how can I make this decision for him?"

Back in the day, even though Emperor Taizong was eager for the emergence of soldiers who threw pens into the army to boost morale, he only issued an imperial edict to encourage them.

In the end, there were only four people who responded to the imperial edict, including Liu Kai, who was said to be a chivalrous hero in folk rumors, but had mixed reputation among scholars.

And among these four people, Liu Kai finally died as the seventh-rank envoy of Rujing, and the other three were even more unknown.

Cao took advantage of Ding Wei's wink and quickly said: "Your Highness is kind, but as a subject, he has received extraordinary kindness, and it is difficult to repay it on a daily basis. Now that he has a good opportunity, how can he shirk it? Although I don't have the general talent of Lu Ci, I am still courageous. , if Your Highness needs your subjects to join the army, I would also like to die in battle, and die without hatred."

Zhao Zhen couldn't help being moved.

Ding Wei strikes while the iron is hot: "Although Lu Ci is young, his political achievements are outstanding, he is upright, and he prefers bold and decisive strategies. He is by no means short-sighted and disregarding the importance. Your Highness issued an edict, and he is determined to follow it. "

After a moment of silence, Zhao Zhen said sincerely, "What Mr. Xiang said is absolutely true."

Ding Wei's eyes lit up.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Zhen confessed: "However, it is too much to rely on Lu Ci's victory in Northwest China, where [-]% depends on 'luck', [-]% depends on 'oddness', and [-]% depends on 'strategy'." Hasty. Moreover, he is too young and promoted too fast, not only reluctantly, but also hard to convince the public."

Speaking of this, the crown prince seemed to turn his attention unintentionally, and said directly to Ding: "To be honest, I'd rather believe in a calm, dignified, loyal and capable minister like my husband."

Ding Wei was taken aback for a moment, the crown prince already had a gentle smile on his face, and he said like a joke, "I don't know if Shuofang's position as Jiedu envoy can be compared to the gentleman who has been transferred to military capital?"

Jiedushi ranks from the second rank, and his salary is even better than that of Zaifu. Among all the high ranks, the military officer's dream is the most extreme.

But it made Ding Wei's face turn pale, like being struck by five thunders!

Wen Zunwubai, he is in the position of Chancellor, and he is still in the age of knowing his destiny with plenty of energy. How can he be willing to bow down to a vain high-ranking official with no real job?

He bowed down on the spot, thinking about it, but couldn't find a suitable explanation for a moment.

——The series of righteous words he just said to block Lu Ci's retreat turned out to be stone-throwing, blocking his retreat!

If he tried to refuse, wouldn't he be slapping his face and becoming the "short-sighted person who only cares about his own desires" just mentioned in his mouth?

Cao Lili was also sweating profusely. Looking at the prince with a gentle smile, he couldn't tell whether it was true or not, whether it was an intentional or intentional trick.

Zhao Zhen was puzzled and said, "Why did Mr. Xiang suddenly kneel down? But he is not feeling well?"

Before Ding Wei could speak, Cao Li forced himself to laugh and said, "Your Highness is joking. Ding Xianggong only practiced the six arts of a gentleman, not martial arts, and was appointed by the government to take on the post of assistant. He works hard on weekdays and discusses the affairs of the hall. Complicated, absolutely inseparable..."

After Zhao Zhenan listened quietly, he couldn't help sighing: "Yes, the position of Jiedushi is really wronged. It's really not easy to change the title of the tribute after ten years of hard study."

When Ding Wei heard the words, his heart sank suddenly.

Regardless of whether the prince's words were a casual sigh or a meaningful warning, he probably couldn't avoid it.

He had nowhere to go, so he had no choice but to lean over to accept the order, and Zhao Zhen said flatly: "It's just a joke, don't take it to heart. It doesn't matter whether it's literary or martial arts, it's all for the sake of it." Is it effective for the country? There is no distinction between high and low."

Ding Wei couldn't believe that he was about to escape from birth, and he felt amnesty in an instant.

After Zhao Zhen ordered him to get up, he stopped looking at the two of them and continued to bury his head in the paperwork, as if the tense scene just now had never happened.

Just before the two left, he had clear eyes and added a few words calmly: "Please also remember, even if you don't take 'shortcuts' randomly, with Lu Sanyuan's talent, sooner or later you will be able to reach the position of Chancellor. I can't do without his assistance. I don't think it's appropriate to transfer literature to military resources, so don't mention it again."

The two of them were dripping with cold sweat, and they dared not speak any more, and forced themselves to leave calmly.

After Ding Cao's footsteps could no longer be heard, Zhao Zhen sighed softly.

Holding one hand on one side, he gradually faded away from his childish fat face, frowning slightly, with a look of depression and helplessness in his eyes.

Fortunately, he thought that he had supervised the country for a long time, so he looked more or less majestic.

Don't you look like a fool who is easy to fool?

——If it weren't for this, how could the two people who were full and supporting themselves just now talk nonsense so arrogantly.

Ding Cao was making fun of himself, and was also a false alarm. Because the two of them covered it up properly, it was not known to outsiders.

Only Kou Zhun heard some news about the two men asking to see the prince alone, so he immediately raised his vigilance and paid extra attention to the political situation.

But after waiting and waiting, I didn't see any strange tricks that caught me off guard, and the prince's place was as usual, but the two were much quieter.

He thought to no avail, so he no longer cared.

Even Kou Zhun was only vaguely aware of the episode, so it is naturally impossible for Lu Ci, who is thousands of miles away, to know about it.

After he received the prince's instructions on sending troops to crusade against those tribes as he wished, he let Cao Wei, who couldn't hold back early, order five thousand soldiers, and rushed straight out of the camp gate.

He was very relieved of the veteran Cao who had experienced many battles. The only thing that made him feel a little nervous and worried was Di Qing who volunteered to join the army this time.

However, since he became more and more used to wearing that bulky bronze mask, Di Qing has jumped from the whole barracks to look at the most obedient boy and become the most eye-catching existence.

His superb archery skills during the battle not only attracted a constant stream of soldiers who came to ask for advice, but also made Li Chao, who was recognized as the best archer in the Flying Eagle Battalion, stare at his skills.

On a certain day, Li Chao simply used the name of a shooting match to pull Di Qing into a match.

At the beginning, he was worried about Di's young age, and his strength was relatively mature, which would inevitably be insufficient, so he deliberately chose a lighter bow.

But Di Qing just glanced at him inexplicably, and picked up the heaviest side without hesitation.

At first, the two could hit the bull's-eye regardless of the outcome, but in order to decide the winner, they had to move the target far away and competed back and forth for more than ten rounds.

In the end, under the extreme shock of everyone, it was Di Qing who won the final result with the absolute advantage of not making the slightest mistake.

Li Chao has a straightforward personality, and if he loses, he loses. After exclamating, "Young people are awesome", he admitted this point openly.

And Di Qing's outstanding performance immediately attracted Cao Wei's attention.

Even Cao Wei didn't expect that the little gentleman who he just looked at the skeleton and his pair of spiritual eyes casually gave a "good seedling" at the welcome and send-off banquet, was actually such a vigorous and ruthless young man. Role.

After learning that it was none other than Di Qing, Yijian Xiao Li Li obeyed, and his love for talents grew even more.

If it weren't for Lu Ci, who was terrified, smiling and staring at the side, I'm afraid he couldn't help but force Di Qing into the barracks instead of reading those broken books that make people's heads as big as beans.

When Di Qing came to ask Lu Ci to go to war with all kinds of anxiety, he was prepared to be rejected.

But after many things in these days, he has become more and more aware that he needs to have a skill that can be used by his grandfather, so that he can be by his side for a long time, instead of dragging it down and asking for it.

He learned literature by rote memorization. When he was practicing martial arts, he had the audacity to call it "one point is easy", so he was naturally reluctant to give up.

Lu Ci saw that he had been shining in the army recently, with his single-handed arrow skills, and his whole body was full of dazzling spirit, so how could he say no to him?

Besides, this time with General Cao Wei, the risk is not too great, Lu Ci thought for a while, and under Di Qing's expectant eyes, he readily agreed.Only before he goes out to the battle, he assigns homework that must be completed when he returns, so as not to delay his studies too much.

Di Qing: "..."

He silently glanced at the scalp-numbing homework list, then walked with heavy steps, turning his head three times.

On the fifth day after the departure of the army, what Lu Ci received was not the edict of the imperial court's rewards, nor the ministers who read the edict, but a secret letter written by the prince himself.

The weight is not light, he estimated based on his experience that there are at least sixteen or seventeen sheets of paper.

Since the official's family fell ill and the prince took charge of the country again, it was probably because he was so busy that he had no time to write letters. Indeed, he hadn't had such intimate communication with this former student for a long time.

This time with a big victory, it is reasonable for the crown prince to send a letter.

Lu Ci was more or less curious about how much the little prince would change after a major change, so he put aside his current affairs and opened this secret letter first.

However, the image of the "mature, stable and calm" prince he guessed was shattered on the spot with the first paragraph of the letter.

After happily describing in detail how he reacted to the situation and relied on what he learned from others to defeat the bad intentions of Ding Wei and Cao, the little prince followed the little prince who learned how to open the screen for the first time. Like a peacock, he added a sentence at the end of the first paragraph: "We are not yet old enough to be apart, but I am already mad about thinking about you."

Lu Ci shook his hands expressionlessly.

Could it be that Liu Qi, who created the mushy school, taught some strange things to his honest and steady prince?

The author has something to say: Notes:

About Liu Kai.I really want to mention this rather tragic character.The following is from "Born in the Song Dynasty: The Northern Song Dynasty Shilin General Altar Talk"

Liu Kai has been a maverick all his life, and his consciousness and behavior are mixed with many old and new conflicts, so that he is always entangled with many anecdotes and rumors that are difficult to distinguish between true and false.

Liu Kai was born in the Hedong Liu family (Liu Zongyuan and Liu Gongquan) with a high family name.As for the Heshuo area where the daimyo is located, since the troubled times of the Middle Tang Dynasty, there has been constant wars and powerful feudal generals fighting endlessly, so the folk customs are quite fierce, and it is common for the people to practice martial arts.Although Liu Kai is a son of a wealthy family, but influenced by the local customs, he also likes to use bow and sword since he was a child. Not only has he practiced extraordinary archery skills, but he is also very courageous. The biography of "History of the Song Dynasty" records: In the last weekend of the year, a robber broke into the house suddenly at night.The strong man had no choice but to escape over the wall, but Liu Kai chopped off two toes with his sword.

Liu Kai had already written many famous articles when he was young, which won the favor of many well-known scholars and officials, such as Wang Hu, a famous prefect, and Lu Duoxun, a scholar of Hanlin, all highly praised his articles.Regarding Liu Kai's literary achievements, Yuan Renxiu's "Song History? Rulin Biography" commented: In the early Song Dynasty, Yang Yi and others still followed the style of Tang people's voice and rhythm; "; from Ouyang Xiu, advocating ancient prose, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Zeng Gong followed, "Song prose is becoming more and more ancient."This shows that its position in the history of prose in the Song Dynasty cannot be underestimated.

In the sixth year of Song Taizu Kaibao (973), he signed up for the scientific examination, and he passed the examination. At this time, he was only 26 years old.

After Liu Kai became an official, his official career was smooth for a time.He first worked as a staff officer in the state government for more than five years, such as Sikou Joining the Army and Recorder Joining the Army, assisting the Zhizhou to handle documents and prisons.

In the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo (979), Song Taizong personally led an army to conquer the remnants of the Five Dynasties—the Northern Han Dynasty. He was ordered to supervise the transportation of grain and grass in the eight states of Huainan to supply military supplies.Unfortunately, this Northern Expedition ended in failure.After the war, Liu Kai was promoted to Zhizhou of Changzhou, then transferred to Runzhou, and at the same time obtained the official title of supervisory censor.

In the second year of Yongxi (985), Liu Kai had conflicts and quarrels with the supervisor of the local garrison, so he was demoted to Shangcai county magistrate.

In March of the third year of Yongxi, under the personal planning of Song Taizong, the imperial army divided into three groups and made another northern expedition to Khitan.During the Northern Expedition, the county magistrate Liu accompanied the army of the East Road to escort the army rations.When he was about to arrive in Zhuozhou, General Mi Xin was blocked by more than [-] cavalry from the Liao Dynasty. When the two sides were at a stalemate, the general of the Liao Army sent someone to ask for surrender.Liu Kai, who knew some military strategy, heard this, and immediately took the initiative to suggest to Mi Xin: The art of war says "please make peace without an appointment, and plan."But General Mi hesitated, and after two days, the enemy really launched another fierce attack.Afterwards, I learned that the Liao army had indeed run out of bows and arrows at that time, and used the strategy of slowing down the division to paralyze the Song army in order to gain time to transport equipment.

When the Song army's troops withdrew, Liu Kai went straight to the gate of the capital's palace to write a letter to the emperor, declaring that he was willing to die in Beijiang.In May of the following year, the imperial court sent Liu Kai to Hebei.At this time, after experiencing the fierce fighting in the Northern Expedition, his martial nature could no longer be suppressed.How many famous generals of the previous generation were ambitious and passionate, hired on the battlefield, and became famous in the annals of history, which excited the bloody men.For a moment, the blood that had been smoldering in his heart boiled for a long time, and he was unwilling to continue working on the trivial matters of the local civil servants' copywriting.So he wrote to the emperor again and said: I have received extraordinary grace for my ministers, and I have nothing to repay the court.Chen has just turned 40 years old this year, and he is full of courage.Now that the Xiongnu is still alive, may Your Majesty bestow thousands of cavalry on your servants. I am willing to go through life and death to attack Youji, even though I die in battle, I will die without hatred.Now that he had made up his mind, he completely disregarded the future.

At this time, it was the year after the failure of the second Northern Expedition, and the imperial court was shrouded in a pessimistic mood that feared Liao.At this moment, Song Taizong couldn't help but be moved by the fact that a civil servant volunteered to serve on the front line.So an edict was issued: All civil servants who understand martial arts and are good at weapons, who are willing to change their military positions, will be encouraged.For a while, there were really three civil officials like Liu Kai who also expressed their response, willing to "throw their pens and join the army" in the face of national crisis.The imperial court then replaced these four civil servants with military officials, among them Liu Kai was transferred from serving the censor in the palace to being an envoy of Chongyi, and served as the chief of the Ningbian Army (to the east of Boye County, Hebei today).The Ningbian Army was a local organization set up along the border of the Song Dynasty, at the same level as the state, but its defense duties were often more important than civil affairs.

At this time, the civil and military division of labor in the officialdom was still quite strict. Civil servants could be converted to the status of military officers, but usually they could not enter the army to command operations.

After Liu Kai came to the front line in Hebei, he was full of energy and tried to show his excellence in defense activities.Since he could not directly control the army, he used his expertise in military strategy to carry out the work of disintegration and disintegration in the Liao territory.

In fact, Liu Kai was too naive. Since the failure of the second Northern Expedition, the imperial court had completely abandoned the plan to regain Youyun and adopted a strategy of comprehensive defense. Naturally, it would not really support any plan of active attack.Although he regretted that his ambition was not rewarded, he could only obey the transfer order.

Quanzhou is located at the southwestern end of Jinghu South Road, bordering Guangnan West Road on the southern border, and is an underdeveloped place where Han and barbarians live together.At that time, there were hundreds of people from the tribe surnamed Su in the west of the state city who often looted and made troubles, and the predecessors had not been able to solve them.For Liu Kai, this is a trivial matter, since he can't fight in the northern border battlefield, he might as well try it in this barren land.He gave both kindness and majesty, and after several rounds, he quickly appeased these troublemakers, so he was rewarded with 30 yuan from the court.

But during the whole state, Liu Kai's tough and rough style was also exposed.A soldier probably refused to accept the punishment, so he filed a complaint with his superiors, but he was ordered to beat him up, and he was tattooed on the face and taken to Kaifeng.Just as Liu Kai was preparing to take over as the magistrate of Guizhou (now Guilin City, Guangxi), the grievances of the soldiers were reflected.At this time, the imperial court is vigorously rectifying the lawless and bad governance left over from the Five Dynasties, establishing rules and regulations, and prohibiting officials from indiscriminately imposing punishments.As a result, he was investigated and dealt with by the Yushitai, and he was demoted two grades in a row, and demoted to the idle job of the deputy envoy of the regiment.

Later, Liu Kaiguan returned to his original post and went to several places in Shaanxi and Hebei to serve as magistrates.As he grew older, he probably gradually became more relaxed, and outrageous things rarely happened. It was only during his tenure in Binzhou (now Binxian County, Shaanxi Province) that he made a complaint to his superiors in order to reduce the heavy burden on local farmers. Threatening a showdown, thereby canceling this tyranny.

After Song Zhenzong ascended the throne, he was promoted as usual, from Chongyi envoy to Rujing envoy, but the official rank was the same, both belonged to the seventh rank, and he was changed to Daizhou (now Daixian County, Shanxi).This year, he was 51 years old.During his return to the court to report on his work, Liu Kai once sent a memorial to the new emperor, hoping that the emperor will work hard to govern, the ministers in charge will abide by the principles, the border guards will not be lax, the local government will eliminate redundant staff, and the impetuosity in the officialdom should be given up, etc.Regrettably, the imperial court did not pay much attention to his eloquent offering.

Four years later, in 1001 A.D., Liu Kai died at the age of 54 on his way to Cangzhou (to the east of Cangzhou City, Hebei today).