Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

After eating, Zhao Zhen pulled Lu Ci to talk about some of the things that made him most unhappy in the recent DPRK and China.

But he said that after receiving the letter of credence sent back by Lu Cixian, he immediately summoned the important officials of the Political Affairs Hall to discuss.

After a few days of research and judgment, there was an edict ordering the imperial court to select chariot officials under the age of 40 and fill them into the imperial army in preparation for rushing to Zongke to fight against Li Yuanhao.

Not to mention Zhao Zhen, who was frugal and caring for the people, even the late emperor Zhao Heng, who once built large-scale construction projects for the farce of the Heavenly Book and cost the country, unless necessary, did not like to travel in sedan chairs with humans instead of animals.

Therefore, although the Royal Chariot Court has thousands of chariot officials, they are quite leisurely on weekdays and rarely need to be used.Right now, the western front is going to be tight, so it is logical to temporarily fill a large number of chariot officers who are idle on weekdays into the imperial army, ready to rush to the western front at any time.

In any case, Zhao Zhen would never have expected that the biggest obstacle he faced in the end would not come from some courtiers who always love to "find fault" and always sing against him, but it is precisely these guards who always say they are willing to die for him .

In the eyes of most people, including officials, the Forbidden Army, as an elite unit qualified to accompany His Majesty for a long time, has always been the most powerful main force in battle.

These chariot officials who are not yet in their forties and who are physically strong are all born in a dignified appearance, with generous salaries, and bathe in the mighty grace of the emperor every day.

In order to repay the kindness of the king, these elite soldiers should go through fire and water and dare to be pioneers when they are in danger.

However, Zhao Zhen didn't know that these athletes who were supposed to be brave, capable and heroic had already been corrupted by decades of comfort, and most of them had never seen bloody fights, let alone experienced them.

Although they look heroic in stature, they are mostly pustules with a beautiful frame, and the heaviest thing they have ever lifted in their life is probably the sedan chair carrying nobles.

In this way, where did they have the courage to rush to the border, and how did they have the strength to fight against the party soldiers with green faces and fangs like wolves and tigers?

The long journey to the frontier and the treacherous wind and sand gullies alone are enough to make them daunted.

On the third day after Zhao Zhen issued this edict, this group of greedy and fearful rats entangled nearly a thousand colleagues, and specially brought the crying family members to the imperial city, surrounded by those who were going to court. The ministers were noisy.

Kou Zhun and Li Di, the two prime ministers who are most familiar to everyone, were pulled by their sleeves and couldn't escape, so they had to ask them to write a letter to persuade His Majesty to take back their orders.

Hearing the inexplicable noise outside, Zhao Zhen deliberately went out to look at it, and witnessed such a ridiculous and ugly drama with his own eyes, his face sank on the spot, and he threw the things at hand to the ground heavily.

"absurd!"

Zhao Zhen said angrily.

——Such well-armed, handsome and strong men should have generously rushed to the frontiers of the War of Resistance to protect the country, but in the end, they were frightened by hearing the news and relying on the bustling Bianjing before they set out. The true face of bloody, greedy for life and afraid of death!

If they are allowed to do what they want, wouldn't it be the same as indulging the generals and soldiers to avoid war, so that there will be no one who is willing to defend his family and country, but all cowards who run away? !

Perhaps these chariot officials were really afraid to go to the remote frontier where there was so much suffering, to be the vanguard of the narrow escape, perhaps because they had seen too much of the lenient and benevolent appearance of the officials, they decided to fight and make a fuss.

But he didn't want this to completely touch the little emperor's rebellious scales: Zhao Zhen ordered the imperial army to take down all the troublemakers on the spot, lock them in prison, and within three days, they would behead the three leaders who incited everyone in the city, and the accomplices would be sent to prison. prison city.

After killing chickens and monkeys like this, the rest of them didn't dare to take chances anymore, so they obediently obeyed the deployment and were temporarily incorporated into the Forbidden Army. They were going to be sent to Qinzhou in one month to prepare for Zongke's return in the future.

"If it weren't for the fact that there are barbarians from the south and the north, and there is no shortage of soldiers, the imperial army would not be easy to transfer. I really don't want to recruit them in. It is just to shake the morale of the army. The black sheep is gone!"

When Zhao Zhen said this, he was still full of complaints.

"Although what the officials say is reasonable, there is no need to worry too much." Lu Ci smiled, and couldn't help but speak for his little lover: "In terms of training soldiers, although young brother is young, he has quite a lot of achievements. The officials should have not forgotten the Wansheng Camp? No matter how difficult the chariot officials are, they are far superior to some dudes and idlers in terms of personality. If they can sharpen their temper, it will be of great use .”

"What Yu Yu said is reasonable." Zhao Zhen thought about it briefly, and really remembered that his junior brother was very talented in military training and fighting, and had already made great achievements in battle. He immediately turned angry into a smile: "You have to pay back what you have lost." There is such a leader in the system available."

"Not only young brothers," Lu Ci smiled and proposed the names of Yang Wenguang, Gao Jixuan and other young generals, and then said: "Although they are just emerging, they are all good at reading, riding and shooting, and they are also majestic and brave. The talent of a good general.”

"Thanks to listening to the little master's advice that day, we organized such an action," Zhao Zhen sighed, "Except for General Cao, there are finally a few available people."

"It should not be praised by the officials," Lu Ci shook his head and said, "If the officials were not wise and discerning, the Chollima would also be doomed to be buried. How could there be so many stars and talents today?"

Speaking of this, Lu Ci's eyes flashed, and in order to report to Di Qing that he might be severely punished when he was in charge of the army, he sighed: "Young brother is young and vigorous, and has a passion for serving the country, but the experience in the world is more What he lacks, he will inevitably suffer. In addition, although he is a civil servant who was born in the imperial examination, he once sat with the soldiers in the barracks for three years. He has always been strict with himself and others, and attaches great importance to the art of war. As early as in the training of the Wansheng Battalion, he hated those who were stubborn and did not know what to do. The resentment of the family. It is conceivable that if the chariot officer really refuses to listen to the orders, the younger brother will definitely not be helpless. I am afraid that in the eyes of others, it is easy to give the excuse of being too heavy again. Hands tied."

"I see who dares!" Zhao Zhen frowned immediately after hearing this, and said excitedly: "The art of war is like a mountain, so it should not be treated as a child's play, and the scattered soldiers are just three-year-old children who don't know what to do, their minds are loose, and they want to play , the corpse is a vegetarian meal, and should be severely punished, how can there be so much kindness and soft persuasion!"

Lu Ci said gratefully: "If the officials say this, the next official will feel relieved. If he is impeached for one day in the future because of his excessive military management, please let the officials see that he is eager to do so because he has a strong enemy by his side and serves the country and the king. For the sake of success, don't misunderstand his original intention."

"Junior brother is full of enthusiasm, how can I let me down easily?" Zhao Zhen shook his head, and said with emotion: "Since ancient times, those who have become generals have always dared to kill and beheaded, and they just feel decisive! Who deserves to be the vanguard? I will definitely watch carefully to see which mother-in-law is hypocritical and benevolent, soliciting right and wrong here!"

Lu Ci said sincerely, "Your Majesty is wise."

After finishing the call, the little emperor's mood completely recovered, so he changed the topic and changed the subject.

What he asked this time was something that really bothered him: After reaching the initial covenant, what kind of intentions did Zongsiluo force the little master to stay in Zongke's territory for a long time without returning?

"Don't dare to lie to Your Majesty."

Afterwards, Lu Ci frankly confessed all the wooing and persuasion of Zhe Siluo to him.

Just when Zhao Zhen couldn't hold back his anger and cursed the hateful Zanpu with bad intentions, Lu Ci smiled and concluded lightly: "...just like when buying goods in the market, there are always people who are greedy These petty cheap things are nothing more than playing tricks on the parents with the street vendors, and getting close to each other. Such tricks, I have been used to when I was a young official... A few words of "appreciation" with other intentions, how can I compare with the deep friendship that the officials have treated me for many years? As long as the evil spirits are not obsessed, those who know a little bit of right and wrong are just superficially accompanying each other, knowing each other's thoughts."

"exactly!"

Zhao Zhen, who was still filled with righteous indignation, was immediately soothed by the words of the little master.

Although he was still a little unhappy, but after humming a few times, he was no longer entangled in the matter of the ulterior motives of Ji Siluo forcing Lu Ci to stay.

"This shows that this man is full of scheming, cunning and suspicious," Lu Ci's next words made the smile on the little emperor's face collapse: "The covenant is only tentative, and the follow-up envoy, so the There are many matters involved... If the officials don't mind, I would like to take this post, and I will go again after the rainy season is over."

The mission that Lu Ci received this time, as early as when the letter of alliance with generous conditions was sent back, all the officials could see that this matter was handled beautifully beyond everyone's imagination.

However, the real reason why the court is full of praise for him is that they are either afraid of the long and difficult journey, or fear the scheming, tolerant and treacherous Tubo Zanpu...

Or, if he thinks he is not as good at speaking as Lu Ci, then instead of being compared with him and being completely compared, it is better to put this hot potato in the hands of 'capable people'.

Lu Ci also expected that even if he didn't open his mouth at this moment, there would definitely be more people who had seen the "tragedy" of the mission today and had lingering fears, and would actively recommend him to serve as an envoy before going to Tubo for follow-up negotiations.

But Zhao Zhen was reluctant in every possible way, and secretly planned to find a way to replace him. Now that Lu Ci took the initiative to ask for his life, his little plan was immediately emptied. When he was depressed, he couldn't help but doubt: "...Could it be that the little master hasn't eaten enough grapes in Tubo?"

"Never mind."

Lu Ciyi sternly clarified: "Grapes are sweet, so they should not be used more. However, we stayed in Zongke territory for several months. Because it happened to be the season, it can be said that it is enough to eat at night, not to mention the taste. Addicted."

But the huge Tubo, is there more than just grapes as a delicacy?

Because of his filial piety, he could not taste highland barley wine. He only drank some butter tea and tasted mutton cooked in various ways...

Next time I go, I have to miss the rainy season, which is late spring: the seasonal fruits that are popular in late spring are completely different from the grapes and dates when he first went back, so he can have another fresh meal.

——Of course, the 'food' that he misses the most is the big raccoon slave surnamed Di.

Blinded by Lu Ci's serious expression, the little emperor who really thought he had misunderstood the other party muffledly responded, but reluctantly acquiesced.

The author has something to say: The chariot officials made troubles in history. It is because Zhao Zhen wanted to send them to fight in the northwest, so he brought his family members to the palace to make trouble...

The two leaders were beheaded, and the accomplices were imprisoned in the prison city, and the others obediently obeyed. (Zhang Lixin and Jia Ping, authors of "The Biography of Di Qing")