Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

For Lu Ci, who had led missions to Tubo many times, it was not difficult to appease the Liao envoy who was a little restless due to Cao Wei's sudden arrival.

In fact, Yelvzongyuan and his group, who were first almost out of breath by Cao Wei's majestic aura, and then shocked by Lu Ci's aura, were still in a trance after arriving at the mansion.

How could they feel dissatisfied because they waited one more day to face the Holy Spirit when they were out of their minds?

They are so talkative, Lu Ci is also happy to relax.

He neatly appointed the right person to give him a comprehensive reception, and after personally sitting in a simple cleansing banquet, he returned to the palace and returned to his command.

Because Cao Wei has been in the military all year round, he has developed a habit of prohibiting alcohol, so the officials will naturally not force others to do anything difficult. After expressing their understanding, they happily removed all the alcohol from the banquet.

Without the wine to add to the fun, plus Cao Wei's temperament of asking questions and answering each sentence, and being cautious and reticent, the banquet broke up in an atmosphere of unfinished business before it lasted for too long.

Seeing that Cao Wei couldn't hide his eagerness to go back to his mansion to reunite with his family, even though Zhao Zhen had a lot to say to this veteran general who was like a pinnacle of Dinghai, he was more considerate of his long-term battles and allowed him to return first with the large amount of rewards he had just given. In the house, I will enter the palace tomorrow to talk.

As soon as Cao Wei left, Lu Ci entered the palace and gave a concise report on the situation of the envoy.

Zhao Zhen nodded in satisfaction, and did not hesitate to praise: "The most understanding person in the world is the little master."

The corners of Lu Ci's mouth twitched slightly: "The officials praise me so much, but I should not take it seriously."

Zhao Zhen said disapprovingly: "It's okay, there are no outsiders in this palace, so it's possible that you can't say a few words from your heart?"

Lu Ci changed the subject and said, "To be honest, I have one more matter to discuss with Your Majesty when I enter the palace this time."

Zhao Zhen immediately turned serious, and said seriously: "Please tell me, little master."

"Before His Majesty ordered the attack on Xia, most of the frontier troubles came from Liao, Xia, and Fan. In contrast, although there are many tribes in the southwest region, they live scattered and have various beliefs. They do not belong to each other. It is a deep trouble." After Lu Ci briefly mentioned the preface, he cut to the point: "However, Xia has been destroyed; Liao's strength has been damaged, so we must restrain our edge, not to mention that the Liao king is already critically ill, and the crown prince is young. Make concessions in order to seek peace talks; Tubo is emerging on the west side, and Ji Siluo is certainly ambitious and cannot be a long-term alliance. of."

When Zhao Zhen heard this, he had a flash of inspiration and guessed: "Young master, what do you mean is to shift the center of gravity of the troops from north to south?"

Lu Ci nodded: "That's right. The imperial court has always focused on restraining the southwestern border, with little restraint. Although Jiaozhi Kingdom makes offerings every year, if it is sincerely surrendering, how can it allow its soldiers to plunder the border people of the Song Dynasty? ?”

Zhao Zhen's expression froze slightly.

Li Deming and Li Yuanhao, who have been sending troops to harass the border people all the year round, rob caravans, and accumulate rebellious wealth, have learned from the past. Naturally, people have to think a little more about the Jiaozhi Kingdom, which has similar behaviors.

Lu Ci smiled slightly: "In my opinion, the current imperial court has time to spare, and there are still many warriors who are just showing their strengths. Instead of sitting back and waiting to make up for it, it is better to take precautions and strictly rectify it to avoid another one. Li Yuanhao."

Hearing Lu Ci's words, Zhao Zhen's heart tightened inexplicably, and his brows frowned.

He only realizes it now, whenever the little master catches any hidden danger, as long as he opens his mouth, it will most likely be fulfilled in a short time.

This is true of the Zuozangku fire that almost affected the pavilion, the locust plague in Fenzhou, and the rebellion of Tubo and Xia...

If someone else spoke, Zhao Zhen, who thought the matter was tricky, might still be inclined to follow the conservative strategy he had adopted for many years, but once the words came from the mouth of the young master, the severity would be quite different.

Moreover, having just fought this battle against Xia that lasted nearly three years, the national strength urgently needs to be recuperated and restored, and it really can't stand the toss of a second Li Yuanhao.

Zhao Zhen said solemnly: "In my opinion, how should Guangnan Road be managed?"

"My humble opinion is only for the effect of throwing bricks to attract jade, and I hope your majesty will not laugh at it."

Lu Ci, who has forgotten the history of the Northern Song Dynasty for a long time, is sure that a young man named Nong Zhigao will appear in the Southwest soon after raising the banner of anti-Song and laying down several big Song cities. , is unknown.

But he is not a low-key civil servant who just entered the official career more than ten years ago. He has a rich experience of traveling to many places and experiencing wars first-hand.

Although his ultimate goal is the vast overseas territory, he needs to eat every bite. If he wants to persuade the officials, he should first focus on governing the southern border.

Only when southern Xinjiang is well governed, can we continue to expand outwards.

"You might as well refer to the system of the Tang Dynasty. Because of its territory, analyze its species. The larger ones are states, the smaller ones are counties, and the smaller ones are caves, and they are classified as such; Internally, barriers against barbarians from outside..." Lu Ci said slowly: "At the same time, civilian officials will be used to govern them, military officers will suppress them, the officials and troops will be supported by Zhudong's financial resources, and Min Dingbei will be used to recruit and drive them..."

The most important thing is to clarify rights and obligations.

In the past, the center of gravity was biased towards the north, so we had to adopt a policy of half-indulging small disturbances, half-appeasing the local chieftains, and only seeking peace and harmony in the south.

Such a careless policy cannot be sustained in any case.

If we really want to strengthen ties and promote development, it will not help to simply send unwilling officials to select officials. The key point is to involve the local people.

Only when rights and obligations are shared, can other ethnic groups gradually develop a sense of belonging due to sharing honor and disgrace.

Zhao Zhen was fascinated by the listening, nodded excitedly from time to time, and whenever he got excited, he slapped himself on the knee regardless of his image.

Before Lu Ci finished speaking, he couldn't bear it any longer, stood up and said, "Wait a minute, I'll call Kou Gong and Wang Gong here first!"

Intentionally or not, Zhao Zhen ignored Zhang Shixun, who was a political adviser.

For those conservative colleagues who often target him, although Lu Ci would not take the initiative to trouble him, nor would he be generous enough to remind him kindly at this time, so he only smiled and nodded, then picked up the teacup, Drink and wait.

Only a short while later, the two prime ministers who had just had dinner at the mansion rushed over panting.

Under Zhao Zhen's signal, Lu Ci roughly repeated what he said just now.

Kou Zhun nodded again and again when he heard this, and suddenly asked: "What Yu Yu thinks is right, it's just that this candidate—"

Right in the middle.

Lu Ci, who had been waiting here for a long time, smiled and volunteered without hesitation, "If Your Majesty doesn't—"

Zhao Zhen, who was still immersed in his own thoughts just now, was shocked when he heard the words, and without hesitation, he took the conversation away, and quickly said: "This is a big matter. After the discussion between the court and China tomorrow, I will trouble each of the three Qing families to select candidates."

He has just called the little master back to the capital, and he is still warm, don't even think about running away again!

Unexpectedly, his intention was seen through by His Majesty who had become extremely vigilant for some reason, so Lu Ci had no choice but to look at Kou Zhun helplessly.

It's a pity that Kou Zhun didn't intend to help him at all, but showed a gloating expression on his face, and responded very cooperatively with the officials.

Not to mention Wang Zeng, who immediately agreed with the official's words with a smile.

Fearing that Lu Ci would make another living, the little emperor had fully learned the lessons of the past, and decisively sent the three of them back to his residence, and they will discuss it tomorrow.

As soon as he left the palace gate, Wang Zeng first nodded to his two colleagues, and then took a step ahead in a chic way.

Lin Neichen also thoughtfully kept the servants away from the two Kou and Lu who deliberately slowed down, so that they had a chance to have a simple conversation as they wished.

Lu Ci tentatively half-jokingly asked, "I wonder if this junior is lucky enough to be at the top of Mr. Kou's list?"

"It's a good idea." Kou Zhun scolded him unceremoniously: "Even His Majesty was not fooled by you brat, and you still want to ask me, an old bone, to stroke the tiger's beard? Although it is not a good job , there is absolutely no possibility that the court will not be able to find a suitable candidate, you'd better die as soon as possible!"

If the person that the officials tried their best to keep, ran away in his hands, they would not have to complain!

Lu Ci said unwillingly: "It's just—"

Kou Zhun glared at him and said incomprehensibly, "You were in the prime of life when you were the prime minister, and you should show your ambitions. If this suggestion is adopted and implemented, no matter who is assigned to do it, it will be the first achievement." Keep it all on your head. Why do you seem to be holding a hot potato in your chest, thinking about going to the remote village? The south is not a good place. Don’t worry about the lychees and fresh fruits. It’s just the miasma and dissatisfaction. The savage discipline is enough to cost you half your life, how can the officials be willing to let you suffer that crime?"

"The officials value me so much, and as a minister, I should be ashamed and dedicated to the king." Lu Ci said with a smile: "There is Kou Gong in the court, who is as stable as Mount Tai, so why should I add icing on the cake? It is urgent to open up the southern border. Few people are willing to go, I'm still young and strong, I can bear some small hardships, and if I have the audacity to recommend myself, I should be competent enough."

"How can this be 'some small suffering'? If you are unlucky, you will lose your life!" Kou Zhun frowned, disapproving: "Just settle down, why do you have to do everything yourself?"

"Besides," Kou Zhun sighed heavily, and said with a wry smile, "Do you think I can sit in this position for a few more years? In three months, I will be 69!"

He is 39 years old than Lu Ci, and he is 69 years old this year, and next year will be a rare year.

——It is also the time to become an official.

He knows that he loves power, relying on his official trust and his past qualifications, he has been resolutely occupying the position of chief assistant, but next year at the latest, he will also pay attention to his official status.

Compared with Wang Dan, who died before his ambition was fulfilled, he could almost be said to have swept away his political opponents, and he was undoubtedly much luckier to win the emperor's heart.

It's a pity that the so-called minister's body means that even if he has the power in his hands and the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, he still has to be an official at the age of 70 to take care of his life.

A trace of regret and sadness flashed across Kou Zhun's eyes, and he quickly returned to his aggressive appearance.

"All in all, I advise you not to think about the bad idea of ​​leaving the burden on your body and going far to southern Xinjiang," he warned fiercely: "It is absolutely impossible not to sue the sages of Jixian without going through the Ministry of Education—even if You are eloquent and have successfully fooled the officials, don't even think about passing me!"