Chapter 177: The eldest grandson discusses his merits
Yang Ming got up at Yinshi and changed his clothes under Pei Shuying's service. In addition to putting on his court clothes embroidered with golden dragons, he also put on his mourning clothes.
His filial piety has changed from zhansheng to qisheng. He is the direct grandson of Dugu Jialuo, so he will not be able to take it off for another two years.
After packing everything, Pei Shuying sent her husband out of the house, and Chen Kui drove to Daxing Palace.
Because Yang Jian was in Renshou Palace, the current court meeting was held in the East Palace, presided over by Prince Yang Guang.
Except for the officials who were ordered to go to Renshou Palace, everyone else had to attend court meetings here.
In Qianqiu Palace, the always diligent Yang Guang was already sitting on the main seat, waiting for the courtiers.
In history, Yang Guang was labeled as a tyrant and a foolish king, but in fact, he was a king who was almost harsh on himself and extremely diligent.
He would personally take care of all matters in the world, and he would review all the trivial matters one by one.
In the main hall, on the left hand side of Yang Guang are Su Wei, Niu Hong, Pei Ju, Wei Chong, Xue Wei, and Yu Wenkai. Sitting behind them are ministers from various ministries, such as Yang Gongren, Gao Xiaoji, Yang Xuangan, etc.
On the right hand side are Jin Wang Yang Zhao, He Ruobi, Yu Wenshu, Yang Ming, Xue Daoheng, Wei Fusi,
Behind them were Yang Da, Zhao Chuo, Guo Yan, Zhang Heng, Pei Yun and others.
There are thirty-one people attending the court meeting today. They are all sitting on futons. There is a long table in front of them, which is filled with various files.
Seeing that everyone was here, Yang Guang looked at his son Yang Ming with a smile:
"Today is the first time that King Hedong has attended the court meeting. Since he is not familiar with government affairs, it is better to just sit in and watch."
Yang Ming quickly stood up and bowed his hands in front of everyone.
Pei Ju smiled and said: "His Royal Highness is now an adult. It is time to discuss state affairs early to share the prince's worries."
Jin Wang Yang Zhao also smiled and said: "My brother is still immature and needs more guidance from you."
The position where Yang Ming sits is very particular. He is the king of the county, from the first rank, and his subordinate Nayan is from the second rank. He leads the army on the right, from the second rank.
Based on the highest rank, he should sit below Yang Zhao and above He Ruobi and Yu Wenshu.
However, He Ruobi and Yu Wenshu were veterans, and their qualifications were there. In order to show respect for them, Yang Guang deliberately placed Yang Ming below them.
Menxia Sheng Na Yan had the right to advise the emperor, but He Ruobi and Yu Wenshu did not have this qualification.
Today's court meeting is about Luoyang.
In fact, the construction of Luoyang, the eastern capital, had been included in the plan during Yang Jian's period, but it was temporarily shelved when Yang Jian became seriously ill.
The reason why the Eastern Capital was built was mainly to alleviate the food pressure in the Guanzhong area.
Historically, there was another factor in Yang Guang's eagerness to rebuild Luoyang, which was the rebellion of Han King Yang Liang.
Yang Liang sent troops to merge the states and march directly from Hedong to Guanzhong. This made Yang Guang feel that there was no other barrier to the east of Guanzhong except Hedong to defend the capital. If there were rebels in the Guandong area, they would pose a direct threat to the capital.
The Guandong here is not the Guandong of Chuangguandong, but refers to the area east of Hangu Pass, which can be understood as Henan.
Of course, Yang Guang has not yet taken office, and Yang Liang has not yet rebelled, so Yang Guang is not in a hurry to build the Eastern Capital.
This decision was very complicated and involved many factors. Yang Guang almost inherited Yang Jian's political intentions and had the idea of abandoning Guanzhong's standard. This was an unprecedented blow to the Guanzhong clan.
Therefore, it is claimed that the construction of the Eastern Capital was due to the rapid increase in population and insufficient food supply in the Guanzhong area, so it was necessary to build the Eastern Capital as a hub for grain transshipment in the Guanzhong area.
Actually, it's very, very complicated.
Yu Wenkai, minister of the Ministry of Industry, believed that the construction of the Eastern Capital was a huge project and would take at least four years, which was a full three years behind the historical completion time of one year.
In Yu Wenkai's opinion, the preparation work alone will take a year to prepare.
At this time, Yang Guang also agreed with this point of view. After all, he was only the prince at the moment, and his desire for quick success and instant benefit was not yet reflected in him.
Although no one has come up with a solution for the construction of the Eastern Capital, it has undoubtedly been put on the agenda. Yang Guang ordered Yu Wenkai to consider the preparations and start construction a year later.
The next thing to discuss is the issue of Chang Suncheng.
Qimin Khan has now successfully taken over the troops of Bujia Khan and became the new Great Khan of the East Turks. Changsun Cheng has completed his historical mission and left for Daxing.
Yang Guangdao: "The eldest grandson has returned to the court. In your opinion, how should we reward him?"
Changsun Cheng's title was very poor because he was the second son and could not take on his father's title. In addition, Changsun's family currently had no banner-bearer in the Sui Dynasty.
But Yang Ming knew that what this man had done in his life was the contribution to the founding of the country, and it was not an exaggeration to make him a Duke.
Of course, Yang Jian would not be able to seal him, nor would Yang Guang, because Changsun Cheng had little prestige and there was no need to support such a person.
If we really want to make the eldest son a prince, he will not be able to stand firmly in the central government.
He Ruobi said: "The eldest grandson has meritorious service. This time he was the envoy who accepted the surrender and helped Qi people control the Turks. It is a great achievement and he can be named a general."
The general is the fourth-ranked person. Chang Suncheng has done so much, so He Ruobi thinks it is enough to be made a general. Yang Xuangan has not done anything yet, but he is the first-ranked person.
So, there is no fairness at all.
No matter how much you do, no matter how good you are, it's not as good as having a good father.
Xue Wei, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, also said: "I believe that the eldest grandson's hard work has made great achievements. He is not qualified to handle the great Northern Sui Dynasty, so he should be named a general."
Zhang Suncheng's biological mother was from the Xue family in Hedong. It was understandable that Xue Wei helped to speak, but she was quite shabby, so she was given a promotion.
Yang Ming also felt helpless when he listened. Those who did practical things were not good at the end, but those who were talking were more likely to get away with it than the other.
"I want to ask you a question,"
At this time, Yang Ming finally stood up and spoke: "If there was no Changsun Cheng, what would be the current situation of the Turks?"
After hearing the words, all the ministers thought about it one after another.
Since Yang Ming has raised a question, it is natural that someone has to answer it. All of these people here are old foxes, and they will naturally think of a proper answer without opening their mouths.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After Niu Hong thought for a moment, he said: "If there were no eldest grandson, there would be many wars in the north."
In fact, the Sui Dynasty's troubles with the Turks in the north all developed from Chang Suncheng's saying of "to make friends from far away and attack close, to separate from the strong and combine with the weak". To put it bluntly, it was to sow discord within the Turks.
Although most of the time, Yang Jian, Gao Jiong, and Yang Su are the real decision-makers, as the actual implementer, Chang Sun Cheng can no longer do a better job.
If it were not Chang Suncheng, it might not have been such a good result if it had been someone else.
Although the Sui Dynasty and the Turks were at war for many years, they never really threatened the Sui Dynasty. This is inseparable from the contribution of Chang Suncheng.
Moreover, Changsun Cheng had been dealing with the Turkic royal family all year round and was respected and trusted by the Turkic people.
This person has great value in himself.
The right servant shot Su Wei and did not give an answer. He just asked: "What does the King of Hedong mean? How should I reward him?"
He guessed that Yang Ming said this because he was dissatisfied with He Ruobi and Xue Wei's proposal and thought the seal was too small.
Yang Guang also looked at Yang Ming with confusion. He knew that his son had nothing to do with the eldest grandson's family, so he was curious about how the third son could speak for eldest grandson Cheng so well.
Yang Ming looked at Su Wei and said with a smile: "As Niu Shangshu said, if there are no eldest grandsons, the Turkic border troubles will be difficult to eliminate, and the people in the Sui border will inevitably be disturbed, which will be detrimental to the country. It is not just about conquering the battlefield and opening up the territory.
In my opinion, the sharp weapon of the country is the eldest grandson who eliminates the border troubles and protects the country. He should be the pillar of the country and should be given the title of Shangzhuguo and be assigned with actual duties."
His words made He Ruobi a little unhappy. He went south to destroy Chen and founded the Shangzhu Kingdom. Changsun Cheng only relied on his soft tongue and gentle means to appease the Turks. How could he seal the country?
So big?
He didn't think that Yang Xuangan's seal was great, but he thought Changsun Chengfeng was great. This was the difference in concept.
It's just like he thinks that his son can usurp his title of Duke of Song Dynasty in the future. It's only natural.
Yang Guang also felt that what his son said was too exaggerated. Changsun Cheng was nothing more than a civil servant. To put it bluntly, he was an envoy sent by the Sui Dynasty to communicate with the Turks. It was too outrageous to be granted the title of Zhuguo.
Although Pei Ju couldn't understand what kind of medicine Yang Ming was selling in his gourd, Yang Ming was his son-in-law and it was his first time to attend the court meeting. If he didn't speak for his son-in-law at this time, who else could he help?
So he said: "I agree with what Your Highness said. Changsun is very knowledgeable in foreign affairs and has good relations with the Turkic people. He will still be of great use in the future. Moreover, if his status is too low, the Turks will think that he is despised by our Sui Dynasty.
Ambassadors of the two countries, your lordship should not be too low."
This sentence actually made Yang Guang agree that the Turks could not be destroyed and could only be forced to surrender by means. Using force would consume too much national power and was inappropriate. So gentle means were the best.
Changsun Cheng was the envoy between the Sui Dynasty and the Turks. If the lordship was too low, it would be like not giving the Turks face. If things go on like this, the Turks might have different intentions again.
So Yang Guang looked at Yang Ming with a smile:
"In your opinion, what kind of position will the eldest grandson take when he returns to Beijing this time?"
I don’t know. It’s my first day in court. How can I know where I’m lacking?
Yang Ming said: "This needs to be discussed by the princes. As for the honorary title, I think it is appropriate to go to the Zhu Kingdom."
Yang Guang smiled and nodded. In fact, he could only suggest that the one who really made the final decision would be Yang Jian.
But under normal circumstances, as long as he passed it, Yang Jian would just stamp it.
Yang Ming could only try his best to get a good title for Changsun Cheng. As for the title, he did not have the ability. The title was not something that could be awarded casually.
Most of the current titles in the Sui Dynasty were inherited from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and most of the remaining titles came from the battle to destroy Chen. At other times, Yang Jian had not received many titles.
Because Changsun Cheng was the second son in the family, he could not challenge his father's title.
At the end of the discussion, with the support of Pei Ju and Niu Hong, Changsun Cheng ascended to the throne of Zhuguo and should have stopped running away.
Pei Yun, the minister of internal history, was responsible for drafting the memorial and reporting it to Renshou Palace. As long as Yang Jian's seal was stamped, the matter would be finalized.
As for what position Chang Sun Cheng would take after he returned to Daxing, Yang Gongren, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, sorted out the official vacancies and decided that he would be the general of the left-leading army.
The general who led the army on the left was Shi Wansui, so after the eldest son Cheng, he was put under Shi Wansui's control.