When all the officials filed into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Cheng Yuandao still had a cold expression on his face, already considering Zhao Junchen's sarcasm as a great shame and humiliation; Li Chengru's expression changed, and it was obvious that two ideas were conflicting with each other, making him
Undecided.
Seeing the performance of Cheng Yuandao and Li Chengru, the officials became more and more curious about what Zhao Junchen said, but before they could inquire privately, Emperor Deqing had already arrived.
When Emperor Deqing came to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, his steps were brisk and his face was full of smiles. He was obviously in a good mood. After all the officials shouted long live, he immediately laughed and said: "My dear friends, please come quickly."
Get up quickly! I have good news for you!"
When all the officials stood up one after another, Emperor Deqing smiled even brighter and said loudly: "Just now, Liang Fuchen Liang Ge Lao sent me great news! It is said that the imperial army has ushered in the Hetao territory again.
A great victory! Not only did it repulse the most violent counterattack by the Mongolian troops in the past month, but it also severely damaged the main force of the Mongolian coalition. The Mongolian troops suffered more than 10,000 casualties, while the casualties of our soldiers were only about 5,000! A great victory.
Ah! This is a great victory! Liang Fuchen has lived up to my high hopes! The soldiers of Shaanxi and Gansu have also lived up to my high hopes!"
After hearing Emperor Deqing's introduction, all the ministers once again shouted long live, and they all said that all this was the result of Emperor Deqing's good use of people and his well-organized arrangements.
Hearing the congratulations from the officials, Emperor Deqing became even more excited and made a bold prediction: "Haha, in my opinion, the Battle of Hetao has been a series of victories. The climate in northern Xinjiang is getting colder and colder, and so are the various Mongolian tribes.
We are getting more and more exhausted, and the day when the imperial court will completely regain the Loop is not far away. It should be during this time! When the good news comes to the capital, it will be just in time to catch up with the New Year and my birthday! By that time, it can be said that three blessings are coming.
, I will celebrate with all my dear friends and the common people!"
Seeing that Emperor Deqing was in such high interest, the officials naturally did not miss the opportunity to flatter him, and they all said that Emperor Deqing was more successful than the three emperors and surpassed the five emperors. He was indeed the most holy king in history.
Although these words were overly exaggerated, the officials could say them without changing their expressions, and Emperor Deqing also felt very happy when they heard them.
While Emperor Deqing was smiling happily amidst the flattery of the officials, and the atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was festive and peaceful, Zhao Junchen remained silent and fell into deep thought.
"Being able to repel another counterattack by the Mongolian coalition is certainly a military achievement, but the battle situation on the front line may not be as smooth as Liang Fuchen said! According to the practice of the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu, unless it is a victory like the Weishui River,
Victories in battles are already very exaggerated, otherwise the reports of victory in city defense battles would usually be exaggerated by more than twice, and the reports of victory in field operations would be exaggerated by more than three times! Such a situation is related to the military merits and rewards of more than 100,000 frontline soldiers, even if
Even Liang Fuchen didn’t dare to object!
According to the good news Liang Fuchen sent to the capital this time, the imperial army killed nearly 10,000 enemies and suffered about 5,000 casualties. It seemed like a brilliant victory, but if the water was squeezed out, it would have killed 2,000 to 3,000 enemies.
If you lose more than 5,000 yuan, it becomes a hard battle with an obvious disadvantage!
This is a matter of course. The Hetao area is a vast plain, which is conducive to the display of the strength of the Mongolian cavalry. Moreover, the Mongols are eager to regain their homeland, and their fighting spirit is much higher than that of the imperial army! Also, the imperial court has always been looking forward to the day.
After the cold, the Mongolian allied forces will take the initiative to retreat, but in fact the Han army is far more intolerant of the bitter cold than the Mongolian army... All this puts the imperial army at an obvious disadvantage! However, the imperial army ultimately has more troops, more generals, and more logistics.
The supply advantage, as long as we defend patiently and slowly wear it out with the Mongolian coalition, we will win the final victory sooner or later!
The situation that I am most worried about now is that Emperor Deqing wanted to completely capture the Hetao before his birthday, and planned to celebrate his birthday with a remarkable achievement of regaining the territory, so he repeatedly urged Liang Fuchen to fight quickly, and also
Forcing Liang Fuchen to make a wrong decision and give up the defensive and actively seek a battle... If this is the case, the victory or defeat situation will probably change!
Well, after today's morning court is over, I will send a secret letter to all the important figures in the Shaanxi-Gansu border army as soon as possible, telling them to be steady. If Liang Fuchen wants a quick victory, he must try to delay the opportunity.
, no matter what, you must not take the initiative to ask for war!"
Just as Zhao Junchen secretly made a decision, Emperor Deqing's eyes also turned to Zhao Junchen.
Emperor Deqing's smile did not diminish and he said: "Haha, why is Zhao Aiqing silent? You are also responsible for this great victory! If it weren't for your planning and layout, the imperial court's recovery of Hetao would not be what it is today.
It went so smoothly! No wonder I urged you to return to the capital in such a hurry. If you still stay in Shaanxi and Gansu, this great victory will also allow you to get another military reward! However, there are many things that the imperial center cannot do without.
You, if you manage it successfully, you will be equally meritorious! As for the Hetao battle, it is better to leave it to Liang Fuchen, he also did a good job."
Emperor Deqing's words were both comfort and encouragement!
Just looking at the surface, Emperor Deqing regretted that Zhao Junchen had lost a military merit, and emphasized that Zhao Junchen had also done a good job in handling the central affairs of the temple. But secretly, the role played by Liang Fuchen in Shaanxi and Gansu could be completely replaced.
Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen's role in the imperial court is not indispensable, so Zhao Junchen must not get carried away.
Zhao Junchen could naturally understand the profound meaning of Emperor Deqing, but he did not refute, but said in a respectful manner: "Your Majesty, the reason why I am silent is not because I blame Your Majesty for urging me to return to the capital in a hurry, but because I am thinking...
This is a congratulatory gift to His Majesty! His Majesty’s birthday this year is a rare blessing in history. I had prepared a birthday gift in advance, but now it seems that this gift is too light. It is celebrated by all the world.
At this time, I was a little overwhelmed, so I was busy thinking of ways to make up for it!"
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Emperor Deqing still laughed and said: "It's just a birthday gift, it's fine if you have some sincerity. How can I care about the importance of the gift? Zhao Aiqing, as long as you help me handle the court affairs,
It’s the best gift!”
At this point, Emperor Deqing's expression suddenly became more serious, and he added: "Liang Fuchen's good news is certainly a boost to morale, but the current focus of the court is not the battle in the Hetao, but the blockage of water transportation! Zhao Aiqing, you should also
I heard that the water transportation was suddenly blocked. The grain and autumn taxes from various places could not be transported to the capital in time. However, the money and grain of the Ministry of Revenue had bottomed out, and even the river workers' money could not be paid out! If this continues, the government and the opposition will inevitably be in trouble.
It’s going to be chaos! That’s why I hardened my heart and recruited you to attend the court meeting despite being sick, just because I want you to sit in charge of the Household and Work Department again and help the court solve the water transportation problem!"
Zhao Junchen looked obligated and said with confidence: "It is my duty to share your majesty's worries! I promise your majesty that within three days, enough money for the river engineering can be raised! Within ten days, the Ministry of Industry and
Yamen in various places can start construction to clear water transportation! Within twenty days, the first batch of water transportation money and grain will arrive in the capital!"
As Zhao Junchen boasted about Haikou, everyone in the court was immediately shocked, attracting all the officials to pay attention!
Upon hearing Zhao Junchen's assurance, the first reaction of many officials was that it was absolutely impossible and they wanted to refute it!
However, thinking that the person who praised Haikou was Zhao Junchen, and thinking about Zhao Junchen's many past achievements, the officials could only remain silent even if they did not believe it, and did not dare to question it in public!
On the other side, Emperor Deqing was overjoyed and nodded: "Okay, Zhao Aiqing has indeed lived up to my expectations! With Aiqing's guarantee, I feel at ease!"
Seeing Zhao Junchen's efforts, Emperor Deqing reciprocated the favor. He looked around the Hall of Supreme Harmony and asked, "Is Li Chengru here?"
After being dismissed from his official position, Li Chengru was still a white servant. At this time, he naturally stood at the end of the line of officials. After hearing Emperor Deqing's inquiry, he quickly stepped forward and said: "The guilty minister is here!"
Emperor Deqing looked at Li Chengru and said, "Ever since Zhao Aiqing entered the cabinet to assist the government, the position of the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue has been vacant. No suitable candidate has been found for a long time, which has also caused chaos in the Yamen of the Ministry of Revenue. I
After consulting Zhao Aiqing for advice, Zhao Aiqing immediately recommended you to me, thinking that you have rich experience in the Ministry of Household Affairs and are in your prime of life. Although you have made some mistakes in the past, you have fully repented of them. You are the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
The best candidate! Li Chengru, let me ask you, are you confident in managing the household department well?"
Li Chengru did not hesitate and replied quickly: "I will do my best and dare not let down His Majesty's holy hope!"
"Very good! In this case, I will appoint you as the Secretary of the Ministry of Hubu again! After today's meeting, you can go to the Ministry of Hubu to take up the post! During this period, Zhao Gechen will be in charge of the Yamen of the Ministry of Hubu. For the time being, you will take Zhao Gechen as your supervisor.
Lord! Minister Ma and Minister Hong, you two must conscientiously assist Li Shangshu from now on!"
"I obey the decree!"
As Emperor Deqing finished speaking, Li Chengru, Ma Sen, Hong Zhengshuo and other officials from the Ministry of Revenue came out to take orders.
In this way, Li Chengru became the new Minister of Household Affairs!
However, Emperor Deqing publicly stated that Zhao Junchen recommended Li Chengru to become the Minister of Household Affairs. It seemed that he wanted Li Chengru to be grateful to Zhao Junchen, but in fact it caused a lot of trouble for Zhao Junchen.
With the appointment of Emperor Deqing, Zhao Junchen could clearly feel the sad eyes of many "Zhao Party" officials looking at him.
In the eyes of the "Zhao Party" officials, it is simply unreasonable for Zhao Junchen to hand over the lucrative job of Minister of Household Affairs to an outsider!
Noticing the changes in the mood of the "Zhao Party" people, Zhao Junchen smiled bitterly in his heart, feeling that Emperor Deqing's little tricks were really annoying!
However, after all, they are just some small tricks that are not on the table, and Zhao Junchen can easily solve them.
Zhao Junchen just turned his attention to several officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs who came out to lead the order. They were all dissidents who had been placed in the Ministry of Household Affairs by various factions during this period! As his eyes fluctuated, Zhao Junchen had already made arrangements for himself in his heart.
Alright, here’s the work content for the next few days!
First, of course, it was to solve the water transportation congestion of the imperial court.
Secondly, bribe Li Chengru for your own use as soon as possible!
Finally, he took action to rectify the Hubu Yamen and drive out Ma Sen, Hong Zhengshuo and other officials who were not his trusted officials from the Hubu!