The late autumn night is getting colder and frost is everywhere.
Shao Shude returned to the military camp outside Shacheng Town and interviewed several officials who hurriedly arrived.
"How many people did Palace Superintendent Ximen gather?"
Ximen Zhongsui hesitated for a moment and said: "There are more than four thousand people, mainly Shence Zuojun."
"Have you ever given rewards to the sergeants?"
The recruitment system of the imperial dynasty was not very mature. Strictly speaking, sergeants were not paid. They were given a little food every month to the family members who came with the army, and some cloth for making clothes in spring and autumn. Rewards were only given out on important holidays. There was no fixed amount.
.
When Mu Zong first ascended the throne, he paid 60 cents to each member of the Shence Army, but usually the income of the Shence sergeants was only a few cents. It was indeed so rich that it made the sergeants from other towns jealous.
Rewards account for almost half of a sergeant's income. They are different from the "rewards" that people in later generations would normally understand. They are actually wages.
"I was given two pieces of silk and four bolts of silk." Ximen Zhongsui felt a little ashamed. The reward was much less than usual. It is understandable that the soldiers were dissatisfied.
"So much?" Shao Shude was surprised. It was much more than the reward given by Shuofang's army at one time: "Where did the wealth come from?"
Ximen Zhongsui was a little embarrassed and didn't say anything. But everyone knew that he probably blackmailed him from somewhere nearby with the threat of robbery, right?
"Prince Ximen, how do you think the imperial court should be revived now?" Shao Shude stopped asking about the sergeant's reward and asked another question.
Well, it sounds a bit mindless, but the meaning contained in it is not simple, and it involves Beisi's attitude.
Marshal Shao has decided to get deeply involved in government affairs. Due to the current situation, of course he will not intervene directly, but indirect influence is inevitable.
Logically speaking, Ximen Zhongsui has worked with him for a long time and is a very good candidate to control the North Division. But the problem is that Ximen Zhongsui did not completely support him. He has his own position.
The reason for the happy cooperation in the past was for no other reason than that the Lieutenant General of the Northern Division just wanted to stabilize his position and did not want any changes in the court. In addition, the court officials were constantly planning one ridiculous conspiracy after another, so Ximen,
It's not surprising that Shao and Shao would join forces, they just get what each other needs.
But Shao Shude now clearly wants to usurp their power. What he is looking for is an agent, not a collaborator. Or even if he is not an agent, at least he must be an in-depth collaborator who can cooperate on major matters.
Ximen Zhongsui knew the seriousness of this question. After thinking about it, he still replied: "The imperial court should calm it down..."
Shao Shude was not very satisfied with this answer and asked again: "I would like to declare Wang Bian as the envoy of Fengtian and guard the Qianling Mausoleum for the imperial court. How about that?"
Ximen Zhongsui's expression remained unchanged and he asked: "May I ask, Your Highness, where does Fengtian Jiedushi rule?"
"The five counties of Fengtian, Haoji, Wugong, Yucuo, and Liquan were placed in Qianzhou and became the jurisdiction of Fengtian Jiedu Envoy." Shao Shude said.
This was the area under the jurisdiction of Qi Kejian when he was appointed as Fengtian Jiedushi in the first year of Zhonghe. The background at that time was that Huang Chao entered Chang'an and might invade the west at any time.
Stay on the line.
Of course, after Huang Chao was pacified, the imperial court quickly dismissed Qi Kejian from his post.
The imperial court still wants to work hard to control Jingzhao Mansion and does not want anyone to take it away.
However, in history, after Li Maozhen rose to prominence, he became dominant in Guanzhong and once controlled most places except Jingzhao Prefecture and Huazhou. He even controlled Yanzhou and Shannan West Road in the north of Guanzhong, and made a move to the south. An attempt in Shuzhong. Li Maozhen was so powerful that it was of course impossible not to reach out to Jingzhao Mansion, Qianzhou, and Yaozhou to control him. But his soldiers were so bad that Li Ke used to abuse him at will, and Zhu Quanzhong He came and tortured him at will, and was even beaten by the Bian army with epic results ranging from 5,000 to 60,000.
Shao Shude's desire to establish Qianzhou was also his first attempt to control Jingzhao Prefecture. If it goes well, he may later ask to establish Yaozhou and govern six counties: Huayuan, Fuping, Sanyuan, Yunyang, Tongguan, and Meiyuan.
As soon as these two states were established, almost half of the Jingzhao Mansion was taken away. You can imagine how the imperial court would feel. I don’t know how they maintained it in history. Maybe it was because they didn’t need to maintain many troops. , it only takes a few thousand people and ten thousand soldiers to maintain order in Chang'an.
"Your Highness, this matter is difficult." Of course Ximen Zhongsui knew that Shao Shude's words were meant to test him. A bad answer might lead to disaster, but he still felt that he had to fight for it: "Jingzhao Mansion, the imperial court The land is rich in wealth and is divided into five counties. It may lead to financial difficulties for the imperial court and another unrest in the capital."
Shao Shude looked at him seriously, suddenly smiled, and said: "Prince Ximen is really a loyal man, and there is hope for your Majesty's restoration."
Ximen Zhongsui has also been in power for many years and is a man who can express his emotions and anger. However, when faced with the warriors who often lift the table, he still feels overwhelmed. After listening to Shao Shude's words, he broke out in a cold sweat and sighed in his heart.
Perhaps, those words just now had greatly offended King Xia.
…
In Shacheng Town, the saint was discussing matters with the three prime ministers Cui Yin, Wang Tuan and Zheng Yanchang.
As for the former famous person Cui Zhaowei, he has lost the qualification to participate in secret affairs. The next step is probably to be demoted from the capital. It is unlikely that he will become a military governor. It would be good to be a governor. The worst thing is The situation is that he was demoted to a remote military state to serve as a household officer and join the army, such as Yazhou, Qianzhou, etc. This was often a prelude to death.
This was the case with the saint's former "confidant" Zhang Jun, but he secretly connected with Zhu Quanzhong and now went to Henan, so the court could not question him.
Cui Zhaowei was the second generation celebrity before the saint, and the saint once obeyed his advice. But as the saying goes, the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Once a saint hates someone, his hatred will be overwhelming. Cui Zhaowei can only ask for more. Blessed.
"I never expected that Yan's army would lead to chaos." The saint's eyes were slightly red, and he said, "My misdeeds have affected all the ministers."
Cui, Wang, and Zheng also had sad faces.
After a long time, it was Cui Yin who said: "Your Majesty, it is time to quickly quell the rebel troops and return to the capital. If we stay outside for a long time, something may happen."
"What happened?" The saint had some speculation in his mind, and something was wrong in his voice.
"I... I sent someone to the capital to inquire about it." Cui Yin replied: "There is turmoil in the capital and rioters are raging. There are rumors that Li Kuangwei and Shi Zan want to make King Ji the emperor."
"What?" The saint looked like he was about to shed tears just now, but now he became furious and turned to look at Shence Right Army Lieutenant Luo Quanguan.
"Your Majesty, someone has heard about this." Luo Quanguan was a middle-ranking official, and his words were not as polite as the court officials. He was only heard to say: "Kangwei is rebellious and said, 'Your Majesty is tired of coming to the throne.
, May King Ji oversee the country, and please His Majesty to take care of him in the East Palace.'"
Of course, Luo Quanguan still saved some face, because the rumors Li Kuangwei said were even more unpleasant, such as "What the Lord did is not the master of the country", and "Abolition of darkness to establish Ming Dynasty, the national plan" and so on, almost completely
Today it has been degraded to nothing.
No matter how domineering Luo Quanguan was, he would not provoke the saint so much. There was no need.
After hearing this, the saint pursed his lips tightly, not knowing what he was thinking.
Cui Yin, Zheng Yanchang and others made eye contact and were about to say something when the saint suddenly spoke.
"Looking at it now, Shao Qing is actually the most loyal." The saint's face turned green, and he said in a cold voice: "I have come to the imperial court. I always admire the virtue of living well, and I have no desire to kill. I don't want some people to be so arrogant and rebellious.
!”
Obviously, because someone always singled out King Ji to make trouble, the saint had murderous intentions towards him.
In addition, the saint's definition of loyal ministers is too unreliable. The same person is sometimes described as a rebellious minister and a traitor, and sometimes he is regarded as a loyal minister and a virtuous minister, which makes people confused.
"Your Majesty," Cui Yin's expression changed a little and he said anxiously.
"Cui Qing, please be calm and don't be impatient." The saint stopped Cui Yin's words and said: "I have ordered Shu De to be the commander of the camps on all sides of the capital in order to challenge Kuangwei and Shi Zan."
Having said this, he paused, thoughtfully.
There are some things that he cannot say conveniently. King Ji has not usurped the throne now, but he has usurped the throne. He can also use excuses to be coerced. There will definitely be many courtiers interceding by then, and most likely nothing will happen.
The saint deeply felt the threat of King Ji, because this was not once or twice. From the day of the late emperor's great success, the virtuous and elderly King Ji shrouded his heart like a dark cloud, biting his soul all the time.
If we could get rid of it once and for all, that would be great.
…
"Farm tools, seeds, and cattle needed by households in Huazhou must be prepared." After sending Ximen Zhongsui away, Shao Shude took the time to deal with official duties.
"Don't worry, Commander. All the treasuries in Lingzhou have accumulated funds. We can just distribute them and rent them to the people." Chen Cheng said: "It's just that the forced relocation of households still requires a large army to escort them. Which department does the Commander order to dispatch?"
Ten thousand households in Huazhou will soon be forcibly moved to Lingzhou to enrich their local household registration.
This state only has three counties, but it has a population of more than half a million, and each household has less than ten acres of land. It is really too crowded.
Tongzhou is similar, but not so exaggerated, with only more than 300,000 people.
After discussing with the palace officials, Shao Shude decided to move 10,000 Huazhou households from Tongzhou to Lingzhou, and then move 10,000 Huazhou households to Heyang. On the one hand, it can delay the pressure of Huazhou with more people and less land.
On the one hand, it can also enrich the household registration in Guanbei and Heyang, killing two birds with one stone.
"There are 30,000 soldiers in the Zhenguo army. Currently, 10,000 are in Qingtang, and 10,000 are in Pujin Pass and Fenglingdu. We can choose 5,000 troops to escort the people of Huazhou to Lingzhou. Send an order to Ren Yuji and let him
Send state soldiers to escort 10,000 households from Tongzhou to Lingzhou." Shao Shude ordered: "Wang Bian still has 3,000 soldiers on hand. Let him make it clear that he will escort 10,000 households from Huazhou to Heyang. After completing this mission, I will
Find him a good position."
"As ordered." Chen Cheng thought for a while and felt that there was nothing wrong with this decision.
"Commander." Zheng Yong, the tenth general of the army, called softly from outside.
"What's the matter? Come in and talk." Shao Shude glared at him and said.
"Commander, the sage sent the female official of the inner court, Yang, to discuss important matters." Zheng Yong came in and reported.
Chen Cheng and Zhao Guangfeng guessed everything almost instantly and looked at each other with smiles.
How could they not know the news that Cui Yin was able to find out? In fact, they knew more.
Li Kuangwei was already holding a grand ceremony for King Ji to supervise the country, and captured some of the officials who had not escaped in time, intending to let them pay homage.
Most of the saints already knew about this at this time, and one can imagine how he felt.
Neither a middle official nor a court official was sent to contact him, but only a female official from the inner court was sent. Why is it still unclear?
"Commander, maybe this is the condition..." Chen Cheng said vaguely.
Shao Shude nodded slightly to indicate his understanding.
After testing Ximen Zhongsui, he had already sentenced this man to death. It was not necessary to kill him, but it was necessary to replace him with someone obedient. Zhongguan Han Quanhui was his preferred candidate, but he still summoned him to negotiate.
After a discussion, the final decision can be made, that is, who will give this blessing.
In addition, Nanya court officials also need to make arrangements.
He wanted Xiao Qu to be the prime minister, but he felt that his qualifications were insufficient and his age was too young. He was only in his thirties and not yet forty. This age was too young for the prime minister.
If it really doesn't work, Du Rang can only be allowed to return to Beijing.
Of course, Shao Shude hopes to search again in the capital to see if anyone takes the initiative to join him. Cui Yin is also an alternative, but further observation is needed.
This person must not have too many ambitions, lest he cause a mess and set his backyard on fire. At the same time, he must also have some skills to handle many affairs in the court. He must also be diplomatic and not make everyone miserable.
Self-danger.
Finally, you must have enough loyalty, this is the most basic thing.
It’s really hard to find this candidate.
"Let Yang come in." Shao Shude ordered someone to put away the maps, ultimatums, and military reports on the table.