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"The great victory in the northwest has greatly boosted the country's prestige. When the news of victory came, the whole country celebrated; this battle spread to the northwest. The Huanqing Second Road was run to appease Fan Zhongyan, the envoy from Yuanbian, and the Qinfeng Road was run to appease Han Qi, the envoy from Jingyuan.
Su Jin, the prefect of Weizhou, made a plan to appease the envoys on the edge of the road and dealt with it calmly. With the limited military power and supplies in the northwest, he defeated hundreds of thousands of Western bandits and wiped out more than 60,000 enemies. The Western bandits were defeated and defeated.
Return, strive to maintain peace on the border, and work hard, so you should be rewarded."
Huang Peisheng's high-pitched voice echoed in the hall, and all the ministers held their breath and listened with rapt attention.
"I have made a special decree today to commend and promote the three ministers who have made the most contributions. Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan were promoted to the position of deputy envoy of the Privy Council, and their salaries were increased by two levels. In view of the fact that the situation in the northwest has not yet been completely clear and the Song-Xia peace talks have not been concluded, Fan Zhongyan still retains his original position.
On duty, Han Qi took up the post of Deputy Privy Envoy immediately; promoted Su Jin, the prefect of Weizhou, to appease the border envoys of Qin and Feng in Jingyuan, increased his salary by two levels, and knew Qinzhou; rewarded Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan Su Jin with ten coins
Ten thousand, fifty pieces of silk, and a jade Buddha to be consecrated in Xingguo Temple by Mrs. Su Jin’s mother, Gaoming Wang, in recognition of her charity and respect, and her ability to educate her children. I admire this!”.
The ministers exploded. Such a reward was simply too shocking. Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan were promoted to the Privy Council. Shortly after the year, there was a proposal in the court to transfer these two people back to the capital to take up important positions. After all, these two people were promoted to the Privy Council.
His talent and character are enough to take on important responsibilities, and he is also famous in the Song Dynasty; but Su Jin's appointment greatly exceeded everyone's expectations. Although this person was the number one scholar in this year's new subject, his original appointment as the prefect of Weizhou was already a special favor from the emperor.
, does not conform to the official system; and with the help of the Northwest War, it is already very remarkable to be able to secure the position of Weizhou magistrate. I thought that at most he would be given a false title such as a bachelor, but he did not expect that the emperor would suddenly promote him to a full official.
He was in the position of envoy, and even Qinfeng Road came under his jurisdiction.
In this case, Su Jin suddenly became the number two figure in the Northwest Fourth Road, Fan Zhongyan's position in the northwest was unbreakable, and Su Jin replaced Han Qi as the powerful faction in the northwest.
The two roads are slightly less important, but their area and population are much larger. Everyone was dumbfounded, and they could vaguely feel the rise of a new star in the court; such a speed of promotion is comparable to that of flying into the sky.
There was no one before the Song Dynasty, and there will probably be no one after in the future.
The three people shouted long live and knelt down to express their gratitude. Su Jin felt like he was in a dream. The emperor had turned away from his previous stinginess and was too generous this time. In the past, he had handled food services by himself, punished the officials in Yangzhou and Luzhou, and retired without any loss.
The rewards given to the Liao envoy were all superficial favors. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in the northwest, he immediately became a big profit maker. He was suddenly appointed as the envoy of Qin, Feng, and Jingyuan. Even he himself could not believe it.
.
Naturally, some of the officials held different opinions. Du Yan, Xia Song and others were unhappy. However, the Battle of the Northwest completely reversed the trend. The whole country and the court were immersed in peace and joy. To jump out at this time was to find discomfort with oneself.
Furthermore, Xia Song knew better than anyone how difficult this mess in the Northwest was to manage. Once the war stopped, the imperial government's relief to the Northwest would also stop. From then on, all roads in the Northwest would have to rely on their own efforts, leaving nearly a million people in extreme poverty.
This cannot be achieved by bragging; once the people have no food to eat, there will be chaos within the West, so it is better to let this seventeen-year-old boy make mistakes on his own
, it will be more appropriate to come forward to accuse and impeach him at that time.
The ministers congratulated Su Jin and the other three people one after another, and the three people also bowed and returned the gift in a humble and polite manner.
"Three dear friends, we still need to keep up the good work. I, the Song Dynasty, still need you to work harder and harder. Don't be proud and complacent." Zhao Zhen said with a smile.
Fan Zhongyan said: "How dare I? I want to ask how far the peace talks with the Western thieves have progressed. If the peace talks fail, production will not be restored, which will affect the livelihood of nearly a million people in the northwest. I hope the court will give an accurate answer soon."
."
Zhao Zhen asked Du Yan: "Privy Du, the peace negotiation is your responsibility. Does Xia Envoy have any new proposals?"
Du Yan said: "Your Majesty, after the great victory in the northwest, Ambassador Xia's attitude has changed drastically. He made several new suggestions yesterday and has been quite restrained. I think I can agree to it."
Zhao Zhen said: "Oh? What new proposals were raised?"
Du Yan said: "I would like to ask Han Jiang, the chief minister, to go to the palace to make a detailed statement."
Zhao Zhen said: "Yes!"
The chamberlain immediately conveyed the order, and soon Han Jiang, who was tall and arrogant, came to the temple. After paying homage, he stood aside respectfully. When Su Jin heard the name Han Jiang, he was familiar with it.
, he immediately remembered that this person was the second in the top three list of the same subject as him. Unexpectedly, this person was also very capable, and he managed to get into the position of the leader of the negotiations between Song and Xia so quickly. He was obviously not an ordinary person.
Su Jin originally wanted to say hello to him, but when he looked over, Han Jiang's eyes showed a faint indifference, as if he didn't even notice Su Jin. Su Jin knew that this person was not easy to get along with.
, when the rankings came out, there were rumors that Han Jiang was not convinced that he was the top pick in high school. Although Su Jin didn't take it to heart, she was still quite unhappy at the moment when her hot face was pressed against her cold butt.
"Han Jiang, tell me about the peace talks with Ambassador Xia in the near future." It was obvious that Zhao Zhen admired Han Jiang, and he spoke kindly with a smile.
Han Jiang stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the Xia envoy was unruly and rude. He initially made many rude requests, but all the ministers refuted them one by one. The Xia envoy saw that our Song Dynasty had a clear and firm attitude and made several new suggestions in recent days.
I feel that the peace negotiation is expected, and I am waiting to report it to Privy Councilor Du in detail."
Zhao Zhen said: "Just tell me here. It happens that three adults from the northwest are also here. They have some understanding of the situation or may have better suggestions."
Han Jiang nodded and said: "Yes, yesterday the Xia envoy Ye Li Renrong proposed three new proposals. The first one is that the boundary demarcation should be based on the beginning of the war in the first year of Baoyuan. Each side will retreat fifty miles, and the border walled city will be hundreds of miles away.
No soldiers will be stationed to avoid conflicts."
Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "This is considered a sincere move. Compared with the actual control of the border today compared to the first year of Baoyuan, we, the Song Dynasty, are at a slight disadvantage. In this way, it is equivalent to regaining the lost territory on the border without a fight.
, I can agree to it.”
Han Jiang said: "I think so too. Since the emperor thinks it is okay, this article will..."
"Wait a minute!" someone shouted in a deep voice.
When everyone took a look, it turned out that Fan Zhongyan came to interrupt Han Jiang with a dark face.
"Fan Aiqing, is there anything wrong with this?" Zhao Zhen asked in surprise.
"I am reporting to the Emperor that I have no objection to the demarcation of the border, but how can we agree to it if both sides withdraw fifty miles each?"
"What? Isn't it a sign of mutual sincerity that each retreats?"
"Your Majesty, don't be deceived by the Western Bandits. The borders of the Western Bandits are quite different from the borders of the Song Dynasty. Take our border around Qingfu and Yan as an example. The cities and fortresses built along the border by the Song Dynasty are quite different.
There are at least fifteen or six large and small cities. These cities and towns form a three-dimensional blockade on our border. The Xia army's attack on these walls is a good guarantee for blockade along the way. However, the border of the Western Bandits is a white desert. They mainly use cavalry to fight, and they will fight day and night.
But they came with a large-scale cover-up, so there is no need to build a city wall at all. If we agree to their suggestion of retreating fifty miles, a large number of our city walls will be useless, and our army's insistence on counterattack strategy will be invisibly disintegrated."
Zhao Zhen frowned and said: "However, after the two sides have reached a peace agreement, there will be no need to station troops in the walled city."
Fan Zhongyan said loudly: "How can the emperor have such an idea? You still don't know the temperament of the Western thief? Now he is only making peace because he is unable to fight anymore. How can this mean that the world is at peace? The emperor must not think like this."
Zhao Zhen frowned and remained silent, but Du Yan stood up and said, "Deputy Envoy Fan should be careful in his words. Are you reprimanding the emperor? Retreating is a sign of sincerity. If there is no sincerity in the peace negotiation, why should we negotiate for peace?"
Han Qi stepped forward and said: "Privilege Du, I have something to say that you don't like to hear. You don't understand the Western thieves too much. This is not the only time the Western thieves have gone back on their word. What did Taizu Taizong and the late emperor do to them in the past? They still have Aren’t we still condemning Song Zili? How can we believe the cunning fox’s words?”
Du Yan's face turned ugly and he said: "This is just a discussion of this matter, and you have dug out old accounts to settle the matter. According to what you said, I can also say that your Han Qi's words are not credible, because if you go back further, you Han Qi can't be trusted." There has never been a villain in Qi’s ancestors who went back on his word?”
Han Qi's face turned livid with anger and said: "You... how can Privy Du talk nonsense about other people's ancestors? Even if you are my superior officer, I will not tolerate you talking like this."
Xia Song came out to smooth things over and said: "Two gentlemen, please don't argue. Privy Du is just making a metaphor. Since this article is controversial, let's put it aside for now. Why do you have to be so red-faced and thick-necked?"
Fan Zhongyan shook his head and said: "It's not a matter of putting it aside, but of deleting the proposal to withdraw troops. We, the Song Dynasty, are sincere, but we can't be wary of others. Not only can we not withdraw our troops for fifty miles, but on the contrary, even if the two sides coexist peacefully, the border It is even more necessary to build more fortresses and improve the defense system to nip problems in the bud; I suggest that after Mr. Su returns, more fortresses must be built north of Jingyuan Road."
Su Jin smiled and said: "To be honest with Fan Shuai, before I entered Beijing, eight dangerous locations within a hundred miles north of Weizhou had been delineated to build cities. I can't let the Western thieves take advantage of the loopholes."
At this point, Zhao Zhen finally understood that the attitude of the three people in the northwest was very clear, and they would never agree to the retreat. Although Zhao Zhen felt that the three northwest officials were too cautious, it was probably a habit developed in the northwest for a long time. , but it’s always right to be careful. It doesn’t matter if you delete this article. If the Xia people don’t agree to delete it, then their intentions will naturally be exposed. If they agree, everyone will be happy.