Chapter 986: Mantle (two updates combined into one)
Zhending Mansion is full of autumn.
Autumn has entered early in the north, and the people of Zhending Prefecture, the northernmost territory of the Song Dynasty, have already put on thick clothes.
The autumn harvest was almost completed. In the past, the Liao cavalry frequently appeared on the border, and even disguised themselves as two households to enter the country for reconnaissance and plunder, but they did not appear this autumn.
The Song Army's cavalry was patrolling the "Forbidden Land". Even the Liao Kingdom's B Chamber Division, which had frequently herded horses southward in the past, did not appear in the Forbidden Land and Tianchi this year. Apparently, it had been restrained in some way.
In another history of time and space, Wang Anshi, who originally had serious differences with the emperor over the demarcation of the Song and Liao Dynasties, avoided this conflict.
Wang Anshi strongly supported the Song-Liao negotiations, and even did not hesitate to fight with the Liao State. He succeeded because of Zhang Yue's persistence. He advocated ceding territory and gave in to the Liao State in exchange for the official support of the Xia Dynasty. This was also because of the Song-Liao negotiations.
Success makes you feel good.
Historically, Lu Huiqing, who was going to attack Wang Anshi, was eliminated early because of Zhang Yue's action.
Therefore, Wang Anshi is still sitting on the phase and continues to control the phase.
However, Zhang Yue never expected that his father-in-law Wu Chong, who was also Prime Minister with Wang Anshi, could not stand up for anything and disagreed with Wang Anshi in every discussion. He could not bear it anymore and was forced to ask the emperor to resign as Prime Minister.
After Wu Chong requested several times, the officials agreed to let Wu Chong succeed Wen Yanbo in judging Daming Mansion.
Feng Jing, who was formerly involved in political affairs, Wang Guiping, Zhang Jun and State Affairs, and was informed of Chengdu Prefecture, succeeded Chen Shengzhi, who was ill and unable to serve as director, as Privy Councilor.
Zhang Yue returned to Beijing to replace Wang Gui as the counselor of political affairs.
When the imperial edict was issued to the Zhending Mansion, all the officials and officials of the Mansion gathered together to suppress them.
The official responsible for announcing the decree was Huang Lu, but he learned that Zhang Yue had gone to patrol the "forbidden area".
Huang Lu was responsible for leading people to declare the edict.
Cai Jing, who was accompanying Huang Lu, told him that the forbidden area was a buffer area between the two countries. It originally belonged to the territory of the Song Dynasty. However, in order to prevent the Liao cavalry from crossing the border and plundering the people, the officials from Chanzhou negotiated with the border states of the Song Dynasty to avoid trouble, so they transferred this area to the Song Dynasty.
All the people moved away, leaving only a few patrolling and guarding the borders.
Huang Lu asked: "How many miles is this forbidden area?"
Cai Jingdao: "In this negotiation, the Liao State clearly requested that the land of the Liao State be included in the land, including Wei, Dai, and the Huoshan Army, a total of 700 miles, not counting the Tianchi that was added later."
Huang Lu sighed after hearing this: "This dynasty is already suffering from the lack of buffers on the border between the two countries. If we lose these again, the Liao cavalry will almost arrive at dawn."
"Yes, all this was planned by Mr. Zhang!" Cai Jingxun asked in surprise, "How come the DPRK and the Central Government don't know anything about this?"
Huang Lu nodded and said: "Demarcation of boundaries is not a glorious matter, so no one publicizes it, and it is not even recorded in the official copy."
Cai Jing was thoughtful after hearing this, and he keenly guessed that someone might have deliberately suppressed the matter.
Huang Lu didn't explain too much, and then focused his attention on the line.
After Cai Jing's explanation, Huang Lu knew that after the Liao Kingdom had withdrawn its troops, the Song Army had set up bungalows and stockades around the forbidden area in accordance with the provisions of the Song and Liao State Letters.
There are still many two-subject households in the forbidden area. The imperial court allowed these two-subject households to pay tribute to the Liao and Song Dynasties. In addition, there are also herdsmen of the Yishi tribe, one of the four major tribes of the Liao Kingdom, haunting here. It was the Yishi tribe that invaded Tianchi before.
In the past, disputes and conflicts between the Song and Liao Dynasties often occurred due to conflicts between the two households and the invasion of the border.
Now Zhending Mansion has built more than 20 convenience stores, a stronghold, more than 10 and 20 soldiers in the houses, and 500 or 600 soldiers in the stronghold. These people are of no use in resisting the Liao army from going south, but they can prevent the Liao army from peeping at the Song Dynasty unscrupulously.
In order to maintain military conditions, Liao people were prohibited from invading farming and going south to herd horses.
Zhang Yue had made great achievements, but unfortunately most people in Bianjing didn't know about it. It seems that someone in the court was jealous of Zhang Yue's contribution, so they deliberately issued a hush-hush order, not allowing people to talk about it, and deliberately downplaying the matter.
However, officials still have a clear mind.
Huang Lu, Cai Jing and his party went north, and just saw Tang Jiu and Zhang Gong.
After Cai Jing asked the two of them on behalf of Huang Lu, they looked a little unnatural.
Huang Lu and Cai Jing followed their gazes and saw Zhang Yue carrying a large tree with a group of civilians in the woods on the hill.
If anyone else had seen this scene, they would have been so shocked that they would have dislocated their jaws, but Huang Lu knew Zhang Yue's temperament and was used to it.
The new Councilor Zhang Xianggong, dressed in short clothes and without even wearing a headscarf, was chatting and laughing with the civil servants.
"How can I know that a rich man cannot sit down in court and there are no Liao people doing meticulous work in these civilian services?" an accompanying official could not help but complain in a low voice.
Tang Jiuze said: "When Mr. Zhang visited the border, he always walked incognito. Regardless of whether he was rich or poor, noble or humble, the monks, laymen, officials and people all asked and talked about him in detail."
At this moment, Zhang Yue happened to raise his head and saw Huang Lu. He couldn't help but feel strange. He wiped the dirt on his hands and feet on his clothes and walked over to Huang Lu.
"Anzhong!"
Huang Lu said solemnly: "Ms. Zhang! The officials have issued an edict, asking you to return to Beijing and serve as a counselor for political affairs!"
Huang Lu stood beside the horse with the edict in both hands, and the officials and attendants on the left and right also bowed down. Not far away, Cai Jing, Tang Jiu, Zhang Gong and others stood silently, while the civilian servants just watched a group of officials and soldiers marching towards him.
The man who moved the big log with them bowed down and looked at a loss.
In the distance are the abandoned bungalows of the Song army and the devastation caused by herdsmen burning the mountain.
Cai Jing has brought a pot of wine and a clean cloth to wipe Zhang Yue's hands.
Zhang Yue took the edict from Huang Lu to pay homage to the governor and read it over. When he read the edict, Zhang Yue felt quite calm, and the fragrance of the wine came from his hand.
Zhang Yue said: "I accept the decree!"
Huang Lu and other officials were overjoyed to see Zhang Yue accept the edict.
In the Liao Dynasty, the privy envoys were placed above the prime ministers, while in the Song Dynasty, the situation was reversed by favoring civility and suppressing military power.
It can be said that one has been promoted from deputy privy envoy to political advisor.
Because it was getting late, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu stayed here that night.
Zhang Yue gave all the wine and food he had brought with him to the civilian servants to share, and drank them all together with the six pots of imperial wine that Huang Lu had brought from Bianjing.
Looking at the mist in the mountains and forests, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu sat and chatted while drinking wine from each other.
The firewood all around was burning brightly, dispelling the chill of autumn.
Huang Lu said: "It's His Majesty's wish that you serve as an official and participate in politics, but there are people in the court who want to suppress your achievements."
Zhang Yue wiped the drink from his mouth and smiled.
Huang Ludao: "The Khitan has always been the great enemy of this dynasty. From Taizong, Zhenzong and Renzong, which emperor has not been humiliated at its hands, but you are the only one who has defeated the Liao Kingdom this time and let Yelu Hongji personally lead an army of 300,000 to suppress the border."
Gain benefits."
"So the villains in the court will inevitably be wary of you."
Zhang Yue waved his hand, picked up the royal wine in his hand and said to Huang Lu: "You remember what I said, when I was young, I copied books for others to study. I told my classmates that Ban Dingyuan also copied books for others, so there is no shame in it.
You should stand out like him."
"Although I am now the prime minister, in terms of merit, I am far behind Ban Ding. When will I be able to seal the wolf as a coward, and when will I be able to restrain the stone Yanran? It's like the imperial wine in me, and Huo Qubing poured it into
Drinking from the spring with the soldiers of the three armies, how heroic it is."
"Think about how much the Song Dynasty lost today in terms of martial arts, people's morals and morals."
Huang Lu nodded and said, "Yes."
Zhang Yue pointed to the civilian servant who was doing sumo wrestling in the bonfire beside him and said: "Okimoto, look at this officer and soldier who is good at sumo wrestling."
Huang Lu followed his gaze and saw that this tall Song Jun had already knocked down several people.
"This person heard news about the Liao Kingdom many times and went to the frontier army to spread the news. During the Song and Liao border army's invasion of the land, this person also killed two Liao soldiers."
"But later the other party spilled the beans and revealed his identity as a Khitan. General Bian wanted to kill him as a spy. I found out about this and saved his life."
After hearing this, Huang Lu sighed: "It turns out he is a Khitan. No wonder this person is so skilled."
"Also, the Han people in Yanyun have been separated for a long time, and the people do not know the Han family in their homeland."
Zhang Yue sighed a lot, and then said to Huang Lu: "Although I have the ambition to go straight to Huanglong and break through Helan Mountain, I also know that this will not happen overnight."
Huang Ludao: "You are now participating in politics, and you are ruling the world in your prime. This is the time when you will make great achievements, so you don't need to worry about it."
"But just as Su Zizhan said in his poem, it's always cold at high places. It's time for you to think about retreating, so as not to be hasty in the future."
Zhang Yue put his hands on his hands and said with a smile: "What an excellent Anzhong, you really spoke what was in my heart. I dedicate this wine to you."
After speaking, Zhang Yue and Huang Lu each drank a large cup of wine.
Zhang Yue said: "In the past, I often had long talks with Senior Brother Cai and Senior Brother Guo, but now you are the only one left."
"I think of Lao Taishan, who had great power from official to prime minister, and countless disciples and former officials."
"But he takes care of me so that he can take care of their children and grandchildren in the future. I shouldn't think about this, but now that I am participating in politics, I should think about it carefully."
Huang Ludao: "Zunyue chose you as his son-in-law because he believed in your character. In the future, he will cultivate you not only to maintain the position, but also to hope that you will have ambitions. But what you are thinking about is not to maintain the position, but how to pass on the mantle!
"
"Because what you plan is not something that happens overnight, but something that takes ten, twenty, or even fifty years."
"Even if you die, the Tao will not disappear. Even if you lose your position today, there will still be someone to do it for you. This is the passing of the mantle."
Zhang Yue thought carefully after listening to Huang Lu's words.
Because of conflicting opinions, the power struggle in the Song Dynasty was very fierce among the governors.
It is very common for someone to be dismissed as prime minister after working for two or three years.
So it is very important to find someone to pass on the mantle.
When Wang Anshi was dismissed as Prime Minister, if Lu Huiqing had not supported him, the new law would have been abolished long ago.
In the night, Zhang Yue looked at the blazing bonfire in front of him and added more firewood and fuel.
Thinking of this, he said to Huang Lu: "Anzhong, you have thought of something I didn't think of."
"For those who plan for big things, persistence is more important than hard work, and altruism is more important than self-interest. In fact, when you tell me what big things I want to do, I only have a vague idea, and I just take it one step at a time."
"But you and I both know that if you want to achieve great things, you must choose a replacement. Please help me think about this candidate. First of all, I can't be like Lu Shengong (Lv Yijian) and Fu Zhenggong, who are like their own children and son-in-law.
Even my nephews from the Zhang family are not considered for selection."
Huang Lu was a little surprised after hearing Zhang Yue's words and said: "Zhifu and Zizheng are both extraordinary talents. You don't consider them?"
Zhang Yue thought of Zhang Zhi and Zhang Kai, who were very popular in the court.
From a certain perspective, starting from Zhang Dexiang, Zhang Pin, Zhang Dun, and Zhang Qi, they were all chosen from the same clan to support each other.
Lu Yijian is also the nephew of Lu Mengzheng.
Not to mention the father-son party of Yan Shu, Fu Bi, and Feng Jing, as well as the father-son party of Han Yi and Han Jiang.
These are all political traditions.
But Zhang Yue understood that although Zhang Zhi and Zhang Kai were outstanding, their political views were somewhat out of tune with his own.
The most important thing on this road is to take care of each other and protect future political interests.
But this is not what Zhang Yue is planning. The so-called passing of the mantle from generation to generation is just like DNA. It talks about first-class convergence, that is, replication.
You can be different in some places, but the most important aspect is inheritance.
Just like some ace armies, after years of battles, they still retain the military traditions and styles left by the first military commander.
So why is it said that Wang Anshi is so brilliant? He wrote a book called "New Meanings of the Three Classics" for this purpose.
Most prime ministers are afraid of people losing their temper in the future, but truly far-sighted politicians are guarding against the death of people and the government.
It is easy to prevent people from losing their jobs, but it is difficult to prevent people from losing their political power.
Just think about Zhang Juzheng’s death.
Therefore, if Zhang Yue wants to find this candidate, he must not look for it from his own relatives. This is because you have to give others room and opportunities to improve.
Zhang Yue said to Huang Lu: "When you get to my position, the most important thing is your ambition in this life. Even if you are extremely rich in the future, it will not be beneficial to the country, so you cannot be reconciled."
Huang Lu nodded and said: "A gentleman acts according to his position and does not want to be outside of it."
The two chatted here all night, as if they had returned to the time when they sat and discussed Taoism in Imperial College.
The two of them, who were still college students, were facing the bed, picking their feet and rubbing the thick mud on their bodies, while talking about their ideals and ambitions in life.
Zhang Yue said: "Anzhong, you have changed. You are not as high-spirited as you were back then."
Huang Lu said: "It turns out you haven't changed much."
Zhang Yue smiled, and the two sat there until early morning, watching the sun rise little by little from the horizon.
Zhang Yue walked to the bonfire that was still burning yesterday and woke up the Khitan sumo wrestler.
Zhang Yue said: "Will you follow me back to Bianjing?"
The Khitan man raised his head in confusion, then shook his head and said, "I won't go."
Everyone laughed when they heard this. Zhang Yue smiled and said to each other: "Do you have a Khitan name?"
The man said: "No, I grew up among the Han people. I don't know what the Khitan people are like. I can't speak Khitan language."
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "Well, I'll get one for you. If any Khitan people ask about it in the future, just say your name is Xiao Feng!"
The other party thought for a moment and said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Sir, for the name!"
…
Zhang Yue and Huang Lu returned to Zhending Mansion, and Lu Gongru led the officials and generals from the city to greet them ten miles away from the city.
After Zhang Yue returned to the camp, he explained to the officials who came to congratulate him one by one the follow-up matters of the demarcation between Song and Liao. After speaking, Zhang Yue took out dozens of empty petitions.
This was given to Zhang Yue by the official family before leaving Beijing this time.
An empty-handed lawsuit allowed Zhang Yue to directly appoint officials without being canonized by the emperor. Now there is only half of the lawsuit left. Zhang Yue, based on the principle that he has the right not to waste time and money, rewarded the officials below one by one based on their merits.
.
The Xuanfu Division's palace was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"The eleventh general of Hebei Road, promoted to one rank..."
The generals in the corridor heard a roaring sound in their throats: "Now he has been promoted to the horizontal class. Xu Liu is really a man of great virtue."
One by one, generals or officials walked down from the hall holding imperial edicts that were still ink-stained.
"What kind of official title have you been given?" Everyone came up to ask.
"Ashamed, ashamed!" The other party looked humble, but on his face he looked indescribably proud.
Lu Gongru on the side saw that the empty names in Zhang Yue's hands were disappearing one by one, and he couldn't help but whispered: "My lord, if you do this, I'm afraid the admonishers in the capital will criticize you. Why don't you write a few less."
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "No matter if you write less or more, there will be criticism, but it's not that you have written everything. We will let people talk about it after we return to Beijing."
Lu Gongru sighed and shook his head, thinking that Zhang Yue was the only one who dared to do this. He was a confidant of the official family and had just made great achievements. If he were someone else, he would definitely be charged with bribery of a general.
So most people can only tie their hands and do things by the rules.
Lu Gongru thought to himself that in order to achieve success, it is very important for the monarch and his ministers to be in harmony. Many capable people have failed at this point, and in the end their success failed.
Lu Gongru couldn't help but envy Zhang Yue.
Zhang Yue finished writing all the remaining empty names, and those who were rewarded were happy. As for those who were not rewarded, they also hated themselves for not paying attention to national affairs in the first place.
After finishing speaking, Zhang Yue called the officials from the shogunate to his room one by one.
The first person called was Xu Xi.
I finished my errands and returned to Beijing to pay my respects to the Prime Minister.
In addition to the border generals, the shogunate officials recruited by themselves must also be awarded officials and receive rewards.
When Xu Xi saw Zhang Yue, he bowed first. Zhang Yue asked him to take a seat, and then asked with a smile: "I heard that your son is already one month old."
Xu Xi said: "Replying to my husband, it is indeed true. The fortune teller came to the door and said that the dog will be rich and powerful in the future and can be the prime minister. My wife was very happy when she heard it. But I think the prime minister does not matter, it is enough to be a gentleman."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "That's good."
After saying this, Zhang Yue took a jade Ruyi and gave it to Xu Xi and said: "A gentleman is as good as jade, so I will give this to your son in the hope that he will succeed in the future."
Xu Xi smiled and thanked her.
Zhang Yue said in a casual tone: "Have you been very close to Tong Guan recently?"
Xu Xi was stunned, then nodded and said, "Yes."
Zhang Yue said: "Tong Guan is looking for talents for the government. You are the person who has the longest military skills under my command. I am not surprised that he seeks you."
Xu Xi panicked and wanted to stand up to explain. Zhang Yue patted him on the shoulder and said, "If there is a good way out, just go for it! In addition, I will put in a good word for you in your memorial."
Xu Xi said: "My lord, Tong Guan said that officials like me are determined to level up the Liao Dynasty. I will be of great use in the future. He said that he can introduce me to the officials. But my husband has said several times that I am too determined to stick to the policy."
Take the plunge.”
Zhang Yue was thoughtful after hearing this. He knew that the official wanted to return to the court by himself, which was an attempt to destroy Xia.
However, the official obviously did not appoint him to carry out the extermination of Xia, but planned to let him personally control and make plans from the side.
Therefore, Tong Guan sensed the official's intention, so he looked for Xu Xi from under his own staff, bypassing himself and recommending him to the official.
Of course, Xu Xi also felt that after working under him for many years, he had already learned the skills indistinguishably and was ready to start a career.
Zhang Yue said to Xu Xi: "You and I are both officials' officials, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you can stand out in the future, I will also be happy for you."
When Xu Xi heard this, he immediately bowed down and said, "My husband's kindness in nurturing me will be unforgettable to my students!"
Zhang Yue nodded and said, "You walked the road yourself, I'm just helping you."
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