Let's say that on this day, the quiet whip was sounded three times, and hundreds of civil and military officials arrived. Zhao Ji sat down in the Jinluan Hall with an angry look on his face.
The head official of the palace shouted: "If you have something to do, go out early and play early, if you have nothing to do, roll up the curtain and leave the court."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tong Guan came out and said: "Now Chao Gai from Liangshan has gathered a gang of thugs, stolen Qingzhou and Zizhou, killed countless officials and people, and wants to follow the example of La La in the south of the Yangtze River and usurp the throne. This is a serious problem, if not
If we carry out the extermination early, it will develop into a traitorous force that will be difficult to subdue. Please pray for the Holy Judgment."
Zhao Ji is also a smart man. Hearing this, he glanced at the people in the audience and said in a deep voice: "There are five thousand forbidden troops stationed in Qingzhou. If Chao Gai can conquer Qingzhou, he is afraid that a lot of chaos will gather. How come I never listen to anyone
Have you ever told Chao Gai?"
Su Yuanjing raised his brows and said: "I heard that the Liangshan bandits robbed Dongping Mansion and Gaotang Prefecture. I have all reported it, and the Holy One has also approved it. I guess the Holy One forgot about it."
When Zhao Ji heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned and turned to look at Liang Shicheng.
Liang Shicheng hurriedly approached Zhao Ji and whispered: "The Holy Emperor was busy with calligraphy and painting at that time. My servant thought that Chao Gai was just a grass bandit, so he approved the Privy Council to send troops to suppress him. Afterwards, my servant also reported the matter to the Emperor."
Zhao Ji thought about it and found out that Liang Shicheng had indeed told him that Jingdong was in trouble again.
Zhao Ji had a wide range of interests and was obsessed with pleasure, but he was impatient to reply to memorials every day, so he often asked Liang Shicheng to reply on his behalf, which gave Liang Shicheng the opportunity to control the government.
Zhao Ji nodded and said: "I remembered it, but I approved the Privy Council to send troops to exterminate the Liangshan bandits. So why did the Liangshan bandits not only fail to be wiped out, but instead became more violent and occupied Qingzhou and Zizhou?"
Tong Guan hurriedly said: "The bandits in Liangshan are cunning and hid in the water after plundering. The water in Liangshan has a radius of more than 800 miles. It cannot be destroyed without building a large number of boats and encircling and suppressing them with a large army. I have repeatedly dispatched troops and generals, but they have also been killed."
Some bandits, but every time the bandits were defeated, they fled into the water and hid in the eight hundred miles of water. The imperial court also had a plan to unite the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty and regain the sixteen states of Yanyun. The Liangshan bandits were no more than a disease of mustard moss.
I wanted to wait until the Liao Kingdom was destroyed before conquering the Liangshan bandits. Unexpectedly, I allowed the bandits to become powerful and stole Qingzhou and Zizhou. Please punish me if I am a minor minister."
Zhao Ji was also devoted to his dream of regaining the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and becoming the first king of the Song Dynasty, and Tong Guan was his preferred marshal for the Northern Expedition. How could he punish Tong Guan too much? Moreover, the Manichaean sect in Jiangnan is now even more serious.
, there were Manichaeans causing trouble in several roads to the southeast. A few days ago, he just issued an order to have Tong Guan serve as the envoy to Jiang, Huai, Jing, and Zhejiang to attack Fang La.
After thinking for a while, he said: "You cannot escape responsibility for this matter, so I will fine you one year's salary."
Seeing how easily Tong Guan had revealed the matter, he quickly said: "The humble minister will be punished."
Zhao Ji frowned and said: "The Liangshan bandits stole Qingzhou and caused chaos in Zizhou. They are extremely treasonous and unethical. Who can share our worries and lead the troops to exterminate these bandits?"
When all the officials heard this, they fell silent.
Although everyone did not know the details, they knew that they were defeated by Liangshan bandits several times. Even Gao Qiu's brother was killed, and Gao Qiu was unable to take revenge.
Gao Qiu may not be very smart himself, but he is the commander-in-chief of the palace and has many powerful generals under his command.
Everyone did not feel that they were more powerful than all Gao Qiu's men, so no one dared to pick up Zhao Ji's words.
Zhao Ji waited for a while and couldn't help but said angrily: "A little grass bandit, you generals like him can't do anything to him? Then what do I need you for?"
Zhao Ji scolded everyone for a while, but finally thought of his own slave and said, "Tong Guan, please postpone the use of troops to the south of the Yangtze River for now. First wipe out the bandits in Liangshan and then go south."
The new prime minister Wang Fu said hurriedly: "I think that Privy Tong's expedition against Fang La cannot be delayed. Manichaes are all over the south of the Yangtze River and are already causing trouble in many places. If they are united, we will be very difficult to conquer again. Besides, the southeast is
The imperial court has a heavy tax base. As long as the Manichaeans are not wiped out, the tax revenue will not be able to be used. I am afraid that it will delay the alliance with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty."
When Zhao Ji heard that it might delay the alliance with the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Liao Dynasty, he immediately gave up the discussion and said instead: "Then who else can take on this important task?"
Tong Guan said: "I think that if Gao Taiwei is allowed to lead the army to conquer Liangshan, it will be successful immediately."
Gao Qiu couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this.
He had always been at odds with Tong Guan, and Liangshan had a deep hatred for him. It was not that he did not want to lead troops to exterminate the Liangshan bandits. It was just that Hu Yanzhuo and Guan Sheng had not been heard from before, and he did not think he was any better than the two of them.
, so I dare not accept the order.
After hearing Tong Guan recommend him, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of obstacle Tong Guan wanted to put in his way.
Gao Qiu was still thinking about it, but Zhao Ji had already said: "If you didn't remind me, I would have forgotten about Gao Taiwei. Gao Taiwei is skilled in boxing and stick, and he has won battles in the Western Army. It should be easy to annihilate Liangshan. Gao Taiwei, you
Are you willing to share your worries with me?"
Hearing this, Gao Qiu hurriedly came out and said: "It's not that I don't want to serve, it's just that I've been feeling a little unwell recently, and I'm afraid of missing important military and national affairs, so I don't dare to come out to take credit."
When he heard what Zhao Ji said, he broke out in a cold sweat. His fist stick was only good for fooling a member of the royal family like the emperor, but it was a third-rate standard when it came to the arena, let alone going into battle to kill the enemy. The victory of the Western Army was even more impressive.
It's not worth mentioning that the people who went down to the court were just serving as supervisors. The actual command of the battle was the generals of the Western Army. They were just stealing military exploits.
Zhao Ji was very concerned about this playmate. Hearing this, he hurriedly said: "You are an important minister of the country, so you should take more care of yourself. After you retire from the court, I will ask the imperial doctor to go to your house for treatment."
Gao Qiu quickly thanked the emperor for his kindness, but did not mention the matter of leading troops to the expedition.
Zhao Ji also said: "Since Gao Qing can't go on an expedition, who else can help me share my worries?"
Tong Guan retreated to Gao Qiu and said, "The Liangshan thieves have a deep hatred for Gao Taiwei. This is a good opportunity for revenge. How can you hesitate?"
Gao Qiu did not play riddles with Tong Guan. He shook his head and said: "The Liangshan bandits have developed a banditry. How can they be wiped out so easily? You have taken the elite of the Western Army to wipe out Fang La. Where can I go to find elite soldiers? If I lose,
When the time comes, I'm afraid that someone will add insult to injury. Concubine Murong is watching this battle in the palace, so it must not be so easy to hide."
It turns out that after Liangshan captured Qingzhou and Zizhou, Liang Shicheng also hid the news from Zhao Ji. However, Concubine Murong somehow found out about her brother's death. She cried and made trouble at Zhao Ji's place, which made Zhao Ji prepare to go to court to question the officials.
However, Liang Shicheng had already known what happened in the palace and secretly informed everyone. Therefore, before Zhao Ji could get angry, Tong Guan came out to report what happened in Liangshan.
Tong Guan said with a smile: "The bandits in Liangshan have left their lair without permission and have lost their geographical advantage. According to reports from various places, Liangshan's soldiers and horses are only 20,000 at most. I will lead 200,000 soldiers and horses to annihilate Fangla. Gao Taiwei can lead 100,000 soldiers and horses."
Destroy Chao Gai. Use 100,000 imperial troops to annihilate 20,000 rioters. If Gao Taiwei is not confident yet, he can mobilize some elite soldiers and generals from the imperial camp. He will not be afraid of the Liangshan bandits."
Gao Qiu stared at Tong Guan suspiciously and said, "What does this matter have to do with the Prime Minister?"
Tong Guan said with a smile: "Now I only want to regain the title of king of the sixteen states of Yanyun. If you can wipe out the Liangshan bandits, after I wipe out Fang La, I can concentrate on preparing to conquer Liao."
Gao Qiu naturally knew that Tong Guan dreamed of being the first eunuch prince. Hearing what he said, he had no doubts anymore. He immediately went out to ask for orders to lead troops to destroy Liangshan. (To be continued. Please search Piao Tian Literature for better and updated novels. quick!)