The news that the fifth son of the Cai family had an affair with someone's concubine was caused by the storm in the city within three days, and it was well known to everyone. It even became a topic of conversation between the people in Bianliang City after drinking and tea, and they were talked about it with relish.

Although it was finally found out that the concubine did intervene with her husband and blackmail Cai Yan, it also proved that Cai Yan had an affair with him, and was finally beaten with fifty slams and was bombarded.

As for Cai Yan, no matter what, he couldn't tell why he went to Fanlou alone and entered the concubine's pavilion, and lived alone with the concubine to drink. Moreover, according to the waiter of Fanlou, Cai Yan had designated to go to Qingyue Pavilion as soon as he came in. It was from Qingyue Pavilion where the two waiters personally took Cai Yan into. It was definitely not that they broke in by accident, and they couldn't even lose their ties.

Anyway, the Cai family suffered a loss in this matter and could not say anything about it.

I originally thought I had a relationship with the official family, but Cai Yan and Emperor Maode had been resigned within five days of engagement, and it also made the official family furious, believing that the Cai family had brought shame to the royal family.

Of course, these are just official and folk sayings.

For Cai Jing's party, the whole story is clear, that is, their archenemy Zhao Hao set up a trap to frame Cai Yan.

The eunuch who came to deliver the letter to Cai Yan was called Zhang Di. Cai Yan recognized Zhang Di and believed it. But in fact, Zhang Di did not leave the palace that day, nor did any eunuchs leave the palace. This extremely clever disguise technique is probably only available in the Jinyiwei, a mixed bag.

This case should not have been under the jurisdiction of the Jinyiwei, but Zhao Hao took the initiative to rob the case. Moreover, the big men and the concubines who pretended to be Zhao Fujin were beaten by the Jinyiwei and then disappeared, which was a bit like stealing the bell.

The most important thing is that Zhao Hao happened to be hosting guests at Fanlou that day, and in the pavilion next to Qingyue Pavilion, he inexplicably invited third-rank or above officials from different factions. After something happened, Zhao Hao was the first to appear to identify Cai Huang's identity, which made the truth clear.

Although Cai Jing's party knew it in his heart, he had no choice but to do anything. It was related to Emperor Maode's innocence. If he really wanted to find an official to understand it, it would only become more and more illusory and would be counterproductive.

So although Cai Jing was so angry that he could smoke from his orifices and wanted to tear Zhao Hao apart, he could only break his front teeth and swallow his blood. Who told his stupid son to short-circuit his head and jump into the trap set by others.

As for the hatred between Cai Jing and Zhao Hao, they have already formed an irreconcilable relationship, and they don’t care about this.

But I felt sorry for the fifth son of the Cai family. Huang Liang woke up from his dream and was too stimulating. After returning home, he became ill and lay in bed for more than two months.

...

The weather is getting colder and colder, the autumn harvest has ended, and the preparations for the Northern Expedition have been almost done, and the issue of sending troops has been put on the agenda.

In front of Xuande Gate, officials who came to wait for the court were gathered earlier than usual.

Because everyone knows that today is going to decide some important issues of the Northern Expedition, and no one dares to absent or take leave.

Everything is ready for the Northern Expedition, but only the east wind is not available.

This Dongfeng is the question of who will take charge of the war. It was originally in history that Tong Guan was in charge. In fact, Tong Guan was in charge of the Western Army for twenty years. In recent years, he first beat Xixia to cry and beg for mercy, and then quelled the Fang La Rebellion that swept across the south of the Yangtze River. In addition to his eunuch, the status of the commander was almost unshakable.

But judging from the crowd in front of Xuande Gate, the Qingliu people, Cai Jing's party, and Tong Guan's party were all talking about it. I am afraid that there would be another fierce debate in the court next.

For Tong Guan Yi Party, it is for sure that Tong Guan will take charge of the battle as the envoy of the Propaganda and Pacification. The problem is that at least we must strive to win over the position of deputy envoy and commander, so that we can maximize our interests. After all, the Northern Expedition is the core interest of Tong Guan Yi Party.

The reason why Cai Jing gradually became unpopular was that Zhao Hao's repeated suppression was only a secondary reason. The real main reason was that Cai Jing advocated alliance with Liao to resist Jin, while Tong Guan, Wang Fu and others advocated alliance with Jin to attack Liao and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun was Zhao Ji's dream. Cai Jing was inconsistent with the official family, so he naturally fell out of favor. Tong Guan and Wang Fu and others gradually became favored because of their advocacy of the Northern Expedition.

Therefore, Fa Liao was a trump card for Tong Guan and Wang Fu. He just wanted to eat meat and bones clean, and he didn't even want to leave soup for others to drink.

The Qingliu Party members naturally wanted to push Zhong Shidao and others to the forefront. The position of commander and deputy commander is indispensable. It is best to win a deputy envoy, so as to get a share of the Northern Expedition cake.

As for Cai Jing's party, his original opposition to the Northern Expedition, but his intentions were unfathomable. Cai Jing, Yu Shen, Bai Shizhong, Yang Jian and other core figures were extremely quiet when they spoke, as if they were afraid of being heard.

As the morning bell rang, Xuande Gate slowly opened, and the various factions had already decided internally and rushed into the palace together.

In the Chuigong Hall, the queues today were very fast, and they soon became quiet. Everyone was silent, waiting for the arrival of the official family.

After a while, Zhao Ji, surrounded by Liang Shicheng and others, walked towards him, and seemed energetic and energetic, with a momentum that swept across the Eight Desolates and swept across the Six Heritages.

Everyone still looked forward to greet the court. After the ceremony, Liang Shicheng still said, "You have something to report and leave the court without any trouble."

As soon as the opening remark came out, His Highness became lively.

I only heard Wang Fu take the lead in leaving the list: "I have something to do and make a report!"

Liang Shicheng looked at Zhao Ji and said, "Come on the way, please speak!"

Wang Fu cleared his throat and said loudly: "I, the Song Dynasty, communicated with the Jurchens more than half a year ago, reached an alliance to defeat Liao. Now the Jurchens are in a state of power, conquering Liao territory, and have now captured Shangjing. A few days ago, the Jurchens sent envoys to urge our Song Dynasty to quickly send troops, attack them from north to south, defeat Liao in one fell swoop, and to save our 100-year shame for the Song Dynasty, and restore the sixteen states of Youyun, and ask the officials to show their instructions."

Zhao Ji nodded and said, "I also want you to discuss this matter today. According to General Ming's opinion, who can take charge of the battle?"

Wang Fu said anxiously: "I requested the Grand Tutor, Duke of Chu, and Privy Councilor Tong Daofu as the commander, and led his army to attack Liao. Tong Daofu's border for twenty years, which shocked the Western Qiang. Last year, he swept across the Jiangnan bandits, and his martial arts were unattainable. If he took the commander to go to the battle this time, he would definitely succeed!"

Zhao Ji's words were just a formality. Everyone knows that Tong Guan is determined to be the leader, and no one can shake this point.

Zhao Ji looked solemn and said aloud: "Tong Daofu, do you dare to take this position?"

Tong Guan stepped out in awe and bowed to Zhao Ji: "The official family has an order, how dare I not obey it!"

Zhao Ji laughed: "Very good, I will order you as the envoy of Xuanfu, leading an army of 100,000 to attack the Liao people in the north, recover the sixteen states of Youyun, strengthen my great power, and save a hundred years of shame!"

Tong Guan looked solemn and said with a sigh: "I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

Zhao Ji asked again: "Who is the commander?"

The commander-in-chief was a temporary military officer position set up in the late Northern Song Dynasty to unify the command of various armies to fight. It was revoked at the end of the war, which was equivalent to the position of commander-in-chief of the battle, but was controlled by the commander-in-chief.

Tong Guan said anxiously: "I recommend the general manager of Fuyan Road and Liu Yanqing, deputy commander of the Ma Army."

Zhao Hao was listening at the side and was anxious when he heard the words Liu Yanqing. You should know that Tong Guan's attack on the Liao commander in history was Zhong Shidao, but he failed because of Tong Guan's blind command. In addition, Zhong Shidao's own command limitations were defeated. If Liu Yanqing was asked to go, there would be no need to fight this battle at all and surrender directly.

His original plan was to learn from the lessons of the failure of the attack on Liao, and to remind Zhong Shidao before leaving, and then put pressure on Tong Guan, requiring his combat command to focus on Zhidao, so as to avoid another failure in the attack on Liao.

Now that he heard that Tong Guan actually recommended Liu Yanqing, he couldn't help but feel anxious and suddenly rushed out and whispered: "No, the position of commander-in-chief is the only one who must be the Grand Marshal!"

When Tong Guan saw that it was Zhao Hao, he became weaker at the moment. He did not dare to argue. He immediately responded: "Zhong Taiwei is a master of military achievements and proficient in military tactics, and can also be competent for this position."

Wang Fu, who was standing beside him, was about to refute Zhao Hao, but when Tong Guan said this, he was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he had no choice but to do anything about it.

Although Zhao Ji did not understand war, he was not completely unsure of it. Even if Zhao Hao did not jump out of the position of governor, he had decided to be the master of Zong. Seeing Zhao Hao's words, he took the donkey down the slope and nodded and said, "Okay, then I will appoint Uncle Zong Yi as governor."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a voice from the front of the team of officials: "Taiwei Zhong is old and can be the deputy commander, so it is not appropriate to be the main force!"

All officials are no longer familiar with this voice, even more familiar than Zhao Ji's voice. This person is Cai Jing, the husband who has been in the officialdom and has been in charge of the government for decades.

Cai Jing walked slowly to the middle of the hall and said loudly: "The old minister is only four years older than the Taiwei Zhong. Although he is generous and has a good life, he often feels physically and mentally exhausted. However, the Taiwei Zhong is already 70 years old. During the military journey, he slept in the wind and hung out in the open air, and his carriages and horses were bumpy, and his energy would be difficult to maintain a prosperous state. The matter of attacking Liao was serious and there should be no mistakes. Otherwise, it would be a disaster for the country. How could it be a joke? Therefore, the old minister thought that Taiwei Zhong had experienced many battles and was proficient in military tactics. He could be the deputy commander, assisting the commander and the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief, but he could not be the main one!"

Seeing that Cai Jing looked down on him, Master Zhong stepped out angrily and said loudly: "Who should I ask, Lian Po is old, can you still eat? Even though Zhong is old, he can still ride a fast horse and drive a two-stone bow!"

Cai Jing didn't argue, but just smiled indifferently and said, "I recommend one person, so I can be competent for the position of commander!"

Zhao Hao said coldly: "Who in the court is more competent in this position than Taiwei Zhong?"

Cai Jing laughed and pointed at Zhao Hao and said, "This person is far away in the sky and close in front of him. He is your Duke of Longde County!"

What?

Zhao Hao became messy in an instant.

Not only Zhao Hao, but also the civil and military officials in the court, were in an uproar.

Even Zhao Ji, who was sitting on the dragon throne, looked shocked.

After all, this is a battle that is thriving in the country, no less than a small fight like suppressing the Liangshan rebellion.

The Liangshan bandit rebellion was only more than 10,000 troops, and it had nothing to do with the overall situation. This time, it was a hundred thousand imperial guards, almost half of the elite troops of the Song Dynasty.
Chapter completed!