Chapter 1,323 Asking for Excuse

Someone from the side interjected: "So the Duke of the State has a good idea after all. When he planted five generals and lost his troops, he lost the city of Luowu. When he was disgraced, everyone wanted to step on him in the mud. Only the Duke of Fu said that he should cultivate five generals.

Talent is rare, it’s just a lack of time and experience.”

"Now look at it, half of the five hundred thousand is due to him!"

Someone immediately retorted: "That's not true, right? The fire beside Jialu River is still a confused account! Zhongwu said that he only left thirty carts of kerosene, but he didn't expect Grandma Wang to use it like that. And Grandma Wang

Crying and fussing, biting him to death is a vicious trick, it has nothing to do with him, and he also claims that he believes in Buddhism..."

Everyone at the table laughed loudly, and Lao Wang said: "I believe this, but it's not the kind of clay sculptures and wooden bodies. Grandma Wang only believes in gold, silver, and jade!"

There was another laugh. The virtues of the Western Army’s officers and supervisors had long been made into jokes in Bianjing.

Li Ruoyu was forced to put women under the bedclothes by the Tibetan people, Li Xian was criticized, Wang Zhongzheng was so corrupt that he would not let go of anyone in Xuzhou, and was impeached by Zeng Xiaokuan. These things have long become a joke in Beijing.

Just one Tong Guan is still decent, he dares to fight tough battles and cherishes his soldiers. Now in the Western Army, there are two mothers-in-law, Li Shunju and Li Xian; two grandmothers, Wang Zhongzheng and Tong Guan.

Tong Guan, a boy with a charming temperament, knew that Zhao Xu liked to make progress, so in his thank you letter for his appointment, he claimed that he would fight for the officials to the Tianshan Mountains.

This incident became a big joke, and Tong Guan was nicknamed "Tianshan Tonglao".

The owner of the rice store happily shouted: "Li Xuexuan, I'll treat you to today's meal! I won't come home until you're drunk!"

Then someone turned around and said, "Fan Laosan, please add a plate of spicy rabbit heads! Let's also take some of the heads from Special Mother today!"

The Jingyang Bell in Bianjing City rang again, and everyone fell silent, listening to the melodious sound of the bell that spread throughout Bianjing City.

Cheers gradually gathered in the streets, and countless people rushed to Xuandemen.

Once the great enemy of the Song Dynasty for 80 years was beaten back to its original shape, the suppressed emotions of the people who were previously worried about the Central Army were ignited by this explosive good news!

The people spontaneously organized a large parade and gathered on the street in front of Xuande Gate, waiting for His Majesty to post the edict.

As the people watched, several officials in purple and red robes rode to the outside of Xuande Gate to present their orders and wait for the edict.

Three veterans wearing New Army uniforms, led by two red-robed officials, also rode over, immediately sparking cheers from the crowd!

New Army! Defenders of the Song Dynasty! The strongest force of the country!

Guo Kui's beard and hair were white, and those behind him were Zhe Jizu and Zhe Kerou. The three of them were dressed in new army winter uniforms, with shiny collars and epaulettes. Their bodies were straight, and they followed Zhang Dun solemnly.

and Cai Jing’s death.

Seeing the huge scene of nearly 100,000 people gathered in Bianjing, Zhe Kerou was a little flustered: "No reward for no merit, it's just like we paid back after a great victory..."

Zhe Jizu was also a little embarrassed: "That's right, our military minister rode in from Xuande Gate. Isn't it a bit..."

Guo Kui said: "This is the holy will! This is what Your Majesty wants! Wasn't it just that when I walked through the Xihua Gate, I was blocked by the gatekeeper and let me go this way?"

"You are already an old man anyway, why are there so many taboos? If His Majesty wants to show off, we will support him!"

In Wuying Hall, Zhao Xu was sitting in the hall, accepting congratulations from the officials.

He was sick. Since the army in the middle was surrounded, he had been suffering from cold and fever.

Qian Yi spent a lot of effort to get Zhao Xu to be like this, and now he is still standing behind Wuying Palace fearfully, ready to take action at any time.

Zhao Xu needed this time to show off.

He has had this dream since he ascended to the throne, or even from the time his father ascended to the throne.

For this dream, he did not hesitate to reuse Wang Anshi, and even after Wang Anshi was attacked and stepped down, he gritted his teeth and continued to insist on reforms and resisted the officials.

In order to enrich the national treasury, he suffered a lot of infamy and was splashed with too much dirty water.

He has great aspirations, and he persists and works hard for it step by step.

He had taken a detour and did not dare to trust Su You's opinions too much, who was as young as himself.

Until both of them had completely grown up, until Su You completely proved his theory with his practice, until that long conversation after the Wutai Shi case.

That was the second year of Yuanfeng, and from that day on, he had persisted for twelve full years.

From the age of twenty to thirty, he paid a heavy price for his obsession and almost plunged the country into the abyss of political division. He personally dismissed countless people he admired very much and promoted countless people he admired very much.

People who hate it almost destroy their own health.

A villain and a wise minister, this is an infamy that every king who wants to make a difference cannot afford to bear.

Until a wise minister stood up and said frankly, I am not a gentleman. There will always be a villain side in my body. I will work hard to fight against that side all my life, and strive to be a good person when I leave this world.

I received praise and said that I won this battle with myself.

He thought of the story called "The Emperor's New Clothes" in his son's picture album.

The monarch of that barbarian country, like most people in the world, the first thing he wanted to do was to cover up his own shortcomings. When he couldn't cover them up, those who saw the truth had to lie.

Whoever dares to tell the truth is his enemy.

Therefore, labeling others and then attacking them is the norm in this court.

Until Su You said, I am not 100% a gentleman. I also have shortcomings, but I will work hard to correct them. If you find anything wrong, just point it out.

Su You also said something that Zhao Xu often said, and Zhao Xu felt that that sentence was even more important.

If I can't do it myself, I won't ask others to do it.

In the eyes of many people, Su You is already a moral benchmark, like Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi, and Sima Guang.

He did not take any concubines, he was loving and harmonious with his original wife, and he respected him very much. This alone was better than 90% of the scholar-bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty.

His requirements for the emperor were the lowest, and he would never force himself vehemently or lecture himself with all kinds of great principles.

Of course, he will not be as obedient as Wang Gui and Cai Que. He will calmly reason with you, analyze the pros and cons, and find various loopholes in the policy from all angles, letting you know that it is not safe to do so.

, if there is a problem, then suggest corrections.

In fact, Zhao Xu sometimes felt helpless towards Su You. He always felt that Su You regarded the imperial salary as a kind of profession or livelihood, just like doctors, butchers, and merchants.

High, a profession that requires admission to Jinshi qualifications.

In fact, Zhao Xu's understanding was correct. In Su You's mind, being an official was really a profession. This profession was called civil servant in later generations, and there was no difference between high and low and other professions.

It is a profession, that is, it can be discarded and replaced at any time. For Su You, the income of being an official is probably not as good as doing business, teaching and writing, or even... Even if he opens another way, it will probably be higher than his current salary. high.

Zhao Xu secretly thought to himself that the people who regard the imperial title and salary as their livelihood have done better than all the bureaucrats who regard it as their life. This is really a ghost.

"His Majesty?"

Lu Gongzhu finished reading the victory report, and Wang Gui finished reading the congratulatory form. They were all there, eagerly waiting for him to speak.

No one knew that Zhao Xu was not enjoying any glory in his mind just now. What he was thinking about had nothing to do with even a penny from this great victory.

Zhao Xu came back to his senses: "I called everyone here just to share the good news. The matter is not over yet, the Liang family is still there, and the Xingqing Mansion is still there."

Sun Gu cupped his hands and said: "The army defeated Lingwu and captured the Hetao. The Xia army defeated four out of five. Xingqing Prefecture's tiny territory can be conquered with just one day."

Lu Gongzhu said: "What is particularly valuable about this battle is that Xia's army slaughtered several and a half million people, while our army only had a few thousand killed and only over 10,000 wounded. Most of them were properly treated and could return to the battlefield." "

Wang Congzhi is in charge of national finance: "According to the report of the Sixth Route Capital Economic and Strategy Department, Lingzhou's hoarding of Hetao for a year fell into my hands, including 300,000 shi of grain and 600,000 shi of grass. , 50,000 horses, 40,000 cattle, as well as camels, donkeys, mules, and sheep. It will be of great benefit to the following military logistics, and it will even be transported without any effort."

Wang Gui was also very happy. Although Su You was a political enemy, once the Song Dynasty's century-old troubles were eliminated, it was a matter of universal celebration. He cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, we have discussed it with the secretary, the planning department, and the privy council. The six routes are all in charge of the planning department. We should give priority to rewards, and order them to report to the meritorious officials in this battle and issue rewards."
Chapter completed!