Early in the morning a few days after the results of the Taixue Upper House Examination were announced, the white mist in the bamboo forest of Taixue had not yet dissipated. Pei Xuezheng, the Imperial College Supervisor, hurriedly found Zhao Xingde who was practicing bow shooting.

See you in the palace."

"Finally here!" Having the opportunity to meet the current emperor, defend Li Ruobing, and explain the interests and benefits, Zhao Xingde suppressed the excitement in his heart, hurriedly packed his bags, and was greeted by the envious eyes of many imperial scholars.

He rode a horse-drawn carriage brought by the eunuch who delivered the decree to the White Jade Palace. After passing through many guards, he took a bath and changed clothes before being taken to a side hall by the eunuch to wait for the emperor's summons.

There were still many officials waiting for the emperor's summons in the side hall, some with gray beards and hair, some in their prime, wearing various official uniforms, sitting upright with their eyes and noses in mind, when they saw the eunuch leading Zhao Xingde, who was wearing an ordinary half-worn Confucian robe.

When he came in, many people had surprised looks in their eyes, but they were just too strict with etiquette to ask about his origins. A few people saw that he was young and thought he was a folk magician summoned by the government, with disdain on their faces.

Gu Zhiqing.

Being summoned by an official was considered a great blessing to the Imperial Scholars. Zhao Xingde also thought so at first, but when he saw more than a dozen officials, big and small, waiting in the side hall, he realized that he was very wrong. The Song Dynasty was the world's greatest

The largest country has a population of more than 60 million and tens of thousands of officials. The official Zhao You summons more than a hundred people a day. As a scholar, it is not easy for him to say a few words to Zhao You. If he wants to say a few more words

Words, or even words to impress the emperor, are as difficult as reaching heaven.

Just by looking at the eunuchs who were waiting for the officials and not even looking at him, and not even the embroidered men sitting down to wait, he knew what his status was in the eyes of the officials. If he followed his past indifferent and humble way of life,

If you wait, you will have to wait. However, today is different.

"Ah hum -" Zhao Xingde coughed in embarrassment, and said to the eunuch next to him: "This chief minister is so powerful, Xiao Ke's legs and feet are a little weak, can you please sit down on a embroidered pillar?"

?”

Although his voice was soft, his words were resounding. The eunuch in charge did not agree, nor did he agree. Since he was on duty in the side hall of the White Jade Palace, he arranged seats for waiting officials in accordance with the rules of rank.

Secondly, it was based on his own likes and dislikes, and it was the first time that a low-level official, or even someone like Zhao Xingde who did not even have an official position, dared to ask for a seat.

When playing in front of the emperor, even the prime minister does not have a seat. This is a rule set by Emperor Taizu. However, there is no set rule as to whether officials have a seat when waiting to meet the emperor. After all, eunuchs are just the emperor's domestic slaves.

That's all, if the courtiers use this to criticize, the officials will kill a lot of scapegoats, just depending on their mood.

The expression of the eunuch in charge changed several times. Under the watchful eyes of the waiting officials, he finally ordered the little eunuch next to him to move an embroidered pier for Zhao Xiangru to sit on. Zhao Xingde thanked him and sat down comfortably.

.

Since Zhang Rang and other ten ministers in the Han Dynasty disrupted the government, the disaster of eunuchs has reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the dynasty is far more cautious about eunuchs than before. Civil officials are known as scholar-bureaucrats and the emperor rule the world together, and this is also true in their bones.

There is a kind of resistance and aversion to eunuchs. However, the eunuchs such as Liang Shizhong and Tong Guan who are highly valued today hold power and are favored by the emperor. Even the prime minister Cai Jing is not willing to offend easily, and many middle- and low-level eunuchs are involved.

They also became arrogant, which only made the common hatred of civil servants who were not eunuchs even stronger.

Seeing Zhao Xingde acting like this at this moment, several waiting officials looked at Zhao Xingde with a hint of friendship. Liang Shizhong, the literary eunuch who was responsible for drafting the edict for the emperor and was known as the "hidden minister", learned of this and warned his subordinates: : "The future generations are to be feared. You should stay out of the way."

A stick of incense time passed. Zhao Xingde and all the officials were waiting respectfully for the emperor's summons. However, no official was not introduced by roll call. Everyone was working hard. The dry air in the palace was filled with the fragrance of powder and flowers. , an hour passed, the cool breeze blew, and Zhao Xingde felt a little drowsy.

In the White Jade Palace, all the chamberlains on the left and right were dismissed, and the Banzhi guards only stood outside the palace. Emperor Zhao You was discussing matters with his ministers. Prime Minister Cai Jing, Councilor Zhao Zhifu, Privy Councilor Wang Fu, Deputy Privy Councilor Li Bangyan, and Guard Bujun Commander Tong Guan and Imperial City Affairs Officer Shen Yun were present. These six people were Zhao You's most trusted confidants.

"The Khitan envoy Yelu Dashi was very rude and often spoke ill of our dynasty. In the past few decades, the Liao Kingdom has been recruiting barbarians as vassals. Moreover, in the sixteen states in front of the mountains and behind them, they have continued to use The Khitan soldiers and horses in the North Courtyard have replaced the original Han generals. If our court does not attack Youyan in the north, I am afraid that they will invade Hebei soon." Shen Yun, the official of the Imperial City Department, said, his face looked at other officials and subordinates He always had a straight face in front of him, making people confused about his mood and anger. However, this face looked "mute and honest" in front of Zhao You. Yelu Dashi was quite a dignified person. Except for refusing to kneel down at the Dragon Boat Festival ceremony and disobeying Zhao You, he usually didn't do anything. There were no drastic actions, but when it came to Shen Yun's words, the more Yelu Dashi was described as having bones all over his body, the more he conformed to Zhao You's wishes.

Seeing that the officials frowned, Zhao Zhifu, the political advisor, said: "Although the Liao people are very militaristic, among the people of the Liao country, the Khitan people did not originally make up the majority. In addition to the Khitan people, there are many other tribes in the country. In recent years, The Khitan people have become even more cruel and unkind, and the barbarians in the country have long been dissatisfied. However, they are just forced by the Khitan people's prestige and do not dare to rebel. Recently, envoys from the Wanyan tribe of the Jurchen tribe in Liaodong came to the capital, hoping that our court would follow them. The Jurchen people are willing to form an alliance with our country to fight against the Liao Dynasty and help our country to hold the back of the Khitan people."

After Zhao Zhifu finished speaking, he inadvertently glanced at Prime Minister Cai Jing. Although they competed with each other in the court, they both belonged to the New Party and were consistent in promoting the Northern Expedition of the Song Dynasty to regain Youyan. However, Wanyan in the hinterland of the Liao Kingdom recently The tribe hoped to receive assistance from the Song Dynasty, and Zhao Zhifu and Cai Jing also tried and communicated on different occasions. At this time, Cai Jing remained silent, neither speaking in support nor opposing.

"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Zhao Youdun was interested. He always had a photographic memory. He closed his eyes slightly and thought for a moment, then asked: "Ryukyu, the Japanese envoy said that there were barbarians who called Jurchens passing by in a small boat. They roamed along the sea, plundered goods, and robbed men and women as slaves. Many coastal residents were killed or injured. The Korean envoy also reported that the Jurchen tribe had repeatedly crossed the Yalu River to rob grain and grass. The Jurchen tribe, which made the three vassals unbearable, was not the same as the Jurchen tribe. Is what the Prime Minister said the same thing?"

"Is this it?" Prime Minister Zhao Zhifu looked embarrassed. He knew that the barbarians in the north were all tigers and wolves, but he didn't expect that the Jurchen tribe actually grabbed Ryukyu, Japan, and Goryeo, the few respectful vassals of the Song Dynasty. He He did not dare to defend the Wanyan tribe, so he could only say: "Based on what Wei Chen saw when he was on a mission to the Liao Kingdom when he was young, there are many Jurchen tribes, and the Wanyan tribe is just one of them."

Zhao You snorted dissatisfied.

At this time, Prime Minister Cai Jing just opened his slightly closed eyes and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the so-called Dihu barbarians are all people with human faces and animal hearts. This is known to everyone. Although Prime Minister Zhao was temporarily unaware of Wanyan's misdeeds,

, but its intention is to use barbarians to control barbarians, which is still advisable. If the Jurchen tribe is not brave and cruel, it will not be enough to be the enemy of the Liao people."

"In Prime Minister Cai's opinion, how should we deal with this matter?" Emperor Zhao You also remained polite to Prime Minister Cai Jing.

"In my opinion, the Khitan and the Jurchens are both Diyi. Although our government supports the Jurchens with some weapons and food, we must prevent the Jurchens from becoming powerful enough to drive tigers and devour wolves. The hungry tigers will be greedy and end up harming them instead."

We are facing ourselves." Cai Jing said slowly, "The current plan is to support the Jurchens with grain, grass and weapons, and also to control the Jurchens with food, grass and weapons. Whenever the Jurchen tribe and the Khitan compete to gain the upper hand, our government will cut off the aid and make them

We cannot take advantage of the victory to grow stronger. On the contrary, we can double the support. In this way, our court can sit back and watch these two kinds of Di Yi fight against each other and consume their vitality. The Jurchen tribe is on the Tokyo Road of the Liao Kingdom. If the war continues and expands, the Liao Dynasty will be exhausted.

Failing to deal with the northeast direction will inevitably lead to the emptiness of Youyan on Nanjing Road. At that time, it will be our opportunity to attack Youyan."

When Cai Jing said this, Zhao You just praised: "Prime Minister Cai is really planning for the country." He then asked, "Sun Tzu said in the Art of War that a hundred thousand troops would cost thousands of gold per day. If I intend to attack Youyan in the north, how much preparation should I make?

Money and food?”

Li Bangyan, the deputy envoy to the Privy Council, saw Zhao You's intentions and said with his hands: "Your Majesty has nothing to worry about. The imperial court has a forbidden army of 830,000 yuan. Although the cost of raising troops is usually as high as 70 million yuan, because they are all recruiting troops, even if they are not

To fight a war, you need food and fodder, and the four seasons' rewards cannot be cut off. Fighting at most consumes some ordnance." He paused, saw Zhao You nodded slightly, felt relieved, and said with a smile: "The imperial court has been raising troops for a thousand days. If we don't fight, it will cost us more.

They are redundant soldiers who waste money and food."

Li Bangyan's tone was quite frivolous, and Zhao Zhifu frowned slightly, but he knew that the officials always wanted to create a prosperous situation, and had long planned the Northern Expedition and the Western Expedition, and then they encountered the Khitan envoys who disobeyed the officials.

The Khitan people wanted to be punished, but the officials' actions were always important and trivial. Zhao Zhifu reminded him: "The cost of nourishing troops and garrison in Hebei is now more than 20 million yuan. If the two countries fight, Hebei's military expenditure will be

It will more than double.”

However, the increase of 20 million yuan in military expenses is still within the range that Zhao You can bear. The money and food required to build the White Jade Palace alone will be more than this. Although the three envoys often say that they cannot make ends meet, in the land of wealth in the southeast, it only needs to add more
Chapter completed!