Chapter 445 It’s Broken, I’ve Become a Pig

Cai Jing was in power four times, and his term lasted for seventeen years. He was wise, otherwise he would not have survived for so many years.

Ever since Gao Qiu died, he always felt that Zhao Ji looked at him strangely, which was different from the past. It was really scary that his eyes were hot and bright, as if he was looking at something precious, and he began to find faults in his words, which scared him.

Affected by this, he suffered from insomnia. There was no way. If the leader was strange, the subordinates should try to understand, think what the leader thought, and worry about what the leader was anxious about. This was the secret of his many years of power. If he couldn't figure out what the leader meant, it would be strange if he could sleep.

After thinking about it for a while, he suddenly realized. First of all, he had been the prime minister for a long time, and there were too many relationships in the court, which made Zhao Ji a little uncomfortable. He felt insecure when he was called an emperor, and he always wanted to control everything. He was connected to so many people up and down, and it was almost the same.

Secondly, the damn Wang Yan showed Zhao Ji a way to make money. Gao Qiu had a fortune of 1.2 million guan. Counting the merchants involved, it was nearly 2 million guan. So how much money did a prime minister who had been in power for many years have? How could the emperor, who was obsessed with spending money, not think about it?

Oh no, I've become a pig...

After reacting, he sat up in shock from his dying illness, and was so scared that he was sweating all over. He understood, he understood what Zhao Ji looked at him with. It was like looking at a pig to be slaughtered, sharpening the knife and studying how to start, and at the same time looking forward to its delicious meat. It was the look of looking at livestock.

At this moment, he regretted it very much. Why did he fool Zhao Ji, who was not proficient in business when he first became an emperor, lived a frugal life, and was also diligent in governing, saying "Feng Heng Yu Da" and fooling him to spend as much as he wanted. Now this is purely shooting himself in the foot.

Of course, he also knew that he had taken a fancy to Zhao Ji's original character, so he catered to his needs and prescribed the right medicine. Even if he didn't encourage him, when Zhao Ji became proficient in his business, he would still be the same, and he couldn't be blamed entirely. Besides, if he didn't do this, he might not have his current power in the court, and everything would have been predetermined.

It is said that thunder and rain are all grace from the emperor. Even if he had grievances in his heart about Zhao Ji, he dared not express them. Then he had no choice but to scold the dog-day of Wang. He originally thought that he was treacherous enough, but he didn't expect that there were people in the world who were more treacherous than him. He was really a great disaster that disrupted the court.

But what can he do if he scolded him? After all, there were a lot of things that he scolded, which were not painful. He still had to solve the problem after all. He knew that if he was not sensible, Zhao Ji should help him. He had been an official for so many years and had experienced so many things. If he really wanted to investigate, he would always be able to find something.

As a prime minister, as a close minister who served Zhao Ji for many years, as a guide who helped Zhao Ji open the door to spending money, his end is certainly better than Gao Qiu, but not much better. He is over 70 years old. If he is asked to go to Qiongzhou to see the sea casually, he will basically be finished. He will travel at public expense for the last time in his life and die in a foreign land. If possible, he still wants to return to his hometown of Xianyou, listen to the familiar local accent, and drink a sip of hometown water again...

In the second year of Xuanhe, shortly after the Lantern Festival, Cai Jing wrote a letter to apologize, saying that he was not strict in discipline, and his clansmen committed crimes and ruined his reputation, occupied land, colluded with merchants and local officials, and robbed women, and acted lawlessly. The money and land worth two million guan seized from the seizure have been taken to the capital, and all the criminals have been arrested and brought to Beijing to ask Zhao Ji to deal with them.

After all, there is some affection. Cai Jing is so sensible. What else can Zhao Ji say? Of course, he said with regret, "You are confused." Then, he generously did not execute anyone, and all of them were exiled to various places. As for Cai Jing, who was "not strictly disciplined", he was allowed to retire and return to his hometown in Xianyou to live out his days...

Everyone knew that Cai Jing was finished this time, and it would be impossible for him to be prime minister for the fourth time. And even if he returned to his hometown, he had to behave himself. Because everyone knew that when he took out two million strings of cash to buy his life, he must have a lot of money. Although Zhao Ji let him go, it was only because Cai Jing had enough money in the past years.

If Cai Jing was uncomfortable when he returned to Xianyou, then Zhao Ji would definitely not be used to it. And if he didn't make trouble, once Cai Jing died, Zhao Ji would not let the old Cai family go.

The reason why he let him go this time was that he felt that Cai Jing didn't have a few years to live, and he had feelings for him, so he would forgive him for the time being, and he could still have a reputation as a good leader, so that others could rest assured. He casually got two million guan, and a lot of it was from confiscating merchants' houses, and it had little to do with the direct lineage and side branches of the Cai family. Zhao Ji was of course thinking about the money that he hadn't taken out, and he didn't believe that the old man could live as long as he did.

The candidate to replace Cai Jing was Wang Fu, who was also one of the famous six thieves. He had helped Cai Jing regain his position as prime minister and treated Liang Shicheng like his own father. He was also a ruthless person, who robbed concubines and embezzled rare treasures, and was a disaster. Even less than 10% of what he gave to Zhao Ji, and the rest of the things he collected were all taken by him.

In terms of judging people, Zhao Ji really had a good eye and could always find such...

In the palace, looking at Zhao Ji who was happily making the children laugh, Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, and sat there drinking tea.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with Gao Qiu. According to the original history, Cai Jing should have left this year. The difference is that there were originally four reappearances, but now there will be no more. Not to mention Zhao Ji staring at Cai Jing, he was also staring at him, and because Cai Jing was standing on the fence, the old and new parties were dissatisfied with him, and those who were simple and clear couldn't stand Cai Jing. If he made any mistake, he would kill Cai Jing, and most people didn't want to see it. Go to Cai Jing to rise again. Zhao Ji would not protect him to death, he would just follow the tide and confiscate his property.

"Zi Yan, this little thing's eyebrows and eyes are all yours. You, your eyebrows are unworldly. The rest, this nose and mouth, are all mine." Zhao Ji held the child in his arms and wandered around in the hall. Fei, I didn’t forget to make a little sarcastic reference to Mr. Wang. His eyebrows and eyes are so refined. The implication is that he is just as vulgar as other places. The vulgar meaning is almost, it means average.

"I'm just a wild boy from the countryside. I'm already lucky enough to have a pair of refined eyebrows. How dare I ask for more. This boy is also a good child, and he has inherited the natural beauty of an official family."

"Flattery again." Zhao Ji shook his head and smiled: "This time Yupan returns to Beijing and stays longer. I think the child likes it."

Zhao Yupan replied: "Dad, I had planned to go back after Fu."

"Okay, that's good. Go ahead and bring something small to show to your mother-in-law. She is also looking forward to it." Zhao Ji handed the child to Yupan and asked her to take the child away. I've just arrived here as soon as I entered the palace, and I haven't gone anywhere else yet.

"Zi Yan, the Fubei Army has been training for two years. When will it be ready to fight?"

"The officials want to start the Northern Expedition?"

"Yes, if I don't take action for a day, I will feel unhappy. The day before yesterday, the Imperial City Division came to report that Lu Zhishen and the Liao State joined forces to attack from both front and back. They fought in Yizhou (Yixian) and defeated Wanyan Agu's 50,000 soldiers. Ma, beheaded 4,000 people and captured 8,000 people. After the war, Lu Zhishen sent troops across the sea to seize Yuguan (Shanhaiguan) and Juhua Island (Juehua Island), occupying the strategic location, dividing the Liao Kingdom between Beijing and Nanjing, and taking advantage of shipping. Materials and supplies can be sent from Suzhou, and the isolated city can also be defended. They also occupy Jinzhou. The Liao Dynasty does not dare to raise troops to attack, so it can only seize it by its throat. This is actually a good opportunity for the Northern Expedition to regain our Youyun Sixteen Provinces. Just around the corner.”

Of course Wang Yan knew this news, and he knew it far before Zhao Ji. After all, he was the one who planned it. Zhao Ji was right. He stood at Yuguan and captured Juhua Island in order to divide the power of the Liao Kingdom. Those who are in the south return to the south, and those who are in the north return to the north. It’s not called the most powerful pass in the world for nothing. The topography there determines its importance. The exchange of resources in the Liao Kingdom must go through Yuguan. Now that he had captured it in a direct sneak attack, if the Liao Kingdom wanted to dispatch supplies, they would have to take a long way around. In addition, Liaoning is now facing a lot of domestic and foreign troubles, so this blow is not a big one.

And if the Liao Kingdom really attacks him, Jinzhou is not far from Yuguan, which is his bridgehead. If we want to recapture Yuguan, we must raise heavy troops, which must be dispatched from other places. Once mobilized, it is easy to get confused and go wrong, and he will attack wherever there is weakness. And you can also join forces with Jin Guo to put pressure on the front line, which is fatal.

It is possible that Liao and Jin would join forces to attack him, but it would be extremely small.

First of all, now on the surface, he is still the weakest party, trying to survive by riding on both sides.

Secondly, his business is still big, and the nobles of Liao and Jin countries have contacts, etc., which is not small. Moreover, in order to fight the war, the people's livelihood of the Jin Kingdom was very poor. To put it bluntly, the materials for the Jin Kingdom's war, except those captured from the Liao Kingdom, were sold by him. If you beat me with the supplies I sell, if the fight succeeds, but if you don't, it will be a disaster for the Kingdom of Jin.

Thirdly, the Liao, Jin, and Lu Zhishen families have been fighting against each other for many years. Trust is a big problem. The two countries, Liao and Jin, joined forces to attack Lu Zhishen. What if Lu Zhishen and Liao attacked Jin instead, or what if he attacked Liao and Liao together? Who can guarantee that it won't happen?

The basis of these is strength. Although he looks weak, both Liao and Jin have fought against Lu Zhishen in one-on-one battles and were beaten all over the head, so he is a tough guy. So I'm not quite sure, even if I feel itching to hate, I have to hold it in.

It has been five years since the war started, and his soldiers are getting stronger and stronger. This is because his training is sufficient, and most importantly, his logistics are strong. Soldier Jia didn't care about food and drink, and the military doctor accompanying the army took care of him. He even came up with penicillin. In a cold weapon duel, only a few people die directly on the battlefield, and most of them die of diseases due to poor treatment. His armor is superior in materials and materials, and has protected the soldiers very well. Those who were injured have penicillin to reduce inflammation, and alcohol to disinfect. The army has health management regulations, food and drink are guaranteed, and the injured are treated to the maximum extent. .

From this, there are naturally batches of veterans who have fought in hundreds of battles. The more we fight, the more veterans we have, and the stronger we become. The two countries of Liao and Jin were in internal trouble and the other was not supporting the people's livelihood. How could they compete with him for supremacy?

But when it came to Zhao Ji, this kid just couldn't count. After four years of fighting with Xixia, he almost broke himself. Now that I have only had a break for more than two years, I want to fight against the Liao Kingdom even more fiercely? What are you dreaming about in Spring and Autumn Period?

And speaking of it, in the past two years or so, it has not really benefited from the people's livelihood, so it is still a disaster as it should be. It's just that there is no war and the expenses are much less. If war breaks out again, and civil and military officials use their hands to fight, it will not be so easy to fight. Besides, in the original history, it’s not like the Song Dynasty didn’t use troops against the Liao Kingdom, and it was still beaten up by others.

Over the years, he has sent tens of millions of guan of money, which is enough to meet Zhao Ji's expenses and support part of the funds for repairing the garden. In fact, it is not bad. But now the officialdom is corrupt, the government is unkind, the taxes are increased, the army is slack, etc. These problems have not been properly solved, and have even intensified. Under such circumstances, wanting to march north is to seek death.

After a moment of silence, Wang Yan said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to tell you what I think."

"I'm asking you, go ahead."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Today, three parties in Liaodong are fighting for supremacy and are at a stalemate. If our Song Dynasty launches an expedition to the north, it will break the current stalemate between the three parties. By then, it will be just around the corner for Lu Zhishen to join forces with the Jin Kingdom to destroy the Liao Kingdom. By then, Lu Zhishen and the Jin Kingdom will be evenly matched, and they will also border our Song Dynasty. The wealth of our Song Dynasty is known to the world. They can't do anything to each other, and will definitely attack our Song Dynasty's border. Your Majesty also knows the strength of the two sides. If they destroy the Liao Kingdom, I'm afraid they will be even stronger. With the troops of our Song Dynasty, we can deal with one side, but it will be difficult to deal with two sides."

Without waiting for Zhao Ji to find an excuse, Wang Yan continued, "Your Majesty, there are many complaints from the people about Cai Jing and Gao Qiu. It is because of them He only cared about himself and didn't care about the lives of the people. He frequently increased taxes and issued decrees that brought disaster to the country and the people. There were countless people who were harmed by the harsh policies. I heard that there was a situation of "not raising children" in Jiangnan, that is, newborn babies were not raised and drowned directly, that is, they could not be raised and could not afford the taxes. This is just one of them. There are other things such as occupying land and forcing refugees to sell their children and daughters. People's livelihood is difficult.

These things can all be blamed on Cai Jing. The government follows the way of a saint and governs with ease, but Cai Jing deceived the emperor and brought disaster to the country and the people. It was the reputation of the government that was ruined. Fortunately, the government has a sharp eye and can see the slightest detail, even if Cai Jing was removed from his position. The government may not know that now the people are full of praise for the government sending Cai Jing back to his hometown in Xianyou, and they all call him wise.

I think we should take this opportunity to severely punish Cai Jing. The government took down a group of corrupt officials. First, it would clean up the officialdom and urge others to be loyal to the country and serve the country with sincerity. Second, this time, Gao Qiu was confiscated for two million strings of cash, and Cai Jing sent back another two million strings of cash. The corrupt officials in the court and the localities must have some money, which can be used to buy land from the government to expand the palace, or to prepare some materials for the Northern Expedition. Third, after taking down this group of corrupt officials, the positions will be vacated. The government can choose some people who are loyal to the country to take office, and they can also understand the local situation in a timely manner, so as to avoid the ministers in the court deceiving the emperor and whitewashing the peace.

Moreover, I think the government should go out for a walk. It is boring to always stay in Bianjing. The government is dedicated to Taoism. As the saying goes, Tao follows nature. If the government goes out for a walk, it can get closer to nature and the government can have a better understanding. In addition, the government shoulders the heavy responsibility of governing the country, and the government should focus on the overall situation. This time, during the inspection of the territory of our Song Dynasty, we can also see how people's livelihood is and the details of the overall situation.

If the emperor really wants to mobilize troops, I think it is better to destroy Xixia, so as to avoid the future northern expedition of our Song Dynasty and the chaos of Xixia. Although the training of the Fubei Army is still a little poor, it still needs to experience battles and accumulate experience. In order to avoid chaos, I will lead the Fubei Army to march to the northwest and harass and train soldiers in Xixia. In this way, there is only a 50,000-man army, and it is a cavalry that can move freely. It can be fed by the enemy, which can reduce the consumption of our Song Dynasty's supplies. If there is an opportunity to take advantage of the cavalry harassment, our army can also cross the Great Wall and destroy Xixia in one battle.

What do you think, emperor? "

What he said was quite good. There was no way. He wanted to tell the truth. He had tried his best to consider Zhao Ji's emotions. It is really not easy to fight now. If you don't tell the truth, Wang Fu will encourage you. In addition, Zhao Ji still has a team. The team is full of talents. How can they care about the people below? As long as Zhao Ji was happy, they would say whatever they wanted. The more they said, the more excited Zhao Ji would be. That was too much.

But he was wrong, because Zhao Ji was thinking for a long time, and his focus was obviously not on the little truth he said: "Going out for a tour? Fighting Xixia again?"

"Yes, your Majesty. When going out for a tour, your Majesty does not need to make a big show like Emperor Yang of Sui, because your Majesty is to understand nature and understand the people's sentiments. If the show is big, you will see less. And fighting Xixia, even if we cannot destroy Xixia this time, we can both train troops and consume Xixia's national strength. If we are lucky enough to open up the grassland, we can also purchase cattle, horses, sheep, etc. there at a low price. It is another new trade route with considerable profits."

There are only five things that can make Zhao Ji interested: fresh things, beautiful women, calligraphy and antiques of celebrities, making money, and spending money. Now what he said basically accounted for four of them. Going out for a tour, there are fresh things, and there are more beautiful women. Fighting Xixia can make money, and the money can be spent.

Zhao Ji nodded, which was considered to be an approval of Wang Yan's words: "The matter of the tour will be discussed in the morning court in a few days. As for the matter of the Fubei Army going to Xixia to harass and train soldiers..."

"Don't worry, my lord. If I lose soldiers and generals this time and have not achieved any success, I will have people carry the body back."

"Ah..." Zhao Ji shook his head and waved his hands: "I am worried that you have never been in the battlefield, and what will happen to you? What should I do?"

"Thank you for your sympathy, but over the years, I have been practicing martial arts, and I have also practiced charging with the Fubei Army. It is not a problem to save my life on the battlefield. As for the command, the lord has helped you a lot in recent years. You have the ability to calculate, and I have also learned a little bit. I should be able to respond to the situation. In addition, there are eunuchs and civil officials who supervise the army. Don't worry, my lord. The Fubei Army was trained by me, and it cannot be considered an army now. This time, I will teach them for the last time."

"Hey, I can see that you have great martial arts skills. If you don't put them to use, you won't be willing to do it for the rest of your life. That's all, let it go. But you have to be careful. Don’t let anything happen. When are you going to break camp and go north?”

"The cavalry is of course ready to leave at any time. Today I will go home to talk to Yupan and the other two concubines, and I will set off north early tomorrow morning."

The Fubei Army always needs to test its combat effectiveness. Although two years is still a short time, it has practiced everything that needs to be practiced. The emperor Zhao Ji is anxious again, so there is nothing he can do. He must do what he needs to do. He didn't care. It happened that he hadn't been active for a long time, and he hadn't been on the battlefield to kill someone for more than two hundred years. He might as well go for a walk. Although it is really tragic, it is also the ultimate romance for men.

Zhao Ji nodded, and then took Wang Yan to go shopping in the garden. They strolled around and chatted randomly. He casually asked, "Zi Yan, do you remember the retro thing?"

"I know if I go back to my official home. Last winter, the son of my housekeeper got family leave. He and Li Tu, the chief of the retro style, were classmates and had a very good relationship. I happened to follow him to visit my Wangjiazhuangzi. Let's talk carefully. I heard about this from the steward, and chatted with that Li Tu for a long time, and let them have dinner. "

"Is this happening? What do you think of Li Tu?"

"The battlefield was not in vain, and it is a good thing to know how to cherish your life. As for their clamor of putting the people first, it is just nonsense after reading. Now the scholars of the retro school are all young and full of blood. People, no matter how much trouble they make, it won’t last long.”

Zhao Ji shook his head and smiled: "Let's make trouble, let's make trouble, let me see how capable they are."

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