Chapter 218 Double Act

Dou Wei looked at the others after hearing this. Read

More news has been delivered in the past few days.

Now Yanzhou is basically stable, and it is only waiting for the court to deal with Yuan Li and reward the King of Yan.

The second prince, the third prince, the crown prince and other princes were jealous.

According to the news from the palace, their father seemed to be in a good mood.

He praised the King of Yan.

However, they knew that their father was ambitious.

It would be strange if he didn't take the credit for the great achievements made by the King of Yan.

But even so, they were still jealous.

Even the crown prince was unwilling to speak for the King of Yan at this time.

Zhao Heng glanced at the ministers and saw that the officials of the powerful families in the court looked cold.

Obviously, they were unwilling to reward the King of Yan.

And this was within his expectations.

In this court meeting, he wanted to use the powerful families' fear of the King of Yan to achieve his own goals.

Not only did he satisfy the powerful families, but he also showed the King of Yan that he had done his best in the matter of reward.

"The big thing the emperor wants to talk about, is it the reward for the King of Yan?" At this moment, Ma Yuan suddenly spoke.

He is back.

And he has reported to Zhao Heng about his own affairs in Yanzhou.

Zhao Heng was very happy and praised the King of Yan. His words implied that he would hand over all the seven counties of Yanzhou to the King of Yan.

So, now the officials did not want to take up this topic, but he insisted on taking it.

For him, no one can erase the contribution of the King of Yan, not to mention that the emperor also has this intention.

"This time the King of Yan defeated the troops of the Yuan family who attacked Yanzhou, and defended the Yan Pass. His contribution is outstanding. Your Majesty, I think he should be rewarded heavily." Yang Feng stepped out and said loudly.

"I second the proposal." Mo Kuan also stood up at this time.

Zhao Heng nodded, secretly happy.

When Ma Yuan came to see him, his plan for this reward began.

He deliberately leaked the news to Ma Yuan just to make Ma Yuan cooperate with him in the court today.

So he said: "Just as Ma Yushi, Yi Guogong, and General Mo said, if it weren't for the King of Yan, the Northern Di would have taken Yanguan this time. I'm afraid that Dasong would have been in flames by now. It was the King of Yan who saved Dasong from the suffering of war. This contribution is unprecedented. I have thought about it for the past few days and decided to merge the remaining five counties of Yanzhou into the King of Yan's fiefdom. From now on, the King of Yan will be responsible for guarding Yanzhou and Yanguan."

When Zhao Heng said this, Dou Wei and others were all pale.

They thought that the reward for the King of Yan would be great this time, but they didn't expect Zhao Heng to give the entire Yanzhou to the King of Yan.

In this way, the King of Yan will truly become the king of Yanzhou.

"Your Majesty, although the King of Yan has made great contributions this time, if it weren't for the bloody battles of the soldiers at Yanguan, how could they have defeated the Northern Di? I think that this credit cannot be attributed entirely to the King of Yan." At this time, an official stepped out. This person was the Minister of War.

Dou Wei saw an official step out and felt slightly proud.

This time, he and the six ministers would not argue directly with Zhao Heng, but secretly instruct other officials to speak first.

In this way, they can just blow the wind on the side.

"It's nonsense. No one denies the merits of the soldiers of Yanguan, but Yanguan cannot be defended by the soldiers of Yanguan alone. Even the memorials from the generals of Yanguan state the same statement." An official looked at Ma Yuan and stepped forward to scold him.

Ma Yuan has been in the officialdom for many years, so he naturally knows the methods of Dou Wei and others.

When he went to court, he had already made preparations.

"Your Majesty, even so, you can't hand over Yanzhou to the King of Yan. The example of the Yuan family's rebellion is right in front of you. If the King of Yan rebels in the future, who can restrain him?" An official shouted loudly.

"It's ridiculous, it's ridiculous. I don't know who said that the King of Yan and General Mo had colluded, and the Yuan family was wronged. What was the result? The one you defended became a traitor, and the one you suspected saved Dasong. Now you dare to say such nonsense." An official snorted coldly.

"The Prince of Yan is indeed wronged now, but who can guarantee that his ambition will not grow after he gets Yanzhou? Even if the emperor is here, he will not rebel, but what if the new emperor succeeds to the throne?" At Dou Wei's signal, another official stepped out.

He did have his own selfish motives for this matter.

But he was also considering Dasong. The Yuan family's sole control of Yanzhou was the heartache of the court.

Letting the Prince of Yan take full control of Yanzhou is like a new disease coming back after the old one has just been cured.

On the dragon throne, Zhao Heng deliberately looked dissatisfied and continued to watch the officials bickering.

At this time, another official said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Yan has indeed made outstanding contributions, but it is not appropriate to give all of Yanzhou to the Prince of Yan. It is enough to give him two counties."

"Since the founding of Dasong, eight princes have been in charge of a state. These princes only relied on favor and did not make any contribution. Now that the Prince of Yan has made such a great contribution, is it not possible?" An official responded tit for tat.

"You are making a specious argument. None of the fiefs of these eight princes are at the border, and Yanzhou is the throat of our Dasong. How can we leave it to one person?"

"..."

The officials said one thing after another, and soon the court was in chaos.

At this time, Zhao Heng saw that the time had come, and snorted angrily: "Shut up, this time I have made up my mind, the King of Yan should be rewarded for this merit, no need to say more."

Dou Wei heard this and exchanged glances with Han Zheng and others.

Zhao Heng's attitude was very firm.

But even so, they would not give in easily.

At present, Dasong is ruled by the powerful families and the royal family, not by the emperor alone.

So he said: "Your Majesty, I am also thinking about Dasong, not targeting the King of Yan. The fief of two counties is already a great reward."

"Your Majesty, the words of the prime minister are from the heart, I second it!" Han Zheng said.

"I also second the proposal." Liang Kai came out at this time. "

"I also second the proposal." Wang Zi'an said.

"I second the proposal." Xie Duan took a step forward.

Zhao Heng pretended to darken his face, "What if I don't agree?"

"If the emperor does not agree, I am willing to take off this court uniform, resign from office and return to my hometown." Dou Weidao.

"You..." Zhao Heng pointed at Dou Wei and others.

Then he slapped the armrest of the dragon chair hard, with a look of helpless compromise, "In this case, I will give Ping County and Liao County to King Yan, and allow him to expand his personal troops to 120,000 people, and Yan Pass will be guarded by him from now on. No further discussion, dismissal!"

After that, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

Ma Yuan frowned and looked at Dou Wei. Since the emperor's order was given, it cannot be changed.

This time Dou Wei won.

Dou Wei noticed Ma Yuan's gaze and responded with a proud smile.

For them, this is the best outcome.

Yanzhou has seven counties, four in the north and three in the south.

Among them, the four northern counties are the poorest, and the three southern counties are the richest.

Even if King Yan's fiefdom extends to four counties, he may not be able to support 120,000 soldiers and horses.

The next thing to consider is how to check and balance King Yan in Yanzhou.

"Yuan family." Dou Wei looked at Han Zheng and saw that Han Zheng was also looking at him.

Although the Yuan family was hit hard this time, its foundation is still there.

And there is no evidence of Yuan Li's rebellion.

Maybe the Yuan family can still use it. After all, the hatred between King Yan and the Yuan family will only deepen after this battle.

And who cares whether the Yuan family is rebelling?

As long as Yanzhou is stable!

…

Three days later.

A group of palace guards set off from the palace, and among the guards was Liang Cheng.

On Zhao Heng's order, he personally went to Yancheng to declare the decree to show the emperor's favor.

Seven days later, the group arrived in Yancheng.