The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 1809 The Five Dynasties Elders

The hall immediately fell into deathly silence!

All the ministers felt the supreme pressure from the new king!

This was the first court meeting held by Zhao Guangyi after he came to power, and all the ministers wanted to leave a good impression on the emperor!

As the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers! If you don’t perform actively, you will fall behind at any time!

The most common thing a new monarch does after ascending the throne is to purge the team left by the previous emperor and replace them with a group of his own confidants!

This is an objective law that no one can transcend or escape!

The reason for cleaning out old ministers is often not necessarily because they are disloyal!

Some old ministers are even more loyal to the new emperor than the old one!

Why do we need to clean up the old officials? To put it nicely, it is because the old officials are old and incompetent. But the real reason is that if you, the old officials, do not give up your position, how can the young brothers who started with the new emperor enjoy the fruits of victory? How can they get ahead?

Of course, some old ministers are like the stabilizing force that stabilizes the sea. Not only can they not be moved, but they also have to be entrusted with important tasks!

As an emperor, you naturally have to distinguish between what is important and what is not, and not lose the big picture for the small!

For example, Prime Minister Zhao Pu was appointed as Prime Minister when his elder brother was in office, and now that he has ascended the throne, he still has to use him! Because Zhao Pu's ability is unmatched and irreplaceable! Zhao Kuangyin's plan to wear the yellow robe was actually planned and implemented by Zhao Pu! In other words, without Zhao Pu, Zhao Kuangyin would never have founded the Song Dynasty so smoothly and so quickly! Without Zhao Pu, Zhao Kuangyin was confident that he could still ascend to the throne, but many people would definitely die, a lot of blood would be shed, and it would take a long time! With Zhao Pu, Zhao Kuangyin took the imperial city at lightning speed without bloodshed, and directly stood at the pinnacle of the dynasty's power!

Moreover, Zhao Guangyi inherited the throne, and there were countless generals and civil officials who were talking behind his back! The candlelight and the sound of the axe made Zhao Guangyi's reputation unjust and his words unsound! On the night of Taizu's death, Zhao Pu told all the officials that Taizu had left behind the "Golden Casket Alliance"! It was Zhao Pu who tried every possible means to "find" the "Golden Casket Alliance" and quickly eliminated all the noise!

Without Zhao Pu, Zhao Kuangyin would not have been able to become emperor smoothly!

Without Zhao Pu, Zhao Guangyi would not be able to sit firmly on the throne of emperor!

Zhao Pu was the lucky star of two emperors of the Song Dynasty. If such a lucky star was not used, who else would be used?

Furthermore, although Taifu Gao Li is an old man from the previous dynasty, he is a leader of the Qingliu and has a high status. If he is promoted without authorization, it will probably cause criticism and attacks from scholars all over the world!

As for the other "old ministers", that's another matter! If they want to avoid being cleared out, it depends on whether they know the current situation and whether they have strong abilities!

If they don't know the current situation and don't have any special skills, what's the point of keeping them? They must be moved first! Even if there is no suitable replacement among my younger brothers, they must be moved! Better to have nothing than to have nothing! These old guys rely on being sworn brothers of the eldest brother, and they have no sense of boundaries with me. They are arrogant and senior. For these guys who don't know the limits, I have to learn from the eldest brother and give them all some money and send them back home!

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Guangyi knew that his purpose of intimidating the ministers had been achieved, so he looked at Zhao Pu and said, "Prime Minister Zhao, tell me first, who is suitable?"

Zhao Pu immediately stepped out and bowed, saying, "I think General Pan Mei is the most suitable!"

Zhao Guangyi thought to himself: It seems that Zhao Pu and my eldest brother have communicated with each other before, and my eldest brother also agrees with Pan Mei!

"Master, what do you think?"

Taifu Gao Li said: "Since the Northern Expedition is a foregone conclusion, I suggest that General Wang Quanbin be the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition Army!"

Wang Quanbin conquered Da Shu, so his ability must be good!

Zhao Pu said, "Although General Wang is proficient in military tactics and has won many victories, and he has no problem leading troops, the situation in Dashu is still not completely stable. It is said that there are still small remnants who are resisting stubbornly, and the leader seems to be Quan Shixiong. I suggest that General Wang should stay in Xishu to continue to clean up the mess and completely eliminate the remnants of Dashu!"

Zhao Guangyi smiled and said, "My dear ministers, please feel free to speak up. There is no guilt in speaking!"

At this time, Xue Juzheng, the Minister of the Left and the Grand Secretary of the Zhaowen Academy, said, "I think what Prime Minister Zhao said is absolutely right. I second the proposal!"

Zhao Guangyi looked at Xue Juzheng and said with a smile, "Okay! Who else has any objections?" He admired Xue Juzheng very much!

Gao Li was a veteran of three dynasties, but Xue Juzheng was a veteran of five dynasties!

Xue Juzheng became a minor official during the Later Jin Dynasty. He went on to serve in the Later Han, Later Zhou, and Song Taizu dynasties. Including his own dynasty, he served five emperors in total, making him an undoubted veteran of five dynasties!

If a person can be recognized by the emperor of every dynasty, it is definitely not because he can flatter and curry favor with the emperor! That requires real ability!

The reason why Xue Juzheng can be called an unshakable figure in the political arena is because he is capable!

Magnificent demeanor and upright conduct! This is how Zhao Kuangyin evaluated him!

Zhao Guangyi's evaluation of Xue Juzheng was: Stick to the way of a minister!

In today's chaotic world, how many people can abide by the way of a minister? But Xue Juzheng can do what a minister can do to the limit! Which emperor doesn't like such a minister?

With Xue Juzheng's example, the atmosphere in the hall began to liven up.

Li Jilong, the inspector of the imperial camp, said: "I am willing to be the vanguard of the expedition!"

Zhao Guangyi smiled and said, "Good!" His evaluation of Li Jilong was: he was born in a noble family, was good at riding and shooting, knew music, was sentimental and self-reliant, was deep and shrewd, and was strict with his subordinates! This was a fierce general, suitable for being a vanguard!

Many civil and military officials also offered suggestions and advice, which made Zhao Guangyi very pleased!

After two hours of discussion, many people were starving, but who dared to show the slightest impatience?

Until Zhao Guangyi made up his mind and began to issue orders!

He appointed Pan Mei as the commander of the Northern Route Army, and Cui Yanjin, Li Hanqiong, Cao Han, Liu Yu and others to help him attack Taiyuan.

He ordered Guo Jin, the governor of Yunzhou, to deploy troops at Shiling Pass in the north of Taiyuan to block the Liao army's reinforcements from the north;

Tian Renlang and Liu Xu were ordered to scout the four sides of Taiyuan City and inspect the various siege equipment;

He ordered Meng Xuanpu to be the commander of the army and station him in Zhenzhou to block the Liao army's reinforcements from the east.

He ordered Hou Dou, the Hebei Transport Commissioner, and Lei Dexiang, the Shaanxi North Transport Commissioner, to take charge of the Taiyuan East and West Transport Commissioners respectively, and ordered Liu Baoxun, the Acting Transport Commissioner, to serve concurrently as the Northern Transport Commissioner!

The overall situation has been decided. Pan Mei will be summoned to Beijing from today! As for raising food and assembling troops, we will discuss this matter with Pan Mei after he arrives in Beijing!

When Liu Miezhou and Li Deming and the other two came across the second sentry post, Liu Miezhou directly showed his gold medal to test the sentry's reaction, and the sentry actually let them pass! After that, they became more and more relaxed, and even stopped checking the wildebeest. Li Deming once asked, "Why don't you check them?" Li Qiangang said, "I guess they all think that they have already checked the first checkpoint, and it would be a waste of time for them to check again!"

Li Deming said: "If that's the case, then we'd better not ally with the Northern Han! I'm really afraid that they will trap us to death!"

Liu Miezhou said: "No! I'm here!"

The four of them soon arrived at the foot of Jinyang City. The guards here were just going through the motions. They asked a few questions and let them go when they felt there was no danger. But when the guards saw Liu Miezhou and the others, they still asked a few more questions. After all, these four people were obviously a little different! Li Deming and the other two were Dangxiang people. They wore felt hats, round-necked, narrow-sleeved long robes, and long boots. Their faces were obviously different from those of the Central Plains people. They had round faces, high noses, and dark skin. And the man in purple actually had four swords hanging from his waist! The people in the rivers and lakes of the Northern Han Dynasty usually had a sword or a knife hanging from their waists, but this man actually had four swords hanging from his waist. Was he a sword seller?

When the soldier interrogated Liu Miezhou, he actually wanted Liu Miezhou to take off his sword so that they could see it!

Liu Miezhou simply flashed the gold medal, and the soldier immediately opened his mouth wide, and was so scared that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed for mercy!

Although the dynasties of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were located in different regions, they generally followed the legal system of the late Tang Dynasty. No matter what the text content on this forbidden palace waist badge is, the meaning it represents is basically the same!

Execute first and report later, authorized by the emperor, as if I were here in person!

The soldier was just curious and wanted to use his power to observe what was so special about the four swords of the man in purple. He didn't expect to hit a wall. The opponent turned out to be a guard from the Forbidden Palace!

Liu Miezhou didn't even dismount, and rode straight into the city. Li Deming and the other two naturally didn't want to cause any trouble, and immediately followed him in. Several soldiers nearby quickly helped the kneeling soldier up and whispered, "Come on, they're gone!"

The kneeling soldier heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still feeling frightened. "Shit, I almost died here today!"

Several soldiers nearby also nodded, "The Forbidden Palace guards have been out on business quite a lot recently, so please be careful! Otherwise, it's easy to run into someone!"

"Oh, yes!"

……

Yuan Zishan returned to the house, looking normal. Miss Du, La Jiao, Er Ni, and Chang Zijin also entered the house one after another.

Feng Jiuxiao asked: "How are they?"

Yuan Zishan said: "One of them died. Another one went crazy. I pierced a few acupuncture points and she calmed down temporarily. I will give her a few more needles to see the effect. Her symptoms were discovered early and are relatively mild. There is hope that she can be cured." She was able to keep her tone calm at first, but she began to tremble as she spoke... The fate of those little girls is really pitiful! La Jiao couldn't help but hold Yuan Zishan's hand, and her eyes were a little wet! Pang Shiwu clenched his fists, his face full of anger, but he didn't say a word!

Yuan Zishan tried her best to control her emotions. "For the remaining few, I will wipe out their memories within the past year! Miss Du also has the same opinion. She will start with the past events from a year ago, combine the real and the unreal, weave some past events, and use white lies to fill the sisters' memories of the past year! By then, the memories of these little girls will be complete and there will be no loopholes left!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "Okay! This way it will be like nothing happened to them!"

Big Wolf said with emotion: "I didn't expect that Miss Yuan's acupuncture skills have reached such an incredible level. Amazing!"

Yuan Zishan listened to the praise but she didn't feel happy at all. She was still thinking about the little girl who committed suicide! She broke a porcelain bowl and cut her wrist with the fragments. The wound... was bigger than a child's mouth and bloody... She was only thirteen years old...

Feng Jiuxiao said: "We'd better hide for a while, otherwise it will easily alert the enemy and scare Mr. Xiao Du away!"

Pang Shiwu said, "I'll wait outside the gate. There's a teahouse opposite the Du residence. I'll stay there to prevent him from running out!"

Zeng Yong said: "I stayed behind the rockery outside to prevent him from jumping over the wall and escaping."

Big Wolf said, "Where should I hide then?"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "Go to the backyard and find a secluded place outside where those girls live to hide, in case that Mr. Du makes a feint to the east and attacks in the west to lure the tiger away from the mountain!" If Mr. Du is really the murderer behind the scenes, he should not come alone. He will most likely bring helpers to prevent Miss Du from escaping again!

Yuan Zishan asked, "What about you?"

Feng Jiuxiao said, "I'll go to the study. I found traces of damage on the wall there. I suspect those people are looking for something. They think there is a layer in the wall, so they knocked it and made holes everywhere. I suspect they didn't find it last time, so they will continue to look for it this time. I'll just wait there."

Yuan Zishan asked: "What about us? Where are we hiding?"

Feng Jiuxiao's eyes flickered, and he said meaningfully: "You don't have to hide. When they see that you are women, they will definitely not be on guard!"

Yuan Zishan said: "That's not necessarily true! It's best to be careful!"

Feng Jiuxiao said: "Then you should go with Fifteen to the teahouse across the street. If there is any disturbance here, you can come over at any time."

Yuan Zishan said: "Okay."

……

After entering Jinyang City, Li Deming asked, "Brother Liu, what are your plans next?"

Liu Miezhou said, "I will go find my people. You can go to the palace to see the emperor now. Remember, no matter how badly he behaves, you must not get angry. Be patient and wait here for a few more days. Where are you staying?"

Li Qiangang said: "Of course it is the largest inn in Jinyang."

Liu Miezhou said, "Okay, see you later!" He pulled the reins and rode away.

Watching his back gradually disappear at the end of the long street, Li Qiangang asked, "Do you think he can succeed?"

Li Deming looked up at the sky and said leisurely: "He must succeed!"

Li Qiangang's pupils shrank. "Are you really waiting for him here?"

Li Deming said: "I can wait for three days! Just three days. If he fails, we won't suffer any loss. Once he succeeds, we will be even more powerful and achieve twice the result with half the effort! Why shouldn't I wait?"

Soldiers patrolled the streets from time to time, and occasionally one could even see quite a few Khitans roaming around in the city.

"The defense here is loose on the outside but tight on the inside. It seems that there are no heavy troops guarding the city, but in fact, there is a Khitan heavy cavalry stationed outside the city all year round. Once there is any disturbance in Jinyang City, they will rush over with lightning speed, and the enemy army of 30,000 to 50,000 will be strangled in an instant! Therefore, although the military discipline of the Northern Han Dynasty is lax and the combat effectiveness is poor, it has been able to stand for many years, relying on the strong support of the Khitan! In the past, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty attacked several times, but failed to take down the Northern Han Dynasty because the Khitans were too strong!"

Li Deming said: "No matter whether we can form an alliance with Northern Han or not, we must go to Shangjing, Khitan! I must see Empress Dowager Xiao!"

Li Qiangang frowned and said, "The Liao Dynasty has already appointed you as the King of Xixia, what are you still going to do?"

Li Deming said: "Borrow troops!"

Li Qiangang said: "Are you crazy? I heard that Song and Liao have reached a verbal agreement not to offend each other for a hundred years. If you go to Liao to borrow troops, you will definitely return empty-handed!"

Li Deming said: "I know!"

Li Qiangang asked: "You know? You still borrowed it after knowing it?"

Li Deming said, "I am just expressing an attitude! Empress Dowager Xiao promised not to go south to attack Song, not because she doesn't want to! I heard there are other reasons! As long as I make my attitude clear, she will definitely support us! It is not convenient for her to take action, and if we take action, it will be exactly what she wants! I bet that she will not lend us soldiers on the surface, but she will definitely give us various strategic materials! War horses and weapons are definitely indispensable!"

……

Liu Miezhou came to the Wangyue Inn in the east of the city, dismounted, handed his mount to the waiter, and ran straight to the backyard.

There was an old man lying on a bamboo chair in the backyard with his eyes closed.

When Liu Miezhou came to him, the old man instinctively opened his eyes and stared at Liu Miezhou with a pair of sharp eyes. After a long time, he said in a hoarse voice, "What can I do for you, Excellency?"

Liu Miezhou said: "Looking for roots."

The old man looked fierce, "What roots are you looking for?"

Liu Miezhou said: "The root of the Han Dynasty!"

The old man asked, "Who is the hero of Bingzhou?"

Liu Mie Zhou said: "Don't plan to divide the army and go down to Jingxing."

The old man stood up excitedly and immediately knelt down, "This old slave Liu Qian greets His Highness!"

Thank you Yudong for your strong support and encouragement!