The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

In the Daqing Palace, Zhao Zhen sat high on the throne, listening intently to the third envoy Yan Shu's memorial. The civil and military officials were also attracted by the content of Yan Shu's memorial, and all of them stretched their necks without blinking their eyes. .

"Your Majesty, Su Jin, the grain envoy, sent someone to report that the incident in Yangzhou has basically subsided. Su Jin hastily transferred 50 shi of grain to sell at the official price. The price of grain has now been stabilized. Facts have proved that Su Jin’s strategy is very targeted, and the people’s troubles start from food shortages. Once the food problem is solved, the incident will naturally subside; it cannot be compared with violent suppression.” Yan Shu’s voice was high-pitched, Looks very excited.

Lu Yijian and Du Yan frowned when they heard this. At the beginning, they were the two who strongly advocated the suppression of the civil uprising. Now that Yan Shu mentioned it, it was obvious that he was secretly exposing their scars. The two looked at each other and decided to bear it for the time being. When the good news comes, it is really inappropriate to refute it at this time.

"Oh? That's great. Su Jin has grasped the point of the matter. I didn't expect this person to be young, but he still has some means. I'm very pleased." Zhao Zhen smiled, and his words were revealing With a trace of ease.

"More than that, Su Jin not only solved the crisis in Yangzhou, but also eradicated the bandits that had been entrenched in Bagong Mountain for several years. They were bandits who were encircled and suppressed several times by the Huainan West Road King Transit Envoy. It's really amazing. "

Zhao Zhen almost jumped up from the dragon seat, and the eyeballs of the civil and military officials of Manchu Dynasty were also jumping around on the ground. How sacred is this Su Jin, and even the Bagong Mountain bandits were wiped out by him. How can there be any reason for this?The things that should be done can't be done for a few years, and the things that shouldn't be done can be solved easily.

"What did you say? Tell me again." Zhao Zhen couldn't believe his ears.

"Qizou Your Majesty, what happened is this. Su Jinben sent Long Zhen, the deputy commander of the horse army, to Luzhou to escort the grain to Yangzhou, but unexpectedly, the desperate bandits from Bagong Mountain broke out halfway and robbed all 50 shi of grain. As for the constant crisis in Yangzhou..."

"Wait...you mean the bandits robbed the food escorted by my Imperial Guard Ma Jun?" Zhao Zhen asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, it is the food delivery team escorted by the two hundred guards Ma Jun."

"Two hundred cavalry were robbed just like that on the official road?" Zhao Zhen couldn't believe this was the truth.

Yan Shu consciously had no excuses. He knew that the emperor was on the verge of getting angry, so it's better not to provoke him.

"How many bandits are there?"

"Qizou Your Majesty, dispatched about six to seven hundred people."

Zhao Zhen raised his eyebrows and was about to speak, Du Yan hurriedly came out and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Zhao Zhen glanced at him angrily, and said in his heart: The good talent you recommended is shameful.But he didn't want to refute his face, he snorted and said, "Say."

"Although I don't know how the battle is going, I think there must be a reason for this. The deputy commander of the horse army, Long Zhen, is capable and introverted, and he acts prudently. He should not lead two hundred cavalry to lose to hundreds of bandits."

"Then, in your opinion, what is the reason?" Zhao Zhen asked, frowning.

"I want to ask about the specific date of the day of grain robbery. I wonder if there was any statement in the official document submitted by the grain envoy?" Du Yan tilted his head and said that he was talking to the emperor. In fact, this sentence was asking Yan Shu.

Zhao Zhen looked at Yan Shu with a hint of questioning in his eyes.

Yan Shu said honestly: "Su Jin's letter to the minister did not specify the date, it is around November [-]th or [-]th."

Du Yan said with a cold face: "This Su Jin, the official document doesn't even mention the date in detail, around seven or eight, is it left or right? It has a lot to do with it."

Zhao Zhen said lightly: "Why didn't I know that there is such a big difference between the left and the right? Could it be that one day earlier, he was able to defeat the bandits, and one day later, he was no match for the bandits?"

Du Yan hurriedly bowed and said: "Your Majesty Qizuo, what you said is the crux of the problem. As far as I know, there was a heavy snowfall on Huainan Road on the seventh day of November. If the food was robbed before the snow, it must be the Long Zhen feared the enemy, neglected his duties, and was robbed of food; but if it was after the seventh day, he must have been defeated in battle, not only did he have no faults, but he also made merit."

Everyone understood that Zhao Zhen didn't know about the snow on Huainan Road. Yangzhou is located on Huainan Road and was in turmoil. The heavy snow made Zhao Zhen's heart ache. What Du Yan meant Yes, the bandits robbed food after the snow, and the cavalry was useless on the knee-thick snow, and the cavalry who were good at fighting on horseback were not even as powerful as the infantry without horses. Under the attack of bandits several times their size, it was really difficult withstand.

"What you said makes sense, Yan Aiqing, you send someone to Su Jin's side to inquire in detail about the date of the robbery, and find out whether it was before or after the snow, so you don't want to tarnish the reputation of the imperial army."

Zhao Zhen's anger calmed down a little. If it was the Queen of Snow, he would not have lost his face. Otherwise, the two hundred cavalry of his own imperial guards would lose to the six or seven hundred mob bandits. , Zhao Zhen is not willing to see these.

"The minister obeyed the order, and the minister immediately sent someone to find out the date. I hope this happened after the snow."

Zhao Zhen rolled his eyes and pretended not to understand Yan Shu's words. Yan Shu's word 'hope' was actually speaking for Zhao Zhen.

"Then how did Su Jin break the cottage? Let me tell you, I am becoming more and more interested in him. How many officers and soldiers did I bring to encircle and suppress him?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Su Jin brought with him 300 soldiers from Yangzhou, plus [-] yamen servants from Tianchang County Magistrate Li Chong, and the [-] cavalry we sent him, totaling [-] people."

"What? Can such a small number of people wipe out the Bagong Mountain bandits? How many people were killed or injured?"

Not only Zhao Zhen was surprised, but also the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty did not quite believe it. Bagongshan bandit invaded Huainan Road and mobilized nearly 5000 soldiers from the two prefectures to encircle and suppress several times, but failed to remove the bandit nest. Su Jin only took this thousand Three hundred soldiers pulled out this thorn in the heart, which is incredible.

"Sixty of my officers and soldiers were killed in battle, more than a hundred were injured, 60 and eight bandits were annihilated, and 490 were captured. The second leader of the bandit, Qiu Dabao, was killed on the spot, and the leader, Shen Yaozu, has been escorted to the capital and is now in the prison of Kaifeng Mansion. According to the order of the Holy Majesty, none of the 470 shi of grain is missing, and all the weapons and materials seized by the bandits have been recorded and stored in the Yangzhou government treasury, waiting for inspection."

"Good boy!" Zhao Zhen slapped his thigh and stood up from the dragon seat, clapped his fists and said, "I want to reward him well, Yan Aiqing, you can order Su Jin to make a book and report those who have made meritorious deeds. Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, this Su Jin really has such a great ability."

All the civil and military men were also infected by Zhao Zhen's emotions, and they talked a lot, some praised him, and some nodded with their tall fingers.

Lu Yijian stood up from the seat bestowed by the emperor, turned around and glanced at the officials, all the officials were silent, Lu Yijian staggered to the seat of the dragon and saluted: "Show the emperor, the old minister has something to say."

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Lv Aiqing, please tell me."

"Your Majesty Xie, the old minister thinks that the matter of meritorious deeds and rewards should be postponed. The current situation is urgent. The Yuanhao rebels in the Northwest are already ready to move. The winter offensive is about to break out. The food supply in all parts of the Song Dynasty is in short supply. I am ecstatic with a small victory, the banditry in Bagong Mountain is a disease of scabies, even if Su Jin did not wipe it out this time, and the imperial court spared them, they would surely perish; of course Su Jin’s move to eliminate a banditry should be given Praise, but I think that when the food affairs are urgent, there is no need to exaggerate the matter too much. After all, the third department shoulders the heavy responsibility of food affairs. If the food affairs are done well, it is better to award them together."

Zhao Zhen didn't understand what Lu Yijian meant, and asked, "Where did Lu Aiqing come from for this proposal? Rewards and punishments sometimes happen, so too much delay will make those who have made merit lose motivation."

Lu Yijian said: "I am a little worried. There is a tiger in Nanshan. The emperor sent someone to kill the tiger, but this person killed another hungry wolf. In the end, the tiger was not killed. Do you think the emperor should reward or punish?"

Now everyone understands, what Lu Yijian meant was that Su Jin took over the food business, but accidentally killed the bandits. , Isn't it a joke; why don't you make an order to comfort him first, and wait for his food affairs to be done together before combining the rewards, which seems logical.

Yan Shu was the first to quit. What kind of logic is this?It was obvious that he was making unreasonable words, how could Yan Shu hold back this tone.

Immediately stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I think that Lu Xiang's remarks are inappropriate. It is the consistent practice of the court to distinguish rewards and punishments. At this moment, you will be rewarded for meritorious deeds, and you will be punished for future mistakes. If the rewards and punishments are not timely, wouldn't it be a mistake for those who handle affairs?" If you lose your positivity, are you disappointed by it?"

Lu Yijian said indifferently: "Master Yan, it is inconvenient for me to say something clearly in the court, and some things are not as you imagined. I understand Lord Yan's mood very well. The person I recommended has merit, so I will naturally argue for it. However, The old man doubts whether you really know the inside story."

Everyone couldn't understand it even more. Lu Yijian is this kind of medicine sold in the gourd, and his words are getting more and more unpredictable. It's just a reward for a small Su Jin, and it doesn't necessarily cost him a lot of money to give him a big official position. Poor vernacular?

Not only did Zhao Zhen and the others not understand, even Du Yan, who had always claimed to be Lu Xiang's confidant, did not understand at this time.

"Lu Aiqing, what you said seems to have something in it. What is it that prevents you from speaking clearly? You are not usually so hesitant." Zhao Zhen said.

"Your Majesty, this veteran intends to go to the palace to discuss this matter with the Emperor alone after the early court. Unexpectedly, Mr. Yan happened to mention this matter, so the veteran came forward to stop him. The Emperor should know that this veteran is not someone who does not know rewards and punishments. It is just that there are some things that are inconvenient to talk about. "

"Is there anything I don't want to say? Is it about Su Jin? The court is where state affairs are discussed, so why not tell me." Zhao Zhen's expression was displeased. What exactly is Lu Yi trying to do with this mysterious trick?

Lu Yijian showed embarrassment, hesitating as if he couldn't speak, Yan Shu felt more and more that he was playing tricks, so he said: "The emperor wants Lu Xiangming to say, if Lu Xiang has any worries, just say it."

Lu Yijian stared at Yan Shu and said, "You really don't know about this?"

Yan Shu was confused, and said, "What's the matter, I really don't know what Lu Xiang is referring to."

Lu Yijian said again: "There is no mention of this in the official document that Su Jin submitted to you?"

Yan Shu took out Su Jin's official report from his bosom and said, "Here is the full text, please read it, Prime Minister Lu."

Lu Yijian took it and glanced at it quickly, and then said with relief: "If it's really not mentioned, then it's fine, this matter should have nothing to do with Lord Yan, since Lord Yan has nothing to do with this matter, I don't have any worries. "

Yan Shu felt more and more that something was wrong, what exactly was Lu Yijian going to say?Could it be that the previous worries were out of fear of involving himself in it?Could it be that something was hidden in Su Jin's report?

Zhao Zhen urged: "Lu Aiqing, don't go around the bush, just say it."