The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 542 Big Changes in Personnel

In the Zichen Hall, all the ministers shouted long live.

Chai Rong sat on the imperial throne and gave a heartfelt speech of admonishment to the ministers, taking advantage of the recent Battle of Hedong and the Grand Examination for the Fifth Rank Beijing Officials.

To sum up, the Great Zhou Dynasty is prosperous, but it is surrounded by tigers and wolves, and the noble families must not relax and slack off. The great cause of unifying the mountains and rivers and creating a prosperous age depends on the emperor and the noble families working together to achieve it as soon as possible.

Then, Prime Minister Zheng Renjie, under the instruction of Chai Rong, issued a series of most important edicts on organizational adjustments and personnel appointments in the first year of Xiande.

"'I heard that all soldiers are good but not many. Nowadays, farmers cannot raise a single soldier. How can they use the blessings of the people to raise such a useless thing! There is no distinction between the strong and the weak. What can we do to persuade you? Today When the army rises, the elite ones will be promoted to the army, and the weak ones will be dismissed. Recruit the brave men from all over the world, and send them to Yi Que.

There is a department in front of the palace, which is parallel to the department of bodyguards. Under this department, there are all the squads, cavalry and infantry troops in front of the palace.

The above-mentioned Dangjungong, Zuowei General, Commander of the Dianqian, Duma Duwei, and Jiedu Envoy of the Wuxin Army, Zhang Yongde, inspected the Dianqian, and was in charge of the Dianqian. Above!
Bai Wenke, the Duke of Jin State, was appointed as the vice-capital in front of the palace for inspection;

The right guard general Hu Yanke was the commander in front of the palace;

Zhu Xiu, the founding county magistrate and military envoy, was the deputy capital commander in front of the palace;

Zhao Kuangyin, the governor of Lingyan Prefecture, was appointed as the Yuhou in front of the palace, and Han Lingkun, the commander of the cavalry army and the governor of Linghe Prefecture, was appointed as the deputy capital Yuhou! '

Order Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin to select the squads in front of the palace, eliminate the old and the weak, and select the able-bodied. All the people belonging to the Imperial Army and all the military states and towns in the world must act according to the order and must not be negligent! "

Zheng Renhui's steady and deep voice resounded through the hall, and all the officials listened carefully, not daring to miss a single word.

This imperial edict can be said to be the most important edict this year. It is related to the restructuring and reconstruction of the Imperial Army of the Zhou Dynasty. It is an important military matter and has a huge stake!

With this edict, the situation that the Guards Division of the Imperial Army has been the only one for many years will no longer exist. From now on, the Palace Front Division and the Guards Division will stand side by side to jointly control the Imperial Army!

Moreover, it is stated in the imperial edict that the rank of the Palace Chief is higher than that of the commanders of the Forbidden Army, and he is truly the number one military official. In other words, the actual status of the Palace Chief is higher than that of the Guards Division.

The rank of commander of the Guards and Military Division is ranked third after the inspection in front of the palace and the inspection in the deputy capital, ranking third in the entire Forbidden Army system.

"My Holy Emperor!" The ministers bowed and shouted.

Everyone is pondering in their hearts the selection of the five high-ranking commanders of the Dianqian Division.

Zhang Yongde was the late emperor's consort, and he and his majesty were brothers and sisters. His wife, Princess Shou'an, had just been granted the title of eldest princess of the Jin Dynasty. Now she sits in front of the palace and checks high positions. She is truly the No. 1 in the dynasty and holds the power of the imperial army.

Bai Wenke, deputy capital inspector, and Hu Yanke, commander of the capital, are both Conglong veterans, senior generals with high reputations in the army.

Bai Wenke used to be a Jiedu envoy in Hezhong, but because of old age and sickness, he returned to Kaifeng for the elderly. After Chai Rong succeeded to the throne, he was promoted to the Duke of Jin. Now he is [-] years old and has retired to serve at home.

Hu Yanke is also 68 years old. His previous official career has been in Zhenzhou. He has served as the governor of the Zhenguo Army all year round and guarded the front line in Hebei.

Also after Chai Rong succeeded to the throne, he was promoted to stay in Xijing and is currently living in Luoyang for the elderly.

The two marshals are both pillars of the army. This time, through the establishment of the Palace Front Division, they served as deputy capital inspectors and capital commanders respectively. Chai Rong used this opportunity to express his respect to many veterans.

Due to the advanced age of the two veterans, it is naturally impossible for them to serve as officials and take charge of the military again. This promotion is mainly honorary and symbolic.

The main power of Dianqian Division will be held by Zhang Yongde, Zhu Xiu, Zhao Kuangyin, and Han Lingkun respectively.

Among the four, Zhang Yongde is 26 years old, Zhu Xiu is 21 years old, Zhao Kuangyin is 27 years old, and Han Lingkun is 31 years old.

The ministers were stunned. It was obvious that the emperor began to vigorously reuse and cultivate the young generation.

Once the emperor and his ministers were established, the Palace Front Division was established, and representatives of the four major young and strong factions came to power, which meant that the era of Chai Rong, the virtuous emperor, had finally arrived.

Zhu Xiu followed the other officials and shouted loudly. Even though he was prepared, when Zheng Renjie read out his name, he still couldn't hide his excitement.

In the future, he will officially enter the ranks of the high-level commanders of the Forbidden Army and become one of the most powerful figures in the army of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

Countless eyes were cast towards Zhu Xiu, mixed with many emotions including envy, jealousy, admiration and admiration.

Less than half a month after Zhu Xiu was promoted to the position of Vice Minister of Zhongshu, he was suddenly transferred to become the deputy commander of the Palace Front Division. Many courtiers were surprised by this.

According to everyone's speculation, Zhu Xiu would be trained as a reserve prime minister, but he did not expect to turn around and develop into the Forbidden Army.

Many people who admired Zhu Xiu's literary talents secretly said that it was a pity. In their view, Zhu Xiu was full of talent and learning, and abandoning his pen to join the army was simply a waste of natural resources.

Important ministers such as Wei Renpu, Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, and Zheng Renjie understood the emperor's intentions early and cast congratulatory glances at Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu smiled and nodded in greeting to everyone.

Suddenly, he keenly caught an unusual gaze, like surprise, like vigilance, hiding the meaning of fighting!
Zhu Xiu felt something in her heart, turned her head slightly, and met the owner of that gaze in the crowd.

Zhao Kuangyin!
Zhu Xiu could feel that Zhao Kuangyin's eyes were full of doubts, as if he couldn't figure out why Zhu Xiu also entered the front department of the palace and was still ahead of him in rank?
Since Hedong returned to Kaifeng, Zhao Kuangyin's life has been difficult.

First, his mother was seriously ill, and then his first wife, He Shi, who had just given birth to a baby, was also seriously ill. The son Zhao Dezhao was born because he was told that he was weak, and he didn't know whether he could feed him.

Last month, Zhao Hongyin, who was promoted to the rank of Yuhou of the Imperial Guard Infantry Army, also fell ill. It is said that the old man went to the outskirts of the city to race horses and then swam in the river and caught wind and cold.

Zhu Xiu expressed deep sympathy after hearing this. He was really a troublesome old man.

The family was old, weak, sick and disabled, which kept Zhao Kuangyin busy for a while.

The worst thing is that the first son of the He family, Zhao Dexiu, has died young. The second son, Zhao Dezhao, is also a medicine pot. Whether he can survive depends on God's will.

Zhao Kuangyin's official career was smooth, but his children were not.

Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin has not had time to inquire about news from the DPRK and the Central Government in recent times. He is not qualified to participate in several small imperial meetings convened by Chai Rong. He has no idea that Zhu Xiu will join the imperial palace.

Zhao Kuangyin was working hard to achieve great results in the front office of the palace, but he never thought that Zhu Xiu would parachute from above.

Although he thought about it, with Zhu Xiu's ability and Chai Rong's favor for him, it was normal for him to enter the front office and hold an important position, but Zhao Kuangyin still felt a little unhappy.

In his opinion, Zhu Xiu should honestly serve in the Zhongshu Province. Wouldn't it be good to be a prime minister in the future?

Do you have to come to the front of the palace to fight for merit?

After being unhappy, Zhao Kuangyin smiled and showed kindness, and gestured towards Zhu Xiu with a fist in the distance.

Next, there was another personnel change.

Tao Gu, who has been making soy sauce for thousands of years, is a rare chance to become the Minister of Zhongshu, and his partner Wang Pu is in charge of the affairs of Zhongshu Province.

Everyone in the court knew that they had been unhappy with Tao Gu since the time of the late Emperor. Unexpectedly, he could be transferred to the position of Vice Minister of Zhongshu this time. It was quite a breaking news, and it aroused murmurs among the ministers.

Old man Tao Gu took it calmly, kowtowed loudly and thanked him, and ignored the courtiers pointing fingers at him.

In other important aspects, Jing Fan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, joined the three divisions of Pingzhangshi and Judgment, and became the new minister of finance and taxation, in charge of the country's fiscal and taxation power.

The previous three envoys have all been given the title of Tongpingzhangshi, so this time it is no surprise.Deputy Privy Envoy Wei Renpu was promoted to Privy Envoy.

The original privy envoy was concurrently held by Zheng Renjie. This time, he was added to the position of privy envoy. At the same time, he was asked to step down as privy envoy. Taking up the position of prime minister without taking any actual duties was actually preparing for his official career.

After all, Zheng Renjie is a veteran hero, and Chai Rong still needs to use his reputation and experience to stabilize the court, and will not clear out all the senior officials from the court at once.

Wang Pu concurrently served as the Minister of Rites and the Bachelor of Jixian Palace.

Zhu Xiu didn't know this news before, but it seemed that it was Chai Rong's impromptu idea.

It seems that Wang Pu did a good job during his tenure as prime minister, which made Chai Rong very satisfied.

After Wei Renpu struggled for several years, he finally became the Privy Councilor, and he truly deserved his title.

Over the years, the most criticized thing about Wei Renpu is that he never participated in the scientific examination and only became a high-ranking official as an aide to the late emperor.

Wei Renpu's use was mostly behind the scenes, advising Guo Wei, so on the surface he didn't seem to have much military merit.

Otherwise, with his qualifications, he would have been given the title of Tongping Zhangshi and become one of the prime ministers.

Becoming the Privy Councilor this time is a blessing after all the hardships.

At the end, a name that had never appeared before caught the attention of the courtiers.

Wang Zhu, the judge of Chanzhou Jiedu, was promoted to Hanlin bachelor.

For a time, there were constant criticisms in the hall.

No one has ever heard of who Wang Zhu is.

Everyone looked at each other, asked each other, stood on tiptoes and looked forward.

Zhu Xiu also craned his neck to look curiously, and saw a rich, white, fat man holding an official robe and trotting forward, kowtowing nervously to thank him.

Everyone suddenly realized that he was Wang Zhu.

A local official suddenly became a Hanlin bachelor, and went straight to the central government. It was like reaching the sky in one step.

Soon, Chai Rong threw another big punch. This year, the Enke Scholarship Program was launched. It was led by Wang Zhu, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and sponsored by the Ministry of Rites and Officials.

The ministers were in an uproar, and several courtiers with the halo of academicians were quite annoyed.

Who is this king?He actually became an important minister in charge of the scientific examination as soon as he arrived?

It was supposed to be an errand for a few bachelors and the Ministry of Etiquette, but it was snatched away by Wang Zhu who came out halfway. How could it not be annoying?

Wang Zhu thanked him tremblingly, sweating profusely. Standing not far from him, Zhu Xiu could feel how nervous this guy was at the moment.

Fan Zhi suddenly stood up and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the king is not well-known. Is it inappropriate to serve as a scientific examination instructor?"

Fan Zhi was the prime minister. When he spoke, Wang Zhu became even more nervous and swallowed his saliva.

Seeing that many courtiers had opinions, Chai Rong said calmly: "I want people who can do things and do practical things. Reputation is mostly a burden, so don't forget about it! I have made up my mind, please don't talk too much! After I retire from the court, Several prime ministers, generals in front of the palace, ministers of the Six Ministries, and two privy envoys came to the back pavilion to see me!"

After that, Chai Rong stood up and went to the back cabinet to mind his own business.

Fan Zhi had no choice but to join the ministers in shouting long live the mountain.

After that, all the important ministers and ministers were summoned in the back cabinet, and the rest of the courtiers dispersed.

"Deputy Ambassador Zhu, stay!"

Zhu Xiu and Wei Renpu talked all the way and rushed towards the back cabinet. Zhao Kuangyin caught up and stopped them.

Wei Renpu smiled and said: "I will take the first step, you two should come quickly, don't make His Majesty wait!"

"Privilege Wei, please go first!" Zhu Xiu and Zhao Kuangyin said goodbye.

Zhu Xiu turned to look at him: "What advice does Marquis Zhao Du Yu have?"

Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said: "There are no outsiders present, how can you still be so polite to me, my dear brother?"

"Haha~ I see that Brother Zhao is so aggressive, as if he is here to ask questions, so you must be careful!" Zhu Xiudao.

Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but smile. Seeing no one around, he put his arms around Zhu Xiu's shoulders, gritted his teeth and shouted: "Why don't you come to the front office of the palace?"

Zhu Xiugan smiled and said: "Brother Zhao is joking. How can I be the one to make changes in my position? Isn't everything just in compliance with His Majesty's will?"

Zhao Kuangyin laughed angrily and said, "You kid, don't play catch-up with me! Tell me, do you come to the front office to compete with me for credit? Are you afraid that if I make too many contributions and get promoted too fast, I will be the only one in the future?"

Zhu Xiu was confused and said, "I don't quite understand what Brother Zhao means!"

Zhao Kuangyin pressed his shoulders angrily: "You kid, stop pretending to be ignorant! I heard that His Majesty has made plans to attack the north and the south, and will start sending troops to the south as early as next year.

At such a moment, the Dianqian Division will definitely be the main force in the future. If you want to come to the Dian Qian Division at this time, what else is it if you are not striving for merit? "

Zhu Xiu coughed dryly, looked around, cupped his hands and whispered: "Since Brother Zhao guessed it right, I won't hide it anymore! Yes, I really want to develop in the army. In the Huainan War next year, I will tell you anything." A piece of cake!

However, I really have no intention of competing with Brother Zhao for credit!In the war in the coming year, we need you and me to work together to open up territory for the Great Zhou Dynasty! "

Zhao Kuangyin stared at him for a while. Zhu Xiu's eyes were clear and bright, but it didn't look like he was harboring evil intentions.

"Hmph!~ Anyway, you call me Brother Zhao. I have been compared to you in everything before. I wanted to show off my skills in the front office of the palace and convince you, but I never thought that we would be together again after all the trouble. Work together!
The most irritating thing is that you are the deputy commander of the capital, and your position is superior to mine!
Brother, if I have anything to do, I have to ask you for approval!
As a brother, I really feel shameless! "Zhao Kuangyin muttered depressedly and unconvinced.

Zhu Xiu laughed and said: "Brother Zhao is the Marquis of Duyu, and I am the deputy commander of the capital. In name, I have a slightly higher rank, but each has their own rights and responsibilities. Generally speaking, you and I have nothing to do with each other!"

Zhao Kuangyin said with a fierce face: "I don't care! Anyway, if I ask you to do any errands in the future, you must not embarrass me!"

Zhu Xiugong raised his hand and said, "I don't dare! In the future, we will be in the same military department. Please give me some advice from Brother Zhao!"

Zhao Kuangyin then laughed with satisfaction, his slightly upturned black beard sticking to his upper lip, and his face trembled when he laughed.

In the first few years, when Zhu Xiugang met Zhao Kuangyin, he was still a fair-faced and big-eared young man.

Now, after several years of training in the military, Zhao Kuangyin has grown a beard, his skin is tanned, and his face has gained a lot of flesh, adding a bit of ferocity and roughness.

Zhu Xiu cursed in his heart that Zhao Da's appearance was closer to the portraits left in history.

(End of this chapter)