Song Gexing

Chapter 196 Fan Zhongyan can also cheat

Zhao Fang finally agreed to Fan Zhongyan's appointment, but he was accustomed to being a swindler and directly recommended the prime minister's successor to him.

If he wasn't the emperor, Lao Fan really wanted to slap him, wouldn't it be embarrassing, in front of Fu Bi, Han Qi, Wang Yaochen, Ouyang Xiu, all of them are prime ministers.

The problem is that no one is suitable for me to recommend. These four are all the backbones who supported his Qingli New Deal back then, and they are equally close in terms of intimacy.

Seeing Zhao Fang's triumphant look, Fan Zhongyan suddenly became angry and said with a frown: "Let the four of you in the Political Affairs Hall draw lots. Anyway, His Majesty has done this before, so it's not too outrageous."

Now it was Zhao Fang's turn to be dumbfounded. How could a prime minister decide by drawing lots? He immediately retorted: "Isn't Prime Minister Fan confused? There is no reason for a prime minister to draw lots. If you tell me, you will be laughed at!"

Fan Zhongyan chuckled and said leisurely: "I am already seventy, so of course I am confused. Your Majesty knows that I am confused, yet you dare to ask me to recommend it. Who is more confused?"

"This...Old man, you..."

Zhao Fang, who was speechless, was heartbroken by this general, but he could not refute.

It was Wang Yaochen who came to the rescue for him. He pondered for a moment and said, "I remember that your Majesty mentioned the court recommendation last time. How about letting the imperial officials of the fifth rank and above do the court recommendation?"

"Hey! That's a good idea."

Ouyang Xiu was the first to agree, Fu Bi nodded in agreement after hesitation, and Han Qi finally agreed, and then everyone settled the matter happily.

In fact, according to Zhao Fang's original intention, he hoped that Han Qi would take over.

Because what he has to do next is to consolidate the ports of Tamluo Kingdom, wait for the two fleets in Shanghai and Ningbo to form combat effectiveness, and then start fighting the Japanese.

He has been coveting the Japanese silver mines for many years. If he could colonize and exploit them, the national power of the Song Dynasty could be doubled, and he would be able to do even more things.

The reason why I prefer Han Qi is that among the four, Han Qi is the most aggressive, while the other three do not have a strong desire to expand externally.

Although the four people all hoped that the Song Dynasty would be rich and powerful, only Han Qi had been on the battlefield, and he was quick-tempered. This kind of person was most likely to support foreign wars.

But now I have no choice but to wait for Ting Tui to talk about it later, who will make me feel guilty.

Zhao Fang, who returned to the harem angrily, went to Han Xue's place after seeing Meng Xin and Zhang Shaohua, and complained with a look of dismay that Old Han didn't know how to recommend himself.

After listening to him explain the cause and effect with a smile, Han Xue said with a smile: "Don't be impatient, officials. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. If you really want to go to war, you won't be able to do it this year. Besides, you have to occupy the Japanese country and open mines. It's not like that." If it can produce results in two years, my father will still have a chance in the future, and it may be better then."

"Better! Where is better?"

Zhao Fang asked puzzledly.

Han Xue smiled and said: "What the officials want to do most is to destroy Xixia, right? Then to recapture Yanyun's hometown. There won't be many people who will object to our attack on Japan, but there will be many people who will object to starting a war with Liao."

She didn't say anything later, but Zhao Fang understood that if Song Dynasty wanted to go to war with Liao, it was not only a question of whether it could win, but decades of peace, which made most people unwilling to fight again.

The power of the civil and military peace faction in the Manchu Dynasty was much stronger than that of the main war faction. However, this peace faction is different from those in the Huizong era, and it is difficult for you to label them.

In fact, the peace-promoting factions from the late Northern Song Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty should not be called the peace-promoting faction, but the surrender faction.

The real peace advocates are not willing to go to war easily, but they will fight back when foreign enemies invade. This kind of peace advocate was the most popular in Song Renzong's era.Sima Guang is the most typical example. He could return the captured land to Xixia without feeling distressed at all. However, when Xixia launched a war, he never said he would give in, but fought back.

To put it bluntly, the Liao Kingdom and the Song Dynasty have been at peace for too long. Apart from diplomatic disputes, neither side basically has the desire to fight.

This was not only true for the Song Dynasty, but also for the Liao Kingdom. Liao Xingzong really thought about invading the south again, but he could not convince the ministers. Even the King of Nanyuan clearly opposed it.

It was not that there were no wars in the Liao Kingdom at that time. They fought against Xixia and Tubo, and even beat up the Jurchens if nothing happened. No one opposed the war, but most people gave up when they fought against the Song Dynasty.

It's not that the people of the Liao Dynasty were not warlike, nor that the people of the Song Dynasty did not understand that war would lead to danger. The important point was that both countries respected Confucianism and were unwilling to do things that broke their promises and be ridiculed.

Although the covenant of the Chanyuan Alliance was regarded by later generations as a loss of power and humiliation of the country, most people in the Liao Kingdom were indeed unwilling to violate it.

The same was true in the Song Dynasty. Until the eve of Song Huizong's alliance with the Jurchens to attack the Liao Kingdom, many people in the court still used this as a reason to oppose.

After understanding what Han Xue meant, Zhao Fang sighed, put his arms around her waist and said, "At that time, I'm afraid your father will object. It's difficult for him to convince everyone!"

Han Xue smiled slightly: "What are the officials worried about? In the past few years, we will first attack those who have no covenants. After everyone sees the benefits, my father will be moved."

"Hey! That makes sense."

Zhao Fang's eyes lit up. It really makes sense. You must know that whether it is a peace or a battle, interests are what everyone is most concerned about.

If there are benefits to be gained from the war, the more benefits there are, the more bellicose everyone will be, because they are also members of a vested interest group.

In fact, the ministers of the Song Dynasty have become much more warlike in recent years. Otherwise, if the First Fleet enters the Tamluo Kingdom this time, there will definitely be opposition.

After all, this was the first time that the Song Dynasty sent troops into a vassal country, and it was not to quell rebellion.

But obviously everyone felt very good this time. What subtly influenced them was the resumption of Jiaozhou, which made everyone's life better.

"It seems that my sister Xue'er is still more powerful. So should such a powerful sister Xue'er give birth to a baby for me?"

Zhao Fang was in a good mood, and immediately started to get up and down with a playful smile. Anxious Han Xue pinched him several times, complaining that it was not dark yet.

"By the way, Xi Lie came here first to report the details of Dali's envoys, and found that there were female relatives in the team. I wonder if they were dedicated to the officials."

After finishing her clothes, Han Xue got up and reported seriously. Zhao Fang was stunned when he heard this.

It is not unusual for Wang Zhongzheng to report to Han Xue. He was the one who originally told him about this matter. If there is something inconvenient to report when he is discussing matters with the Prime Minister, he can report it to Han Xue and Zhao Pan'er.

Not looking for Meng Xin and Xiao Guanyin is not because he doesn't trust them, but it is more convenient for Wang Zhongzheng to talk to these two people. As for Song Yinzhang, forget it, she has not changed, and she doesn't care about anything.

What Zhao Fang was puzzled about was what happened to Dali Kingdom. You should know that envoys generally do not bring women's family members, which is rude behavior, unless these women are useful.

And when the vassals went to the suzerain to bring their female relatives, almost all of them were beautiful women who paid tribute, but the problem was that they didn't receive any news. This was found out by the Imperial City Secretary, and the situation was completely different.

(End of this chapter)