I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 446 The first bowl of chicken soup on the autumn battlefield! Zhao Zhen finally put on his armor

The next day, it was nearly noon.

Private room on the second floor of Fanlou.

The Jurchens Liji, Awu and Agu sat at the head seat of a big table, looking confused and a little nervous.

The companion on the opposite side.

They were Su Liang and the ceremonial officials headed by Zuo Youding, the Minister of the Honglu Temple.

Let professional people do professional things.

Deal with these matters.

Zuo Youding, a ceremonial official who can think in a roundabout way and with eight hidden agendas, is much more capable than Su Liang.

Li Ji and his two companions saw that the table was filled with golden plates and silver chopsticks, and the aroma of wine was rich.

The fairy-like young ladies served them all kinds of delicacies that they had never even seen before, and they all became reserved.

He was being beaten and being a prisoner last night, but today he suddenly became a guest of honor.

Make them feel a little uncomfortable.

Lean slightly.

The big table was filled with wine and food.

Zuo Youding smiled and looked at Li Ji, saying, "Prince Li Ji, there were some misunderstandings yesterday. I hope you can forgive me. On behalf of the Honglu Temple, I will drink three cups as punishment!"

After saying this, Zuo Youding picked up the wine glass and drank three cups in a row.

The four words "Prince Reggie" made Reggie so happy that he showed his teeth.

In order to better manage the Jurchens, the Khitans set up some royal palaces.

The candidates for the king were the powerful patriarchs of the small Jurchen tribes who were obedient to the Khitans.

The leader of the Black Water Tribe, Ke Meng, is not the king of the palace, but Zuo Youding has raised his status.

Reggie became Prince Reggie!
Reggie subconsciously straightened his chest; he liked this title very much.

Su Liang sat aside, smiling but saying nothing.

He will speak only after Zuo Youding has laid the groundwork.

Zuo Youding continued, "After reading the letter from the leader of the Kemeng clan, the emperor of the Song Dynasty originally wanted to invite the three of you to the palace for a banquet. However, considering the content of the letter and your identities, it is not convenient for the emperor to see you or invite you into the palace. I hope you can understand!"

"I understand, I understand. A secret alliance must not be leaked!"

Li Ji and the other two were very happy, feeling that the Song people were much more polite than the Khitans.

"In addition, Su Sijian's beating of the three of you last night was also an accident. It was because there were too many Khitans who wanted to assassinate Su Sijian, and we had to be on guard!"

Su Liang immediately stood up and said with a smile: "Three of you, I will also drink three cups as punishment."

After saying that, Su Liang drank three glasses of wine in a row.

Rigid also quickly picked up his glass and said, "We are not perfect too, we are not perfect too!"

Say it.

The three of them also stood up and drank three glasses of wine.

Su Liang toasted them so that they could brag about it for the rest of their lives when they returned.

this moment.

In their eyes, the Song Dynasty was a country of etiquette and propriety.

Even if I beat them up last night and locked them up in the prison, there would be nothing wrong with that.

After chatting for a few sentences, the two sides finally got to the point.

"Prince Liji, the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty is relatively supportive of the suggestion made by the chief of the Kemeng tribe. However, considering the long distance between the two sides and our insufficient understanding of your side, we have put forward another idea. This idea will be conveyed to you two by Su Sijian on behalf of the emperor!" Zuo Youding said, stroking his beard.

Riji and the other two looked at Su Liang.

Su Liang smiled slightly.

"Prince Rigi, you should also know that our hatred for the Khitans is no less than yours."

"The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are all inhabited by Han people. They should have been the territory of our Song Dynasty. Since Taizu and Taizong, our dynasty has intended to recover them. In the future, there will definitely be a war between our Song Dynasty and Liao."

"But at the moment, we don't know how strong you are."

"I, the Song Dynasty, hope that you can grow stronger. When you are truly strong enough to fight against the Liao Kingdom, we can cooperate. Otherwise, if we form an alliance now and you suddenly change your mind, wouldn't that put the Song Dynasty at a disadvantage? We hope that our allies are sincere to us. You are now in the northern border of the Liao Kingdom, but it is just a small fight. To outsiders, it looks like a family quarrel. If we join the battle, I am afraid we will suffer a great loss!"

Su Liang's words were already very tactful.

He expressed two meanings in total.

First, you are too weak; second, the conflict between you and the Khitans is not deep enough.

aside.

Zuo Youding added: "What Su Sijian said is exactly what the emperor of the Song Dynasty meant. But the emperor also said that if the Jurchens are oppressed by the Khitans and have nowhere to go, the Song Dynasty will help them if it can!"

"Prince Liji, this matter involves the survival of our Song Dynasty. We must be cautious. Do you understand?"

"I understand! I understand! Or maybe my Black Water Tribe is too low-key. Please rest assured, when Li Ji returns, we will soon be able to give the Emperor of the Great Song a surprise and let your country know that we are qualified to be the Great Song's ally!"

Rigid felt that the other party's concerns were understandable.

He did not think that his tribe was weak, but he thought that they were not bold enough at the moment. He had to do something to make the Song Dynasty believe in them.

"Prince Rigi is indeed a smart man, so let's wait for good news! As long as you show enough sincerity, our Song Dynasty will personally deliver the letter of alliance!" Zuo Youding said with a smile.

"No problem!" Riggie said excitedly.

The other two were also very happy. They felt that with these words, the verbal alliance between the two sides was complete.

They can now deal with the Khitans with confidence.

……

After chatting for a few sentences, the two sides began to eat, drink and laugh.

At this dinner, Su Liang truly appreciated the power of the ceremonial officials.

His words seemed to be flattering, but in fact they were setting traps everywhere, making Prince Rigi very happy to accompany him. The other party had already regarded the Song Dynasty as his strong backing.

……

Half an hour later, the dinner ended.

Zuo Youding said, "Three of you, to avoid being discovered by the Khitan spies, I suggest that you take a boat to leave Song at four o'clock tomorrow morning. What do you think? To show our sincerity, we have also brought some wine, tea, and silk for you three."

"Zuo Siqing, you...you are my...my Riki's benefactor, thank you! Thank you so much!"

Reggie's body was shaking and he couldn't speak clearly.

Although he was as strong as an ox, his alcohol tolerance was like that of a sparrow. At this moment, he was so drunk that he had double vision in his eyes.

After a while, Zuo Youding ordered his men to send the three people to their accommodation.

Outside Fanlou.

Su Liang looked at Zuo Youding and said half jokingly: "Zuo Siqing, all the promises tonight came from your mouth. I didn't make a single promise. In the future, if they want to find someone, they can find the Honglu Temple!"

Zuo Youding puffed out his chest.

"Promise? Did I promise? Those were all drunken words. I didn't leave a single piece of paper. What kind of promise is that? I did it all for the Song Dynasty!"

Say it.

Zuo Youding flicked his long sleeves and left humming a little tune.

A smile appeared on Su Liang's face.

Most of the censors thought that Zuo Youding was smooth and mercenary, good at dealing with people, and liked to shirk responsibility.

But now it seems that it is very appropriate to put him in the position of Minister of the Honglu Temple.

……

The next day, before five o'clock in the morning.

It's still dark.

Rigi and the other two boarded a merchant ship specially arranged for them.

The fat young man Awu stood on the deck, looking at the Bianjing city that was getting farther and farther away, with a look of reluctance on his face.

"I didn't eat enough last night in order to be more elegant. I was thinking I could stay in Bianjing for a few more days and eat more delicious food!"

"There are so many beautiful girls, and I... I don't even know any of them, and I haven't even held their hands. What a pity!" Agu sighed.

Snapped!Snapped!
Rigid hit the two men on the back of their heads twice, looked around and saw that there was no one around, then said, "Why are you so impatient? Good things are yet to come!"

"The Song people are not good at fighting. After we join forces with them to destroy Liao, we will gather enough troops and march south to occupy this city of Bianjing."

"Even if we can't occupy it for long, we will still plunder it and take away all the treasures, wine, tea, and silk. As for the beautiful women, we will take at least 10,000 of them so that you can have fun!" Reggie said in a low voice, hugging the two men's necks.

"Good! Good!" The two became excited.

These Jurchens have lived in a world of burning, killing and looting since childhood.

When they see something good, their first reaction is to grab it and make it their own.

As for Confucian etiquette and secular morality, they don't care at all.

Such an ungrateful person.

If the Song Dynasty cooperates with it, it would be blind.

……

August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival.

According to the court's vacation system, all departments will have one day off.

But in the afternoon, Su Liang was dragged to the Privy Council by the Deputy Privy Councilor Liang Shi.

now.

The "General Guide to Military Training", a set of military training methods for the entire Song Dynasty written by officials of the Privy Council, is nearing completion.

Moreover, after being reviewed by the emperor and the ministers of the Secretariat, it has been adjusted twice. It will be submitted once more after the festival. It will most likely be finalized and printed and sent to military camps in various places for execution.

In the Privy Council, Liang Shi took Su Liang to a tea room.

Di Qing stood up to make tea for him, Zeng Gongliang enthusiastically served him fruit, and Liang Shi even placed two plates of snacks in front of Su Liang.

Su Liang smiled and said, "Three of you, stop playing tricks. Just tell me what you want me to do!"

Di Qing looked at Zeng Gongliang and said, "Mr. Zeng, I'm not good at talking, you should do the talking!"

Zeng Gongliang slowed down.

"Jingming, before implementing the "General Principles of Military Training", we hope to gather the officials of the Privy Council, the generals of the three yamen, and the senior generals in Kaifeng Prefecture in a military camp, so that the emperor can give a speech and boost morale!"

"This is a good thing! If you propose it, the government will definitely agree!" Su Liang said with a smile.

"We also hope that officials from other government offices will not be involved," Zeng Gongliang said.

Hearing this, Su Liang laughed and said directly: "Other government offices? You don't want those officials in the Secretariat to participate!"

Zeng Gongliang nodded and explained quickly: "Jingming, don't misunderstand me. We are not trying to monopolize power and use this to enhance the status of the Privy Council. Rather, if the audience of the emperor's speech this time are all military officers in addition to the Privy Council officials, everyone will be able to feel the court's emphasis on military officers. This will greatly increase the excitement of the soldiers!"

Liang Shi added: "The three of us proposed this, the emperor might think too much, and the ministers in the Secretariat might also think too much, so we want you to go!"

Su Liang thought for a moment, then said, "Okay!"

These three people were frightened by the court's policy of emphasizing civil officials over military officials, and they were afraid that the emperor and the court's civil servants would think too much.

Hearing Su Liang's affirmative answer, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief and let Su Liang go home to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

……

late at night.

The moon is round like a disk, hanging high in the night sky.

Su's house, on the roof.

Su Liang leaned in Tang Wanmei's arms, admiring the bright moon in the night sky, while Tang Wanmei gently massaged Su Liang's head.

The two are already an old couple, but they are still inseparable.

The secret to maintaining a harmonious relationship between husband and wife is -

In daily quarrels, Su Liang, as a censor, has never won over Tang Wanmei. If Tang Wanmei is really unreasonable, Su Liang will ask Tang Ze to deal with her.

this moment.

Su Zimu and Su Qinyi had already fallen into a deep sleep, and Tang Ze had also gone back to his room to rest as he was drunk from drinking too much.

It was a rare moment for the two of them to be together, without any worries on their minds.

"Yesterday, our son told me that when he grows up, he wants to be a swordsman, like Li Bai, traveling around the world and making the world his home. Don't you care about it?" Tang Wanmei nodded at the tip of Su Liang's nose.

"Swordsman, that's great! As long as he doesn't become a live-in son-in-law like Li Bai, he went to Xiangguo Temple to see the monks meditate last month and he wants to become a monk!"

Su Liang asked back: "What do you want our son to do in the future?"

Tang Wanmei thought about it and said very seriously: "All are fine, except for the censors."

"what?"

Su Liang was very puzzled and asked in confusion: "What's wrong with the censors? There are so many officials in the world who want to join the censors, but can't get in!"

"Too tired! Too busy! Too hard to take care of the family!"

After Tang Wanmei said this, she pouted and looked up at the moon in the sky, but tears couldn't stop falling.

these years.

Su Liang was either busy in the government office and returned home late at night, or he was away from Beijing on business and would be gone for two or three months.

Only Tang Wanmei understands this painful loneliness best.

Su Liang sat up, wiped away Tang Wanmei's tears, and then hugged her tightly in his arms.

……

The next day, it was nearly noon.

Chui Gong Hall.

The ministers of the Secretariat, the Privy Councilor Di Qing, the two deputy privy councilors Zeng Gongliang and Liang Shi, and Su Liang were all standing in the main hall.

They are all the main creators and reviewers of "General Guidelines for Military Training".

Zhao Zhen placed the carefully edited "General Guidelines for Military Training" on the imperial desk and said to everyone, "No problem, we can train the troops according to this plan today!"

Di Qing and others breathed a sigh of relief, the execution was finally about to begin.

At this time, Su Liang stood up.

"Sir, I suggest that before we implement this plan, we should gather the officials of the Privy Council, the generals of the three yamen, and the senior generals of Kaifeng Prefecture. You can give a speech and encourage them. This time we are training our troops for war!"

Zhao Zhen's eyes lit up and he said, "Sure, sure. I can wear that armor and speak then!"

Hearing this, all the ministers laughed.

Zhao Zhen's armor has not been officially revealed yet!
Just as Su Liang was about to speak and euphemistically express that the ministers of the Secretariat did not need to go, Zhao Zhen looked down and said, "This time, except for the officials of the Privy Council, the civil servants do not need to go. Su Qing can go with you!"

Su Liang was immediately happy, and Di Qing and the other two looked at Zhao Zhen in disbelief.

The government is so considerate.

For this kind of thing, the nature of the ministers' petition and Zhao Zhen's initiative to speak out are completely different.

What the government has done is so heartwarming.

At this time, Wen Yanbo, Fu Bi and others understood it as soon as they thought about it.

The imperial court has been improving the status of military personnel. This time, the fact that civil officials did not leave further proves the government's trust in military generals.

"Your Majesty is wise. It is indeed not appropriate for us to go to such occasions!" Wen Yanbo said with a smile.

Zhao Zhen nodded with satisfaction.

The reason why Wen Yanbo was able to sit firmly on the position of prime minister for several years, in addition to his military achievements, was also due to his understanding and tacit understanding with Zhao Zhen.

……

On August 22, the autumn wind was cool.

In the suburbs south of Bianjing City, on the battlefield of a military camp.

All the officials of the Privy Council, the officials and generals of the three yamen, and all the military officers above the rank of battalion commander in Kaifeng Prefecture all stood upright.

The emperor's personal army and the five hundred soldiers from the Longyu Army camp were also standing behind. They were qualified to enjoy this honor.

It had never happened before in this dynasty that the emperor personally gave a collective lecture to military generals.

Di Qing, Zeng Gongliang, Su Liang and others stood at the front, waiting for the emperor to appear.

After a while.

Followed by the neighing of war horses.

Several soldiers wearing bright silver armor came riding on war horses, and one of them was holding a royal flag.

The rider in the middle was also wearing bright silver armor, but with an extra white-gray cloak. This man was none other than the 44-year-old Zhao Zhen.

At this moment, Zhao Zhen looked heroic. He rode his war horse straight to the front of the platform, then dismounted in a very cool manner.

Not far away, Di Qing let out a long sigh.

The official practiced the dismounting movement for two days, and it paid off.

immediately.

Zhao Zhen took off his cloak, put on bright silver armor, and strode towards the platform.

The soldiers below were all stunned.

In their eyes, officials have always been gentle and refined.

They thought that the official would come in red uniform, but they didn't expect that the official would come in armor and riding a war horse, and his movements were smooth and flowing, very much like a warrior.

Zhao Zhen was wearing armor and riding a horse, and there were no civil officials present.

These two points alone are enough to cause countless generals to go wild.

In their eyes, this shows that the government attaches great importance to their performance.

Everyone looked at Zhao Zhen who was walking up to the platform with fiery eyes.

At this moment, Zhao Zhen was very excited.

When he ascended the throne at the age of thirteen, his dream was to one day ride a fierce horse, wear armor, and lead the army in person.

Now half of the goal has been achieved, and he is not far from leading the army in person.

After Zhao Zhen took a break on the platform, he said, "Commendations, you should have read the 'General Guidelines for Military Training' and know what we are going to do next."

"I won't say anything pompous. I'll just talk about something that everyone is concerned about."

"First of all, we have two purposes for the large-scale military training. First, to protect the results of our reform and prevent foreign enemies from plundering us. Second, when the time is right, we must recover Yanyun and complete the unfinished ambitions of Taizu and Taizong. At present, our national strength allows us to do this!"

This was the first time that Zhao Zhen publicly stated that the court intended to retake Yanyun.

The soldiers were very excited.

Zhao Zhen continued, "Next, I will tell you two happy events. The two governments and three departments are all unaware of this, but I have decided to do this."

"First, starting from next month, the imperial court will increase the military expenditure of the imperial guards by 20%!"

"Secondly, as long as you can strictly follow the requirements of the "General Principles of Military Training", do not violate military discipline and law, and be a qualified soldier, the court can solve all your worries. If your parents are old and sick and have no one to take care of them, the court will help you take care of them. If your children are young and cannot go to school, the court will help them enroll and pay for all expenses... The court will solve all your worries!"

"This is my promise. If you and your soldiers do not enjoy this treatment, you can report it directly to me. Anyone who intercepts you will be charged with treason!"

……

After Zhao Zhen finished speaking, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Followed by.

This voice was like a tsunami, resounding throughout the entire military camp.

The soldiers were all as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and they couldn't wait to rush into the battlefield and kill to their heart's content.

Su Liang murmured, "My chicken soup has no meat, while the official's chicken soup is full of meat. Any passionate words are not as good as providing tangible benefits to the soldiers. The soldiers have gained fame, wealth, and dignity, so how can they not be full of fighting spirit?"

(End of this chapter)