I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 493: Public ancestral temple! Su Jingming, the savior of Xihe Town

September 25th, afternoon, Bianjing City.

Inside the Chui Gong Hall.

Zhao Zhen and the ministers from the two governments and three ministries sat in the hall, with tea, fruits, snacks, etc. placed on the table.

The king and his ministers chatted.

Bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.

In the past, such a leisurely and relaxing scene would only occur during the Chinese New Year.

Otherwise, the censors would impeach the emperor and his ministers for "forgetting official business and failing to behave properly in the palace."

But today is different.

Recently.

The Hehuang border was expanded and good news came frequently.

Sometimes it is reported once every three days, sometimes three times a day.

First, Di Qing led the army to expand the border to within a hundred miles of the Western Xia border, and then Su Liang made the Zuosilo tribe return to Song without moving a single soldier.

Followed by.

Another strategic report came that Su Liang wanted to take advantage of the situation and completely annihilate the Western Xia Weiming Army, and a general offensive would be launched soon.

……

Zhao Zhen and others expected that there might be good news of a great victory today, so they were all inattentive to work and waited in the hall.

About a quarter of an hour later.

A eunuch rushed into the hall and shouted, "Urgent report of military situation in the northwest! Urgent report of military situation in the northwest!"

Zhao Zhen opened the urgent report and was overjoyed. He said to all the officials, "Di Hanchen and Su Jingming led the army to completely annihilate the Western Xia Weiming Army. The Hehuang area has been completely returned to our Song Dynasty!"

Upon hearing the news, all the men cried for joy.

They had been waiting for many years, and finally the day came when the Song Dynasty defeated the Western Xia.

moment.

Zhao Zhen calmed down his excitement and looked down.

"Immediately announce the expansion of the Hehuang border and the complete annihilation of the Western Xia Weiming Army to the world, and make sure that all the people of the Song Dynasty know about it."

"Yes." All the gentlemen stood up and bowed.

At this time.

Wen Yanbo smiled and said, "Your Majesty, we expect that soon we will hear that the Western Xia Prime Minister Mo Zang Epang is in conflict with the Tangut nobles. The Western Xia court is very likely to experience internal strife, and there may even be a change of emperor. Should we take advantage of the victory and directly destroy the Western Xia?"

Zhao Zhen thought for a while.

"Let's listen to Lord Di and Lord Su on this matter and wait for their report!"

All the gentlemen nodded.

It is a great honor for the Song Dynasty to have such two capable ministers, one civil and one military.

On the day.

The officials of the Jinzouyuan became busy.

The details of how Di Qing and Su Liang led the army to completely occupy Hehuang and annihilate more than 10,000 Weiming troops of Western Xia were all written down. After being reviewed and approved by the Secretariat, it was sent to various states and prefectures.

These contents will be printed in state and provincial newspapers so that people all over the world will know about them.

at the same time.

These contents were also transmitted to various tabloids in Bianliang City through the Imperial City Bureau.

Within ten days.

This matter would spread throughout the Song Dynasty, and even to Liao, Goryeo, Japan, Dali and other countries.

That night.

The people in Bianjing City were in a state of excitement.

Many people brought their families, called friends, went to restaurants and perfume shops, bought wine and meat, and celebrated this great victory.

……

Two days later.

Zhao Zhen and other ministers once again received memorials from Di Qing and Su Liang.

The content covers multiple aspects.

Before the civil strife in Western Xia broke out and Prime Minister Mo Zang Epang died, the Mo Zang clan once again became the ruler of Western Xia and Zhuola City once again increased its troops.

Two people suggested a temporary ceasefire, to first manage the Hehuang area, set up a provincial capital, appease the people, send officials, etc., and then completely destroy Xia after the spring.

There were also policies of appeasement and reform, such as using foreign people to govern foreigners, reducing taxes in Hehuang, planting cotton, and promoting commercial circulation.

After Zhao Zhen discussed it with all the ministers, they all agreed.

present.

It was not that the Song Dynasty was incapable of declaring a full-scale war with Western Xia, and it was absolutely capable of destroying Western Xia.

But when the war starts next year, the Song Dynasty will have more advantages. The key is to stabilize the entire Hehuang.

Occupying Hehuang was equivalent to pinching the throat of Western Xia, making it difficult for the latter to pose a threat to the Song Dynasty.

Even if the Liao Kingdom helped them, the Song Dynasty would not be afraid at all.

……

The capital of Liao Dynasty, inside the imperial palace.

Yelu Zongzhen read the news from the Liao spies that "Song army wiped out the Western Xia Weiming army and occupied the entire Hehuang."

His face was very gloomy.

"One Su Liang is worth thousands of troops. Without him, the Song army could not have won such a great victory at such a small cost. What makes me even more angry is that Di Qing is also worth thousands of troops. These two, one civil and one military, work well together and are so destructive!"

"Why can't we in Liao produce such people?"

below.

All the civil and military officials, led by Yelu Chongyuan and Yelu Hongji, lowered their heads helplessly.

After reading the intelligence, they couldn't help but admire Su Liang and Di Qing.

Especially Su Liang.

He was both brave and resourceful. He led more than 200 cavalrymen to persuade the tribes in Hehuang to surrender. He then saw through the false surrender plan of the Weiming brothers and used the same trick against them, which enabled the Song army to completely annihilate the Weiming army of Western Xia.

If it weren't for the Western Xia Queen Mother Mei Zang who turned the tide and did not break with the Dangxiang nobles.

I'm afraid it won't be long before Western Xia is destroyed by the Song Dynasty.

Although the number of Western Xia soldiers was far less than that of the Liao army, they were not inferior to the Liao army in terms of lethality.

Yelu Chongyuan raised his head and said, "Brother, on the one hand, Su Liang is full of tricks, and on the other hand, the people of Xixia are not united, and the generals have problems with their brains. If we fight the Song Dynasty, as long as we fight head-on, we will be no worse than them!"

"Are our people united? Do our generals have strategies? What if the Song Dynasty does not choose to confront us head-on?" Yelu Zongzhen asked in return.

Yelu Chongyuan was suddenly speechless.

In the current Liao Kingdom, people's hearts were not united at all, and he and Yelu Hongji were the first to bear the brunt.

Yelu Hongji immediately stood up and said, "Father, Su Liang was plotting against Xixia. He probably intended to launch a full-scale attack on Xia when Xixia was in civil strife. However, he did not expect that Na Mo Zang would turn the tide and prevent the civil strife from happening. Now that the Song Dynasty has not sent more troops to the northwest, it probably does not intend to attack Xia immediately."

"When they attack Xia, we might as well create some friction with them in Hebei. No matter what, we must increase their losses and then defend the border, otherwise they will attack us next."

Yelu Zongzhen nodded in approval.

"Indeed. In the future, if the Song army attacks Xia with all their strength, we must neither let the Song army shift their main attack direction to us, nor let them easily destroy Xixia. In addition, we must fully train our troops and improve our combat capabilities."

"To deal with the Song Dynasty, we cannot fight head-on. We still need to use our brains more!" After saying this, Yelu Zongzhen waved his sleeves and left.

These words were directed at Yelu Chongyuan.

Yelu Zongzhen is now becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Yelu Chongyuan, but increasingly satisfied with Yelu Hongji.

All the civil and military officials of the Liao Dynasty saw this situation.

……

The third day of October.

On the banks of the Yellow River, in the military camp.

Su Liang looked at Di Qing and said, "Brother Hanchen, I will return tomorrow. I will go to Xihe Town first to take care of some matters related to the reclamation and cotton planting, and then I will go directly back to Bianjing City!"

"Yeah, okay." Di Qing nodded.

three days ago.

Su Liang informed Di Qing and wrote a letter to the court to report that he would return to Bianjing City.

As for Di Qing, he naturally had to be stationed here.

He wanted to replace Fan Zhongyan and become the new pillar of the Northwest.

He would take soldiers to be responsible for all house construction, field reclamation, commercial operations, etc. in the Hehuang area.

It is also necessary to train the soldiers of Zuo Silu and those who are willing to join the war.

There will be another big battle after the New Year.

Su Liang continued, "Besides, I probably won't be here when Xia is destroyed after the New Year!" "Ah? Jingming, what do you mean?"

"My mission is over! The next few battles will be tough, and I won't be of much use with or without me."

"But..." Di Qing hesitated to speak.

Su Liang naturally understood what Di Qing meant.

The great harvest will come next year when Xia is destroyed, and Su Liang should enjoy the fruits of destroying Xia.

If you don't come, it would be like the person who has contributed the most giving up the fruits to others when it's time to reap the rewards.

"Brother Hanchen, I have no shortage of military merits. I have received what I deserve. Why should I fight with you? The prosperity of a country lies in the balance between civil and military affairs. We will have a great war with the Liao Kingdom in the future. Let the brothers fight more and gain military merits. They will be rewarded handsomely, and their families' lives will be more secure!"

In fact, Su Liang has deeper considerations.

This time, he expanded the border of Hehuang and annihilated the Weiming army. His brilliance was so great that it overshadowed the brilliance of military officers such as Di Qing.

The emperor and all the ministers thought that Su Liang alone accounted for at least seven-tenths of the credit for this achievement.

Su Liang didn't want to be too dazzling.

Moreover, he had always been committed to improving the status of military men, so he was unwilling to participate in the war to completely destroy Xia. He planned to inform the emperor of this after returning to Beijing.

How could Di Qing not understand Su Liang's good intentions.

"Jingming, on behalf of all the soldiers, thank you!" Di Qing bowed deeply to Su Liang.

……

The next day, Su Liang started to return.

This time, he did not bring the Longyu Army, but only the three thousand imperial guards who followed him from Bianjing City.

In addition, Liu Sandao and one-armed Lao Qiao were also brought along.

Liu Sandao followed Su Liang back to Bian Jing, while the one-armed Lao Qiao returned to Xihe Town.

years later.

The Longyu Army will definitely have a battle with the Iron Harriers of Western Xia.

They are more suitable for training here, so Su Liang had already applied to Zhao Zhen to keep them here.

Su Liang originally wanted to keep Liu Sandao here, after all, it was a good opportunity to establish military merit.

But Liu Sandao insisted on staying beside Su Liang as a guard. If he was not allowed to do so, he would become Su Liang's horseman. Su Liang had no choice but to agree.

……

October 12, near noon.

Su Liang and his party finally arrived at Xihe Town.

At this moment, Xihe Town was upgraded to a city and has become the capital of Xizhou.

The prefect was Liu Cun, the former prefect of Qinzhou.

Also.

Liu Cun was still the magistrate of Hezhou, which was close to Xizhou. Because there was a shortage of officials familiar with this place, he was experienced in his work.

Therefore, one person was the governor of two states.

When Su Liang and others were nearly three miles away from the city gate, they saw that both sides of the official road ahead were filled with people.

"Su Zhongcheng is back! Su Zhongcheng is back!" someone shouted, very excited.

then.

The people on both sides of the official road saluted Su Liang.

The people stood in an orderly manner, just like the golden-armored generals in the Daqing Hall during the grand court meeting.

"Who arranged this? This is nonsense!" What Su Liang disliked most was this kind of grand welcoming scene.

aside.

One-armed Old Qiao smiled and said, "Central Prime Minister Su, this should be a spontaneous act of the people."

"Without you, there would be no Xihe Town, let alone the current Xizhou. You are not the local official of our Xizhou, but you are the parent official of the people of Xizhou. This is what you deserve, so just take it!"

Su Liang smiled awkwardly.

If he said he was introverted, probably no one would believe him.

"Let's go, enter the city quickly!"

Then, Su Liang quickened his pace, but when he passed by the people, he still waved with a smile.

Under the city gate.

Liu Cun and a group of veterans from the Northwest also stood upright.

Su Liang looked at Liu Cun and said, "Liu Zhizhou, let the people leave. It's tiring to stand there. There's no need."

Immediately, Liu Cun waved to the soldiers in front.

Liu Cun looked at Su Liang and said, "Central Prime Minister Su, to celebrate Xihe Town becoming the seat of Xizhou, I and the people have prepared a surprise for you. Please follow me."

"Surprise? Have you prepared hundreds of whole roasted lambs for us? I've been dreaming about this!" Su Liang said with a smile.

He and the Kaifeng Imperial Guards soldiers behind him liked to eat the Northwest's roasted whole lamb the most.

"You will know once you see it!" Liu Cun immediately mounted his horse and led the way.

A quarter of an hour later.

The crowd turned from the main street and walked to an open area paved with stone slabs, where a brand new ancestral hall appeared in front of them.

The door of the ancestral hall was closed, and a plaque was covered with red silk.

Liu Cun stopped in front of the ancestral hall, and Su Liang followed him and dismounted.

When Su Liang was wondering, Liu Cun said to him, "Central Minister Su, please pull this red rope."

Su Liang pulled hard on the red rope that Liu Cun handed to him.

"Wow!"

The red silk fell.

The three bold characters on the plaque appeared: Su Gong Temple.

Su Liang immediately realized whose ancestral hall this was.

"Liu Zhizhou, don't do anything rash. I am only thirty years old. I am neither qualified to be called a duke nor to build a temple. This will shorten my life!"

At this time.

Liu Cun opened the door of the ancestral hall, and hanging in the middle was the portrait of Su Liang.

"Central Minister Su, Xihe Town was born and prospered because of you. The people are very grateful to you. We are willing to call you Duke and collectively petition to build a shrine for you!"

A shengci is a temple built for living people.

This custom originated in the Western Han Dynasty and flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties.

Later, it evolved into being built by common people to express their gratitude to local officials. For example, Di Renjie in the Tang Dynasty and Cai Xiang in the Song Dynasty both had ancestral temples.

Those who can establish a shrine must have made great contributions to the country and the people or all the people in the local state must approve of it and choose to build it voluntarily.

Nowadays, there are actually very few ancestral temples built.

Because it is a ritual not to build a temple or a monument during one's lifetime, ordinary officials simply cannot bear such honor.

But if many people insist on building it and offer incense every day, then this ancestral temple will appear to be extremely precious and of extraordinary value.

Also.

Not everyone can call him "gong".

Generally, only ministers or great sages who have worked for the court for most of their lives can be called "gong".

For example, Fan Zhongyan is Fan Gong and Bao Zheng is Bao Gong.

Wen Yanbo, Fu Bi, Wu Yu and other gentlemen have not yet been given the title of "gong".

"Public" must be shouted out by the people, and only when it is shouted out loudly and known to everyone can it be public.

Self-proclaimed is useless.

Su Liang's face turned red and he couldn't bear to look at the ancestral hall.

"Liu Zhizhou, first you called yourself a duke, then you built a shrine for your ancestors. I am only in my thirties, I am afraid I cannot suppress it. How about we renovate it and turn it into a city god temple, land god temple or something like that!"

At this time, Liu Cun took out a document from his arms.

"Central Prime Minister Su, I have already reported this matter to the Emperor, and the Emperor and all the ministers have agreed!"

"This is your ancestral temple now. A hundred years later, the people will build a statue and erect a monument for you. This is not my idea, but the will of the people of Xihe. You must accept it. You deserve this honor."

Su Liang opened the document and saw that the emperor and the ministers in the Secretariat all agreed.

"All right!"

Liu Cun was immediately overjoyed and said with a smile: "You all must be hungry, I have been preparing the roasted whole lamb since this morning!"

Hearing this, Su Liang couldn't help but be overjoyed.

In his heart, roasted whole lamb is more attractive than this ancestral temple and the name of Su Gong.

(End of this chapter)