I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 496 The dead are the greatest, and the whole army is dressed in the same clothes! Wang Anshi and Sima Guang quarreled again

The third day of November.

Su Liang and his party arrived in Henan Prefecture and would reach Bianjing City in three more days.

into the night.

In a bedroom of an inn.

Su Liang looked at Su Zimu's "Letter to Li Tuanlian" with joy on his face.

"Haha, my son is like me, warm-hearted, hates evil, and is very brave. It's just that the writing of this article is still too immature and not sharp enough..."

Su Liang knew the whole process of the matter and was very satisfied with Su Zimu's performance.

at this time.

Liu Sandao strode in holding Su Liang's official robe, hat, and boots.

"Boss, your official uniform has been cleaned. The Minister of Culture has asked us to enter the city from Nanxun Gate at 6:05 pm (10:30 am) three days later. A grand welcoming ceremony will be arranged at that time."

The border of Hehuang was expanded by nearly 3,000 miles, and more than 10,000 Weiming troops of Western Xia were annihilated on the banks of the Yellow River.

This kind of military achievement is far greater than suppressing the rebellion of Nong Zhigao.

As the number one contributor to the expansion of the Hehuang border, Su Liang returned to the capital with three thousand soldiers. Naturally, the court held a grand welcome ceremony to honor his contribution.

Su Liang glanced at the purple official robe.

Shake his head slightly.

"This time, I'm not going to wear the civilian uniform!"

"I want all the soldiers to wear the same uniform, including me. All three thousand soldiers will wear the uniform of a soldier. The clothes, accessories, boots, and weapons must be the same. No one should be treated differently."

"This time we return, we cannot just represent ourselves, we must represent all the soldiers who fought in Hehuang!"

Liu Sandao was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Boss, would it be more appropriate for everyone else to wear the same clothes except for you?"

This battle was Su Liang's first achievement.

The welcoming ceremony held by the emperor and the ministers was obviously prepared for Su Liang.

Even if Di Qing and Su Liang returned to Beijing together, Su Liang would still be the most dazzling one.

The officials in the two governments and three ministries would naturally like to see civil officials take the lead.

Su Liang did so.

This is equivalent to deliberately improving the status of military officers, which may cause dissatisfaction among some civil servants.

Liu Sandao could see how much Wen Yanbo valued Su Liang from the letter written by Wen Yanbo.

Hence this question.

Su Liang smiled slightly and said, "No, I can't be treated specially."

Su Liang's move.

It is to elevate the status of military men and downplay their own merits.

after this war.

There were also wars to destroy Xia, to recover Yanyun, the Song-Liao War, and so on, and there were many places where we had to rely on military men.

Su Liang was unwilling to take credit.

Instead, he was willing to share his credit with the soldiers who fought bravely for the Song Dynasty, so that they could enjoy more of the glory of victory.

immediately.

Su Liang picked up a document from the table and slowly stood up.

"This is a list of the 2,762 soldiers who died during the Hehuang border expansion. Find someone to write their names on a piece of silk. When we enter the city, this piece of silk should be placed in the middle, and I will follow behind. After all, the dead are the most important."

"I will write to the emperor later to report these two matters. The emperor will certainly agree. You can arrange it."

"Yes." Liu Sandao stepped back.

The dead are the greatest, and the whole army is dressed in the same clothes.

This was the highest respect Su Liang could express to the soldiers fighting in Hehuang.

……

Three days later.

Early in the morning, the city of Bianjing became bustling.

In front of Xuande Gate, on both sides of Imperial Street, and on both sides of the street from Zhuque Gate to Nanxun Gate, there were crowds of people.

The people of Bianjing City have learned from the government that Su Liang will lead 3,000 soldiers to enter the city from Nanxun Gate at 6:15 pm today.

soon.

Soldiers from the Imperial City Administration and runners from the Kaifeng Prefecture also began to maintain order.

It's a moment.

A group of civil and military officials gathered in front of Xuande Gate.

Prime Minister Wen Yanbo and Zhang Maoze, the director of the Imperial City Administration and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, represented Zhao Zhen at the Nanxun Gate to personally welcome Su Liang and others back to the capital.

Not long after.

Su Liang and three thousand other people wore red satin shawls with chest and back armor on the outside, white silk socks and trousers on the bottom, and long boots on their feet.

They were riding black horses, and they were walking towards the city with their chests held high and their heads held high.

And in the center of the team.

The two soldiers each held a log about ten feet long, and hanging high on the log was the list of soldiers who had died in the Hehuang Tuobian Camp.

Su Liangxing was at the end of the list, dressed exactly like the other soldiers.

Wen Yanbo and Zhang Mao were aware of Su Liang's arrangement.

But seeing it with my own eyes was still very shocking.

Su Liang's action showed full respect to the soldiers of the Song Dynasty.

The past.

The Song soldiers who died in battle received pretty good pensions.

But it has never happened before that the list appeared in the middle of the team, escorted by the chief military officer from behind, as it did now.

The people of Bianjing City were full of hidden talents and they soon understood Su Liang's actions.

"Central Minister Su is a man of great righteousness! The whole army is dressed in the same uniform, but he believes that the expansion of the Hehuang border should belong to all the soldiers who participated in the war; the dead soldiers are listed in the middle, and he is in the back to protect them, because the dead are the greatest!"

"All soldiers wear the same clothes, and the dead are the greatest! This is very touching. Ambitious men like us should join the army!"

"At this moment, who dares to say that only those whose names are called out outside Donghua Gate are good men? The soldiers on this list are all good men of our Song Dynasty. We should remember their names forever!"

……

Within three days,

Su Liang's behavior of returning to Beijing with the idea of ​​"the whole army is dressed in the same clothes, and the death is the greatest" would be adapted into a storybook by the artists in the brothels.

Then it quickly spread to all the provinces in Song Dynasty.

On the main street in the city.

Under the leadership of Wen Yanbo and Zhang Maze, Su Liang and three thousand other cavalrymen advanced at a low speed.

The people on both sides waved happily.

Not long after.

Someone started shouting the words Su Liang shouted in the northwest.

"Whoever offends the Great Song must be punished! Whoever offends the Great Song must be punished! Whoever offends the Great Song must be punished..."

The sound resounded through the sky and was deafening.

He shouted from the Nanxun Gate all the way to the Xuande Gate.

After a while.

Su Liang and others finally arrived at the Xuande Gate. The three thousand soldiers will be led to the military camp to rest and then rewarded according to their merits.

As for Su Liang, he naturally had to go and meet the emperor.

After Su Liang got off the horse, everyone he saw was a familiar face.

Fu Bi, Wu Yu, Zhang Fangping, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Yaochen, Zeng Gongliang, Bao Zheng, Fan Zhen, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, etc.

Su Liang greeted everyone with a smile.

At this moment, Su Liang suddenly heard a childish voice.

"Daddy!"

Su Liang looked in the direction of the voice and saw that not far away, the eldest prince Zhao Xun, the second prince Zhao Han, Su Zimu and Su Qinyi, guarded by several soldiers, were looking at Su Liang.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

As soon as Su Zimu and Su Qin saw that Su Liang saw them, they immediately shouted excitedly.

Su Qin was about to rush towards Su Liang, but was stopped by Su Zimu.

Su Qinyi is also very obedient.

He didn't move forward and just looked at Su Liang jumping happily.

It was naturally not appropriate for Su Liang to hug his son and daughter at this moment. He waved to the four people.

Then he looked at Su Zimu, pounded his chest twice, and then gave a thumbs up.

Beating the chest twice is a gesture that the father and son often use to greet each other.

The thumbs up sign means that Su Zimu’s performance was excellent.

Su Zimu immediately understood.

He also hit his chest twice, and then gave Su Liang a thumbs up.

Su Liang smiled and nodded, then, led by a group of secretaries, he walked towards the Forbidden City.

After entering the Forbidden City, Su Liang immediately changed into the official uniform of a civil servant.

...After a while, in Chuigong Palace.

As soon as Su Liang and the other ministers walked into the hall, Zhao Zhen stood up.

He looked at Su Liang and said with a smile, "You've become thinner and darker, but more heroic!"

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. My appearance has been slightly damaged due to my work for the court, but it's worth it! Worth it!" Su Liang said with a smile.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhen and the other ministers couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Su Liang is still the same Su Liang.

The familiar feeling between each other came back all of a sudden.

After a few greetings between the king and his ministers, Zhao Zhen looked at Su Liang.

"Su Qing, you have accomplished such a great feat. What kind of reward do you want? I will do my best to satisfy you with whatever you can ask for!"

Su Liang thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have no worries about food and drink with my current salary, so there is nothing to ask for. Besides, I am not tired from expanding the border in Hehuang this time. It is like traveling far away to enjoy the scenery. The ones who are working hard are Prime Minister Di Shu and the soldiers who are fighting. Your Majesty, please reward them generously!"

"Like traveling far away to enjoy the scenery?"

"Jingming, do you know that when you led 200 cavalrymen to persuade the Hehuang tribes to surrender, we were all scared. If you suffered any loss, the emperor would have led the army in person!" Zhang Fangping rolled his eyes at Su Liang.

Su Liang said it easily, but everyone present knew how difficult it was for Su Liang.

Trying to persuade someone to surrender from abroad may result in loss of life.

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "I will definitely reward those who deserve generous rewards. I also cannot be short of your rewards. In addition to the financial rewards, I will let you go one step further. How about that?"

As soon as these words came out.

Except for Zhao Zhen and Su Liang, all the ministers became nervous.

At that moment, Su Liang was already the Chief Censor.

The Chief Censor was one of the four top officials (the Three Commissioners, the Hanlin Academician, the Prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, and the Chief Censor). One step further, he would be the Prime Minister.

If Su Liang goes up, someone will have to come down.

Su Liang turned to look at the ministers, thought for a moment, and said, "Sir, I do not wish to go any further."

"At present, all the ministers have done an excellent job in their assignments. If I go further, I will definitely not be as good as them. As for the position of Chief Censor, I feel that no one in the court can do better than me..."

Su Liang was already very adept at being a censor.

The main task of the Chief Censor was to impeach officials and make suggestions, which was relatively easy.

If you enter the government hall.

He was so busy that he could hardly stand up, and he had to work with a group of old men, and they had to argue and quarrel over some etiquette and rules.

Su Liang found it very boring.

"Okay, I respect your idea."

Zhao Zhen looked outside the palace and said, "It's already past noon. I should have given you a banquet in the palace, but I guess you are eager to go home!"

Su Liang nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

No matter how rare the delicacies in the palace were, in his eyes they were not as delicious as the bowl of porridge cooked by Tang Wanmei.

"But the banquet must be granted. I have ordered it to be sent to your home. You can eat with your family. In addition, I grant you a three-day leave before you can go to the yamen again."

Zhao Zhen knew Su Liang's habits very well and had made arrangements long ago.

All the gentlemen were very envious.

"Thank you, Guanjia!"

After Su Liang finished bowing, he picked up his official robe and ran outside, without any manners of a scholar-official.

Zhao Zhen looked at Su Liang's back and smiled helplessly, then said to the officials, "Tell me, why can Su Qing live so happily? Does he have no worries in his life?"

The gentlemen either touched their heads or lowered their heads, not knowing how to answer.

When they thought about it carefully, Su Liang really didn't have any worries.

Whether it is career or life, everything will be smooth and easy.

They envied Su Liang very much.

I envy Su Liang for his smooth career and his many military achievements; I envy Su Liang for having a son and a daughter, both of whom are very outstanding; I envy Su Liang for having no setbacks in life, being liked by everyone, and being treated as a family member by the government...

……

After Su Liang walked out of the Forbidden City, Uncle Ji's carriage had been waiting outside for a long time.

Zhao Zhen sent someone to inform Tang Wanmei yesterday that the court would host a banquet at the Su family and Su Liang would have lunch at home.

Su Zhai.

As soon as Su Liang entered the room, Su Zimu and Su Qin rushed over happily.

Su Liang picked up Su Qinyi and said excitedly: "My dear daughter, you are beautiful again!"

Then, he rubbed Su Zimu's head with his other hand.

"Son, you did a good job. Just like your father, but you are still far behind your father in literary talent..."

Su Liang was chatting and laughing with his two children.

Not far away, Tang Ze and Tang Wanmei also came out.

"Father-in-law, Mei'er, I'm back!" Su Liang looked at the two of them.

When Tang Wanmei heard this, tears immediately fell. Su Liang left Beijing at the beginning of the year and returned at the end of the year.

She was frightened for many days and cried many times.

Su Liang put Su Qinyi down and was about to give Tang Wanmei a hug in front of Tang Ze.

Tang Wanmei pointed a finger at Su Liang's chest and said, "Wash your hands and eat!"

"Yes."

Su Liang took Su Zimu and Su Qin to wash their hands. In the family, Tang Wanmei was still the eldest.

……

For the next three days, Su Liang stayed at home.

After running around for nearly a year, he was indeed very tired.

He did not go out, did not socialize, did not meet any outsiders, and enjoyed his three-day vacation to the fullest.

period.

Zhao Zhen ordered someone to deliver two carriages as gifts.

There are the writing instruments and books that Tang Ze likes, the cultural relics that Su Liang likes, the silk ornaments that Tang Wanmei likes, and the toys and delicacies that Su Zimu and Su Qinyi like...

It can be said to cover all aspects.

Also.

Yang and her son Li Wei also came to the Su family to apologize, saying that they should not have scolded Su Zimu and said some words that they should not have said.

Su Liang is very open-minded.

He immediately forgave the two of them, and at the same time criticized Su Zimu for using hidden weapons to injure people.

There was no conflict between the two parties, and Su Liang didn't take this matter to heart at all.

……

Three days later, early morning.

Su Liang went to the yamen as usual and came to the Censorate.

He had just sat down.

Then two young officials came into his room with their heads lowered and faces gloomy.

Sit directly on the tea table chair next to you.

A young official who was so informal in front of Su Liang and didn't even call him "Zhongcheng".

The only ones who were good friends with Su Liang were Wang Anshi and Sima Guang.

Looking at their expressions, Su Liang knew that they were arguing again.

These two people are quite interesting.

They have a very good relationship, but they often quarrel.

If they are not of the same sex, only the relationship between husband and wife is likely to get better with more quarrels.

Over the years, Su Liang has helped these two people break up at least fifty times.

"You two, I just went to the government office today and I'm in a good mood. What's wrong with you? Junshi, you speak first." Su Liang said.

In most of the quarrels between the two, Sima Guang was the one who felt aggrieved.

Wang Anshi spoke sharply and eloquently, while Sima Guang was knowledgeable but slow to speak. Once they started arguing, Wang Anshi would have the upper hand in most cases.

Sima Guang raised his head and said, "Brother Jingming, the expansion of Hehuang has been successful. The next step is to develop Hehuang and bring it into line with other prefectures!"

"Now we need someone who understands reform to go to Hehuang, so that they can quickly catch up with the current situation of reform in our Song Dynasty."

"I wanted to petition the Secretariat and go to Hehuang. I wanted to hear Jiefu's ideas first, but I didn't expect that I had the same idea as him. He had just written a petition and wanted to go to Hehuang."

"Then why don't you two go and petition, and let the listener make the arrangements?" Su Liang asked back.

Sima Guang looked aggrieved.

"That's right! But Jiefu claimed to be helping the Hehuang region to reform, but in fact he was paving the way for reforming Xixia after destroying Xia. And the strategy for reforming Xixia is very different from the strategy for reforming the whole Song Dynasty."

"He believes that in the entire Song Dynasty, apart from you, he is the only one who can do the job."

"If my petition succeeds, Xixia will only hinder the progress of the Song Dynasty. Only he can go there. I don't even have the qualifications to petition. Do you find this infuriating?"

"It's really infuriating!" Su Liang couldn't help laughing.

Wang Anshi standing aside puffed out his chest with a serious look on his face.

He felt that although his words had somewhat hurt Sima Guang's self-esteem, there was nothing wrong with them.

(End of this chapter)