Jiuxi

Chapter 359 Chapter 357 [Send you a ride, don’t hesitate]

In dynasties from ancient times to the present, the power struggle between monarchs and ministers has been an eternal proposition.

Generally speaking, as long as it is not the end of the dynasty, most kings can have a certain upper hand. This is the basic manifestation of the supremacy of imperial power and the most important operating rule in this world.

After Da Qi experienced the Yuanjia Incident, the imperial power inevitably suffered a serious blow. Li Duan could only choose to lower his profile and cooperate with the Jiangnan family and transfer part of his power to ensure the continuation of Da Qi Guozuo.

This is the reason why the Beijing army is controlled by the Jiangnan clan.

Just as Li Duan said to Lu Chen on the cloud viewing platform that day, it is not an exaggeration to say that he has been walking on thin ice for more than ten years.

It is true that the Jiangnan family is not monolithic. It is divided into many distinct forces. Li Duan can use them to check and balance each other to ensure the stability of his throne.

But which king in the past dynasties could tolerate the Beijing army being in the hands of others for a long time?

Upon closer inspection, Li Duan's adjustments to the Beijing army generals this time are not excessive. After all, most of the military power will still be in the hands of those people.

Lu Chen, who had regained a large area of ​​his homeland and was promoted to general with the title of Marquis, only temporarily commanded the three armies with less than 40,000 people.

But for the officials, this is a very clear signal. If they give in directly at this step, the follow-up will be more troublesome.

Li Duan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly: "Xuan."

But what can he do?

He had expected this situation, but he was still shocked when he saw it with his own eyes, and he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the emperor.

Li Duan and Li Daoyan stood up almost at the same time.

At this moment, the voice of an internal prisoner sounded outside the palace door.

The important ministers were still admonishing, and it seemed that they would not stand up unless the emperor took back his orders.

On the cloud viewing platform that day, he persuaded the emperor to make plans for it. The replacement of middle and lower-level generals might encounter some twists and turns, but it would not trigger collective opposition.

Lu Chen couldn't help but look at the old man sitting on the round stool.

At least he could change the attitude of some civil servants, especially several ministers.

As for what the truth is, both parties know it very well.

Among the kneeling ministers, Lu Chen, who was still standing, looked very eye-catching.

If the emperor had given up when he saw fit, today's political meeting would have gone smoothly, but he is eager to change the upper-level structure of the Beijing army, which will undoubtedly arouse the resistance of these important ministers.

Li Daoyan seemed to sense something. He turned to look at Lu Chen and gave the young prince an obscure look.

Just nine words in one sentence silenced the voices of the important officials in the palace.

The court is a place that pays attention to rules. If he doesn't follow the rules today, others will naturally use the same method to deal with him in the future.

"Your Majesty, Duke Jing wants to see you!"

Lu Chen felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart. His foundation was in the frontier army. No matter how great his achievements were, he could not reverse this strong group will. He could not stage a full-scale martial arts show in the Hall of Wende and force so many important ministers to bow their heads.

At this time, even if Xue Nanting came forward to support the emperor, it would not be able to play a fundamental role in reversing the situation. Only the left prime minister Li Daoyan, who was the leader of the Jiangnan family, had this ability.

Unless Lu Chen has the strength to surpass everyone.

After a while, an old Wu Xun staggered into the Hall of Wende with the support of a middle-aged man.

All the important ministers of the court knelt down to admonish, as if Li Duan had made an extremely absurd decision, so that they could only choose this fierce attitude.

The emperor took two steps forward and then stopped. He turned to Lu Chen and said, "Marquis Shanyang, help Duke Jing for me."

Lu Chen agreed, walked quickly to the old man with sparse white hair, and picked up his left arm.

The old man glanced at Lu Chen and smiled slightly.

He is Han Lingfu, the Duke of Jing State. He was seventy-seven years old at the time and was one of the only two Dukes of the Qi Dynasty.

Before Xiao Wangzhi was promoted due to his meritorious service, Han Lingfu was the only one who was awarded the title of Duke for his contribution to protecting the country.

Lu Chen knew the old man's resume very well.

When Heluo fell fifteen years ago, Han Lingfu, as the military commander of Jiangnan Road, immediately supported Li Duan's ascension to the throne. The more than 70,000 Xiang troops under his command also became the predecessor and skeleton of the current Great Qi Jing Army.

In short, Han Lingfu was the founder of the northern and southern yamen of the Beijing Army.

It's just that this old man retired from the court many years ago due to physical illness and has not been involved in government affairs for a long time.

What is even more commendable is that he did not dictate the military affairs of the court because of his own qualifications. He also did not allow his children to join the army, and only allowed them to take part in the imperial examination to find an official position.

It is also because of these high-righteous actions that Han Lingfu has a very high status in the hearts of the soldiers of the Beijing Army.

After seeing the old man appear, beads of sweat suddenly appeared on the backs of Guo Congyi, Wang Yan and others.

"I see you, Your Majesty."

Han Lingfu bowed tremblingly and saluted, and Li Duan quickly spoke to stop him.

However, Han Lingfu insisted on saluting and said slowly: "Your Majesty, I don't have much time left. If I don't salute today, I may never have a chance in this life."

Li Duan couldn't help but have a sad look on his face.

Han Lingfu looked at Li Daoyan, who was full of emotion, and said with a smile: "Mingda Gong, how are you doing lately?"

Li Daoyan said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, the Duke of Laoguo will remember you."

Han Lingfu glanced at the important ministers who were still kneeling on the ground, and sighed softly: "My lords, since I begged for bones seven years ago, I have made up my mind not to set foot in the court again. I also know that you are all loyal. As important ministers, we should not talk too much about important matters in the court. But... Your Majesty, can you let them stand up and talk first?"

Li Duan nodded and said: "Han Gong said that he is doing nothing wrong. All my beloved ministers, please get back on your feet."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Privy Councilor Guo Congyi was the first to stand up, and others stood up one after another. Han Lingfu held Lu Shen's arm, took two steps forward, and came to Guo Congyi.

The dignified Privy Councilor bowed his head and said, "General, I will pay my respects to the Duke!"

At that time, Guo Congyi was able to move from the commander of the Xiang Army to the center of the Daqi military. In addition to being from a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River, another important reason was the support of Han Lingfu.

In fact, he was not the only one. Military figures such as Wang Yan, Liu Shouguang and Li Jingda all received favors from Han Lingfu to a greater or lesser extent.

Time has passed, and the juniors have become the mainstay of Daqi, each with a large number of supporters in the army. Han Lingfu, who was once known as the double wall of Jiangnan with Li Daoyan, is getting old. In addition to the few soldiers at home, There is no direct lineage in the army.

How many people still remember the kindness back then?

Han Lingfu looked at the respectful Privy Councilor in front of him and said slowly: "Privy Councilor Guo, this old man is a dying person. Some of his words may not make sense, so please just listen to them."

Guo Congyi said with a look of shame: "My lord's words make me feel ashamed. Please tell me directly."

A faint smile appeared on Han Lingfu's old face, and he said: "As for the restructuring of the Beijing army, His Majesty sent someone to ask about it a few days ago. I thought about it carefully and found that this is actually a good thing. The running water does not rot the household hub. Damn it, I believe you all understand this. Sticking to one's own laurels will only lead to chronic diseases."

Guo Congyi nodded and said: "What the Duke said is absolutely true."

Han Lingfu looked at Wang Yan again and said: "General, I understand your concerns, but you should also think about it for Your Majesty. Not only the Northern Expedition in the past two years, but also in the border conflicts in the past few years, the Beijing army's The performance is indeed unsatisfactory. Now that His Majesty has such a plan, and there is an opportunity for the border army soldiers to enter the capital, you might as well make some adjustments to see the effects."

Wang Yan sighed in his heart, lowered his head and said, "Yes."

In fact, what Han Lingfu said is not important. The key is that he dragged his old body into the palace today and used the love he had accumulated for most of his life to make a case for the emperor.

Regardless of Guo Congyi or Wang Yan, of course they can continue to insist on hard-core support, but after this incident spreads, their prestige in the minds of the Beijing army officers will be fatally affected.

From ancient times to the present, ungrateful people will naturally be poked in the spine.

After today, if Han Lingfu makes excessive demands to them again, they will have reason to refuse.

But not today.

In fact, when Li Duan invited Han Lingfu to enter the palace, the restructuring of the Beijing army had become a foregone conclusion.

The important ministers in the palace naturally understood this truth, especially after Guo Congyi and Wang Yan bowed their heads, others did not continue to do useless work.

Han Lingfu looked at Li Daoyan again and said, "How about Mingda's general will?"

Before Han Lingfu entered the palace, Li Daoyan had been thinking about the emperor's decision.

The exchange of middle and lower-level officers mentioned by Lu Chen before will indeed have a long-term impact on the future of the Beijing Army, but this is a piece of work and will not cause particularly obvious changes in a short period of time.

However, the emperor's decision was more direct. He divided the North Yamen in two and asked Liu Shouguang to split Wang Yan's military power. Then he divided the South Yamen into three, with Hou Yu and Guo Congyi each leading one, but the third general By appointing Lu Chen, you can imagine how much turmoil this appointment will cause.

Li Daoyan hesitated for a long time, and when he looked at Han Lingfu's eyes, he actually saw a hint of pleading in his eyes.

The whole palace was silent, even the emperor was waiting for the decision of the left prime minister who was the leader of the Jiangnan family.

Facing Han Lingfu's complicated gaze, Li Daoyan sighed in his heart, nodded and said: "The Duke's words are reasonable."

He turned around and saluted the emperor: "I support your majesty's decision."

So far, the dust has settled.

Han Lingfu suddenly raised his hand and patted the back of Lu Chen's hand. He glanced meaningfully at this young man who had entered the capital from the border and entered the power center of Daqi step by step, and then took a step forward.

Facing the emperor standing on the imperial steps, he bowed with great effort and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I have received so many favors from the emperor that I dare not forget them for a day. I only have the thought of being loyal to the emperor and serving the country. I only regret that my body is weak and weak. , I cannot be loyal to the court. I can see you again today, and my wish has been fulfilled. After my death, there is no need to give generous rewards or titles, or to seclude my children."

"Old minister, I only wish that your majesty's blessings will last forever and that the great unity will last for generations to come!"

"Old minister, I kneel down and resign to Your Majesty!"

He brushed off his sleeves and knelt down with difficulty.

Li Duan stared blankly at the waning Duke of Jing. He did not let anyone stop him, but bowed slightly.

Return the gift of the emperor.

The whole hall was solemn and solemn, and all the officials were moved.

Li Daoyan watched this scene quietly, and many stories from that year could not help but appear in his mind.

At that time, the world was in chaos and the dynasty was on the verge of overthrow. Li Duan, who was in his twenties, ran south in panic. He and Han Lingfu held up the sky for the young emperor with both literary and military skills.

Fifteen years passed by in a flash.

Old friends will eventually grow old and pass away.

Lu Chen and the middle-aged man quickly helped Han Lingfu up.

Li Duan's eyes were sparkling and he said slowly: "Marquis Shanyang, send Duke Jing back to his residence on my behalf."

"The minister obeys the order."

Lu Chen agreed and immediately helped the old man beside him out of Wende Hall.

Arriving at the square in front of the palace, Han Lingfu suddenly turned his head and took one last look at the majestic palace.

At this time, the old man gently patted the back of Lu Chen's hand and said kindly: "You are very good. I hope you will be better in the future."

Lu Chen looked at the old man's kind and meaningful eyes and replied seriously: "General, I will definitely keep your instructions in mind!"

Han Lingfu smiled and walked slowly outside the palace.

The back is thin, but has the grace of pines and cypresses.

(End of this chapter)