The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 234: Rewarding Officials and Persuading Tuolei
The voice is high and reaches the sky.

On the throne, the pearl curtain fluttered under the crown. Guo Jing held the golden cup in both hands, looked at them, and closed his eyes slightly. The next moment, he suddenly opened them, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, "Long live the Great Zhou!"

The soldiers first stopped talking, and then burst into cheers, "Long live the Great Zhou!"

Tuolei looked at the soldiers under his feet and the towering imperial city in the distance, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious. Mongolia should also have a city like this! He made up his mind that after the ceremony of crowning the king, he would ask Guo Jing for the architectural drawings of the Luoyang Imperial Palace, and then build a capital city for Mongolia on the grassland after returning.

Originally, Genghis Khan planned to build his capital in Karakorum, but because of the war, the plan came to nothing.

The sky was bright and the sound of shouting could be heard throughout the imperial city. The soldiers on guard at various levels burst into loud shouts, the sound was loud and clear, rushing up to the sky, the flags were fluttering, and a raging flame was burning inside the cauldron.

Guo Jing recited the prayer to heaven, the light from the fire in the cauldron reflected on his young face. After he finished reciting the prayer, he threw it into the cauldron to burn, then turned around and slowly drew out the golden sword, raised it above his head in the light of the sky, and said in a powerful voice: "Pass on my king's order, and reward the three armies on a chosen day!"

"Long live the king!"

There was another long roar like an overwhelming tidal wave. Rewarding the three armies was related to the interests of the soldiers, so they were naturally happy.

Soon, the ceremony was over and all the officials left the venue one after another and entered the Taiji Hall.

Guo Jing walked down from the throne, with his hands behind his back, looking at the civil and military officials who entered the palace one after another, his eyes deep and profound.

All officials were divided into two groups: civil and military.

"Go to court!" The eunuch waiting beside the throne took a few steps forward and shouted loudly.

The sound swirled in the hall, clearly heard by everyone.

In the hall, Huang Yaoshi looked at his son-in-law sitting on the throne in a crown and robe, and a feeling of unreality arose in his mind. They had met for the first time more than ten years ago, and at that time Guo Jing was just an unknown teenager.

However, more than ten years later, he became an official under his son-in-law, and the young man ascended the throne, and even the emperor was within his grasp, while the Song Dynasty in the south could only survive in a corner.

This is probably how unpredictable things are.

Naturally, no complicated matters would be discussed at the first court meeting. The court simply commended some officials and then adjourned.

……

With the title of king, the status of Guo Jing's civil and military officials also rose and they received rewards. Of course, not all officials were willing to stay in the new dynasty.

With the fall of the Jin Dynasty, the Han people's greatest enemy was gone. Some officials heard that Guo Jing respected Genghis Khan and felt that he was no different from the puppet emperor of the past, so they resigned.

When Guo Jing heard the news, he just smiled and didn't care. There is a lack of everything in this world except people. If you don't want to be an official, there are plenty of people who can do it. Besides, the reputation of the Great Zhou is much better than that of the Later Jin Dynasty.

Shi Jingtang really licked the Khitan's boots, but Guo Jing was able to achieve his goals by stepping on the corpses of the Jin Dynasty. He relied not on Mongolia but on his generals and soldiers.

In the following months, Guo Jing was busy bestowing rewards and asking his subordinates to set up government offices and improve the state system. Similarly, in order to control military power, he established the Privy Council, but the Privy Council was not controlled by civil officials.

He has already seen the price of using culture to control military power, and the Great Zhou will never repeat the mistakes of the Great Song!

Winter, Imperial City, Kunning Palace.

Hua Zheng and Huang Rong were teasing the little girl on the carpet, their eyes full of joy. On the soft carpet, a pink little girl was crawling back and forth, her black and white eyes were very beautiful. This was Huang Rong's second child.

Up to now, Guo Jing has twelve children, including two legitimate children, the brother Guo Chengping, who are already eighteen years old. The daughter of Wang family in Taiyuan gave birth to a son, Guo Chengqi, who is fourteen years old. The daughter of Xue family in Hedong gave birth to two sons, Guo Chengzhen, who is fourteen years old, and Guo Chengzhao, who is thirteen years old. The daughter of Li family in Changan gave birth to a son, Guo Chengying, who is five years old. The rest are all girls.

There were constant open and secret struggles in the harem. Hua Zheng might not be very good at it, but she had Huang Rong's assistance, and no woman in the harem dared to go against her. Not to mention, the news of Genghis Khan's westward expedition spread all over the country, and her position as queen became increasingly stable.

Hua Zheng can indeed be called a good wife. She devotes herself to Guo Jing and always puts him first. She does not consider herself as a Mongolian princess who is superior to others.

The two of them teased the child for a while. Hua Zheng thought of her own son and asked, "Sister, is there any progress on Chengping's matter?"

Huang Rong's eyes flashed with embarrassment. "Sister Hua Zheng, I don't know about this either. Since the king returned from the grassland, he has taken over all matters. The manpower in the palace is also insufficient. It is better to ask the king directly."

Logically speaking, she cannot escape responsibility for this matter. After all, when Hua Zheng was not around, she was the mistress of the harem. She had some responsibility for what happened to Guo Chengping, both morally and logically. However, neither Hua Zheng nor Guo Jing felt that she had anything to do with this matter.

Because Huang Rong had no children, there was no benefit for her in taking action against Guo Chengping.

……

In the palace, Guo Jing was wearing a dragon robe, with a gloomy aura, "Da Hu, how is your investigation going? Who is the suspect?"

Da Hu also looked much older, and he stood beside Guo Jing like a log. "Your Majesty, we checked the personal soldiers, cooks, and doctors who served the prince in the past few months, and found several people who were implicated. However, these people are from the palace, and they were personally arranged by the queen, so their identities are not in doubt."

"This matter may not have anything to do with them. To be able to attack the young master in the military camp, this person must have extraordinary martial arts skills. It is impossible for him to be nameless."

"It doesn't matter who did it. What matters is the person behind the scene. Tell me, besides those families, who else would have done the same to Ping'er?" Guo Jing turned around and looked at him calmly.

Da Hu's expression was calm, he just said quietly, "I dare not say much about the affairs in the palace."

Guo Jing stared into his eyes and suddenly smiled, "Perhaps someone wants to take advantage of the situation."

He has many children and will surely have more in the future. Now he is only in his thirties, when he is in the prime of life. The north is not yet settled and the world is not yet unified. Even if he wants to appoint a crown prince, it will take many years.

The people behind the scenes may not necessarily be seeking to gain benefits. They just want to muddy the waters and prevent him from establishing a crown prince so that they will have the opportunity to plan in the future.

Of course, Guo Jing had no plan to appoint a crown prince early. He himself could still live for a long time, and determining the successor too early would easily cause internal divisions, especially among Guo Chengping and Guo Cheng'an, who were already old. Once a crown prince was appointed, the Zhou court would naturally be divided. There were too many people in this world who wanted to take advantage of the situation by following the emperor.

What if he lives to be seventy or eighty years old? Wouldn't that be a disaster for the Crown Prince?

Most of the founding emperors of various dynasties failed to handle their successors well, especially the crown prince, who was the foundation of a stable regime, but was also someone the emperor had to be wary of. As for Guo Jing, he did not need anyone to divide power with him now.

Therefore, not appointing a crown prince now is the best choice for the overall situation. He does not want to leave behind a Xuanwu Gate succession law that would cause unrest in the country. Thinking of this, Guo Jing suddenly felt a little sad. "How is the matter of setting up the Pacification Office going?"

Da Hu said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, we have already recruited many martial arts masters to serve us, and with the addition of retired soldiers from the army, our intelligence network is becoming more and more complete, but it will take some time to obtain internal intelligence."

"Take your time. The people in the martial arts world have always been lawless. The imperial court cannot lose control over the martial arts world. This time, I have learned a lesson."

"As ordered!"

"Go back!"

Then, Da Hu hunched his body and slowly retreated, and the room was empty again. At this moment, Guo Jing showed a rare look of fatigue on his face. The founding of the country had suddenly increased his government affairs, and various things emerged one after another. Unfortunately, Huang Yaoshi was old and could not share too much government affairs, so he could only handle it himself.

If a regime wants to continue to develop, it must establish order. The existence of order is based on government offices and institutions. The previous shogunate was scattered all over the place, but now all are integrated together, so chaos is inevitable.

Although he did not become the emperor, Guo Jing was not the emperor in name only. The court system was the three-province and six-department system, which was similar to the early Song Dynasty. The military institution was the Privy Council, and there were also supervisory institutions such as the Dali Temple and the Censorate.

In the past, many institutions in the Marquis' Mansion were just empty shells or even non-existent. Now the imperial court is in its infancy and needs officials and manpower. Fortunately, Guo Jing has been holding official selection examinations in recent years, so there is no shortage of people, but it is just barely able to maintain operations.

……

"Anda, I plan to go back."

Half a month later, Tolui bid farewell to Guo Jing.

Guo Jing was drinking tea and was stunned when he heard this. He then asked, "Tolui, why don't you stay a little longer?"

Tuolei shook his head. "The waiters from various countries have already gone back. I also want to go back to my own Khanate. My father is old, and I should share more of his responsibilities. Are you ready, craftsmen?"

He was referring to the craftsmen who were building the palace. "It's all ready. If you need anything, just ask me and I'll send someone to deliver it to you."

"You underestimate us. We went west to rob not only money but also craftsmen. However, the buildings in the west are too old-fashioned and ugly. There are many good woods in the old forest in the north, which can be used to build the palace. If it is completed in time, my father will be very happy."

Guo Jing also laughed, "Haha, you are right. The Great Khan has been fighting for his whole life. It is not good for him to always live in the Golden Tent. Mongolia does need to build cities."

In a country like Mongolia, cities are not important because herdsmen have always lived by following water and grass, but a country needs a stable political center. It is time for Mongolia to build a big city as its capital.

As he spoke, he winked at Guo Jing again, "By the way, when are you going to have more children with Hua Zheng?"

"It's not that I don't want to have a baby, it's Hua Zheng who doesn't want to have one." Guo Jing shook his head and stared at Tolui. "Tolui, the Great Khan is old. The Mongolian Khan should be elected by the Khanates, but you also know that the Khan will make the final decision. Do you have any idea about that position?"

As soon as these words came out, Tolui's dark face froze quickly, "Anda, why do you ask that?"

Guo Jing put down his teacup and said solemnly, "Tolui, you have inherited the most essential part of Mongolia. Your territory may not be the largest among all the kings, but it is the most populous and the most powerful Khanate. The future Khan will surely be one of you four brothers."

"But if you were not the Khan, things would be troublesome." His voice was full of solemnity and worry.

Tolui fell into deep thought, and then asked, "You mean, if I am not the new Khan, I will be in trouble?"

"Yes, you are the strongest. If the Khan was not you, but Jochi, Chagatai or Ogedei, they would definitely be afraid of you and might even attack you." Guo Jing stared at him with a resolute voice.

Tuolei's eyes were filled with confusion. "The Great Khan was chosen by my father Khan. They also have a Khanate. Even though I am strong, I will not attack them. Why should they attack me?"

"There is a saying in the Central Plains that goes, 'An innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure.' Mongolia has a custom of having a young son guard the stove. But the territory you have acquired is too important. This is the root of Mongolia. No matter who becomes the Khan, they will not let the foundation of Mongolia fall into the hands of someone who is not the Khan. Otherwise, what is the meaning of this Khan?"

"If you are not the Great Khan and do not want to be the Great Khan, I suggest you split up your territory as soon as possible and do not occupy too many core areas, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable."

Guo Jing grew up in Mongolia and was very familiar with Mongolian customs. The policies formulated by Genghis Khan were good, but too unfair, and the gap between the major khanates was too large.

Since Tolui got the greatest benefit, he would definitely be envied by his other brothers. This is human nature. Not everyone has as broad a mind as Genghis Khan.

Tuolei's eyebrows showed a trace of anger. "Anda, you underestimate me and think I can't defend my own territory? Now, I am the most capable general under my father Khan."

Guo Jing stopped trying to persuade him. "Okay, since you are confident, I won't say much. As I said before, if you need any help, you must send me a letter. As long as you need help, I will come!"

"You too, if you just say the word, I'll definitely come!"

After saying that, the two men punched each other's chest with their fists and laughed.

……

A few days later, Tolui set off with hundreds of craftsmen. When they left, Guo Jing ordered people to prepare various types of wine and precious silk and tea. This was a gift to Genghis Khan and was also equivalent to a tribute.

As envoys from various countries left Luoyang, the Great Zhou gradually got back on track.

At the same time, the founding of the Great Zhou caused a great uproar in the south.

The fact that Guo Jing recognized Guo Rong, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty, as his ancestor already made them terrified. When he was crowned king, Mongolian envoys came in an endless stream, which further represented Mongolia's attitude.

If it was the Mongols who occupied the north, the Song Dynasty might not have been panicked. But this person was a Han Chinese, and a descendant of the previous dynasty. This made them very anxious.

The founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the southern expedition were a foregone conclusion, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that. Even Zhao Kuo, the emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, was a fool, but he understood one thing: there cannot be two tigers in one mountain.

Guo Jing wanted to attack the Song Dynasty, and he even had a ready-made reason: to avenge his ancestors.

As a result, the Song Dynasty court soon fell into chaos.

(End of this chapter)