Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 429 Heaven is jealous of talents
"My elder brother was weak and sickly since childhood, and suffered a lot. Now that he has passed away, it can be considered a relief. Before he passed away, my elder brother left a suicide note. I read it carefully and found it very useful, so I am presenting it to Your Majesty.

My brother has always felt regretful that he cannot serve the country due to health reasons. If what he left behind can be useful to the court, it can make up for his regret. "Gu Tingye said.

"Oh?"

Zhao Xing was surprised when he heard this and said, "Show it to me."

"Yes!"

Gu Tingye took out the paper that Gu Tingyu gave him yesterday and handed it to the eunuch who came up.

The eunuch handed the paper to Zhao Xing and retreated.

Zhao Xing unfolded the paper and began to read it.

When Zhao Xing saw Gu Tingyu's analysis of Western Xia, he was very surprised.

Gu Tingyu said that if Xixia relied heavily on Han officials, there would be chaos in the future.

Although the Liao Dynasty also employed Han officials, there were still essential differences compared to the Western Xia.

The Liao Dynasty established two courts, the North and the South, to manage the Khitans and the Han people respectively.

However, many of the officials in the Southern Court who were in charge of the Han people were still Khitans.

In fact, the Khitans were the main group, with the Han people as a supplement.

To put it bluntly, it is just to appease the Han people.

However, Western Xia gave Han officials certain rights.

Now Queen Liang and the Prime Minister of Western Xia are both Han people, and the crown prince is also born to Queen Liang.

Even if the Xixia emperor dies in the future and the prince succeeds to the throne, he will still use Han people.

Queen Liang and the Liang family behind her would also suppress the Xixia nobles in order to gain power.

If this continues, chaos will inevitably occur.

Gu Tingyu suggested that they should focus on defense against Xixia and wait for major changes in Xixia so that they could destroy Xixia in one fell swoop.

Gu Tingyu was able to analyze so much based on just some information without leaving his house, which shows how powerful he is.

If Western Xia had followed historical development, it would have indeed experienced internal strife, and would have never recovered and gone into decline.

Unfortunately, the Song Dynasty did not seize the opportunity to destroy Western Xia.

In addition to Western Xia, Gu Tingyu's analysis of the Liao Dynasty is also very thorough.

It is believed that if Yelu Chongyuan was defeated, Yelu Yixin and the Queen Mother of Liao would inevitably fight for power, and the Liao Dynasty would continue to be in chaos for some time.

He even suggested bringing together Yelu Chongyuan and the Queen Mother of Liao.

For the Queen Mother of Liao, the current Yelu Chongyuan is of no use, and Yelu Yixin is a serious threat. It would be very beneficial for her to use Yelu Chongyuan to weaken Yelu Yixin's strength.

In addition, there are some suggestions for military reform.

It was proposed to stop direct recruitment of the imperial guards and instead select the best from the local garrison troops.

The local militia, garrison troops and imperial guards of the Song Dynasty each had their own systems.

Generally speaking, the Imperial Guards would not directly recruit soldiers from the Auxiliary Army, and even the generals in the Auxiliary Army would find it difficult to be promoted to the Imperial Guards.

The reason for this is that there are many problems involved.

The first is the issue of rank. The commander of the imperial guards and the commander of the local garrison are of the same rank.

However, in terms of status and treatment, it is several levels lower.

There is a saying that Beijing officials are three levels higher, which means that if Beijing officials go to local areas to do business, they will be three levels higher than officials of the same rank.

This also applies to the relationship between the garrison troops and the imperial guards.

Even if the wing troops were transferred to the imperial guards, it would be equivalent to a promotion.

For example, because Shen Congxing participated in suppressing the rebellion and made great contributions, the reward proposed by the Privy Council was to transfer him to the imperial guards at the same level.

It is for this reason that the Imperial Guards would not recruit soldiers from the wing troops, but would directly recruit them, or when natural disasters occurred, select young and strong people from the affected people into the Imperial Guards.

On the one hand, it is to replenish troops, and on the other hand, it is to prevent rebellion by refugees.

But this brings up a problem: some of the imperial guards are not very strong.

In addition, because it is difficult to place them, there are still many older people in the imperial guards who remain in the army. Gu Tingyu proposed to cut off the old and weak in the imperial guards, and then draw elite troops from the local wing troops to supplement the imperial guards.

"It's such a pity for your brother." Zhao Xing sighed.

After reading what Gu Tingyu proposed, Zhao Xing realized that Gu Tingyu was a rare talent.

After all, Gu Tingyu has been staying at home due to health reasons, so it's just talk.

It can be said that Gu Tingyu is completely the same type of person as Zhao Kuo and Ma Su. He is very smart and has solid knowledge, but what he lacks is practice.

If Gu Tingyu had not been sick and had gained some experience in the army for a few years, he would have likely become a famous general in the future.

Unfortunately, God is jealous of talented people. Gu Tingyu's mother was frail and sickly, and she was born with a defect. There was no way to cure this disease with ancient medical skills.

Gu Tingye looked a little gloomy when he heard this, and he also felt sorry for Gu Tingyu.

Doesn't the reason why he hates Gu Tingyu just prove that he cares about him?

"What your brother left behind has given me some inspiration, and is considered a merit. I will issue an edict to posthumously confer him the title of Minister of Rites." Zhao Xing said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Gu Tingye bowed.

He offered the strategy left by Gu Tingyu at this time, also hoping to ask for a posthumous title for him.

Although it has no practical significance, the official name can be engraved on the tombstone.

The ancients attached great importance to these.

After Gu Tingye left, Zhao Xing still felt a little regretful.

The Song Dynasty is not short of talents, but what it lacks is military talents.

…………

Two days before the New Year, the Duke of England returned to Bian Jing.

After returning to Bian Jing, Duke Ying went directly to the palace to meet Zhao Xing.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Looking at the old-looking but still upright Duke Ying, Zhao Xing smiled and stood up and said, "There are no outsiders here at this time, so there is no need for you to be polite!"

Zhao Xing asked someone to give Duke Ying a seat and said with a smile, "This time, thanks to the father-in-law's decisive action, the Liao Kingdom was forced to withdraw its troops. Otherwise, Yelu Chongyuan would be in danger."

"Your Majesty, your words are too harsh. I sent troops without an imperial decree. Please punish me!" said the Duke of England.

"I am so happy that the British public has made such a contribution. How can I blame you?"

Zhao Xing waved his hand and said, "Yelü Chongyuan is still useful for the time being. The Liao Kingdom will certainly send troops to him next year, and then the father-in-law will have to act according to circumstances. We can neither really go to war with the Liao Kingdom, nor let Yelü Chongyuan be destroyed."

"His Majesty!"

The Duke of England smiled bitterly and said, "I am already old, and the bitter cold in the north is really unbearable. Your Majesty should find someone else to go."

Zhao Xing said in a deep voice: "I also know that the father-in-law has worked hard, but now the only one I can trust in the army is the father-in-law."

There were numerous civil servants in the Song Dynasty, but among the military generals, there were not many who were truly capable.

Even many families with military merit gave up military service and turned to literature, sending their children to study in the hope of passing the imperial examinations and becoming officials.

This problem cannot be changed overnight.

Learn literary and martial arts, and sell them to the imperial family.

But this sentence does not apply in the Song Dynasty.

On the contrary, there is a popular saying that good men do not join the military.

Zhao Xing has already planned to preside over the military examination himself next year to show his importance to it.

See if some talent can emerge.

In the north, Zhao Xing really couldn't think of anyone useful except Duke Yingguo.

It's not about ability, but prestige and status.

Zhao Xing also knew that Chen Yao had tried to stop the Duke of England from sending troops this time.

As long as his status as a British Duke was enough, Chen Yao did not strongly object.

(End of this chapter)