The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 34: King Bian is not King Gao

Guangdeli, Xuanwu Army’s court.

The Bian military officers escorted the two prime ministers Du Rangneng and Li Xi and a group of followers into the courtyard. More than ten guards of Du Rangneng also wore swords. As soon as they entered the courtyard gate, General Li Pan gave a look, and the Bian military officers surrounded them and demanded that their weapons be confiscated.

"Husband?" The guards put their hands on their waists and stepped back, looking alert.

Du Rangneng knelt calmly and waved his hand, saying, "Prince Bian is a great hero in the country and would not do such a despicable thing."

The guards had to hand over their weapons reluctantly.

General Li Pan immediately bowed to Du Rangneng, called him commander, and then ordered the military officer to make tea.

"New tea from western Zhejiang?"

"Yes." Li Pan was slightly proud.

Du Rangneng took a sip, frowned, and then said, "Purple bamboo shoots with small leaves are tribute to the royal family. Since Gao Pian was killed by his subordinates, Huainan was in chaos and the transportation routes were cut off. Chang'an has not heard of it for three years. The Bianzhou government official drank the best tea from western Zhejiang. Yang Xingmi must have a hard time, right?"

Forehead…

Li Pan was a little embarrassed.

How did the teacher see through the truth at a glance? This tea was indeed Yang Xingmi's gift to the king. The guy was overwhelmed by Sun Ru's beating, so he sent people with gifts to Bianzhou, hoping that the king would send troops to attack and kill Sun Ru.

If the king wants to take Huainan in the future, he will need the "assistance" of the court, even if it is just a letter of conscription. In the past, when the king was fighting against Qin Zongquan, the imperial edict came and the governors, magistrates, and powerful people in the Central Plains all responded to the order and followed him if they were given food.

Otherwise, how could the king, with such a small territory, control Huaixi?
Holding the king's order, one call and hundreds of people respond, how wonderful!

"Send thirty kilograms to the division commander's residence later." Li Pan came to his senses and immediately ordered the military officer.

"As ordered."

"What army do these warriors belong to?" Du Rangneng couldn't help asking as he looked at the Bian warriors coming and going.

Zhu Quanzhong is good at training troops.

These soldiers stood there, their bodies straight, their eyes straight, and they were strong and sharp. Even Li Maozhen's soldiers were far inferior to them. There didn't need to be too many warriors like them, even if there were only 10,000 or 20,000, who would dare to cause chaos inside the pass? On the day of the siege, he saw the Qi people's formation, their military discipline was lax, their officers and soldiers were laughing, and even fighting and killing each other in front of the battle. They were not an army.

"This is one of the king's personal soldiers - the Hall Boy."

Li Pan replied proudly, "The king selected 3,000 men of talent, wisdom, trustworthiness and martial arts to serve as the army of the hall, and rewarded them with twice as much food and clothing as the foreign soldiers. In every battle, they have never lost."

Last year, when Li Cunxiao fought with Li Keyong, he charged into the battle formation with 10,000 cavalry. The Tingzi army formed a battle formation to meet the enemy, and defeated them, and even pushed back the Shatuo cavalry, which caused a deep psychological shadow on the Jin people. Zhu Quanzhong also valued this Ya army and once praised it: "The divine army given by heaven to assist in great events, what else do I have to worry about?" And Zhu Quanzhong had several such strong troops.

The only ones Du Rang had heard of were the Straight Swordsman, the Falling Goose Man, and the Flying Army Controlling Cranes.

He stopped talking and couldn't drink his tea.

Ugh!
The Shen Ce Army has been weak for a long time. When will it have such brave and sharp men?

He now began to look forward to the three new armies of Yingwu, Baoguo and Longjie formed by Ximen Chongsui, so that the imperial court could also be proud of themselves!
"He said he wanted to temper his temper for a while. It's almost time."

Behind the screen, Jing Xiang stood up, and as if he had just known that the prime minister was coming, he strode out from behind the screen, bowed his hands in greeting, and apologized with a smile: "I am very busy with general affairs, and I am sorry for keeping you waiting for so long."

Du Rangneng pretended not to know and said straight to the point: "The three matters requested by Prince Bian have already been decided at the Linde Hall meeting."

"Oh?" Jing Xiang sat down cross-legged opposite and changed a cup of hot tea for Du Rangneng.

"The appointment of the Salt and Iron Commissioner and the three towns of Zibo and Qinghai are all unacceptable." Du Rangneng said calmly, and used Li Keyong as a shield: "It should be noted that Liang and Jin are at odds, and the hatred is deep and difficult to resolve. If they knew that the court had appointed Quanzhong to this position, they would definitely feel resentful towards the emperor. This is a difficult issue, and I hope Prince Bian will examine it."

"This..." Jing Xiang said embarrassedly: "The king has entrusted me with an important task..."

Prince Bian paid him to come to the capital to do some work, but now he is going back empty-handed. How is he going to report?

"No matter how much Prince Bian thinks about these two matters, there is absolutely no room for compromise." Du Rangneng quickly calculated in his mind and said, "The sage is determined. If you insist on asking for it, you must use military force, just like Emperor Xiaowu did to fight Gao Huan."

Burning together?

Jing Xiang's face darkened. He underestimated the saint!

However, judging from his style of doing things, he was indeed an emperor like Emperor Xiaowu. He attacked Li Keyong and Xichuan, knowing that he could not defeat them. What was the difference between this and Emperor Xiaowu risking his life to attack Gao Huan? Although the Tang Dynasty was gradually declining, its appeal was stronger than that of the Northern Wei Dynasty after Zhu Rong. The people's hearts had not completely dissipated after three hundred years, and the foundation of King Bian was not as solid as that of Gao Huan.

Its prosperity is also great, and its death is also sudden.

Prince Bian started with 500 men but today he has an army of over 100,000 and has become a wealthy family, with the banner of respecting the king and expelling the barbarians as his backing.

One cannot go against the trend, the people's support is the general trend. Prince Bian has won the support of the army, but he still has a long way to go to win the hearts of the people.

The lessons of Huang Chao and Qin Zongquan are not far away.

This time when I go back I must advise King Bian: focus on the basics and don't act too hastily.

"I already know the sage's mind."

Jing Xiang made a quick judgment and said in a friendly manner: "Please tell the Saint that King Bian is definitely not King Gao."

"Very good." Du Rangneng nodded absentmindedly.

Financial constraints were a problem faced not only by the imperial court but also by every local government.

Since Wang Xianzhi, wars have continued for more than 20 years. From Youqi in the east to Yunzhong in the north, from Fujian in the south to Lingsai in the west, there is no safe land. The warriors are fighting and the people cannot farm. Last year, Li Keyong attacked Chengde. Due to lack of food and grass, the Hedong army ate the bodies of Zhao people alive. Li Keyong was unable to stop them and retreated to Jinyang overnight.

The warriors in Shu captured the people and brought them to the army, selling them as if they were property.

Wang Xu in Fujian was short of food. His subordinates were starving, but they could not bring themselves to kill their families, so they exchanged wives and children and ate their families...

When the people of Bian fought against Yan, Yun, Qing, and Xu, it often happened that one side would send soldiers to harvest wheat and rice in the middle of the night, only to end up fighting with the defenders hiding in the wheat fields.

If the current problem of money and grain cannot be solved, it will be difficult for the saint to be the ruler of the world, and the arrogant eunuchs will have to keep a low profile.

Production could not be restored. No matter how hard Zhu Quanzhong tried to pretend to be a loyal minister, how long could he last if there was a crisis in the rewards and food for his hundreds of thousands of troops?
"Also, regarding the matter of Shi Pu's relocation." Du Rangneng was silent for a while, and then said, "For this matter, the court must first send an envoy to Xuzhou to discuss it with the Minister of Works. I cannot give you an answer for the time being."

"It should be so." Jing Xiang was helpless.

The posts of Salt and Iron Commissioner and Military Governor of Zibo and Qinghai involve the bottom line of the court, and they will definitely not be obtained in the next two years. However, as the court's support for the throne gradually fades away, Prince Bian still has many opportunities in the process.

As for the court's approach to the relocation of Shi Pu, Jing Xiang could understand it. Even if the imperial edict was issued, Shi Pu might not listen, so it was right to send someone to do the work first.

Fine.

I hope the trip is not in vain.

Judging from the attitude of the imperial court, it is trying its best to satisfy Prince Bian. This is enough to get the job done. One should not be too greedy.

"Master, there is one more thing I want to discuss with you."

Jing Xiang seemed to have remembered something, and suddenly said, "I would like to ask for some money from the old officials in the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Salt and Iron, and the Ministry of Revenue who are familiar with farming, household registration, and financial management."

"Why does Prince Bian want these officials?" Du Rangneng immediately became alert.

"Haha." Jing Xiang ate a piece of preserved fruit and said, "To be honest, I also served as the envoy of Jianchang Palace in Xuanwu Army, in charge of finance, grain transport, land granting, and also managing the households of the people. These general affairs are not something that a military man can do. I lack manpower and feel overwhelmed."

Du Rangneng was speechless for a moment.

What are you thinking about.

The imperial court was hoping that Zhu Quanzhong would die suddenly, but they still assigned people to help him with work?
But this time, they took away 270,000 pieces of silk, more than 20,000 heads of livestock, 100,000 buckets of salt, and 30,000 shi of grain from Zhu Quanzhong...

Eaters have short mouths.

Thinking of this, Du Rangneng relaxed a little, and asked with a burning gaze: "What are the benefits of the court?"

"What else does my husband want?" Jing Xiang was unhappy. This old guy was so greedy, he was really a cunning jackal.

But it was within Jingxiang's expectations. He would have no chance of getting the person without bleeding.

"One thousand carts of salt, one hundred thousand strings of cash, and thirty thousand rolls of silk." Du Rangneng said straightforwardly, "Send all of them to Chang'an before Qingming Festival. I will personally select seventy experienced and experienced officials for you from the three ministries, and they will be assigned to your posts within five months."

"No. Seven hundred carts of salt, fifty thousand strings of cash, and ten thousand rolls of silk." Jing Xiang put down the tea set and bargained without hesitation: "The chariot and infantry of the Yanei army are more than 30,000 people, and the rewards are twice as much as the foreign troops. Now we are fighting with Yan, Yun, Xu, and Jin. The soldiers on the front line are eagerly waiting for rewards. This time, the wealth presented to the emperor has made my town extremely tight. No, it's too much."

"Oh!"

Du Rangneng slammed the table, stared at Jing Xiang with his old eyes, and asked, "I heard that the commander of the town, Wang Rong, and the commander of Wei, Luo Hongxin, both surrendered to the people of Bian, and paid millions of coins and hundreds of thousands of pieces of silk at a time. The people of Bian also reaped rich rewards in their eastern expeditions to Yan, Yun, and Xu. Everyone in the army wears armor, and the knights are equipped with two horses. The treasury of the Prince of Bian is richer than that of the emperor. Why do you say it is too much?"

"General!" Jing Xiang also stood up.

"Please don't say anything more." Du Rangneng told his followers to leave.

"Okay, okay..." Jing Xiang suppressed his anger and replied listlessly, "Seven hundred carts of salt, eighty thousand strings of cash, and ten thousand rolls of silk. This is my bottom line. The commander must give me a few more people!"

"This is easy." Du Rangneng lifted up his purple robe and walked out of the Jinzouyuan with a proud look on his face.

Shangshu Li Xi couldn't help but laugh and said, "The commander is really an expert in this field."

"I had no choice." Du Rangneng sighed and said sadly, "In the past, the late emperor fled to Fengxiang, and the court was exiled to the countryside. I once thought of selling official positions. It was difficult at that time... When I went out on official business, I had to borrow a horse from the governor. On the way, my clothes and seals were robbed by the rebels. My dignity was gone."

Everyone was speechless.

……

Inside Penglai Palace.

Zhao was acting as a maid, leading the female officials and attendants to dress the emperor in the ceremonial robes and robes.

"Not bad." Li Ye turned around in front of the bronze mirror and was very satisfied.

The crown is a flat, dark black crown with twelve small gold beads hanging down to restrict the emperor's movements, requiring him to walk slowly and not look around.

The top and sleeves are also dark black, the same color as the crown, with embroidery of the sun, moon, stars, dragons, mountains, insects, and fire, also in the same color and texture of gold as the tassels. The lower skirt is red, with a yellow hem. Overall, it looks very similar to the formal attire worn by Ying Zheng, Liu Che, and others.

But from Li Ye's own perspective, the formal robes of the Tang Dynasty emperors were more beautiful and majestic.

It is indeed unique.

After traveling through time for so long, this was the first time he dressed so formally.

You know what, clothes really make the man.

Once the emperor put on the crown and robes, his movements and posture were restricted, and the palace people looked at the emperor differently than usual.

No wonder Shusun Tong wanted to formulate etiquette for Emperor Han.

well.

"It's time to set off." Zhao smiled so happily that she could hardly suppress her smile, and she supported the saint and reminded him.

"Let's go!" Li Ye subconsciously rolled up his sleeves.

Zhao quickly held him down and said solemnly, "The wearing of the imperial robes has its own national etiquette. How can a saint mess it up because of his own likes and dislikes?"

"well."

Having said that, he left the Penglai Palace surrounded by Zhao and other female officials.

Liu Xianyuan, Du Luyi, Pei Yan, Chen Quan and other generals of the imperial guards were also dressed in their best clothes, wearing bright armor and holding their staffs. Li Dao, Han She and others, the left imperial attendants, also stood on the left and right, wearing scarlet clothes. When they saw the sage coming out, they all looked at him and shouted, "Please get on the carriage."

This is the emperor’s style!
Li Ye was in a good mood and nodded slowly.

Then, with the help of Zhao and other attendants, he walked down the steps step by step and got into the warm carriage.

According to the system, when the emperor travels outside China, it is called "Da Jia". When he travels within the capital, it is called "Fang Jia".

The procession was led by the Jingzhao Yin and the governor, accompanied by the Huangmen Shilang, Jiujiu Sheren, Zuo Sanqi Changshi and other officials, with the Fengche Duwei driving the car, and the warriors riding on the horses. There were dozens of chariots under his command. The whole team consisted of the guide, the front and rear guards, the front and back drummers, and the emperor's main driver.

After the driver had taken hold of the reins and was ready, Zhao quickly jumped on the horse and whipped it: "The carriage will set out from Yongjiali to inspect the Yingwu army!"

"thorough!"

(End of this chapter)