The prince is more stable

Chapter 715 Conflict Between Ruler and Minister
A man must have a prestigious name to earn respect in the world.

Zhao Xiaoqian was extremely impressed with his own naming skills. The name he chose perfectly reflected the character's personality traits, and he had basically won at the starting line in life.

The baby in his arms grinned at him, its toothless little mouth open and its eyes curved into crescents. It was such an adorable little thing that Zhao Xiaoqian's heart melted.

“The little guy is just right for me!” Zhao Xiaoqian nodded affirmatively.

Di Ying was on the verge of tears: "My lord, you can't give the child a random name, it will bring bad luck."

"Isn't the name 'Sang Biao' nice?" Zhao Xiaoqian sighed regretfully, "It's a pity that the name 'Gou Sheng' is already given to my Akhal-Teke horse, otherwise..."

"My lord, that's enough!" Di Ying had lost her patience and said firmly, "You're not allowed to call me that name anymore, I said it!"

"My lord, go back to your study and look through some books. Find an elegant name for your child. This concerns his entire life and is not something to be taken lightly!"

Seeing that Di Ying was almost driven mad with anger, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't dare to provoke her any further. He clicked his tongue regretfully and looked down at the child in his arms: "Sang Biao can't be used anymore, how about we get a new one?"

Amazingly, the moment the words were spoken, the child, who had been laughing, suddenly changed his expression and burst into tears.

Zhao Xiaoqian tried one last time to salvage the situation, looking at Di Ying and saying, "Look, he's unhappy. Let's give his name back to him."

Di Ying took the child and said, "No way! This name is too awful. It's absolutely forbidden. When the child grows up, he won't be able to hold his head up high. When his mother comes, she'll fight you to the death."

Zhao Xiaoqian finally despaired.

"There is great joy in the manor today. Spread the word that everyone in the manor, from the imperial guards to the stewards and servants, will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver. We will hold a banquet tomorrow and have a good feast behind closed doors."

On matters of domestic and foreign affairs, Di Ying still did not contradict him. She then summoned Chen Shou and added, "Send someone on horseback back to Bianjing to tell Grandpa and Grandma that our first child has been born, so that the two elders can be happy."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment and said, "Notify everyone who needs to be notified. Send a message to Li Qingchen in the prefectural government, Xu Jiang, Zhong Jianzhong, and Zong Ze in Xijin Prefecture."

Leaning over, Zhao Xiaoqian reached out and playfully touched the child's chubby chin with his finger, smiling indulgently.

"You can be considered a son of a military family, which will make the uncles and elders in the army happy. If... you still have military power in the future, you will be called 'Young Marshal' by everyone, which seems more prestigious than 'Sang Biao'."

As if by telepathy, the wailing child immediately stopped crying upon hearing this and grinned.

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily, looking down at the child with a heart full of tenderness.

In this unfamiliar world, he had his own flesh and blood for the first time. He knew that he was deeply bound to this world, simply because of the family bond he could not sever.

Chen Shou also had a happy expression on his face. He glanced at the child carefully and bowed to him in a very childish manner, saying, "This humble general greets the young master."

A moment later, a fast horse set off from the Prince's Mansion and sped towards Bianjing.

This time it was no longer an urgent military situation, nor was it news of victory from the front lines; it was a family's joy.

…………

Bian Jing, Yanfu Palace.

Zhao Xu and Zhang Dun sat facing each other, and the atmosphere between the emperor and his minister was quite serious.

When Zhao Xu appointed Zhang Dun as prime minister, it was out of political necessity. When he took personal control of the government, he abolished the old system and restored the new one. Firstly, it was to eliminate the old faction left in the court by the Empress Dowager. Secondly, he genuinely felt that the new policies were more beneficial than harmful and much better than the old ones.

However, Zhang Dun was a stubborn and headstrong man, and not particularly broad-minded. In the course of his administration over the past few years, he often had unpleasant disagreements with Zhao Xu.

It is unknown what the old party did to Zhang Dun, but Zhang Dun had an irreconcilable hatred for the old party officials and was determined to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Just last year, for reasons unknown, Zhang Dun actually submitted a memorial requesting that the grave of the deceased former official Sima Guang be dug up and his corpse whipped.

This is a true story. Zhang Dun's memorial caused a huge uproar in the court. Countless old party officials risked their lives to gather outside Zhang Dun's residence, pointing at the tightly closed gate, stomping their feet and cursing.

To be fair, the old party members were right to criticize him. Zhang Dun's memorial was utterly despicable. He didn't even let Sima Guang go after he was dead. It was truly insane.

Faced with the public outrage, Zhao Xu had no choice but to severely reprimand Zhang Dun at the court meeting and immediately declare that this advice would not be heeded and would never be mentioned again.

Zhang Dun and Zhao Xu's conversation is not going well.

The core of the conflict between the emperor and his ministers was the lack of money.

Yes, the Song Dynasty's treasury was short of money, and very short of money.

When a nation launches a war, regardless of whether the fighting on the front lines is peaceful or intense, it is ultimately an economic war.

Every day when they open their eyes, they have to deal with the basic needs of 100,000 soldiers on the front lines, while also having to allocate funds domestically to cope with frequent unforeseen events.

There's a disaster here, a dike has breached there, officials are going to pay their salaries, and the people can't afford to eat...

Every day, Zhao Xu faces a variety of problems as soon as he opens his eyes, which explains why he often stays up all night and ruins his health.

Now Zhang Dun is asking for money again. Zhang Jie, the Northwest Army commander, sent a memorial requesting permission to build fortified villages on the border of the Song and Xia states to defend against foreign enemies.

The government of Jiangnan sent a memorial stating that this year the Yangtze River flooded and breached its banks, inundating most of the cities along the river and affecting hundreds of thousands of people. They requested the court to allocate relief grain and reduce taxes.

The Duan-ruled Dali Kingdom and the Li-ruled Jiaozhi Kingdom sent letters stating that this year, Dali and Jiaozhi have experienced excessive rainfall, resulting in poor harvests, and requested that the Great Song Dynasty, their suzerain state, provide appropriate relief...

Zhao Xu was overwhelmed by all sorts of memorials demanding money, grain, and even lives.

Zhang Dun's opinion was very firm: the Song Dynasty was currently in a state of both war and peace with the Liao Dynasty, and providing provisions and weapons for the 100,000 soldiers at the front line was the best option and also the most expensive but necessary expenditure. All other requests should be rejected.

As prime minister, Zhang Dun was clear about priorities. He knew that the front line was the most important thing to keep in order, and there was no rush to deal with other matters. If the soldiers on the front line ran out of food and supplies, there would be big trouble. At best, there would be riots and disturbances in the camp; at worst, there would be mutiny and rebellion.

As emperor, Zhao Xu could not ignore other issues, especially the requests from vassal states. After all, the Song Dynasty had been weak for many years, and Dali and Jiaozhi were quite submissive. As a suzerain state that valued its reputation, it could not afford to disappoint its vassal states.

This led to a dispute between the two, and after a few words, the emperor and his minister had a rather unpleasant argument.

Just as the two had calmed down and were preparing for a second round of wits and courage after regaining their composure, Zheng Chunhe came to report that An Tao, the Vice Minister of the Privy Council, was requesting an audience.

Zhao Xu hesitated for a moment, but still decided to summon An Tao.

An Tao was an elderly man in his sixties, walking with a shaky gait. After bowing to Zhao Xu, he sat down.

"Mr. Houqing, is there something you need to see me about?" Zhao Xu asked with a smile.

An Tao glanced at Zhang Dun, who was stroking his beard in silence beside him, hesitated for a moment, and then said directly, "I have heard that Your Majesty has sent more than thirty commanders to the Yan Yun garrison to replace the original commanders of His Highness the Prince of Hejian. Is this true?"

Zhao Xu's expression darkened, and he nodded: "That is indeed the case."

An Tao frowned and said, "This old minister would like to ask the reason why Your Majesty issued this edict?"

Zhao Xu said calmly, "It's just a normal handover and rotation, there's no other reason."

Zhang Dun, standing to the side, glanced at An Tao speechlessly. Was this old man getting more and more senile as he got older?

The Emperor has replaced a group of generals with those stationed in Yanyun. Do we still need to ask why?

The reason is obvious: the emperor no longer trusts Zhao Xiaoqian.

Given the precedent of the Tang Dynasty's regional warlordism, how could the Song Dynasty allow military generals to wield excessive power? This was the bottom line for the nation, and no one could cross it.

An Tao was not confused; he was well aware of Zhao Xu's intentions, but he felt that Zhao Xu had made a mistake, at least by doing this too soon.

An Tao came to the palace to pay his respects today for this very reason.

"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Your Majesty's decree is inappropriate. This old minister requests that Your Majesty rescind the order and allow the original generals of Yan and Yun to return to their original posts."

Zhao Xu frowned: "The imperial edict has been issued and there is no going back. Mr. Houqing, there is no need for further discussion."

An Tao stamped his foot and said angrily, "This old minister has heard that Your Majesty's ambition is to destroy the Liao and Western Xia kingdoms, unify the world, and become the true ruler of the land. This old minister is deeply gratified that Your Majesty has such ambition."

"But now the Emperor's actions are chilling the hearts of meritorious officials and soldiers. He is deliberately sowing discord within the royal army, replacing the old with the new, stirring up infighting, and fostering factional antagonism within the royal army. As a result, the morale of the army will be completely lost. How can we talk about destroying the Liao and Western Xia in the future?"

Zhao Xu gradually lost his composure.

He understood everything An Tao said, and he knew that doing so would likely have the consequences, as An Tao had said, greatly weaken the morale and fighting strength of the Yan Yun garrison.

But he had no choice. As the emperor of the Song Dynasty, he had to do it, and any emperor in his position would have done the same.

Imperial power cannot be threatened in the slightest; it is more important than victory on the front lines.

Facing An Tao's accusing and angry gaze, Zhao Xu remained silent for a long time before saying in a deep voice, "It's just a change of generals. Mr. Houqing, there's no need to make it sound so serious. I have my own judgment to make."

An Tao's visit to the palace today clearly indicates his intention to overturn the table.

Unlike other court officials, An Tao was a rare and loyal minister in the Song Dynasty court who was selfless and devoted to the country.

An Tao understood Zhao Xu's intention in replacing the garrison commander in Yanyun, but he strongly disagreed with it.

At that time, the Song Dynasty was at the height of its military might. In the past two or three years, Zhao Xiaoqian led the royal army to conquer cities and territories, and completely reversed the Song Dynasty's weak state.

Back in the day, when the Song Dynasty was waging war against foreign powers, it was a rare and precious thing to hear news of victory. But now, with Zhao Xiaoqian sending military intelligence from Bianjing, reports of victory have become a daily occurrence.

Unbeknownst to them, the emperor, his ministers, and the people of the Song Dynasty had gradually become accustomed to the Song's victories, as if victory was a matter of course and defeat was extremely abnormal.

In just a few years, the emperor, his officials, and the people of the Song Dynasty had become spoiled by Zhao Xiaoqian. They would feel uncomfortable if they didn't hear a report of victory every few months.

Who brought all this to fruition? Who enabled the Song Dynasty's rulers, officials, and people to regain the dignity and confidence of their nation?
The answer was right in front of them, yet the very people who directly enjoyed the benefits of the war were the first to turn against this ever-victorious army. What had gotten into them?

(End of this chapter)