Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

The Western Xia was in the north, and the Tubo (Tibetan) was in the south.

The Hehuang and Qingtang regions were under the rule of the Tubo Kingdom.

The Hexi region was the territory of the Western Xia regime.

The Western Xia and Tubo regimes bordered each other across the Hehuang region.

The relationship between the Zhou, Western Xia, and Tubo kingdoms was constantly changing.

Sometimes it was the Great Zhou and Western Xia allied against the Tubo, sometimes it was the Great Zhou and Tubo allied against the Western Xia, and sometimes it was the Western Xia and Tubo allied against the Great Zhou.

The situation changed very rapidly, and the Great Zhou Dynasty was the most powerful.

Originally, given the strength of the Great Zhou, it might not have been afraid of the alliance between the Western Xia and the Tibetan Empire, but the Great Zhou's geographical location was extremely special.

Of a nation's full strength, it often only dares to use five-tenths, with the remaining five-tenths used to defend against the Liao Kingdom to the north of the Great Zhou and the Dali Kingdom to the south.

Of the five major regimes—Great Zhou, Western Xia, Tubo, Liao, and Dali—only Great Zhou bordered all four, requiring special precautions to be taken against them.

Now, Jiang Zhao intends to submit a memorial to the throne because he has noticed the vulnerability of the Western Xia and Tubo countries and intends to seize their territory.

The Tibetan kingdom was ruled by a king named Gusiluo, who seized power through a coup.

This man had two wives, one surnamed Li and the other surnamed Qiao.

Among them, his wife, Li, gave birth to their eldest son, Xiazhan, and their second son, Mojiaozhan, and was deposed as a nun twenty years ago.

This naturally displeased Qusiluo's eldest and second sons, who were both men who had fought alongside their father to seize power and possessed considerable connections and prestige.

Thus, the eldest son, Xiazhan, and the second son, Mojiaozhan, both successively established independent regimes, forming a situation of "one father, three regimes."

The third son, Dongzhan, was Qiao's son. He was favored by his father from a young age and was also the actual successor to the Qusiluo regime.

In recent years, Gusiluo fell seriously ill. Unexpectedly, his eldest son, Xiazhan, and second son, Mojiaozhan, were in even worse health, and both passed away three years ago.

Thus, the son passed away, and the grandson took over the reins of power.

During the periods of blind felt and grinding felt, there were three regimes under one father, but they were still biological father and son, and blood was thicker than water, so there was not too much friction.

When the grandson takes power, the attitude changes completely.

The sons of Xiazhan and Mojiaozhan had never even met their grandfather, Gusiluo, and had almost no blood relation to him. They were ruthless when it came to killing each other.

The Tibetan regime was originally a system of three governments under one father, and when the grandson took power, the regime became even more fragmented.

Since Gusiluo fell seriously ill, Tibet has been in a state of great turmoil and chaos, with frequent internal strife and military conflicts.

On the Western Xia side, a young ruler ascended the throne.

Twelve years ago, Emperor Taizu of Western Xia, Li Yuanhao, passed away, and the two-year-old new emperor, Li Liangzuo, ascended the throne, with Empress Dowager Mozang ruling from behind the curtain.

To this day, Li Liangzuo is fourteen years old and has not officially taken power; the actual power lies with his uncle, Mezang Epang.

With the maternal clan in power and the young emperor vying for it, internal chaos was inevitable.

In order to seize power, the young emperor Li Liangzuo launched an invasion of Tibet two years ago, intending to use the pretext of war to gain control of the military.

The Tibetan Empire was embroiled in internal strife, vying for power, and also had to guard against the Western Xia.

On the Western Xia side, it was also a struggle between uncles and nephews.

In comparison, the Great Zhou Dynasty had already resolved the issue of establishing an heir, and its regime was undoubtedly more stable than one level.

Jiang Zhao, along with Wang Shao, Jiang Zhiqi, Shen Kuo, Xue Xiang, and others, discussed the power struggle between Western Xia and Tubo more than once. They all believed that this was a good opportunity to seize back territory and defeat Western Xia and Tubo.

Originally, without Jiang Zhao, all three regimes would have been in turmoil.

The Tibetan Empire split, the Western Xia regime emerged, and the Great Zhou dynasty seized power.

They're all equally rotten. The best that the Great Zhou can do is protect itself; there's simply no time to consider seizing the opportunity to fight for territory.

But, this time is different.

Because of Jiang Zhao, the Great Zhou regime was stabilized at least ten years ahead of schedule!

He was the head of all officials and also his teacher.

Such an opportunity, with almost perfect timing, is extremely rare.

Therefore, Jiang Zhao intended to submit a memorial to the throne and try to launch an attack.

After reading the memorial twice and finding no problems, Jiang Zhao wrote two more letters.

Jiang Zhao handed the memorial and the letter to his page, Hesheng, and instructed, "Send one letter to Zhonghuai in Bianjing and another to Hanshi in Bianjing. Give the memorial to Hanshi and have him present it to the Emperor on my behalf."

A few days ago, Gu Tingye specially sent a letter to announce the good news that he had passed the imperial examination and decided to continue his studies at the Sheng family private school.

Jiang Zhao was not surprised by this.

Gu Tingye was a man of both literary and martial talents; otherwise, he would not have participated in the imperial examination with Sheng Changbai.

All things considered, from the time Gu Tingye started his studies until he participated in the imperial examination, only eight or nine years had passed.

Nine years to quickly master the path of scientific research.

This talent is extraordinary.

Since they intend to attack the Western Xia and Tibet this time, there must be some fighting going on.

Gu Tingye is a man of courage and wisdom, so we must definitely gather him to help us.

On the one hand, Gu Tingye could help him take command of the army.

On the other hand, it's also about helping his brothers get promoted and make money.

"Yes."

With a memorial to the throne and two letters in his hands, Hesheng nodded hurriedly and strode out.

Jiang Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.

Chapter 83 Chang Chao's Determination!

Bianjing (Kaifeng)

Wende Hall.

The gilded dragon candle burns continuously, its smoke curling upwards.

"when!"

The bell tolled loudly, and all the officials entered the palace.

Emperor Zhao Zhen folded his sleeves, looked straight ahead, and asked as usual, "Gentlemen, do you have anything to report?"

Since the "Secret Heir Apparent Law" was proposed, Zhao Zhen's burden has been significantly lighter, and even his speech has become more energetic.

As soon as he finished speaking, an official from the Censorate was about to step forward to impeach the supervisory officials when he caught a glimpse of a figure walking out from the far left and quickly retreated.

The position on the left, representing the pinnacle of power among the ministers, was occupied by the Grand Chancellor Han Zhang, who stepped forward.

"The old minister Han Zhang, acting on behalf of Jiang Zhao, the transport commissioner of Shaanxi, submitted a memorial entitled 'Pacifying the Barbarians'."

After he finished speaking, an official stepped forward to take the memorial and presented it to the emperor.

Zhao Zhen symbolically flipped through two pages before passing it on to the palace eunuch.

Memorials concerning border affairs, if intended to be presented openly to the emperor during regular court sessions, must have been submitted to him in advance.

This "Strategy for Pacifying the Barbarians" was submitted to the emperor by Han Zhang on behalf of Jiang Zhao.

The emperor, the head of all officials, and the head of the military generals had already discussed the contents of the memorial in the imperial study.

The purpose of presenting the memorial at the regular court session was twofold: firstly, to go through the proper formalities, and secondly, to ascertain the attitudes of the officials.

When it comes to war, regardless of how much support is needed, at the very least, the officials cannot be allowed to lag behind.

Of course, once the monarch and the head of all officials have reached a consensus, no minister is allowed to cause trouble.

"Show it to all the officials!" Zhao Zhen said.

Upon hearing this, the eunuch quickly read aloud the contents of the memorial: "Your subject Jiang Zhao respectfully submits this memorial: I observe that the greatest threat to the western border is that of the Xia people. Yuanhao usurped the throne, carving up the Hexi Corridor and gradually encroaching upon the Hexi Corridor and Longxi regions. The various Tibetan tribes have been divided into four separate areas. In the former Hexi region, the chieftains of the Western Qiang and other barbarian tribes are now threatening and aggressive. Perhaps the barbarians could be used to control the Xia."

This is the best strategy to subdue the Tibetans. Once the Tibetans submit, the right arm of the Xia people will be severed, and the royal army can then gradually conquer Lingwu and restore the former borders of the Han and Tang dynasties!

The memorial, though only a thousand words long, was not complicated.

The memorial mainly analyzed the predicament of Tibet and the power struggle in Western Xia, compared the advantages of the stability of the Great Zhou regime, and appropriately analyzed the feasibility of the decision.

In detail, it was about conserving strength and building up resources, isolating the Western Xia by sowing discord and appeasing the Tibetans, and seizing the opportunity to establish merit and achieve great things.

As for how exactly to perform micro-operations, it wasn't explained in detail.

Some things cannot be explained in just a few pages.

More important than the content of the memorials was whether there were people in the court who supported them and whether they had the emperor's trust.

Having these two things is better than anything else!

After the contents of the "Pacifying the Barbarians Strategy" were read aloud, the officials began to discuss it among themselves.

Zhao Zhen quietly observed the civil and military officials, letting them discuss the matter.

Among them, the military officers were divided into two groups: one group was mainly happy, and the other group was mainly worried.

The joy, of course, comes from the desire for war.

Military generals rely on their military achievements to gain merit.

The concern stems from Jiang Zhao's abilities.

Since this memorial was proposed by Jiang Zhao, once it is implemented, it is highly likely that Jiang Zhao will be in charge, and the military officers will only have the right to obey orders.

This is not good.

On the civil service side, there were no complicated conflicts of interest; it was almost entirely a matter of analyzing whether the contents of the memorials could be implemented.

If we lose, can we afford to lose?

After a long pause, Zhao Zhen tapped on the imperial desk, and all the officials fell silent.

"What are your thoughts, my esteemed ministers?" Zhao Zhen asked.

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials fell silent.

The vast majority of officials are just joining in the fun and having a casual discussion.

If it really comes down to decision-making and publicly expressing one's thoughts, one must at least be a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet or a Deputy Privy Councilor.

On the military side, Marquis Ningyuan, Gu Yankai, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "The words in Jiang Yunshi's memorial are not without reason, and we may give it a try."

From a public perspective, the content of this memorial is not without reason. The internal strife in the Western Xia and Tubo regimes was indeed a good opportunity to seize territory through warfare.

From a personal perspective, Gu Tingye and Jiang Zhao have a close relationship.

He is old. His eldest son, Gu Tingyu, has been in poor health since childhood, and his third son is too soft-hearted, neither good at literature nor martial arts.

If the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion wants to maintain its glory, it will definitely have to rely on its second son, Gu Tingye.

Gu Yankai usually disciplines Erlang ruthlessly, but he is also quite aware of Erlang's abilities.

After three years of study, Gu Tingye even passed the imperial examination at the county level, which is enough to prove that he is a child who is both literate and skilled in martial arts.

If we're really talking about the Gu family's succession, it still has to go to Erlang.

When it's time to curry favor with Jiang Zhao, it's appropriate to do so.

Gu Yankai, the military's second-in-command, approves!

"In my humble opinion, it is worth a try," said Wen Yanbo, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, stepping forward to express his opinion.

Theoretically speaking, now is indeed a good time to restrain the Western Xia and the Tibetan Empire.

With the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it can afford to lose.

Both the civil and military leaders have expressed their views.

General Zheng, the Marquis of Zhongjing, stepped forward, carefully considering his words, and said, "The Shaanxi border army numbers over 200,000, which concerns the fate of the nation. Transport Commissioner Jiang has no experience in commanding troops, so I'm afraid we shouldn't gamble everything on this."

Marquis Zhongjing expressed his concerns.

The border regions are often garrisoned by troops, numbering as many as 200,000.

However, these stationed troops are crucial to the fate of the nation. If they were to collapse, the Great Zhou Dynasty would suffer a severe blow, if not the demise of the nation.

Jiang Zhao's desire to expand territory is a good thing.