allendalepharm Chapter 1604 Zhen Qing: Good news, what good news?
Chapter 1604 Zhen Qing: Good news, what good news?
Chapter 1604 Zhen Qing: Good news, what good news?
Just when Xie Zaiyi's troops were blocked at the Jiameng Pass by Chen Yuan and others, in the northwest, the Han army and the cavalry of the Junggar tribe were also fighting on the vast wilderness.
The cavalry of both sides infiltrated, pierced, and fought around military supplies and baggage in the vast desert outside the Great Wall, making it difficult to determine the outcome.
Godly City, Ningguo Mansion
Jia Heng also met the Minister of Rites Liu Zheng, who was sitting beside a small table with a teacup on it that was steaming. He looked dignified and his look was full of elegance.
Liu Zheng was in his early fifties, with gray hair. He looked up at the young man in the python robe, stood up, bowed, and said, "I greet the King of Wei."
Jia Heng showed a warm smile on his face and extended his hand to help him up: "Minister Liu, please stand up."
This famous official who had once impeached him together with Lu Li, Han Yang and others, now began to bow to him for the position of cabinet minister.
Liu Zheng thanked Jia Heng and sat down, feeling a little awkward.
Jia Heng asked, "Master Liu is not in charge of the Ministry of Rites, so how come he has time to come to my house?"
Liu Zheng said: "The two assistant ministers are in charge of the ministry. The mausoleum of Emperor Guangzong will be completed soon. Civil and military officials will go to the mausoleum to pay tribute. Prince Wei should also make some preparations recently."
Jia Heng straightened his face and said, "The Emperor Guangzong's body has been kept for several months. It is time to bury him in peace."
Liu Zheng nodded and said with emotion: "Emperor Guangzong had just ascended the throne and suddenly encountered a disaster. It really makes people sigh with regret."
Jia Heng echoed, "Yes, Emperor Guangzong died young. He had just ascended the throne and was about to make great achievements, but he suddenly encountered such a disaster. It is indeed a pity."
Liu Zheng was silent for a moment, then said, "King Wei, may I have a word with you?"
Jia Heng secretly said that Liu Zheng finally couldn't bear it anymore.
He did not speak in a pretentious manner, but instead extended his hand to invite Liu Zheng, saying, "Minister Liu, let's chat in the study."
Then, the two of them entered the study room one after the other and sat down.
Liu Zheng pondered for a moment, as if he was considering his words, and said, "Prince Wei, to be honest, I have something bothering me. My daughter has been in the palace for many days and wants to go back to visit her parents, but the Queen Mother in the palace mentioned that there are rules in the palace and concubines cannot leave the palace at will."
Jia Heng picked up the teacup, used the lidded bowl to gently stir the tea foam, and said, "This is a rule of the inner palace. Old Master Liu can go to the palace and ask the Queen Mother for help. It is not appropriate for him to come to my house to ask for help."
Liu Zheng was silent for a moment, then whispered, "The Queen Mother...her sister is the concubine of Prince Wei. Can Prince Wei persuade the Queen Mother through the concubine to let my daughter leave the palace and return home to enjoy the family life together?"
Jia Heng said: "Let me give it a try."
Liu Zheng came here today, obviously there is something else going on.
As expected, Liu Zheng pondered for a moment, and then carefully considered his words and said, "Prince Wei, the court has five cabinet ministers, and one of them is missing. The affairs of the court are very busy, so it is inevitable..."
Jia Heng was surprised for a moment and asked, "Could it be that Minister Liu is interested?"
Liu Zheng nodded, and felt his face getting hot, clearly filled with shame.
He was a double-professional Jinshi and a famous official. Logically, he should have been selected as a cabinet minister.
Jia Heng said: "If it follows the usual practice, Minister Liu will also have the opportunity to join the cabinet, but there is no need for this."
Liu Zheng said: "The candidates recommended by the court will eventually have to be reviewed by the Queen Mother, and she may not approve it."
Jia Heng's heart was moved when he heard this, and he asked, "What does Minister Liu mean?"
Liu Zheng said: "My little girl has a strong temper. In the past, I couldn't help but speak without restraint, which inevitably offended the Queen Mother. I am worried..."
At the end, there was some hesitation in his voice.
Jia Heng paused for a moment and said, "Minister Liu, he wants me to speak up for him in front of the Queen Mother."
After hearing this, Liu Zheng nodded.
Everyone knows that the Prince Wei in front of them is enjoying the utmost honor and luxury in front of the Queen Mother.
Liu Zheng explained, "I am already fifty-two years old, and in a few years I will be at the age of retirement. I cannot delay the appointment as a cabinet minister too much."
Jia Heng agreed and said, "That makes sense. According to the usual practice, Minister Liu should be allowed to join the cabinet and participate in the affairs of state."
When Liu Zheng heard this, he couldn't help but feel happy.
Jia Heng smiled and nodded, saying, "Minister Liu, please go back first."
When Liu Zheng heard this, he was stunned for a moment, obviously shocked, and said: "Prince Wei..."
Doesn't this require any loyalty?
Jia Heng smiled and said, "Minister Liu is a minister of noble character. There is no need to say more here. I already know that."
Liu Zheng nodded. Upon hearing these words, he was moved by the feeling that a man will die for his friend.
But then, he remembered that the Prince of Wei in front of him was a powerful official in the eyes of some of the court's upright officials, and he quickly suppressed his emotion.
Liu Zheng bowed and said, "Then I'll take my leave."
While talking, he left the hall.
Jia Heng's face was as dark as water, and he said nothing, watching Liu Zheng leave.
After he submitted the memorial of recommendation, all the civil and military officials in the court who had eyes would know that Liu Zheng had entered the cabinet because of his connections.
While Jia Heng was talking, he left the spacious study and went towards the back house. He saw Chen Xiao in the corridor.
Chen Xiao, with her beautiful eyebrows and clear eyes as bright as water, asked, "Did you go to see Liu Zheng just now?"
Jia Heng said, "I just talked to Liu Zheng for a while. He wanted to join the cabinet, and asked me to speak well of him to the Queen Mother in the palace so that there would be no problems in his joining the cabinet."
Chen Xiao asked, "Did you accept his offer?"
"It's just a matter of benefit without any cost," said Jia Heng.
Even if Liu Zheng was not used, there were not many suitable candidates in the court.
Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, then said, "There is still no news from Sichuan these days?"
Jia Heng looked at Chen Xiao and said, "Shu is difficult, and it is indeed not easy to break through the pass."
Regarding the Rebellion of the Three Chens in Bashu, although the difficulty of the strategy was reduced from purgatory to medium due to the death of Gao Zhongping, it was still not easy.
Chen Xiao asked: "Could it be that the troops led by Xie Zaiyi are a little too few?"
Jia Heng whispered, "I previously considered that the road to Shu was difficult and no matter how many troops we had, we wouldn't be able to deploy them."
Chen Xiao said: "I think we can try to allocate troops from Huguang to aid Shu, and attack from both sides, which may have a miraculous effect."
Jia Heng whispered, "Now the governors of all provinces are watching. Dispatching troops from local military commanders to attack Shu gives people the impression that the Beijing camp is powerless to suppress the situation, and the prestige of the central government will be shaken."
Transferring troops from Huguang to Sichuan would easily lead to the emptiness of Huguang, which might cause some kind of chaos. There is a precedent for this during the Qing Dynasty.
Chen Xiao said: "Then you have to go to the palace and have a good talk with Zhen Qing."
I will have to go to the palace to sleep with you soon.
Jia Heng said, "It's time to go over there in the next few days. Military affairs in Sichuan are slow, and Qu Xianwei is missing in the northwest. I'm afraid the palace is extremely anxious."
Zhen Qing is a woman after all. After seeing this scene, she might have thought that the situation had collapsed. For the sake of her precious son's kingdom, she probably felt resentful towards him.
Chen Xiao nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Jia Heng didn't say anything else. He quickly walked out of the hall and went to the outer room.
Palace Garden, Kunning Palace
Just as Jia Heng guessed, Zhen Qing was also sulking at the moment. Not far away, her twin children were reading the Thousand Character Classic.
Chen Jie and Yin Yin are now three or four years old.
"In the northwest, two Acropolises were lost. What exactly happened?" Zhen Qing spoke from the side, anger flashing in her sparkling eyes. As she spoke, she placed a memorial in her hand on a small wooden stool beside her.
The victory report from Sichuan did not arrive, but the report from the northwest reached the capital first and was delivered to Zhen Qing's desk via the Grand Council.
The female official said cautiously, "The Empress's Military Affairs Office said that Prince Wei had already received the report from the Northwest and said that this was a strategy."
Zhen Qing's fair and delicate face turned cold as she said delicately, "Someone, go and summon Prince Wei to the palace immediately. I have something to ask him."
What on earth did that bastard do? It was agreed at the beginning that the rebellions in the three places would be put down quickly, but who would have thought that after so long, the rebellions in the three places have not been put down yet, and it has been delayed for so long.
At this moment, a maid entered the hall, looked at Zhen Qing, and said, "Madam, Prince Wei handed over a sign and wanted to see you."
Zhen Qing was stunned for a moment, then said coldly: "You came just in time, Xuan!"
As the eunuch went back, a young man with a tall stature came in from the outside quickly. He had a calm face and walked closer. He bowed to Zhen Qing and said, "Your humble servant greets the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
Zhen Qing's expression paused for a moment, and she said softly, "Prince Wei, please stand up."
As he said this, he told the eunuch beside him to watch the seat.
Then, a eunuch brought in an embroidered cushion and placed it on one side of the hall.
Jia Heng thanked her and said, "My Lady."
Chen Jie, who was not far away, widened his eyes and looked at the young man in the python costume with some curiosity and admiration.
Yinyin also raised her delicate little face, looked at the young man in the python costume with eyes as bright as water, and said, "Godfather."
Jia Heng said: "Yin Yin."
His twin children, a boy and a girl, inherited his and Zhen Qing's looks, and are cute and smart.
As he spoke, he came forward and picked up his own daughter, who was as delicate as a piece of jade and had a baby's fragrance.
Yin Yin came close to Jia Heng, gave him a kiss, and said softly, "Why don't you play with me, godfather?"
Jia Heng whispered, "My godfather is busy with the war outside and has no time."
Zhen Qing's narrow, clear phoenix eyes stared at the interaction between the young man in the python robe and her daughter, and said, "What's going on in the northwest? Two of the seven guards in Guanxi have been lost. What's going on?"
Jia Heng held up Yin Yin's soft and delicate body and said seriously, "I was just about to talk to the Queen Mother about this."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Qing stared at the young man in the python robe with her clear and sparkling phoenix eyes, and said coldly, "I want to hear what plan you have."
Jia Heng didn't care about Zhen Qing's attitude and said, "If you want to take it, you must give it first. This is the key to using troops. When the seven guards of Guanxi were recovered during the Chongping period, the three Mongolian guards of Hami, Shazhou and Chijin were the focus of defense. This is because these three guards are the thoroughfares leading directly to the Western Regions. Controlling the three guards means controlling Guanxi."
As Jia Heng spoke, he looked at Zhen Qing, who had a thoughtful look on her face, and gave Zhen Qing time to digest the thought.
The worse you get at grinding, the more you like to play with it.
Zhen Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "Come here, go to the Military Affairs Office and get a map of the seven guards in the northwest. I'll take a look at what these places you're talking about are."
Jia Heng: "..."
If you don't know geography but still want to be a politician like Wu Zetian, then your problem is probably just a larger-than-life Empress Dowager Cixi.
The eunuch took the order and left.
Zhen Qing turned to look at Jia Heng and said, "Go on."
Jia Heng opened his mouth and took the grapes that Yin Yin handed to him from the fruit plate beside him. He chewed them and said with a smile, "What a good daughter."
"Godfather~~" Yinyin's voice was soft and sweet.
Jia Heng arranged his words and said, "As for Quxianwei and Aduanwei, they are geographically remote and have few Han people, so they were not strong enough to defend the city. Now the Junggars are leading their troops to recapture Hamiwei and Shazhouwei. Their troops are coming aggressively. Although our northwest has abundant troops, we don't have much advantage in field battles against the Junggars."
Zhen Qing said: "Shouldn't we rely on the city?"
Jia Heng looked at Zhen Qing with a high opinion and thought to himself, Mopan is really intelligent, but he might be limited by a woman's knowledge.
After thinking for a while, Jia Heng explained: "But if we spread out our forces and disperse our forces to defend multiple citadels, it will be easy for the Junggar troops to be transferred back and forth, and we will eventually fail to defend the cities."
Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows, and a thoughtful look appeared in her charming eyes. She said loudly, "That makes sense."
Jia Heng said: "So, Pang Shili and Jin Xuan in the northwest chose to abandon Quxianwei and Aduanwei and concentrate their forces to defend Hami, Shazhou and other core guards, which is enough to control Guanxi. On the contrary, the Junggar tribe needs to send troops to garrison the lost two guards and transport the baggage, which gives my Han army an opportunity."
Zhen Qing looked thoughtful, then suddenly realized something and said, "This is what it means to give first if you want to take."
At this moment, two young eunuchs came out from the outer room and whispered, "Madam, the map is here."
As they were talking, several maids and eunuchs brought over a bamboo, stone and brocade screen, hung the map on it, and then stood on both sides with their hands hanging down.
Jia Heng came to the screen, pointed at the map, and said, "This is the Seven Guards of Guanxi..."
When Zhen Qing finished listening to Jia Heng's story, a thoughtful look suddenly appeared on her fair face, and she whispered, "When will you send troops to the Western Regions?"
Jia Heng said without hesitation: "After Bashu is pacified, maybe two or three years later."
It was probably at that time that the internal affairs of the court were settled and the period of recuperation was resting.
"Where is Tibet?" Zhen Qing blinked her narrow, clear phoenix eyes under her curved willow-leaf eyebrows and said in a low voice.
"It depends on the movements of the Meng King." Jia Heng said: "If the Meng King can take over Tibet in one fell swoop, the situation in Tibet will become more complicated in the future."
I'm afraid that the Mongol King Ezhe still has some ambitions to restore the Mongol Khanate, at least to establish a hereditary vassal state.
As for why Chahar was not chosen, it was because Chahar Mongolia was too close to the capital, and Liaodong was the focus of the court's defense.
It is really not as good as Tibet and Qinghai to be the local overlord.
In fact, he did not force it. After usurping the throne, he pacified the Western Regions and Tibet, relying on his merits and prestige.
After that, his journey also included the former South Vietnam in Indochina and Australia.
Zhen Qing's eyebrows were curved like willow leaves, her eyes were sparkling like water, and she said softly, "That's fine. After two years, when Jie'er is a little older, let him take advantage of these two wars to observe the military and national affairs."
All these will be the credit of her son Jie'er's reign.
Emperor Jie'er is very intelligent and has the potential to become an emperor in the future.
Thinking of this, Zhen Qing turned her head and glanced at her son.
At this moment, Chen Jie took an apple and was eating it.
Zhen Qing was filled with anger.
This child is not afraid of getting a stomachache.
At this moment, a eunuch's voice suddenly came from outside the palace, saying, "Your Majesty, the Military Affairs Office has received a victory report."
Zhen Qing was delighted when she heard this, and asked in surprise, "Good news, what good news?"
The eunuch said, "The Duke of Liao in Sichuan has delivered news that Yangping Pass and Baoning Prefecture in Bashu have been breached by the Beijing army, and the army has reached Jiameng Pass."
After several days of rapid progress, Xie Zaiyi's progress in Bashu was finally reported to the capital.
Hearing this, Jia Heng smiled and said, "That's good news."
Zhen Qing's snow-white face also showed a touch of joy, and she said, "Where is the military report? Go to the Military Affairs Office and get it over so I can have a look."
Upon hearing this, the eunuch turned around and left, heading to the Grand Council to get the military report.
Zhen Qing looked at Jia Heng, who was teasing his daughter, and said, "Is Bashu going to win?"
Jia Heng pinched his daughter's beautiful nose, smiled and said, "Don't be happy too soon."
Zhen Qing: "..."
What kind of talk is this? Is there still room for change in the battle of Bashu?
Yinyin snorted softly, opened Jia Heng's hand with her soft little hand, and said in a soft voice: "Godfather is annoying~"
Zhen Qing raised her eyebrows, her beautiful eyes sparkling like water, and whispered, "Yinyin, go play with your brother."
At this moment, Chen Jie's eyes were rolling around as he listened to the two people talking. He was indeed as Zhen Qing said, very intelligent.
Zhen Qing asked softly, "What's going on?"
Jia Heng couldn't help but show an awkward look on his face, and said: "The Gao family has been operating in Sichuan for a long time. There are many passes in Bashu, and the Jinniu Road has been a dangerous place since ancient times. Now the Shu army is stationed at Jiameng Pass. It will not be easy to break through Yangping Pass and Baoning City as easily as before."
Zhen Qing looked at Jia Heng intently and asked, "So what's your plan to defeat the enemy next?"
Jia Heng showed a look of confidence, and said confidently: "The officials in Bashu may not be convinced by the rebellion raised by the Gao family. Moreover, the world is peaceful now, and the barbarians are submissive. They are mostly joining the rebellion because of the situation. The court should attack their hearts and minds, recruit the rebels, and defeat them without fighting."
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Zhen Qing with burning gaze.
Zhen Qing frowned and said, "What are you looking at me doing?"
Jia Heng said, "Your Majesty, you can ask the cabinet to draft an imperial edict, mentioning that the rebellion of the Three Chens in Bashu was only caused by the Gao family and Chen Yuan, Chen Ran, and Chen Wei. As long as they surrender and turn the tide in time, the court will not only not punish them, but will also promote them to higher positions. I believe that no one will not be tempted."
The so-called grand trend would be a waste if you don’t make use of it.
When Zhen Qing heard this, a hint of thought appeared in her charming and flowing phoenix eyes under her willow-like brows as dark as spring mountains.