Prime Minister

Chapter 1213 Gift

Chapter 1213 Gift

Zhang Yue was in deep thought during the banquet.

In history, after the middle and late Yuanfeng period, the government did have the idea of ​​political reconciliation.

The government intends to use both the old and the new, recalling the old party and establishing it side by side with the new party.

But at this time, Wang Gui and Cai Que truly understood the emperor's intention. On the one hand, they took the initiative to make peace with Sima Guang and others and abolished some of the bad aspects of the new law. At the same time, they reused Xing Shu, who had a say in both the new and old parties, to repair relations.

On the other hand, Tsai did show his skills.

He said to Wang Gui: "Your Majesty has long wanted to conquer Lingwu. If you can take on the responsibility, your position as prime minister can be secured."

Since you are worried about Sima Guang's return to the court, you have no choice but to take the initiative to take on the task of conquering Lingwu on behalf of the emperor, so that your position as prime minister can be secured.

Cai Que also said that as long as the troops were sent deep into the enemy's territory, the emperor would not recall Sima Guang, and even if he did, Sima Guang would definitely not come.

Wang Gui was overjoyed, and then recommended Yu Chong as the governor of Huanqing Road, ordering him to submit a plan to pacify Western Xia.

In the end, Sima Guang really did not respond to the call.

The two subsequent defeats in the wars against the Tanguts led to Cai Que and Wang Gui being criticized.

No one knows whether, if the emperor had lived a few more years, he could have successfully reconciled the differences between the two parties and avoided the fierce party struggles in the late Northern Song Dynasty.

Whether to blame the New Party or the Old Party for the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty has been a dispute that has lasted for a thousand years.

What was right and wrong during this period can only be judged by future generations.

After the banquet, the emperor personally escorted Zhang Yue out of the palace. This was another favor that a high-ranking official would not easily receive.

However, seeing the government's actions, Zhang Yue immediately felt the urge to retire after accomplishing his mission.

If we say that the period after the Battle of Lanzhou and before the conquest of Liangzhou was the honeymoon period between the emperor and his minister, then after the conquest of Liangzhou, the emperor must have felt that "I am good again".

Just as recorded in history, if Wang Gui wanted to keep his position as prime minister, he had to follow the emperor's wishes and attack Lingwu.

If he is unwilling, then recall Sima Guang.

Zhang Yue also wanted to follow the emperor's wishes and, after conquering Liangzhou, immediately attack Lingwu.

But Zhang Yue didn't want to do so. Instead of arguing with the government in the future, it would be better to speak directly now.

He said: "Your Majesty, I'm telling you the truth. After we take Liangzhou, we should temporarily suspend the use of troops and even negotiate peace with the Tanguts!"

When the emperor heard what Zhang Yue said, he was shocked and even looked a little panicked.

His own understanding of Zhang Yue was actually not as deep as that of Empress Dowager Gao.

The emperor admitted: "You are right. I was too impatient."

Zhang Yue wanted to explain to the emperor, but the emperor said "I reflect" too quickly, which showed that he didn't mean it sincerely, but was just under his tyranny these days. Zhang Yue thought to himself that in the history of Mongolia, the Tanguts were destroyed seven times.

He didn't attack the gold in one go, but divided it into several times.

The Mongolian way of fighting is also very interesting. They did not try to conquer everything in one go. Their first attack on the Jin Dynasty and the Dangxiang was just a superficial one, and each time they made deeper and deeper advances, their results were greater and greater.

Even if they won a decisive battle, as long as Jin and Dangxiang were willing to negotiate peace, Mongolia would give them a chance and continue to demand money, property and land.

The next year, they found an excuse to tear up the peace agreement and continue the attack until they completely destroyed the two countries. The Jurchens destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty in the same way. One word to describe it is "negotiating peace to support the attack." It is absolutely impossible to send troops to Sichuan and Shaanxi without draining all the resources and manpower.

But the government did not give him a chance to explain himself, but instead denied his explanation by admitting it.

The emperor personally escorted Zhang Yue to the palace gate. Zhang Yue bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, such a favor is unworthy of a minister."

The emperor said to Zhang Yue, "Your help in conquering Liangzhou not only comforts our ancestors, but also restores the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties. How can I repay your great contribution with this little courtesy?"

Zhang Yue said: "I can achieve today's success, all thanks to the millions of soldiers and civilians in Xihe Road who sacrificed their lives."

"If there is ever a day when Youyan is recovered, please don't miss me, Your Majesty, and don't forget that we have such good people in the Song Dynasty."

The emperor was stunned for a long time after hearing what Zhang Yue said. As the saying goes, honest advice is unpleasant to the ear, and the emperor was quite moved and said, "I understand your honest advice."

Zhang Yue was delighted to see that the emperor finally listened to his advice.

……

When Zhang Yue returned to the West Hall, he thought carefully and realized that he didn't want either Sima Guang or Lu Huiqing to return to the court to work with him.

But unfortunately, these two people were appointed by the emperor to return to the court.

Zhang Yue's rise to power was due to the emperor's favor and his political views. Zhang Yue was not completely biased towards the New Party, but also had a good reputation in the Old Party.

More importantly, you need to propose a new ideology, one that is "people-oriented" and the other that is "rebuilding China's prosperity", and at the same time make up for the two parties' divergent political views. Of course, having this ideology is not enough, the most important thing is to establish prestige.

First, the authority of the emperor was established, which was the method of pressing the head on the head, from the title of emperor to the next step of Fengshan on Mount Tai.

Of course, it is not advisable to "force" Fengshan on Mount Tai like Emperor Zhenzong did.

For example, the previous conquest of Huangzhou, the subsequent victory in Lanzhou, and now the recovery of Liangzhou.

With such achievements, now that he has been enthroned at Mount Tai, both the new and old parties will be convinced.

Fengshan is just a formality, just like in the past, prime ministers had to be given the Nine Gifts as a test first.

Fengshan was a natural reform. Only after the reform was completed could troops be used against the Dangxiang.

After Zhang Yue returned to the West Hall, Xue Xiang led his subordinates to congratulate Zhang Yue. Zhang Yue smiled and was about to speak, but he heard the eunuch outside the door say: "Your Majesty has ordered to grant the seven-horse groom to Wang Xianggong and Zhang Xianggong!"

Upon hearing this, the officials congratulated Zhang Yue again.

"The ceremony of seven horsemen can be said to be the ceremonial guard of the emperor. In the past, it was only awarded to the top scorer in the imperial examination, and it lasted for a month, as a token of favor."

"Giving it to the Prime Minister now is truly a grace."

"When the Prime Minister was the top scholar, he had the seven-horse ceremony. Today, as the Prime Minister, he has received another one. This is the greatest favor!"

Zhang Yue smiled when he heard this.

This time, after Zhang Yue retired from court, he returned home with the ceremony of the Seven Horsemen of the Jinwu Guards bestowed by the emperor.

The news of the great victory in Liangzhou had spread throughout the city and everyone knew about it.

Seeing Zhang Yue traveling through the streets of Bianjing with the seven horses of the Jinwu Army as the lead, passers-by all stopped to watch. This outfit was truly eye-catching.

At this moment, the people on the Imperial Street were cheering and seeing off Zhang Yue's carriage.

……

Not far from Zhang Yue's house, Zhang Yu, dressed in plain clothes, was sitting in the house. Listening to the bustle at the door, he couldn't help but reveal a mixture of emotions. The great achievement of taking Liangzhou fell on Zhang Yue, which really made him feel like needles pricking his whole body.

He hated why he was not the one who recovered Liangzhou, so he had to embrace his sword and drink to drown his sorrows.

At the same time, Lu Huiqing was sitting in the house, listening to the people outside the door celebrating the recovery of Liangzhou. Although he was prepared in his heart, he still felt quite uncomfortable.

However, Lu Huiqing was a brave and hardworking person. The more setbacks he faced, the braver he became. The more he faced setbacks, the more he would not give up.

He was currently writing a plan to pacify the Tanguts, and would present it to Zhang Yue when he met him, hoping to gain his approval. As long as the Tanguts survived, Lu Huiqing believed that the emperor would have need of him.

I just hate the waves of noise coming from outside, which make Lu Huiqing unhappy.

He put down his pen and shouted to his servant, "Close the door tightly!"

(End of this chapter)