Han Shizu

Chapter 343 The Pseudo Tang in Tao Gu's Eyes

Not many people participated in this imperial meeting, only Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, Feng Dao, Guo Wei, Wang Jun, Wei Renpu, Fan Zhi, Wang Pu, plus Tao Gu and Wang Pu who returned to the court.

There are ten people in total. From the names of these ten ministers, it can be known that the standard of this meeting is very high. Regardless of the size of the official position or the status, these people are all ministers who are qualified to have access to the core strategy of the Han Dynasty in the eyes of Liu Chengyou. A person who offers advice and suggestions on affairs and takes the lead in setting an example.

Even though the current Liu Chengyou is dissatisfied with Yang Bin to the point of stillness, he still does not deliberately ignore it, no matter what, at least on the surface, Yang Bin is still the chief assistant of the big man.The etiquette of ruler and minister, such things as superiority and inferiority, are exactly what Liu Chengyou wants to reshape.

In addition, none of the generals who directly commanded the troops were present, including Shang Hongqian and Bai Wenke, the heads of the Dianqian Division and the Guard Division.The southern expedition to the north of the Yangtze River is still a secret of the Han Dynasty. In this matter, the generals of the forbidden army only need to do their job of commanding the troops, and make some preparations for the southern expedition under the will of the emperor.

When Liu Chengyou arrived with Tao and Wang, he was seated without court ceremony, and the gate of the Chongzheng Hall was slowly closed by the joint efforts of the servants, turning the palace discussion into a secret meeting, adding a bit of mystery to the imperial meeting.

After all, Tao Gu is the envoy, no matter what happens, he should report it, I saw him standing up, saluting around politely, saying: "Your Majesty, gentlemen!"

"I have been going south this time, and I have been in Jinling for nearly two months. I have been ordered by the king to learn about its state affairs in detail. From my point of view, the puppet Tang Dynasty is actually a great enemy of the country. It must not be located in the southeast, where the people are weak and the army is weak. Belittled."

Under the watchful eyes of Liu Chengyou and a group of powerful figures in the court, Tao Gu felt particularly excited, his beard trembled slightly, and he said eloquently: "The foundation of the Southern Tang Dynasty has been established for more than [-] years, and it has been passed down to the current master Li Jing. The foundation is solid, and the hearts of the people are attached."

As soon as Tao Gu finished speaking, a person in the hall interrupted him mercilessly: "If I remember correctly, the time when Li Min, the predecessor of the Tang Dynasty, established the puppet Tang Dynasty was the second year of Tianfu in the previous Jin Dynasty (937), and it has only been thirteen years since then. , how come more than thirty years?"

Wang Jun straightened his waist and was sitting in the hall with a blunt expression and seemed to be in a bad mood. The reason could probably be seen from the order of his seats that there were too many people who had priority over him.

With Tao Gu's heart, he was in a bad mood when faced with such shameless questioning from the Deputy Privy Envoy, but considering Wang Jun's power status, he couldn't afford to offend him for the time being, so he didn't say much.

However, Tao Gu was very calm on the surface, even contemptuous in his heart.In Tao Gu's view, people like Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, Guo Wei, and Wang Jun who occupy high positions in the Han Dynasty today are mostly short-sighted and humble.

I even expected this kind of "stupid" question.Smiling at Wang Jun, Tao Gu said calmly: "What Wang Shumi said is correct, but most people in the world only see the thirteen years since the establishment of the puppet Tang Dynasty, but seldom notice that before the Southern Kingdom replaced Yang with Xu and Wu with Qi, Starting from Xu Wen, the two generations of his father and son spent [-] years to seize the power of Yang and Wu, cherish the old officials, cultivate party members, and invite people to buy people's hearts. Only then did Li Min change his family into a country like a boat with the current, and the upper and lower levels are as happy as they are."

"That's why, although the Southern Tang Dynasty won the country in the second year of Tianfu, the foundation of its establishment was when Xu Wen and his father and son were prime ministers of Wu. It must not be negligent due to the short reign of the dynasty!"

In Tao Gu's mouth, Li Min for a while, Xu Wen for a while, Qi Guo for a while, Yang Wu for a while, being father and son, and a puppet Tang Dynasty is a suspicion of showing off. I also understood, and was a little confused for a while, unable to refute.

After glancing at Wang Jun, who was bitter and bitter, Liu Chengyou signaled Tao Gu: "Tao Qing continue."

"Yes!" Tao Gu saluted Liu Chengyou respectfully, and continued to speak leisurely:

"The minister is not flattering. Li Min, the former leader of the false Tang Dynasty, was indeed a hero of the time. He has been in charge of the Jianghuai military and political affairs for more than [-] years. Friends and neighbors. Promoting imperial examinations, building academies, educating people, vigorously recruiting scholars, and making literature and Taoism flourish in the south of the Yangtze River. The Central Plains is well-dressed and southward, and everyone goes to vote and follow suit."

"Through such hard work, the national power of the puppet Tang Dynasty will be the best among the separatist countries in the south. Jiangnan is rich in products, such as grain, salt, tea making, silk cloth, and paper making. Own a house."

"Li Jing is not as good as his father. However, since he succeeded to the throne, he has followed his father in politics. Four years ago, he sent troops to destroy Min, gained more than half of it, and was able to surround his old enemy Wu Yue on three sides. Now the puppet Tang occupies Huainan, Jiangdong, There are 35 prefectures in Jiangzuo and Min, and their people are more than five million, which is no less than that of the Han Dynasty, and their army is tens of thousands, or even more than that of the Central Plains."

"Therefore, the false Tang Dynasty is actually a great enemy to the Han Dynasty, and we must investigate it!"

After Tao Gu said, the hall was silent for a while, and all the princes present were thoughtful.After waiting for a while, when Liu Chengyou didn't speak, Yang Bin cast his eyes slightly, and said in an unpredictable tone: "Tao Sheren's harvest from a trip to Jinling, could it be that he praised the false Tang Yitong? Thinking about it, it really makes the old man's teeth turn cold! "

Wang Jun and Tao Gu didn't want to offend, facing Yang Bin's ridicule, Tao Gu didn't dare to offend him easily, and he was still in front of the imperial court.

Although he groaned heavily in his heart, Tao Gu bowed to Liu Chengyou on his face, and said solemnly: "I just told His Majesty the national conditions of the puppet Tang frankly, so that His Majesty can make strategies and strategies, so as to avoid poor consideration and insufficient preparation. That's all."

After saying that, Tao Gu looked at Liu Chengyou as if he still had something to say.

"Although I'm envious of the wealth and prosperity of the puppet Tang Dynasty, I have never underestimated its national strength!" Liu Chengyou raised his hand, as an endorsement for Tao Gu, but his eyes moved away from Tao Gu's eyes, and turned to An An, who was on the bottom seat. Wang Pu said: "Everything has its own advantages and disadvantages. Since Tao Qing said that it is strong, I don't know what Wang Qing thinks?"

This is obviously an opportunity for Liu Chengyou to show off to Wang Pu. Seeing this, Tao Gu felt jealous.He knew in his heart that what he said earlier was of secondary importance, and what he said later was the key point.He wanted to speak, but he opened his mouth and turned into helplessness.Tao Gu is very careful and smart when it comes to trying to please others, and he doesn't dare to intervene casually, especially on such occasions.

In the hall with the door closed, the dim light brought the atmosphere to "conspiracy".

Under the gaze of Liu Chengyou, Wang Pu stood up, neither sad nor happy, and calmly expressed his approval and affirmation of Tao Gu's speech: "Your Majesty, what Tao Gong said is true! The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty was indeed the highest in the world. The so-called "promote one and benefit two", in today's world, in terms of the prosperity of the country, there is no other power in China that can match it except for Xishu, which has been managed by Meng Chang for more than ten years."

"Of course"

(End of this chapter)