Han Shizu

Chapter 775 Inside the Privy Council
"Guohua, you have been working in the Ministry of Officials for more than half a year now! How about it, have you encountered any troubles or problems, are the officials still available?" Looking at Shen Wenbing, he showed a warm smile and expressed concern about the work of his subordinates.

Wen asked, Shen Wenbing smiled modestly, and cupped his hands in a calm manner: "Thank you for your concern! Thanks to your majesty, everything is fine, all departments are running normally, and your staff are doing their best. With the foundation laid by your husband, the next official only needs to follow the rules. It never bothered me."

Li Tao was obviously satisfied with his attitude. He looked at him and said, "Guohua is also from a famous family. talents.

Originally, I recommended you to be the Kaifeng Mansion, but Your Majesty prefers Li Gu.However, the Ministry of Officials is an important position of the heavenly officials, and being the head of the various ministries of the imperial court has equally important powers and responsibilities, and should not be taken lightly, with your assistance, it also reduces my burden a lot."

Dazed for a moment, Shen Wenbing said with a humble face, "Thank you for your promotion!"

"In this way, regarding the appointment of Chu and Si, you should also select some suitable candidates when you go back to the government. After all, it is an important state in the Huaihe River, and there are not enough officials who are not talented to live there. It needs to be considered in many ways. We rejected Wang Pu's recommendation. Over there, you need some preparations, so as not to be questioned, and you will only enter the way of being a virtuous person if you don't recommend me!" Li Tao instructed.

"Yes!" Shen Wenbing replied, hesitated for a while, and said, "Report to Mr. Chongzheng Hall, have you frequently asked about the appointment of officials in Jinghu?"

"Then Er Zhao, dare to reach out to the officials?" Li Tao was a little contemptuous.

Shen Wenbing said: "Previously, officials were selected and dispatched to Jinghu. Zhao Pu was ordered by His Majesty to inspect Nan as an official."

Listening to his words, Li Tao frowned slightly, thought for a while, looked at Shen Wenbing, and asked with some vigilance: "Is there any problem with the transfer of officials in Jinghu?"

Shen Wenbing seemed to be a slow-tempered person, and responded slowly: "The selection from the imperial court and inside and outside, everything conforms to the imperial system. However, it is only heard about the evaluation of the old officials in Jinghu who were retained as officials. The officials who went to the south for the evaluation, There is a bribe, change the examiner!"

"It really happened?" Li Tao was shocked.

Shen Wenbing replied: "There is no evidence yet, it's just a rumor!"

Although Shen Wenbing said so, Li Tao's face became ugly.Last year, after the imperial court sent troops to pacify Jinghu, in addition to transferring officials from the central and local governments, it also retained a large number of old local officials, and only sent special envoys to the south for assessment and judgment.It was Li Tao who arranged this matter at that time.

At this time, hearing what Shen Wenbing said, Li Tao felt offended and deceived.After pondering for a while, Li Tao said to Shen Wenbing: "There is no reason for it! Otherwise, why should the two Zhaos of the Chongzheng Palace pay so much attention to this matter? In this way, you secretly sent people to investigate this matter, especially the officials who went south to take charge of the assessment. Officials, figure out the problem!"

"Yes!" Shen Wenbing still calmly clapped his hands and said, "I will resign!"

"Go!"

After Shen Wenbing left, Li Tao couldn't help pinching the bridge of his nose vigorously. When he was alone, an unconcealable tiredness flooded his face.After the chaos in Guanzhong, he was no longer so high-spirited, but in front of others, he still showed the authority of the leader.Looking at it now, there is indeed a feeling that everything is not going well. Staying in such a high position not only enjoys the glory and fame brought by power, but also the pressure from the top and bottom is not small at all.

Of course, if Li Tao could be like Feng Dao, it might be easier.However, he is not Feng Dao after all. Moreover, for Emperor Liu Chengyou, there is no need for another Feng Dao, unless he wants to be Su Yugui, but that is far away from the center of power.
There were so many thoughts, and finally turned into a low murmur: I, Li, am not so easy to plan.

Li Tao seemed to sense that someone seemed to be plotting against him.

Shen Wenbing left the political affairs hall, stopped and looked back for a moment, his face was as usual, with a calm and gentle expression.Just thinking about the relationship with Li Tao.Just now, Li Tao can be said to be heart-to-heart to him, he is good at exhorting and relying on him as his confidant.

It is undeniable that Li Tao has been kind to him, but Shen Wenbing is also very clear-headed. His job as a servant of the Ministry of Officials is also appointed by the emperor.Even if Li Xiang is powerful and powerful, he is in charge of the government of the world, and the position of Minister of the Ministry of Officials cannot be done without the emperor's approval.

Shen Wenbing is a man of gentle persistence, modesty, courteousness, and the style of a gentleman, but it does not mean that he is pedantic.Recently, from the direction of the wind in the middle, it can also feel a little unusual.

Li Tao became more and more powerful, coercing all the ministers, inside and outside the court and the public, there were many party followers, various ministries and yamen, and many people were assigned to important positions in the local area, and the momentum was the same for a while.But at the same time, the reputation is also gradually declining, and there are more and more criticisms from the court, and Fan Xiang and Xue Xiang seem to be getting closer.

After thinking about it for a while, Shen Wenbing regained his composure, his steps were calm, and it was useless to worry about it. For him, he was very open-minded and just did his job well.
In the Privy Council, Chai Rong stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the map hanging in the hall.Li Chuyun stepped in lightly, saw him, noticed the direction of his eyes, and couldn't help but said: "Prince Shu is still thinking about the chaos in Guanzhong?"

"I have to think about it!" Chai Rong replied: "Although it has been settled, this matter has a great impact! I am thinking, is the deployment of the Daozhou capital's troops too weak?"

Hearing this, Li Chuyun shook his head: "Otherwise, this time the riots broke out in various counties, but they subsided within less than [-] days, which is enough to prove that the government's control over the localities is still tight enough. It's just years of peace, coupled with Most of the troops are deployed and controlled at the border, so they lose their slack and are taken advantage of by the rebellious army. Moreover, this turmoil is caused by the prisoners of Shu. movement!"

"What you say makes sense!" Chai Rong nodded: "However, it should be taken as a warning. I intend to suggest to His Majesty that besides guarding important towns, they should organize soldiers and horses at the right time. Battalion inspections. The arrangement of soldiers and horses in various roads should be adjusted reasonably. If there is such a disorder and danger, it is necessary to ensure that the local garrison can respond in a timely manner. The village braves of counties and towns should also strengthen organization and training to assist Law and order, put an end to chaos and violence!"

"Your Majesty's concerns are all words of seeking peace and security for the country. Your Majesty should accept them!" Li Chuyun kept nodding his head, approving of Chai Rong's thoughts.

"However, we still need to plan carefully for the details!" Chai Rong smiled.

"Yes!"

Looking back at Li Chuyun, Chai Rong raised his finger and asked, "Zhengyuan, what do you think, the ministers in the Zhengshitang will propose how to deal with the remaining prisoners of the Shu army?"

"The chancellors are old enough to seek the country, so they will naturally come up with a safe solution!" Li Chuyun said calmly, noticing Chai Rong's bright eyes, and asked with cupped hands: "What's your idea?"

"The Shu army has always been regarded as a weak force by our dynasty. The Han and Shu battles have ended in our dynasty's victory. But if we despise the soldiers of Shu based on this, it is also biased. The defeat of the Shu army has always been, but it has been in peace for many years. , The soldiers have less training, less actual combat, and lack of general talent, and the state affairs are tired, and the atmosphere affects the combat effectiveness of the army." Chai Rong talked eloquently:

"However, among the Shu people, there are many strong men. The Shu soldiers who were captured and surrendered can also be called a good source of soldiers. I have always felt that it is a great waste to treat those captives as slaves and hard labor. Of course, Due to the limited situation, it is not easy to fully incorporate it.”

"Originally, I had suggested to His Majesty that all suitable Shu captives be incorporated into the Shu army for retraining. They have suffered so much, and instead of taking the opportunity to be liberated from suffering, they will definitely burst out with impressive strength. Reduce the damage of the imperial army and the southwestern frontier army."

As he said that, Chai Rong couldn't help sighing: "However, after the chaos in Guanzhong, it is not easy to restore the peace of the past in a short period of time. It is a pity to lose people, money and food, and destroy fields, but The instability in Guanzhong has affected the preparations for the war against Shu. If we raise our troops again this year, there will probably be many ministers who oppose it. !"

Hearing Chai Rong's words, Li Chuyun also thought about it, and said: "Prince Shu, I think that it may not be a good thing to delay the time to conquer Shu. The year before last, Qin Feng was captured, and Jinghu was captured last year. Soldiers destroying Shu, without fighting every year, is too heavy a burden on the court, the army, and the people. If the chaos in Guanzhong allows His Majesty to suspend the desire to destroy Shu, it will also give the people more breathing space. Even if it is only one more In a few years, the imperial court should be more fully prepared for the war, and the results achieved should be even better."

"What you said is true!" Chai Rong smiled and said, "However, His Majesty has not yet decided, and the preparations that should be made must not be relaxed. The training of soldiers who conquered Shu must not be relaxed. Especially on the Jiangling side, Then order Zhang Yanqing, the navy's drills must not be neglected!"

"Yes!"

Chai Rong noticed the memorial in Li Chuyun's hand, and then asked, "What's the matter?"

Li Chuyun submitted it: "Bai Chongzan of the Yongning Army has played, the reorganization of the Dingzhou army has been completed, please review it!"

(End of this chapter)