Delong

Chapter 216 Walking in the Snow (15)

"So, what you guys mean is to make me give in as much as possible?" In the middle of the night, Cao Lin quietly listened to the narration of several young people, and was surprised for a moment, causing the bells in the tower to ring.

In fact, if others were here, they would feel strange too.

Because those who stood in front of Cao Lin at this time, whether it was the adopted sons, or Qian, Li, Qin, Lu, etc., should be typical young men. They are young and their official career has just started, so they Desire for conflict, eager to make contributions in conflict... unless they have encountered setbacks and experiences prematurely, or have seen more people and things.

After Cao Lin finished asking, he looked at these people, then at his adopted sons, and thought of those two young people in a trance.

A man from a humble family background refused his solicitation right here, unwilling to be his uncle Cao's son; a woman who had just started to visualize was also here, holding a Fulong seal who didn't know how useful it was. , Coercing himself a great master in public.

Whether you want to admit it verbally or not, in fact, Zhang Sanlang, who has become a confidant, and Bai Sanniang, who was probably a confidant before, grew out of his confidant.

In front of those two people, it seems that it is not too difficult to understand that these people suffered a little, were oppressed, entangled, and even awed and imitated.

Thinking of this, Cao Lin finally took a special look at Qian Tang who had been silent all the time.

This Jingantai native, the young man with the highest qualifications, the most talents, and recognized leadership qualities in the group is already Zhu Shou, but he didn't come to speak to him, but hid at the farthest end.

This is a clue.

An expression that comes from his greatest confidant at this time. Compared with it, Zhang Xing, the rebels in the Eastern Realm, and the group of bastards in the Eastern Capital have not yet reached their share, but this force has not clearly turned their backs. , even well-behaved, he is not good at expressing anything beyond the limit.

"Report to Zhongcheng." Li Qingchen, who had made a generous statement before, didn't know what the grand master in front of him was thinking, but just bowed his hands and saluted, speaking calmly. "This is not soft, this is pragmatic... Of course those people are rebellious, but just like the rebels in the East, everyone knows that they are rebellious, but we still need to organize the army first, and then we need to get through Nanyang and Youzhou first. Hejian will also sweep Hebei, and Jiangdu will sweep Jiangdong, and then send out the main force to deal with it... unless they have penetrated the entire eastern border and have to send out a large army."

Cao Lin nodded.

But I have some other concerns in my heart... Of course, getting through Nanyang is a higher priority, and sweeping Jiangdong is also a priority, because whether the military potential of Guanlong and Jiangdong's Qianbo can be connected is the foundation of whether the Great Wei can continue... But that may not be the case in Hebei.

If possible, Uncle Cao hopes to make it clear to Jiangdu to prompt Xue Changxiong to go south quickly, especially the situation in the east is changing too fast, and suddenly seven or eight counties will be defeated in a while, and he feels that no matter how difficult the situation is Rescue; after a while, Zhang Xuguo, who had never been noticed before, popped up in Qi County, which was in the core position, and abruptly withstood the situation, making people wonder whether he could use this as a fulcrum to sweep the East.

As for Hebei... To put it bluntly, no one expects Hebei to continue to contribute money and efforts to the Great Wei under the overall situation. It must be bad over there, but it seems that there are not many people who are going to be successful. It can't be said that the eastern border should be the first.

On this side, Uncle Cao was thinking wildly, while on the other side Li Qingchen had already continued talking.

But the overall measures are still those measures, emphasizing pragmatism, using political compromises in exchange for some necessary real benefits, and then using real benefits to form a joint force, and finally using all the strength to control the situation.

The first step, of course, is to make concessions on spring plowing. Although the compromise at this time is destined to seriously delay the spring season, it must be compromised, otherwise there will be big troubles... It doesn’t matter if the big ones eat the small ones, let’s directly emphasize the period in the late emperor’s life The effectiveness of the law can also be, in short, fast.

The second step is to release officials on a large scale.

The third step is to let go of airs and further delegate power to officials in Hebei, the Eastern Territory, and the Central Plains.

At this point, Li Qingchen paused for a moment, and his words also slowed down: "According to my subordinates, once this matter is brought up, the spring plowing will be fine, and when the official is released, those people will inevitably be attracted Crying, accusing Zhongcheng of appointing a private person, maybe he will be a hindrance at that time..."

"It's not maybe, it's inevitable." The wind chimes stopped, and Uncle Cao laughed after the case. "Those bastards may not want to hold you accountable for the loss of the Queen, and Duan Shangshu may yell in Nanya, and ask Gu Shangshu to send people from the Ministry of Criminal Justice to Jing'antai to arrest you one by one in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice... When the time comes How should I deal with it?"

Luo Fang and Xue Liang, who had lost half of his hand, were slightly taken aback, as if they hadn't expected this to happen again.

"It's very simple." Li Qingchen, on the other hand, had obviously made a draft, and continued to speak eloquently. "Just ask Zhongcheng to release their private individuals to be officials, and ask them if they have any younger generations who want to support them. Are there any young children in the family who have not yet been appointed officials? Let's all go to the Central Plains of Hebei to be officials. Continue It looks like a compromise to the end."

Luo Fang was the first to frowned, instinctively disgusted.

Even Uncle Cao was a little serious: "How do you say it?"

"Everyone has selfishness, and everyone wants to be a bigger official, but officials are different from officials, and selfishness is also different from selfishness." Li Qingchen answered fluently, as long as his expression should not be so ferocious. "At this time, some officials look very high and important, but they are actually meaningless to the country. They can be used to buy people's hearts, or they can be used as a perfunctory; while some selfishness is certainly selfish, but on certain occasions, No matter what the original intention is, as long as it can play some role, it will be able to merge with the public heart..."

This is really interesting.

Uncle Cao's heart moved slightly, so he stood up amidst the sound of the wind chime, leaned forward with his hands behind his back, and asked earnestly, "How about that?"

"To be specific, since the Zhongcheng is here, they will occupy all the positions in the Eastern Capital, and it will not be enough to affect Zhongcheng's absolute advantage in the Eastern Capital, because Zhongcheng is a great master, and the Black Tower is here. It is firm and unbreakable." Li Qingchen gritted his teeth and said, as if the wound was aching again.

"Well said!" Luo Fang interrupted suddenly, because he realized that he hadn't spoken for a long time, and his foster father had been talking to these bastards all the time.

"At the same time, the non-Guanlong localities and the army are facing the rebellion, and there is already a shortage of local officials, so whether it is theirs or ours, as long as they are talented and willing To do things, as long as you still listen to the court's greetings at this time, you can let them out and let them deal with the current situation." Li Qingchen continued to speak, but his face became more and more ferocious, and his speech became more and more difficult.

Uncle Cao was thoughtful, and he faintly noticed that the other party's words seemed to be somewhat reserved, and Li Qingchen's obvious wounds flared up, but he simply called Qin Bao's name:

"Li Twelve, take a break, Qin Er, why do we hear that you have something to say, is that all you want to say? Li Twelve is hurt, so you can continue."

"Reporting to Zhongcheng, in fact, there are indeed some difficult words in what you said just now, but in my opinion, there is no need to play charades." Qin Bao cupped his hands slightly, but he did not shirk it. "That is here in the Eastern Capital. No matter how many officials they occupy, they will not be able to overwhelm the Zhongcheng. In places other than Guanlong, it will inevitably collapse in a short period of time. Even if the situation is smooth, it will not be possible in ten or eight years Clean up... In other words, no matter who is released in the local area, they will inevitably lose control, go their own way, and lose touch with Guanlong and Dongdu. Therefore, it doesn't matter who you use, as long as you are willing to do things and not follow the thieves, you can have a little talent , it’s even more of a bet on luck.”

Cao Lin sighed on the spot... This is too straightforward.

"So at this time, let those young and talented people who are against Zhongcheng's sons and daughters go to the localities, like us young people in Taichung who want to make contributions, to Hebei, to the Central Plains, and to the army." Qin Qin Bao ignored it at all and just continued talking. "It can be beneficial to the country, and it can also prevent them from forming a group in the Guanlong area... For example, why do you have to cut the mess quickly in the matter of spring plowing? From inside to outside, from top to bottom, form a force in Guanlong and Dongdu to oppose Zhongcheng."

At this point, Qin Bao hesitated for a moment, but continued: "Actually, these are all things that Zhongcheng himself has done, and we just suggest expanding them... For example, if Zhang Changgong and Zhang Xunjian went to Qi County, Isn't it just a similar good move? His presence in Qi County must be of great benefit to that Zhang Tongshou. He must be credited for the stability of Qi County's situation. At the same time, he left Dongdu and also It prevents him from swinging between Zhongcheng and those people with his father. Now, there is no place to release people in the Eastern Territory, so it is even more important to send talents to Hebei and the Central Plains and Kinki counties as soon as possible."

When Cao Lin heard this, he was completely clear, and he nodded directly: "You are right, you are right, you should do this... and if you do it together, they just think I am compromising, and nine out of ten will succeed. .”

At this point, he couldn't help but look at Qian Tang who was silent.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Qian Tang also stepped forward and cupped his hands suddenly: "Reporting to Zhongcheng, even if they think of this, it doesn't matter, because Duan Shangshu and others can't stop their own children from wanting to be officials. The prefect ran away, Captain Dou’s family disappeared, and they still flocked to them... This is the so-called conspiracy, which is also the so-called politics.”

Cao Zhongcheng was greatly moved, and his eyes turned away from Qian Tang, and then looked at the other people. After skipping over Li Qingchen and Lu Changheng, they naturally fell on Qin Bao.

He doesn't count on Qian Tang, Qin Bao is the only young person here from a lower family background, and this person's outstanding martial arts, broad cultivation, upright character, and quick thinking are also what he always values.

But inexplicably, Uncle Cao thought of Zhang Sanlang again, and forcibly suppressed that impulse.

He was afraid.

After all, when the country employs people, no matter it is because of his mother or what, Qin Erlang's performance has surpassed many people, and he is completely worthy of his position. push out?

At the end of the first lunar month, the spring plowing was in full swing, and the crisis of stopping farming in Guanlong had reached the most difficult point. With a collective suggestion from the young men of Jing'antai, Uncle Cao finally...compromised.

He reiterated the legitimacy of the late emperor's special policy, and promised not to change the land grant due to the expropriation of private slaves. Local officials, or promoted to inspectors, led patrols to search manors in the Guanlong, Shanxi and Luo areas, and sent slaves to military.

This matter is generally considered to be the victory of Duan Shangshu and others, and the replanting has been carried out in a hurry since the local Dongdu... But Cao Huangshu's subsequent actions still caused a stir, just like what the emperor himself complained about. Generally speaking, Duan Shangshu directly instigated the fair and honest Gu Yi Gu Shangshu to go to Jing'antai to arrest people in Nanya. He just caught the group of Taibao's great crime of losing the queen, which made the centrists in Nanya waver a little. .

But soon, Uncle Cao openly and justly proposed that the Eastern Territory was completely corrupted. To prevent Hebei and the Central Plains from repeating the same mistakes, and many officials did not perform well during the previous six months of turmoil, they should send Guanlong's children to serve as local and military officials. In the middle, and wantonly increased the powers of these local officials, so that they can wipe out the bandits.

Cao Zhongcheng even asked Duan Shangshu face to face, where is the Li Si he saved last time, and can he be the prefect of Wu'an?
The eunuch has been out of office for almost half a year, and Jiangdu has been ignoring him, so Dongdu has no choice but to do it.

The punched Duan Shangshu and others were stunned on the spot, and following the news that they flew all over the capital inexplicably, these people also immediately realized that they could not be villains in this kind of thing, and it is not easy to pursue any queen .

Even Uncle Cao himself was aware of a problem, that is, the courtiers he had been trying to abide by, with the expansion of these personnel appointments and the authority of local officials, there was also a slight wavering.

But so what?

What you do is fair, so why be afraid of others?

In the first ten days of February, some changes were made in the army and local officials.

The official documents of the Nanya government clearly stated that during the process of suppressing bandits, the marching chief of the army or the general of the guards has the power to restrain the prefects and general guards in the marching area, and the prefects and general guards have the power to command individual garrison troops within the territory. General Zhonglang.

At the same time, the prefects and general guards were allowed to command troops to cross the border to suppress bandits and assist each other in suppressing bandits.

At the same time, the quota of county soldiers was greatly increased, and school lieutenants were set up under the captaincy and general Zhonglang, and the number of leading troops was [-].

States and counties isolated by banditry are allowed to dispose of storage by themselves.

He also asked the black ribbons who are stationed in Fusi, Taidong Township, Jing'an, to immediately increase their horsepower, communicate with each other, and send the public security, personnel, and weather conditions of each county to the neighboring counties and the Eastern Capital every ten days, or at least to the nearest To accompany the capital Zhu Shou or the generals in the military camp.

Overall, this was a temporary wartime policy that greatly enhanced the power and convenience of magistrates and the army.

Immediately afterwards, many people were able to be promoted.

among them:

Li Ding, a sinner at home, served as the prefect of Wu'an (on the north side of Hongshan);

Qian Tang served as the general guard of Pingyuan;

Luo Fang, who lost his queen, served as the prefect of Feng Yi (Kanxi is second only to Jingzhao, next to Tongguan and Hedong);

Xue Liang, who lost his queen and half his hand, served as the prefect of Fufeng (west side of Jingzhao);

Qin Bao entered the Nanyang Army and dispatched a military school lieutenant for a new slave group;

Li Qingchen served as the captain of Huaiyang (a large county in the Central Plains in the southwest of Liang County);

Lu Changheng made up the captain of Ji County.

And with the news of Lu County's great victory, Zhang Xuguo was added to be the head of the march in the east, and Zhang Changgong was added to act as the governor of Lu County.

Of course, this is only a small part of it. The rest, such as filling the six ministries, opening up temples, and supervising noble positions, are countless. Even Chai Changjian has become a general guard in Fuyang in a daze, and has taken on the responsibility of escorting food and grass for Nanyang's suppression of the rebellion. work... It seems that it is very difficult for him to spend his old age in Dongdu guarding calligraphy and painting.

The only huge controversy lies in the mess in Liangjun, specifically how to deal with Liangjun prefect Cao Wang, and how to coordinate the relationship between Jiangdu and the local government to redeem the queen.

This matter, because of the special status of the queen, and the strange situation that even if Liang County was hollowed out and half of the county was turned over, there was still a huge and rich territory, six thousand troops, and thousands of county soldiers. It made people feel like chewing chicken ribs.

As a result, he fell into a chaotic scene that was doomed to be unsolvable, and seemed to be ready to go on like this.

Anyway, there are envoys from Jiangdu and local officials, as well as a Huaiyou League who has been blamed for no reason, fighting with the traitor Zhang San there.Anyway, it seems that Zhang San is not going to hurt the queen, so as long as the queen can make it to Jiangdu alive, who cares?

However, all of these did not delay the issuance of other appointments, and heroes from all walks of life rushed to various places... It seems that the wheels of history are rolling forward, day and night.

As for the tens of thousands of palace servants and servants left behind on the way, it seems more like a half boot left in the mud after the wheel of history has passed, no one even looked at it.

In February, the snow in Dongdu and Liangjun had melted, but there was still some snow in the shady places in the mountains of Jindi. Under such circumstances, Bai Yousi entered Taiyuan City alone with a sword and a horse.

PS: Thanks to Master Qiu in Zhegushan Renqu for his alliance, this is an old book friend.

(End of this chapter)