The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

Update time: 22--

Pang Ji didn't change his face, everyone looked at him, but he didn't show the slightest panic, he came out calmly, kowtowed to Zhao Zhen, and stood aside without saying a word.

Everyone thought that he would defend or refute Xia Song who had pulled him out, but they didn't expect this person to remain silent and not to refute fiercely.

Zhao Zhen asked: "Pang Qing, is what Xia Song said true?"

"Qi Zou the emperor, Master Xia is telling the truth. It is true that the military rations have not been supplied recently. I am guilty."

All the ministers were very surprised. What kind of idea did Pang Ji make? It is by no means Pang Ji's style to accept guilt without excuses. We know Pang Ji like the back of our hands; this man will never suffer the slightest loss, if he is willing to accept the crime, unless the sun rises from the west.

"There is no supply of food and grass in the army. You, the Shaanxi transshipment envoy, can hardly escape the blame. Tell me, is it the lack of supply from the imperial court, or is it caused by your own reasons?" Zhao Zhen tried his best to avoid fierce words. The responsibility of the third division is called the imperial court's insufficient supply, so as to avoid dragging Yan Shu out.

Of course Yan Shu knew the emperor's intention to defend, but he didn't accept it. As soon as Zhao Zhen finished speaking, Yan Shu took the initiative to play and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Zhao Zhen gave Yan Shu a blank look, and said in his heart: "I didn't call you, but you jumped out by yourself. Don't you think there are few people involved in this matter? Could it be that you are going to get involved again?"

"Yan Aiqing, I'm asking Pang Ji, you have something to say later."

"What I said is exactly related to what Da Da said."

"Oh? Then... Yan Aiqing will talk about it." Zhao Zhen frowned, a little displeased.

"Thank you for your Majesty's permission. I have the total number of food and grass shipped to the front line by the three divisions in the past year. Leaving aside the previous ones, since June, the three divisions have sent more than 13 shi of military rations to the northwest every month. Our army in the northwest is [-]. In addition, with the relief of the refugees, it is enough to count the meals of tens of thousands of civilians, and I don’t know when the shortage of food and grass that the Pang Da people said happened.”

Pang Ji cupped his hands and said, "Master Yan, since the beginning of July, the grain carts have been cut off. I'm about to tell His Majesty about this matter. The three divisions have nothing to do with the grain shortage. It's because I didn't think carefully about it."

Zhao Zhen wondered: "The third division sent out food, but you didn't receive it. What's the reason? Could it be that the western thieves entered the rear and couldn't intercept it? Or could there be bandits who robbed it?"

Pang Ji said: "Your Majesty Qizuo, how can the western thieves enter my hinterland to do evil? There are indeed bandits, but my large group of officers and soldiers escorted them, and a small group of bandits dared to act rashly; I have found out the reason, and the grain and grass were sent to Qinfeng Road via Yongxing Army Road , was blocked at the foot of the Bison Mountain in Fengxiang, the road was blocked, and it was impossible to reach the front line."

Zhao Zhen frowned and said: "How can the road be blocked? I remember that there are official roads built in the northwest, which go directly to the border states and counties. Can't the official road be passed?"

Pang Ji said: "Your Majesty doesn't know something. Since July, the weather in the northwest has been abnormal, and there have been several heavy rains. All the official roads that the grain trucks took were washed away by the rain, and mudslides broke out at the foot of the Bison Mountain. Countless times they will pass through the mountain. All the official roads are blocked, and the grain trucks cannot go, so the supply is insufficient."

Zhao Zhen said: "July is blocked, now it's almost September, is the road still not open?"

"The war in the northwest has lasted for several years, and the people have been displaced seriously. In addition, there are bandits from time to time, and it is difficult to recruit civilians. I have recruited nearly [-] civilians in several counties near the left to dig stones to open the road. The grain road will be opened in mid-September. ;The supply of nearly [-] shi of grain and grass in August was completely carried over the mountains on the shoulders, and the grain in Yanzhou could barely guarantee the daily supply of the army. I am incompetent, and I am ashamed."

Zhao Zhen was silent, God didn't help, it was really unthinkable, he knew that the northwest is vast and sparsely populated, the mountains are dangerous and the roads are difficult, without official roads, supplies can't be transported in at all, if you take a detour, you will have mountains to the south It lies across, and the north is close to the border, not to mention the poor roads. Although the Xixia army may invade, Pang Ji must not dare to take this risk.

"Pang Aiqing, I know your difficulties, but this official way must be opened up as soon as possible, otherwise why would the Northwest Army fight?" Zhao Zhen said weakly.

"Your Majesty, I vowed to die in early September to open up the official road. Your Majesty, don't worry; Lord Xia's minister has informed you about the shortage of food and grass. It is indeed a bit ill-considered to fight without food." Pang Ji seemed casual and indifferent. In a word, the general's responsibility for food logistics was pushed aside, and he kicked the ball towards Xia Song who pulled him out, and he avenged him in a simple way.

All the ministers were impressed by Pang Ji's methods. This man is profound in the city and sophisticated in his methods. He meant to say: I have already told Xia Song that the supply of food and grass is not enough, but you still want to go to war. Isn't that stupid?You are solely responsible for the culpability of the defeat in this battle.

Han Qi was furious, pointed at Xia Song's nose and said: "Lord Xia, why did you already know about this, but didn't tell me, how could such a big military matter be such a trifling matter?"

Xia Song was yelled at by his deputy pointing his nose. If he was usually furious, but today he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. Forcibly evading all the military power of his commander, Xia Song was furious. This time, he did it on purpose. He wanted to make Han Qi feel bad, and then take this opportunity to go to the emperor to regain his military power. .

Originally, small victories and small losses have been normal in the tug-of-war for several years, but they did not expect such a miserable defeat this time, not to mention the death of 6000 people, and the injury of nearly 2 people. The balance of military strength has brought trouble to the capital.

It was not Xia Song's intention to be self-defeating this time, but at this point, Xia Song could only hope to take responsibility together, so he pulled Pang Ji out. For his own sake, he gave him a hand, but he didn't expect that this person would repay him. He bit back lightly, but sent himself directly into the quagmire.

"Xia Song, you have disappointed me so much." Zhao Zhen understood it, and concluded with one sentence that Xia Song's crime of dereliction of duty cannot escape.

Xia Song knelt down and kowtowed like garlic, and kept looking at Lu Yijian who was on the side. She could not count on Yan Shu. It is already good that this person does not make trouble, and now he can only count on Lu Xiang to say a few good words to him.

Lu Yijian secretly scolded Xia Song for being stupid. Originally, he aimed at Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan today, but he messed around and brought Xia Song in. It was really unexpected.

Lu Yijian could not watch his own people being thrown into the [-]th level of hell. Although the emperor was unlikely to convict Xia Song of serious crimes such as ransacking his home and beheading him, even if he was sentenced to a prison sentence, it would be very difficult for him to stand up in the future. Let him mitigate the crime.

"Lu Qing, in your opinion, how should this matter be resolved?" Of course, Zhao Zhen had to seek the advice of the old prime minister. Lu Yijian was undoubtedly much more experienced than himself in dealing with these matters.

"Your Majesty." Lu Yijian got up from the stool, cupped his hands and said, "This defeat has had a huge impact, and the strength of our army and the western thieves has been out of balance. The most urgent thing at the moment is to defend the line of defense and prevent Yuan Hao's army from entering. As for the responsibility of the adults, it is up to you It's a secondary consideration."

All the officials nodded silently. It was still Lu Xiang who saw the situation clearly. Now that the border is already in danger, the culpability of these people is indeed insignificant compared with the situation.

"But if you are guilty, you should be punished. Otherwise, how can you be honest with the people? But the old minister thinks that Lord Xia and Han Fan are the best choices to lead the army in the Northwest. Victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs. There are also moments of negligence. Sages, how could they be so considerate; the opinion of the veterans is that they are allowed to treat crimes and make meritorious deeds, so I ask the emperor to consider it lightly."

How could Zhao Zhen fail to hear Lu Yijian's words of defense to Xia Song? Obviously, Xia Song was the most responsible for this matter. Lu Yijian tied the four of them together to speak, and his intention was to make each of them speak softly. A slap in the face is enough; Zhao Zhen also understands that it is up to these four people to stabilize the situation in the Northwest at present, and the others are probably useless, so it is the best policy to go downhill.

"Lu Aiqing's words are justified, and those who commit crimes should be punished, otherwise it will be difficult for the common people to support the army. Pang Ji, Xia Song, Han Qi, Fan Zhongyan, and you will listen to the order."

The four shouted long live and kowtowed to listen to the sentence.

"As a transfer envoy of the Four Routes of Shaanxi, Pang Ji failed to plan ahead and judge the incident, and was guilty of dereliction of duty. However, I thought that Pang Ji could remedy it quickly and personally commanded him. I will be demoted to the position of recruiting envoy of the Fourth Route of Shaanxi and know Yanzhou; Pang Qing, you must fulfill your duties, and you must not let down my painstaking efforts."

Pang Ji shouted long live and thanked him. Although his lowered eyes were pretending to be panic, the joy that appeared from time to time revealed his heart.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that although Pang Ji lost his position as a transfer envoy this time, he was appointed as a recruiting envoy. In fact, his responsibilities are even greater. This is like being relegated from the provincial party secretary to the commander of the provincial military division As for the post, although the level has been lowered, what is the most important thing in the Northwest now, of course, is the most important thing to fight Xixia, the military commander is much more important than the provincial party secretary; It's much easier to get into the center than to transfer it into the basket.

"Xia Song listened to the decree. Xia Song neglected his duty, which resulted in this defeat. The crime is unforgivable, but Nian has guarded the Northwest for many years, and his meritorious service is as good as it is. This time, he is extraordinarily gracious, and he is going to be sent to the post of Shaanxi Fourth Road Economic Strategy and Comfort Envoy. , to punish the Yongxing army as a crime, you need to discipline yourself and live up to my expectations."

A stone in Xia Song's heart fell to the ground, and his head was full of sweat. This result was beyond his expectation. He thought he would be dismissed from his post and accused of crimes, but he did not expect that the emperor would let him serve crimes and make meritorious service in the northwest. This is really heavenly. The big cooking cake that fell.

"Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan listened to the decree. You two have made great contributions to guarding the frontier, but this defeat is also due to poor planning. It is the responsibility of going to Shaanxi Economic Strategy to appease the deputy envoy. In the state, Fan Zhongyan was demoted to the household department member Wailang, still knows Yaozhou, the situation in the northwest is tense, you two must be more careful, and work together with Pang Ji Xia Song to turn the tide of the battle and drive the western thieves out of the country."

Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan shouted long live together, thanking you for accepting the decree.

After the four people announced the decree one by one, most of the officials in the court let out a long breath. They thought that a super earthquake would be triggered, but they did not expect the emperor to downplay the matter. At this critical time, the emperor's A heart of benevolence is indeed the best way to stabilize the morale of the country and the army