Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 861 0856 [Martial Cabinet Minister and Minister]

After the prisoner presentation ceremony, two ministers retired and returned home.

One is the cabinet minister Xiao Chu. He was ill last year and asked for leave every three days.

The first is Zhao Yu, Minister of the Ministry of War. Although he is capable, he was able to serve as the founding minister largely because of his value in united front. He had a family background in the Zhao and Song Dynasties, and had led troops to fight in battles, so he had a good relationship with many generals from the former Song Dynasty.

Now that the Kingdom of Jin has been destroyed, and they themselves are old, they just take this opportunity to retire.

In the future, when history books talk about their contribution to the destruction of the country, they will be mentioned a few times.

After three requests and three resignations, in early summer, Ju Ming finally agreed to their retirement.

Xiao Chu was granted the title of Taifu, and Zhao Yu was granted the title of Taibao, both of whom returned home as three princes.

Such courtesy is because they are all doing their work quietly.

Xiao Chu is usually very low-key and does not seem to have a strong sense of presence.

But only the cabinet staff knew that this person's influence was very powerful. Even if the Prime Minister was unsure about something, he would consult Xiao Chu first and then submit the proposal to the Emperor.

Zhao Yu was even more transparent. Firstly, the status of the Zhao and Song royal family was very embarrassing, and secondly, Ju Ming had been controlling the military and political affairs for a long time, which resulted in the Minister of War having no right to speak.

But Zhao Yu always worked seriously, and his hard work was involved in all the wars.

"Sir, why don't you stay in Luoyang and spend your remaining years?" Ju Ming persuaded.

Xiao Chu shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I have been healthy and healthy for the past two years, but I have been seriously ill last year. I don't know how long I can live. As the saying goes, it is best to die in your hometown when the leaves fall."

Ju Ming sighed: "Well, if we move the capital this year, I won't give you a mansion. This time, I will retire and return to my hometown. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask."

Xiao Chu said: "I have no wife and no children, so what do I use my mansion for? After I return to my hometown, I will be taken care of by the younger members of the clan, and they will also take care of my affairs after my death. If your Majesty really wants a reward, you can give me two thousand guan. If you build an academy in your hometown, I might live for a few more years, and it would be good for you to be the headmaster of the academy and teach you."

Ju Ming immediately agreed: "Then build an academy and I will personally inscribe the plaque on the main entrance."

"Old minister retire!"

Xiao Chu stood up and bowed, and the eunuch next to him quickly helped him.

Zhu Ming held his other arm, personally sent Xiao Chu out, and then helped him get into the carriage.

Immediately, Zhu Ming met with Zhao Yu again.

After exchanging a few words, Ju Ming said: "Mr., I have been wronged in the past few years. I have been holding on to the military and political power, and the Minister of War does not look like a Minister."

Zhao Yu cupped his hands and said, "I have no merits and virtues, but to be the Minister of War in the Ming Dynasty is a special favor from Your Majesty and the Supreme Emperor."

Ju Ming said: "My husband's home is in Kaifeng. This time the capital is moved, many mansions are available. The best one among them will be given to my husband. Don't refuse this matter."

Zhao Yu said, "I don't want to give you a house. The former dynasty's mansion is already big enough. I have the guts to ask for a prince student for my grandson. This matter is really unspeakable. Those unworthy descendants of me are not material for the imperial examination." A son's success as an official depends entirely on the kindness of the previous dynasty, and a few grandsons can barely pass the examination as scholars..."

"Okay." Zhu Ming nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhao Yu quickly stood up and bowed.

There is a quota for Jinshi for Tai students every year, but for someone like Zhao Yu's grandson, it is probably very difficult for him to graduate.

But as long as they reach a certain number of years and complete their credits, there are other options for Taipei students. Either miscellaneous officials and technical officers are posted outside, or senior officials are posted outside. Although the future is limited, it should be no problem to reach the eighth or ninth grade.

Xiao Chu and Zhao Yu retired at the same time, and Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yao became an eyesore.

Among the cabinet ministers, Liu Yao is the oldest, seventy-two years old this year.

But this man has a strong body and rarely even catches a cold or has a fever. He has no intention of retiring and has been unwilling to leave in the cabinet.

And he is also very clean. After the last nationwide anti-corruption, Liu Yan is now more strict with his family.

He even chased away the doorman because he accepted the gift.

Whether Liu Yan is at home or going out, she dresses simply. Although the emperor granted him a residence, he always lived in his work residence and did not return to his private residence even on holidays.

In the past two years, I have also started to maintain health. I go to bed early and get up early, and I don’t drink alcohol at all.

Such a style has a reputation far and wide, and can be called a synonym for honesty and selflessness.

This battle couldn't be more obvious. He is only one step away from the prime minister. If Zhai Ruwen is killed, he will be able to take over!

For Liu Yao, he doesn't need any material needs, just letting him be Prime Minister for a few days is enough.

Really, he doesn't even need the power of the prime minister. What matters most is his identity as prime minister.

At another court meeting, Ju Ming announced changes in cabinet ministers.

The cabinet list is: Zhai Ruwen, Liu Yao, Zhao Quan, Zhang Shuye, Li Hanzhang, Qian Chen, and Zhang Boring.

As soon as the new cabinet candidate was announced, the core power circle had already known about it, while officials below the fourth rank were very surprised.

Because Zhang Bor's status was very embarrassing, he initially served as the third-in-command in the Privy Council, then was transferred to the Ministry of War as the second-in-command, and then concurrently served as the second-in-command in the Privy Council. He seems to have little experience in local governance and has only led troops into two battles. Now he is also the vice principal of Luoyang Military Academy. Such a person suddenly joins the cabinet?
But if you think about it carefully, it makes sense.

He is the real hero of Conglong. When the emperor was still an official in Puzhou, Zhang Boring had already followed him. Then he followed the emperor to Jinzhou and Lizhou, and joined him after he raised troops to capture Hanzhong. He also served as the emperor's deputy during the defense of Hanzhong.

Zhang Bor was among the first five people to be granted the title of Marquis!
However, the civil servants were a little worried.

Zhong Shidao and Zhang Shuye entered the cabinet one after another on behalf of the army. The former actively moved closer to civil servants, while the latter was directly from a civil servant background.

Now that Zhang Bor has suddenly entered the cabinet, he must be a military man and properly represent the interests of the military.

A military general who pays homage to the prime minister, and is still young, must instigate the emperor to engage in military violence!
Before the ministers could come to their senses, Ju Ming said again: "Zhao Yu, the Minister of the Ministry of War, has become the Minister of the Ministry of War, and Zhang Guangdao has been appointed as the Minister of the Ministry of War."

"Your Majesty..."

Many ministers wanted to say, "Your Majesty, you must not do this," but they quickly stopped their words.

Regardless of the fact that the founding emperor could not dissuade him, Zhang Guangdao could not be offended. This man has always been a general in charge of the army, and he has just been granted the title of Duke. It is at a time when his power is overwhelming, so trying to dissuade him now is just crazy.

After resigning from the imperial court, the minds of many civil servants were still buzzing.

Xie Kejia and Qi Chongli ran directly to Zhai Ruwen's office.

Zhai Ruwen frowned and said, "What are you doing here?"

Qi Chongli glanced around and whispered: "How can a general in charge of the army be the Minister of the Ministry of War?"

Xie Ke's family said: "Why don't my husband advise your majesty?"

Zhai Ruwen lowered his voice: "Your Majesty is a figure like Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. What's the use of my persuasion? I'm not Wei Zheng!"

As soon as these words came out, the three of them stopped talking.

The Xie Ke family and Qi Chongli are both Zhao Mingcheng's cousins, and Li Qingzhao used to be their cousin-in-law.

Zhai Ruwen was demoted to Shandong for several years because he offended the Six Thieves, so he had a very good relationship with Qin Hui, Xie Kejia, Qi Chongli and others.

Qi Chongli wrote epitaphs for people when he was ten years old. When Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty inspected the Imperial Academy, he was astonished by Qi Chongli's articles. Later, Qi Chongli also worked as a daily attendant for Song Huizong, and followed Song Huizong to write daily notes.

Zhai Ruwen closed the doors and windows of the office and said: "The Ming Dynasty is different from the old Song Dynasty. When the Song Dynasty was founded, the military men were arrogant and domineering. They led the generals to destroy the Shu Kingdom, forcing the soldiers and civilians of the Shu Kingdom to rebel and massacre the city. Even Song Taizu did not dare to kill the generals. Beheaded. The system of the former Song Dynasty naturally had to guard against warriors. "

"But what about now? It was precisely because of the excessive corrections in the previous Song Dynasty that the army was corrupted, and it was necessary to correct it at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, military generals could worship the prime minister, but what does it mean if a military general is the minister of the Ministry of War now?"

Xie Kejia said: "It was because the Tang Dynasty did not restrain its warriors that it eventually led to the chaos of the Five Dynasties."

Zhai Ruwen waved his hand: "Your Majesty has established a system. From now on, the cabinet and the Ministry of War must have at least one military general. Cabinet ministers with military backgrounds cannot be prime ministers and can at most be promoted to deputy prime minister. As for the Ministry of War, military personnel can be ministers. You can also be a minister, but one person must represent the military!"

"It is not the country's fortune to have a military minister and a military minister." Qi Chongli shook his head repeatedly.

They didn't have any bad intentions, they were purely on guard against warriors, fearing that they would often start a war in the future.

Take Qi Chongli as an example. Historically, he has been more inclined towards the main war faction. Moreover, when he was the prefect of Shaoxing, he took the initiative to recruit troops to prepare for war, build a land and sea defense system in eastern Zhejiang, and even built a navy army himself. Zhao Gou actually promoted him to prime minister, and he was specifically responsible for negotiating peace with the state of Jin. Qi Chongli was so angry that he resigned directly.

Such civil servants are not afraid of war.

I'm just afraid that the emperor will resort to violence, and that the military generals will be able to influence the country's affairs!
……

But Zhang Guangdao was scratching his head at the moment.

It is true that he has read books, but his cultural level is really limited, and he is dizzy looking at all kinds of documents.

In fact, the actual work of the six departments does not need to be bothered by the minister, because various affairs are handled by the left and right ministers.

The responsibilities of the minister are nothing more than checking and signing.

"Could this be Zhang Jin's official document?" Zhang Guangdao yelled at an official document, "He is a Xuzhou bandit who was born as a blacksmith. He came to Jinzhou to rebel with His Majesty because of smoke from his ancestral grave. I don't know a few Chinese characters of that straight mother-in-law." , now that I am the commander of the capital, I can’t even understand the official documents!”

The scribe pointed to one of them: "There is a reference here. It may be written by the scribe."

Zhang Guangdao slapped the table and said: "I am ordering all the provinces and the Protectorate to prohibit the use of allusions or uncommon words in military official documents from now on. Anyone who dares to violate this will be punished by me!"

The scribe froze on the spot.

Zhang Guangdao asked: "Why are you still standing there stupidly? Go and draft the document. Remember, I am not allowed to use dictionaries or uncommon words in my documents!"

"Yes!" The scribe hurriedly ran to write the document.

On the first day that Zhang Guangdao took office as Minister of War, the first order he personally issued was to standardize the writing method of military official documents.

His idea is very simple. The more straightforward military-related official documents are, the better.

It’s best if anyone who hasn’t read a book for a few days can understand it!

(End of this chapter)