Empress Mi Benji

Chapter 270 The Family’s Disgrace

The spring scenery lingering here in Zhuang Xun seems to make spring arrive earlier, but the atmosphere in Zhao State seems like winter has not yet arrived.

The drastic reform of the military system reduced the influence of aristocratic families on the army and increased the royal power's control over the army, shaking the foundation of some aristocratic families.

Therefore, the resistance was very obvious, and the entire Zhao Kingdom was in chaos, but this could not stop King Zhao from advancing.

He also understands that this is a huge gamble, and every retreat point now represents another decrease in the winning rate.

Now that he has taken action, there is only one way to go to the dark side. Taking a step back now would be a betrayal of the people who support him.

King Zhao carried Qing, so he was resolute. He had to change the military system, at least he could not let the sharp spear of Xuanjia Army lose its direction, and instead let Zhao be chopped down by Xia's short sword.

If we can't form a joint force like the last two times, then why fight? Just surrender to the Xia Kingdom. Since we have to prepare for the conquest of the Xia Kingdom, we can't suffer the losses we have suffered again.

He needs a new general for the new military system. Taiwei Ren Xusheng is not good enough. He can cooperate but cannot make him bigger. Ren Xusheng is also from a noble family. King Zhao needs an obedient and capable person from a poor family.

This is contrary to the interests of the aristocratic family. The military-famous family does not want to have another stumbling block in its future. In the past, people from various aristocratic families fought fiercely with each other for power, and now they have to make a poor family over their heads.

People from Yu Ren and Meng's three families were discussing countermeasures together. Originally, there were five great military families in Zhao State, but the Tang family and the Shao family were gone, and now only these three families were left.

"It's absolutely disgusting. What kind of status does Wu Chengpei have to take over the position of general?" Yu Chuizhang raised his head. He is a general of chariots and cavalry, a strong candidate for general this time.

"He came from a humble family, but the Queen Mother took pity on him and made great contributions to Zhan Youguo, so he was promoted all the way to the rank of deputy general of the Chinese army. Now he is riding on our heads."

Meng Weifeng was also full of anger. He was not promoted to General Zuowei, but instead he was promoted to Wu Chengpei, who was half a level below him.

"Stop making such a fuss. You still don't understand what the emperor is thinking now? If he is a gambler now, he is half crazy. Why are you going to provoke him?"

As a member of the political discussion group, Ren Xusheng knew very well that the current state of King Zhao was already on top, and it would be useless to anyone.

"Then just watch Wu Chengpei reach the same level as you in one step. He is not even from our fifth surname."

Meng Weifeng said reluctantly that the military power he had finally held was handed over like this.

The Taiwei is the governor of military power, while the General is responsible for managing the country's troops. Both sides have the same level. The General's official position is more practical, while the Taiwei's official position is more noble.

"Five surnames, now there are only three surnames. Have you seen the ending of the Tang family? Do you want to be like that?" Ren Xusheng's attitude was slightly more favorable to King Zhao.

The first is that he needs to have an overall view of the situation and know that he can no longer be interfered with when taking action against Xia Guo. Secondly, he is a Taiwei, so it doesn't affect him much, so he is more calm. The third is that he colluded with King Zhao.

The ending of the Tang family slightly shocked Meng Yu and the two, because it was so tragic, involving everyone, Wenzhan's Wenzhan, dismissal, and the entire Tang family's power was uprooted.

If you win, the court can tolerate the loopholes in your rhetoric. After all, the result is good. If you lose, you will have to use a magnifying glass to find various problems and doubts.

Tang Yunfu, the dead man, naturally took the biggest blame for the failure of this war. Although this was also true, under this social background, the entire Tang family was implicated.

"Of course I don't want to, but I don't want someone from a humble family to tell me what to do." Yu Chuizhang's eyes widened angrily, and his eyes turned red.

"The problem is that after the failure of the two wars, His Majesty no longer trusts the family. It's Tang Yunfu's fault. Prime Minister Xu and the others failed in their attempts to check and balance."

Ren Xusheng said helplessly that he lost the huge advantage last time. Not only did he not get Shou'an and Fang Yudao back, but he lost more than 40,000 people and his vitality was severely damaged. It is understandable that the current King Zhao does not trust the family.

"What does that have to do with us? We are loyal to the State of Zhao and to His Majesty. Why should we change the evil that Tang Yunfu has done? It really makes no sense."

Meng Weifeng sneered and said that it was the Tang family who made the mistake. What does it have to do with the Meng family? Now they are going to be targeted by military families like them.

"Because we are the ones who pick the weakest persimmons, our three families were most affected by the reform of the military system. It had little impact on other aristocratic families, so King Zhao took advantage of us."

Ren Xusheng said realistically that if he pushed the aristocratic family to reduce its land holdings and provide it to the people, the aristocratic family would be unwilling to do so, and everyone would jump up to oppose it. However, King Zhao only wanted to touch the military-worthy family in order to seize power, and other aristocratic families would just watch with cold eyes. .

Moreover, King Zhao blamed the failure of the two wars on the family, so he naturally stood on the high ground of public opinion. How could the opponents find excuses? Whether it was the emperor's fault or the fault of the high officials in the court, these people were all right. Who was wrong? King Zhao said that the military system was wrong.

"Now that the emperor is attacking us, they won't speak up. If they suffer in the future, who will speak up for them?"

Yu Chuizhang was also full of resentment and said that aristocratic families are like beads, independent of each other. If they have the same pressure, they will get together. If they don't have the same pressure, they will fight each other.

"So the reason why we changed the military system is to prevent this kind of thing from happening. There are obviously still 30,000 people, so there is no problem in fighting Xia Kingdom. Song Yu and those guys left the 10,000 people behind Shao Guoliang behind and took them with themselves The army ran away.”

Ren Xusheng covered his face with his sleeves and looked shameless. He was beaten so badly that he was executed by the angry King Zhao when he came back later.

What reason does the emperor need to kill people? You say you are reasonable, but the emperor is unreasonable and acts like a tyrant. What can you do to him?

"So it's not that they didn't choose the right person. If it was Old General Shao who thought that such a thing would happen from the beginning!"

Meng Weifeng complained that these high-ranking officials themselves could not know how to use others well. They did not choose to use more horsepower to pull out the car when it got stuck in the mud. How many more people whipped the horse would do nothing. It would not solve the problem.

"Then the Shao family is going to become more powerful. Are you willing to see it? Are you willing?"

Ren Xusheng's words were ruthless, and he spoke directly into their faces. The two generals thought for a moment and showed relief, but they were unwilling to do so.

"Your Majesty has decided that he will definitely attack the Xia Kingdom. You don't want anyone to cause trouble when you take command. Moreover, Your Majesty has not really done anything to you. He just cleaned up the Tang family and Shao family. You will be obedient and there will be nothing. questionable."

Ren Xusheng made a promise, pulling in one faction to fight and killing another. Zhao did it very skillfully, killing the two military families of Shou'an and Fangyu to establish their authority, suppressing the Meng family and Yu family, and at the same time wooing the Ren family.

After this set of circumstances, although there were a lot of complaints, there was no rebellion. The two Tang and Shao families died and fled, and it did not affect the power structure of the entire Zhao State. "You don't want to be expropriated by the Xia Kingdom. If you don't accept Wu Chengpei as your boss, then you will have to let Zhuang Xun be your king. Then there will be no excuses for the aristocratic family."

By scaring the two generals, he wanted to persuade them to accept the reform of the military system today. He would lose profits, but in the long run, it would be beneficial to Zhao and even the family.

After all, it is impossible for aristocratic families to watch the Xia Kingdom become bigger and stronger, and to see the Xia Kingdom instigating the people in their territory. King Zhao said that it was to conquer the Xia Kingdom. In a sense, it occupied the righteousness.

"That's true. The Xia Kingdom is the tiger and the wolf." I was frightened. What did the Zhao Kingdom say? After all, they rule the world together with the aristocratic family. The Xia Kingdom is really the emperor alone and does not need any help from the aristocratic family. This kind of thing Doesn't growing up deny the legitimacy of the family's existence?

It used to be just a joke. The first defeat of the Zhao Kingdom revealed that something was wrong with the Xia Kingdom. Now that the second defeat has occurred, many aristocratic families have become afraid. This is why, except for the military meritorious families, other aristocratic families do not object.

If this military reform can defeat the Xia State, it is okay to lose some profits. Strictly speaking, the Meng family and the Yu family are on the opposite side of most people.

This is also King Zhao's method to promote innovation, create a common enemy, and require all aristocratic families to stand on his side.

"Is there really no room for repayment? We are also loyal to His Majesty, how can we be so kind to one?"

The final reluctance was that when Shao Guoliang became the general, everyone was waiting to retreat. Now that Shao Guoliang has rebelled, it is still not their turn.

"There is no way, Wu Chengpei has already entered the palace to meet the saint." Seeing that they were convinced, Ren Xusheng breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but showed helplessness on his face.

It seemed that he didn't like Wu Chengpei either, but things had reached this point and he was helpless.

"I don't believe that Wu Chengpei doesn't make mistakes. If I catch him, I will never be able to hold his head up."

Yu Chuizhang cursed and said that he had probably already accepted it. After all, their representative Taiwei Ren Xusheng was a peacemaker and a scumbag, so he could only say harsh words and let it go.

It's a pity that their retreat resulted in the noose of fate, which wanted to strangle their lives. They wanted to keep an eye on Wu Chengpei, and Wu Chengpei also wanted to kill them.

"My dear, I know that many people have objections to my promotion of you as a general, but I still promote you. Do you know why?"

King Zhao walked down the steps and came to a sand table, in which the colors of Shou'an and Fangyu had been marked red, which were unusually eye-catching and eye-catching. They were the bleeding places of Zhao State.

"I don't know." Wu Chengpei was a middle-aged general, but there was no happy look on his face for being promoted, because he knew that this was a life-long meal.

The position of this general is not easy to occupy. Moreover, he comes from a poor family. He is the first general from a poor family in the history of Zhao State. The political significance of promoting him goes without saying.

"Shou'an and Fangyu are my pain points. I want to take these two places back day and night." King Zhao showed an expression of sadness and resentment, and sank into the sand. This is a place that he will remember deeply for the rest of his life. An unforgettable nightmare.

"I am willing to serve you." Wu Chengpei hurriedly knelt down to express his loyalty. Despite his shortcomings, King Zhao's kindness in promoting him was true.

"Of course I want you to serve. This is one of the reasons why I want to promote you. The idiots of the big family disappoint me so much. I need a strong army to help me wash away my shame."

King Zhao did not shy away from it. He only regretted that he had not known enough curse words since he was a child, otherwise all the curse words would have been spoken by now.

"I will dedicate myself to your majesty and build an iron army for your majesty to conquer the Xia Kingdom."

Wu Chengpei's answer was perfect. He didn't want to take this job. He had no choice but to run away. His family's business was all in Zhao State. Every country outside was not occupied by aristocratic families. There would be no future if he went there. At least he could make a name for himself in Zhao State. .

"I don't need the Iron Army. The Xuanjia Army is already the strongest army in the world, but what I need is an army that listens to me, an army that won't push the envelope, and won't be influenced by aristocratic families."

King Zhao revealed his thoughts. Wu Chengpei was promoted by Empress Dowager Jiang. There were many generals from poor families, and the one who did the best was naturally the silent middle-aged man in front of him.

The last time Zhao State attacked the second prince of Jing State, he cut off the opponent's food and grass and caused the enemy's defeat. It wasn't long before he was promoted.

"I understand that I will definitely train an army that belongs only to Your Majesty." Without any choice, Wu Chengpei once again expressed his loyalty.

"An army that is only loyal to me, that's right, so now we have to change the military system in all aspects. The withdrawal of the Tang family and the Shao family has left a lot of positions vacant. You can draw up a list for me, and I will promote you. Then use this as the backbone to attract small aristocratic families and poor families who are willing to obey orders."

King Zhao was making plans and said that he didn't care whether he objected or not. He just wanted to go to the Xia Kingdom in the spring of the next year. The army would have to withstand the test.

"I obey." Wu Chengpei was like a machine without emotions, only loyalty was his code name.

"If you have any difficulties, please bring them up and I will solve them for you." After talking about the content of the work, King Zhao did not just focus on the tasks and did not solve the difficulties. After Wu Chengpei agreed, he also became pleasant.

"First, the obstacles from the aristocratic families are too great. The three families of Yu and Meng have been allowed to control the army for too long. They are also the ones who have objections to me. If I promote this measure, I will encounter many obstacles from the three families. Second, my prestige is not enough. Although I have just made a meritorious service, I come from a poor family, and I am not very familiar with the generals at the top. It seems that I am not qualified in virtue and ability to promote major events in this country. Your Majesty, please consider a more outstanding candidate, and I will do my best to assist you."

It was difficult to find an opportunity. No matter how talented he was, he couldn't compete with his family background. Wu Chengpei didn't want to stand in front of a huge family.

"It's up to you. I can't believe anyone else. If the aristocratic family wants to fight you, then you fight him. I will support you. Except for the Ren family, the other two families can fight. Fight them down. Fight all the disobedient aristocratic families. , Don’t be anxious or slow, it doesn’t matter even if there is civil strife, I just want to prune the branches in the army.”

King Zhao knew this man's talent. After Empress Dowager Jiang left and asked him to take charge, she gave him a list of people who could be reused and who could not. Wu Chengpei's name was among them, and he was said to be handsome.

"Your Majesty, is this a bit too extreme?" Wu Chengpei was shocked when he heard what King Zhao said. It was too radical, too radical.

"Because I no longer have the cost of trial and error, I must ensure that everything is foolproof! Are you afraid, my dear?"

King Zhao looked at Wu Chengpei coldly. It was okay for the Yu and Meng families to be obedient. Why would he be polite if he didn't? Wu Chengpei broke out in a cold sweat. This was a proposition.

"To serve His Majesty, I have already put my life and death at risk, so why should I be afraid?"

People without family background can only repay loyalty.

(End of this chapter)