Jiuxi

Chapter 618: The New Moon Is Not Bright

"In fact, I never really understood why my father liked to come to this place so much."

At the southeast corner of the imperial palace, the Guanyun Terrace rises from the ground, occupying the highest visual point in the palace.

Li Zongben stood beside the second-floor railing, with his hands on the stone pillars, gazing at the vast sky in the north, and uttered a meaningful sigh.

The Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Yuan Yuji, stayed below the Guanyun Terrace, while the court guards and palace maids were further away on the periphery.

Li Zongben was obviously not talking to himself, there was a silent middle-aged official standing behind him.

Without looking back, he continued, "Now I understand that although the emperor rules the world, the only thing he can see is this palace. Only when I climb up to the Guanyun Terrace and look at the clouds in the sky and the scenery of half of the city, can I slightly appreciate the vast artistic conception."

The middle-aged official savored the profound meaning of these words and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the road is long and difficult, but we will reach our destination if we keep going."

"Having said that, it's still very difficult to see into a person's heart."

"At least Your Majesty has seen through the heart of the Duke of Shanyang."

Li Zongben laughed at himself, turned his head and looked at him, and said faintly: "What if he sees it clearly? Even if we put aside the care of Duke Wei, Duke Rong and even Li Xiang for Lu Chen, I can't do anything to him. Now only he can exert the strongest combat power of the border army, and only he can continuously defeat the Jing army. Of course, I will not do such a stupid thing as cutting off my own foundation, but because of this, even though I know that his loyalty is only to the late emperor, I have to pinch my nose and send him to Dingzhou."

The middle-aged official said calmly, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Jiangbei is a place where four wars have taken place. People's livelihood has always been exhausted, especially in Dingzhou. Even if Lu Chen has half of the border troops under his command, if he loses the support of taxes from Jiangnan, he will ultimately be a tree without roots. In fact, in terms of military power, the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Rong were far superior to Lu Chen now, but with just one imperial decree from your majesty, Li and Xiao will have no choice but to set off and return to the capital."

Li Zongben couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

The middle-aged official continued, "I have read history books and learned a little. Two hundred years ago, the world was in chaos and separatism arose. The essence of this was that military generals intervened in government affairs and concentrated military and political power in one person. They could even appoint and dismiss officials in their jurisdiction. With soldiers in hand and food in the warehouse, the life and death of their subordinates depended on their thoughts. This would inevitably lead to separatism. Even if the person in power remained loyal, the forces around him would force him to become independent. If he did not obey, he would inevitably end up being killed by swords and axes."

Li Zongben nodded slightly and said, "My dear, what you said makes sense."

The middle-aged official said, "In my humble opinion, the court only needs to firmly control the logistics supply of the border troops, and the army's morale will not be entirely devoted to the commander-in-chief. Moreover, the existence of the three governors of Jingzhou, Huaizhou, and Dingzhou is crucial. As long as they are loyal to the court and supplemented by reasonable and appropriate supervision methods, the commander-in-chief of the border army will not threaten the security of the center."

Although he mentioned the three prefectures in the north of the Yangtze River, Li Zongben knew in his heart that the one that really needed attention was Dingzhou in the north, followed by Huaizhou connecting the north and south banks, and finally Jingzhou, which had just recovered a large area of ​​territory.

With Li Tianrun's resignation, the Jingzhou Military Governor's Office will usher in a certain degree of changes. Liu Shouguang has almost no foundation in the border army, and he is completely dependent on the support of the central government of the court, so Li Zongben has a lot of room to make adjustments. This is also the reason why he is most confident in the Jingzhou border army.

However, Dingzhou is different. The commander-in-chief of this governor's office is still Li Jingda, but in the past year or so, Li Jingda still cannot control his soldiers.

In other words, from the very beginning, the Dingzhou Military Governor's Office was a border army built with Lu Chen's team with the support of Xiao Wangzhi.

Now that Lu Chen is heading north again, it is foreseeable that his control over the Dingzhou troops will be a world apart from Li Jingda's.

Under such circumstances, the Dingzhou Provincial Governor's Office becomes particularly important.

Thinking of this, Li Zongben pondered and said, "How about Chen Chun?"

Chen Chun was originally the Left Vice Minister of Rites. Later, when Dingzhou was established, Chen Chun was transferred to be the Governor of Dingzhou on the recommendation of the Left Prime Minister Li Daoyan.

The middle-aged official thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, Lord Chen is certainly a capable minister with a very sophisticated way of governing. But in my opinion, Lord Chen is too cautious and the first thing he thinks of when encountering something is to settle the dispute. This kind of temperament is naturally appropriate in the court, but in the frontier, especially in Dingzhou, I am worried that he may find it difficult to stick to his principles at times."

Li Zongben asked: "Which minister do you think is more suitable?"

The middle-aged official said straightforwardly: "Grand Censor, Mr. Xu Zuo."

Li Zongben remained silent.

The official rank of the Grand Censor was the third rank, and the Inspector was the first rank. Although there was a gap between the two in official rank, these two positions cannot be viewed so simply.

It is true that the Inspector was a high-ranking official at the frontier province, and the power of the Chief Censor was no less than that, because the Censorate had a very special status in the court.

Even the two prime ministers could not regard the Grand Censor as an inferior official.

Moreover, Xu Zuo had just been promoted to the position of Imperial Censor. If he was sent to Dingzhou without any warning, it would probably cause criticism from both the court and the public.

The middle-aged official knew why the emperor hesitated, so he continued, "Your Majesty, Lord Xu is loyal and upright, and he will definitely understand why Your Majesty does this. Moreover, Your Majesty can grant Lord Xu the title of first-rank university scholar, and then appoint him as the governor of Dingzhou, which will be enough to dispel the doubts of the ministers in the court."

Li Zongben thought for a moment and nodded, "Good." In fact, he also approved of this candidate. Xu Zuo's ability and skills were both top-notch, and most importantly, he was never afraid of the powerful. Letting him replace Chen Chun and work with Lu Chen in Dingzhou was undoubtedly the best choice.

The middle-aged official reminded him again: "Your Majesty, there is no need to rush this matter. Wait until Lu Chen takes office in Dingzhou and the situation on the border stabilizes before asking someone to submit this proposal."

Li Zongben smiled and said, "That's right. Another thing, my dear, how do you think I should deal with Li Zongjian?"

The middle-aged official replied without hesitation: "I think that we should change the confinement to detention, spare his life but deprive him of his freedom. If you kill Lieutenant Fengguo by force, the Cining Palace will definitely not give up, and the world will think that Your Majesty is too heartless. The most urgent task in this case is to cut the Gordian knot and not delay it for too long. After all, there are many doubts. Your Majesty can use the name of amnesty to pardon Lieutenant Fengguo one last time. This will not only give an explanation to the court and the people, but also reassure the Empress Dowager."

Li Zongben looked at his calm face and couldn't help but sigh. Then he said unexpectedly: "I thought this matter was too simple. I shouldn't have ignored your advice."

The middle-aged official said calmly, "Your Majesty, I don't deserve it. In my opinion, although Your Majesty is a little anxious, it is not all a bad thing. At least Your Majesty's urgency is in line with your current situation. At the same time, through this case, you can see Lu Chen's attitude clearly, so you can be prepared in advance in the future."

Li Zongben sighed softly and said, "It's a pity that you, as a military hero, cannot enter the Secretariat directly. You have made an indelible contribution to my current position, and I have never forgotten it for a single day."

The middle-aged official who was talking eloquently in front of him was not a civil official, but Han Zhongjie, the eldest son of Han Lingfu, Duke of Jing and the current Minister of Military Affairs.

After hearing the emperor's next words, Han Zhongjie's eyes narrowed slightly and he lowered his head without saying a word.

Li Zongben continued to sigh, "If it weren't for your words many years ago, I wouldn't have been so determined to fight for the throne. If it weren't for your clever tactics, the rebellion might not have happened. I have always seen your forbearance and dedication over the years, and I will never let you down in the future. The glory of the Han family will surely be restored in your hands."

Han Zhongjie said softly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. These are my duties as a minister."

For a long time, Li Zongben, as the second prince, had been at ease and free, and had always kept a clear distance from the Jiangnan clans, thus gaining the favor of the late emperor.

But he is not a loner in the true sense, as he has been in private contact with Han Zhongjie for a long time.

Of course, they were all frustrated people at that time. Li Zongben was far away from the position of crown prince because he was not the queen's son, and Han Zhongjie could only stay at home unemployed because of his past.

During those dark years, the two supported each other and walked side by side.

Under Han Zhongjie's advice, Li Zongben took steady steps, and in the rebellion that affected the court structure at the end of the previous emperor's reign, Han Zhongjie was the one who truly fanned the flames behind the scenes.

Although he was unemployed at home, Han Lingfu founded the Great Qi Army, and Han Zhongjie also made great contributions in this process. His influence in the army has always been ignored, so he was able to exert influence in secret, but Guo Congyi and Wang Yan never noticed.

Thinking about the past, Li Zongben couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions.

Han Zhongjie quickly pulled himself out of that emotion and said slowly, "Your Majesty, your situation is much better than that of the previous emperor, so there is no need to be anxious. Whether it is the restriction of the border army generals or the adjustment of the court structure, you can take your time. I would also like to remind your Majesty that no matter how you view other officials, the right prime minister must not be moved. Prime Minister Li is old and can't hold on for too long. Although Prime Minister Xue has offended many people, he is the backbone of the Great Qi court and is more important than me."

"My dear minister, I will keep your kind words in mind."

Li Zongben spoke in a gentle tone and then asked, "Minister of Rites Xie Zhen is determined to leave. Who do you think is suitable to take over?"

Han Zhongjie looked calm, but he couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

The young emperor always remembers the principle of checks and balances. Isn't this question just a small test for him?

So he calmly replied: "This matter should be decided by the Holy Lord."

Li Zongben asked again, "How is Li Shizhi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"

Han Zhongjie said: "I have no objection."

Li Zongben smiled slightly and felt relieved.

Han Zhongjie was of course his most trusted minister, but he didn't want the other party to confuse the boundaries and interfere in everything.

Now it seems just right.

Li Zongben turned around and stood with his hands behind his back. He looked up at the clear sky, and a sense of lofty ambition quietly arose in his heart.

(End of this chapter)