Jiuxi

Chapter 809 807 [Not Doing Something]

In the secret meeting held the day before yesterday, the king and his ministers each had their own requests.

Xue Nanting has realized that there are some unpredictable wind directions in the court. He really needs an upright and like-minded minister like Xu Zuo to work side by side with him, and also to block Li Shizhi's path to becoming prime minister.

Li Shizhi used this as an exchange to let Ding Hui, who had served as the Minister of War for eight years, move to another position, allowing this apparently closest companion to take a step forward. At the same time, he could follow the emperor's wishes and use a loyal and obedient minister like Ding Hui to check and balance Lu Chen.

From this point of view, Li Shizhi acted mainly for the emperor.

As for Li Zongben, he had been strongly opposed by Lu Chen in the Imperial Garden before, so he had to find another way.

Behind this series of transfers, Li Zongben wanted to ensure that Han Zhongjie could be reinstated smoothly. Not to mention the important positions of Minister of Military Affairs or Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Camp, a Minister of War would at least not cause too strong resistance from the civil and military officials.

But he didn't expect that before Lu Chen's expected opposition appeared, Xiao Wangzhi was the first to stand up.

Under the watchful eyes of all officials, Li Zongben had to give Xiao Wangzhi enough respect, which was actually a respect for himself, because it was the dignity of the court.

"My lord."

Li Zongben's mind raced, and he said slowly, "What you said does make sense, but I also want to say something for Han Zhongjie in front of all the nobles today. The winter before last, the court planned the Northern Expedition, and it was my own will, and it had nothing to do with others. Prime Minister Xue, the Lu family, and the Xu family all made memorials and made suggestions, but it's a pity that I didn't accept them, so I had to send troops in a hurry. In the Battle of Kaocheng, Han Zhongjie did make mistakes in his command, but the battlefield changes rapidly, who can never make mistakes?"

Xiao Wangzhi listened quietly and did not refute eagerly.

This is especially true for the ministers.

Li Zongben sighed softly, as if he was somewhat emotional: "Han Zhongjie led the army to fight, and won victory after victory in the early stage. Taking Taikang and other places also laid a foundation for the counterattack of Lu Qing's family later. After the defeat in Kaocheng, he did not think of escaping to save his life, but took the initiative to lead the troops to cover the rear. Although he was responsible for improper command, he is not hopeless. Generally speaking, the disadvantages in the early stage of the Northern Expedition were due to my lack of consideration, and I cannot blame the soldiers below."

If he said this without any preparation, it would naturally not be very convincing.

However, at the beginning of the court meeting, he issued a self-criticism edict in public, which has now become a very powerful footnote.

Normally, the emperor would take the initiative to assume responsibility to protect his ministers, which would be a commendable move in any era.

Don’t you see that some civil officials on the left nodded repeatedly, and some even looked so moved that they almost shouted “Holy Emperor”.

Xiao Wangzhi looked stern and said loudly, "Your Majesty is right, but Han Zhongjie is a military hero, how could he be promoted to the Minister of War so abruptly? In my opinion, Chen Xincai, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, is experienced and talented, and is qualified for the position of Minister of War."

He was indeed not qualified to interfere in the appointment and dismissal of civil servants, but in order to avoid the attack of the young man behind him, he had to solve this problem in advance.

Before Li Zongben opened his mouth, an important official from the civil officials side calmly stood up.

Li Shizhi said, "Duke, the civil officials and military officials of the Great Qi court are not separated by different paths. There were similar examples when the late emperor was alive. Back then, the Marquis of Yongding was a Jinshi and worked as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Later, the late emperor saw a talent and transferred him from the Hanlin Academy to the Beijing Army. The Marquis of Yongding did not disappoint the late emperor. He led the troops well and made many meritorious deeds. Now he is the Minister of Military Affairs of the Great Qi. From this point of view, although the paths of civil officials and military officials are different, some people with outstanding abilities can be transferred."

Marquis Yongding is Zhang Xu, the current Minister of Military Affairs and commander of the Beijing Army’s Wuwei Camp. He is standing behind Lu Chen at this moment.

Xiao Wangzhi said: "Just because the Marquis of Yongding can do it doesn't mean others can do it."

Li Shizhi said calmly, "Of course, but back then, Prince Dongyang worked hard to build the framework of the Beijing Camp. Han Zhongjie, as Prince Dongyang's most trusted subordinate, undertook a lot of chores. I'm sure the Duke is also aware of this. From this point of view, there is nothing wrong with Han Zhongjie taking over the position of Minister of War."

Xiao Wangzhi frowned slightly, he already felt that sense of powerlessness.

The imperial court is not a market. The emperor and his subjects must all respect their status and it is impossible for them to act like scoundrels in such an occasion.

If you want to gain the support of the majority of people, you must either have a point that silences your opponents, or have enough supporters to overwhelm them with your voice.

It is obvious that Xiao Wangzhi possesses neither of them today.

First of all, the emperor issued an edict of remorse and took responsibility for the early defeats in the Northern Expedition, which was equivalent to sharing most of the fault with Han Zhongjie. In this way, Han Zhongjie's demotion was enough to offset it. Now, let alone reinstatement, it would not be too much for him to be just a Minister of War.

Secondly, Li Shizhi cited the precedent of Zhang Xu, which made the matter legally regulated by the court.

The most crucial point is that Xiao Wangzhi has no support from other military merits.

If Li Zongben wanted to let Han Zhongjie re-enter the Military Academy or take charge of the Beijing Camp again, Zhang Xu, Chen Lanyu, Yuan Xingqin and even Tang Yong might object. However, how could they take the Minister of War seriously?
As for the civil officials, some were indeed dissatisfied with this, but they were only a very small minority, such as Chen Xincai, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War who had hopes of promotion. However, Xue Nanting did not say anything, and important officials at the Shangshu level such as Li Shizhi supported the emperor, so the very few opponents did not dare to speak out at all.

This is the general trend. Facing such a difficult situation, Xiao Wangzhi did not show any obvious emotional fluctuations. He did not argue with Li Shizhi anymore, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, when the military report of the defeat in Kaocheng was sent to the capital, the court discussed how to punish Han Zhongjie. I remember that Prime Minister Xue once said that Han Zhongjie, as the commander-in-chief, had mismanaged the command and suffered such a great defeat, and he should be dismissed, demoted, and never employed again. As the Minister of Military Affairs and the head of the Military Academy, I once advised Your Majesty that dismissal and demotion would be enough, and people should be given a chance to make amends."

Li Zongben thought that his attitude had softened, so he nodded and said, "I remember, so at the Duke's suggestion, I removed the clause of never hiring again."

Xiao Wangzhi glanced at Xue Nanting who was not far away, and then said: "The reason why I said this is that the generals in the army serve the country and have to face countless fierce enemies. It is hard to guarantee that there will be no negligence. We can't just throw people into the abyss because of a defeat. However, I also said at that time that I would make up for my mistakes. The so-called making up for my mistakes does not mean pretending to reflect on yourself behind closed doors for a period of time in the mansion, but to get up from where you fell!"

Li Zongben's expression changed slightly.

Xiao Wangzhi raised his head slightly and said sternly: "It is not shameful for Han Zhongjie to lose to the Jinglian people on the battlefield. As long as he can win back from the Jinglian people, he will still be a reputable man and will not disgrace the reputation of his father, the Prince of Dongyang! If he has such ambitions, he should humble himself and go to the border army or the Beijing camp to start as a commander-in-chief, grab enough military merits from the Jinglian people, and then stand upright in the court!"

Li Shizhi frowned, and Zhang Xu and other military heroes nodded after hearing this.

Xiao Wangzhi paused, and said in a resounding voice: "It's not like now. He relies on your majesty's favor and preference, beating around the bush, and the only thing in his mind is reinstatement! How can a man in my Great Qi army act like this!"

When these words were spoken, all the officials were extremely shocked, and the situation was reversed in an instant.

Li Zongben was stunned. After a moment, he said with some difficulty: "Duke, whether it is civil officials or military officials, they all serve the country. How can you force a distinction like this?"

"I do not despise civil service. Before I came to Beijing to accept the post of Minister of Military Affairs, I served as the governor of Huaizhou for thirteen years. I know that the victory of the border soldiers is inseparable from the hard work of officials at all levels of the central government and local governments. Without the support of food, weapons, war horses and various logistical support, even if I and the soldiers are not afraid of death, it is impossible to repel powerful enemies time and time again."

Xiao Wangzhi stared into Li Zongben's eyes and said word by word, "If Your Majesty insists on reinstating Han Zhongjie in this way, I know I am not up to the responsibility entrusted by the late emperor."

"Therefore, I resign my post as Minister of Military Affairs, and ask Your Majesty to revoke my title of Duke of Rong!"

The whole hall was in dead silence, and all the ministers were in panic.

Li Shizhi sighed silently in his heart.

Li Zongben sat on the dragon throne in a daze.

"Duke, don't be impulsive."

The first person to speak was Zhang Xu, Marquis of Yongding. In fact, if Xiao Wangzhi withdrew from the court, he would have a good chance of taking over the chief position. However, Zhang Xu knew that he was loyal to the Great Qi and the emperor. His suppression of Xiao Wangzhi in the past was not out of selfish motives, and it was even less likely that he would add insult to injury at this moment.

Whenever someone speaks, there will be voices of agreement. This time, military heroes such as Yuan Xingqin, Chen Lanyu, and Tang Yong all stood up. Needless to say, Li Jingda had an unusually loud voice.

Only Lu Chen was silent amid the noise. He looked at Xiao Wangzhi's back quietly. No one knew what he was thinking.

On the other side, after a long period of thinking, the left prime minister Xue Nanting came out and said, "Your Majesty, regarding the selection of the Minister of War, I agree with the proposal of Duke Rong. The left assistant minister Chen Xincai can take over temporarily."

At least in today's court, Xue Nanting's words carry more weight than Li Shizhi's.

As soon as he opened his mouth, some of the court officials who had been silent stood up.

Only Chen Xin, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, was a little confused. He didn't expect that after so many twists and turns, the position of Shangshu would finally fall on him.

In fact, when Xiao Wangzhi said that, Li Zong knew that it was impossible to do so. Even if he wanted to reinstate Han Zhongjie, he could not afford the consequences of Xiao Wangzhi leaving the court. Therefore, he forced a smile and said, "The Duke's words make sense. It was my fault for not thinking it through. In this matter, we will follow the Duke and Prime Minister Xue's advice and let the Left Assistant Minister Chen Xincai temporarily take over the post of Minister of War."

Ding Hui had already shrunk back by this time, standing obediently, trying his best to avoid attracting other people's attention. He didn't want to become Xiao Wangzhi's next target.

Chen Xincai stepped forward with a dry mouth to accept the order and express his gratitude, which brought the matter to an end.

At this point, neither the emperor nor his ministers were in the mood to continue, and the court meeting ended.

All the officials filed out. Lu Chen walked beside Xiao Wangzhi. After leaving the hall, he looked up at the early spring sunshine and said softly, "Uncle Xiao..."

"No need to say more."

Xiao Wangzhi raised his hand and patted his shoulder, smiled gently, and stepped forward.

(End of this chapter)