Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 520: Expanding the Army and Seizing the Throne (Special thanks to book friend Xiao Alang for his monthly ticket!)

Ever since Kievan Rus invaded the northwest and the imperial court decided to send the 17th Corps of the Longxiang Army to suppress the invaders, Vice Minister of War Lu Dosun had been very busy preparing food and military supplies for the army, and he only had a break two days before the army set out.

On the afternoon of April 15th, the 41st year of Kaixi, when Lu Duoxun was sitting at home, Zhongshu Ling Zhao Bai came to visit.

Lu Dosun immediately ordered Zhao Bai to come and see him.

After greeting, Zhao Bai smiled and said:

"Lord Lu has been busy with the army's expedition these days, but his work has been greatly reduced."

Ludoson said:

“As the Minister of War, I naturally have to share the worries of Your Majesty and the Crown Prince.

What's more, if I don't make some contributions to the country now, how many chances will I have?
It is only four years away from your Majesty's retirement at the age of seventy!"

Zhao Bai sighed:

"In the past, Jiang Shang served King Wen at the age of eighty, and had the grand ambition to replace the Shang Dynasty with the Zhou Dynasty. Now, Your Majesty despises ministers like me at the age of seventy, and forces us to retire!"

Ludoson said hurriedly:
"My dear brother, please be careful with your words! The vast territory and prosperous people of our Great Zhou are all created by your Majesty. How can you criticize your Majesty's policies?"

Zhao Bai said angrily:

“As the saying goes, ‘No punishment for officials, no courtesy for common people.’ Although Your Majesty’s achievements far surpass those of the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor, you strictly suppress officials like us, but show great care for the common people. Officials and common people are equal before the law. This is really a disgrace to society!”
Nowadays, the common people and merchants in the Great Zhou Dynasty increasingly look down upon officials like us who are well-read in poetry and literature!"

Ludoson sighed:
“Your Majesty governs the world with the law of filial piety. I think it is better to follow the teachings of Huang-Lao and not disturb the people.

Now that the four Dragon Sovereign armies have been in Maya for a year, I believe that Your Majesty will soon pacify the Mayan continent and return home in triumph soon!
My dear brother, you should put away all your complaints as soon as possible! "

Zhao Bai said solemnly:
"Lord Lu comes from a distinguished family, is talented and knowledgeable, and is the hope of many scholars in the world!
This time, I came here to discuss important matters with Lord Lu."

Ludoson nodded slowly.

Zhao Bai leaned close to Ludoson's ear and whispered:

"Lord Lu, as the prince's teacher, has a good opportunity right now. Otherwise, if His Majesty returns triumphantly, we, the disciples of Confucius, will never have the chance to restore our former glory!"

Lu Dosun's heart moved, and he said:
"Tell me slowly, my dear brother."

Zhao Bai seemed to have been preparing for many days and immediately said:
"Lord Lu, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already sent a corps to the northwest to wipe out the invading Kievan Rus. Only 70,000 Imperial Guards, 20,000 Wudesi and a corps of Longxiang Army are left in Bianjing to garrison.

A few days ago, during the morning court session, the Chief of the Military Cabinet, Huyan Zan, had proposed to expand the Longxiang Army, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not agree.

Lord Lu is the prince's teacher, this is a godsend opportunity!

If Lord Lu can convince His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to use the expansion of the army to stabilize the court of Bianjing, do what Emperor Taizong of Tang did, and then abolish the current policies that insult the saints, it will be a great achievement for generations to come! "Lu Duoxun was shocked and said:
"How can you be so bold, my dear brother? This is a case of treason and rebellion! Your whole family will be executed!"

Zhao Baidao:
"Lord Lu! Seeing that Confucius' teachings are declining, the status of our disciples has been greatly reduced and we are no longer treated with favor. Can Lord Lu bear that from now on, merchants and common people will no longer respect us nobles?
“Scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans”, if Lord Lu does not step forward, from now on, scholars will be ranked at the bottom!

"After four years, Master Lu will be seventy years old and retire. He will no longer have the opportunity to contribute to the way of the saints and will be lost in the crowd!"

Ludoson hesitated for a long time.

Now, after forty years of implementing the New Deal under Emperor Chai Zongxun, the privileged status of officials and the gentry has been almost completely lost, the system of favoritism and recommendation has been abolished, and the hereditary system of bureaucrats who monopolized power no longer exists.

As for Lu Duosun's own family, although he was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, a high-ranking official of the third rank, his two sons were incompetent. They failed to pass the imperial examinations when they were over 30 and were not allowed to enter officialdom.

When Lu Dosun retired a few years later at the age of seventy, the Lu family immediately became an ordinary family.

Zhao Bai saw that Lu Duoxun's face was uncertain, so he tried his best to speak, saying:
“Lord Lu is highly respected and comes from a famous family. He is the hope of all the disciples of Confucius.

In the past few years, I have taken the opportunity to run around and contact famous scholars from all over the country. Many of them share the same opinion as me. They all think that Your Majesty’s current rule of the country regards scholars and common people equally, which is truly a disgrace to civility!
Moreover, the system of grace and recommendation has been passed down in China for nearly a thousand years. We have studied the books of sages since childhood, and finally passed the imperial examination and became officials in the court, isn't it just to be able to bless future generations?

Your Majesty has completely blocked this road, which is really disloyal to your subjects!
As long as Lord Lu is willing to go and persuade the prince, I am willing to join the scholars of the world in submitting a petition to persuade him to ascend the throne! We will do whatever it takes to continue the sage's tradition!"

Lu Dosun knew very well that instigating the prince to seize power and become emperor was an extremely dangerous task. If he succeeded, he would gain great merit and be promoted to the highest position among the ministers. If he failed, he would immediately lose his head and his family would be in trouble.

Ludoson hesitated and said:

"Brother, have you communicated with the First Assistant, Lord Li, the Second Assistant, Lord Wang, and others? What is their attitude?"

Zhao Bai said with disdain:
"Lord Lu, I have tried to test both Prime Minister Li and Second Minister Wang.

They were already high-ranking officials, having served as officials for several years, with a family fortune of billions, and some of their sons had passed the imperial examinations and became Jinshi, so they did not have to worry about the decline of their family business.

As soon as I opened my mouth, they both praised Your Majesty for your benevolence, righteousness, wisdom and dedication to the public good. How could I say anything else?
When it comes to maintaining the sage's orthodoxy, among all the civil and military officials in the court, only Lord Lu is capable of taking on the responsibility!"

Ludoson sighed:
"My dear brother, you are praising me too much!
Even if I want to contribute to the Saint's lineage, as the saying goes, "distant relatives cannot separate relatives", I have only been the Prince's teacher for half a year, how can I convince His Royal Highness the Prince!"

Zhao Bai smiled and said:
"As long as Lord Lu is willing to take responsibility for the saintly tradition, all other problems will be easy to overcome!
Since last year, because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince withdrew a corps of troops from the northwest, Kievan Rus invaded, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed and more than 200,000 were taken abducted.

Given your Majesty's great talent, vision, and noble character, how could you not be furious and blame the Crown Prince when our Great Zhou suffered such a huge loss?
Your Majesty has many offspring, with ninety-two princes alone. It is rumored that the sons of Concubine Shu, Concubine Ji, and Concubine Guo are all very talented and greatly loved by Your Majesty.

Lord Lu only needs to analyze the pros and cons to the Crown Prince. Once His Majesty returns triumphantly from the Mayan Continent, it is very likely that the Crown Prince will be replaced because of the humiliation of Northwest Ming, and the Crown Prince will surely be persuaded to follow the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang!

When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Lord Lu will be both the Crown Prince's teacher and a minister who will stabilize the country. How can he still run away with the position of Prime Minister?
By then, it will be easy for Lord Lu to abolish these current rules that confuse elegance and vulgarity and are offensive to civility!
Lord Lu's achievements make him the third saint after Confucius and Mencius!"

Faced with the Longxiang Army that controlled all parts of the Great Zhou, the stubborn conservatives naturally did not dare to have the slightest thought of rebelling. Lu Duosun and Zhao Bai's plan to instigate the prince to seize the throne was a way that had a chance of success.

(End of this chapter)