Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

"Prince" Concubine Di looked at Defang from the window of the carriage. The ninth year of Emperor Taizu's Kaibao was also the first year of Taizong's Taiping Xingguo. Emperor Taizu died suddenly in October of the ninth year of Kaibao. Before ascending the throne in front of the coffin, the ninth year of Kaibao, which was less than two months away, was changed to the first year of Taiping Xingguo. Empress Song was also named Queen Kaibao by Taizong. This year was a painful beginning for him.

Defang turned to look at Concubine Di, forced a smile, "Ma'am, I'm fine."

"Father, what's wrong with you?"

"Father is fine, hehe, father will continue to tell you." Defang took a few deep breaths and continued to preach, "Master Zhang was appointed as the general judge of Hengzhou after he was awarded a Jinshi. He will review the cases one by one as soon as he takes office. Sure enough, it was found that one of the bandit wounding cases was wrongly judged, and five prisoners were implicated innocently, so the sentence was changed immediately, and five people were saved from the knife."

"As soon as he took office, he saved five people. Mr. Zhang is really a good official."

"Yes, Mr. Zhang himself has endured hardships, so after he became an official, he cared about the lives of the people very much. He often went to the people to understand the pros and cons of the government's government affairs and the pros and cons of local policies. There are many post stations, and there are thousands of servants. These servants have a very heavy labor, so their lives are difficult. Mr. Zhang personally verified the number of slaves required by the station, and reduced the labor of half of them at one time."

"Father, many officials must be afraid of Lord Zhang, right?"

"Yes, especially those corrupt officials." Defang continued, "Master Zhang later served as the magistrate of Xinzhou and the transfer envoy of Jiangnan West Road. During the Five Dynasties, the Jiangnan area was under the jurisdiction of several small countries with various tax items. The tax is very heavy, Master Zhang asked the imperial court to reduce it completely, and he also found out that there were officials on Jiangnan West Road who privately minted copper coins, and punished them severely.

"Father, will Mr. Zhang still be a high official after returning from the funeral?"

"Of course, how can the imperial court lose such capable officials and virtuous ministers as Mr. Zhang, hehe?" Defang looked at Wei Ling and said, "Ling'er, Mr. Zhang is not only capable of governing the country with literature, but also a capable minister who is not inferior to a general. "

"Did Master Zhang fight with the general?"

"Hahahaha" Defang laughed loudly, "If it's really a fight, Mr. Zhang can't beat a general."

"Didn't the father say that Mr. Zhang is not inferior to generals?"

"Yes, but Mr. Zhang is fighting Liao people." Defang held the rein and said, "In the eighth year of Taiping Xingguo, Mr. Zhang served as a privy envoy and often discussed war strategies with the Ministry of War. In the third year of Yongxi, our army went north. The attack failed, and Mr. Yang died tragically in the Liao camp. The situation inside and outside the pass became tense. Years later, the Liao army invaded again, and Lord Zhang personally led the troops in Fanzhi and Nao counties to kill all the Liao bandits who invaded south."

"That lord Zhang should be a great general!"

"Ling'er, there are many brave generals in the Great Song Dynasty. With Lord Zhang's ability, it would be a pity if he only guarded a few cities. Therefore, it is more useful for him to stay in the court. He can serve His Majesty. Contribute more good strategies for governing the country, so that is the luck of the family and the country, and the blessing of the people." Defang said with a smile on his face, "When Mr. Zhang paid homage to the prime minister in September of the second year of Chunhua, his mother was already [-] years old. , His Majesty proclaimed his mother Sun as Mrs. Jin Guo Tai, and often called her into the palace to enjoy flowers and drink tea. His Majesty said that Mrs. Tai was blessed with good fortune and longevity, and had a loyal and filial son. He not only rewarded Mrs. Jin Guo Tai many For property, I also wrote several edicts and sent a special person to Zhang's house for greetings. Two years ago, Mrs. Jin Guotai died of illness, and Mr. Zhang was in mourning. Not eating or drinking for seven whole days, the act of filial piety is admirable."