Approaching the fifth watch, the ministers have arrived one after another, gathering in the court room to wait for leakage.

At this court meeting, Shao An had already announced the topic when he informed the ministers, so some ministers took the opportunity to wait for the court to ask their colleagues in a low voice to probe the situation. Some ministers clenched their wat boards, their palms sweating. Some ministers bowed their heads and tidied up their clothes, ignoring the affairs of the world.

When Shao An and Sun Yi entered the court room one after the other, the civil officials were silent and stood up and saluted; The generals were arrogant and ignored it. As soon as Shao An saw the formation of the generals, he knew that there would be a fierce battle today.

Shao An walked to the main seat, and the rest of the officials sat according to their ranks, he looked around and saw that the military was all there except for the generals who led the troops out of Beijing. In Gao Wei's absence, the military generals will look forward to General Song Qi, and General Song has always been stubborn, and he values his reputation more than his life. How can such a person accept peace?

As for the rest of the generals, they were all high-spirited and enthusiastic, and they just wanted to make contributions, but they didn't think about the burden of the court.

Leaking out, the great dynasty will begin, and the emperor will face hundreds of officials at Fengtianmen.

The civil and military are divided into two classes from the noon gate into the court, the text is from the left door, and the martial arts are from the right door. After entering, stand in the order of grades in the south of Jinshui Bridge, and wait for the whip. Then cross the Jinshui Bridge in turn, and worship the Tianmen Danqi. ①

After the emperor was seated, he sounded the whip again, and the left and right two classes entered the imperial road together, and the civil and military officials bowed three times. After the ceremony, the ministers performed their work.

Led by the prime minister, the first to play. Shao An took out the recital he had written the night before and read it aloud. The article is concise and short, to the point, and generally lists the disadvantages of the war with the Turks, with a clear theme, and exhorts and discusses peace.

In all dynasties, most of them were civil ministers who were in charge of peace, military generals who fought in battle, and Shao An proposed peace, which was expected by everyone.

Several generals also jointly wrote a recital, which was played by the old general Song. The generals are not all vulgar warriors and do not know how to write and ink. Just listen to their words that are impassioned and intense, with one passage reading: "...... Woohoo! Who is doing this for Your Majesty? The world of China, the world of the ancestors, the world of the ministers, the surname, the world of the three armies, not the world of His Majesty! ②……”

Song Qi finished reading breathlessly and retreated to the right side. After listening to the letter of the two important ministers with opposing views, the emperor did not say anything, and asked in silence for a long time: "What do the ministers think, and each expresses his own opinions." ”

The ministers did not dare to move, and Ni Hongyu, the head of the household department, was the first to come out, and he specially brought the account book of the household department today and presented it to the emperor.

The emperor flipped through a few pages casually, it turned out to be the account book of recent years, and he looked at the people below the steps with deep meaning, "What does Aiqing mean by this?" ”

"What the Holy One sees is the account book of the household department. At the end of the Yongkang year, the imperial court built several large-scale construction projects and built imperial tombs, resulting in the shrinking of the national treasury. In the early years of Tai'an, the treasury was depleted. Since the ministers are in charge of the household department, they can only ensure the income and support, and cannot make the treasury full, and the ministers are ashamed of the emperor. Ni Hongyu wept and bowed down, although he didn't say anything about the Lord's peace, but anyone could hear the sound outside the strings.

General Guide immediately retorted: "If peace is negotiated, you still have to scatter all the money, and the household department can afford it?" ”

"That depends on the outcome of the talks. However, if the household department wants to provide tens of thousands of soldiers with food and salaries, it will definitely not be able to pay. ”

Zhao Wei, the secretary of the military department, also said: "The ministers and the lord." At this moment, it is a fierce battle in the northwest, if there is another war on the northern front, the forbidden army has been transferred out of 50,000, and the remaining forbidden army wants to defend the capital, and it is not appropriate to move again. However, the Xiang armies of the state capitals were far away, inconvenient to mobilize, and the combat effectiveness of the Xiang armies was gradually weakened, and the equipment was poor, which was not enough to resist the Turkic iron cavalry. ”

"What Lord Zhao said is not true, wherever the general goes, he sees the forbidden army and the army from all over the country." Another young general asked for war, "Your Majesty, the last general is willing to lead the troops into battle to kill the enemy." ”

"Your Majesty, the last general is also willing to go to the north to help in the war."

"The last general begged to go with him. Your Majesty, give an order. ”

…………

The military attaches in the main hall knelt on the ground one after another, and the voices of battle came and went. They are all in high spirits, and with the belief of sacrificing their lives for the country, they would rather be broken than destroyed.

Seeing that I have a lot of brave generals, the emperor is very pleased. And the ministers showed embarrassment, silently pestle above the court.

Peng Yuanping, the secretary of the ministry, thought for a while and said, "How can a general talk about military affairs lightly? Soldiers, the major affairs of the country, the place of death and life, and the way of survival, must not be overlooked. ”

Jiang Si of the Criminal Department said: "What Master Peng said is extremely true. Besides, our DPRK has insufficient troops, so how can it resist the attack of the two countries? ”

"How can Master Jiang be cowardly before fighting?" The military general grabbed the handle and immediately opened fire on it, "I am a big country, but I can't defeat the barbarian land?" ”

"That is, how can you grow the morale of others and destroy your own prestige?"

Hearing this, the civil officials scolded Jiang Xi for being as stupid as a donkey, and Shao An frowned almost imperceptibly.

At this moment, Song Qi also interjected, "Your Majesty, how can Shi Jingjiao's actions be followed?" There was grief in his old voice, as if he had seen the prospect of the ruin of the country and the city.

Shao An listened to the more they talked, the more unspeakable they became, and couldn't help but say, "Discussion and non-begging are also harmonious." Why bend your knees and sue for peace, and call your ministers and pay tribute? ”

Song Qi said disdainfully: "What do you mean by what the prime minister said? ”

Shao An looked at the silver-haired old general with blazing eyes, and asked respectfully: "Presumably, the old general Song is familiar with the "Art of War", and should know that 'the army is strategic, the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the army, and then the city is attacked. 'Why do you abandon the plan and take it away?' ”

"This ......" Song Qi is a military general in the end, how can he be able to defeat the Wenchen who has written a chapter, and he was speechless for a while.

"Although the general wins a hundred battles, he is not a good man, a soldier who surrenders without a fight, and a good man." Shao An didn't give Song Qi a chance to think, and continued to refute him with his grandson's words.

"What does Shao Xiang mean by this, can he surrender without a fight? It's a joke. Song Qi thought for a long time, and finally held back a sentence.

Shao An smiled: "I don't know." ”

The emperor immediately raised his interest and asked Shao An: "What is the prime minister's opinion?" ”

Shao An arched his hand, "The minister thinks that the current military situation is like fire, and it is urgent to delay, but it will take time to deploy troops." It is better to send a delegation of the Ministry of Rites to the Turks to negotiate peace first, implement a delaying tactic, and buy time for our army. ”

When the emperor saw that Shao An wanted to speak and stopped, he knew that there would be a follow-up move after the delay. He bowed his head slightly, and the twelve in front of the crown shook slightly, covering all the expressions of the emperor, and it became more and more unfathomable.

The generals thought that Shao An was not sincere in negotiating peace, and they no longer argued. The ministers were silent, and the emperor was arbitrary, "Quasi-playing." The province of Zhongshu immediately drafted the purpose and quickly sent the border customs. ”

※※※※※

On the northwest side, Gao Wei has been arriving for a few days. He was not chaotic in the face of danger, and if his command was determined, he would defend Weizhou in an orderly manner. At this time, the enemy army saw that the reinforcements from the Celestial Empire had arrived, and they also suspended the attack.

In the handsome tent, several high-ranking generals were about to quarrel. They fought hard, hoping to go out of the city to repel the enemy and regain the lost territory. But Gao Wei came down and ordered strictly: the whole army will hold on, and those who go out will be killed.

The generals walked out of the tent in despair, but who could understand Gao Wei's distress. Food and pay are insufficient, troops are insufficient, and according to spies, the Turks in the north are still waiting, and war in the north is imminent.

Fortunately, a few days later, Gao Wei received a holy decree saying that the Ministry of Rites was negotiating peace with the Turks, and that it might be possible to delay it for a while. Gao Wei can rest assured that he will bet all the main forces in the northwest and fight Xiou wholeheartedly. He finally withdrew his strict order and agreed to go out of the city to attack the enemy.

Gao Wei sent the forward battalion to take the lead, with Li Hongyi as the vanguard, and used iron-blooded means to fight a bloody road, recovering the lost territory one after another, and the form was very good. However, the war is in full swing, but the food and grass materials are a little short.

Of course, on the issue of food and salary, Shao An is also in full swing in the capital. He scraped together all the emperor's body and silver, and only then did he raise 800,000 taels.

There were still 1.2 million taels left in place, Gao Wei once again went up to urge the grain and grass, Shao An was at a loss, so he could only stretch out his hand to the hundred officials to ask for money.

At the head of the national crisis, the officials still responded positively. Even if you don't want to donate in your heart, if you don't don't, isn't it a sign of unpatriotism? Do you still want to be an official? But how much to donate is also a science, not more is better. Otherwise, one day the emperor is bored, and when he thinks of someone who donated hundreds of thousands, he has to think about why this person has so much silver.

The safest amount of money to donate should not exceed the amount of money you receive in a year, nor should it exceed that of your immediate superior. Therefore, so many officials donating money and materials are just a drop in the bucket.

In recent days, Shao An has been staying in the household department and personally sitting in charge. On this day, while he was taking stock of the accounts, there was a burst of discussion outside, and a small official came to report that several large carriages were carrying boxes of silver, and the sight of them was no less than 100,000 taels.

Shao An was surprised, and went to the front yard with Ni Hongyu to check, and really saw the high-headed horse parked at the door of the household yamen, Shao An waved his hand and asked the guards to let him go.

The guy unloaded the car and opened the box, only to see that the box was full of white flowers of sterling silver, Ni Hongyu and the officials of the household department simply smiled and squinted, but Shao Anxin had a faint feeling of unease, he saw that the person in charge was familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it.

Before Shao An could remember, after the person in charge finished unloading, he happily ran to salute and respectfully called Shao An, "Third Young Master!" ”

Shao An's color changed when he heard this, but he didn't expect it to be his father's silver. It is worthy of the Hehe Shao Mansion, the richest man in Jiangnan, and he is extremely generous.

"Third young master, the master heard that the court was in trouble and was donating silver, so he sent a small one to send 200,000 taels to the court in the name of the third young master."

Only then did the officials of the household department remember the origin of the prime minister, the son of a wealthy merchant in Qinhuai, which is indeed powerful.

Although it was father and son, Shao An didn't want to admit his father's love at all, he pulled the corners of his mouth and said in a low voice: "This official has already donated, how dare you bother your father to spend so much?" ”

"Third young master, a little bit of the master's heart, you can accept it." The person in charge looked embarrassed, and lowered his voice to persuade Shao An, "Besides, it is not easy for the master, this money was obtained after discussing with the master of the family for a long time." ”

The master of the family in charge is the head of the Shaw family, Shao An's grandfather.

However, Shao An doesn't have much affection for his grandfather, he is a concubine, and he can't see his grandfather often like his two elder brothers, and he can only go to his house to see him during the New Year's holidays.

Some officials who didn't know the depth learned that it was the silver of the Shao Mansion, and immediately patted their ass and said: "It turned out to be the donation of silver from Master Shao." The prime minister's family understands the righteousness, and the officials admire it. ”

"Master Shao's love for his son is even more admirable to us."

"Presumably, the Shao family must be a father and son, a brother and a brother, and it is enviable."

…………

It was obviously a compliment, but it was full of sarcasm in Shao An's ears. Looking at this pile of silver, his smile was a little stiff, and it felt like a haughty charity from the Shao Mansion. He was reluctant to accept alms, but he could not refuse.

Shao An was embarrassed, and the eunuch's sharp shout came from outside the door: "The emperor has arrived!" ”

The emperor is concerned about the military, and in the past few days, he has often visited the second mansion and the six ministries, and the household department has long been surprised, and he knelt at the door in an orderly manner according to the official position. The emperor kindly helped Shao An and Ni Hongyu up, and then said to the ministers of the household department that he was happy, his eyes caught a glimpse of several large boxes of silver in the courtyard, and asked with a smile: "I haven't come for a few days, there are so many silver taels, who donated it?" ”

Shao An, who was present, had the highest official position, and he should have answered, but the emperor didn't see him say anything after asking for a long time. Ni Hongyu looked at Shao An hesitantly and replied for him: "It was the silver taels donated by Shao Xiang's family." ”

"The ...... of this family" The emperor glanced at Shao An quite inquiringly, and naturally knew in his heart the various grievances and entanglements between him and his father. I think that when Shao An first entered the palace, before the emperor decided to cultivate him, he had already sent hidden guards to find out all his origins.

The Emperor asked again, "How much to donate?" ”

Ni Hongyu replied: "A full 200,000 taels." ”

The emperor knew that with Shao An's stubborn temperament, he would definitely not want to ask for his father's money. Although the silver in this dynasty is not low, 200,000 taels is not a small amount, so he said: "I know very well that your Aiqing family is not rich, and many officials are clean and poor. I can't bear to ask you for money. Therefore the silver that is given today will be repaid by him in the day of the day. ”

The people present were more or less surprised and hurriedly said that they did not dare.

The emperor said with a smile: "The country is in trouble, and the ministers are generous, and I am very grateful. Since ancient times, it has been natural to repay debts. Shao An, keep a good account book, and when the world is peaceful, I will definitely pay it off one by one. ”

After hearing this, everyone knelt on the ground to thank them. Many people who resent Shao An for donating silver have no complaints at the moment, and they can't take out a little more money, anyway, the court will repay it at that time.

The emperor walked to one of the large boxes in the courtyard, gently stroked the surface of the box, stretched out two more fingers, and knocked twice, "Decree, the imperial court borrows debts from merchants from all over the world, and those who subsidize military salaries will be returned with three cents of interest when the war is over, and the grain tax will be exempted for three years." Shao Fu was the first to respond, with a good start, and I returned it with four cents. ”

Shao An was still stunned, and when he heard the emperor's words, he was so shocked that Huo Ran raised his head and looked directly at the emperor very rudely. Although he had never told outsiders about his own affairs, he also guessed that the emperor must have found out all about it, but for the sake of his young and fragile dignity, he kept pretending not to know anything. Now in his own embarrassing situation, he said that he refused on his behalf.

Thinking of this, Shao Anxin felt warm and wanted to thank him, but he didn't know how to speak.

But the emperor didn't say anything, smiled and patted Shao An's shoulder, and drove back to the palace.

The ministers shouted long live, and there was a sound of congratulations at the door......

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(1) From: "Ming Jili" Volume 17, "Jiali 1 Chaoyi".

(2) From: Fang Tingshi of the Song Dynasty.