The court kicked the ball to Song Jiang, and Song Jiang gently kicked the ball back. The recovering of the land of Yanyun, the major event of the country, was very happy, and the soldiers of Liangshanbo were overjoyed when they heard it, and they asked Song Jiang to be the main commander, with His Majesty's Shangfang sword, and led the imperial army to the Youzhou battlefield.

After Huizong took this letter from Zhang Shuye's hand, he laughed and laughed, and let a thief leader lead the imperial army to the Northern Expedition, wouldn't it leave a laughing stock. He threw the letter on the table and didn't express any opinions, just asked Zhang Shuye gently, "What does Ji Zhong think?" ”

Zhang Shuye thought of the worries and prejudices in the emperor's heart, and he said to Huizong sincerely: "In terms of ability, Song Jiang is indeed the right person for the commander of the Northern Expedition, and his subordinates are full of talents and resourcefulness. But His Majesty is worried about his identity, after all, Song Jiang was once a bandit leader who challenged the imperial court, and now he is the commander of the army, just like when he was the head of the thief, it will cause a lot of discussion among the government and the public. However, this Northern Expedition is of great significance, and the imperial court can afford to win, but it can definitely not afford to lose, so the employment of people should also be eclectic. Weichen thought that Liangshanbo established an autonomous region, and Song Jiang accepted the imperial court's recruitment, and his identity changed. Now that he is a general of the Great Song Dynasty, it is natural for him to lead the army of the Great Song Dynasty to battle, and there is no need to be taboo about anything else. Besides, the imperial court army and horses are only controlled by him, and when he returns from the Northern Expedition and hands over the military power, he is still the administrator of the autonomous region, so why should he be afraid of his self-respect! ”

Huizong was silent after hearing this, and said for a long time: "The ministers of the ruling government have proposed to let Cai You, the commander of the forbidden army, be the commander, and recommended the generals of the Western Army, Seed Master Dao, Zhe Kecun and Xin Xingzong as generals, and I can't make a decision!" ”

Obviously, Zhang Shuye's words still moved Huizong, and the emperor's indecision was weighing the pros and cons. Zhang Shuye said again: "Seed Master Dao, Zhe Kecun and Xin Xingzong are all fierce generals who are in charge of their own affairs, and they have outstanding military achievements, and it is even more common to attack the city and pull out the village, with them as generals, the chances of winning are greater!" But Captain Cai has been in office for a short time, and he has no experience in war at all, so how can he be the commander of the Northern Expedition. In this way, the generals do not know the soldiers, and the soldiers do not know the generals, how can they do great things. The generals of the Western Army are mighty, and that is the momentum that has been formed after many baptisms of war. Wei Chen thought that Taiwei Cai would not be able to become a commander, and His Majesty should be cautious in this matter! ”

Huizong sighed and asked abruptly, "Ji Zhong didn't think about being a commander?" I heard that you were well managed in Jeju and had a good army, but you were sent by the imperial court to go into battle in a hurry before you could train your soldiers. Now that the heavy army has regained the lost territory, it should be a great opportunity to be ashamed, and Ji Zhong didn't consider Mao Sui's self-recommendation? ”

Zhang Shuye didn't understand why the emperor asked this, but he knew in his heart that Huizong trusted him very much now, and it was possible to put the great responsibility on his shoulders. said bluntly: "Wechen also wants to do his meager strength for the country and the people, but Wechen knows his own catties. Weichen is only a small talent, and he can indeed take charge of himself in a local war, but in this kind of big battle, the overall situation is limited and cannot be perfected. If you don't have the ability to lead your troops, but you force yourself to be the commander for your own selfish interests, you are not responsible for the country, you are not responsible for Your Majesty, if you are defeated, what is the difference between it and betraying the country? In the past, when Haoshuichuan was defeated, Fan Xiwen said, "It is really difficult to put victory or defeat aside from the battle with soldiers", expressing how much sadness and helplessness he faced, which is a strong attack on irresponsibility! And Weichen was a defeated general, and it was difficult to convince the public when he led the army, so His Majesty still chose another good commander! ”

Huizong fell into contemplation again, and he said for a long time: "Yao Zhongyou, the commander of the forbidden army, crossed the level and used his head to recommend Aiqing as the commander, to be honest, I was also moved. However, when Aiqing said this, I also felt that it made sense, and I would wait for tomorrow to summon the ruling ministers to discuss the choice of commander, and see what they thought of Song Jiang. ”

After circulating Song Jiang's letter, the ministers looked at each other, hoping to read some information from each other's faces. They learned to be obedient and did not express their opinions before figuring out the emperor's intentions, so as not to be commanded by Uncle Zhang's army at night like a few days ago, and Li Bangyan, who did not speak, took advantage of the loophole and took the opportunity to make a plan and get the emperor's favor. But today, Huizong's face was expressionless, and he couldn't see a trace of information: does the emperor want everyone to express his opinion on Song Jiang's letter, or talk about Song Jiang as the commander, and the most important thing is whether the emperor intends to let Song Jiang lead the northern expedition of the army. Only by figuring out the emperor's will can we conform to the will of heaven.

Everyone pretended to be stupid and was silent for a long time, and Huizong said: "What do you Aiqing think? ”27KK

This question is still a rambling question, and everyone still doesn't know which question the emperor is asking. Cai Jing is the first ruler, he has to go to the head, otherwise Du Mumu's pestle is not a big deal, and who is the commander has a great deal to do with the Cai family. He bowed down and said, "The old minister has the courage to ask, what does Your Majesty think?" ”

Huizong said: "It is rumored that Song Jiang is resourceful, and his strategy against the enemy is ever-changing, and he is a rare handsome talent. It can be seen from the defeat of Gao Taiwei that he is indeed clever and suitable for the battle of a large corps. It just so happened that he took the initiative to ask Ying to take command of the war, so I thought about it and made him the commander of the Northern Expedition, and then seized his military power after victory, and continued to be the chief executive of the autonomous region. What do you think? ”

The deacons looked at each other, and the emperor could really think of it, was this responsible or sloppy? Isn't this eclectic approach to employing people a little too childish? But think about the emperor has always been like this, happy and angry instantaneous. You don't see Gao Yu is a Juju Tai Lieutenant, Tong Guan is a eunuch who can collect precious calligraphy and paintings, so that he can lead the army to attack Western Xia, Liang Shicheng is a eunuch who claims to be Su Shi's illegitimate son, with the emperor's admiration for Su Shi, Liang Shicheng actually became a hidden minister in the court. This emperor can't do it, only can't think of it.

The Northern Expedition is related to the future of the ministers, and it is also a springboard for the Cai family, how could they let Song Jiang take command. The Cai family looked at him slightly, and Wang Hao said, "Your Majesty! Weichen thinks it's inappropriate! After all, Song Jiang was born as a thief, and although he was recruited, his thief nature was difficult to move. If he takes the land of Yanyun and stands on his own, the court will work hard and lose money, but in the end he will become a thief, what an embarrassing situation the Great Song Dynasty will be in at that time! I hope Your Majesty will think twice and choose another good handsome! ”

Before Huizong summoned the minister, he had a long discussion with Uncle Zhang, which had already been discussed. He said to Wang Huang: "Song Jiang will never stand on his own, he has been in Liangshan for several years, and he has never been called emperor, which shows that Song Jiang yearns to return to the imperial court, and rebellion is just an expedient measure." Besides, Song Jiang would not be stupid enough to establish a state in Youzhou, would he exist in the gap between Song and Jin? I'm afraid that he will be the fat in the eyes of Song and Jin at that time, so Wang Aiqing is purely unfounded. ”

Cai Jing was shocked when he heard this, Huizong had said good things for Song Jiang, it seemed that the emperor was determined to choose Song Jiang as the commander. No, you have to stop the emperor no matter what, otherwise let Song Jiang take charge, how can the Cai family have meat to eat. I'm afraid I won't even be able to drink the soup.

He pondered for a moment and then paid attention, bowed down and said: "Your Majesty is eclectic in employing people, and the old minister admires it!" Lao Chen also heard that this Song Jiang is a rare talent, and his prestige in the rivers and lakes is extremely high, it stands to reason that he is Song Chen after recruiting An, and it is understandable to let him lead the troops. But in any case, Your Majesty can't take this move, because when Song Jiang recovers the lost territory and comes back, how will Your Majesty reward him? Your Majesty, don't forget, His Majesty Shenzong once said: The one who restores Yanyun, the king! When the time comes, His Majesty will be unfilial if he does not become a king, and he will lose his trust in the world; To be crowned a king is to preach to the people of the world that thieves can be crowned kings. Those who are reasonable know that His Majesty governs the country with benevolence and righteousness, and those who do not know reason will follow Song Jiang's behavior, and there will be many people who misinterpret His Majesty's benevolence and righteousness. Your Majesty has heard the slang of the market: 'If you want to get rich, you must sell wine and vinegar in a hurry; If you want to become an official, you will be recruited to kill people and set fires.'" His Majesty has thought hard for the society and has been eclectic in employing people, but it has invisibly given some people with ulterior motives a quick springboard to become thieves first and then recruit peace. Therefore, the old minister felt that it was inappropriate for Song Jiang to be in charge, and hoped that His Majesty would think twice and choose another good handsome! ”

Cai Jing's words hit the key point of Huizong, he often regarded himself as a holy monarch, how could he do something that disgraced his ancestors, how could he leave a handle for people to belittle him. Yes! Let Song Jiang take command of the victory without worry, but the reward after coming back is very embarrassing.

The king is a slap in the face; Not being crowned king is a slap in the face to my father, it's hard to do!