When Du Xian walked out of Danfeng Gate, it was already a twilight bell, and there were tall palace towers on all sides, and he couldn't tell where the bell came from for a while. As soon as he took the reins, he saw Cheng Qianli, the secretary of the military department, and an entourage coming out of the palace gate, and Du Xian hurriedly stood facing there. Cheng Qianli also stopped as if they had met by chance, and the two greeted each other from afar, and then walked together with a friendly smile.

"At noon, I heard the eunuch shouting at the Xuanzheng Palace, General Du only came out now, and he must have offered a good plan in front of today." Cheng Qianli said with a smile on his face. However, the sincerity of this smiling face is not as good as it is, although they are officials in the same dynasty, but they are not in a system, and they still have to eat separately. What's more, Cheng Qianli will be mixed to the point of almost being a very popular minister, and the road is very similar to Du Xian, which is also the result of making meritorious contributions in Dingbian and standing in the right position through the marriage, so he has a sense of rejection towards Du Xian.

Du Xian looks fatter than Cheng Qianli and has a more elegant demeanor, but he is now in the position of a military general, and Cheng Qianli is the prime minister of the political affairs hall. The Jin Dynasty continued the Tang Dynasty system, and the civil and military were actually not clearly distinguished, and it was not uncommon for the position of the phase to change, and the status was not much different, but these people who could participate in national decision-making were one level higher. Du Xian didn't want to have any unpleasantness with Cheng Qianli, let alone show favor in front of him, so he changed the topic at that time and said: "When I came out of the greenhouse hall, I mentioned that I was thrifty today, rich and still wearing old clothes, and the green cloth robe on Yu Gonggong was made by Concubine Cheng?" ”

Cheng Qianli was stunned, and then said: "I didn't pay attention, besides, not everyone can be summoned separately by today, on weekdays in Hanyuan Palace, Shuowang Dynasty or Zichen Palace, I don't wear all the gowns today." ”

While talking, the two walked to the entrance of Changle Fang and Yi Shufang, and because of the different directions of going home, they said goodbye to each other and parted ways.

The next day, Du Xian also came, and his appearance on such an occasion was a bit fresh, and everyone looked at it but didn't say anything. After a while, Xue Chongxun entered the hall and said about Du Xian, first praised Du Xian's merits and talents, and then publicly stated that he wanted Du Xian to concurrently serve as a cabinet scholar, and he would also participate in court meetings in the future.

Xue Chongxun created a cabinet body by himself, which really saved him a lot of trouble in the early stage, just like now it is not difficult to promote a person to a decision-making body, because the cabinet is a new yamen, there is no old system to follow, and there is no quota for members; However, the government hall is different, there can only be six or seven prime ministers in a period of time, and the system has been carried out by inertia for many years, and there are many problems involved in changing the old system, and it cannot be changed lightly. The entry of the fortress into the government hall means that one has to be done first, which is a troublesome matter. If the emperor uses the supreme monarchy to overthrow one without a valid reason, the sequelae will be stricter, and if the prime minister wants to be replaced, he will generally use a series of games to demote the official or directly remove him for reasonable reasons. Of course, now that Xue Chongxun does not move the political affairs hall, and directly goes to the cabinet to stuff people, there is no such problem.

After the morning's deliberations broke up, Xue Chongxun took Du Xian to the greenhouse hall again, not knowing what to talk about. Seeing this, the ministers of the government hall felt a little uncomfortable, and when the prime ministers returned to the government hall to work, they inevitably chatted a few words on the road.

Dou Huaizhen, who has not been reused in the Xue Dynasty but is still mixed in the position of prime minister, was teased by a few words, and couldn't help but say: "If it goes on like this, what else is going on in our political hall?" ”

Because the group was in public and on the avenue in the palace, Zhang Shuo immediately said: "Where did Dou Xiang say this? ”

Dou Huaizhen didn't taste it, and said angrily: "Du Xian has the rank of General of the Right Wuwei, and he is the third grade, and an official of the third rank is appointed as the bachelor of the five-grade cabinet, and he is not the chief yet." Wouldn't it be long before everyone in the cabinet sealed the three grades? Moreover, Du Xian's daughter is still a concubine in the harem, and one day the emperor is happy to seal his family, and it is not impossible for Du Xian to have a duke and marquis. At that time, I am afraid that the cabinet will not be a matter of five petty officials, and it will be ranked among the three princes and nine secretaries. ”

In fact, Dou Huaizhen's words are right, some people in the political hall do feel the crisis of being stripped of part of their power, but it is not good for everyone to say it on the surface.

Cheng Qianli was not very happy when he heard the words of the promotion of the harem concubines, but at this time, he helped Du Xian on the cabinet side and said a few words: "General Du can get the grace of today, and he also fights in the blood and fire of the left and right." ”

As the boss of the political affairs hall, Zhang Shuo glanced at two people who had different remarks, and the political affairs hall was not monolithic, and Liu An, who didn't speak in the back, was not the one who followed him to say a nostril of anger. Zhang Shuo pretended to be a peacemaker and said to Dou Huaizhen earnestly: "Whether it is the political hall or the cabinet, they all contribute to the imperial court. We have to do whatever we do, that's all, don't think too much. ”

…… Xue Chongxun waited with great interest in the greenhouse hall for Du Xian to come, and continued yesterday's topic and asked about the strategy on the side of Youzhou. However, Du Xian didn't seem to be in good spirits today, and that was because he didn't sleep well last night.

Yesterday, the emperor talked to him for most of the day, and the most he asked was about the defense of the Northeast. After Du Xian went back, he thought about it, the emperor must ask about the policy of Youzhou, and consulted the books in his collection overnight to ponder about it, and almost didn't sleep well, so he took a nap when it was almost dawn.

Du Xian knew that in order for a strategy to be truly implemented, it was necessary not only to take into account the actual situation, but also to consider the preferences and tendencies of those in power, otherwise it would be in vain to get no support. Just like the last time he was preparing to fight the Turks, Du Xian figured out Xue Chongxun's temperament and put forward the remark of attaching importance to cavalry, and the result was very smoothly reused. He is just middle-aged, and he is at the age of being energetic and aspiring to a career, and he does not value the title that everyone envies, but values the position where the real power yamen can be useful.

This time, Du Xian still pondered Xue Chongxun's thoughts carefully, and he already knew in his heart, some of his thoughts were completely different from most of the courtiers, no wonder Xue Chongxun regarded him as a confidant, and often felt that he had a tacit understanding.

Xue Chongxun really asked Du Xian for his opinion on governing Youzhou. Du Xian had already prepared, and replied after a moment of silence: "There are Khitan and Xi tribes in the northeast who are attached to the tent, and Wang Xianzhi, Zhao Qu and others are placed on the spot, and the ministers don't think so." There is nothing wrong with appeasing the young people, but the population of Donghu continues to move westward has already expanded, and if the Hu people in the land of Youyun increase again, it is not a long-term plan, Youyun has long been the land occupied by the Han people, and there is no reason to retreat; However, for the time being, it seems that it is harmless, and the nearby placement can also save the power of people and animals. If it is a century-old strategy, it should change the past practice of Youzhou. ”

Xue Chongxun's words made him feel familiar, doesn't this mean to prevent Huhua? Xue Chongxun originally thought that no one could think of that problem at the moment, and he could think of it because of the knowledge in his previous life, but he heard something similar from Du Xian's mouth, and his heart was very useful...... There is a sense of pleasure in having one's own mind understood and recognized.

Xue Chongxun owed a debt, looked very interested, and continued to ask: "If you replace the civil and military officials in Youzhou, how should you make a new policy?" ”

Du Xian said: "The central government should give local power to adapt measures to local conditions. ”

At this time, of course, the local governance had autonomy, the main traffic was slow, and the Jingshi could not control it in detail due to the conditions, so it could only give a vague decree. Therefore, Xue Chongxun was not very satisfied with this answer, and asked: "If General Du is in charge of the overall situation over there, what strategy will he use?" ”

"Please point it out on the map." Du Xian stood up, saw Xue Chongxun nodding before walking to the big picture he had drawn, found the location of the northeast corner, and pointed to a place, "Khitan and Xi have often joined forces to commit border crimes in recent years, and Youji and other places have to expand the side army training and preparation, and if they are not strong enough, they will use Hu people." Therefore, the first priority of the thistle is still military affairs...... Yingzhou, living outside the pass, if you can take it, the attack and defense will change the situation, but the Han army repeatedly attacked and repeatedly fought for Yingzhou, and failed to gain a firm foothold. If you are in charge of Youzhou, you must first organize the army and ask for an order to capture Yingzhou, which is a necessary first step. ”

Xue Chongxun nodded approvingly: "Fight down and defend, we only have a reliable stronghold outside the pass, and when the time comes, send some exiled people and fund the migration of landless victims in various places, and digest the land outside the pass is the royal way to expand the territory." ”

Du Xian continued: "The first step seems difficult because the Han soldiers have lost many times, but in fact it is easy, it is nothing more than winning the battle, and it may be achieved in the short term. The second step is really not easy...... If it is properly managed, it will definitely be a solid place in the middle of the pass, and it will become the key point and foundation of the Eastern Front to reject the Hu people outside the country. Living in the clouds and trying to pass outside, you can attack and retreat and defend, expand the territory to the Liaohe River when you are strong, and protect half of Henan Road, Huainan Road and Jiangnan Road when you are worried. Therefore, the minister thought that rebuilding the Great Wall and building fortifications in the land of clouds was a long-term plan for a hundred years. However, this policy not only consumes a huge amount of national strength, but also changes the practice of not building the Great Wall in the previous dynasty, and I am afraid that there will be endless domestic opposition, so it is very difficult. ”

Xue Chongxun was noncommittal, in fact, Du Xian's thoughts were very similar to his own, but as Du Xian himself said, there were many things involved, and Xue Chongxun couldn't think about it clearly. Not to mention that the courtiers might oppose it, even he had some ideas that could not be understood: how should the pros and cons of the Great Wall, which is almost a symbol of Chinese civilization, be determined?

In the early Tang Dynasty, when the military was strong, the Quartet was determined not to build the Great Wall, but once the momentum of progress slowed down, there were many problems, one of which made Xue Chongxun very defensive was the Hu cavalry mercenaries...... Is it the reliability of the bought Hu cavalry, or the stupid stone walls? G