Of course, the western part of Chu is very large, and in addition to Wei, Zhao, which is closer, is also an ally of Chu. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

It's not easy to be an emperor. Outsiders see that the imperial power is high, the emperor holds the wealth and huge power in the world, and the three thousand beauties of the harem are even more enviable. But no one has ever seen that the emperor is also troubled. He must take into account the general trend of the world and devote himself to the national economy and people's livelihood. To put it mildly, if you want to be truly diligent and love the people, and ask about everything one by one, I am afraid that even if the emperor himself is transformed into a machine, it will be scrapped because of too frequent use.

"It's good when the hussar general is around!"

Emperor Shunming continued to sigh: "Counting with your fingers, the northern border of Great Chu has been stable for decades. Yang Jing was mighty and brave, and Rong Di was terrified, so he could only escape far away from the depths of the desert. As soon as Yang Jing died, the border defense of the north became lax. Now, looking at the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, there is no second Yang Jing who can stand up and share my worries. ”

This is indeed true.

When Yang Jing was in the north, Emperor Shunming had just ascended the throne. At that time, Yang Jing was very young, and Emperor Shunming was also an ignorant doll. It's just that one is a king and the other is a minister.

During the first five years of Emperor Shunming's reign, his grandmother listened to the government. It was an old man who was extremely responsible for the country and his ancestors, and he also had a strategic vision. Although she was a woman, she was praised by the ministers at the time for her foresight. Back then, if it weren't for the old grandmother's efforts to promote Yang Jing and give him many powers such as recruiting troops and building cities in the north, Yang Jing, who was grateful, would not have trained an iron cavalry in just a few years. Since then, the cavalry of the Chu State swept across the desert and successively killed the Rongdi kings such as Aries, Lou Fu, and Xiu Tu. Fearful, Rong Di could only flee from the permanent residence of abundant water and grass.

The reason why Yang Jing was knighted was because of his outstanding martial arts at that time.

There have always been traitorous ministers in the court, and Rong Di is unwilling to fail. One after another, envoys were sent to the state of Chu to spread rumors about the hussar general Yang Jing in the court and among the people. Especially in the northern frontier, Rong Di even called Yang Jing "the mighty general who shook the sky".

As an emperor, there have always been many doubts. Of course, this sentence has nothing to do with Emperor Shunming at that time. As soon as the old grandmother died, Emperor Shunming began to govern himself. At that time, the emperor chose Chang Yu, a university scholar. "Heaven-shattering and mighty general" is such a saying. made Chang Yu wary of Yang Jing. He repeatedly wrote to Emperor Shun Ming, asking for Yang Jing's military power to be restricted. At that time, Emperor Shunming was still young, and before his grandmother left, he entrusted the important affairs of the state to the important ministers of the court. Headed by Chang Yu, the center began to cut power on Yang Jing. In less than half a year, Yang Jing's northern border defense was already full of loopholes, and a large number of guard sergeants withdrew from various fortresses to the interior, which also "saved military spending" in the name of "saving military spending". This practice of self-destruction of the Great Wall. Among the Wenchen, he was praised and thought that the power of the generals should be limited in this way, and Chang Yu became the leader of the literati of the Chu State, and the scenery was unlimited for a while. Until now, the Chang family is still a well-known literary clan in the Chu State. Even if you look at the world, there are countless people who admire it.

From 300,000 heavy soldiers in hand, to only 7,000 soldiers and horses available for mobilization. Such a huge change turned Yang Jing into a bare-bones general who had no ability but could not give full play. Later in the Yellow River Corridor War. Yang Jing led the remnants of the army to die in battle. From then on, the Northland was once again occupied by Rong Di. The situation is no different from before the initial victory. Of course, these things are not a big deal in Wenchen's opinion. After all, the people who are taken captive by Rong Di every year are untouchables and have nothing to do with themselves. Dachu is densely populated, even if it gives away hundreds of thousands of Rong Di for nothing, it is just a drop in the bucket. It doesn't matter.

Although the emperor was supreme, many times he had to compromise with his courtiers. Emperor Shunming knew very well that Yang Jing had been operating in the north for many years, and he had worked hard and made great achievements, but the court had always emphasized literature over military force. Except for chanting the wind and the moon, the literati actually don't do anything. However, these people control the guidance of public opinion in the world, as far as Chang Yu, who single-handedly destroyed the border defense of the northern land, this person was not convicted for this, but rose step by step, and obtained the title of third duke above Jiuqing. Finally, return home with glory and wealth. Now, the Chang family is already a well-known wealthy family in the local area. Although Chang Yu has long since died of old age, there are still many of his protégés and former officials in the court, as well as the descendants of the Chang family.

In contrast, Yang Jing only had a son and a daughter, but he was forced to resign as the Lord of Yiyong because of internal family disputes. Every time he thought of this, Emperor Shunming felt that he was very sorry for the Yang family.

Princess Jing'an has been observing words and feelings. Although she is old, her brain is not confused. A pair of eyes kept looking at Emperor Shunming, and slowly shifted to Dongfang Kong, who was standing nearby.

There is indeed such a thing as "coincidence" in the world. However, the probability of a coincidence is really low. Princess Jing'an was very puzzled: why did she just enter the palace with the intention of wanting to speak for Yang Tianhong, and Dongfang Kong, the chief attendant, came in after her and talked about the lack of horses in the imperial garden stable?

One thing is certain: Princess Jing'an and Dongfang Kong have no intersection and no contact with each other. However, the palace attendants are extremely mysterious existences, they only obey the orders of the emperor himself, and are responsible for monitoring the important ministers of the court and the people of the world. Princess Jing'an understood that the matter of getting the two Xuantian Horses must not be hidden from Emperor Shunming's ears and eyes. It's just that Dongfang Kong's mind is simply unpredictable. This matter seems to be a loose taste, but when you think about it, it is too coincidental and a little illogical.

That's right, the Chu State sacrifice is at this time every year. The selection of officers from the guards of the Beijing camp to worship together was also a plan made by Emperor Shunming and the ministers in the court a few months ago. The selection of horses has been going on for a long time, and for this reason, Princess Jing'an even contributed three good horses under her own name. At that time, Yang Tianhong had not yet returned from Hesse Mountain, so naturally there was no conversation between Shuo'an and Song Li, let alone Princess Jing'an's good impression of him.

Looking at Dongfang Kong, who was standing there quietly, with an indifferent expression, Princess Jing'an had the idea of "maybe this palace is too careful".

Maybe it's just a coincidence. Because everything before and after is not right, there is no slightest connection between himself and Dongfang Kong.

But one thing is certain: Dongfang Kong's mention of the lack of horses in the Imperial Garden Stable at this time is indeed a good excuse for Princess Jing'an.

After moving her legs and feet, which had become sore, due to sitting for a long time, Princess Jing'an turned her gaze to Emperor Shunming and said seriously: "Why doesn't Your Majesty rebuild the northern frontier? As long as I, Dachu, firmly guard the northern frontier and build the Great Wall with Zhao and Wei." Rong Di must not dare to invade the frontier. At the same time, not to mention a few hundred horses of the same color, even if it is a thousand, ten thousand horses, you can easily get it. ”

Emperor Shunming turned around, as if he had just recovered from his meditation. He pondered for a moment and said with a wry smile: "After all, my aunt is not a minister of the imperial court. I don't know much about state affairs. The border defense in Beidi has been slackened for a long time, and it is not easy to rebuild it? The number of border troops is as high as 300,000, and this is only the part of the defense facing the core of the Yellow River corridor. If you add up all the soldiers in dozens of border towns, the number has already exceeded one million. ”

Princess Jing'an frowned, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes became more profound: "With such a huge army, the daily cost is also huge. Since the state has invested a lot of resources and personnel consumption is becoming more and more huge, why is it still unable to resist the Rongdi in the north? Could it be that they are all stone carvings and puppets?"

Emperor Shunming was a little speechless when asked. I could only shake my head secretly.

There are many drawbacks in the northern border army, and Emperor Shunming himself is actually very clear. Most of Chu's annual tax revenue is spent on border defense, except for the southern Xinjiang and the East China Sea, two-thirds of the military expenditure is invested in the defense of the north. However, when the war started, the border towns were complaining every year, shouting that the troops were insufficient. The total number of soldiers reported by the towns exceeded 1.5 million. It stands to reason that such a large army. Enough to resist foreign enemies. However, things are so weird, since Yang Jing's death. The generals of the Northland had never won a battle, and when they encountered Rong Di's entry and plunder, they also fled back to the Great Wall with their military horses.

Could it be that among my generals, only Yang Jing can fight?

Emperor Shunming thought about this problem many times in private, but he always couldn't solve it. He knows that he is not a slacker, and he is also very diligent and honest in handling government affairs. However. Ministers differed on how to deal with Rongdi in the north. Some said that they should be friendly, some said that they should open a horse market with Rong Di, and some claimed that they should promote my great Chu Tianwei to Rong Di, and those barbaric and uncivilized foreigners would naturally be influenced. There has never been a war on the border. Guotai Min'an.

It's all fucking, shit, bullshit.

Emperor Shunming was very clear: it must be beaten. The crux of the matter is, who should be in charge of the military affairs in the north? Looking at the court and the court, it is really impossible to find a general who can take on this important task.

Emperor Shunming never thought of putting a certain Wenchen in charge of this matter. The temperament of those guys, at most, is to chant poetry and paint, and it's okay to talk about Fengyue, but it's definitely not okay to fight. Not to mention anything else, they are used to sitting on the butt of a sedan chair, and riding horses back and forth all day long in the north, I am afraid that before the battle starts, they themselves will be exhausted and collapsed, and they will be half dead.

The so-called "national disaster thinks of good generals", Emperor Shunming also suddenly discovered: God can give Chu a hussar general Yang Jing, which is really an extremely rare blessing. It's just that I was young at that time and didn't understand the important role that Yiyong played in it. Otherwise, even if the nine clans of the scholar Changyu are wiped out, Yang Jing must be kept and let him serve as the governor of the Northland forever.

Princess Jing'an's voice came from the side, and flew into Emperor Shunming's heart: "Yang Jing is from the Guangping Hou lineage. The Yang family has been favored by the country for generations, and although Yang Rong is old, he is a well-known general in the imperial court. According to what I see in this palace, it is better to let Guangping Hou preside over the defense of the Northland, I don't know what Your Majesty wants?"

"No!"

Emperor Shunming didn't want to think about it, and shook his head again and again: "Guangping is old." What's more, the defense of the capital division is also very important. The Yang family has always had many generals. What's more, presiding over such a thing as defense is top-down. The Northland Military Town has always been from a single line, and has never been associated with Guangpinghou. Just went so rashly, firstly, it would take time to get used to the situation, and secondly, it would inevitably be resisted from below. In normal times, this kind of thing will never be tolerated. In the south, there have been rains and floods, and I can't afford to take care of that side now. Even if the defense of the Northland is really to be changed, at least it will be next year. ”

The head of the chamberlain, Dongfang Kong, also had a solemn expression on his face. He whispered, "Your Majesty is right. But there are some things that are better done late than early. The barbarians of the steppe don't care so much. It has become a habit for them to cross the border and plunder every autumn. Just like a child's family, if you don't discipline ruthlessly when you're young, when you grow up, you will be powerless to discipline yourself. When the time comes, he will kill people in the streets, and if he wants to rob, he will go on a rampage, even if it is a strong rein. I can't trap this crazy wild horse. ”

Princess Jing'an and Emperor Shunming shifted their gaze to Dongfang Kong at the same time. Dongfang Kong didn't hide it at all, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "Your Majesty and the princess are both understanding people, and the old slave just said it in passing." The old slave doesn't understand the major affairs of the country, but he only knows that the people have always had the saying that "the son does not teach, and the father is at fault". These people are His Majesty's people, for them. Of course, Your Majesty must do his best to protect it, and he must also guard against his own doll from being bullied by outsiders. ”

Emperor Shunming nodded thoughtfully, withdrew his gaze from Dongfang Kong, looked at Princess Jing'an who was sitting opposite, and asked, "I listened to my aunt's meaning just now, and it seems that you value the Yang family very much in Guangping?"

Princess Jing'an smiled and shook her head: "That's not true. This palace just thinks that His Majesty is looking for someone to take a lot of trouble. When the imperial grandmother was there, she repeatedly praised the Yang family in Guangping. Although she is an old man, she has a lot of insight into state affairs. In addition, the Yang family has always been a gatekeeper. It must be handy to do this kind of thing. ”

After a pause, Princess Jing'an continued: "If Your Majesty feels that Guangping is not worthy of this post, why don't you look through the military newspapers of the past years and select the available people from them? You must want to make some achievements. If a military general wants to be famous, it is nothing more than winning more battles. Kill more thieves. In order for a scribe to be famous, of course, he had to write splendid articles or psalms. Otherwise, even if you have peerless martial arts and a collection of thousands of books in your chest, you are just an unknown person in the ordinary world. ”

There is a good reason for this. Emperor Shunming nodded frequently: "Auntie's insight is really extraordinary." No wonder when the imperial grandmother was there, they all said that if my aunt was a man, she would definitely be able to stabilize the country and have the ability to be a prime minister. ”

As long as it is human, it likes to be praised. Princess Jing'an was a little embarrassed by Emperor Shunming. But I was also very happy in my heart. After all, Emperor Shunming's words were made by feeling, and there was no hint of falsification.

Things can't be done too obviously. As long as Guangping Hou is mentioned and meritorious ministers are mentioned, Emperor Shunming will inevitably think of Yang Tianhong. In this way, Princess Jing'an was also taken out of it. Emperor Shunming is very shrewd, and if he talks too much about the same thing, it will naturally arouse his suspicions. When the time comes, it will be counterproductive.

"Speaking of winning more battles and killing more thieves, I think of a person. ”

Sure enough, Emperor Shunming's thinking is continuing in the direction guided by Princess Jing'an: "Hussar General Yang Jing has a son and a daughter. On the issue of the Yang family, I am indeed quite indebted. However, Yang Tianhong is also loyal and patriotic. first took the initiative to resign as the lord of Yi Yonghou, and then killed many people in the battle of Luoping Mountain, and won the battle. My aunt didn't say that I almost forgot that Yang Tianhong was from the Guiyuan Sect, and the Book of War Formations was the source of his family education. This person has performed well before, and he can be regarded as a general. It is better to hand over the defense of the Northland to him, which can be regarded as a son inheriting his father's business. ”

Princess Jing'an cautiously interjected: "Your Majesty, is it too rash to do this? Although this palace has benefited from Yang Tianhong, this son is too young, and now he is not even twenty years old, he has no qualifications, and he has no connections. Even if he has the emperor's order, how much can he do if he goes to the Northland?"

Emperor Shunming looked at Princess Jing'an with some surprise: "What's the matter, my aunt thinks that Yang Tianhong can't take on this responsibility?"

Princess Jing'an's attitude was very resolute, and she shook her head again and again: "It depends on Your Majesty's will to decide who will take on this important task." The palace has no intention of interfering. It's just that in the long run, Yang Tianhong will definitely not be able to serve as the military governor of the Northland at present. He was so young. ”

Emperor Shunming laughed: "My aunt is too worried. In ancient times, Ganluo could be a minister at the age of twelve, and although Yang Tianhong was not yet twenty years old, he was also born into a family of military generals. In terms of this ability, there are still some of them. ”

Princess Jing'an still shook her head: "Your Majesty, doesn't you know that Gan Luoshang died before he was twenty? He became an important minister of the imperial court at a young age, and I don't know how many people are jealous in private? The main palace still said the same sentence: the defense of the Northland should be entrusted to the old and serious people. If His Majesty really values Yang Tianhong, he should be said to be in another position. It is important to know that pig iron can be tempered to become an indestructible steel. ”

As soon as he said this, Emperor Shunming only felt embarrassed, and he was also very emotional.

After all, Princess Jing'an is her own family, and everything is for herself and the country.

Although Princess Jing'an covered it up very well, Emperor Shunming could also see that her aunt was actually speaking for Yang Tianhong. The eyes and ears of the royal family are all over the world, and with the shrewdness of Emperor Shunming, of course he knows that there are two more precious Xuantian horses in Princess Jing'an's mansion. The proposal to appoint Yang Tianhong as the governor of the North is just a temptation. Unexpectedly, in the face of major rights and wrongs, Princess Jing'an's judgment was obvious. Although Yang Tianhong is a talent, raising him to such a high position now is tantamount to killing. If he starts with a lower official position, he can continue to hone him, and secondly, he can also show that he has not forgotten the merits of the Yang family.

Thinking of this, Emperor Shunming's mood suddenly became comfortable. He smiled "haha" and said, "Can my aunt give me a suggestion, where is it appropriate for Yang Tianhong to take up his post?" )