Fenghou

The two young ladies were busy combing his hair, making tea, serving breakfast, and pouring hot water to wash his face.

"Tomorrow I may go to the West Lake to play, you go together!"

The two young ladies immediately cheered. She couldn't go out for the past two days, which made them very depressed.

"Let Yan Jun buy you two smaller veiled hats, and you can go out with them. It's better for the two of you to have different dresses."

Chen Qing thought it through, as long as they covered their faces and wore different clothes, they would not be noticeable. It was a rare trip to Lin'an, but they were not allowed to go out and buy some cosmetics and candies. It was indeed a bit too much .

"Young Master, do you mean that we can go shopping today?" Yu Ying asked expectantly.

"It's fine to put on the veiled hat, but you can't go out alone, sit in the carriage and let Yan Jun accompany you out."

"Great!"

The two young ladies clapped their hands happily, "Brother Yan and the others went to visit the West Lake yesterday, let us go together, we dare not go out."

"I'll say hello to him later."

Chen Qing finished washing up, had breakfast, drank tea, and was ready to go out.

Yan Jun brought him a horse, and Chen Qing told Yan Jun, "Go to the West Lake today and book a good cruise ship. I will take my friends out on a trip tomorrow."

"Follow your orders!"

Chen Qing also asked him to buy veiled caps for the two young ladies and take them out for a walk. Yan Jun was overjoyed, why didn't he think of the method of veiled caps?

"Humble job, I'll buy it right away."

Only then did Chen Qing leave the mansion, and under the protection of five subordinates, he urged his horse towards Da Nei.

Chapter 265 Debriefing

Chen Qing sat in a room of the Privy Council for half an hour, when an official came in and said with a smile, "Please come with me, envoy!"

"Am I the only one reporting today?"

"Two days ago, it was Yuedu's report, and today there are several prefects who also report on their work, but the Zhizhi envoy is the first one, which is a bit unusual!"

"What do you mean extraordinary?"

"Reporting in the Zhizheng Hall, not in the Privy Council."

Chen Qing understood. It is estimated that Zhang Jun's arrangement must be approved by the Political Affairs Hall in order to promote him to a higher level.

Follow the officials to the compound with yellow walls and black tiles, which is Zhizheng Hall.

All the way to a side hall, the official said with a smile: "Please wait a moment, I will report it!"

Chen Qing waited in the hall for a while, and an official came out and said, "Please ask the Qinzhou government to make Chen Qing come in and report on his work!"

Chen Qing straightened his official hat a little and walked in quickly.

There are more than a dozen officials sitting in the side hall, the four prime ministers Lu Yihao, Qin Hui, Zhang Jun, Zhao Ding, and Li Hui, the privy secretary, are all present. The other officials Chen Qing only knows the censor Zhongcheng Shen Wanqiu, the privy envoy Zhang Liang, and the driving department member Wai Lang. Li Yuan, he doesn't know the rest.

Debriefing is a bit like a teacher giving a lecture. There is a table and chairs in front, and the officials sit under it, forming a semicircle.

The official led Chen Qing to the table and sat down, 'Dang! 'A crisp bell rang, and the hall fell silent.

Zhang Liang, deputy privy envoy, said slowly: "Qinzhou Zhizhi envoy Chen Qing's presentation will begin now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a little eunuch rushed in and whispered something to Lu Yihao. Lu Yihao was startled, and quickly said: "The officials are coming, change the hall!"

The debriefing was suspended, and everyone moved to the main hall. Chen Qing's seat was also placed on the side, and the high seat in front was the special seat for the emperor Zhao Gou.

"The Son of Heaven is here!"

The guards shouted from the courtyard, and there was a sound of footsteps. The emperor Zhao Gou, who was dressed in ordinary clothes, walked in quickly surrounded by several eunuchs, followed by the scholar Xu Xiantu.

"See Your Majesty!" Everyone bowed and saluted together.

"Dear dears, please be courteous. Today is General Chen's report. I am very concerned about the situation in the Northwest, so I am here to listen."

Zhao Gou smiled and nodded at Chen Qing again, then sat on the high seat, and an eunuch handed him a teacup.

'when! ' Another crisp bell.

Zhang Liang, deputy envoy of the Privy Council, said solemnly: "Qinzhou Zhizhi envoy Chen Qing's presentation will begin now!"

Everyone looked at the emperor, Zhao Gou said with a smile: "Everyone can ask first, I'm listening!"

Qin Hui coughed and said, "Then I'll ask first!"

He asked Chen Qingdao: "The Zhizheng Hall received some doubts from Zhu Shengfei, the Sichuan-Shaanxi appeasement envoy, can you explain?"

Sure enough, it started straight away without any transition.

"I don't know which aspect Zhu Xuanfu envoy questioned about the humble position?"

"He thinks that many things have not been reported to him for instructions, so he decides to implement them without authorization. Is there such a thing?"

Chen Qing said lightly: "Can you give me a specific example?"

"For example, you sent troops to Ganquan Fort and fought against Xixia in Ganquan Fort without his consent, and you didn't report to him before and after the event. Is the situation true?"

"The situation is not true!" Chen Qing denied it.

Zhao Gou was slightly taken aback, he looked up at Chen Qing in surprise, Qin Hui's question was actually his question, Qin Hui was questioning Chen Qing on his behalf.

Qin Hui said coldly: "Where it is not true, General Chen please explain it in detail!"

"First of all, Ganquan Fort is located in Qinzhou. All the actions of the humble officer in Qinzhou are within the purview of the envoy, and the so-called dispatch of troops to Ganquan Fort is wrong. Sending troops to Ganquan Fort is a deployment of troops in Qinzhou. After the deployment was over, Xixia and the Puppet Qi came to attack Ganquan Fort in a big way. From this point of view, the humble position is just a passive defense, and there is no need to ask the Xuanfu envoy for instructions in advance. Since there is no need to ask for instructions in advance, there is no after-the-fact report. The humble position only repelled the invasion of the Xixia army and the puppet Qi army."

Qin Hui sneered, "Do you think there is no need to report to the Xuan Fu envoy for a battle of more than [-] troops?"

Chen Qing laughed, "The humble officer fought in Ganquanbao as the commander of the Western Army, not as the envoy of the Qinzhou regime. Does Mr. Qin understand?"

"I don't understand, explain it to me!"

"The humble position has two identities, one is the envoy of the Qinzhou system, which focuses on government affairs, and the other is the command of the Xihe Road Army, and the commander of the Xihe Road Army is Wu Ling. After the Battle of Ganquanbao, the humble post Send someone to send the battle report to the governor of the capital of Wu, and the humble officer cannot exceed his authority to report to the envoy Zhu Xuanfu."

Chen Qing will kill Qin Hui with one sentence, and everyone realizes that Chen Qing can use this reason to generalize. All his military actions do not need to be reported to the Xuanfu envoy. He is the commander, and he can only report to the governor. , and cannot exceed his authority to report to Zhu Shengfei. As for whether Wu Lin reported to Zhu Shengfei, that is another matter, and has nothing to do with Chen Qing.

Qin Hui quickly cast a glance at Emperor Zhao Gou, who was drinking tea with his head bowed, that is to say, this question has been passed.

"Okay! I'll just ask that question!"

But Chen Qing quit and passed the test by himself. Zhu Shengfei has not passed the test yet!

"Xiaozhi would like to say a few more words, is it allowed?"

Zhang Jun nodded, "General Chen, please speak!"

"As the envoy of the Qinzhou system, I submitted a report to the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi to clarify the Qinzhou general judgment shortly after taking office. It has been a few months, but there is no news so far, which has seriously affected the government affairs of Qinzhou. carry out."

"What report content?"

"The former general judge and governor of Qinzhou abandoned his official position and fled when the Jin soldiers invaded, and then the local gentry in Qinzhou recommended Wang Huai as the general judge of Qinzhou. He was not the general judge appointed by the court, but just recommended by the people, so many things He has no power to implement, such as adjusting grain from various counties, recruiting labor, etc., so after Zhu Xuanfu envoy took office, he submitted a report to the Xuanfu envoy's official office to clarify the Qinzhou general judgment, but so far there has been no reply. "

Zhang Jun then asked Wang Miao, a doctor in the Ministry of Officials, "Did the Ministry of Officials receive a letter about the general judgment of Qinzhou?"

"Reporting to Mr. Zhang, I didn't receive it!"

At this time, Lu Yihao said slowly: "The appointment of the governor and the judgment are the affairs of the official department. The Xuanfu envoy is just a recommendation. If there is a suitable candidate, the official department can directly appoint it. How about it! General Chen will go directly to the office in the afternoon. The Ministry of Officials will handle it, and the Ministry of Officials will send people to inspect it, and after passing it, the Ministry of Officials will directly appoint and send a copy to the Xuanfu envoy.”

"Thank you Lu Xianggong!"

Chen Qing originally wanted to take the opportunity to attack Zhu Shengfei for slack in government affairs, but he was resolved by Lu Yihao, but this was also good, preventing Zhu Shengfei from appointing a Qinzhou General Judge who was against him.

Lu Yihao didn't want Chen Qing to cause trouble again. Attacking Zhu Shengfei at this time would only make the emperor dissatisfied, and pretending to be a weak victim is the right way.

"Go on! Do you have anything else to ask?" Lu Yihao looked at the surrounding ministers and asked.

Zhang Jun smiled and said: "Let me ask! As far as I know, the phenomenon of fortresses is very serious, including Qinzhou, Longzhou, Deshun Prefecture, and Lanzhou, but the system was quickly cured in Qinzhou. There must be a good experience, can you share it with us?"

Chen Qing bowed and said: "The phenomenon of fortresses is a matter of self-government of the people. In the border states close to Xixia, a large number of fortresses were built to fight against Xixia. When the Jin soldiers came, a large number of rural people hid in the fortresses. The local gentry organized self-government by the people, which is not a big problem in itself. The problem later was that when the government lost control of the fort, some people with ulterior motives became the masters of the fort, enslaved the people, resisted the government, and became a small autonomous kingdom. .”

When Chen Qing said this, everyone became interested, even Zhao Gou was very interested. It was the first time he heard about the fortress issue.

"Then how did General Chen solve it?" Zhao Gou asked.

"It's very simple. Kill one to warn others. I chose the three most powerful forts, Zhou's Fort, Dingxi Fort and Anyuan Fort. The main ones are Zhou's Fort. Send their heads to other fortresses to show the public, and then captured Anyuan and Dingxi villages, and solved these three fortresses, and the other fortresses have all come under the jurisdiction of the government."

Zhao Gou nodded, "It's a good way to kill one to warn others!"

Zhao Gou asked again: "General Chen, let me talk about the current situation of Shaanxi Road and Xihe Road. I heard that the situation has changed dramatically. I am at a loss now. What has become of it?"

Chapter 266 Exchange

Chen Qing's job report took a whole morning, and even most of the time was spent on questions and answers between Emperor Zhao Gou and Chen Qing.

But from the questions and answers here, the ministers also basically understood the current situation in the Northwest. Chen Qing's answer was even more profound than Zhang Jun's report last year. At least Zhang Jun never mentioned the factor of Xixia people.

In the imperial study room, Zhao Gou stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, staring at the clouds gathering and dispersing in the sky. Today, from Chen Qing, he learned about the complicated situation in the Northwest, and also learned about the fragility of the Song Dynasty’s rule in the Northwest. With the strong penetration in the northwest region, it is too difficult for Da Song to regain the northwest.

At this moment, Zhao Gou even had the idea of ​​completely abandoning the Northwest. As long as Sichuan can be kept, it doesn't matter whether he wants the arid and bitter cold land in the Northwest.

But if he gave up, how should he explain to his ancestors?

On one side is the cruelty of reality, and on the other side is the inheritance of his ancestors. Two contradictory decisions are intertwined in his heart, making him upset for a while.

"Does Zhang Xianggong think there is still hope in the Northwest?" Zhao Gou asked in a low mood.

Zhang Jun bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I have also talked to Your Majesty before that the northwest is actually a protracted battle. We will take the opportunity of defending Dashan Pass. Every victory will enable us to expand one step to the northwest. , Qinzhou is the result of the big Sanguan victory at the beginning of the year.

It's a pity that Zhu Shengfei was hit by the golden soldiers, who used retreat as a strategy to advance, blindly expanded, and cut off the money and food supply of the front army on his own initiative, resulting in a series of disastrous subsequent defeats. Even Hanzhong was broken by the golden soldiers. Chen Qing rushed to help, he Not only was he not grateful, but he accused Chen Qing of not obeying the military order to go south, which is simply pedantic and incompetent. The minister was very worried that he would lose Bashu. "

Zhao Gou didn't want to talk about Zhu Shengfei's matter. Zhu Shengfei cut off the money and food supply in front of him, but he was actually carrying out his order. It's just that Zhao Gou didn't expect the consequences to be so serious, but he couldn't blame Zhu Shengfei for this incident.

"Chen Qing moved the Qinzhou government to the north to Ganquanbao, what does Zhang Xianggong think?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Chengji County is the place where the Fourth World War was fought. It is a traffic hub and is easily breached by the enemy. Now that the Song army is weak, it can be transferred to a place that is difficult for the enemy to attack. At the same time, it can defend against the invasion of Xixia from the south. It is undoubtedly the most suitable choice.

Wei Chen agrees with what Chen Qing said. There is no supply place within a radius of [-] miles of Ganquan Fort, and there are no trees within a radius of [-] miles. If the enemy troops attack Ganquan Fort, a long supply line must be established. It will lead to the defeat of the enemy army. Such a high cost of war can guarantee the safety of Ganquan Fort. I believe that Ganquan Fort will become the starting point for the Song army to regain the Northwest. "

Zhao Gou nodded, "Ai Qing is right, Zhu Shengfei is indeed a little short-sighted in the case of Fort Ganquan, and I don't support him."

"Your Majesty, there is another important point, that is, Chen Qing's promotion as soon as possible is not for his personal benefit, but for the sake of the situation in the entire Northwest. Only when he is promoted to the capital can he take on greater responsibilities. For example, Xi Only when Helu soldiers and horses are envoys can he lead the army to take back Xihe Road in a legitimate way."

"I understand what Aiqing means, and I'll think about it a little more."

Zhang Jun secretly sighed in his heart, Chen Qing's promotion has become the key to defending the Northwest, and the officials are still hesitating, which shows how strong the force behind him is to stop Chen Qing's promotion.

"Wei Chen retire!"

Zhang Jun bid farewell and left, Zhao Gou walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, and immediately ordered: "Let's go to Funing Palace!"

……

Zhao Gou had no heirs, and his only blood relatives were his two daughters and his mother, Queen Mother Wei, so he was extremely filial to Queen Mother Wei, obeyed her words, and visited his mother every day.

Empress Dowager Wei lives in Funing Palace, which occupies a small area, only about [-] acres, but it is quite exquisitely built. This is the characteristic of Song Dynasty palaces, which do not pursue grandeur, but pursue refinement and comfort.

It is midsummer now, Empress Dowager Wei lives in Qingliang Pavilion, surrounded by hundreds of court ladies and eunuchs.

"My son kowtowed to the queen mother, wishing the queen mother a holy body and good health!"

Zhao Gou knelt in front of the gauze curtain, bowing his head respectfully.

After a long while, a soft voice came from behind the curtain, "Ai's family is still in good health, so you don't have to worry about the emperor. What's the matter?"

"Reporting to my mother, the batch of old palace items presented by my son yesterday, can my mother use them well?"

"It's not bad. Although it's a little bit of thinking about others, but at last I have some comfort. The emperor has a heart."

"Today, Zhang Jun specially presented a white jade Guanyin statue to the Queen Mother. It was an offering to the Queen Mother back then. Does the Queen Mother still remember?"

Empress Dowager Wei thought for a while, and suddenly said: "The Ai family remembered, it seems that the late emperor gave it to Cai Jing!"

"Exactly, after Cai Jing's home was confiscated, the white jade Guanyin was exiled among the people. It was bought by Chen Qing, the governor of Qinzhou, in Jingzhao. Yesterday, Zhang Jun's mother's 60th birthday, Chen Qing gave it to Zhang Jun as a gift. Zhang Jun felt that the Queen Mother needed it more. , and dedicated it to the Empress Dowager."

After finishing speaking, Zhao Gou turned his head and winked, and an eunuch carefully brought in the white jade Guanyin and presented it to Empress Dowager Wei, who believed in Buddhism. She had seen this white jade Guanyin before, and now she likes it even more.

"Are the officials going to intercede with Chen Qing?"

"Mother, Chen Qing defeated the [-] Xixia army in Fort Ganquan, conquered Jingzhao, captured the puppet Qin King and sent him to Lin'an for execution, which greatly dealt a blow to the arrogance of the puppet Qi. He captured it from the Mansion of the Puppet King of Qi, although his qualifications are relatively low, but his achievements are very great, if he is not promoted, I am afraid that the Western Army will not be convinced, which is not conducive to the stability of the situation in the Northwest."

"But the conflict between him and Zhu Shengfei is so deep, and Zhu Shengfei can't even control a single one. How can he be the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi? The officials don't consider the mood of the coach, but go to appease the generals below. It's not appropriate!"

"After I reported to my mother, Chen Qing reported on his duties today, and the son-in-law knew about the misunderstanding. As Chen Qing was in charge, his boss was not Zhu Shengfei, but Wu Ling. He could not report to Zhu Shengfei by leapfrogging. The two sides did not communicate well on this point. In addition, The long distance and lack of information led to deep misunderstandings."

"So Zhu Shengfei is looking for trouble?"

"Zhu Shengfei has only been in office for a short time, and it is normal for him not to understand the situation."