Zhang Jun was stunned again, and then asked seriously: "What does Qu Jiedu think?"

"I heard a lot of rumors when I came from Guanxi. It was said that after the pacification of Xixia, the two emperors and some bastards in Nanyang and Yangzhou were ready to make a move. Then some Taoists bullied the emperor in the court, forcing the emperor to flee to the army... Prime Minister Zhang Shu, is it because you are incompetent in guarding the family that treacherous ministers have emerged in the court, or is there simply a leopard-headed Lin Chong hiding beside the emperor, thinking about fighting day and night, forcing the emperor to speak like this?" Qu Duan held the manuscript and asked seriously. "Could it be that one of Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan was bribed and bewitched by the two emperors?"

Everyone except Zhang Jun was stunned.

After a while, Zhang Deyuan finally became angry: "Why is Qu Jiedu so absurd? How could these two be bribed by the two saints? What did the two saints use to bribe these two?"

Liu Ziyu was also furious: "This is really absurd! Qu Da, even if you were bribed, Yang and Liu would not be bribed by others!"

"So what if they are absurd? Isn't it just a guess?" Qu Duan said disapprovingly. "Even if Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan are fine, the four words "officials forcing the people to rebel" in "Water Margin" are also what the emperor wants, right? It can be seen that in the eyes of the emperor, the officials during the reign of Emperor Taishang Daojun have absolutely nothing to do with him, the Emperor of Jianyan! Even the Imperial Song before Jianyan is only a hindrance in name, and it has nothing to do with him... The emperor has always intended to abandon the old Song and establish the new Song. He should have said it clearly in public, right? Is this wrong?"

Zhang Deyuan and Liu Ziyu were speechless, and the rest of the people were also silent.

Because as Qu Duan said, although his words were a bit absurd, the meaning he pointed out was basically the same... Ever since Emperor Zhao returned from the Huai River, he has always been rebellious against the ancestral family rules, perhaps out of reflection on the shame of Jingkang.

If the situation could be covered up a little in the past few years due to the obvious political inertia and resistance, then in recent years, as the military achievements of the Imperial Camp system were laid out and the country's revival became evident, the government's military and political power was gradually consolidated without any unnecessary concerns.

In fact, the differences between Emperor Zhao and his Taoist and Neo-Confucian ministers became increasingly serious, which eventually led to the Baima Shaoxing Rebellion, which was close to a coup d'état... This was largely the reason, and it was probably not just the original school of thought.

Even the government's introduction of the original school of thought should have contained this factor of dividing the past.

"Qu Dutong has a point."

After a moment, Liu Ziyu, who had regained his composure, spoke in a deep voice. "The government certainly intended to force the people to rebel, but at this moment, the government's main concern may not be this. You must know that since the return of Huaishang, the government has been focused on restoring the country and avenging the previous humiliation. In a nutshell, it is to destroy the Jurchens and recover the lost territory. After the battle of Yaoshan, the Jurchens retreated to the other side of the Yellow River. The court wanted to eliminate the pseudo-Qi and then take advantage of the situation to sweep Guanxi, and there was also the momentum of the Jinhepo Alliance. Under such a big situation, there is only one key event in the future. That is..."

At this point, Liu Ziyu paused for a moment. Perhaps he was thinking of the feud between Ma Kuo and his father and son, his expression slightly tensed, and then he continued speaking, his tone becoming more short and harsh: "That is to accumulate troops and food in preparation for the Northern Expedition! And when we discuss matters, we should start from here!"

"What Minister Liu said is absolutely right." Seeing this, the Minister of Personnel, Lü Zhi, who had been prepared, responded. "And I have a point here..."

Zhang Jun immediately turned his head and looked at Lü Zhi. "What An Lao (Lü Zhi's courtesy name) said must be good advice! The strategy you proposed to pacify Jin coincides with that of Yue Jiedu. The general plan of the country is also moving forward step by step according to what you two have said. You two have a general plan in mind!"

Lu Zhi smiled complacently, and did not refuse Zhang Jun's praise. He twirled his beard and said, "I think that everything should be viewed from a higher perspective. For example, in "Water Margin", it is meaningless to dwell on Lu Zhishen or Lin Chong. According to the context of this book, there may be more characters appearing next... The key lies in the gathering of heroes!"

"Gather together?!" Zhang Jun's heart was slightly moved.

"It seems that the Prime Minister has learned something." Seeing this, Lu Zhi continued to smile. "Speaking of the emperor's experience of the gathering of heroes, it was nothing more than the private oath of the ten commanders, which led to the emperor's gathering in Heyin that day. Therefore, for the emperor, this gathering of heroes should refer to the formation of the Imperial Camp. And this matter is also in line with the current situation... If we want to march north, we must accumulate troops and improve our combat effectiveness. Therefore, the first thing to do is to expand the Imperial Camp!"

Everyone became serious.

"And if we want to expand the army quickly, there are a few issues that make it difficult for the government to speak up... One is that expanding the army will eventually cost the people money and make the finances tight; the other is that if we want to quickly build up combat power, we will inevitably have to take in the old Tangut soldiers, the Khitan survivors, and even the small Mongolian tribes, which will definitely cause discussion." As he spoke, Lu Zhi himself became serious. "So, some words and some things need to be said by us as ministers... Prime Minister, what I mean is that the Privy Council must step up and take the initiative to come up with a plan for expanding the army. The foreign people must also be sorted out in advance, and they must also block the pedantic views of some people who always take the long-term view for the government."

"Minister Lu's words actually make sense!" After hearing this, Qu Duan was the first to shake his head and sigh. "I'm expanding the army in Yinshan and Xingling, but I also know that there are constant impeachments here in the court, saying that there are too many foreign soldiers in the imperial cavalry, and the cavalry is also stationed in the Yuetai camp near the capital, which will inevitably cause trouble in the future... But to be honest, when it comes to cavalry, if you pull out a foreigner and a Han Chinese, it will definitely be easier for the foreigner who has been used to riding and shooting since childhood to quickly develop combat power... How do you want me to choose?"

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