However, Zhao Zhen was still nostalgic, and Song Shou and Cai Qi were not too old, one was 56 and the other 58. If Zhao Jun did not object, they would most likely remain in the Constitutional Council and continue to make use of their remaining energy.

But Lu Yijian and Wang Zeng were not able to do so.

There is indeed something seriously wrong with their health, and the probability of them retiring due to illness is very high.

In this case, of the twelve prime ministers of the Constitutional Council five years ago, only nine will remain: Zhao Jun, Yan Shu, Fan Zhongyan, Song Shou, Cai Qi, Zhang Shixun, Li Di, Jiang Tang, and Jia Changchao.

With the death of Lü Yijian and Wang Zeng due to illness, the number of people reduced by three.

There are many affairs going on all over the world now. With the development of economy, military, population, education, culture and other aspects, the Constitutional Yuan has a lot of things to deal with.

Moreover, Zhang Shixun and Li Di were both old, so the major matters on weekdays were mainly handled by Zhao Jun, Yan Shu, Fan Zhongyan and others.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the staff will be expanded again this time.

This time, Zhang Dexiang, Du Yan, Chen Zhizhong, Wen Yanbo, Song Xiang, Pang Ji and other talented ministers from various departments were highly sought after.

As for Xia Song, he was not a very sociable person and was not friends with the opposition in history. He just opposed Fan Zhongyan in his stance and did not have many supporters in the court.

But as Zhao Jun's younger brother, how could he not take care of him?

After all, if there are such things that require surgery in the future, we can't always let Zhao Jun do it himself. There must be a black glove.

"Zhiyuan."

At this moment, Wang Shouzhong came over and bowed slightly to him.

Zhao Jun nodded, then took out a transfer order he had just written and said, "Old Wang, go to the back garden and ask the emperor for instructions."

"yes."

Wang Shouzhong took the transfer order and left without asking any questions.

It is said to be a request for instructions, but in fact it is just a stamp.

Zhao Zhen has now become a ruthless stamping machine. After all, this matter needs to be resolved quickly. Waiting for the afternoon meeting or going to the back garden to find him would be a waste of time. It would be better to stamp it directly.

Not long after, Zhao Zhen agreed to the Privy Council's troop transfer, and Zhao Jun also sent someone to the Privy Council to get another transfer order.

Only with the emperor's order and the Privy Council's order can the troops be dispatched.

At noon, Xia Song, who was still working at the Ministry of Finance, received an urgent notice to go to the Constitutional Yuan.

Zhao Jun met him in the meeting room of the Constitutional Council.

The current office area of ​​the Constitutional Court is divided into an outer hall and the prime minister's office area inside. The prime minister does not have a private room, so he can only choose a place to be alone.

"Zhiyuan!"

Xia Song came in, bent over, and said with a flattering smile.

"Sit down."

Zhao Jun nodded his chin slightly, then said, "You know that the Constitutional Yuan will have another election in the second half of this year."

Xia Song was ecstatic in his heart, but he suppressed his expression and said calmly, "Of course I know."

"Um."

Zhao Jun said, "But you also know that now everyone in the government and the public is saying that you became the Minister of Finance by relying on my connections. Many people say that you can't come in this year."

Xia Song was shocked, but his face remained expressionless. He simply said, "I will obey the orders of His Majesty and the Dean, and comply with any orders from the Dean."

"hehe."

Zhao Jun smiled. This was a very artistic statement, just like what officials in later generations said: everything must be subject to the organization's decisions.

He then said, "Of course I want you to come in. You're very capable and handy, and the country needs people like you."

Then he added, "Although you've done a good job at the Ministry of Finance over the past few years and have made considerable achievements, the Ministry of Finance itself isn't a place where you can achieve great things. Your achievements aren't much better than those of your colleagues."

The Ministry of Finance in the Song Dynasty was reorganized from the original three departments, but the three departments were decentralized and now only financial power remains.

But the Ministry of Finance today is different from the Ministry of Finance in later generations.

The Ministry of Finance in later generations can review the financial application reports of local municipalities and provinces, and then decide whether to allocate funds. It also manages many state-owned enterprises, so it still has a lot of power at hand.

Today, the Ministry of Finance has no subordinate central enterprises, and the power to allocate funds lies with the Constitutional Yuan, so its actual power is much smaller than that of the original three departments.

When it comes to political achievements, Xia Song is naturally not as good as his colleagues.

"Yes, I have done my duty conscientiously. As long as the national finances are not in trouble, I will be satisfied."

Xia Song said that the subtext of this sentence was very clear, that is, he had worked very hard, and the national finances had been managed very well in recent years. However, no matter how well the finances were managed, you could not achieve any great achievements.

Unlike the Ministry of Industry, if they repaired the Yellow River and it didn't cause a flood, that would be a political achievement. And the Ministry of Education, no matter how many schools it built or how many talents it trained, those were also political achievements.

As for the Ministry of Finance, it is not possible to calculate the expenditure and income and then count the allocation of money according to the instructions of the Constitutional Yuan as an achievement.

So it’s not that he is incompetent, it’s simply that he has the ability but cannot use it.

"So you still have to produce some results."

Zhao Jun smiled and said, "I just have something for you to do. Once you get it done, everything will fall into place."

"I will listen to your instructions."

Xia Song listened carefully.

Zhao Jun continued, "The wealthy families in Liangzhe Road have gathered to cause trouble. I plan to send troops to deal with it, but I have to be careful not to kill them all, or it will become a massacre without a clear limit. But I can't handle it lightly either. There's a fine line between the two. I don't feel comfortable sending a military officer, so I'm going to let you go."

Xia Song frowned slightly, but it disappeared in an instant.

The reason for frowning is that this is a task that will offend people. Among so many landlords, many have connections with the court, such as relatives or close friends. Killing a lot of people will definitely offend a lot of people.

It was only a moment later that he understood that he was born a military officer, and his transfer to a civil service position depended on his ability to guess his superiors' intentions. He had no foundation in the court, and did not form cliques for personal gain, so his superiors could use him with confidence.

So he is a knife in the hands of his boss. Whether he is promoted or not has nothing to do with others, it is purely the will of the dean.

Therefore, as long as you do your best to wield the knife in the hands of the dean, why bother about what others think?

"Please rest assured, I know what to do."

Thinking of this, Xia Song agreed repeatedly and expressed his willingness to be the vanguard of the court.

"Well, that's good. Get ready. I've already asked His Majesty and the Privy Council to issue a transfer order. Take it to Liangzhe Road to mobilize the local Imperial Guards and the Wing Army."

Zhao Jun stood up and said, "What should be done and what should not be done? How to strike the right balance in between? Think carefully and act with caution."

"yes."

Xia Song also stood up. He knew what to do.

(End of this chapter)