"Yes!" Hu Hongxiu quickly agreed and was about to leave.
At this moment, Wanqi Xie suddenly bowed his head again and reported something to the emperor:
"Your Majesty, there is one more thing. Commander Xin Yongzong, also known as Commander Xin, has just written to the Privy Council, suggesting that Dongting Lake be cleared out. He said that there is a man in Dongting Lake called Zhong Xiang, who has great power, but also spreads lies to confuse the people. He is indeed plotting something bad..."
"You're talking as if I don't know the details of Prime Minister Zhong." Zhao Jiu blurted out, but looked at Wanqi Xie and the somewhat panicked Hu Hongxiu with a half-smile. "But what do you think Commander Xiao Xin meant by this behavior? Do you really think that I and the ministers of the Privy Council don't know who Prime Minister Zhong is?"
"Your Majesty." The young Wanqi Xie said cautiously. "I think that Commander Xiao Xin had privately contacted Commander Er Xin a long time ago and knew that Commander Er Xin was coming. He also followed Your Majesty for a long time and guessed your temper. He was afraid that Commander Er Xin would be convicted, so he asked his acquaintances in the Privy Council for advice. He hoped that the army in the imperial camp would move again, so that his second brother could take advantage of the opportunity to make meritorious contributions and atone for his sins..."
"Oh." Zhao Jiu suddenly smiled again, but he ignored the acquaintances in the Privy Council and continued to ask. "Then, Lord Wanqi, do you think we should go and attack Prime Minister Zhong now?"
Wanqi Xie was uneasy when he heard this, but he still took a bold gamble: "I think that Prime Minister Zhong did have some disloyalty last year, but the Song Dynasty was appointed by heaven, and the emperor first defeated Jin Wushu on the Huai River and stabilized the country in Nanyang. It can be said that he has turned the tide and the signs of revival are already apparent. If there are some scoundrels who misjudged the situation, they have actually lost their courage. If the emperor can issue an edict to appease them, they will surely be convinced and dare not cause chaos."
Zhao Jiu nodded, and then smiled at the pale-faced Hu Hongxiu: "What do you think, Mr. Hu?"
"I have received the kindness of General Xin for many years, so I gave him advice, and the attack on Prime Minister Zhong was exactly what I wanted to advise before." Hu Hongxiu was so embarrassed that he could only bow his hands and face him. "Your Majesty, I did not intend to deceive you, nor did I collude with others to leak military information."
Zhao Jiu did not comment, but continued to ask with a smile: "So, Mr. Hu thinks that now is the time to attack Prime Minister Zhong?"
"Yes." Hu Hongxiu raised his head and answered seriously. "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zhong has occupied Dongting Lake, has a deep foundation and is popular among the people, but he spreads lies to confuse the people, calls himself a great sage, and has people spread the announcement that he should be the King of Chu. His rebellious intentions are obvious. Dongting Lake is the heart of Jinghu and Hulu. If he causes trouble, the consequences will be disastrous..."
Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly, but before the Minister of War Chen Gui could speak, he looked at Wanqi Xie and said, "Mr. Wanqi, just tell Mr. Wang what you said to me before. That is what I mean."
Chen Gui on the side and Hu Hongxiu in front of him were both stunned, and then they had different expressions. However, when Wanqi Xie heard this, he forced himself to suppress his surprise and nodded in agreement.
Just like that, after the two people from the Privy Council left, Emperor Zhao and Chen Gui checked the remnants of the gunpowder packages again, and still designated a ignition point with the best effect as usual, rewarded the saltpeter maker in charge of this point, wrote down the formula ratio and mixing method, and then drove back to Nanyang City together to check the reinforcement of the city defense.
However, for some reason, there are always uninvited guests today.
Emperor Zhao had just walked around half of the city wall with Minister Chen and the supervisor Yan Shaoyin when another person came to see them. This person was far from being comparable to the two previous editors. He was none other than the Emperor's most trusted minister, Chief Censor Zhang Jun Zhang Deyuan.
"Your Majesty, I heard that Zhao Kai, the judge of Chengdu Road, wrote a letter to the emperor, pointing out the five drawbacks of the tea-horse monopoly system and asking for a complete change in the tea-horse monopoly system?" Compared to the two people outside the palace, Zhang Jun spoke in a much more relaxed and casual manner.
"That's true." Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly. "And I and the other gentlemen all think what he said makes sense..."
"Are there any generals from Guanxi who fled to Sichuan and caused trouble in the local area?" Zhang Jun heard this but did not discuss it in depth. Instead, he suddenly asked about another matter.
"I have just issued an order that generals from Guanxi are not allowed to enter Sichuan without permission." Zhao Jiu walked along the city wall, thinking.
"Your Majesty, since the Jingkang Incident, the North has been completely lost, the Central Plains is in chaos, and even the Southeast, Jingxiang, and Lingnan have countless rebels. Only Bashu is safe, and the transportation of grain, fodder, goods, and specialties is continuous. It should be cherished." Zhang Jun followed Zhao Jiu and talked freely, and Yan Xiaozhong and Chen Gui could only lag behind. "And even if you don't care about the whole of Bashu, just say that now that your Majesty is based in Nanyang, then Guanzhong and Lianghuai are the two arms of the court, and the Southeast and Bashu are the two branches of the court. From now on, if you can't properly control Bashu, Guanxi will not be stable..."
"Deyuan has been depressed in Nanyang for a long time and wants to go to Shuzhong?" The other party was still talking, but Zhao Jiu suddenly stopped and turned to talk to him.
"Yes." Zhang Jun also instinctively stopped, but after a moment of hesitation, he immediately nodded heavily, and then solemnly bowed his hands. "Your Majesty, I have received your great kindness, and I really want to share your worries."
Zhao Jiu sighed for a moment: "I believe you are sincere, and I know that you have been frustrated these days... But Deyuan, you should also know what I am most worried about."
"Without your permission, I will never interfere in the war in Guanxi." Zhang Jun replied sternly. "I am only trying to appease Bashu for the emperor, and do my best as a minister."
Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, obviously hesitant… And with this Emperor Zhao's low level of knowledge of history, he naturally didn't know the glorious historical achievements of his trusted and important official. This could be seen from the fact that he almost mistook him for Zhang Boying, the governor of Huaidong at the beginning.
However, out of some prejudice and instinct, he was particularly wary of the civil officials' tendency to interfere in wars, which could lead to serious consequences.
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