"Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing are both veteran generals of the Western Army who can see the big picture. They won't let these ruffians in the army be so reckless. However, soldiers asking for rewards is a common thing in the army, and it is also the best way to motivate people." At this point, Yang Yizhong, who was following behind Zhao Jiu, became more cautious in his words. "Your Majesty, several ministers and I all think that if we can't deal with it quickly, I'm afraid that General Wang and Commander Fu's troops will also be involved, and even Commander Huyan and the imperial guards will be unstable..."
"It seems that the troublemakers are all veterans in the army. They know how to make trouble and when to make trouble." Zhao Jiu continued to pace forward, but stopped at the edge of the curtain that served as the palace for him, the Emperor Zhao, and suddenly turned around and asked with a smile. "So what if this reward is not given, and what if it is given?"
"No, they can't rebel without the support of veteran generals at the commanding level. But the 20,000 main forces of the Jin army are in Huaibei. They may take the opportunity to incite them and make the entire camp flee south!" Yang Yizhong said sternly.
"No!" Zhao Jiu shook his head immediately, and pointed north. "You can see that the main force of the Jin army has arrived, and it is unknown how long it will take to repair the inner crossing of Xiacai City. Zhang Jun has become a completely isolated army on the other side. If the Huainan Bagongshan camp collapses again, he will have no chance... Either the whole city will collapse overnight, or he will be forced to surrender by his subordinates. It is a foreseeable thing now."
"Then I can only reward you." Yang Yizhong replied carefully. "I just reported to several ministers, and they all have the same idea. They are waiting for you behind the curtains!"
Zhao Jiu nodded, then looked up at the clear winter sky and sighed, not knowing what he was thinking: "Is there really enough money and goods in the camp?"
"It's not enough, but the treasuries of the two big states of Shouzhou and Shunchang are here, so it's still feasible to give a general reward to the whole army." In fact, the Imperial Censor Zhang Jun, who was on the other side of the curtain, couldn't help but interject. "Your Majesty, since your Majesty has appointed me as the Imperial Censor, I have to say... Now that Liu Guangshi has been killed, there is no point in saying more. After all, Liu Guangshi is just one person, and there are thousands or even tens of thousands of people down the mountain. It is impossible to stabilize the situation by punishment alone!"
"You're right. I don't expect to rely solely on punishment..." Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly across the curtain.
"Your Majesty, please let me know." Another person spoke through the curtain. It was Lu Haowen, the only official minister of the East Palace in the camp. "Even if the imperial court's wealth is gone now, Your Majesty does not need to worry about the expenses of the imperial court and the camp. You must know that Zhang Shumi (Zhang Que) is preparing salt permits and certificates in Huaidong, and everything is going smoothly; Liang Shizhi (Liang Yangzu) is handling the southeastern finances in Yangzhou, and it is also effective... These can all be directly supplied here. Even in the west, after Ding Jin surrendered, the roads were restored, and the wealth and materials supplied by Chuzhou and other military states can be delivered immediately." At this point, Lu Haowen paused for a moment, and finally continued. "Your Majesty has given appropriate rewards. After people's hearts are restored, you can go south to Yangzhou without worry and temporarily avoid the enemy. Leave this place to Wang De... It's time to promote him to a commander."
"Wang De can indeed be given the title of commander." Zhao Jiu listened for a while through the curtains, and suddenly said, "But since we are talking about the west, if we reward the troops here, don't we need to reward Liu Zhengyan, Miao Fu, Liu Yan, and even Ding Jin in the west? Moreover, Liu Guangshi has just been killed, and they are also from the Western Army, so we need to appease them. And Zhang Suo's whereabouts are unknown... In short, we need a prime minister to go to the west, distribute the treasures escorted from Chuzhou on the spot, and promote them appropriately to appease the people. Prime Minister Lu, Prime Minister Wang, who of you will go?"
There was silence across the curtain for a while, but soon Lu Haowen spoke again: "Your Majesty, you must have at least two officials from the East and West and one prime minister by your side, otherwise people will be uneasy... I think it would be better to appoint Yuwen Xuzhong, the scholar of the Zizheng Palace who was separated in Yingkou before, as the co-director of the Privy Council, and transfer him to Huaixi to appease Liu and Miao, and take care of the transportation of several military states in Huaixi."
"Okay." Zhao Jiu smiled and didn't say much.
"That mountain..."
"Let's prepare the rewards down there!" Zhao Jiu continued to smile with his hands behind his back across the curtain. "General Wang, go tell the generals and commanders first, and ask them to calm the people down. Then spread out the gold, silver, money, cloth, and other valuables on the gentle slope on the south side of the mountain, so that they can see it with their own eyes. Prime Minister Wang will then personally watch over it and find experienced people to distribute it fairly..."
"The government makes a wise decision."
Obviously, many people in the tent breathed a sigh of relief, but the Prime Minister Wang Boyan still carefully made a small suggestion. "But sir, it is not good to show money and property in public in front of the soldiers. Otherwise, if there are unscrupulous people inciting them, it may cause chaos."
Zhao Jiu seemed to be thinking about something, then nodded slowly and followed suit: "In that case, then don't make it public. Moreover, since we are worried that someone will instigate again, why not let the officers below Qiao Zhongfu and Zhang Jing in the Western Army... the ones who are causing trouble... go to the small camp on the top of the mountain, and have Lu Xianggong and Zhang Zhongcheng come forward to give them more rewards and appease them. In this way, we can prevent them from causing trouble when we reward the army, and at the same time, we can see if we can appease this army from the root."
There was silence outside the curtain for a moment, followed by whispers.
However, when Zhao Jiu lowered his head, lifted the curtain and walked in, the so-called important ministers of the imperial court, namely the four people headed by Lu Haowen, Wang Boyan, Wang Yuan, and Zhang Jun, plus the miscellaneous civil and military officials in the imperial palace such as Hu Yin, Yang Yizhong, and Lan Gui, all fell silent.
The leader, Lu Haowen, no longer hesitated, but nodded immediately: "Your Majesty's words are also mature, I think we can give it a try."
Zhao Jiu smiled with his hands behind his back...If there were not last night's bloodstains on the open space in the middle of the curtain, the main force of the Jin army and an isolated city on the other side of the river, and the clamoring rebels at the foot of the mountain, everyone would almost think that the extremely relaxed official in front of them was the benevolent emperor who came to enjoy the mountains and rivers in peaceful times.
Just like that, since everyone had received the order, they immediately turned around and went about their business. At this time, Zhao Jiu suddenly spoke up to remind them, "Bring some money and goods first. I want to personally reward the guards in front of me first!"
This was understandable. Everyone became even more speechless and then even busier.
PS: Thanks to Zhuangzhuang’s dad and Uncle Ze for the double alliance, thanks to Le Yanshan and Chaju for the alliance, and thanks to A Yue, Auntie Also Support Me, and Renjian Fireworks Language for the rewards... In short, thank you all for the New Year gifts!
I asked Zhao Xiaojiu to kowtow and say hello to everyone, wishing everyone a happy new year, and hope that everyone will make a fortune in 2020!
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