"Your Majesty is handsome and has beautiful ideas." Lin Su lowered his head and said, "Since you want to reduce the power of the vassal states, I will lend you a hand. Go ahead and reduce the power. If anyone dares to disobey, you can send troops."
The power of the vassal kings was great, and Emperor Chengdi of the Ming Dynasty wanted to reduce their power but was unable to do so. Now that the army has been reorganized and the southwest and northwest have all submitted to the central government, reducing the power of the vassal kings is a natural thing to do.
It's not that it's impossible to reduce the power of the feudal lords in a peaceful way, but the history books naturally record the existence of the Enfeoffment Order. If the feudal lords want to use this method again, they are not all fools.
Xiao Tang looked at him and asked, "If we want to send troops, do you have to leave the palace?"
"Of course." Lin Su said.
Xiao Tang was silent for a while. He wanted this person to do what he wanted to do, but he didn't want him to be too far away from him. Is there a way to have the best of both worlds?
He was already reluctant to leave before he even left.
Lin Su stroked his cheek and said, "The northwest border is peaceful now. It's not appropriate for Grand Marshal Cheng Ze Rui to be guarding the Prime Minister's residence every day. How about Your Majesty ordering him to serve as my deputy?"
Xiao Tang's eyes lit up slightly. "You mean he'll handle the small matters, and you'll handle the big ones?"
"Correct answer." Lin Su smiled.
In the original world line, the protagonist Ning Yin was disappointed with Xiao Tang's brutal methods after he ascended the throne, so he chose to leave the capital, which he felt was a filthy place. After that, Cheng Ze Rui's honesty and tenderness made him feel moved again.
But now times have changed, and many things are developing completely differently from before. The marriage between the protagonists is not something that can be achieved overnight. Even though Prime Minister Ning is very optimistic about the ability and character of the Northwest Marshal, it is useless if Ning Yin is unwilling to marry. At this point, it is useless to pursue him relentlessly. It is better to retreat for the time being and adopt a delaying tactic.
When something becomes a habit, and this habit is broken, you will start to miss that person in your heart. People will not easily ignore those who like them, and it is the same for anyone.
Xiao Tang hugged his neck and was affectionate with him: "If this reduction of the feudal system is successful, I can use this opportunity to have you take a seat at the court, and also use it to improve Shuang'er's status."
He had never thought of this before, but after being with Lin Su, he always wanted to improve Shuang'er's status so that they could enter politics. As for the military camp, it was really not easy to change it at will, because Shuang'er could indeed give birth to children, and the soldiers ate and lived together, and only Ning Yin was disguised. If everyone studied together, the barracks would be in chaos. But as long as they could improve a little, they would not have to be trapped at home. It was enough for those with talents to be recognized.
By then, even if he exposed Shuang'er's identity, the controversy and backlash from both the government and the opposition would not be that great.
"Your Majesty is thoughtful." Lin Su tapped his nose.
The Xiao Kingdom has a vast territory, and reforming a country's political affairs is far from being as easy as saying a word or doing a thing. His little emperor has worked hard enough.
The southwest region previously had no more than a hundred thousand troops stationed there, but now the Queen was leading troops, which was already a taboo in the world, and the number of troops she led directly exceeded a hundred thousand.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the Imperial Censors knelt outside Xiao Tang's palace gate. They knelt there for a whole day and night. The next morning, during the court session, the palace gates opened wide, and Xiao Tang, wearing his imperial robes, emerged. Looking at their haggard appearances, he said, "You gentlemen, please kneel if you wish. Instruct them to ensure that food, drink, and water are not lacking. If anyone falls ill, summon the imperial physicians directly. If they harm one of my beloved ministers, they will be held accountable."
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. If you hand over all the military forces in the capital to the Queen, I am afraid that the Xiao Kingdom's eternal foundation will be destroyed, Your Majesty!" A minister hugged Xiao Tang's clothes and said with tears in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, grace is grace. There has never been a queen leading an army in history, let alone the imperial guards in the capital. You must not hand over the Kingdom of Xiao to others because of personal feelings!" Another old minister also cried.
"Your Majesty... You absolutely cannot do that..."
"When did I ever say I would hand over the country to someone else?" Xiao Tang gestured, and the eunuch beside him pulled away the minister who was holding his legs. "You are all devoted to the country, I will not argue with you. Now that the feudal system is about to be reduced, my queen is a rare military talent, but she is trapped in this harem."
"Your Majesty, there are generals in the court..." said a minister.
Xiao Tang snorted coldly and laughed, "It's true that the court is not without generals, but do they know how to deploy 120,000 troops? The only generals available now are from the northwest. They may be good at planning and strategizing, but the only one who can command 120,000 troops is the Empress."
Even Cheng Ze Rui is inferior to Lin Su. He can deal with the barbarians in the northwest border, but he is not flexible enough to deal with the vassal kings in the interior.
A general's success is built on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. To train a general, the sacrifice of soldiers is inevitable. However, Xiao Tang wanted to minimize such sacrifices. The reason why he wanted to reduce the power of the princes was to prevent the princes from becoming too powerful and causing chaos in the world.
The ministers kneeling on the ground were all silent. Xiao Tang straightened his sleeves and said, "If you gentlemen don't treat those soldiers as human beings, then just kneel here."
As his procession moved away, a group of old ministers were left kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed, not daring to stand up.
Love the people as your own children. The people are your children, and the soldiers are also your children. If you accuse someone of disregarding the lives of soldiers, then he is a traitor.
From the time the ministers knelt down to the time they left one by one, Prime Minister Ning never appeared.
The three armies united, and except for the troops stationed on the border, the rest of the troops that could be mobilized by the State of Xiao were gathered in Lin Su's hands. As the commander-in-chief, he had his own title. His Majesty personally issued an imperial decree, appointing him as the General Dingguo and appointing Cheng Ze Rui, the Grand Marshal of the Northwest, as his deputy general to conquer the thirteen prefectures and vassal kings.
As soon as this order was issued, some weak vassal kings submitted letters of surrender and requested to reduce their power. Those who were able to do so were naturally rewarded by Xiao Tang, and were granted titles and their nobility could be passed down to their descendants. However, there were also those who did not want to reduce their power and directly raised their own troops, actually opposing the court from afar.
Those who surrender will be able to survive, and those who refuse will need to be surrounded and suppressed. However, before the encirclement and suppression, the 120,000 soldiers need to undergo collective training and integration.
The capital city was still peaceful. If it were usual, the gate of Prime Minister Ning's residence would be crowded with people. No matter whether they were Prime Minister Ning's students or subordinates, there would always be people coming to discuss some things. Add to that the marriages of his children and in-laws, and it was even more lively.
However, since the Northwest Grand Marshal took office, this place has been somewhat deserted. Not only do children who come to play no longer come, but even officials who don't have important matters do not come here. All this is because the marshal directly sent troops to surround the prime minister's residence just to propose marriage. He also prevented ordinary people from entering and leaving, but it was to prevent the prime minister's little Shuang'er from escaping.
The siege of the Prime Minister's residence is a serious matter, but the Prime Minister is happy to see it happen, while His Majesty turns a blind eye to the matter. This has caused a lot of heated discussion in the capital, and everyone wants to know which side will compromise in the end.
"What are you dissatisfied with? Dad thinks that Cheng Ze Rui is an ambitious man, and he has no wives or concubines at home, so he wants you alone. Well, you said yourself that you want to choose someone who only cares about you and is the main wife. Who could be more suitable than this?" Ning Xiang said with his hands behind his back.
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