In the next few days, Qingyun Mountain was calm.
But in Kaifeng, the Great Song Dynasty Hall exploded.
First, the daughter of the newly appointed Minister of Rites was kidnapped by bandits on Qingyun Mountain near Qingyun Mountain under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Mansion.
Then the two thousand elite soldiers seconded from Linxiang County were captured by the bandits on Qingyun Mountain.
Two pieces of blockbuster news, as the new prime minister personally presented a memorial to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty in the court, and the current official Zhao Ji, instantly caused an uproar in the court.
It would be fine if this kind of thing happened in other prefectures, but this is under the jurisdiction of Kaifeng Prefecture, the most virtuous area under the emperor's feet! How could such a bad incident happen? It was the same group of bandits.
In particular, this group of bandits was able to defeat thousands of officers and soldiers. Such power was entrenched at the feet of the emperor, which made the ministers of the DPRK panic for a moment.
It was just a bandit, nothing more to the Song Dynasty, but the difficulty lies in the timing of this matter.
Fan Zhongyan had just taken office and was busy preparing for the New Deal, and he was indeed preparing to take this opportunity to launch the New Deal.
And a group of old forces headed by Privy Councilor Tong Guan do not want their own interests to be harmed.
There was a lot of discussion in the court. Some said that the first troops should be sent to exterminate to eliminate future troubles. Some said that the terrain of Qingyun Mountain is steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are tens of thousands of elite soldiers who cannot attack it. Instead of wasting people and money, it is better to issue an edict to recruit people.
The two parties were the warring faction headed by the current prime minister Fan Zhongyan, and the peace faction headed by the privy envoy Tong Guan. The two parties were noisy in the court hall.
Even Zhao Ji, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, was so agitated by this incident every day that he lost his favorite inscriptions, calligraphy and painting.
Of course, his irritability is not because of Qingyun Mountain, but just a group of bandits in Qingyun Mountain. So what if he can capture two thousand officers and soldiers? It's just because of the favorable location.
Since there are 800,000 forbidden troops in the imperial city of Song Dynasty, one person can flood Qingyun Mountain with just one spit, so Qingyun Mountain can naturally be destroyed with a wave of his hand in Zhao Ji's eyes.
That's where the problem lies. What should we do after Qingyun Mountain is destroyed? Fan Zhongyan must take the opportunity to implement the New Deal.
The existence of Qingyun Mountain in the past was the product of various dealings between local government forces.
As the emperor of the Song Dynasty, how could Zhao Ji not know this? It's just that he knows the officialdom of the Song Dynasty very well. It's just tofu with hemp rope, don't mention it!
However, as long as the various states and counties can pay tribute to various playthings in time, Zhao Ji is too lazy to pay attention to them. The so-called people who are not deaf or blind are not worthy of being the leader.
But now that I have decided to use Fan Zhongyan to prepare for the new deal, the parties in the court have been fighting against each other for their own interests.
As an official of the Song Dynasty, he naturally had to balance the forces of all parties. Faced with the endless battles between courtiers every day, he first retreated from the New Deal.
If you didn't know Jun Wuxiyan, I'm afraid Fan Zhongyan would have retired and returned home long ago.
This also led to Fan Zhongyan's original plan to request that troops be sent out on the same day, but the plan was delayed again and again in the court, and it has been delayed until now.
Inside the Song Dynasty Palace.
In the imperial study room, two rows of tall shelves made of golden nanmu were filled with collections of toys and tributes from various places.
There was an incense burner placed on the imperial desk, with green smoke curling up. There was a piece of white rice paper spread out on the imperial desk, and two young eunuchs stood on both sides of the imperial desk.
Zhao Ji, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, who is dressed in green robes, seven feet tall, has a thin face, and is elegant, stands in front of the imperial desk in the imperial study room, holding a brush and preparing to calligraphy and painting on rice paper.
At this moment, a eunuch came to report.
"Reporting to the official family, Mr. Fan and the Minister of Rites are waiting for an audience outside the palace." An old eunuch with a fair face and no beard and gray hair stood bent at the door of the imperial study room to report.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji's face, which was originally relaxed and comfortable, suddenly dropped, and he raised the brush in his hand to throw it on the table.
But he glanced at the fine rice paper on the imperial desk with pity, and finally slowly put down the pen and traced his fingers across the white rice paper.
"Oh! Please come in." Zhao Ji rubbed his forehead with a headache and waved his hand to the old eunuch at the door.
Upon hearing this, the old eunuch bowed and took the order and left.
"Alas!" Zhao Ji sat down on the mahogany official chair behind him and sighed softly.
In the past few days, Prime Minister Fan Zhongyan and the Minister of Rites, whose daughter was kidnapped by bandits, Li Qing'er's father, came to see him almost every day.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he talked about the military suppression of bandits. However, the situation in the DPRK was complicated. Even as the emperor, he was in a dilemma.
But who let their daughter be robbed? Still under the nose of his emperor, he had to speak kindly to each other time and time again.
But this Mr. Li was recommended by Fan Zhongyan. He started talking about new policies and new policies, which made Zhao Ji not want to see him anymore.
No, just as I was getting a little excited and ready to splash some ink, someone came, and the abbreviation was even more punctual than the clocks in the palace.
Just when Zhao Ji was thinking about how to comfort the Minister of Etiquette and let him go back this time, Fan Zhongyan took Li's father into the royal study.
The two of them saluted Zhao Ji at the same time, "I've seen the official!"
Zhao Ji helplessly looked at Fan Zhongyan, who had an old face but sparkling eyes, and the Minister of Rites, who had a serious face but elegant brows, and waved his hand, "That's all, come and give me a seat!"
As the two of them sat down, Zhao Ji glanced sideways at Fan Zhongyan and asked, knowingly: "I wonder if Aiqing has something important to do when you come here this time?"
Hearing this, Fan Zhongyan stood up and saluted, and said seriously: "I have reported to the officials. I have sent people to find out for many days. There are currently five or six thousand people gathered in Qingyun Mountain. The new leader of the bandits is named Zhang Dao, and there are thousands of bandit soldiers. Judging from the fact that they captured two thousand of my elite soldiers in just one battle, this group of bandits has already formed a force, and they can reach the capital in less than a day outside our city of Kaifeng. If we don't send troops to annihilate them, I'm afraid they will become a serious trouble."
Zhao Ji looked at Fan Zhongyan, who had a serious face, and curled his lips helplessly, saying: "Ai Qing, as the prime minister of the current dynasty, you don't know what it means to send troops at this juncture! The current situation in the dynasty is unstable. How do you want me to send troops?"
"In the official family, a minor minister has something to report!" The Minister of Rites, Li Qing'er's father, stood up and bowed to report the matter.
"Precisely!" Zhao Ji looked at Fan Zhongyan and shook his head helplessly, looking at the Minister of Rites.
Li's father bowed slightly and said with a serious expression: "I'm reporting to the officials that I failed to discipline my daughter, and she was kidnapped by thieves. Now that my little girl is in the hands of thieves, I'm afraid, I'm afraid that I will be humiliated by thieves. In this way, I am really proud of you." Really, there is nothing to be ashamed of like a scholar-bureaucrat."
Speaking of the emotional part, the Minister of Rites' voice was choked up, and Zhao Ji looked at him with sympathy.
Just listen to him continue: "Please ask the officials to remove me from office and let me go to Qingyun Mountain to accompany my miserable daughter!"
Zhao Ji's face changed slightly when he heard this. Is this okay? Does this mean that I am incompetent and ignorant and do not know right from wrong?
However, because his daughter was lost, Zhao Ji thought for a moment and persuaded her harmoniously: "Li Aiqing is serious. Your beloved daughter fell into the hands of thieves because of the poor governance of the governor of Kaifeng. I will make her retire and return to her hometown."
"And there is nothing wrong with loving you. If I were to dismiss you because your daughter was kidnapped by a thief, wouldn't I become a coward if the news spread?"
Fan Zhongyan intervened at the right time and echoed: "Guan family, but now, Mr. Li's beloved daughter is in the enemy camp, and he may not be in the mood to do anything, so why not let him go back!"
Knowing that Fan Zhongyan was forcing him to express his position, Zhao Ji rolled his eyes at him, rubbed his temples helplessly, raised his hand and pressed it to signal the two of them to sit down.
Then, Zhao Ji sighed leisurely, looked at Fan Zhongyan and said: "My beloved, you should know what I mean. It's not that I don't want to send troops, but what will happen to the Central Government after sending troops?"
"Old minister, I understand!" Fan Zhongyan said loudly, cupping his fists.
"Oh?" Zhao Ji suddenly became interested, and asked after thinking about everything: "Does Mr. Fan think the plan will be settled?"
Fan Zhongyan uttered eight words with dignity: "If you don't break, you won't stand. Dig the bones and heal the wounds!"
Zhao Ji was silent for a moment, then asked: "What's the explanation?"
Then Fan Zhongyan laid out all his plans.
In short, Kaifeng County is used as a pilot project.
By sending troops to suppress the bandits this time, the central general of the army was dispatched, regardless of success or failure, to start tracing the forces or troops behind Qingyun Mountain.
Gradually get involved in other departments, use points to lead, investigate mediocre officials and corrupt officials from bottom to top, and stabilize the government.
When the time is right and there has been some progress at the bottom level, and a group of smart and capable officials are replaced, the reform will be implemented first from the bottom up!
Zhao Ji pondered over and over again, and after hearing the steps for implementing the new policy proposed by Fan Zhongyan, he was a little reluctant and took a step back.
"In that case, let's send troops first! Try to rescue Li Aiqing's beloved daughter within half a month, and then we can discuss other matters."
Father Li almost fainted when he heard this. Half a month? Then wouldn’t I become a grandpa?
He was about to report, but was stopped by Fan Zhongyan's eyes.
Fan Zhongyan, who received the official's statement, did not show any joy on his face. Because the officials were doing Tai Chi again, they only asked the bandits to be exterminated and rescued Li Shilang's daughter, and never mentioned the New Deal.
However, he also knew that the officials were taking a step back. They were only a day or two away from sending troops to suppress the bandits. This half-month gap was the time for mobilizing the army and for the officials to find ways to balance the forces of all parties.
