The first court meeting after the New Year was less passionate arguments from the ministers and more dull. After reporting on the things that have been accumulated during this period, everyone was nervously waiting for the emperor to speak, but they were just quietly

Sitting on the throne and scanning the ministers, no one dared to look at each other wherever his eyes could reach.

"I want to use Tai Shi, Tai Fu as the Chief Minister, as the Minister of State, and the Left, Right Prime Minister and the Privy Council envoy to enter the Political Affairs Hall together to discuss state affairs. You may have any objections!" After a while, Zhao Qiong said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty is wise, I will obey the order!" Everyone said in unison. Everyone understood that the emperor had added the Zhongshu Menxia Province, which was equivalent to concentrating the power of the Shangshu Province in the Zhengshitang to become the highest authority in the Song Dynasty, but also dispersing the power.

When they reached the hands of the five people, they could not abduct power, but the Zhengshitang became the emperor's office, and the imperial power was not weakened but strengthened, but they were concerned about who could stand the gaps above.

"Well, I want to use the Left Prime Minister of the Shangshu Xu Jingheng as the Grand Tutor to the Political Affairs Hall, Zhao Ren, the envoy of the Privy Council, and Zhao Yong, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, was promoted to the Envoy of the Privy Council; Chen Gongbo, the right prime minister, was promoted to the Central Chief of the Censor, and Chen Go, the Minister of Personnel, was appointed as the Minister of Personnel.

Right Prime Minister of the Shangshu Province; Zhao Yi, the Minister of War, was the Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council, Zhao Zhong, the Assistant of the Privy Council, also served as the Punishment of the Jingji Road, and Lei Zhenshan, the Deputy Chief of the Guards, was promoted to the Commander of the Guards. The vacant position is to be discussed in detail in the Zhengshi Hall.

You have something to say!" Seeing the consent of the ministers, Zhao Qi announced some candidates.

'Om...' As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the hall looked like a beehive that suddenly flipped, causing a stir. This list made people think a lot. Zhao Ren can be said to have always been the emperor's right-hand man, in charge of military power, but is now transferred

Although the Shangshu Province is a quarrel, it is of great significance, which shows that the emperor has already been wary of the scholars. Zhao Zhong has always been the leader of the emperor's personal army. At this moment, he was sent to take charge of the imperial guards in the capital, and he also wanted to strengthen his power. It seems that his previous actions

Too reckless. But fortunately, the sergeants in the Political Affairs Hall still account for the majority.

"Your Majesty is wise, I will obey the order!" Chen Gongbo first came out to politely.

"I have no objection!" Logically speaking, Xu Jingheng was promoted to the top, and the left prime minister should have been succeeded by Chen Gongbo and became prime minister, but Zhao Ren intercepted him halfway, and he was transferred to the position of the Censor Central Chief without promotion, which should be the most dissatisfied.

He, who has always been known for his frankness, actually agreed. The victim didn't say anything, and everyone had nothing to say. He claimed it was the Tao in unison.

The seats of the magistrates were confirmed, and the rest should be the officials of the various departments to adjust them, but the emperor did not say anything, and everyone waited for a long time with their ears blank. After waiting for a while, the vacant official was discussed.

The position of Minister of the Ministry is a poor man, and his power can be as high as half of the prime minister, but I don’t know who will fall into it.

Three days later, the matter came to an end. Zhao Nai, the chief of the Examiner of the Ministry of Personnel, was promoted to Shangshu. This person was considered an old minister of the three dynasties. He was a Jinshi in the Chongning period. He served as the ruling of Luoyang and the Kaifeng scholar Cao. After the emperor ascended the throne, he was retained to Quanzhou.

The prefect was transferred to Beijing for his meritorious management of the local government. He was well-known and used by people, and did not fear the powerful and had a good reputation. It was said that the emperor personally recommended him as the candidate for the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

The Minister of Revenue was replaced by Hu Quan, a young man who had just passed the age of 40, and the Minister of Works was also a young man, Zheng Qiao. The Censor of the Ministry of Revenue was even younger than Li Mengbo, who was only 30 years old. He was the first time he had been admitted to the emperor after he ascended the throne.

Tanhua, after studying in the Imperial Academy for a year, worked in the local area. She started as a county magistrate, magistrate, county magistrate, prefecture, deputy envoy of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Road Transportation, and was promoted almost every year. This was in this dynasty.

It can be regarded as a special case...

After the officials' adjustments, February entered, and Zhao Qiong's most headache came. The Song Dynasty system, from February to May, August to the winter solstice, every single day, the lecturer took turns to the attendant.

Lecture reading is called spring lecture and autumn lecture. There are two main aspects of holding the lecture: one is to study the scriptures in taste, and explore the subtle meanings of the scriptures; the other is to prove the present with the past, that is, to learn from history and learn from the previous generations.

Lessons learned from the rule of the past dynasties.

Zhao Qiong has never liked classics and history since he was a child. He would rather review memorials than attend this imperial lecture on weekdays. However, there are system regulations: the emperor, the six ministers, the censors and the court officials and honorary officials with titles must participate, and they are not allowed to be absent at will.

He had to sit in front as a benchmark, so every time the lecture was a punishment, he wanted to pull the lecturer down and talk to them about a storytelling.

In fact, this lecture is not easy to be a good one. The focus of the lecture is to use the essence of the scriptures and point out the precepts of history, but it must be attributed to reality and aiming at the past for the present. If this is not done well, it will be a taboo, but it is also required that the lecturer must complete this

If one task is just perfunctory or flattering with flattery words, it is undoubtedly a dereliction of duty. In the past, several lecturers were dismissed by the emperor, which made the lectures intermittently unsustainable.

This year, Zhao Qi changed his normalcy and appointed several great scholars, including Yang Shi, Hu Anguo, Zhou Xingji, etc. as the main speakers, and asked them to take turns to give speeches on stage. Several great scholars were naturally good at speaking, and he did not just listen to them like in previous years.

Instead, he actively spoke, took the lead in reviewing the gains and losses of the dynasty, and spoke without hesitation, and was brave enough to point out the mistakes of his ancestors, especially the dangers of the party struggles after the Shenzong.

This year, several lecturers also took Confucius' "Inner Sage and Outer King" as their main content. Their theme reflects the direct unity of morality and politics. They advocate that Confucianism is moral and all talk about politics, and believe that politics only takes morality as the basis of morality.

Only by guidance can there be a correct direction; morality can only have a universal impact only when it is implemented in politics. Politics without moral guidance are hegemony and tyranny. Such politics are unpopular and difficult to last.

Politicians are required to come from moralists first. Only when rulers are committed to the way of saints and become "benevolent people", can they become the sage masters loved by the world. How can they become moralists? According to Confucius' words, they must be benevolent.

Only by reaching the inner saint can one become a qualified ruler. The inner saint is the premise and foundation of the outer king, and the outer king is the natural extension and inevitable result of the inner saint. Cultivating oneself can naturally govern people and govern people

We must first cultivate ourselves. Only by the unity of morality and politics can we complete the transformation from "inner saint" to "outer lord".

All of these people here have learned. Now the old tune is not only to deepen memory, but Zhao Qi wants to use this to rectify the official style, unify his thoughts, and avoid the recurrence of the tragedy of party struggles. Of course, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism must be emphasized repeatedly, so that they can always remember the tragedy of the party.

Be a loyal minister who serves the country and the people. Don’t fight with yourself if you have nothing to do, and fight bravely and wits with the emperor. At present, there are strong enemies outside that have not been destroyed. The most important thing is to enrich the country and strengthen the army...

..............

The emperor in the court began to rectify the turmoil, and the Western Expedition Army was not idle either. After Gao Chong seized Beiting, Zhao Li, who defeated the Western Liao army, also led his troops to meet. After the Chinese New Year, the two were happy.

The people divided their troops to capture Tingzhou and Yizhou, and took all the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains into their hands. When the ice and snow melted slightly in April, Gao Chong led his army across the Tianshan Mountains to capture Gaochang.

The Gaochang Uighurs were named after the Gaochang City and became powerful because of the city. With its important geographical location on the Silk Road, this city became a hub connecting the Central Plains, Central Asia and Europe. It was the window leading to foreign countries in the northwest region at that time, and developed into

The most prosperous city and commodity trading place in the west. After years of operation by the Uighurs, economic prosperity made Gaochang once the center of politics and culture in the northwest region. Merchants from Persia and other places brought alfalfa, grapes, spices, peppers, and gems.

He came to Gaochang City with his horse and took away the silk, porcelain and tea from the Central Plains from here.

The prosperity did not bring peace to Gaochang, but attracted countless people to covet it. Therefore, wars continued for hundreds of years, and the people of Gaochang built cities to resist invasion. After a hundred years of expansion, they became a strong city in the Western Regions. The Western Expedition Army was

The camp was set up for five miles outside the city, and the news of the arrival of the Song army had already reached the city. At this time, the four gates were closed, and the people of Gaochang wanted to stick to the city with the depth of the moat.

Gao Chong and Zhao Li went to the city to reconnaissance after camping. The two of them were not unaware of it, but they were still shocked by the majesty and mightyness of Gaochang City. The entire city was in irregular square shapes, with a circumference of twelve miles and a city of five feet high.

The surplus is more than four feet thick, all of which are made of rammed earth. According to the captured locals, each layer of rammed earth is only three inches thick, fine and strong, and cannot be penetrated by a knife and a gun. In order to enhance the firmness of the city wall,

A small amount of adobe is doped between each layer of rammed earth. What is even more incredible is that the city gates are made of steel, and the Bianjing city gate is just a wooden door with only a layer of iron sheet.

The layout of the city is similar to that of the capital in the Central Plains. It is divided into three parts: the outer field, the inner city and the palace city. The inner city is located in the middle of the city. The palace city is located in the north of the inner city. It is rectangular and is a structure of three cities that can attack.

It is necessary to peel it layer by layer. As the capital city has tens of thousands of people, half of which is concentrated in the country, the food and grass reserves must be sufficient, and they will be used for a long time to stick to it. Moreover, the buildings in the city are tall and the terrain of the streets are complex. Even if a street battle occurs in the city, it will definitely happen if a street battle occurs in a crackdown.

A fierce battle.

Gao Chong and his two men were in a heavy mood after exploring the city and returning to the camp. The artillery soldiers carried light artillery on this expedition, while Gaochang City was deep and the weakest city gates were all iron, which made them attack the city.

It brought great difficulty. What is even more worrying is that the food and grass consumed by the army every day is astronomical. Now it is unrealistic for them to rely on domestic supplies thousands of miles away from the country. Although the Xixia side has sent troops, it is in the process of being in the West.

The Liao army fought fiercely in the Qaidam River area, and the two sides won and lost. The baggage team transporting food and grass was blocked in the Liangzhou area and could not reach it for the time being.

If you simply capture Gaochang City, it is not difficult for the Western Expedition Army, but if there are too many casualties and shortages of troops, you will not be able to divide your troops to defend. It is likely that you will be captured but unable to defend it, so you must adjust the offensive strategy
Chapter completed!