Chongzheng Palace, Cai Jing fell, today is Su Zhe alone.

Looking at Su Ziyou, who looked like a virtuous old minister, Zhao Ji couldn't help frowning. Cai Jing is certainly a traitor, but this Su Zhe is here to mess around. I'm going to be mixed with Shangshu's left servant and the servant of the door soon!

I really don't know what to say!

Zhao Ji sighed and asked, "Is there a candidate for Zhigongju?" ”

It's already the end of January and almost February, and it's time for the big competition of the Ministry of Rites. The examiner in charge of the big competition of the Ministry of Rites is Zhigongju. This seat was originally given to Cai Bian, who was sentenced to the national eunuch and the Hanlin bachelor, and happened to be the Zhigongju - the Zhigongju is generally the Hanlin Bachelor, the Guozi Priest and the Ministry of Rites.

But now Cai Bian and his brother Cai Jing are unlucky together, they are both suspended from their jobs, and of course they can't preside over the big competition of the Ministry of Rites. Therefore, a new Zhigongju must be arranged immediately. And this year's Zhigongju is still a super hot dispatch, because this year is the first subject of the right list to enter the Shike.

Although the books on the bus are yellow, the right list of Jinshike is still a thorn in the eyes of the world's readers! Whoever wants to be the Zhigong of this branch will be hated by the scholars.

"Your Majesty, the minister suggested that the Ministry of Rites should be the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Shi Guozhong, and the tribute." Su Zhe said the candidate he recommended.

"It's fine." Zhao Ji nodded, "Just let Shi Guozhong do it." ”

Zhao Ji is still quite satisfied with this candidate - he knows that Shi Guozhong is sleek and not a good official, but he will be aware of his intentions. As long as you attract one or two tips, you should know that you need to maintain the balance between the Biyong School Palace and the Yuntai School Palace.

Now Wu Haogu's strength is already a bit big! If it is not contained, I am afraid that it will not be big in the future.

And Zhao Ji's method of curbing Wu Haogu is mainly a balancing technique. The first thing to balance is that the gimbal is in the proportion of the right list of Jinshike, and the people on the right list of Jinshike cannot be all disciples of Wu Haogu!

Second, of course, it is necessary to strike a good balance between the four military blocs of Wu Haogu, Tong Guan, Gao Yu, and the emerging Zhang Yuan.

If the Great Song Dynasty's force must rely on warlords, then four warlords are safer than one, at least to contain each other.

Third, of course, the imperial court must have a strong and capable "central army". Previously, Zhao Ji reused Cai Jing to carry out military reform, and this was the purpose.

Now although Cai Jing has fallen, Zhao Ji still has not given up the plan to establish a new army.

I just don't know who to put on this plan?

Su Zhe is not a master who can do things at first glance, the right minister must be given to Zhang Shangying, he is a little better than Su Zhe, but he is not as good as Cai Jing. Cai Jingjing didn't do the training thing, and Zhang Shangying probably didn't have a way.

Who is to be asked to do this?

With a sigh, Zhao Ji asked Su Zhe to retire. However, the call of the Chongzheng Hall continues.

The next person to be brought in by the Xuanzan Sheren was Su Zhe's son Su Shi. He had returned from Japan, and had brought with him unexpectedly good news, so he was treated more and more equally.

It turned out that Japan suddenly invited the Great Song Dynasty to send a delegation to attend the 53rd birthday of Emperor Shirakawain, and at the same time to discuss what kind of national rites should be used for the future relationship between the two countries, as well as trade and missionary affairs between the two countries.

"Su Qing, have you been to the capital of Japan?" Zhao Ji is still more interested in this issue.

"I've been there." Su Shi replied, "I went to Heiankyo last winter, and I met their Emperor Horikawa and Emperor Shirakawa. ”

"It's been a haven't been in years." Zhao Ji smiled, "Su Qing, how did you do it?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, in fact, the minister didn't do anything."

Su Shizhen is worthy of being Su Zhe's son, humble and uncredited. Obviously, he has done so many things to push the two countries of Japan, Goryeo, which were originally peaceful, into an inexplicable war, but now they are pushing two or six five, and nothing has been done......

"You didn't do anything, and the Japanese people are willing to open the country?"

"This," Su Shi said with a smile, "because the Japanese people have a request for us now." ”

"Please?" Zhao Ji asked, "What are you asking for?" ”

"They're going to rent our boat." Su Shi explained, "Because last fall, the Goryeo Kingdom sent troops to invade two Japanese islands...... Japan wants to recover, but there is no ship that can transport the army to a long voyage, so they can only ask us for help. ”

"Goryeo invaded Japan?" Zhao Ji was stunned, "They don't beat the Jurchen?" ”

"If you don't fight, you can't beat it!"

"If you can't beat the Jurchen, you will fight Japan?" Zhao Ji frowned, thinking: Goryeo is too unreasonable! They must have followed the Khitan for too long and learned badly!

He thought for a moment and asked, "If we lend a boat to the Japanese people, we won't incur the resentment of the Koreans, right?" ”

How dare they...... This is the truth, of course you can't say it to the emperor. Su Shi shook his head and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, in fact, Japan not only does not have big ships, they don't even have a serious army. So borrowing a boat to go to sea is just a fantasy and will not come true. ”

"No army?" Zhao Ji said, "How can there be no army? ”

"Returning to Your Majesty," Su Shi said, "The military system of this Japanese country is similar to that of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and it is all government military system. The government soldiers had to have land to afford military service, but the aristocracy in Japan had been encroaching on the land and building estates. There were no more civilians left to undertake military service, so the Japanese court had no troops available. ”

"And this kind of thing?" Zhao Jixin said: It seems that he is not the only official who is worried about the affairs of the army.

"Then what did the Emperor of Japan rely on to suppress the Quartet?"

"By the so-called samurai of the North." Su Shi replied, "That is, a group of aristocratic military attachés, each with a little private soldier, who can defend the imperial court." However, with this amount of troops, it is impossible to recover the fallen Tsushima Island and Oki Island. ”

Not to mention, Su Shi really has a talent for diplomacy. I actually inquired about the inside situation of Japan, and I got a little bit of the essentials.

It is true that the Japanese imperial court did not have the ability to counterattack Tsushima and conceal the odds. This is not to say that there is no military force in Japan, but that there is no single institution that can control the armed forces of the Japanese state—under samurai politics, there is a close connection between the samurai and the sovereign. The shogunate could usually command most of the samurai families and could form armies.

But now, samurai politics has not yet begun, and the minister is powerless to command his samurai. Only the Emperor Shirakawain had a group of northern samurai, so he could squeeze out the nobles represented by the Fujiwara clan and dominate the court for decades.

But his little force was not worth mentioning at all in front of the Bebu Ban of Goryeo. Therefore, Su Shi understood very well that the so-called borrowing a boat to send troops was just a remark by the Emperor of Baiheyuan to appease people's hearts.

"I see." Zhao Ji just nodded, and didn't make any decision immediately.

The decision to send an envoy to Japan may be made after discussion by the government council, and cannot be decided by the emperor.

……

After Su Shi left, the one who entered the Chongzheng Hall again was Pan Xiao'an, the confidant of the official Zhao Ji.

"Your Majesty!" Pan Xiao'an saluted and stood respectfully in front of Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji looked at the fat Pan Daguan who was a little out of shape, and sighed.

Gao Yu is gone, Wu Haogu is gone, Wu Haowen is gone, and now Cai You is also gone...... The henchmen who could play together in the past are now only Pan Xiao'an.

"Have you seen Cai You?" Zhao Ji asked.

"I've seen it." Pan Xiao'an replied, "I look a little haggard, and I don't want to leave ......."

Wu Haogu and Cai Jing's father and son have contradictions, but Pan Xiao'an's relationship with them, especially with Cai You, is excellent.

"I don't want to let him go," Zhao Ji shook his head, "It's just that the general trend is like this."

By the way, what else did he say? ”

Pan Xiao'an said: "He also said that the road to a rich country and a strong army, which he had finally found, would be abandoned halfway. ”

"Give up halfway...... Zhao Ji smacked his mouth, "Can't you really live without Cai Jing?" ”

Pan Xiao'an said: "Actually, Cai Jing can't do anything......

Zhao Ji looked at Pan Xiao'an and was silent for a long time, "So, I want Wu Haogu to serve as the Privy Councillor of Tongzhi, what do you think?" ”

"This ......" Pan Xiao'an was speechless for a while, and could only shake his head in embarrassment.

It is impossible for Wu Haogu to be a member of the Privy Council, this is a fire pit!

But Zhao Ji is obviously still ambitious......

"You go to Jiehe Commercial Market," Zhao Ji paused, "Invite Wu Haogu to Kaifeng Mansion." ”

……

At the beginning of February, Wu Haogu didn't know that he was about to be pushed to the edge of the fire pit by Zhao Ji.

There are two distinguished guests in his business market today, and there is no Pan Xiao'an among them! Arriving at the market today are two figures destined to go down in history. One of them is to throw a pen from Rong and open up the Western Regions; The other is Ji Yizhi, who went to sea for thousands of miles, went to the West, and built a bridge of communication between the East and the West.

And Wu Haogu is the hero behind the scenes of the two of them.

Ji Yi stood at the bow of the boat, his fat face flushed with a little tan. During this period of time, he lost seven or eight pounds of fat, and the whole person became energetic.

He actually returned to Haizhou from Hakata Port in Japan with Su Shih. In Haizhou, I met Zhang Yuan, who was busy with the western expedition of the Great Education Group, and then the two of them took a sea boat north to the Shangjie River when the southeast wind blew up in spring.

However, Zhang Yuan's face was a little ugly, and the taste of seasickness was not pleasant! However, now that the sea boat has sailed into the boundary river, it has become much more stable, and it has also made Zhang Yuan's spirit much better. Now he and Ji Yi stood side by side on the bow of the ship, looking at the huge city surrounded by red walls in the distance.

The scenery on both sides of the Jiehe River is really changing with each passing day, not to mention a year, even if it is not seen for a few months, it will change significantly. Either the red wall is a little taller, or there are a lot of tall and magnificent buildings, or there are a few more wharves and workshops on the banks of the boundary river.

Although the richness and prosperity of this city are far inferior to Kaifeng Mansion, its rapid development and vitality are far more than the first good city of the Great Song Empire.