The military situation was urgent, Han Gang, Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang even hurriedly ate two mouthfuls of dim sum for lunch, and while sending people to contact the political affairs hall and the third division, they searched through the archives and books in the hospital, and listed the existing officials, generals, soldiers and horses, ordnance, money and food in Hedong.

Han Gang intends to have a general understanding of the current situation in Hedong before he arrives.

Originally, he had a deep understanding of Hedong, and today when he compares the current data and personnel, the general situation is basically clear. After arriving in Hedong, what kind of cards you have in your hand is almost counted.

However, this is only the situation in Hedong itself, and the necessary support is also indispensable.

After Han Gang discussed with Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang, he quickly selected the soldiers and horses from the Beijing camp to aid Hedong, a total of 5,000 people. But in a hurry, it was impossible for these five thousand people to go north immediately, and Han Gang didn't have time to wait for them to pack their bags. The remaining procedures and affairs of the troops were entrusted to Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang.

Zhang Dian laughed and said that it was like a copy of the Southern Expedition to Jiaozhi that year, Han Gang led the troops to rush to put out the fire, and he reorganized the war preparations in the back. It's just that after saying it, he felt unlucky, and he made amends to Han Gang - Han Gang led the army to the south back then, and he didn't save Yongzhou in a hurry.

As for the indispensable military materials, I don't know how much is piled up in the treasury of Hedong Mansion, and most of them do not have to be transported from the capital. Especially for armor, after the entire refitting of the forbidden army two years earlier, the ordnance supervision was still producing 80,000 or 90,000 sets a year, all of which were piled up in the military arsenals of Hebei, Hedong and Shaanxi. The same is true of the horse chopping knife. Even though the war is just around the corner, Han Gang still feels that this is a waste of iron, and the production can be halved, and the saved steel can be used to make more farm tools.

On the contrary, the winding device and winding machine are still very rare, whether they are useful or not, Han Gang opened his mouth and walked in half. During this time, the ordnance supervisor was rushing to work day and night, and the situation in Hebei was quite good, so it was not much needed for the time being.

In the afternoon, the matter was almost discussed, and Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang were busy with the mess at hand. Han Gang was still looking at the Hedong money and grain account books copied by the third division, holding hot tea in his hand, but his eyes still did not leave the paper. A servant came in at this time, saying that the angel who had announced the edict had arrived.

Han Gang got up and went out of the door, and he was in the courtyard of the Privy Council to welcome the arrival of the edict envoy. It's just that when he saw that it was Wang Zhongzheng who came to announce the edict, this made Han Gang more or less surprised.

Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang heard the news, and they were all surprised. The internal servants of the Xuanzhao are also divided into three, six, nine and so on according to their official positions, and the queen chose Wang Zhongzheng, which can be said to have given Han Gang enough face.

In the court, Han Gang saluted and listened to Wang Zhongzheng read the edict. Directly in the Privy Council to pay homage to the appointment of the Western Mansion, he can be said to be extremely rare.

Wang Zhongzheng unfolded the ink-drenched edict and read it in a low voice. In a text of four or six Li, Han Gang was appointed as the privy deputy envoy, but the other dispatch was not to say that the Hedong Xuanfu of Hao Lu was good, but the envoy of the Hedong Road system.

Hedong Road is made to make it. According to the edict, if you can be awarded the festival Yue, you can act cheaply, and if you do not know the order, you can report it after being killed, and the officials above the state can also take office first.

From the point of view of authority, this system envoy can basically be said to be a propaganda envoy. But the name of the envoy, Han Gang, who doesn't know much about the official system, only has a vague impression. It seems to have been a position established during the Tang Dynasty, and it was also granted at the beginning of the dynasty. The so-called system, planning, and handling are merely not necessarily military positions, and they are in charge of the military.

In the early years of the dynasty, the imperial court once set up a position in Shaanxi to take charge of the salt affairs of Qingbaichi - this is why Han Gang can have an impression - but from the words and sentences on the edict, it also shows that it was regarded as a military position in the Tang Dynasty. But after all, it is still one level lower than the Xuanfu envoy.

Wang Zhongzheng came later than expected, and Han Gang estimated that it was because the edict was written slowly. Most of the Yutang side were not familiar with the jurisdiction of this dispatch, and in order to draft the edict, it took a lot of effort to rummage through the pile of old papers, and it was a loss for the Son of Heaven to think of it - there have always been rumors that the current Son of Heaven has the intention to change the official system and restore the Tang Dynasty system, which can also be seen from the matter of making the system. However, it is now impossible to change the bureaucratic system, and the bureaucratic system that has evolved over hundreds of years cannot be changed without great energy and determination - it's just that the Son of Heaven would rather turn out a mission that is not well-known and has not been used for more than a hundred years, rather than give the Xuanfu envoy to Han Gang, and the suspicion and coldness implied in it can be seen clearly by anyone.

Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang both stood in the hall to watch the ceremony, and when they heard Wang Zhongzheng reading the edict, their faces were a little ugly, and they looked at Han Gang even more worriedly, for fear that his bull temper would be on par with Wang Anshi, and the scene would be ugly.

However, after Wang Zhongzheng finished reciting the short edict, Han Gang bowed again and said, "The position of the cardinal, the minister is shallow, and I am afraid it will be difficult to meet his responsibilities." However, His Royal Highness has high hopes for it, so the minister does not dare to refuse. ”

When the edict was announced, when Wang Zhongzheng read the official name of the envoy on Hedong Road, his voice stumbled, knowing that things were not good, and with Han Gang's temper, he would probably refuse to accept the order. Now that Han Gang simply accepted the order, he was stunned.

Zhao Ji's thoughts, Han Gang naturally understood, but he was not in the mood to fight with the half-dead emperor now. Zhao Ji didn't know how dangerous the situation in the east of the river was, but Han Gang knew that now was not the time to be angry. But what he said was still clearly resentful.

In a normal edict, the servants who come to issue the edict will inevitably get a happy money. But Han Gang forgot for a while, and Wang Zhongzheng didn't even mention it, so he stepped forward and pulled Han Gang and sighed: "The material of the pivotal deputy is well known to the world. There is a pivotal deputy sitting in the east of the river, driving the enemy away, and the whole capital can sleep peacefully. Zhongzheng only hated not to compete under the deputy account of the pivot and compete with Liao Kou. ”

Han Gang shook his head and smiled: "In today's imperial city, how can there be less observation? ”

The two of you said a word to me, and the atmosphere eased a lot. After a few words of humility, Han Gang accepted the visit of the subordinates of the Privy Council in the main hall, and officially became the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, becoming a member of the Zaizhi class.

After a full eleven years of officialdom, he finally climbed to the position of Zaizhi one level at a time. Since then, he has had a cool umbrella, which is the envy of scholars, but Han Gang found that he did not have the excitement he imagined, just like sailing along the river, naturally, logically. An inexplicable peace of mind.

And he's about to leave again, and he hasn't even set his own table yet. Most of the courtyards in the vast West Mansion are now empty for the privy envoys. There are only five people in Xifu, and most of them are running outside this time. When Lu Gongzhu resigned, it was Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang who supported the scene, and now the two of them are still supporting the scene in the courtyard. In the imperial court, the West Mansion is now pressed by the East Mansion, and the number of people looks large, but the actual number in the court is only half of the East Mansion.

After the edict was issued, Wang Zhongzheng needed to return to the palace to restore his life, and without much delay, he said to Han Gang: "Zhongzheng will return to the palace to return to the saint." I don't know what else the cardinal deputy has to say. ”

"The border land is unstable, and the country is restless. Han Gang will leave today. The military situation is urgent, and if there is a delay, Taiyuan will be more dangerous. Han Gang said to Wang Zhongzheng, who was staring at him with round eyes: "Please also observe Her Royal Highness the Empress on behalf of the Emperor, and Han Gang will ask Your Majesty to resign today." ”

Wang Zhongzheng was amazed by Han Gang's decision for a while, and said goodbye and left.

Han Gang turned his head and said to Zhang Kui: "By the way, I forgot to say it, and I want Brother Tuo Zihou to talk to Guo Kui." Don't let Xiao Xi go back, wait for the court's punishment later. ”

"Hold Xiao Xi?" Zhang Dian accentuated his tone when he mentioned the name of the treacherous North Courtyard Lin Ya.

"Exactly."

"I'll talk to Cai Zhizheng and ask him to pass the word to Guo Kui," Zhang Dian nodded and smiled, "Put the folded dry back." ”

Han Gang also smiled, Zhang Tun's mind was not ordinary sharp. Fight and talk, the two go hand in hand. This time, the matter between Song and Liao still has to be resolved through negotiation in the end, so a mediated speaker is needed. Folding dry is a good choice, naturally, Xiao Xi's-stirring stick can't let him go back.

What Han Gang had to do in the Privy Council was over quickly, and after bidding farewell to Zhang Dian and Xue Xiang, he went directly out of the gate, preparing to go to the palace and leave the capital with his majesty's resignation.

As soon as I went out, I saw my companion Han Xin leading seven or eight people with more than a dozen horses.

The riders are all majestic, and they are all Han Gang's personal entourage who is ready to take to Hedong. The four horses in the team that were unridden, except for Han Gang's own mount, the other three were all carrying large bags and small bags on their backs. Han Gang asked, this is the packing he just sent back and asked the family to help pack up.

"Why are there so many? Just keep it simple, and can you really freeze me? ”

"Madame and ladies said that it is cold in Hedong, no better than the capital, and you can rest assured if you bring a little more at home."

"The government has sent so many winter clothes." Zhang Dian stood in front of the door with his hands in his hands, and said to Han Gang with a smile, "Yukun, don't learn from Xiao Song." ”

There are many people with the surname Song, and there are also many people who are nicknamed Xiao Song, but Zhang Dian can make jokes about it is naturally the most famous one. The elder brother is the prime minister, and he is the little Song of the Hanlin bachelor - Song Qi.

Song Qi has a good voice and is not pleasing to his brother to the eye, but he treats his wife and concubine with sincerity. Once it was suddenly cold, more than a dozen wives and concubines sent winter clothes together, and a total of more than a dozen pieces were gathered, no matter who wore them, everyone else would be sad, Song Qi was difficult to make a decision, and he simply didn't wear the cold clothes sent by anyone, and he went home shivering with cold.

Zhang Dian held him and joked, and Han Gang could only laugh at it. And there is another person who came with him, who did not belong to Han Gang's Yuan Sui team, but was very familiar to Han Gang - Huang Shang.

"Mian Zhong, why are you here?" Han Gang was surprised, "It's been at least half a year, and you're not allowed to prepare for the exam in this subject?" ”

Huang Shang saluted Han Gang: "If the country is in trouble, how can scholars sit in peace?" Although Huang Shang is not talented, he is willing to do his part. ”

Han Gang looked at it for a long time, and when he saw Huang Shang's sincere expression, he nodded, "Well, your heart is rare." ”

Huang Shang was overjoyed when he heard this, and Han Gang turned to Han Xin again: "Han Xin, you send this letter to Master Su of Guanglu Temple, and tell him that the matter is urgent, and it is too late to leave, and all the affairs in the Editing Bureau are entrusted to him." ”