On January 26, the first year of Xuanhe in the Song Dynasty, Bianliang, Tokyo.
Today, in the small court, dozens of important ministers gathered in one hall and were discussing government affairs with the emperor. At this time, it was Privy Councilor Tong Guan who spoke: "Your Majesty, the former envoy from the Liao Kingdom came to our Song Dynasty to consider our diplomatic relations. I thought they were here. It’s not disrespectful to go there. We, the Song Dynasty, are a country of etiquette, so we should send envoys there this time.”
His words immediately made many courtiers feel a little strange. It was just that others proposed to have good relations with the Liao people. You actively took the lead in the battle and thought about contacting the Jurchens in the Northeast all day long to attack the Liao Kingdom from the north and the south. The generals actually said that you wanted to Could it be that by interacting with the Liao people, you want them to cause trouble in the Liao Kingdom
But one of his privy councilors spoke up, and most courtiers really didn't dare to refute casually. Many people turned their attention to Liang Shicheng, just waiting for him to come forward. After all, in the past two years, there have been endless fights between Tong and Liang. . But Liang Shicheng was silent for a while, with no intention of interfering in this matter, and looked at the situation with eyes, nose, and nose.
But at this time, Zhao Ji had already spoken: "What Tong Qing said is very reasonable. In fact, I already had this idea two years ago when the Liao envoy came to Tokyo. In that case, I would like to invite Tong Qing Please go to Emperor Liao on my behalf and have a good talk with the king and ministers of Liao."
Well, when the emperor opened his mouth, it was really difficult for other ministers to question him. At the same time, many people also frowned, vaguely aware that this matter was not as simple as it seemed. It was as if the emperor had already discussed this matter with Tong Guan, and today was just a formality.
But Tong Guan didn't give them any time to react, and immediately accepted the task. Of course, it will take at least two months of preparation between now being allowed and when he actually makes the trip, which is far from the time to set off.
Neither Cai Jing nor Liang Shicheng had any reaction to this arrangement. It was not until Tong Guan returned to the court that Liang Shicheng glanced at a minister from the rear military department. The latter immediately understood and walked out quickly: "Your Majesty, I have something to report. Just yesterday, good news came from Jeju Prefecture. It was said that Sun Tu, the governor of Qingzhou, led his army together with the local officers and soldiers to defeat thousands of bandits in Liangshan. They even killed thousands of bandits. In fact, it has been in Shandong for many years. An unprecedented victory..."
As soon as these words came out, not only the ordinary courtiers who did not know this, but also Tong Guan's expression also changed, and then he looked at Liang Shicheng with some vigilance. This minister is Liang Shicheng's man. Would he be so kind as to ask for credit for Sun Tu
Zhao Ji, however, was overjoyed: "It is our great fortune to have such a great victory. Tong Qing, why didn't your Privy Council report earlier?" Logically speaking, such military matters should be reported to the Privy Council early in the morning. .
Tong Guan then hurriedly came out and replied: "Your Majesty, the Privy Council only received good news about this matter yesterday, but the matter is serious and I dare not deal with it rashly. Killing thousands of thieves has not happened in recent years." If this great victory is fabricated by some people in order to gain credit, the imperial court will believe it at will and it will cause trouble in the future."
"Privy Tong, you are too cautious. Your Majesty, in my opinion, it is impossible for someone to fake such a great victory. What's more, this time it was the local Liangshan bandits who were defeated by the troops of Heqingji and Jizhou. It is even more impossible. I have a holiday." Liang Shicheng also came out at this time and said with a smile: "I still remember that Qingzhou Governor Sun Tuben
It was recommended by you, Privy Tong. He has defeated bandits many times before. He also defeated three mountain bandits in Qingzhou with one army. He is good at running the army and leads the troops even stronger. It is natural that he has defeated the Liangshan bandits now. bingo. Privy Tong, others may still have doubts about this, you should believe him. "
After his reminder, Zhao Ji finally remembered Sun Tu's identity, nodded and said: "Yes, I remembered it. Just a few months ago, Sun Tu led his army to pacify three bandits' strongholds in Qingzhou. Unexpectedly, He actually made great military exploits for the imperial court, he is really a rare good general in our imperial court."
"Your Majesty is wise, I also think that Sun Tu is a rare general in our dynasty in recent years. Such a good talent can be well cultivated." Liang Shicheng hurriedly followed the words and agreed: "Privy Tong, what do you think?"
"Although Sun Tu has occasionally made meritorious deeds, he is still young after all and has only been in office for only a few years. If he is promoted to an official rashly because of this, I'm afraid it will have the consequences of depriving him of his talent."
"Hey, what Privy Tong said is too petty. Sun Tu is a young hero and a general, which is exactly what the Song Dynasty needs. He has made great contributions this time. Why can't he be rewarded properly? If he has made such a great contribution, If you still suppress him, I'm afraid it will chill him and chill the hearts of the soldiers all over the world."
Tong Guan had used this statement before when he was protecting Sun Tu, and the effect was quite good. Unexpectedly, today, Liang Shicheng used it and returned it to him, making Tong Guan not know how to respond.
At this time, Zhao Ji finally made a decision: "What Liang Qing said is very reasonable. Since Sun Tu has made great contributions to the country, he should be rewarded. How do you think we should reward him?"
The other ministers were still a little confused at this time. They had not prepared for a while, how could they come up with a plan. But Liang Shicheng had already made plans. He immediately saw the Minister of War just said: "Your Majesty, I think that I can promote Sun Tu to be a fifth-grade military attache. In addition, his assignment can also be changed to Jingdong Road Military and Horse Superintendent. So Only when people make full use of their talents can they guard the entire territory of Shandong for the imperial court!"
As soon as these words came out, most of the officials in the palace changed their colors. What a great gesture!
Jingdong Road handed over all the government, military and military power in Shandong to Sun Tu alone. This was a great honor that had not been seen in many years. It was the veteran generals who had been born and died for the imperial court for decades. The authority that has never been achieved is actually handed over to a young man named Sun Tu today
Tong Guan's eyes were full of worry, and his body trembled slightly. He has already seen Liang Shicheng's true purpose. The other party is trying to kill Sun Tu by flattering him. Obviously, this is because he hates Sun Tu to death and is even extremely afraid of him. Don't hesitate to use such means.
You must know that the Song Dynasty had always been extremely wary of ministers because of the country's unfair relationship. Even civil servants would be deliberately decentralized. For example, financial power and political power would be separated along the way, and a state government would be specially set aside to promote officials. Check and balance the chief executive. When it comes to the military attachés, there are even more constraints. It is impossible for them to completely control the military and horse power within their jurisdiction like the previous Jiedushi did.
It was also later that the foreign enemies became too strong. In order to prevent the invasion of the Liao and Xixia people, some military states in the north and northwest emerged with the majority of the troops.
Quan's veteran generals, but even for them, the imperial court would specially send others to check and balance them. As for general military routes in non-border areas, it is impossible for one person to hold military power alone.
Shandong, where Sun Tu is now, is not a border land. Liang Shicheng actually proposed to give him full military power. What does this mean? This means that he will be the target of public criticism, and once he makes a mistake, he will be instantly doomed. And even if he is cautious next time, there will be people inside and outside the court who find fault with him, because his existence has destroyed the rules and balance of the Song Dynasty for more than a hundred years. Even if the emperor is not suspicious, the officials in the court will not It is possible for such a character to exist in the Great Song Dynasty.
"What a ruthless method. Liang Shicheng really hated Sun Tu to his core this time. Even if he might be implicated, he wouldn't hesitate..." Tong Guan looked at Liang Shicheng with a gloomy look, feeling angry in his heart. Because once Sun Tuzhen makes a mistake, he, as the leader of the matter, will inevitably be held accountable, and the impact will not be small.
I originally thought that Liang Shicheng raised this matter on the spot today to suppress Sun Tu, and then used his previous ups and downs to transfer Sun Tu from Qingzhou and make him disappear from the court. But I didn't expect that he would come and kill me with such a move! This made Tong Guandu a little confused as to how to counterattack.
It is impossible for other courtiers to object at this time at the risk of offending themselves and Liang Shicheng, but what about me? Even if he sees the problem, it is not easy to refuse such a reward for Sun Tu at this time. As long as he does so, he may offend Sun Tu, and then Liang Shichengdu can pull him into his camp. This But this is the result that Tong Guan least wants to see.
This is a conspiracy. Even if Tong Guan sees through its sinister intentions, it seems that he is unable to stop it at this time. He can only watch Sun Tu being praised and then become the target of everyone who wants to get rid of him. Soon His future was completely shattered.
Now, his only hope is that the emperor does not accept Liang Shicheng's proposal, but there is still room for change.
But Tong Guan's thoughts had just arisen when Zhao Ji, who was above him, nodded and smiled: "It makes sense. Since Sun Tu has repeatedly defeated thieves in Shandong, it proves that he is indeed a general. He is only trapped in a corner of Qingzhou." It's too much of a talent, so let him lead the troops of Shandong for me, wipe out the bandits in the territory for the people of Shandong, and restore peace to the world. I'm going to make Sun Tu the governor of Jingdong Road and command all the soldiers and horses in the territory!"
The emperor spoke and said what he said, and there was no possibility of changing it.
Liang Shicheng laughed proudly, but Tong Guan's face turned pale quickly at this time, and he could only lower his head and obey the order. At this point, he has nothing to say. Everything can only depend on Sun Tu's own luck. Although Sun Tu was a big help to him outside the court, it was not enough for him to risk offending the emperor to save him.
Until the end of the court meeting, Tong Guan was still in a heavy mood, and his face was so gloomy that water could drip from his face.
However, just as he left the palace and rode slowly on the imperial street, a thought suddenly came to his mind: "Although the emperor cannot be made to change his mind at this time, he can temporarily let Sun Tu leave such a place of right and wrong. . And the opportunity is right in front of me, it just depends on whether I can make him obey the orders... "