Yang Ji took office, and immediately faced the first crisis.
Anxi Wang Peiren died.
When the news reached the capital, the world shook.
King Anxi passed away at the beginning of the year, and the news traveled for several months before reaching the capital.
"How is the situation in Xiliang?"
Everyone has the same question in mind, but no one can answer it.
The news from Xiliang was delayed by half a year at least, and a year at most.
A two-year delay is also possible if roads are blocked.
Qian Fu is in a state of desperation.
He was the head of the Intelligence Division, half of which was sent abroad.
He didn't even hear the news of King Anxi's death beforehand. Obviously, there was a leak in the intelligence work.
Regardless of whether it is a problem with information collection or a problem with message delivery, there is always a problem.
When His Majesty asked about the situation in Xiliang, he didn't know what to ask, lost too much points, and performed too poorly.
Naturally, he was criticized by Emperor Liu Zhao.
Qian Fu was criticized, and the people under the intelligence department counted as one, and of course they didn't have a good life.
Let's all move, mobilize all intelligence networks, and make sure to find out the current situation in Xiliang as soon as possible.
The official document from Xiliang was sent to the capital.
One is to report the news of the death of Anxi King Pei Ren.
The second is to ask the emperor Liu Zhao to issue an order to formally appoint the eldest son Pei Meng as the next king of Anxi.
"I will not make this decree until I understand the situation in Xiliang."
Liu Zhao was firm.
He was worried about the death of King Peiren of Anxi and the change of the situation in Xiliang.
In case Pei Meng is not enough to stabilize the situation in Xiliang, or Pei Meng has a second heart, the will of canonizing Pei Meng as King Anxi is simple, but it is difficult to withdraw the will.
At that time, the imperial court will be unable to get rid of a tiger, and it will be ashamed and humiliated, and the world will know it.
Liu Zhao also wanted face.
The most important thing is that he has always been wary of his cousin Pei Meng.
He and Pei Meng are cousins and have known each other since childhood.
Pei Meng pretends to be a pig and eats a tiger, showing off his rough appearance to others, but in fact he has the city in his chest and is cunning and scheming.
Such people have to be guarded against.
"King Anxi has a bottom line in doing things, and he has family and country feelings in his heart. Pei Meng, I have to look again and estimate again."
The newly appointed Zhongshu Ling Yang Ji Yang Xianggong has a different view.
"Your Majesty is guarding against Pei Meng, the son of King Anxi, so does Pei Meng know what His Majesty is thinking? It should be clear after all. He asked His Majesty to canonize him as King Anxi. The reaction. The humble official thought it would be useless to delay the canonization decree. It is better to fulfill him first, to show His Majesty's generosity, and to catch him by surprise."
"That's just as he wants." Liu Zhao disagreed, and insisted on understanding the situation in Xiliang first, and then making plans.
Yang Ji pondered for a moment, "Is Your Majesty worried that Pei Meng will leave the Great Zhou and become king? Actually, Your Majesty needn't worry at all. We have checked the account books of Sanhe Express. In recent years, the trade volume between our Great Zhou and Xiliang has increased year by year. According to the people who came back from Xiliang, the main income of Anxi Palace comes from customs duties.
The Anxi Palace also needs to rely on the Great Zhou to transport supplies to resist the growing war of faith in the Western Regions. It can be said that Da Zhou is the backer of Anxi Palace. Pei Meng is a smart person, he knows how to choose, which is the best. The reason why he asked to be crowned king was to manage Xiliang in a legitimate way. There are several brothers under him, all of whom can lead troops to fight. He must rely on His Majesty's support to stabilize the overall situation. "
Liu Zhao nodded, his words made sense.
Then, he questioned again, "Before King Anxi died, he didn't ask Pei Meng to be king. Could it be that he died suddenly?"
Normally, King Anxi should have arranged all major events before his death.
For such a big event as inviting the prince to be appointed, it would definitely be better for King Anxi to come forward than Pei Meng himself.
Yang Ji guessed: "It's possible that the death was sudden, and it's also possible that King Anxi was shaken and wanted to surpass his eldest son, Pei Meng, and register another son. Maybe he played off on his own, and then..."
Liu Zhao laughed when he heard this.
"Brothers are fighting each other, it's interesting."
"This minister thinks that His Majesty should still support Pei Meng. Xiliang cannot be in chaos. Once there is chaos, the forces from the Western Regions will take the opportunity to invade Xiliang. Your Majesty and Your Majesty's plan for Xiliang will be severely damaged."
"You are right, Xiliang must not be chaotic."
But Liu Zhao was not in a hurry to order Pei Meng to be canonized.
You can wait for a few months, and it doesn't matter if you wait an extra month or two.
…
"I am very dissatisfied with the work of the Intelligence Department this time."
Liu Zhao complained to Gu Jiu in private
"Is it true that Qian Fu is getting old, and things are becoming more and more sloppy, not as refined as they were back then."
Gu Jiu defended Qian Fu, "It's not Qian Fu's fault! Xiliang blocked the news of King Anxi's death. People from the Intelligence Department were all registered in Prince Anxi's mansion, and they were stared at, so the news couldn't be delivered. excusable."
"Do you have a news channel? What's going on in Xiliang?" Liu Zhao was surprised.
Gu Jiu said: "My news came from the grassland, and it is not very detailed. King Anxi passed away in the first month, and it is said that it was very sudden. On the first day, he was still hosting a banquet for guests, and took in a stunning woman, but suddenly on the second day. Passed away. Immediately afterwards, the Xiliang King City was under martial law and the news was blocked. Because the caravan was very accurate in timing, they were lucky to leave the Xiliang King City before the martial law, and sent the news to the capital through the grassland trade route."
Liu Zhao frowned, "Are brothers fighting each other, or are there assassins?"
On the first day of his death, he had just taken in a stunning woman, which made people have to think of an assassin.
Gu Jiu said: "It's impossible for brothers to fight! Pei Meng's status is stable. Although the brothers are not in harmony, none of them can threaten his status. I guess it was either a real accident or a disgraceful death." , so the news was blocked. Or we really met an assassin."
Liu Zhao suddenly realized, "You mean that King Anxi may have died of horse wind?"
Gu Jiu nodded.
Liu Zhao thought about it carefully, "It is indeed possible. At such an old age, if you don't know restraint, it is very possible that you will die dishonorably. It's hard for Pei Meng, and he has to waste his time trying to cover up for that old bastard King Anxi."
Gu Jiu said: "The war in the Western Regions is raging, and it is getting more and more intense, and it is an indiscriminate massacre. Men, women, and children are not spared. It is very tragic. We need the Anxi Palace to fight back and rob people's hearts and territory. Therefore, I hope that we can go down as soon as possible." The decree canonize Pei Meng as the king of Anxi. In addition, the imperial court can provide mercenaries to the Anxi palace."
"Mercenaries?" Liu Zhao was curious.
Gu Jiu nodded heavily, "The Anxi Palace provides money and food, and we are responsible for supplying people and weapons. If the Anxi Palace does not have enough money and food, the Shaofu Bank can give him a loan. How to repay the loan can be discussed."
After finishing speaking, Gu Jiu pulled out the map of the Western Regions and analyzed with Liu Zhao that if the war in the Western Regions is left unchecked, there will be great hidden dangers.
There will be no compromises in the disputes of faith, land, and people's hearts.
Xiliang has been operating for many years and has already seen some results.
Many of the indigenous children there can speak Chinese and know Chinese characters.
This is a great place to start.
Twenty years later, when these people grow up, the entire Western Region will be influenced by the Han culture in Xiliang, and the pattern of the Western Region will be completely changed.
The premise is that the Western Regions do not fight.
However, the Western Regions are now fighting in full swing, which is not friendly to cultural assimilation and the situation in Xiliang.
So, be sure to call back.
Let those crazy war butchers know how powerful Da Zhou is.
Don't think that you are the only ones who will fight.
Da Zhou is the real ancestor of war.
Liu Zhao looked at the map, and finally he was persuaded by Gu Jiu.
The Western Regions must be fought, must be fought.
It's just how to fight and when to fight, you have to discuss it with Pei Meng first.
Liu Zhao squeezed his chin, "We have to arrange someone to go to Xiliang to negotiate with Pei Meng. In addition, we need to choose a general to lead the army and go to the Western Regions to fight."
"It's easy to choose the general who leads the army, but it's not easy to choose the person who negotiates."
Gu Jiu has two best candidates in mind, one is Chen Zhuangshi and the other is Yang Ji.
Both of these two have been to Xiliang, they have both fought in Xiliang, and they are very familiar with the situation in Xiliang and the Western Regions.
However, Chen Zhuangshi is far away overseas, and he is as busy as an animal every day and has no time to drink his saliva.
Yang Ji had just taken office, and he was in command, so it was naturally impossible for him to go to Xiliang, thousands of miles away, to negotiate with Pei Meng.
"How about using Mr. Lu?" Gu Jiu suggested.
The former Zhongshu Ling, Master Lu, retired from his official position. After a few days of decadence, he went to Shanhe Academy to accompany Sanyuan Gong and Zhou Shi'an, and held a class in Zhixing Academy.
Later, another class was held in the Imperial College.
He has a high position and is the one with the largest official position among all the teachers.
His class is full of students.
It is said that in the first class, there were originally 30 seats, but two or three hundred people were abruptly squeezed out.
The students all wanted to see the demeanor of their predecessor Zhong Shuling.
Especially for students who are interested in imperial examinations, Zhongshuling's name is too attractive. Many students want to worship under his name.
It took only one class for Mr. Lu to open up the situation.
Then, enjoy it and don't think about it.
He boasted that he had good physical strength, and he taught three classes in one breath.
One class at Shanhe Academy, one class at Zhixing Academy, and one class at Imperial Academy.
One day off in the last three days, and the three academies take turns once in four days.
Of course, the class fee is also very high.
It is higher than his salary as an official.
Gu Jiu's proposal to let Mr. Lu go to Xiliang to negotiate with Pei Meng to decide the overall situation is also based on Mr. Lu's qualifications and ability.
Liu Zhao had some doubts, "He is old, and the journey to Xiliang is far away. I am worried that his health will not be able to bear it. Moreover, the conditions in Xiliang are difficult. If there is an accident, it will be a great loss. I have already lost hopelessness, and I don't want to lose any more. A Mr. Lu."
Gu Jiu thought for a while, "Among the young and middle-aged officials, I can't find a more suitable candidate than Mr. Lu."
"Why don't you let the Pei family in the capital come forward?"
"Inappropriate!" Gu Jiu directly rejected Liu Zhao's proposal, "The Pei family in the capital city can't find anyone who can take on the important task of persuading Pei Meng."
Pei Meng is the most outstanding member of the Pei family's generation, and he is also an old fox.
Once King Anxi died, he was the well-deserved number one among the noble generals.
Gu Rui and Gu Ting are also very powerful, they are also honorable, and they also have great military exploits. But in front of Pei Meng, it was not enough to fight.
Yang Ji, by virtue of his great achievements overseas, is estimated to be able to share the same level with Pei Meng, but it is not enough to suppress Pei Meng.
It is a joke to rely on the people of the Pei family in the capital to persuade Pei Meng.
Even the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty could not find a few people who could suppress Pei Meng.
Whether it's seniority, military exploits, or strategy, Pei Meng already has the shadow of the top three in the world.
Such a person has to find someone with a higher status to suppress him.
"So, only Mr. Lu?"
Gu Jiu nodded heavily, "If Li Bingming has not passed away, Mr. Li is the most suitable candidate. If Mr. Li is gone, Mr. Lu is the most suitable person."
"Then talk to Lao Lu and listen to his thoughts."
"I'm going to talk to him."
Gu Jiu took over this matter.
Liu Zhao had no objection, "I have a bad temper and can't stand chattering. It is more appropriate for you to come forward. If I come forward, I am afraid that a disagreement will directly overturn the table."
Gu Jiu detested him, "You, the older you get, the more irritable your temper will be. You have to learn to cultivate yourself and restrain your temper. Anger hurts your liver, and your health is the most important thing."
"I just don't want to bear it now!" Liu Zhao's attitude was very straightforward.
Gu Jiu gave him a sideways look, and he immediately confessed.
"All right, all right! I'll listen to you. Cultivate your body, restrain your anger, and take good care of your body. Oh, my old waist!"
Liu Zhao resorted to tricks, and Gu Jiu really became nervous.
Another massage, another plaster.
Gu Jiu made a decision, "Go to Xiaozhu to escape the summer heat tomorrow!"