Guo Shao arrived at the Imperial Study in Jinxiang Hall as usual in the early morning. It was only three days before the coronation ceremony. He said to Yang Shiliang: "When the officials are calling, tell Wang Pu, Wei Renpu, Wang Pu and Li Chuyun to come and meet us."
While he was waiting, he continued to sort out and analyze the list of civil and military promotions and changes. Not long after, the officials on duty in the outer hall also came and sent another stack of memorials. Guo Shao didn't want to read the memorials, so he let them pile up there.
After a while, the four summoned people entered the room and knelt together in the hall to kowtow and pay their respects.
In the first two days, Guo Shao pretended to observe the emperor's etiquette, but soon his novelty wore off. In this private audience, he said directly: "Get up, come in and talk."
Several people said: Thank you, Your Majesty.
The study room inside used to be closed with a curtain, and outsiders were not allowed to enter because the ruler at that time was a woman. But now it is different. Guo Shao sat down on a chair, and asked the eunuchs to bring in stools, and asked everyone to sit down and talk.
Wang Pu and the others were immediately flattered and sat very stiffly, with their buttocks resting on a small corner of the stool. But not long ago, everyone sat together to discuss things.
Guo Shao opened his mouth and said: Two things, the first is how to treat Li Yun, the governor of Zhaoyi Army; the second is the list of rewards for civil and military officials presided over by Prime Minister Wang Pu and Envoy Wang Pu, please submit it to me as soon as possible for me to see.
The two of them bowed in response. Guo Shao had almost recovered his habits in the army at this time, speaking and doing things more fluently. To be honest, a person can act for one or two days, but it is not easy to act all the time.
Li Chuyun said: "Li Yun does not seem to have the heart to surrender. If you call him back to the capital, he will certainly be suspicious and panic, and will certainly disobey your order and raise an army. I am willing to lead the troops to attack and destroy him, uprooting him.
Wang Pu said: No.
Guo Shao turned to look at Wang Pu, wanting to hear his opinion.
Wang Pu said solemnly: "General, what you said is that Li Yun is difficult to obey, and I agree with him. But he may not necessarily raise an army to rebel. It's not that he doesn't want to, but he dares not to. His situation is like a frightened bird, and he is hesitant and wavering. If the court forces him to do so, he will have no chance to fight for the war that could have been avoided."
Wang Pu also said: "What Wang Shumi said is reasonable. Li Yun is a general promoted by Taizu. He was originally a minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He has made contributions in defending the country against the Northern Han for many years. If the court is aggressive, it will be a little ungrateful and detrimental to the reputation of the court."
Li Chuyun frowned and said: That being said, this kind of person is a hidden danger. Sooner or later, he will be removed and the emperor will ascend the throne. It is just the right time to sacrifice him as a warning to others.
General Li is right. If it were someone else, they might have thought of retreating, but Li Yun is arrogant and ambitious, and he will be destroyed sooner or later. Wang Pu nodded and changed the subject, but it is better to do it later than sooner. Once the war starts, the imperial army will certainly have a great chance of winning, but the soldiers will go out to fight, and the military supplies and rewards will not be a small amount. In addition, Li Yun's Zhaoyi Army has been resisting the Northern Han for many years, and they have elite soldiers and generals. It will not be easy to fight, and we will have to consume the elite of our imperial army. If the court rushes to solve it violently, it will cost a lot. Since there is still a chance to use other methods, and it is a civil war, why not seize the opportunity
Wang Pu continued: "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. According to precedent, some Jiedushi should be relocated. Taking this opportunity to let him relocate like other Jiedushi is also a common sense and rule. He has nothing to say. We can try this as the first step to deal with him."
He was originally hesitant and this approach could numb him and make him feel lucky. Because the local governor could take away his staff and some of his most trusted men, Li Yun would feel that his important strength was not lost and he would have new territory; he had to consider it more. The imperial army was strong, and his chances were actually very small at this time. It was very risky to rebel. No one in this world was tired of living and was eager to die. I guess Li Yun would obediently follow the order and move to another place.
Li Chuyun also seemed to be convinced, and nodded subconsciously, but did not say anything. As a person in a high position, he could not easily change his original opinion.
Wang Pu said: Once Li Yun moved his town, his strength would decline. He would leave the familiar territory he had been managing for several years and would lose a large number of people familiar with him. The court would gradually reduce his power in the future. I think the power of local military governors is still too great. In the future, we should set up transport envoys to take back the financial power of the military governors. At that time, this policy was implemented in most places, and Li Yun was no exception. He was weakened again.
Then, Your Majesty could occasionally transfer important generals around Li Yun by rewarding them with promotions. By peeling off the layers in this way, the best result might be to take down Li Yun without spending a single soldier; even if he wanted to resist stubbornly later, his strength would be much weaker, and the cost to the court would be even smaller.
After hearing this, Li Chuyun stroked his beard and said: Although Envoy Wang is in charge of military affairs, he is a civil official after all, and his intestines are more crooked than ours.
After hearing this, Guo Shao laughed good-naturedly, and a few others followed suit.
Wang Pu sneered: Our dynasty’s war is not over yet, so it is a good thing to save some national strength.
After hearing this, Guo Shao glanced at Wang Pu, Wang Pu, and Li Chuyun, and stopped at Wei Renpu's face. He asked: "What is Deputy Envoy Wei's attitude?"
Wei Renpu said: I worked with Envoy Wang in the Privy Council and we have discussed this matter before. I agree with Envoy Wang's proposal.
Guo Shao immediately said: Three of the four ministers discussing this matter here agree to let Li Yun move his garrison, so it has been decided. If Li Yun does not accept this grace, we can continue to use military force.
In fact, the decision-making power lies in the hands of Guo Shao alone, and his inner inclination can make the final decision. However, he did not say who was right or wrong, but only talked about the number of people. Guo Shao thought that the more ministers supported a decision, the smoother the implementation would be.
Several people bowed together and said: Your Majesty is wise.
At this time Wang Pu said again: I have something else to say.
Guo Shao immediately encouraged him: "If Envoy Wang has anything to say, just say it."
Wang Pu said: "The Empress Dowager is the descendant of the previous emperor. After the emperor ascended the throne, she can no longer be called the Empress Dowager. I have submitted a memorial requesting that you give her the title of empress dowager."
Guo Shao immediately agreed and of course gave Jinzhan a more respectable title. Wang Pu was a smart man and had long understood that Guo Shao and the Queen Mother trusted each other, otherwise he would not have dared to report such a matter casually.
As soon as Wang Pu proposed it, others immediately seconded it, praising the empress dowager for her contributions to the country and how noble and honorable she was.
Guo Shao asked: What kind of honorific title, how to address it
Wang Pu said: Your Majesty is of the same generation as the late emperor, so the title you give her should be Empress So-and-so.
Empress Guo Shao immediately liked this title, which sounded better than the Queen Mother. He looked at Wang Pu and said, "Do you have any suggestions, Lord Wang?"
Wang Pu said: Your Majesty, it would be more appropriate to think of a title, but it would be best not to call her Empress Xuande by her reign title, as that would seem distant.
Guo Shao pondered for a while, slapped his thigh and said: Queen Zhenguo, how
Everyone was stunned for a moment. Guo Shao said: The name is too vulgar.
Wang Pu and others said one after another: Your Majesty's intention is to stabilize the country and make it safe, which is just right.
Guo Shao was greatly encouraged after hearing this, and immediately said excitedly: "It's time to change the reign title. How about starting to use it at the beginning of next year?"
Wang Pu said: Since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains has been in chaos. Now Your Majesty has the ambition to unify the world and correct the general trend. The Zhengtong reign title is also very appropriate.