Prime Minister

Chapter 1223 Epiphany (2 parts in 1)

Chapter 1223: Epiphany (Two chapters combined into one)

Huanzhou.

Go to the Privy Council camp.

Han Zhen saw the official document and said to his staff, "Prime Minister Zhang is afraid that I will achieve great success and surpass him after returning to the court, so he stopped fighting and negotiated peace with the Dangxiang."

Upon hearing this, the staff members did not dare to answer and each of them looked very uncomfortable.

Han Zhen said: "The hatred between the emperor and father is irreconcilable. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, the false ruler Li Jiqian attacked and seized Lingzhou."

"Emperor Renzong was the most benevolent, but the Tanguts bullied him the most."

"My Han family has received great favors from generations past, so how can we not share the king's worries?"

Han Zhen was a person of such narrow-minded and intolerant character. As the commander-in-chief, he would not only not listen to the opinions of his staff, but would also bring disaster to them if they disagreed with his opinions.

Therefore, the staff will think twice before speaking.

"Why don't you say anything?" Han Zhen asked.

It is difficult for the staff to say no and not say no.

At this time, an aide came up with a way to avoid offending both sides: "Lü Jifu is a scholar of Guanwen Hall, the governor of Taiyuan Prefecture, and the governor of Hedong. It seems that he is targeting the general."

"Lü Jifu..." Han Zhen thought of this name. He was still a little afraid of Lü Huiqing. Back then, his brother Han Jiang was almost expelled from the capital by Lü Huiqing. Now, after Lü Huiqing's mourning, he was actually trusted.

Lu Huiqing is now appointed as the Academician of Guanwen Hall, a position granted upon dismissal of the Prime Minister or appointment to an external post.

For example, when Prime Minister Zhang Yue left office, he was usually accompanied by the Grand Secretary of Guanwen Hall. If Zhang Yue was dismissed from office, he was accompanied by the Academician of Guanwen Hall.

Therefore, the emperor restored Lu Huiqing's position as vice-chancellor and allowed him to go out as the prime minister.

In this way, Lü Huiqing could be regarded as equal to Han Zhen in terms of official position. Of course, Han Zhen nominally controlled the six routes, but after the establishment of the Xihe Road, Lü Huiqing was appointed as the academician of the Guanwen Hall and the governor of Taiyuan.

Now Han Zhen can only mobilize four routes.

Han Zhen clenched his fists and said that Zhang Yue had always trusted him since he left the capital, but how come it has come to this point now.

In fact, since the great victory in Lanzhou, Han Zhen has become arrogant and even said that Zhang Yue is a guest of the Han family.

After Zhang Yue rejected Han Zhen's plan to attack Hengshan, he put more financial and material resources on Xihe Road, which inevitably left less for Huanqing Road, Fuyan Road and other routes. The Shaanxi border troops were already on a short-term basis and were often troubled by insufficient food and wages.

Without the support of Hengshan's strategy, the direction and resources of the court were tilted towards Xihe Road. Han Zhen took the lead in repeatedly asking the court for money and food. Han Zhen's plan was that if the court gave money to the soldiers below, everyone would be grateful for his kindness, and if it did not, all the resentment would be attributed to the court.

The emperor still gave Han Zhen face and allocated money from the inner treasury to Shaanxi several times. Zhang Yue also gave Han Zhen some money and grain from the national treasury, but not as much as Xihe Road.

However, Han Zhen was still not satisfied and he submitted memorials again and again, and he also expressed his views in his memorials.

"The soldiers had no food and asked me how to kill the enemy. I could not answer them, but I looked at them and tears flowed down my cheeks."

"The soldiers are determined to kill the enemy, but the horses have no food to last them overnight."

"How can we advance if we treat our troops like this?"

"The imperial court has recruited hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Shaanxi. If we cannot support them, it would be better to disperse half of them."

"The soldiers look westwards for food and money and shed tears every day!"

When these memorials were submitted, officials who did not know the truth thought that Zhang Yue withheld food and wages from the soldiers on the front line in Shaanxi, just to favor Xihe Road. The Han family had many students and former officials in the court, so many officials still spoke for Han Zhen. Of course, if Zhang Yue had not recovered Liangzhou, there would have been many more such remarks.

In fact, the money and grain allocated by the imperial court to other parts of Shaanxi were more than before, not less.

But Han Zhen wants to make money after all.

Han Zhen had skills but no moral principles. Although he was very strict with his subordinates, he was stubborn and self-willed. He selected generals only those who were loyal to him, and kept away from those who were not, or even dismissed them.

Han Zhen repeatedly requested salaries and grain from the imperial court on behalf of officials from various parts of Shaanxi, and was also partial to the grain and salaries allocated by the imperial court.

The officials and generals below also bribed Han Zhen for this.

Han Zhen himself lived an extravagant life. He built large-scale buildings in his two camps in Qingzhou and Huanzhou. Not only did he purchase fine mansions and courtyards, he also sent people to Xijing to ask for land and houses. He bought more than 20 mansions in one go and did not bargain for the prices, which immediately shocked the people of Xijing.

After hearing this, Sima Guang asked Wen Yanbo and others, "Are the people's money and blood used on these people? The emperor used the pretext of conquering the Dangxiang people to enrich himself."

Han Zhen's behavior naturally made Zhang Yue dissatisfied, so he sent Lu Huiqing to check and balance Han Zhen and divide his power.

After hearing that Lü Huiqing was appointed as the governor of Hedong Prefecture, Han Zhen said, "I was not afraid of Lü Jifu before he went into mourning, so why should I be afraid of him after he went into mourning?"

"Now that Liangzhou has been conquered, the imperial court is actually trying to negotiate peace with the Tanguts. This is really short-sighted."

"We are in a position to capture Weizhou. We can seize the opportunity of conquering Liangzhou and shock the enemy. Isn't this better than just building fortifications and advancing steadily?"

The staff and others were all shocked to hear Han Zhen's words. Han Zhen actually ignored the imperial edict and wanted to send troops to Weizhou independently in order to disrupt the peace talks between Song and Dangxiang.

An aide said: "Although no one knows about the secret peace talks between the imperial court and the Tanguts, if the peace talks between the two families are disrupted, and the imperial court blames us later... the consequences will be unbearable."

Han Zhen said: "It's difficult, but Prime Minister Zhang San was promoted by my late brother. How can he do anything to me?"

"If I succeed, I know that the Tanguts are now corrupt and can be defeated in one battle. Why would I bother to negotiate peace with them? It is really ridiculous."

All the staff members thought to themselves that this was not the right thing to say. Han Jiang had promoted Zhang Yue in the past, but Zhang Yue had already repaid him by nominating Han Jiang as prime minister.

"Using power to send troops will probably not please you."

Han Zhen said even more arrogantly after hearing this: "All the generals in Shaanxi look up to me. I don't have the power, but I have the influence."

The staff knew Han Zhen's plan, which was to send troops to Weizhou, but in fact he was jealous of Zhang Yue's achievement in taking Liangzhou. At the same time, he was also preparing to return to Beijing to be appointed as prime minister in the future.

After hearing this, the staff were too arrogant to say anything more and just let him do as he pleased.

……

Han Zhen intended to lead the troops from Huanqing Road to attack Weizhou. As soon as it was announced the next day, all the generals and officials dared not disobey him.

Zhang Gen was also in the tent.

In the past two years, he has experienced a lot, from being too ambitious to acting rashly.

Before this, he trained with Zhao Long and Yao Gu, intending to train a strong army.

However, facts and ideals are always contrary to each other. The troops that he, Zhao Long and Yao Gu had trained so hard were defeated in the battle with the Dangxiang troops.

This caused Zhang Gen to suffer a great setback.

However, Han Zhen did not blame him for this matter. He had always been kind to Zhang Gen over the years and would always mention him in the texts praising his achievements.

At the same time, whatever Zhang Gen asked for was guaranteed, and he was provided with the best food, clothing, housing and transportation. Even Zhao Long and Yao Gu were promoted. After their troops were defeated in battle, they were fully replenished so that they could be raised.

Of course Zhang Gen knew that Han Zhen valued him so much not because he had high hopes for him, but because of Zhang Yue.

Zhang Gen was initially a little resentful and wanted to refuse, and even wrote a letter to Zhang Yue asking to return to the capital. However, Zhang Gen's letter was criticized by Zhang Yue, who said that it was you who advocated going to the northwest in the first place, and now it is you who wants to return to the capital.

You can come and go as you please at the current front line.

If you can't get something done here, you can't just move to another place. Get things done here first. Even if you can't get it done, you can still say that you have tried your best.

There is no reason for a real man to run around everywhere. He should first find his own way and then plan for great achievements.

Zhang Gen couldn't stand Zhang Yue's scolding and his face turned blue and white.

He had been a favored child since childhood, a noble among nobles, and had never encountered any setbacks. Now that he had received a letter from Zhang Yue scolding him, he felt very depressed. He had hoped to get Zhang Yue's support when he was helpless, but he did not expect Zhang Yue to scold him.

Zhang Gen asked Han Zhen for leave and traveled for a few days.

It would be impossible for an ordinary official to enter and leave the shogunate like this, but Han Zhen agreed immediately after seeing Zhang Yue's face and granted him leave in the name of inspecting military affairs.

Zhang Gen brought several attendants back to Yanzhou for a short stay. When he learned that the person in charge of Yanzhou was Zhong Shidao, he immediately gave him a grand reception.

Zhang Gen felt much better after being comforted by Master Zhong, and he also gained a lot from his advice. He wandered around the market every day, sitting in a teahouse watching people coming and going, but reading Huang Lao's book to relieve his boredom.

When he saw the words "the weak are the ones who use the Tao, and the opposite are the ones who move the Tao", he remembered Zhang Yue's instructions, and these words suddenly entered his heart.

When he was young, he read the books of Cheng and Zhu and believed that benevolence, righteousness, and morality were the foundation of the world. Now, as a general he also began to learn the methods of Shen Shang.

When he was young, he heard others say that the Shang Jun law was so that anyone who walked more than six feet or threw ashes on the road would be punished, which was very inhumane. But after leading the army, he felt that if he did not follow the Shang Jun law, he would not be able to lead the army.

When it comes to practical application, I feel that the Confucian way of kinglyness is not worth mentioning compared to the Legalist way of tyranny.

No wonder scholars all over the world talk about benevolence and righteousness, but are cruel in governing. Especially after abandoning morality, scholars are even more cruel when killing people.

He remembered the principles that Zhang Yue often told him: one must speak nice words that make people feel comfortable; one must have a scale in one's heart, and have strategies and means in one's mind.

Zhang Gen considered himself extraordinary and was determined to become a sage who could change customs but not be changed by them.

Now I understand that one must first enter the world and then leave it.

While he was living in Yanzhou, a Dangxiang army of 500,000 came to besiege the city of Yanzhou.

Han Zhenji ordered Zhang Gen to join the army to assist in military affairs. He followed Zhong Shidao and learned how to defend the city. After watching Zhong Shidao repel the 500,000-strong Tangut army, he realized the gap between himself and others.

Zhang Gen was a young man after all, so actually nothing serious happened to him. However, young people have little experience, so small things are often seen as huge challenges.

At the same time, he was more tactful towards Han Zhen than before. He knew that Han Zhen was generous to him on the outside but wary of him on the inside. Throughout history, employers have always liked to use those who are mouthpieces, that is, people who copy their ideas 100%.

Han Zhen was particularly stubborn and self-willed.

Therefore, Zhang Gen changed his attitude. He no longer considered himself to be noble and arrogant. Instead, he advocated being understanding and accommodating, and reflected on himself from time to time.

Seeing Zhang Gen like this, Han Zhen had a changed opinion of him.

Zhang Gen was also more diligent in training his troops.

The last military training failed, so this time Zhang Gen went straight into the army, ate and lived with the soldiers, and trained with them.

After he lived in the army, he found that there were two or three hundred veterans among the soldiers, who were good at civil wars but not good at foreign wars. These veterans usually looked like elite soldiers who dared to fight, but in the last battle with the Tanguts, they pretended to be exhausted and ran away after a short while, causing the whole army to collapse.

After Zhang Gen knew the truth, he found it ridiculous.

The hard work he put into training his soldiers was wasted by these people. If Zhang Yue hadn't asked him to stay here to reflect on himself, he might have had to laugh at his own incompetence for the rest of his life.

When Zhang Gen learned about this, he did not make it public. He asked Han Zhen to send away all the two or three hundred people.

Only in this way could Zhang Gen's troops be truly trained.

Now I heard that Han Zhen is going to attack Weizhou.

He was not overly surprised. He knew that the other party was acting on his own initiative.

But what if you were Han Zhen?

People's ambition and dignity will expand as their status rises.

For example, if you are alone and your boss scolds you, it doesn't matter, but if you become a small leader and your boss scolds you again, it will be very uncomfortable because you also have other subordinates under you, and they will know how you will be viewed.

What can you use to restrain them and make them obey your orders?

Similarly, the imperial court had made great achievements in the Xihe Road direction, which made Han Zhen and his subordinates in the Shaanxi Road sit on the sidelines and watch their allies achieve great success. Han Zhen's plan to attack the Hengshan direction was rejected by the imperial court. How did his generals view him?

Therefore, Han Zhen must fight for the interests of his troops in Shaanxi Province at this time.

After Han Zhen finished speaking, he said, "The imperial court raises troops for a thousand days and deploys them for a moment. Who is willing to be the vanguard in this expedition to Weizhou?"

All the generals rushed forward.

Han Zhen had his own way of managing the army. He usually favored these generals, and today they were going to march to Weizhou with him. Although the generals knew that this was an unauthorized march without the imperial order, they all rushed forward at Han Zhen's command.

Among them are Zhao Long and Yao Gu.

Zhang Gen thought of this and immediately stepped out and said, "Prime Minister, Zhao Long, the Yao Gu tribe is well-trained and can serve as the vanguard."

Han Zhen was suspicious at first but then happy when he heard this. Zhang Gen was willing to lead the troops as the vanguard?

Han Zhen deliberately said, "Last time, Zhao Long and Yao Gu were defeated. If we fail again this time, wouldn't it damage our military prestige?"

Zhang Gen said: "I am willing to guarantee the two generals. If they fail again, I will share the blame with them!"

Han Zhen couldn't help but look at him with admiration and thought to himself, Zhang Yue really has a good son. None of the Han family's nephews or nephews in this lifetime can compare to him.

Han Zhen said: "In this case, let Zhao and Yao lead their troops as the vanguard!"

Zhao Long and Yao Gu were very happy.

……

After Zhao Long and Yao Gu left the hall, they asked Zhang Gen: "Since the chancellor has dispatched troops without the order of the court, how will the prime minister deal with it?"

Zhang Gen asked in return: "No matter how the Prime Minister handles it in the future, will the Prime Minister not send troops this time?"

Zhao Long and Yao Gu both said: "The arrow is on the string and has to be shot."

Zhang Gen said: "That's right. We must send troops no matter what. Once we send troops, we must fight for the vanguard."

"Are you not afraid of being blamed by the Prime Minister in the future?"

Zhang Gen said: "Remember, we work under the chancellor, not the chancellor."

"We have trained for several years, and our achievements are here. We are seeking our own fame, not for the chancellor and the prime minister!"

"In any matter, you should consider yourself first, then others!"