During this year..,
News of Da Zhou's battles came to the capital one after another.
First, the Marquis of Champion Li Lian led his army to defeat Xiongnu's alliance army.
They captured Xiongnu's Great Chanyu, Hu Hanye.
Then, Duke Zhenguo Niu Jizong captured Xiongnu Longcheng, and Xiongnu officially surrendered.
Then..,
It was Princess Mingzhu who led the army into the Turks' lair,
They captured the Turks' Ashina Sana Khan and other nobles,
As well as countless gold and silver cattle and sheep.
Before the people of the capital could digest these two unprecedented pieces of good news..,
Another piece of good news came.
He Qi, the Duke of Zhao, led his army to suppress Xianbei's lair,
Xianbei, Wang Tuo, and Ba Yihuai were so scared that they pissed their pants,
They handed over the letter of credence and bowed their heads,
They ceded more land and paid more reparations,
They even sent their eldest son into the capital as a hostage.
It had only been a little more than the new year since they set out, and the soldiers of Da Zhou had actually made such great contributions. This really made the people of the capital and even the people of Da Zhou inexplicably excited.
The war was difficult, and there was also a lot of work to tidy up after the war. For example, counting the prisoners, cattle, sheep, horses, gold, silver, and soap, calculating the military merits of the soldiers who had made great contributions, the number of soldiers who were injured or killed in battle, and the amount of compensation that needed to be paid to their families, and so on, were all a lot of tedious work.
Moreover..,
The calculation of the military merits of the soldiers had to be checked and verified that there was no situation of fake military merits.
Although there were officials sent by the local counties and the Emperor to work overtime to organize, they were still busy for more than half a year before they roughly recorded down the accounts.
When they learned that the army had returned to the capital, many people in Da Zhou deliberately put down the work in their hands,
They worked tirelessly..,
They rushed to the capital from afar,
Just to welcome the men of Da Zhou who had fought in the war..,
If they could see it with their own eyes, they would only feel extremely honored and honored. They would have the capital to brag to their descendants for the rest of their lives.
The citizens of the capital spontaneously decorated the streets with lanterns and colored banners. They wore red and green clothes as if they were celebrating the New Year.
That was not all. They also rushed to the shops to buy large quantities of firecrackers, preparing to light them all at once on the day the army returned to the capital to properly welcome and celebrate the victorious return of the army.
The merchants who sold firecrackers made a lot of money and were all smiles. The firecrackers in their stores were even sold out. They had to send people to other counties to buy a large number of firecrackers at a high price. Only then could they meet the needs of the people in the capital.
However, unlike the elation of the common people, there was a powerful undercurrent flowing in the Imperial Court.
"Your subject listens to others. Those who are loyal to the best of their ability do not dare to evade words. Those who are kind to their lord often desire to hear words that are difficult to speak.
And then there is no secret below, no obstruction above, no evil doers, no disaster and chaos … Today, scholars and officials are not noble or lowly; they talk to their relatives and friends, and down to the common people, there is no foolishness; they talk to each other in the alleys and on the roads, but they do not tell His Majesty. Why?
It is difficult to point fingers at Chen Ye, since he has not spoken yet.
Jia Yucun stood in the middle of the hall with a loyal, patriotic, and righteous appearance, as if Wei Zheng and Ouyang Xiu had come back to life.
Hearing these words, the red-robed officials next to him nodded with a smile. The Emperor, who was sitting on the dragon throne, frowned.
Looking at the current situation, even evil doers are used. I'm afraid it has something to do with the party struggle or the impeachment of officials.
The Emperor thought with a headache.
In any case, Jia Yucun was a Jinshi. His literary talent was extraordinary. The first half of the memorial was written beautifully. The first half of the content made the Emperor nod his head.
Jia Yucun paused, and the climax came.
"Your subject sees the Marquis of Champion Li Lian. He came from the army and is brave and outstanding … Although I have not seen him, unfortunately, he has the name of military intelligence.
Because he used gold and silver, treasures, and small gifts to buy people's hearts. The soldiers are originally vile people. When they see profit, they forget their duty. They are happy to see their own kind. When they see him being useful, they feel honored and admire him.
In addition, his ability to restrain himself is better than others. Compared to his generation, he is coarse and knowledgeable. With the hearts of the soldiers, he is convinced of his ability and is liked by the soldiers.
As the saying goes, when a dog barks, a hundred dogs bark. Therefore, they are all happy and happy. "
At first glance, this speech sounded like he was praising Li Lian. But in fact, a lot of the content was very unfavorable to Li Lian. He said that Li Lian deliberately bought people's hearts. The soldiers worshipped and admired him very much. As long as Li Lian gave an order, the soldiers would not distinguish the truth and would only follow his order.
Although Jia Yucun and Li Lian could be considered to be of the same lineage, and he himself was recommended by Li Lian's brother-in-law, Lin Ruhai. Li Lian's second older brother, Jia Zheng, personally helped him to obtain a fourth-rank position in Thuan Province. Jia Yucun had also thought of relying on Li Lian. However, Li Lian ignored him. Now that he had become the target of public criticism, naturally he would not be stupid enough to stand on Li Lian's side!
Jia Yucun's voice was loud and clear. He said clearly, "Your subject sees that his heart is not evil. Since he became the Commander of Tientse Province, he has not made any mistake. Unfortunately, he has the name of military intelligence.
How can a military official hold great power and control a large military force benefit the country?
Not only is it beneficial to the country, it may also be harmful to himself.
I want to remove the Commander of Tientse Province from his post and take over a province, not only to protect it, but also to eliminate the country's unripe disaster.
"
The Emperor's countenance immediately changed greatly.
"The Marquis of Champion has always been loyal to the country. Everyone in the world knows this. Today, Minister Jia has exposed this matter, I am afraid that he has other intentions. How can a military official cherish talents for the country?"
Weiwei?
He coldly reprimanded.
This was an extremely rare severe reprimand.
The Emperor had been on the throne for more than ten years, but the harshest words he had said to his ministers were: "Minister, you have misspoken," "Minister is improper," and so on. He had never directly reprimanded or reprimanded his ministers.
But there was no other way. Jia Yucun's sentence, "How can a military official hold great power and control a large military force benefit the country?" was not only expressing his dissatisfaction with Li Lian's control of a large military force, but also directed at the generals who held military power in the world.
Jia Yucun was also stunned and felt guilty. But when he glanced at his "companions" next to him and thought that they had repeatedly discussed and planned for a long time, he could not help but straighten his back and said firmly, "Song Taizu was not a loyal minister of Zhou Shizong, but he received military intelligence, so there was the rebellion of Chen Qiao."
Song Taizu, Zhao Kuangyin, received the support of the army, so there was the rebellion of Chen Qiao and he ascended the throne. Now Li Lian also received the support of the army, who knows if he will become the next Song Taizu?
The Emperor's face darkened and did not say a word. For a moment, even the air seemed to have frozen.
In his heart, he was secretly angry.
What did he mean by "eliminate unripe disaster for the country"!?
This was clearly saying that Li Lian had the intention to usurp the throne!
As an Emperor, although he knew that the probability of Li Lian rebelling was zero, he still had to consider the possibility of Li Lian rebelling.
However, without the identity of the Emperor, Li Tian?
He knew that Li Lian would never rebel.
Emperor?
Narrowing his eyes, he wondered what this group of people wanted to do.
He said coldly, "Zhen is not Zhou Shizong, Chai Rong, and Li Lian is not Zhao Kuangyin.
In this dynasty, civil and military officials have always performed their duties. Civil officials are in charge of government affairs, and military officials are in charge of military power.
Marquis Champion was not the only one who received military intelligence. Duke Zhao, Duke Zhen, and others were everywhere.
"
Seeing that Jia Yucun could not hold on, the Minister of War, Jiang Yan, stepped forward.
"Reporting to the Emperor, according to the ancestral rules, military officials other than General Lantian are not allowed to command a large number of troops. Normally, other than the personal guards, they are not allowed to command troops. Only during wartime can they lead troops into battle. In the past, even General Lantian was not an exception.
However, today, Marquis Champion Li Lian is the commander of Tientse Province. He has 100,000 troops in the capital. Once there is a change, the consequences will be unimaginable. "
"
Jiang Yan bowed with a serious expression and said loudly, "Emperor, please issue an edict to remove Marquis Champion Li Lian from the position of Commander of Heavenly Strategies. For the sake of the country, eliminate unripe disaster!
"
Indeed, before Li Lian established Tientse Province, even General Niu Jizong, who was deeply trusted by the Retired Emperor, could not command the army on normal days. He could only lead his personal guards after court to put burlap sacks on the ministers.
Since Da Zhou was established, only General Lantian could command and mobilize the hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed in Lam Tin Tai Camp.
Imperial Censor Sun You stepped forward and continued, "This subject heard that Marquis Champion Li Lian led the troops outside. The military discipline was lax, and he allowed the soldiers to burn, kill, loot, and rape innocent women.
Even if there were commoners who risked their lives to complain, they were judged to be foreign spies who disturbed the morale of the army and were sent to prison.
This subject also heard that after the soldiers looted, they would send the best things to the central military tent. In the central military tent, there are already more than ten beauties and countless gold, silver, and treasures gathered! "
The meaning was very clear. We have evidence, so we are not afraid of acting without justification. Your Majesty, please feel free to do it! "
After the Emperor heard this, he was so angry that he laughed.
Even if Li Lian was henpecked by his wife, he dared to accept beauties in front of Yan Nian!?
After seeing how clingy Li Lian and Feng Zizhi were, the Emperor even doubted that Li Lian would be able to get hard after seeing those beauties.
The ministers standing below misunderstood the Emperor's smile and thought that the Emperor was expressing that they had done a good job and was very satisfied.
More ministers were encouraged to stand up and accuse Li Lian of not strictly managing the army, acting arrogantly, and even raising bandits for self-respect and colluding with foreign enemies.
Among them, there were not only civil officials, but also many military officials.
Most of these military officials were recognized by the Emperor. They themselves did not have much talent, and they were all descendants of generals and nobles who relied on their fathers' influence.
Although they had been on the battlefield and obtained some small official positions, they did not have any real power or important positions. They could only be considered as people at the edge of the military.
Just as Feng Zizhi thought, the rise of Li Lian harmed the interests of too many people.
Li Lian promoted a large number of capable military officials to positions, and transferred the mediocre and mediocre military officials to other positions.
As a result, Da Zhou's military strength began to grow rapidly and comprehensively, creating the illustrious reputation of Da Zhou's soldiers who had not tasted defeat for more than ten years.
At the same time, Li Lian's influence in the military immediately rose to the top.
However, there were only a few positions with real power or positions that could be profited from, and Li Lian's people occupied all of those positions. They ate the meat and did not leave the soup for others. What were the others supposed to do?
Over time, those military officials who harbored resentment naturally banded together.
When Li Lian was in charge of the capital, they naturally did not dare to cause any trouble. Li Lian even dared to fight the relatives of the late Crown Prince and the Tenth Prince to death, and his own "battle record" was not just for show.
However, Li Lian was now far away at the border. No matter what happened in the capital, it was beyond his reach. Their little thoughts immediately became active.
In addition, there were big shots on the civil officials' side who were reaching out to them. Wouldn't they be colluding with the civil officials?
The Emperor did not say anything. He carefully looked at their impassioned words, pointing out the country, as if they would not stop until Li Lian was eliminated.
Finally, after the dozens of civil and military officials in the palace hall finished speaking, the most important person finally stepped onto the stage.
That person concluded, "Military officials control a large number of troops in the capital, and are liked by the soldiers. Regardless of the Marquis Champion's intentions, this official respectfully asks Your Majesty to think far ahead. To prevent trouble before it grows, this official respectfully asks Your Majesty to make a decision early. Withdraw from official duties and take on a foreign position. This official will observe and see what his intentions are.
If his loyalty and filial piety are the same as his words and deeds, when the rumor gradually disappears, his sincerity and integrity will be clear, and he will be able to protect the beginning forever.
This official is Baohe Hall's Grand Scholar. Hearing the clamor outside, this matter concerns Your Majesty's safety, I have no choice but to submit a memorial to Your Majesty, asking Your Majesty to issue an imperial edict to remove the Marquis Li Lian from his post as the Commander of the Heavenly Strategy, so as to eliminate the country's unripe trouble!
"
"Asking Your Majesty to issue an imperial edict to remove the Marquis Li Lian from his post as the Commander of the Heavenly Strategy, so as to eliminate the country's unripe trouble!"
The other people shouted excitedly, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
Seeing this person, the Emperor could not help sighing.
After the morning court, An Dehai came to report that the Baohe Hall's Grand Scholar Kang Hetai, together with dozens of ministers, had an important matter to report to the Emperor. Therefore, the Emperor postponed the time to deal with the memorial and received them.
The Emperor was well aware of the twists and turns in the hearts of the civil officials. Originally, he thought that they wanted to impeach the Wuying Hall's Grand Scholar Gao Gong for something so grand and inconvenient to report in the morning court. Who would have thought that he was eighty to ninety percent correct? The impeachment was indeed an impeachment, but the object of the impeachment was unexpectedly Li Lian.
Looking at the gray-haired but unyielding Kang Hetai in the hall, the Emperor felt angry and sullen.
Zhen's good teacher ah!
What are you doing at this time ah!?
Although the Emperor would let his imagination run wild when he was alone, doubting Li Lian's loyalty, and fearing that his meritorious service overshadowed the Emperor's.
However, he would not believe a single word that the civil and military officials said in the hall just now.
It was hard to say that Li Lian himself was not such a person. Da Zhou's officers and soldiers were not soldiers who disregarded military discipline. However, He Qi, who had a straightforward temperament, scrupulously abided by military rules, and was very strict with his subordinates, would never allow things like burning, killing, looting, and harassing the common people to happen.
As if sensing the Emperor's gaze, Kang Hetai bowed again and repeated: "Emperor, please issue an edict to dismiss the Marquis of Champion Li Lian from his position as the Commander of Heavenly Strategies, and eliminate the country's unbudded disaster!
"
"Emperor, please issue an edict to dismiss the Marquis of Champion Li Lian from his position as the Commander of Heavenly Strategies, and eliminate the country's unbudded disaster!"
The others followed closely behind.
The Emperor barely suppressed the rising anger in his heart. His brain quickly turned, thinking about what this group of officials wanted to play.
Although the Emperor was a little soft-hearted and suspicious, he could definitely be considered a smart person, a rare smart person in the imperial family.
The more he thought, the colder his heart became, and the clearer his mind became, unprecedentedly clear.
The military officials' intentions were very clear. They wanted to kill Li Lian and take advantage of the fact that the military was without a leader to promote themselves in the military.
As for the civil officials … …
On the surface, it seemed that the fall of Li Lian would not have any effect on the civil officials, nor would it benefit them. However, from their words just now, the Emperor could roughly guess what they were thinking.
It had to be said that although impeaching Li Lian when he was about to lead the army back to the capital with his peerless achievements seemed like a completely stupid move, in reality, in the eyes of the Emperor, it was extremely brilliant.
First, Li Lian had made a great contribution, reclaiming more than half of the grasslands, and completely eliminating his arch-enemy Xiongnu, which was very satisfying.
However, this was something that happened more than two years ago. No matter how happy and gratified the Emperor was, he should have calmed down. He should have started to worry and suspect that Li Lian's achievements overshadowed his lord's.
At this time, the Emperor's desire to kill Li Lian should have reached its peak.
Second, Li Lian's achievements were too great. When he returned to the court, it was hard to guarantee that the Emperor would not only confer him a title, but also put him in the cabinet or put him in a position like Minister of the Ministry of War!
With achievements, a title, and the two Emperors' favor, when the time came, all the noble civil officials in the court would have to act according to this' rough person '!
Wasn't this just nauseating people for no reason?!
Therefore, if he made a move at this time, it would be easier to arouse the feelings of the civil officials in the court.
Third, with the momentum of a great victory, all the officers and soldiers in Da Zhou were elated and their morale was high. They would never have thought that at this time, someone would dare to touch the tiger's butt.
All of a sudden, they would be caught unprepared, and then one wrong step after another, falling into the civil officials' control.
Fourth, Xiongnu and Turks had already been ruthlessly defeated. The Rouran and Xianbei were nothing to be afraid of. The Southwest barbarians had already surrendered to Da Zhou, and the South Wokou pirates were scared by Da Zhou. At this time, the four seas were at peace. Except for the necessary deployment of troops, the status of military officers was actually not as good as before.
If they could kill the military's leader, Li Lian, at this time when the military seemed to be at its peak, but was actually strong in appearance but weak in reality, then the military's morale would certainly plummet. The civil officials would then swarm up and give him a good beating, making the military dizzy and disoriented.
In the future, as long as they spoke ill of the military in front of the Emperor and waited until He Qi retired, then they could make a move to sow discord or suppress the remaining 'thorns' in the military. Perhaps they could take away the military's military power and replace it with a civil official commanding the military.
Kang Hetai had always been brooding over the fact that when he tried to seize Li Lian's command seal during the palace coup, he was beaten back instead.
From this matter, he deeply understood the principle that political power came from the barrel of a gun. Only with a big fist would you have the right to speak. Without military power, who would care about you at a critical moment?
Therefore, he had been secretly plotting for many years.
Of course, this was also related to the struggle between civil and military officers.
Most of the civil officials who had studied hard for decades to reach a high position looked down on those unbearably rude 'bumpkins'.
There was no other reason. Who told those military officers to rely on their military achievements to be 'arrogant and domineering' and run amok? As long as they cut off enough heads, even the lowliest of soldiers and slaves would be able to climb the dragon's gate, their value would increase by a hundred times, and they would be on equal footing with the civil officials.
The civil officials dreamt that their court could be like the Song Dynasty, raising the status of scholars. The civil officials often had more authority than the military officers of the same rank.
As long as he could tear a hole in the military, Kang Hetai would have the ability to extend his hand into the military.
At that time, Kang Hetai's faction would greatly increase in power. It would be easy to suppress the faction of Wuying Hall's Grand Scholar Gao Gong, who had always been at odds with him. Kang Hetai himself would be able to become the true head of the Grand Scholars of the Palace Court.
In addition, Kang Hetai was the Emperor's teacher when he was in seclusion. Although he didn't have the title of Emperor's Preceptor, he had the title of Emperor's Preceptor. Although the Emperor didn't listen to everything he said, he still respected him.
As a result, who in the court could contend with him?!