The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 98: Cousin, you should be about to burst, right?

Since ancient times, reforms and changes have been ongoing.

However, only one or two out of ten succeeded, and most of them ended up bringing a seriously ill dynasty to the brink of death.

There are two reasons for failure:
First, the reforms were too hasty.

Having been unable to get reforms for a long time, the reformists finally got a chance, and basically took advantage of this hard-won opportunity to take drastic measures.

This medicine is basically too much, or the common people cannot withstand the big changes.

Over a period of several years, changes occur in all aspects, and it is common to waste time and money.

Second, the emperor couldn’t hold on.

Reforms have always required the support of power. Generally speaking, there is no situation where reformers overwhelm conservatives. It is always the emperor who forcibly promotes reformers, allowing them to temporarily gain the upper hand.

However, if the reformists do anything wrong, the conservatives will inevitably emerge.

The emperor would be under a lot of pressure. If the reformers made a few more wrong decisions, the emperor would not be able to withstand the pressure.

Since then, the reform has failed.

Chu Hong's reforms did not have these problems.

Whenever he made a change, he emphasized that it should be a gradual process and if there were any major mistakes, he could let the conservatives correct them.

Everyone can see the necessity of change, and the conservatives are not mindless conservatives. These people are afraid that the reformists will come all of a sudden and destroy the Zhou Dynasty in one fell swoop.

Chu Hong's reforms are widely accepted, slow-paced, and not costly.

As a result, most conservatives took a neutral stance.

The new emperor Zhao Ceying also strongly supported the reform of enriching the country and strengthening the military, so he simply let Chu Hong do what he wanted.

In the first year of Yuanfeng, Chu Hong promoted Champa rice, which had a higher grain yield, while at the same time ordering local governments to build dams to prevent floods and promote border trade in the frontier areas.

Building dams to prevent floods and border trade are things that can really make the local big families well-off and profitable.

Now that you have eaten, you should do your work well.

Otherwise, the local clans would not be able to bear the strong suppression from Prime Minister Chu.

If you take the money and don't do the job, and if Lord Chu does it, the other big families who have done the job will not sympathize with you.

The promotion of Champa rice gave the common people a little more food and a sense of purpose.

Building dams required labor, which also promoted economic prosperity.

In the fourth year of Yuanfeng, under the leadership of Emperor Zhao Ceying, military and political reforms were implemented, elite soldiers were selected, and the cavalry camp was expanded.

In the tenth year of Yuanfeng, the government encouraged the reclamation of wasteland and the production of more food and fodder.

In the 14th year of Yuanfeng, the Great Zhou Dynasty, which had been rich and powerful for more than ten years, made friends with the Jurchens and officially attacked Western Xia.

This is the eighteenth year of Yuanfeng!
Spring of the 18th year of Yuanfeng
Emperor Zhao Ceying appointed Crown Prince Zhao Mao as regent, and appointed Prime Minister and Grand Pillar of the State Chu Hong to be in charge of all military and political affairs of the Great Zhou and to ensure the stability of the court.

After that, Zhao Ceying held a swearing-in ceremony and decided to lead the army in person.

Duke Ningguo Gu Tingye was the brave general and led 100,000 imperial guards. Duke Yingguo Zhang Ding was the auxiliary general and led 20,000 cavalry. Duke Lingguo and Duke Yueguo led 100,000 troops. Together, they formed a million-strong army and conquered Yanyun.

This trip was a declaration that they would not return until they had recovered Yanyun, and people all over the world were watching with great attention.

Shuozhou, the central army camp.

Zhao Ceying was wearing armor and holding a sharp weapon. He pointed at the map with a serious but happy look, "After the previous war, the main force of the Liao army had already been destroyed, and twelve of the sixteen states of Yanyun have been recovered. Of the sixteen states of Yanyun, only four remain!"

At this point, many generals looked at each other. There was no sign of fatigue on their faces. Instead, they were all excited and had endless energy.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun have always been a pain for the Great Zhou Dynasty. Emperor Taizu died early, and Emperor Taizong did not recover Yanyun.

Although no one talks about it on a daily basis, everyone knows that the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty was smaller than that of all previous dynasties.

This is a fatal flaw, a flaw that is destined to be laughed at for all eternity.

In the past, many generals did not even dare to talk about this matter.

But now they will take the initiative to talk about it.

Because they left their names in history books and recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

What was once pain is now achievement!
Zhao Ceying was determined to get it. He had been planning for nearly twenty years. He was determined to take over the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun!

Gu Tingye nodded, stepped forward with a serious look, and pointed at the map. "Among the remaining four states, Xinzhou is near the river. My Great Zhou happens to have elite naval forces, so we can use this as a breakthrough. Or we can divide the troops into three groups and take Xinzhou first."

Gu Tingye’s meaning was quite clear. In the past, they could fight separately, but now there are four states, so they have to fight steadily, march forward with a large army, and crush them.

Zhao Ceying nodded in agreement, "Recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun can also bring good luck to Mao'er and help him get rid of his illness."

Having said that, Zhao Ceying's sharp eyes couldn't help but dim slightly.

Zhao Mao was his eldest son and his favorite child.

However, since he was six years old, his health had not been very good, and it was getting worse day by day, which made Zhao Ceying wonder if there was something wrong with the Great Zhou Palace.

Why do children get sick as soon as they stay here?

After all, he was on the battlefield, and Zhao Ceying's eyes became sharp again. He was waiting to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, build a new imperial palace, and grant amnesty to the world!

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhao Ceying chose to agree, and the generals had nothing to refute.

Since the successful reform of the Chu Xiang, the Great Zhou Dynasty has become rich and powerful, and has stockpiled countless supplies of food and fodder. The national strength is growing stronger day by day. If attacking a city is more difficult than defending it, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun would have been recovered long ago.

Now, there are only four states left, and the army led by the emperor himself has a great advantage, so they can conquer them in any way.

"Rest for a day and start the war tomorrow!"

Zhao Ceying made a decision immediately. In war, one must be vigorous at the first blow, exhausted at the second, and weak at the third. The side with the advantage cannot afford to wait any longer and must make good use of the momentum.

The majestic drumbeats resounded through the sky, stimulating people's minds and making their blood boil.

Zhao Ceying sat in the central army, directing the soldiers' actions in an orderly manner.

At Zhao Ceying's signal, the central army neither advanced nor retreated, and thus remained in a stalemate with the main force of the Liao army.

From Zhao Ceying's perspective, he could even see the general flag representing the Liao emperor.

"kill!"

The rumbling sound of horse hooves shook the earth, and cavalry like a tsunami rushed in from the left wing, disrupting the battle situation.

This is the new Duke of England, Zhang Ding, the eldest son of the old Duke of England, Zhang Fu.

Without waiting for anything, countless arrows flew from the riverside, targeting the rear half of the Liao army, which was the navy of the Great Zhou.

Well, the combat capability is just so-so, but fortunately it is a unique thing.

The Liao army didn't have this thing and couldn't maintain it.

On the right wing, Gu Tingye led his troops forward, and the three armies charged forward, causing the Liao army to retreat step by step.

Gu Tingye held a long spear in one hand. Anyone who touched him would be injured, and anyone who was hit would die. He was no match for his opponent.

When Zhao Ceying saw this, he was overjoyed, "Victory! Recover Yanyun! Victory for the Great Zhou!"

The momentum of the Great Zhou Dynasty reached its peak. Zhao Ceying immediately gave an order with great enthusiasm, "Capture Yelu Hongji alive and reward him with a title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households! Whoever kills the general will be rewarded with a hundred gold coins and a title of nobility!"

This statement made him even more murderous.

Under the protection of everyone, Gu Tingye got closer and closer to the Liao emperor, and simply swung a dagger at him, just in time to cut off the commander's flag.

"The Liao general's flag has been cut off, the Liao emperor is dead, and those who surrender will not be killed!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many Liao soldiers looked towards the position of the Liao King.

Upon seeing that the flag was indeed broken, everyone immediately stopped fighting and either ran away or surrendered.

Zhao Ceying also looked at Yelu Hongji's position repeatedly, full of joy.

At this moment, an arrow came flying from an unknown position.
Zhao Ceying was startled and dodged quickly, and the arrow hit his left shoulder.

The soldiers rushed over to escort him. Zhao Ceying was already excited, and this minor injury was not enough to hurt him.

He immediately pulled out the arrow and walked to a safe place under the protection of everyone.

What he didn't notice was that the arrow was covered with rust.
A fierce melee ensued. Gu Tingye was extremely ruthless and blocked Yelu Hongji's retreat, successfully capturing him alive.

Zhao Ceying was overjoyed and immediately sounded the call to withdraw his troops.

The recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun has been accomplished!
Hall of Wende

Chu Hong patiently presided over the government affairs, while Zhao Mao sat on a stool beside the throne and acted as a mascot.

He was born with a weak physique, so naturally he didn't have the energy to learn anything.

If you don’t learn the real things, you naturally won’t be able to deal with the court officials.

Compared with watching Zhongfu handle affairs, he now focused more on a fifth-rank official who had recently been promoted to Bianliang.

Chu Rui, the third place in the imperial examination six years ago, the prefect of Yangzhou three years ago, and now a fifth-rank doctor of the Ministry of Rites!

That's his good friend, who is very good at studying.

"In that case, today's morning court session ends here, and you may all go!"

The majority of the court officials today are from the Chu faction, and there are also many acquaintances that Chu Hong knew when he was exiled, including Wang Ang, the Minister of Personnel, Zuo Chenqi, the Vice Minister of Rites, and Zhang Zhou, the Right Vice Minister of Rites.
In addition, the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Revenue, and the Minister of Works were also Chu Hong's people.

The five cabinet ministers, Wenyuan Pavilion Minister Sheng Changbai, Guanwen Hall Minister Han Jiayan, and Dongge Minister Wang Anshi, were all Chu Hong's men.

He occupies three of the five positions, and has long been the one who has the final say.

Since Zhao Zongquan ascended the throne, Chu Hong presided over the imperial examinations twice. During the 18 years that Zhao Ceying ascended the throne, it was also Chu Hong or people from the Chu family who presided over the imperial examinations.

In other words, during these twenty-one or twenty-two years, as long as he passed the imperial examination and did not have a deep mark from his original family, he would be Chu Hong's person.

In these eighteen years, Chu Hong has truly achieved clean and honest governance, with capable people being appointed to official posts.

They are all from the Chu family, and they are all the Great Prime Minister Chu. Ahem, as the emperor's disciples, there is naturally no question of relationships, and naturally the government is clean and fair, with capable people serving as officials.

Naturally, there was no objection to the affairs of the court.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

Everyone saluted and left one by one.

Chu Hong bowed slightly and looked at the prince, "Mao'er, today's political affairs are almost done. Do you want to go to the cabinet with me to handle the affairs, or do you have important matters of your own to deal with?"

"Mao'er has his own things to do, so I won't bother you, father."

Zhao Mao quickly stood up and saluted. He didn't want to go to the cabinet and be controlled for a whole day.

That's really boring!

Having said that, Zhao Mao bowed respectfully again and walked away.

Chu Hong smiled and stood quietly in the Wende Hall. He walked to the door of the hall and looked down at the steps along the way.

Cousin, you must have been hit by an arrow, right?

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(End of this chapter)