Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 280 Zhao Ceying: I will personally lead the expedition!
Fourthly, it was an impeachment document.

Jiang Zhao's face darkened as he stared at Han Jiang and Yuan Jiang: "Do you two know what the impeachment documents contain?"

Impeachment document?

Han Jiang and Yuan Jiang exchanged a glance, both looking completely bewildered.

The remaining three people stared intently.

What kind of impeachment document could have angered the Grand Chancellor?
Could it be that someone has impeached the Grand Chancellor?
That’s not right either!

Given the magnanimity and self-cultivation of the Grand Chancellor, he is destined not to be angered by a mere impeachment document.

Even someone as simple-minded as Qi Heng, who was even brought to the point of questioning, was tolerated and even given important responsibilities, holding a high position despite a low rank.

Moreover, they were all people who had entered the cabinet. All the officials and censors, from top to bottom, were hoping to impeach the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet to boost their reputation for "not being afraid of powerful people"!
Which civil official who has entered the cabinet hasn't submitted a few impeachment documents?

Jiang Zhao gestured to the head of the household, and the document was passed down.

"Lü Huiqing has impeached Wang Anshi and Wang Anguo!"

"The specific impeachment content mainly stated that Wang Anshi and Wang Anguo were disloyal to the reform and that their hearts were with the Han while they were in Cao Cao's camp."

The document was passed down, and several people read it one after another. Some were enlightened, some were surprised, and some turned pale.

If someone were to impeach the Grand Chancellor, Jiang Zhao would certainly not be angered.

As long as it wasn't opposition to the new policies or attempts to obstruct them, Jiang Zhao generally welcomed any impeachments or suggestions regarding government orders.

The main reason for this is that impeachment calls are not necessarily a bad thing.

First, those in positions of power must allow for dissenting voices.

If you listen to both, it will be bright, and if you listen to one, it will be dark.

The decrees issued by those in power must be monitored in real time.

Otherwise, the expected effect of a policy or decree may be quite different from its actual implementation.

Secondly, Jiang Zhao felt isolated and needed someone to impeach him.

If, from top to bottom, it really comes to the point where no one dares to impeach the Grand Chancellor, wouldn't that mean that the entire system has become his personal fiefdom?
This could arouse the emperor's suspicion.

Thirdly, regarding government orders, neutral parties must be given a certain opportunity to speak out.

Opponents, supporters, and neutrals.

To date, all the truly "pedantic" opponents in the government have completely disappeared.

The vast majority of those who were "mild" opponents have now become neutral.

While not politically supportive of reform, they diligently implemented the reform policies without daring to disobey in the slightest; this is what it means to be a neutral party.

And this group of people occasionally needs to make their presence felt.

A half-hearted impeachment is a good opportunity for neutral parties to make their presence felt.

Therefore, even if someone impeached him, Jiang Zhao would basically just laugh it off.

In any case, justice resides in the hearts of the people. Whether the reforms were effective or not, the people will give the answer, and history will also give the answer.

It's just a minor impeachment; it won't cost you anything, so there's no need to make a big deal out of it.

But this time, it's different!
Lü Huiqing, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Director of the Censorate, and Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, was a powerful official of the fourth rank and a key figure in the lineage of Fu Bi and Han Jiang.

Wang Anshi was the head of the Censorate and Minister of War, a powerful official of the second rank, and a key figure in the faction of Wen Yanbo and Yuan Jiang.

Both of them, without exception, were "successors".

Moreover, they were all staunch supporters and implementers of the reform.

Wang Anshi was in charge of the Censorate and was the core executor of the "Performance Evaluation Law".

Lü Huiqing's answer was exactly the same.

In the past, the implementation of land surveys was also the work of Lü Huiqing.

However, to everyone's surprise, the two of them started fighting without warning.

Lü Huiqing submitted a document impeaching Wang Anguo and Wang Anshi.

Wang Anguo, also known as Wang Anshi's younger brother, was one of the famous "Three Wangs of Linchuan". He passed the imperial examination in the first year of the Xifeng era and became a professor at the Imperial Academy.

Lu Huiqing submitted a document impeaching Wang Anguo for slandering the new policies, attempting to oppose them, and being suspected of forming cliques for personal gain; he also impeached Wang Anshi for lacking resolve in his reform efforts, being loyal to one side but not to the other, and being unsuitable to head the Censorate.

These were mostly baseless and unfounded impeachments, rather than substantive charges.

In other words, this is pure slander!

What is this behavior?
On a smaller scale, this was a feud between Wang Anshi, Wang Anguo, and Lü Huiqing.

On a larger scale, this could be the beginning of infighting within the reform group!
If not handled properly, it could even lead to complete internal strife within the reform group.

This is not an exaggeration.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi's reforms led to infighting within the reform group, which resulted in power struggles and mutual attacks.

Zhang Juzheng's reforms were hampered by infighting within the reform group, making them difficult to implement and maintain in the long term, ultimately leading to the end of the reforms with his death.

Jiang Zhao was quite opposed to and resolutely prohibited such a thing that could have a negative impact.

As a result, the situation of "showing a cold shoulder" occurred.

"Infighting among reformers."

Jiang Zhao looked over and said in a deep voice, "Among these, could the work of Grand Secretaries Han and Yuan be included?"

Wang Anshi and Lü Huiqing were key figures on both sides, yet they attacked each other.

Jiang Zhao wanted to know whether Wang Anshi and Lü Huiqing's feud was purely personal or whether he was playing the role of a "pawn".

If it were truly just a fight between two people, then things would be much easier to handle.

If it was authorized by Han Jiang and Yuan Jiang, then it would be a prelude to a large-scale political struggle, and the Emperor and Grand Chancellor Jiang might have to join forces again!
There's no shortage of people for the position of Grand Secretary in the Cabinet!

Han Jiang was startled and quickly said, "This behavior was absolutely not instigated by me. I hope that Your Excellency will understand."

"Yuan also knew nothing about it."

Yuan Jiang lowered his hands and quickly said, "Jiefu is already a second-rank official with great power. There is really no need for infighting!"

Jiang Zhao stared intently at them, making the two of them feel uneasy.

About ten breaths.

"it is good!"

Jiang Zhao waved his sleeve and said in a deep voice, "Then we must be prepared to demote these three. Any objections?"

"This is far too heavy."

Before Yuan Jiang could utter a single word, he realized something was wrong and stopped himself from saying anything.

"Demote him."

"We will follow the Grand Chancellor's decision."

Han Jiang stroked her eyebrows, nodded, and was the first to express her opinion.

Demotion is something that can't be helped.

This matter can be big or small.

But in any case, it must be nipped in the bud.

Regardless of the grudges between Wang Anguo, Wang Anshi, and Lü Huiqing, they could not openly fight amongst themselves.

Political views may differ, but malicious infighting is unacceptable!
The reform group must unite against external forces.

Although the reformists may seem to have no rivals at present, there are quite a few hidden opponents and neutral parties who hope to seize power.

Generally speaking, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet check and balance each other, making it impossible for them to speak with one voice.

However, reform is an exception.

On the one hand, it is essential to reach a consensus on the matter of reform.

Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to get things done.

On the other hand, a consensus does not mean that there can be no checks and balances between each other.

Checks and balances versus internal strife are two completely different concepts.

The reform faction can have checks and balances, but checks and balances do not mean open infighting!

This door must not be opened, otherwise people's hearts will be scattered.

With everyone focused on internal strife, who cares about reform?

Therefore, Wang Anshi, Wang Anguo, and Lü Huiqing all had to be demoted.

Right or wrong is no longer important; what matters is whether the behavior has an impact.

The demotion of three officials served as a warning to others that malicious infighting is a dead end.

Otherwise, the outcome would be demotion.

“What you say makes sense, Grand Master.” Yuan Jiang nodded and sighed.

It's really a bit of a loss for a second-rank official to be exchanged one-for-one with a fourth-rank official.

But, there is no way!
They just happened to run into the line of fire.

Fortunately, they were all key figures in the reform movement.

Once the storm has passed, they can easily be promoted back.

"So be it."

Jiang Zhao waved his hand and said, "Have the two of them come to Zhaowen Hall before sunset."

"Jiang wants to ask questions."

Han Jiang and Yuan Jiang nodded in agreement.

In the Imperial Study, the emperor and his ministers faced each other. Jiang Zhao picked up the documents and passed them over.

"I entered the palace to present two documents."

“One concerns the border regions, and the other concerns reform,” Jiang Zhaoping said calmly.

Zhao Ceying picked up the document and began to read it carefully.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"The Liao Kingdom is actually planning a second military campaign." Zhao Ceying's expression gradually became serious.

Since the fourth year of the self-governing period, there have been three major military campaigns in six years.

If the Liao Kingdom were to descend into chaos and wage war once again, it would mean four military campaigns in seven years.

To be honest, even though Zhao Ceying was a "Martial Emperor" who favored achieving unification, he couldn't help but become cautious.

Such a large-scale military mobilization is far too wasteful of resources and manpower!
Given the bank reserves of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the financial loss is manageable and not unbearable.

The main concern is that it might harm the people!
Specifically, it's about food supplies.

On the one hand, grain and fodder are not like silver, which can be extracted from silver mountains.

Grain and provisions really have to be stockpiled year after year.

With several large-scale wars in a row, the grain stored in the granaries across the land is definitely showing signs of being emptied.

On the other hand, there's the issue of grain prices.

Several years of large-scale wars have emptied the granaries, inevitably leading to rising grain prices and causing considerable hardship for the people.

"Ugh!"

"We have no choice but to fight!"

Zhao Ceying squinted and shook his head.

After his southern expedition to Jiaozhi, Zhao Ceying had grown considerably.

Especially regarding the military and political personnel, he can be considered an "insider".

Therefore, Zhao Ceying was quite clear that this was an inevitable battle.

Yelü Hongji's decision to launch a southern expedition was mainly based on the fact that the Great Zhou Dynasty had recently launched its southern expedition and was in a period of weakness in terms of military strength and supplies.

Therefore, they decided to fight to the death, to burn their bridges.

This battle is unavoidable!

"I want to launch a northern expedition!"

In a split second, Zhao Ceying resolutely declared, "If Yelü Hongji wants to fight, I will accompany him to the end."

"After this battle, the Liao Kingdom has shown signs of weakness. I am determined to recover Yan and Yun and wipe away the shame of our ancestors!"

Jiang Zhao sat with his hands at his sides, pondering for a moment before frowning and saying, "It was only from January to August that the Emperor achieved a great victory and entered the capital."

"If you embark on the Northern Expedition soon after recuperating, it will inevitably harm your health."

"If all else fails, I will go north to stabilize the situation and focus on defense. In the future, Your Majesty can send troops north again, which will not be too late."

It will harm the dragon's body!

This is not a lie told by Jiang Zhao.

Commanding troops continuously will inevitably leave one in a state of extreme fatigue.

Physically, the strain of continuous combat and marching is simply too great.

Even commanders are not immune to the effects of long journeys, poor diet, and weak digestive systems, which can keep their bodies in a state of constant tension.

Mentally, the commander must be in a constant state of tension and dare not relax for a moment.

Generally speaking, after a long march, the rest period for both generals and soldiers is measured in "years".

Marquis Di Qing of Wuxiang is a typical example.

Perhaps due to the lack of capable people in the previous generation, Di Qing almost consecutively quelled Nong Zhigao's rebellion and entered the border to resist the Western Xia.

This also led to a relapse of his old illness, causing him great suffering.

Unfortunately, Di Qing was also ostracized by civil officials and died in depression at the age of fifty.

"No problem."

Zhao Ceying waved his hand dismissively, then resolutely said, "I am only thirty years old and full of energy."

Jiang Zhao watched intently, and couldn't help but advise again: "In my humble opinion, there may not really be an opportunity to expand our territory to Yan and Yun this time."

"I will not listen to you," Zhao Ceying said firmly. "This matter is settled."

He launched a northern expedition against the Liao Dynasty, expanded the territory of Yan and Yun, achieved unification, and became one of the greatest emperors in history!
Zhao Ceying eats this pancake every day, and sometimes she even feeds herself.

Now that he has finally found an opportunity, he certainly cannot afford to stay in the rear!
Jiang Zhao sighed, somewhat helplessly.

I should have fed him less biscuits.

Now things are really messed up; there's no going back to those who were feeding the cakes.

“The civil and military officials will not agree to the Emperor’s northern expedition,” Jiang Zhao advised three times.

"Apart from Zichuan, all those who disagree should be beheaded."

Zhao Ceying was unusually resolute, waving his hand and saying, "Zichuan, there's no need to try different methods to persuade me."

"I have made up my mind!"

Jiang Zhao sighed, at a loss for what to do.

Zhao Ceying's personality is actually not difficult to persuade.

Even when Zhao Ceying had already decided to depose and install the empress, Jiang Zhao believed he was confident he could persuade him to stop.

But a northern expedition is not an option!

Unless Jiang Zhaozhen rams his head into the ground and bleeds profusely, there's no way to pull this thing back.

Difficult to handle!

"I am going to launch a northern expedition. This matter is settled, so there's no need to discuss it further."

Zhao Ceying took the initiative to change the subject, staring intently at the past with unusual enthusiasm: "Instead of talking about the Northern Expedition Commander, let's talk about the arrangements for the Northern Expedition. What suggestions does Zichuan have?"

Jiang Zhao frowned, pondered for a moment, and slowly said:

"In my humble opinion, some arrangements can be made in terms of military affairs and provisions."

"Militarily, we must set aside a certain number of troops to guard against Western Xia and Japan."

"The Western Xia suffered a humiliating treaty, and there is a good chance they will take the opportunity to move south. The silver mines in Japan have probably been coveted for a long time, and they may also be seized by the Japanese in the chaos."

Regarding provisions, there are three possible methods for stockpiling:

First, there is the recently harvested Champa rice.

Secondly, the Kingdom of Jiaozhi suffered hardship for its people.

Thirdly, there was the Dali Kingdom.

“Recently, Dali sent envoys with the intention of paying tribute. Why not let them pay tribute with grain and return silver in return?”

Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but clap his hands and say, "Great idea!"

The Dali Kingdom was a vassal state of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

At least, that's how it is in name only.

As for the tribute paid by the Dali Kingdom, it has been intermittent for the past few decades.

Sometimes they would pay tribute for several years in a row, and sometimes they would not pay tribute for more than ten years.

Whether or not tribute was paid depended primarily on the national strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In fact, not only Dali, but also Khotan, Ganzhou Uyghur, Tubo, Champa, Ziqi, Zhenla, and some small overseas regimes, all paid tribute frequently in a manner related to the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Now that the Great Zhou has destroyed Jiaozhi in one fell swoop, it has naturally deterred other regimes.

As a result, many regimes expressed their desire to pay tribute.

Of course, although it was called tribute, it wasn't all done for nothing.

People from the Great Zhou Dynasty valued face and would usually reciprocate with a gift.

Generally speaking, the "nominal" value of a gift is about three times the amount of tribute offered.

They would offer a gift worth one string of cash as tribute, and return a gift worth three strings of cash in return.

Of course, this is only nominally true.

In fact, the Great Zhou might reciprocate with some ceramics.

If a piece of ceramics sold for one string of cash within the Great Zhou Dynasty is priced at thirty strings of cash by the government, then this is equivalent to a return gift of thirty strings of cash!
In this way, the Great Zhou gained both face and substance.

This time, if we return the gift with silver, we can obtain grain and also benefit the circulation of silver, which is a win-win situation.

With the frontier situation mostly settled, Zhao Ceying picked up the decrees concerning the reforms.

In the lower right corner, it was clearly marked with the words "It is recommended that all three be demoted."

It takes about the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

Zhao Ceying squinted and waved his sleeve: "The reform policy must never be disrupted by internal strife."

"In that case, let them all be demoted according to the content of their red banners!"

Sometimes, setting rules requires making an example of someone to deter others.

As for whether the chicken that was killed was wronged or not?
Apart from the person who killed the chicken, no one else knew.

Anyway, my luck is definitely going to be bad!
……

(End of this chapter)