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

Chapter 83 Chang Chao's Determination!

Bianjing (Kaifeng)

Wende Hall.

The gilded dragon candle burns continuously, its smoke curling upwards.

"when!"

The bell tolled loudly, and all the officials entered the palace.

Emperor Zhao Zhen folded his sleeves, looked straight ahead, and asked as usual, "Gentlemen, do you have anything to report?"

Since the "Secret Heir Apparent Law" was proposed, Zhao Zhen's burden has been significantly lighter, and even his speech has become more energetic.

As soon as he finished speaking, an official from the Censorate was about to step forward to impeach the supervisory officials when he caught a glimpse of a figure walking out from the far left and quickly retreated.

The position on the left, representing the pinnacle of power among the ministers, was occupied by the Grand Chancellor Han Zhang, who stepped forward.

"The old minister Han Zhang, acting on behalf of Jiang Zhao, the transport commissioner of Shaanxi, submitted a memorial entitled 'Pacifying the Barbarians'."

After he finished speaking, an official stepped forward to take the memorial and presented it to the emperor.

Zhao Zhen symbolically flipped through two pages before passing it on to the palace eunuch.

Memorials concerning border affairs, if intended to be presented openly to the emperor during regular court sessions, must have been submitted to him in advance.

This "Strategy for Pacifying the Barbarians" was submitted to the emperor by Han Zhang on behalf of Jiang Zhao.

The emperor, the head of all officials, and the head of the military generals had already discussed the contents of the memorial in the imperial study.

The purpose of presenting the memorial at the regular court session was twofold: firstly, to go through the proper formalities, and secondly, to ascertain the attitudes of the officials.

When it comes to war, regardless of how much support is needed, at the very least, the officials cannot be allowed to lag behind.

Of course, once the monarch and the head of all officials have reached a consensus, no minister is allowed to cause trouble.

"Show it to all the officials!" Zhao Zhen said.

Upon hearing this, the eunuch quickly read aloud the contents of the memorial: "Your subject Jiang Zhao respectfully submits this memorial: I observe that the greatest threat to the western border is that of the Xia people. Yuanhao usurped the throne, carving up the Hexi Corridor and gradually encroaching upon the Hexi Corridor and Longxi regions. The various Tibetan tribes have been divided into four separate areas. In the former Hexi region, the chieftains of the Western Qiang and other barbarian tribes are now threatening and aggressive. Perhaps the barbarians could be used to control the Xia."
This is the best strategy to subdue the Tibetans. Once the Tibetans submit, the right arm of the Xia people will be severed, and the royal army can then gradually conquer Lingwu and restore the former borders of the Han and Tang dynasties!

The memorial, though only a thousand words long, was not complicated.

The memorial mainly analyzed the predicament of Tibet and the power struggle in Western Xia, compared the advantages of the stability of the Great Zhou regime, and appropriately analyzed the feasibility of the decision.

In detail, it was about conserving strength and building up resources, isolating the Western Xia by sowing discord and appeasing the Tibetans, and seizing the opportunity to establish merit and achieve great things.

As for how exactly to perform micro-operations, it wasn't explained in detail.

Some things cannot be explained in just a few pages.

More important than the content of the memorials was whether there were people in the court who supported them and whether they had the emperor's trust.

Having these two things is better than anything else!
After the contents of the "Pacifying the Barbarians Strategy" were read aloud, the officials began to discuss it among themselves.

Zhao Zhen quietly observed the civil and military officials, letting them discuss the matter.

Among them, the military officers were divided into two groups: one group was mainly happy, and the other group was mainly worried.

The joy, of course, comes from the desire for war.

Military generals rely on their military achievements to gain merit.

The concern stems from Jiang Zhao's abilities.

Since this memorial was proposed by Jiang Zhao, once it is implemented, it is highly likely that Jiang Zhao will be in charge, and the military officers will only have the right to obey orders.

This is not good.

On the civil service side, there were no complicated conflicts of interest; it was almost entirely a matter of analyzing whether the contents of the memorials could be implemented.

If we lose, can we afford to lose?

After a long pause, Zhao Zhen tapped on the imperial desk, and all the officials fell silent.

"What are your thoughts, my esteemed ministers?" Zhao Zhen asked.

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials fell silent.

The vast majority of officials are just joining in the fun and having a casual discussion.

If it really comes down to decision-making and publicly expressing one's thoughts, one must at least be a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet or a Deputy Privy Councilor.

On the military side, Marquis Ningyuan, Gu Yankai, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "The words in Jiang Yunshi's memorial are not without reason, and we may give it a try."

From a public perspective, the content of this memorial is not without reason. The internal strife in the Western Xia and Tubo regimes was indeed a good opportunity to seize territory through warfare.

From a personal perspective, Gu Tingye and Jiang Zhao have a close relationship.

He is old. His eldest son, Gu Tingyu, has been in poor health since childhood, and his third son is too soft-hearted, neither good at literature nor martial arts.

If the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion wants to maintain its glory, it will definitely have to rely on its second son, Gu Tingye.

Gu Yankai usually disciplines Erlang ruthlessly, but he is also quite aware of Erlang's abilities.

After three years of study, Gu Tingye even passed the imperial examination at the county level, which is enough to prove that he is a child who is both literate and skilled in martial arts.

If we're really talking about the Gu family's succession, it still has to go to Erlang.

When it's time to curry favor with Jiang Zhao, it's necessary to do so appropriately. Gu Yankai, the military's second-in-command, agrees!
"In my humble opinion, it is worth a try," said Wen Yanbo, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, stepping forward to express his opinion.

Theoretically speaking, now is indeed a good time to restrain the Western Xia and the Tibetan Empire.

With the strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it can afford to lose.

Both the civil and military leaders have expressed their views.

General Zheng, the Marquis of Zhongjing, stepped forward, carefully considering his words, and said, "The Shaanxi border army numbers over 200,000, which concerns the fate of the nation. Transport Commissioner Jiang has no experience in commanding troops, so I'm afraid we shouldn't gamble everything on this."

Marquis Zhongjing expressed his concerns.

The border regions are often garrisoned by troops, numbering as many as 200,000.

However, these stationed troops are crucial to the fate of the nation. If they were to collapse, the Great Zhou Dynasty would suffer a severe blow, if not the demise of the nation.

Jiang Zhao's desire to expand territory is a good thing.

But ultimately, he still lacked experience in commanding troops.

It would be best not to let Jiang Zhao command those 200,000-plus troops.

Don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens.

Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment, then gave up.

He had already considered what Marquis Zhongjing had said.

The Duke of England stepped forward: "This old minister believes it is worth a try."

He was one of the first to know about the memorial and had already expressed his opinion.

Soon after, several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet also expressed their opinions, none of them intending to obstruct the process.

As a civil official with a traditional background, Jiang Zhao's leadership over frontier affairs is a good thing for civil officials.

Compared to military generals commanding troops, Jiang Zhao is definitely better off in charge of border affairs.

Scattered throughout, important figures from both the civil and military sides expressed their opinions.

Zhao Zhen nodded in satisfaction.

From the moment he submitted the "Strategy for Pacifying the Barbarians," he already had the intention to mobilize troops on the frontier.

In any case, stability should be the priority, as both Tibet and Western Xia were experiencing internal strife.

If it really works out, his achievements will be recorded in history books!
"By order of Transport Commissioner Jiang Zhao, and General Yi Wen of Shaanxi Circuit, he may independently recruit soldiers and establish camps to defend the border."

The driver of the Shaanxi Road Strategy Office is responsible for writing, which is one of the core duties in the military.

The simpler the language and the fewer the restrictions, the greater the support.

There are precedents for self-recruiting soldiers; Fan Wenzheng once specifically recruited nearly 20,000 militiamen from a prefecture.

Zhao Zhen's meaning was clearly that he wanted to observe the situation for a while.

Let Jiang Zhao recruit soldiers on his own to test his command skills and see if the contents of the memorial can be put to use.

If it proves effective, it could even expand the territory. Once an imperial edict is issued, the soldiers stationed in Shaanxi will naturally obey Jiang Zhao's command.

If the results are not satisfactory, then the soldiers from Shaanxi will be there to cover for them, and the border region will not descend into chaos.

Behind those few words lay the implied support of food supplies.

Even if the permanent soldiers stationed in Shaanxi cannot be mobilized, it is not a problem at all for Shaanxi to specially recruit tens of thousands of soldiers.

The amount of grain and fodder reported will determine the amount of supplies provided.

If you ask why, perhaps this is the advantage of having a civil official lead troops.

Originally, civil officials who commanded troops were given relatively preferential treatment.

Not to mention, that person was Jiang Zhao?
The emperor's word sealed the outcome.

This not only relieved some people's concerns but also achieved the desired decision-making effect.

All the civil and military officials bowed in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!"

……

Polo Club.

The young men, who were not exactly wealthy and powerful, were quite surprised to learn that Jiang Zhao had written a letter specifically requesting Gu Tingye's assistance on the frontier.

What kind of treatment is this?
"No, why should I?" one of the spoiled young men asked, puzzled.

We've known each other since childhood, and we're all good-for-nothings.

Why did Gu Tingye suddenly become so assertive?
Besides, what can Gu Tingye do to help?
"Because I know Jiang Zichuan!"

Gu Tingye laughed heartily, tossed aside his golf club, and strode out.

……

(End of this chapter)