Kyoto, Imperial Palace.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs knew that Liu Bao was standing in the pavilion of the East Nuan Pavilion of Liangyi Palace. The surroundings were quiet. Occasionally he heard voices coming from inside. He couldn't help but think of Hou Yu who traveled south to deliver orders, and then Pei Yue's words came to his mind.

Zhang Junyi sighed quietly in his heart.

As one of the most trusted eunuchs of Emperor Kaiping, Liu Bao envied those seniors in the late Wei Dynasty who were able to control the emperor's life and death, but he only dared to think about it quietly when he dreamed about it at midnight. After all, the emperor he served had become increasingly violent in recent years.

The power of God is unpredictable, and the emperor's ability to manipulate power has already reached its peak.

If he dares to reveal even the slightest thought of interfering in government affairs, he will definitely not see the light of day the next day.

"It's okay for our family to be a disabled person who can't stand on the stage. It's a pity that the Marquis of Zhongshan is so young that he went from being simple in the emperor's heart to having evil intentions so early. What do you think you're going to do?"

Liu Bao sighed in his heart, but his face remained as calm as ever.

He has a very good impression of Pei Yue. Although he has not had much contact with him, Pei Yue never deliberately pretends to be hypocritical.

Liu Bao stayed in the palace for decades, and he was the best at observing people's hearts and minds, and was extremely sensitive to the attitudes of others. No matter when he was not yet prosperous before, or he is now a powerful first-class prince, Pei Yue was able to understand these internal eunuchs.

Treat them with a normal attitude and let them truly feel respected.

After Hou Yu went south according to the order, Liu Bao quickly understood the emperor's thoughts and couldn't help but feel sorry for Pei Yue, but that was all. Cautious palace officials like them knew their identities very well and would never interact with foreign ministers.

What's the connection?

In other words, the friendship has not reached that level yet.

Thinking of Pei Yue's future situation, Liu Bao resisted the desire to look back and admired Wei Guogong more and more for the Duke of Wei who was talking secretly with Emperor Kaiping in Nuan Pavilion at this moment.

After Jinshang ascended the throne, he had close cooperation with Wang Pingzhang for a long time. He used Wang Pingzhang to promote many powerful military officers, and the latter's power continued to increase accordingly, and eventually he became the first military person in charge of Xifu.

I don't know since when, Wang Pingzhang's frequency of entering the palace became less and less. Liu Bao saw with his own eyes that orders directed at him were issued from the palace. He originally thought that this old and prosperous Duke would meet a dismal end, but he didn't.

Thinking of his comeback, especially after the war in the southern border broke out, Wang Pingzhang was like an old tree blooming, even outshining Gu Liang, and once again became the most important minister summoned by Emperor Kaiping.

Just like today.

All the other palace people were dismissed, and Emperor Kaiping left Liu Bao alone in Baoxia to listen to the announcement. He moved his aching legs a little, and looked at the door leading to the inner room with the corner of his eye, subconsciously

His ears pricked up.

…

"After the territory on the south bank of the Tiancang River is stabilized, the Southern Zhou Dynasty will be a piece of cake on the chopping block. In addition, the internal chaos in their court is in chaos. Your Majesty does not need to worry. It will only take three years at most. Our army will definitely be able to regain the southern territory." Wang Pingzhang was calm.

said.

There was no chill in the Nuan Pavilion, and both the monarch and his ministers looked very relaxed.

Emperor Kaiping nodded slightly, with a deep light shining in his narrow eyes, and said leisurely: "Although this battle was slightly different from my expectations, the final result was a complete success. Regarding the details of the rewards for the generals of the Southern Army, military aircraft can

Is there a draft?”

Wang Pingzhang lowered his head slightly and said respectfully: "According to His Majesty's decree, the two governments have discussed many times in recent days and have come up with a rough charter. However, the rewards for two people have not yet been decided. The opinions of the ministers, Governor Luo and others cannot be determined.

unified."

Emperor Kaiping seemed to have expected it, and said calmly: "Speak."

Wang Pingzhang said: "The first contribution to the war in the south was Pei Yue, the Marquis of Zhongshan, followed by Bo Cai Qian of Baoding and Chen Huan, the Marquis of Puding. The former defended Jiangling, while the latter captured Hanyang. The others include Guo Xing, Marquis of Gongcheng, Lan Yu, Marquis of Xiongwu and Ding.

Li Yuandong, the admiral of the state navy, all have meritorious services. For these meritorious ministers, they may be awarded titles, increased settlements, or promoted to military positions. There are regulations in the country and the dynasty, but——"

He paused for a moment, and seeing that Emperor Kaiping had no intention of speaking, he continued: "The old minister thought that Cai Qian's contribution was second only to Pei Yue. He is now the third-class Baoding Bo, and should be named the third-class Baoding Marquis. However, the governor of Luo and Gu

The military aircraft thinks that the reward is too heavy, so it is more appropriate to promote him to the rank of First-class Baoding Bo."

Emperor Kaiping looked thoughtfully at Wang Pingzhang's old and solemn face.

Ever since he decided to weaken the number one man in the army, Wang Pingzhang has behaved very submissively. Except for the Western Camp of the Beijing Army, which he single-handedly built the framework for, he has given in every step of the way, even giving up the military positions of his family's leading soldiers.

.In the face of the extremely powerful imperial power, his choice was a wise one. After all, Pei Zhen, who had a strong foundation at the time, was unable to resist and could only choose to fake his death to escape.

Today's words are a direct expression of loyalty, because he knows that Cai Qian is the emperor's man. With the help of the east wind of Jiangling's victory, Cai Qian can cross the crucial threshold of marquis, and he will have the opportunity to command a large camp in the future.

Qualifications. Just like Xiao Jin before, only by becoming a prince can one guard a side. This is an unwritten rule in the Liang Army.

If Cai Qian is successfully granted the title of Marquis, it means that the emperor will have another top martial artist in his pocket.

Emperor Kaiping took a deep look at Wang Pingzhang, nodded and said: "The military plane is determined."

Wang Pingzhang bowed and said, "This is the duty that an old minister should fulfill."

Emperor Kaiping said: "Cai Qian is still young, so there is no rush to make him a marquis for the time being. I will follow the suggestions of Luo Ting and Gu Liang and make him a first-class Baoding uncle. I will give him some other rewards. There will be no big house on the south bank of Tiancang River for the time being.

camp, to

In order to prevent the Southern Zhou Dynasty from being forced to work together to form a joint force. Let Cai Qian continue to guard Jiangling for me, and then transfer Gujie to be the guard general of Hanyang. In addition to the transfer of other military positions in the Southern Army, the Xifu will prepare a plan as soon as possible. "

Wang Pingzhang responded calmly, and at the same time his mind was spinning. Gu Liang's eldest son was much more famous than his eldest grandson Wang Jiuxuan. He had been the first general under Guo Xing, Marquis of Gongcheng. Now it was in line with the rules to be transferred to Hanyang Guards. But he vaguely felt that the emperor

The arrangement has another profound meaning.

Emperor Kaiping turned his eyes to the thick memorial book on the right side of the imperial case. After a moment of silence, he said: "As for Pei Yue's reward, what is the difficulty for military aircraft?"

Wang Pingzhang sighed softly and said with a complicated expression: "Your Majesty, if we follow the old practices and rules, Pei Yue's contribution this time will be enough to be crowned as a Duke."

If you want to be promoted to the position of Duke, it is not enough to have the emperor's respect. You must at least have actual contributions to the expansion of territory.

The reason why Wang Pingzhang became the only feudal prince in Daliang today is because he turned defeat into victory in the southern border and won several great victories in succession. He drove the Zhou army from the border of Qinzhou to the bank of Tiancang River and recovered the three states of Si, Ding and Yao.

Thousands of miles of territory.

Although Pei Yue's victory this time was not as great as that of Wang Pingzhang, anyone with a discerning eye knows the importance of this territory to Daliang after mastering the line from Hanyang to Jiangling. In the past, Jiangling was isolated on the south bank, which affected the strength and subordinates of the entire Southern Army.

The development progress of the navy. Now the water area stretching for more than 200 miles has fallen into the hands of Daliang. Coupled with the solid system composed of five cities on the south coast, it is like a sharp sword hanging over the heads of the monarchs and ministers of Southern Zhou Dynasty.

What's more, Pei Yue saw through and thwarted Fang Xiexiao's plan, and the positive impact it brought was immeasurable.

Emperor Kaiping knew that the old man opposite was speculating on his thoughts, so he couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth slightly, and asked with a deep gaze like the sea: "In the eyes of the military, should I make Pei Yue the Duke of the country?"
Chapter completed!