Above the court, Zhao Zhi sat quietly, waiting for the arrival of the ministers.

Thinking of the news reported by Liu Congxi, Zhao Zhi had a sneer on his face and murmured to himself: "Have you a clear conscience?"

The Mu Gong on the side lowered his head after hearing these cold words to himself. He had not seen such a cold face on the emperor's face for several years.

Below, Liu Jie sat there quietly, frowning and looking a little gloomy. He raised his head and glanced at Yang Daosi opposite, who shook his head slightly at him.

"Your Majesty, all the ministers have arrived and are waiting outside the palace."

A eunuch walked into the hall and bowed to report.

Zhao Zhi nodded: "Let them come in!"

Today is November 21st, which is not the day of the court meeting. Zhao Zhi held an impromptu court meeting and only summoned some relevant ministers. Therefore, the court meeting was very small, with only about 20 people, all of whom were senior officials of third rank or above.

, three of the seven prime ministers from the political affairs hall also came.

It was not a formal court meeting, and there were not so many rules. When the ministers entered the hall, they just bowed and saluted: "See Your Majesty."

He Tingxuan stood at the end of the team. At his level, it was said that he was not qualified to participate in today's temporary court meeting. However, the ancestral system of the Jin Dynasty stipulated that when the emperor meets ministers, whether individually or in groups, the censor must be present to supervise matters.

, supervise the emperor, do not seek personal gain based on love, and do not use personal gain to abolish the official position. However, this rule has basically become ineffective since Wuzong. The emperor acts according to his wishes. However, although today's court meeting is temporary, the ministers participating are all of high rank.

, and since we were discussing official matters, we naturally had to have the censor by our side.

The meeting begins.

Although it was just one night apart, most people present already knew about Huang Sheng's arrest. Just when everyone was thinking about it and making preparations, Zhao Zhi started talking, without mentioning Huang Shen at all.

Matters concerning Longyou and the Dashi Empire.

The envoy from the Dashi Empire arrived and brought the emperor's credentials. He hoped to coexist peacefully with the Jin Dynasty and proposed the intention of the two countries to resolve conflicts.

The meaning of the Dashi Empire is very simple. The two sides will use the Mulang River as the boundary and will not invade each other. The 50,000 Dashi garrison in Xizhou will be reduced to 20,000. I hope that the Jin side will also reduce the Wuzhou garrison.

Avoid placing too many troops. Once a fight breaks out, it will be a big battle, and the two countries will inevitably fall into a full-scale war.

Longyou is relatively calm now. It is unlikely that the Dashi Empire will raise troops to invade before the internal troubles are resolved. Tubo has just suffered a disastrous defeat, suffered heavy losses, and the country is shaken. In addition, the two countries have just made peace, and it is unlikely that they will invade in a short period of time.

If he dares to covet the Jin Dynasty again, Longyou's troops now number up to 120,000, which Zhao Zhi feels is a bit too much.

A few years ago, the White Scarf Army caused turmoil in all directions, affecting Hedong and Henan Provinces. Among them, Hedong Road was the most severely damaged. The military strength of all states was basically lost, which caused many towns in Hebei to covet it. After several years,

After recuperating and recuperating, the imperial court had regained its composure. A great victory meant that Longyou would have no more military dangers for several years. Zhao Zhi had some thoughts and wanted to transfer some military power from Longyou to Hedong.

road.

These two matters are not trivial and should be discussed in a formal court meeting. However, there are too many courtiers to discuss matters at the court meeting. If everyone expresses his or her own opinion, the discussion may not reach a conclusion in three to five days. Therefore, since Wuzong, the people who have been in power have

The emperor usually convenes the main ministers before the formal court meeting to set the tone and general direction of the matter, and then discusses it at the formal court meeting. In this way, the decisions and results of political affairs will be made much faster.

The Jin Dynasty had just experienced a great war. Hundreds of thousands of troops were involved in the war and mobilized. The expenditure on people's manpower and financial resources was immeasurable. The government's finances were very empty. It was obviously best to live in peace with the Dashi Empire and have a truce and rest, so in On this matter, the ministers basically unanimously agreed, and there was no objection.

As for the deployment of troops from Longyou to guard Hedong Road, Zhao Zhi's idea was very good, and the ministers basically agreed with it. However, they had some different opinions on how many troops to deploy.

Zhao Zhi's opinion was to draw 50,000 soldiers from Longyou to supplement the military strength of the Hedong states. Some ministers opposed this.

Xiao Zheng, the former right minister of the Ministry of War and now a political advisor, stood up and spoke out against it. Although Tubo had just suffered a major defeat, it still had a relatively large military power. Furthermore, Tubo had always been dishonest and had poor credibility, so its words should not be taken lightly. , and the Dashi Empire is no less generous than the Jin Dynasty in terms of national strength and territory. After such a defeat, it will definitely be regarded as a great shame and humiliation. Once the political situation is stable, it is very likely to send out a large number of troops to avenge the enemy. If Longyou's troops are too weak , isn’t it very dangerous? So it’s not advisable to deploy too many troops...

Xiao Zheng talked eloquently and kept talking. Zhao Zhi looked a little impatient and interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "I have my own measure, you don't need to say more."

Xiao Zheng's words were interrupted and his face turned slightly red. He could neither retreat nor continue speaking. He felt awkward for a while.

He Tingxuan stood up at this time, bowed his hands and said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Xiao's advice to the king and good discussion of state affairs are to provide good strategies for your majesty and to relieve your worries. How can your majesty make arbitrary judgments?"

After saying these words, He Tingxuan retreated.

Zhao Zhi glanced at He Tingxuan. Not only was he not angry, but there was a smile on his face. He looked at Xiao Zheng and said softly: "Xiao Aiqing, please continue!"

"I think it is enough to dispatch 20,000 soldiers from Longyou to Hedong!"

After saying that, Xiao Zheng bowed and then retreated.

After Xiao Zheng finished speaking, several more ministers expressed their suggestions.

After Zhao Zhi heard this, he looked at Liu Jie and said, "Does Liu Xiangguo have any good suggestions?"

Liu Xiangguo said softly: "Wuzhou, Liangzhou and Langzhou are the most important in Longyou. They are guarded by 80,000 troops, which is enough!"

Liu Jie's meaning is very clear. There are 120,000 troops in Longyou, and 80,000 soldiers are enough. The extra 40,000 troops can be transferred to Hedong Road.

Zhao Zhi thought for a moment and finally nodded: "The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites will draft a proposal document as soon as possible, and a decision will be made at the next court meeting."

After saying that, Zhao Zhi stood up and left.

"Farewell to Your Majesty."

The ministers bowed to see Zhao Zhi off, and then left one after another.

Liu Jie took two quick steps, caught up with Yang Daosi, and said softly: "Xiangguo Yang, my family has good wine, would you like to try it?"

Yang Daosi glanced at Liu Jie and laughed softly: "If the wine is not good, I will definitely not give up."

Liu Jie smiled: "Okay, you won't know until you drink it. I will prepare a dinner and wait for Yang Xiangguo to arrive."
Chapter completed!