Chapter 4170 Civilian Politics
Seeing Fang Jun's delay, Liu Ji disapproved and said with a smile: "Fang Erlang is a master of poetry and poetry, and his talent is gifted from heaven. It is precisely for a world-famous talent like you to choose an era title and recommend it to Your Highness, so that you can show your return to the world and your literary enlightenment. How can Fang Erlang postpone it? Besides, as the Minister of Rites, you are the master of literary circles, so it is natural for you."
The Ministry of Rites is nominally the head of the six departments, and its actual power may be slightly lower than that of the Ministry of Personnel. However, those who can serve as ministers of the Ministry of Rites are all great scholars and literary masters of the dynasty. Fang Jun only wrote a few poems and sang them all over the world, so he can steal them. Bit?
Liu Jie was dissatisfied in his heart.
Choosing a year name is not just a matter of putting two auspicious words together. There are a lot of things to say, and any oversight would be biased.
Fang Jun didn't know where Liu Ji's inexplicable sourness came from, but when it came to this, he couldn't shirk it anymore, so he nodded and agreed: "In this case, I will do it as a courtesy."
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It’s just an era name. At worst, you can go back and ask Kong Yingda for advice. If it doesn’t work, just copy one of the era names of the emperors of the Song and Ming dynasties, such as "Hongwu", "Jingyou", etc...
Liu Jie made up his mind that when Fang Jun chose the reign name, he would find fault with him and cause trouble for him.
Throughout the ages, civilization has been like a sea. Good things and bad things have changed, and good and bad people have emerged in endlessly. If you want to use a certain word to give it a bad reputation, isn't it easy to do it?
Of course, this kind of thing cannot damage Fang Jun's status and prestige, it is just disgusting...
At this time, the chamberlain came in to report that Cui Dunli had an audience outside the palace gate and had an important military report.
Li Chengqian quickly summoned him.
Not long after, Cui Dunli, dressed in official robes, quickly entered the palace and bowed his head to the ground: "I have met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Shaofu Cen, Duke Yue, and Liu Shizhong."
Li Chengqian saw that the hem of his robe had been soaked by the rain, and said hurriedly: "No need to be polite, someone will bring me a piece of clothing that I have never worn and give it to Cui Shilang to change into."
The prince's gift of clothes can be regarded as an honor and favor, which is enough to show that Li Chengqian admires Cui Dunli sincerely.
Cui Dunli was very grateful, thanked him quickly, and followed the chamberlain to change clothes.
Liu Ji sat there with drooped eyelids and slowly drank tea, feeling a little sick in his heart. There is something wrong with Cui Dunli's order of address just now. If he is called by his title, he should be called Yue Guo Gong Fang Jun first, followed by Cen Wen, the son of Jiangling County, and then himself; if he is called by his official position, Cen Wen should be first, himself second, and Fang Jun second. Jun is the last... As a result, Cui Dunli puts Cen Wenwen first. This is respect. After all, he is Fang Jun's henchman. This is no problem, but putting himself last is bound to be contempt for himself.
Among the dignified ministers of the country, he was already one of the top leaders of the empire, but he was despised by a mere minister of the Ministry of War. This shows that Fang Jun's party is deeply prejudiced against himself.
In troubled times, military generals treated civil servants like pigs and dogs, killing them and trampling on them at will. Although these are not troubled times, the government is in turmoil and the country is unstable. The status of military generals is instantly elevated, and they act arrogantly and wantonly. It is really abominable.
When Cui Dunli changed his clothes and came out, Li Chengqian asked him to take a seat and then reported: "I just received the urgent battle report of the Anxi Army for 800 miles. Pei Xingjian has selected 10,000 elite troops to set off from Luntai City. Now they have arrived in Hexi and the garrison is ready." , while deciding whether to enter the customs based on the development of the situation in Guanzhong Zanpo led his cavalry from Dadou Bagou back to the hometown of Tuyuhun. It seemed that there were some new suppression actions against the Gar family in Luoshu City. Ludongzan had already left Luoxue, and both sides were extremely There is a possibility of war.”
Li Jing perked up and said with emotion: "With reinforcements and no external dangers, this is where His Highness's destiny has come!"
Cui Dunli nodded and said: "That's right. Ever since the King of Jin rebelled, the Ministry of War has been closely monitoring the movements of Tibet. Judging from the news so far, Songtsen Gampo wants to take advantage of the chaos in Guanzhong to directly send troops to occupy the counties in Hexi. , one can cut off the passage between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions, so that when they send troops to the Western Regions, they can face An isolated and helpless Anxi army has a greater chance of winning, and it can also take control of Tuyuhun's hometown, causing the Gar family to lose its foundation and have to rely on Luochu again... However, as the Anxi army entered Hexi, Tubo until We are still standing still and have probably given up these extravagant hopes.”
The Ministry of War is now powerful and well-funded. Since Fang Jun took office, it has deployed and purchased a large number of experts in neighboring countries. It not only draws detailed maps of the mountains, rivers and hydrology of various countries, but also keeps abreast of the political and military developments of each country, especially for the next ten or even decades. Tibet, the number one powerful enemy, made even greater efforts.
However, this information was firmly in the hands of Cui Dunli, and even Zhang Xingcheng, who was the Minister of the Ministry of War, was completely unaware of it.
Li Chengqian's expression did not change, but he breathed a deep sigh of relief in his heart, and praised: "The Ministry of War's power is critical, and it affects the country, the country, and the country. Fortunately, Aiqing, a talented person, is in charge of the ministry, so that the entire empire can sit back and relax. Aiqing's hard work is of great merit."< br>
Cui Dunli was overjoyed and stood up again, with a look of gratitude on his face: "How dare you praise your highness for something that is within your humble position? The Duke of Yue often teaches us that when the country is in crisis, we can only live up to your highness by working hard and exhausting ourselves. Great faith!”
He knew that since the prince said these words, it meant that his achievements in the Ministry of War were affirmed, and it was a foregone conclusion that he would be promoted to another level in the future based on his merits and appreciation.
The closest reward based on merit is naturally the day when the prince ascends the throne. At that time, the meritorious officials and the three armies will be rewarded. The position of Minister of the Ministry of War that he has always dreamed of will probably come true.
To be promoted from the Minister of the Ministry of War to the Minister of the Ministry of War is not only an improvement in rank and authority, but also a leap in status. It is a leap from an assistant official to a senior official in the imperial court...
Li Chengqian said happily: "Zhi punishes Zang, both internally and externally. Gu dare not claim to be wise, but he will never treat meritorious ministers lightly. I hope that I will continue to work hard to assist Gu to eliminate rebellion and conquer the world. I will not hesitate to reward you!" ”
Cen Wenwen and Liu Jie looked at each other in silence.
*****
After coming out of Taiji Palace, Cen Wenwen got on the carriage and asked the driver to stop for a while. When he saw Liu Jie coming out of the palace gate, he asked his servant to invite him to the mansion for discussion. Then the two carriages passed through the long distance one after another. Street, go out from Yanxi Gate and go to Cen Wenwen's mansion.
The rain was pouring, and the bluestone slabs on the long street were broken and pitted, seeming to silently record the cruel and bloody killing...
Back at the mansion, Cen Wenwen simply washed his face and ordered Liu Jie to be called to the study. When the servant served him some fragrant tea, he was dismissed with a wave of his hand. There were only two people in the study, Cen and Liu, sitting on the tea table in front of the window. Sitting in front of each other.
The open windows let in clear air, and the rain gurgled. The flowers and trees in the courtyard outside the window were new and lush. A pot of chrysanthemums was placed on the tea table against the window sill. The rare orange flowers were in full bloom, gorgeous and bright. It's like a sunset, as beautiful as a sunset.
Liu Ji held the pot and poured tea, pushed the tea cup in front of Cen Wenwen, and couldn't help but said: "What I saw today is that Fang Jun's influence on the prince is simply appalling. When the prince ascends the throne, Fang Jun will not be able to dominate the government? We should have Countermeasures to avoid being controlled by others. ”
It is against the rules at any time for a minister to ignore the minister. This kind of thing can happen and can even be tacitly tolerated. However, the prince openly praised Cui Dunli openly and openly, which shows that he has no regard for the rules of officialdom for his favor and trust in Fang Jun. .
When the prince ascends the throne, who else in the government and the public can check and balance Fang Jun?
Cen Wenwen picked up the tea cup and took a sip, smacked his lips, tasted the sweetness, and then sighed and said: "Xiao Shiwen is confused, why are you confused too?"
Liu Ji didn't know why, so he hurriedly said: "Please give me some advice, sir."
Cen Wenwen rubbed his brows. He had been on the sickbed for the past few years, but he finally recovered a little this year. His Majesty passed away again. The funeral ceremony for many days almost took away half of his life. He was very exhausted.
After a pause, he said: "Your Majesty is kind and cowardly. The world is at peace and the treasury is rich. The status of military commanders will inevitably decline. It is the perfect time to implement civilian politics. When I am old, I just want to live in seclusion in the woods and entertain my grandchildren. But you happen to meet He will assist His Highness to achieve great achievements and elevate the status of civil servants to unprecedented heights. Why is he so dissatisfied with Your Highness in his words? Do you want to follow Xiao Yu's example and start an army to rebel?"
Since the end of the Han Dynasty, the world has been in chaos and war. There has never been a hundred years of peace. Therefore, the people of the country are martial and pay attention to a "general and prime minister". Most of the officials above the court can wield swords to kill the enemy when mounted, and raise weapons when dismounted. The pen comforts the people.
Civilization and military affairs go hand in hand, and it is difficult to distinguish them.
But Wen and Wu are clearly distinct, so how could they be confused?
When a military general is in charge of the country, the country is very martial and often conquers unconquered subjects and expands territory. No national law or order can be compared with a military order. The entire country is in turmoil, the people are in dire straits, and the country is in danger of subjugation if not careful.
Once a monarch is wise and powerful, it means that he is ambitious and unsatisfied with the status quo. He always wants to make great achievements that will be remembered in the past and the present. These require the full strength of the country to complete, and they are almost incompatible with the hidden dangers of being a military general. respectively.
What these two have in common is that they regard rules and laws as nothing, are stubborn and arrogant, and are arbitrary. The life and death of ministers are between joy and anger. Murder, confiscation of homes, extermination of families, and barbarians are all based on one's own arbitrary decisions. No scruples, no constraints.
Who can bear this?
As a minister, he is already considered the best among hundreds of millions of people, but he has finally climbed to a position below one person and above ten thousand people. However, his life and death depend on the king's thoughts. Everyone has to be trembling and fearful. How can he be willing to do so?
The supremacy of imperial power is never a good thing. Not only is the safety of people's lives in the world not guaranteed, but also the continuity of the country is threatened. Emperors change from generation to generation, and there will always be ignorant and incompetent masters. If he is like Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, he loves great achievements and acts in perverse ways. , everyone could only watch helplessly as he defeated the empire and reached the end of the road.
The most ideal state is to limit imperial power within a certain range and use a set of laws and rules to govern the world.
Limiting imperial power has been the supreme ideal pursued tirelessly by civil servants since ancient times... (End of this chapter)