Chapter 535 Ziyi enters Beijing

In the night, a team of hundreds of cavalry ran on the wide new official road. This is the vast Guanzhong Plain. A newly built official road stretched straight to the west. On both sides of the official road, the endless wheat fields have begun to be harvested. Although it is late at night, you can still see the harvest of wheat in the wheat fields.

This cavalry team whizzed past the busy farmers and disappeared in the distance for a moment. Guo Ziyi rode on a majestic black horse. He looked at the blurry city blocks in the distance with serious eyes and finally arrived in Chang'an.

Guo Ziyi was full of concern for his fate. When he arrived in Qingzhou, he happened to meet the official from the Zhengshi Hall who ordered him to return to the court to report his duties and meet the new emperor. Guo Ziyi understood in his heart that this was the second move that Li Qingan had taken after he tried to test himself in Anding County's bandit suppression. This time, they were going to really bargain. If the negotiations broke down, it would be difficult for him to leave the capital forever.

Guo Ziyi sighed secretly, and the road ahead seemed to have become blurred.

“Start up!”

Guo Ziyi shouted softly and whipped the war horse hard. The war horses accelerated again. A group of people galloped and ran in the dark world. When the morning light first appeared and they saw the first faint golden light, the majestic walls of Chang'an City appeared in front of them.

At this time, the city gate had already opened, and Guo Ziyi's cavalry team arrived at Jinguang Gate. Outside the Jinguang Gate was Caoqu Wharf. As soon as dawn, the city gate was filled with merchants who were about to enter the city. The soldiers guarding the city checked one by one, and most of them were put into the city just by asking a question or two. Only those with suspicious signs would be carefully investigated.

At this time, Guo Ziyi's army arrived at the city gate. When the soldiers guarding the city saw that it was not the Anxi army, they immediately became nervous. They took the bow and arrow, closed the city gate, and looked at them vigilantly.

A personal captain of Guo Ziyi stepped forward and whispered loudly: "We are Shuofang Army, and the old general Guo went to Beijing to report his duties according to the order of the Political Affairs Hall."

After saying that, he unfolded the order of the Political Affairs Hall. A soldier rushed forward to check the seal and went back to report. The lieutenant of the city guard quickly found the arrangements for entering Beijing. Sure enough, there were Guo Ziyi's entry matters, allowing five hundred entourages to enter Beijing.

"Open the city gate and let General Guo enter the capital."

The city gate opened, and the merchants made way. Guo Ziyi led five hundred subordinates to slowly drive into Chang'an City. Guo Ziyi did not go back to his home in Qinrenfang, Chang'an, but went directly to the imperial city, reported to the Ministry of War, and submitted his schedule.

Half an hour later, the Chang'an Internal Affairs Office sent Guo Ziyi's information about entering Beijing to Li Qing'an's desk. Soon, the Ministry of War also sent someone to send Guo Ziyi's schedule.

In fact, shortly after Guo Ziyi entered Guanzhong from Danzheng Gorge, Li Qingan got news that Guo Ziyi's entry into Beijing was not only unexpected, but also surprised him.

The reason why it was expected was that Guo Ziyi had to go to Beijing to report his duties to the Political Affairs Hall and meet the new emperor at the same time. Otherwise, he would be suspected of having troops and reincarnation. With Guo Ziyi's caution, he would never take this risk easily.

But Guo Ziyi's rapid arrival in Beijing surprised Li Qing'an. The decree of the Political Affairs Hall was only three days away from Beijing, and he arrived in Beijing. What does this mean? It shows that Guo Ziyi met an official who went to Lingzhou on the way.

Guo Ziyi did not come to Beijing after receiving the will of the Political Affairs Hall, but some change prompted him to come to Beijing. Li Qing'an keenly inferred that the story that prompted him to come to Beijing should be the suppression of bandits in Jingzhou, and Guo Ziyi understood his intentions.

The contest between Li Qing'an and Guo Ziyi is a gentle and indirect. The venue for the contest is in Guan'an Road. One retreats and one retreats silently, and the other moves in a tactful and implicit manner. Almost few people can understand the art of contest between them, but as the parties involved, Li Qing'an and Guo Ziyi both felt it clearly.

Although Guo Ziyi gave in, he did not admit defeat. On his schedule of entry to Beijing, there was no plan to visit Li Qing'an, the Grand Marshal of the World. Although Li Qing'an's five thousand troops entered the Guannei Road in the name of suppressing bandits, he did not occupy the Guannei Road. Guo Ziyi's army would make a comeback at any time.

Although Guo Ziyi's entry into Beijing was quick, it did not mean that he had given up. On the contrary, as soon as he entered Beijing, he submitted a schedule to the Ministry of War. This is Guo Ziyi's tough challenge to him, Li Qing'an, gradually turning from indirect, gentle, to face-to-face direct confrontation.

Li Qingan experienced Guo Ziyi's Mianli Needle method, and he couldn't help but admire the tenacity of this veteran. Of course, Guo Ziyi and An Lushan are different from Li Longji's hostility. He is a target that can be fought for. Even if he is unwilling to defect to him, he can still become an ally. On the contrary, many people are happy to see him fighting with Guo Ziyi.

At this time, Li Qingan suddenly thought of a story. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the three conditions for Guan Yunchang's surrender was to surrender to Han or Cao. Today, Guo Ziyi entered Beijing, and the two were similar.

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Guo Ziyi's performance after entering Beijing was indeed beyond the expectations of many people. The first person he visited after entering Beijing was neither the Queen Mother nor the Minister of War Wang Jin, nor Li Qing'an. As for the Right Prime Minister Pei Min, I think about it, but everyone can feel relieved. Although Pei Min is not a high-ranking military leader, he is the Right Prime Minister and the leader of all officials, and has a high status. It is reasonable for Guo Ziyi to visit him first.

Pei Min took a leave of absence today and did not attend court. He felt a little sick. He had been drowsy these days. He couldn't support it today, so he asked for leave to rest at home. He originally planned to rest for a day, but in the morning he received news that in the afternoon, the Political Affairs Hall would discuss the official operation of the Silk Road, so he could only rest at home for half a day.

But in the past half a day, he met Guo Ziyi and came to Beijing to visit him. Although he was not feeling well, Pei Min still forced himself to meet Guo Ziyi in the living room of the mansion.

As soon as Guo Ziyi entered the living room, he clasped his fists and said apologizing: "I don't know that the right prime minister is not in good health. I came to disturb you recklessly. Please forgive me for your crime!"

Pei Min smiled and waved his hand and said, "The old general doesn't have to apologize. I am a person who can't rest even at home. I either write memorials or think about things in the court. In short, there is no private time for me, and the old general has not disturbed me. Come! Please sit down."

Pei Min asked Guo Ziyi to sit down, and a maid served them tea. Pei Min picked up the tea cup, took a sip of the tea, and smiled and said, "I want to ask Shuofang Jun's supplies first. Does the old general really need the court to provide food?"

"This is also what I want to discuss with the Political Affairs Hall this time when I go to Beijing."

Guo Ziyi took out a memorial and placed it on the table, pushed it to Pei Min, and said, "In recent years, I have been encouraging the soldiers to reclaim land. There have been a total of 5,000 hectares of military rations. In addition, I have promoted military ranches in the Jiuyuan area, not only to release horses, but mainly to raise cattle and sheep, and to provide soldiers with meat, so I can barely afford a 100,000 army."

Pei Min picked up the memorial and looked at it. It was a copy. The original should have been handed over to the Ministry of War, but the memorial was raised to the Zhengshi Hall. Generally speaking, the Jiedushi was responsible to the emperor. When the emperor was only two years old, the Zhengshi Hall was the highest authority, and it was beyond reproach to Guo Ziyi report to the Zhengshi Hall. But now, in addition to the Zhengshi Hall, there is also a great marshal of the world. This is actually the division of civil and military families. The Wen is under the jurisdiction of the Zhengshi Hall, and the Marshal is inquired about it.

So in a strict sense, as the governor of Shuofang, Guo Ziyi should report military affairs to Grand Marshal Li Qing'an, rather than to the Political Affairs Hall.

As for the Ministry of War, it only carries over the promotion of officers and the promotion of the internal government. When the internal government soldiers are completely corrupt, the Ministry of War becomes a decoration. The promotion of officers is the final say in various places. The Ministry of War is just a supplementary registration.

Pei Min didn't know Guo Ziyi's true intention. Before discussing with Li Qing'an in advance, he was very cautious and worried that he would overstep his authority, so he returned the memorial to Guo Ziyi and smiled and said, "The old general attaches importance to military farming and reduces the burden on the court. It is admirable. A few days ago, the Grand Marshal King Zhao also told me that he was worried about the supply of Shuofang Army and asked the court to prepare military rations. Unexpectedly, our worries were unnecessary."

Pei Min said it was very implicit. He was hinting that Guo Ziyi was the Grand Marshal. He should add Li Qing'an's name to the memorial. Guo Ziyi understood Pei Min's meaning. He smiled faintly and said, "The Prime Minister has some misunderstandings. In fact, there are also civil and military divisions in the army. Wen refers to logistics, food and grass, recruitment of soldiers, and promotion of merits, while martial arts refers to dispatching troops to fight and military defense. If it involves war, I should indeed report to the Grand Marshal. However, this time I went to Beijing to meet with the Queen Mother and the New Emperor, and secondly, to discuss the issue of material, food and grass and military household resettlement with the Political Affairs Hall. So it is enough to discuss with the Political Affairs Hall, and the Military Affairs Hall, and the Military Affairs Hall, and the Military Affairs Hall, so it is enough to discuss with the Political Affairs Hall, and the Military Affairs Hall will not involve the Military Affairs Hall for the time being."

"So that's it. It seems that I'm too worried. OK! I will arrange for the Political Affairs Hall to discuss Shuofang's military affairs with the veteran general."

At this point, Pei Min had already understood Guo Ziyi's intention to enter Beijing. He was to be loyal to the Zhengshi Hall and maintain a hostile relationship with Li Qing'anfei.

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Guo Ziyi said goodbye and left, and Pei Min had no intention of resting anymore. He immediately stood up and went to the Secretariat of the Daming Palace.

Although the Zhengshi Hall was actually elected and appointed by Li Qing'an, this does not mean that the Zhengshi Hall is Li Qing'an's private staff. In fact, the Zhengshi Hall still maintains considerable independence. This is a characteristic of the traditional civil service system of the Han, Tang and even the Song dynasties. The literati political group has never been a vassal of the emperor.

That kind of situation where ministers are willing to be slaves can only occur in Qing palace dramas. Pei Min led more than 700 officials to oppose Li Heng's ascension to the throne, and had nothing to do with Li Qing'an. If Li Qing'an also killed his sons and grandsons and forced himself to ascend the throne, Pei Min would also lead the ministers to oppose him.

The reason why ministers such as Pei Min have always supported Li Qing'an is that Li Qing'an is consistent with their political views in terms of opening up the territory and safeguarding national interests. In particular, Li Qing'an restricts slavery and restricts land acquisition in Anxi, which is fully in line with the political ideal of the literati and officials who have their own land. On the other hand, Li Qing'an is also a powerful barrier to prevent An Lushan from rebelling.

It is precisely these various reasons that Li Qing'an has been supported by the Zhengshi Hall, but support does not mean loyalty. The prime ministers of the Zhengshi Hall also hope to suppress Li Qing'an's overwhelming power to a certain extent. Even if Li Qing'an ascends the throne in the future, they must firmly uphold the principle of checks and balances between the monarch and the minister.

It is precisely based on these considerations that Pei Min also realized that Guo Ziyi's desire to be loyal to the Zhengshi Hall is not a bad thing. Perhaps Guo Ziyi's loyalty can make the Zhengshi Hall more independent.

Many things seem contradictory, but in fact they are not. For example, Pei Min was once a backbone of the Zhao royal party and Li Qing'an's confidant, but now he hopes to suppress Li Qing'an's power to a certain extent.

Is this contradiction? Not at all, just like a woman who sees a mouse when she sees a mouse, but when she sees a mouse as a mother, she will stand up and protect her children.

The roles they play will also have different positions. The world has never been black or white, but more of it is gray.

As for Pei Min is Li Qing'an's wife's uncle, it is because the family's selfish interests are at work, but that does not mean the mainstream.

This is also the reason why Guo Ziyi is willing to be loyal to the Zhengshi Hall. He knew that the Tang Zhengshi Hall was not Li Qing'an's private institution.

But Pei Min was a scholar after all, so did he realize that his ideas had violated Li Qing'an's bottom line, that is, Li Qing'an could tolerate anything in the Political Affairs Hall, but he could not tolerate it in the army.

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In the Secretariat of the Ming Palace, the Zhengshi Hall was holding an emergency and secret meeting. The seven prime ministers of the Zhengshi Hall attended the meeting under the convening of the right prime minister Pei Min.

"Everyone, this is the memorial Guo Ziyi gave to us at the Political Affairs Hall. I hope we can approve the families of Shuofang Army of the 20,000 households in Guannei Road to Lingzhou. Let's discuss it! Let's see if it is feasible?"

Pei Min ordered the Secretariat to copy six copies of Guo Ziyi's memorials and give everyone one. Although Wang Jin, the Minister of War, had the original copy, the original copy had not been passed to him.

Zhang Yun frowned and said, "Lingzhou is not a land of vast land and sparsely populated and fertile land. As far as I know, many of the Yellow River mudflats are saline-alkali land. Even if they can farm, the yield is very low. Guo Ziyi hopes to move 20,000 residents from Guandidao to Lingzhou. Then I have to ask how much land he has to accommodate these immigrants, how much surplus grain he has to ensure the living of the immigrants within one year, and the Dangxiang people, what is their attitude towards immigration? The memorials in these details are not mentioned in the memorials. Just one sentence, if you want to immigrate, I see that General Guo’s plan is lacking, and I hope to hear his more detailed explanation."

Zhang Yun is an old man in the officialdom. He never talks about things. He seems to point out that Guo Ziyi’s memorial is incomplete, but in fact, he is practicing Tai Chi to slow things down and see what Li Qing'an’s attitude is.

Pei Min knew Zhang Yun very well. He understood what Zhang Yun meant, and smiled and said, "I am not saying that we should immediately approve Guo Ziyi's implementation of immigration matters, but hope that the Political Affairs Hall can express a positive attitude on this matter, and then ask Guo Ziyi to come up with a detailed plan. Then we will go to the Ministry of War, Ministry of Revenue, and Censorate to conduct joint inspections. If the plan is feasible, we will officially approve it at that time. What do you think?"

At this time, Wang Jin, the Minister of War, said slowly: "I think it's best to communicate with His Highness Zhao first. After all, he is the Grand Marshal of the World. He has the right to know the request of Shuofang Army. I discussed the memorials of Shuofang Army without hiding him, which is not only a suspicion of overreaching power, but also not conducive to the suppression of bandits in the inner road of the Guanzhong Road. What do you think?"

Pei Min nodded. He could understand everyone's prudence. He also realized that he was a little too hasty in dealing with Guo Ziyi's allegiance. This could easily lead to confrontation between Li Qing'an and the Zhengshi Hall. We should indeed communicate with Li Qing'an first and explain the situation to him. This is reasonable and well-founded. Otherwise, if you are secretly, it will make people feel that the Zhengshi Hall is exceeding its authority.
Chapter completed!