Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 65 Zhao 2's Secret Plot

It must be said that Zhao Guangyi's methods of winning people's hearts were indeed unique.

At this moment, Chu Zhaofu's face showed the expression of "a scholar has met a kindred spirit." He immediately stood up, bowed, and spoke in a firm tone:

"Your Majesty, I will certainly do my utmost to devise a plan!"

"Gongchen, you may not know this, but my nephew's decision to go on this expedition has truly taken me by surprise..."

After a moment's thought, Zhao Guangyi made up his mind and told Chu Zhaofu everything that Zhao Dezhao had done at the front.

One aspect is to trust those you employ and not to employ those you distrust.

More importantly, if Zhao Guangyi wasn't absolutely certain that Chu Zhaofu wouldn't betray him, why would he trust Chu Zhaofu with such a top-secret matter?

In terms of managing subordinates and employing people, Zhao Er was indeed a master.

"Your Majesty need not be alarmed. In my opinion, this is precisely the opportunity for Your Majesty to rise to prominence!" After hearing this, Chu Zhaofu showed no sign of worry, but instead smiled calmly.

"Oh? Tell me in detail!" Zhao Guangyi's eyes lit up.

"Your Majesty, upon careful consideration, it is clear that His Majesty intends to place the eldest prince in command of the military. Since His Majesty has this intention, he will surely send the eldest prince to the army for training after he comes of age."

"And this is Your Majesty's opportunity."

Chu Zhaofu said leisurely, "The Song Dynasty has just been established, and His Majesty will surely give important positions to the imperial relatives. If the eldest prince is in the army all year round, then besides entrusting the affairs of the capital region of Kaifeng to the Prince, to whom else can His Majesty entrust them?"

"In the past, the Zhou dynasty established Luoyi as the pivot of the world, and the Qin dynasty unified the six states and made Xianyang its capital to control the six directions. Both of these states regarded the capital as the foundation of the state."

"Therefore, if Your Majesty intends to make him the heir apparent, the fundamental principle should be to 'govern the country through civil administration'!"

"I humbly believe that the foundation of governing the country through literature lies in three essentials."

"Cultivate prestige, recruit talented individuals, and befriend court officials."

Chu Zhaofu's eyes were sharp. "Once Your Majesty's three requests are fulfilled, you will naturally be able to take charge of the capital and control the capital."

With Bianjing in our grasp, what is there to worry about in the world?

"This is my strategy of using literature to safeguard the country's grand plan; I hope Your Majesty will consider it."

After Chu Zhaofu finished speaking, the study fell into a brief silence.

Both Zhao Guangyi and Shi Zaixi looked thoughtful, pondering his strategy of "defending the country with literature" sentence by sentence.

After a long while, Shi Zaixi was the first to come to his senses and sincerely praised Chu Zhaofu:

"Chu Gong's words are all pearls of wisdom, quite like the style of the famous Tang Dynasty prime minister Xuanling Gong."

As Zhao Guangyi's confidant, how could he not know the importance of Chu Zhaofu to Zhao Guangyi? Naturally, he would not do anything foolish like fighting among himself.

Moreover, Chu Zhaofu accurately grasped Zhao Guangyi's true inner thoughts.

The real reason Zhao Guangyi brought up Zhao Dezhao's matter was to ask what strategy he should follow to achieve his great cause.

Their proposed strategy of "defending the country through culture" coincides with what they are doing.

"What you say is quite right, but I still have one more concern."

Unexpectedly, after pondering for a long time, Zhao Guangyi frowned slightly and said, "Judging from your actions, Your Majesty, you must intend to let the eldest prince hold military power. If the eldest prince becomes too domineering in the future, how should I conduct myself?"

This is precisely his biggest concern.

Before receiving that secret letter, he would have been full of praise for Chu Zhaofu's strategic acumen. But now the situation is different. Seeing that Zhao Kuangyin intends to let Zhao Dezhao take over military power, how could he not be anxious?

Upon hearing Zhao Guangyi's concerns, Chu Zhaofu smiled confidently.

"Has Your Majesty forgotten why His Majesty ascended the throne?"

A single sentence awakened him from his dream! Zhao Guangyi was slightly taken aback at first, then a look of sudden realization flashed in his eyes:

"Yes, yes!"

"My elder brother ascended the throne by donning the yellow robe, and what he fears most is military generals wielding excessive power. He will certainly impose strict restrictions on military authority!"

"If military generals are to be controlled, only civil officials can do it!"

"If I were the head of the civil officials, I would hold the lifeline of military power. Even if my nephew gains great prestige in the army in the future, what then?"

"If the hopes of all the people, the hearts of wise men from all directions, and the interests of the court officials are all in my hands, then even if he has already established his tyranny, I can still suppress him with the way of the benevolent!"

He paused, a meaningful smile playing at the corners of his lips:

"Besides, military officers are human too, and often even more greedy than civil officials; it wouldn't be difficult to win over a couple of them..."

Thinking of this, Zhao Guangyi felt much more at ease, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

Shi Zaixi, who was standing to the side, also smiled and said, "Your Majesty can emulate Sima Yue's past struggle for the world."

During the War of the Eight Princes in the Western Jin Dynasty, Sima Ying held a large army and fought bravely. He once controlled the army of the whole country, but he lost the hearts of the people because he looked down on the gentry and civil officials and treated the court officials harshly.

In contrast, Sima Yue, born into the imperial family, was adept at social maneuvering and formed an alliance with the gentry of Guandong and court officials, ultimately becoming the winner of the War of the Eight Princes.

This is a classic example of how the benevolent prevail over the tyrannical.

Of course, if Zhao Guangyi wanted to follow suit, two prerequisites were required.

First, Zhao Kuangyin must be made to implement the national strategy of "using civil officials to limit military power and emphasizing civil officials while suppressing military power".

Secondly, it is imperative to ensure that Zhao Dezhao loses all his influence and popular support among the civil officials.

In this way, Zhao Guangyi was able to dominate the country and seize the position of crown prince!

Thinking of this, Zhao Guangyi fell into deep thought, and he already had an idea in mind.

……

When the army returned to the capital, Zhao Kuangyin did not choose to cross the treacherous Taihang Mountains again. Instead, he ordered the army to head south to Luoyang and then return east to Kaifeng from Luoyang.

There was a reason why he chose this route.

"Zhao'er, ride with me on horseback. I'll show you the future capital of our Great Song Dynasty!"

Upon entering Luoyang, Zhao Kuangyin abandoned his comfortable carriage, mounted his horse, and loudly summoned Zhao Dezhao.

Zhao Dezhao quickly responded, mounted his horse, and followed closely beside Zhao Kuangyin.

"Luoyang has always been known for its strategic importance and strategic location!"

Zhao Kuangyin raised his whip and pointed to the landscape: "To the east lies the perilous Hulao Pass, to the west the natural barrier of Hangu Pass, to the south Yique Pass is like a tightly locked gate, and to the north Mangshan Mountain is like a screen stretching across the land."

"The Yellow River winds around its front, and mountain peaks surround it from behind; it is precisely the place described by the ancients as 'surrounded by rivers and mountains, its terrain unparalleled under heaven!'"

"If the enemy wishes to attack, then the four borders will be fortified, making it difficult for even a thousand chariots to breach."

"If the emperor wishes to govern, he can remain in the center and control those outside, his reach extending far and wide!"

Having just passed through Hulao Pass, Zhao Kuangyin was like a master artist using the vast landscape as his canvas.

Using his horsewhip as a pen and his strategic mind as ink, along with the majestic terrain surrounding Hulao Pass, he vividly sketched out Zhao Dezhao's vision for the future of the Song Dynasty.

Listening to Zhao Kuangyin's description of Luoyang's terrain, Zhao Dezhao nodded with a complicated expression.

He knew, of course, that Kaifeng was not suitable as the capital of a country.

Kaifeng is located in a strategic area of ​​the Central Plains, with convenient access in all directions. In particular, its water and land ports have been well-established. The Bian Canal was built as early as the Han Dynasty and was expanded again during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, allowing it to "connect to the Si River, link to the Huai River, reach Jiangdu and enter the sea", thus gaining great benefits from the country's water transport.

Therefore, establishing the capital in Kaifeng was destined to bring prosperity and flourishing.

However, its unique geographical conditions make it unsuitable as a capital city.

Kaifeng is surrounded by open fields and flat plains, with no natural barriers. Once the enemy crosses the Yellow River, they will be directly exposed to enemy weapons.

During the Warring States period, Sun Bin's strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao succeeded because Kaifeng had no natural defenses and could be captured by attacking it!

This was one of the important reasons why the Northern Song Dynasty fell.

Zhao Kuangyin, oblivious to his son's complex expression, continued after explaining the geographical advantages of Luoyang:

"Luoyang has fertile soil, surrounded by the Yi, Luo, Chan, and Jian rivers, which irrigate tens of thousands of hectares of farmland, resulting in abundant crops."

"In the past, Emperor Wu of Han dug canals and Emperor Yang of Sui opened the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal connected the Yangtze and Huai Rivers in the south and reached Youyan in the north. Grain and silk were transported, and grain and silk arrived in the morning and evening. The granaries were always full and the country's resources were never lacking."

After analyzing Luoyang's advantages from an economic perspective, Zhao Kuangyin then said:

"Luoyang is the ruins of a sage king, where the traces of a sage still remain. The palaces are magnificent, and the royal aura still lingers. Establishing the capital here is in accordance with the mandate of heaven and the will of the people. The calendar is proclaimed here, and all directions look up to its influence."

Zhao Kuangyin was explaining the impact of establishing Luoyang as the capital on the hearts and minds of the people.

Throughout history, dynasties that have been able to establish their capitals in Chang'an and Luoyang for an extended period have all been considered legitimate by the Chinese people. This is a consensus that no amount of frequent wars can change.

After explaining the three major advantages of establishing the capital in Luoyang, Zhao Kuangyin concluded with a wistful tone:

"If the Great Song Dynasty were to establish its capital here, then all corners of the world would flock to it, and all directions would come to pay homage. Even the achievements of Tang and Wu would pale in comparison. It is truly a matter of divine mandate and the very foundation of the kingly way!"

Then he sighed helplessly and asked, "What are you proposing?"

"I ask you, is it feasible for the Song Dynasty to relocate its capital now?"

After hearing Zhao Kuangyin's question, Zhao Dezhao thought for a moment and replied:

"cannot."

"With the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun still unrecovered, the Khitan cavalry could invade the Central Plains at any time. If the court moves west, the Central Plains will be flat and undefended, easily leading to its collapse."

"Furthermore, since the An Lushan Rebellion, the country has been plagued by constant warfare, the people's livelihood has been impoverished, and manpower has been exhausted. Many sections of the canals surrounding Luoyang are blocked, making water transport impossible. If the capital is moved rashly, the court may face the danger of running out of food."

After listening to Zhao Dezhao's insights, Zhao Kuangyin nodded in satisfaction.

He was well aware that moving the capital to Luoyang was not a realistic option before recovering the southern kingdoms and reclaiming the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

That is why he wanted to discuss with Zhao Dezhao the importance of moving the capital to Luoyang.

The relocation of the capital was a matter of great importance and would inevitably face strong resistance. Under such circumstances, it was crucial for the emperor to withstand the pressure.

Zhao Kuangyin was confident in his abilities, and he hoped that his next generation would be able to as well.

"Remember what I told you today."

……