Chapter 4815: Straight Talk

Chapter 4815: Straight Talk
Therefore, the civil servants who are now sent to sea to serve are nominally managing the royal family's assets for His Majesty...

"Who does the Minister of the Central Secretariat prefer to be sent to serve at sea, and where is the best place to serve?"

"Duke Yun has made outstanding contributions and has a high level of experience. It would be very appropriate for him to go to Luzon to serve as the governor-general and be responsible for mining, maritime trade, overseas Chinese and other matters."

"... Zhang Liang?"

Li Chengqian was very surprised. The candidate recommended by Liu Li was really beyond his expectations.

Liu Li said: "Duke Yun had previously led the navy under Duke Wei and Prince Hejian to enter Shuzhong, exit Kuimen, and annihilate Xiao Xian. He is very familiar with naval warfare. Although there are some differences between fighting on rivers and outside the ocean, the essence remains the same and the goal is the same. He is better at it than fighting on land. The most important thing is to use the work well. Duke Yun was in such a mess in the Right Jinwu Guard that he was a laughing stock. If Your Majesty puts aside the past grudges and selects him now, he will surely serve you wholeheartedly and be loyal to you."

What he said is quite reasonable. Nowadays, Zhang Liang has almost become a laughing stock among the entire Chang'an noble circle. A dignified minister of Zhenguan and a great general was actually tormented by his own chief secretary. He didn't even dare to go to the military camp and just stayed at home to recuperate. His reputation has dropped to an unprecedented level and his official career is bleak. If this continues, he will probably have to retire.

At this time, the emperor promoted him and entrusted him with important tasks, which not only made him grateful, but also made him seize this opportunity to get rid of his previous difficulties and turn things around.

Li Chengqian was moved.

The navy was Fang Jun's exclusive domain, and it was a solid block from top to bottom, even if the emperor tried to intervene it would be very difficult. If Zhang Liang was placed in Luzon, whether as the general manager or the governor, it would be a good thing to take the management power away from the navy.

Luzon, a mere barren island, is not important, but if we can use this opportunity to wedge a gap in the iron wall of the navy and make it a common practice for the court to send officials to manage overseas territories, it will greatly alleviate the hidden dangers brought by the navy.

No matter how much he trusts Fang Jun, he cannot allow Fang Jun to control overseas interests for a long time. This has nothing to do with human nature, but only with the "only supreme" nature of imperial power. No one else is allowed to sleep soundly beside his bed.

No one can.

"If so, you can bring it up in public at the next court meeting, and we can discuss it before making a decision."

"Why discuss this? The navy is the royal private army, and the Luzon Island leased by the navy should also belong to the royal property. Sending Zhang Liang to manage the royal property is your majesty's private matter, and you can make the decision with just one word. There is no reason for the court officials to interfere."

"Huh? Is this still possible?"

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, and he became increasingly aware that there were many benefits to putting a "royal" label on anything.

Fang Jun split up, disbanded and reorganized the court's original navy. After it was formed, it was no longer the "Tang Dynasty Navy" but directly bears the sign of "Royal". It only needs to report directly to the emperor for anything, and no government office in the court has the right to exercise jurisdiction over it.

It was precisely because of the trust bestowed by Emperor Taizong and the inability of the court departments to hinder it that the Royal Navy was able to grow into an invincible force that dominated the world in just a few years.

If the navy is taken back in the future, wouldn’t it be a great convenience?

If we think more divergently, is it possible to organize an army such as the "Royal Cavalry" or "Royal Guard" that belongs only to the emperor?
Anyway, the inner hall is well-equipped now, and it is no problem to raise an army of several thousand people...

Another point is that his relationship with Fang Jun seems to have improved inadvertently recently. This is not acceptable. He must continue to send the message of "discord between the ruler and his subjects" to the outside world, so that those guys who are hiding and shrinking can think that "there is an opportunity" and take action.

They are all staying in the cave motionless. How can I pull them out one by one?

If we don't catch these people and let them hide in the dark, they might suddenly attack like a poisonous snake at any time and we will be hard to guard against. Instead of passively defending, it is better to take the initiative.

Even though Fang Jun, the Queen and others disagreed with this, Li Chengqian still insisted on doing it.

What he hated most was not Li Zhi who intended to seize the throne, nor Li Ji who wavered at the critical moment, but those who questioned that he "did not look like a monarch" and "was not qualified to be a good emperor", which made him lose face and damaged his self-esteem.

Unforgivable.

……

In fact, even though the "Royal Navy" is nominally the emperor's private army, it is not something that can be decided by Your Majesty as Liu Li said. Otherwise, why not try replacing Su Dingfang, Xi Junmai, Liu Renyuan and others?

Even if no one would reject the emperor's order, Zhang Liang's appointment still had to go through the Ministry of War. This was the procedure.

Otherwise, not only would the Ministry of War not allow the authority of its own office to be undermined, even Liu Li himself would not agree. The power of the prime minister often conflicts with the imperial power. The reason why he persisted in fighting with the military was to consolidate his power as prime minister, and military power was a symbol of imperial power at a deeper level...

Therefore, the power of the prime minister and the imperial power check and balance each other, the civil officials and the military fight against each other, and the imperial power and the military restrain each other... The court is full of the atmosphere of struggle for power and profit. The emperor, prime minister, and generals are all involved and cannot stay out of it.

When Zhang Liang's latest appointment was delivered to the Ministry of War by Wang De personally and placed in front of Cui Dunli, the latter looked very unhappy.

Everyone knows that he is Fang Jun's right-hand man, and the navy is Fang Jun's territory. Now His Majesty intends to place Zhang Liang in the navy's territory. The implication is enough to make people think deeply, and then it will set off a trend in the court, which will bring a great blow to Fang Jun's prestige.

However, His Majesty's appointment cannot be rejected. Cui Dunli signed, sealed and filed it with a serious face, which meant that Zhang Liang's appointment had been approved. After Wang De left, he immediately sent someone to inform Fang Jun of the news.

Fang Jun received the message in his mansion. He was silent for a while, then asked the maid to help him bathe, change clothes, put on his official robe and put on his headgear, and then he left the mansion and took a carriage directly to the palace.

She begged for an audience outside Chengtian Gate, and after being granted permission, she quickly entered the palace.

When he arrived at the Imperial Study in Wude Hall, he bowed and looked directly at the emperor, ignoring the presence of several secretaries, eunuchs, and palace maids, and said, "I heard that Your Majesty intends to appoint Zhang Liang as the Governor-General of Luzon. I think that is not possible."

There was not even a hint of tact and subtlety in his words, and everyone else in the imperial study was stunned.

Everyone knows that Fang Jun has always been strong and domineering, but it is only through hearsay that it is finally possible to see this "powerful minister style"...

"How dare you! Your Majesty is the ruler of the world, and you appoint anyone with a single heart. As your subjects, we should listen to your teachings and loyally support you. How can you question your Majesty's decision and do such an arrogant and rebellious act? In my opinion, you are a traitor!"

Li Siliang, the Tongshi Sheren, stepped forward, filled with righteous indignation, his finger almost touching Fang Jun's nose, his eyes widened and his words were as sharp as knives, he was aggressive and fearless.

Everyone was worried for Li Siliang and tensed their bodies to be ready so that if Fang Jun attacked him, everyone would rush forward to stop him.

How can we fight in front of the king?
Others wouldn't dare to do such a thing, but Fang Jun, a fool, couldn't say for sure...

Fang Jun did not take action. Instead, he laughed in anger and looked at Li Siliang and said, "I am discussing state affairs with His Majesty. Who are you to dare to speak nonsense in the middle? How come you think you are His Majesty's close minister and want to follow the example of Zhao Gao and Zhang Rang and deceive His Majesty?"

Li Siliang was so angry that his face turned red. He was not afraid of being scolded by Fang Jun, and even a beating would not matter, as long as His Majesty thought that he was loyal to the emperor and had a righteous heart. Who would have thought that Fang Jun would actually compare him to "Zhang Rang" and "Zhao Gao"...

Let’s not talk about how those two men deceived the king. The key point is that they were all eunuchs!

What decent person would like to be compared to a eunuch?

This is an insult ten times worse than swearing!

"Wow, you are so arrogant and unruly in front of His Majesty. Do you want to be like Dong and Cao and threaten the emperor?"

Li Siliang was so angry that he screamed and others shook their heads slightly. This man was obviously confused and spoke without thinking under Fang Jun's power. If Fang Jun was Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao, then was Your Majesty the Shao Emperor or the Xian Emperor?

Moreover, there were even rumors that the Queen and Fang Jun had an affair. Li Siliang compared Fang Jun to Dong Zhuo, which inevitably reminded people of the disaster of Dong Zhuo staying overnight on the dragon bed and committing adultery in the palace. This was not only an insult to Fang Jun, but also a slap in the face of His Majesty...

Sure enough, when everyone took a peek, they saw that His Majesty's face had already turned ashen.

Fang Jun glanced at Li Siliang and asked loudly, "Where is Wang De?"

"The old slave is here."

Wang De popped his head out from behind Li Chengqian.

"This beast is extremely rebellious. He has lost his manners and spoken nonsense in front of the emperor. I will expel him from the imperial study and report this to the Imperial Censorate. I will have Liu Xiangdao deal with him according to the law!"

"..."

Wang De did not dare to respond. He secretly glanced at His Majesty. Seeing that His Majesty looked unhappy but said nothing, he understood that His Majesty was also annoyed by Li Siliang's nonsense. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Come here, take Li Siliang, the messenger, out and hand him over to the Censorate for punishment!"

Several strong guards rushed into the imperial study, blocked the struggling Li Siliang's mouth and dragged him out...

The imperial study became quiet.

However, Li Chengqian's expression was still extremely ugly. He stared at Fang Jun and asked word by word, "I want to employ Zhang Liang. Does the Duke of Yue think it is not possible?"

This was a serious statement, and Fang Jun naturally could not admit it: "Your Majesty, I do not disagree with your appointment of Zhang Liang, but I think Zhang Liang's talents are not enough for the post of Governor-General of Luzon. If the Right Jinwu Guards can't even subdue the few tens of thousands of soldiers, how can we deal with the more than 100,000 natives, expatriates, soldiers, and merchants in Luzon?"

Li Chengqian didn't want to hear this, and said in a cold and hard tone: "What if I insist on employing you?"

Fang Jun refused to back down: "I dare not disobey your majesty's order, but I reserve my opinion on this matter. If Zhang Liang causes trouble in Luzon in the future, I implore your majesty to punish him severely according to the law and not to tolerate him."

The remaining people in the imperial study were stunned. Is this the tone and attitude that a minister should use when speaking to the emperor?
How can Your Majesty tolerate this?
As expected, Li Chengqian raised his hand and pointed at the door: "I am a little tired, my dear ministers, please go back."