Chapter 1104: Guarding the Empire

"The Emperor is wise!"

Looking at Zhao Xu, Liu Fu let out a heavy sigh of relief.

This was not just his own opinion, but the unanimous view of the entire Cabinet.

They were not worried about the loyalty of the generals.

After all, their Emperor Zhao Xu possessed such literary and martial achievements that no general could compare, and he was capable of keeping these generals in check.

But as Cabinet ministers, they had to plan for the long-term future of Da Song.

Their Emperor would grow old one day, and the generals of their Emperor's generation would grow old with him.

At that time, power in the imperial court and power in the military would fall into the hands of new, ambitious generals.

To ensure these new generals holding immense power would behave themselves,

and not act like those in old dynasties who relied on their troops to hold power and bring chaos to the nation, a reasonable military management system had to be created.

This was the same as the original intention behind establishing the Cabinet.

Of course, this was a long-term consideration.

Although the current trend of military regionalism might be minimal, it was not impossible, and the Imperial Court had to nip it in the bud.

Looking back at history, even the wisest founding monarchs had records of killing a few illustrious meritorious officials.

What was it all for? Future generations would have their own judgments.

Zhao Xu nodded, then told Liu Fu his thoughts regarding the general rotation system.

Upon hearing this, Liu Fu was even more delighted, and he said, "To tell you the truth, the Cabinet has also discussed this possibility; I did not expect that the Emperor had already thought of everything before us."

"Is that so?" Zhao Xu was somewhat surprised; it was truly a sign of foresight for the Cabinet ministers to have thought of this.

However, thinking about how long these ministers had been learning state affairs from him, it did not seem strange that they had considered this point.

Then, he looked at Liu Fu with a smile on his lips, "Since that is the case, let this matter be discussed by your Cabinet, and then proposed in the imperial court."

"Ah?" Liu Fu was instantly dumbfounded, regretting only that his mouth had been too fast.

Clearly,

the matter of general rotation was one that offended people.

If Emperor Zhao Xu proposed it himself, he would likely have to appease the generals.

Now, as it stood, this matter had fallen squarely on the Cabinet's head.

From now on, wouldn't the generals vent their resentment on them, the Cabinet ministers?

"What? You are unwilling?" Zhao Xu saw Liu Fu's hesitation and said indifferently, "I made you the head of the Cabinet to handle difficult matters, not to be a peacemaker. There will be more and more new policies that offend people in the future; if you are all afraid of offending people, then don't do anything at all."

Pausing, Zhao Xu continued, "I could certainly issue an Imperial Edict directly, but then what is the purpose of your Cabinet? After I pass away, who would be able to issue this Imperial Edict? Therefore, from now on, your Cabinet must manifest your authority in some major matters."

"Yes, Emperor." Liu Fu felt a flush of shame.

Generals like Chang Wei and Qin Shan were his old acquaintances, and he had indeed found it difficult at first.

But Zhao Xu's decision this time was clearly meant to elevate the status of the Cabinet.

Of course, there was also the imperial art of balance involved, but ultimately, it leaned toward supporting the Cabinet.

Thinking of this, he added, "I will return and convene the Cabinet ministers to discuss this matter."

"That's more like it." Zhao Xu nodded, "In the future, your Cabinet must make decisions boldly. I will act as the helmsman now, just ensuring that the ship of Da Song does not veer off course; how to row the boat is entirely up to you."

"Thank you for the Emperor's grace." Liu Fu felt a warmth in his heart.

Zhao Xu's words clearly meant delegating power, allowing the Cabinet to participate more in the state affairs of Da Song and preside over major domestic decisions.

"Go back!" Having finished this matter, Zhao Xu waved his hand.

Watching Liu Fu's figure disappear, Zhao Xu smiled faintly.

He understood Liu Fu's thoughts, and Liu Fu understood his.

Just as Liu Fu thought, his move for general rotation was partly to increase the influence of the Cabinet and partly the imperial art of controlling subordinates.

In any dynasty, it was a taboo for civil officials and military commanders to be too close.

Therefore, he wanted Liu Fu and his group of Cabinet ministers to check Chang Wei and his group of generals from all aspects.

If they were to be in cahoots, wouldn't the Cabinet have to approve whatever amount of military pay the generals demanded in the future?

If that were the case, the Da Song he built would truly be finished in a few years.

As the saying goes, it is easy to conquer the empire, but difficult to hold it.

What is the reason?

Conquering the empire is a group of people grabbing someone else's cake, so they naturally work together with internal harmony.

But holding the empire is a matter of dividing the cake after it has been obtained, and that is when people fight until their heads are broken.

After all, everyone wants to eat a little more.

As an emperor, his most important task is to distribute reasonably, avoiding any one side from becoming too powerful, which would lead to a loss of control.

How to avoid any one side becoming too powerful? Besides the reforms during this period, it is also necessary to let all parties check each other to reach a state of balance.

Only then can he decide who gets to eat more and who gets to eat less.

In short, they can only take what he gives; they cannot grab what he does not give.

To achieve this, holding the Cabinet in one hand and the Defense Department in the other is clearly a very reasonable method.

Using the military of the Defense Department to deter the civil officials represented by the Cabinet, while simultaneously using the Cabinet's control over financial authority to check the generals of the Defense Department, ultimately achieves a harmony of yin and yang.

After pondering for a while, Zhao Xu remembered he had not yet replied to Chang Wei's Telegraph.

Thus, he sent a Telegraph to Tongguan, ordering Chang Wei to advance westward immediately after receiving the ammunition supplies.

He also gave an order to the Defense Department, commanding them to dispatch ammunition supplies and send them to Tongguan.

At this time, seeing that it was getting late, the street lamps in the palace all lit up, illuminating Wuji Palace as bright as day.

Passing through the corridor illuminated by the street lamps, he went to the Hougong.

On the road, the eunuchs and palace maids had all grown accustomed to the light of the streetlamps; unlike at the beginning, they no longer kept glancing at them, but instead focused on their own tasks.

Arriving at the Hougong, Zhao Xu first went to the palace of Yang Susu to chat for a while, and afterwards, he went to the palaces of Feng'er and Luan'er respectively.

At present, Yang Susu was already seven months pregnant, Feng'er was five months pregnant, and Luan'er had also conceived last month.

All three were carrying imperial heirs, which made Empress Dowager Mi overjoyed.

She now came to walk about the palace every few days and specifically urged Zhao Xu to spend more time with the three of them.

Currently, the established Cabinet took on the vast majority of the tedious government affairs, and Zhao Xu was only responsible for the final review, so he was much more at leisure.

Therefore, during this period, he was either accompanying the three of them to play inside and outside the palace, guiding the research matters of the Research Institute, or lecturing at various Colleges.

After the industry of Great Song entered the Electric Age, it clearly needed to unlock more knowledge and technology.

Besides this, he would take up his brush to write down the knowledge in his mind, compiling book after book.

Many professional books were sent directly to the Research Institutes of various industries.

For example, professional books on architecture, roads, and bridge construction were sent to the Research Institute of the Construction Department.

Medical books were sent to the Research Institute of the Medical College, and so on.

These books would help the Research Institutes of various industries produce more results.

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