Chapter 115 I didn't know this day

Murong Ying already felt that his health was not good, probably before or after the New Year. He had originally thought of letting Prince of Qi Murong Ju assist Murong Chao.

But he didn't expect that his fifth brother Murong Ju's condition was worse than he looked. He was obviously less than 40 years old, so how could he...
I was originally planning to leave it for future affairs, but now it seems I have to make some other plans.

As for the official position that Murong Ju declined, there was no need to take it back. He would not live long, so why would there be any point in taking it back?

Afterwards, after the Winter Solstice Ceremony, Murong Ying ordered someone to summon Crown Prince Murong Chao to the palace for an audience for the first time.

Murong Chao was a bit plump, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looked very much like the late emperor. He was very respectful, but he was somewhat evasive when facing Murong Ying's eyes, as if he was still afraid as before.

Seeing this, Murong Ying sighed. The influence he had left on Murong Chao in the past would not disappear overnight, but today he wanted to test Murong Ying.

"In today's world, there are starving people everywhere, civil unrest is breaking out, bandits are rampant, the Turks in the north are ready to make a move, and Goguryeo is encroaching on the old land of Liaodong. What can we do to keep the world peaceful?"

Murong Chao, who was standing aside, listened to the question asked by his father Murong Ying on the sickbed. He considered it carefully before speaking slowly.

"Replying to Father, I think, I think..."

"Speak boldly, don't be shy."

"I think that we should implement benevolent policies. The people are displaced because of the cruel officials and the tyranny of the powerful. We should suppress annexation, reduce taxes and levies, live in harmony with the people, and treat those who follow the bandits with both suppression and appeasement. We should kill the main culprits to deter the four directions, open granaries in various places, use work instead of relief, build water conservancy projects, and expand farmland."

"The Turks in the north are our greatest threat. During the time of the previous emperor, the Turks were strong in the west and weak in the east, so we made a national policy of supporting the eastern Turks. But now the bandits Shibi are strong, the east is flourishing, and the west is declining. We should turn to supporting the western Turks to balance Shibi."

"As for the Goguryeo barbarians, we should send good generals, set up military towns, cultivate land and guard the border, accumulate food and grass, and wait until the Central Plains is stabilized. Then we will order a general to lead tens of thousands of troops, build camps, and advance with full force. We will burn their houses, kill their dogs and sheep, and destroy their good fields. We will not seek a quick victory, but only to consume their national strength and people's power. If we repeat this process over and over again, we can destroy them in ten years."

After listening to this, Murong Ying frowned and asked, "Who taught you this?"

Today, he just wanted to test Murong Chao. As long as what he said was not too outrageous, Murong Ying would be satisfied. After all, this man had not received any training as an heir before. But he did not expect that the eldest son, whom he looked down upon, would say something so insightful.

It doesn't mean that by doing what I said above, we can definitely bring peace to the world.

Rather, these words provided a practical idea and direction. He did not say empty words like "Goguryeo will be destroyed in three years and Shibi will be captured in five years."

Especially the final strategic plan for Goguryeo, which was very feasible.

Murong Chao was honest and said without hiding anything: "Father, these are the key words I have picked out from the memorials left by my fifth brother in the past few days. Among them, supporting the Western Turks to check and balance the Shibi was my own idea. I had these ideas when I was in Guangwu. As for pacifying Goguryeo, it was the memorial submitted by Li Yaoshi, the mayi county magistrate."

Murong Ying smiled when she heard this, "You are quite honest."

Murong Chao said: "I, as a son, naturally dare not deceive my father and king."

Murong Ying nodded, and then said: "Very good, since you are the crown prince, you should naturally think about good strategies for governing the country. If you know that you are stupid, you should listen to the advice of virtuous people and choose the good ones to follow."

Murong Chao listened to the admonition and nodded repeatedly.

This conversation between father and son lasted for half an hour. Finally, because Murong Ying was a little tired, Murong Chao was allowed to return to the East Palace.

After everyone left, Murong lay on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief.

Murong Chao is not considered smart, but judging from his performance today, it is already better than he expected.

He knew his own shortcomings and did not shy away from them. He was able to calmly mention the memorial left by the former crown prince. This showed that he was not a jealous person and was tolerant of others.

It would be better if he could be trained to handle political affairs earlier.
"Father, you'd better take care of yourself." Murong Chao advised respectfully after Murong Ying had been absent-minded for a while.

Murong Ying smiled when he heard this and said, "Boss, if I still have five years to live, the position of Crown Prince will not be yours."

Murong Chao was shocked and bowed to the ground, saying, "Father, I would rather not be the crown prince. I also hope that you will be healthy and live a long life. Please take care of yourself."

"Hahaha, that's enough, you get up now. Birth, aging, sickness and death are all determined by time and fate. I am no longer as old as the Late Emperor and Emperor Wu. Your twelfth great uncle passed away this year. If we men had not been surrounded in Guangwu, your great uncle would not have dragged his sick body to lead the troops to the defense of the king, and traveled thousands of miles to rescue him. And there's your fifth uncle. I thought that if I was gone, he could help me take care of you. Your fifth uncle is too thoughtful, but he has no ulterior motives. He just thinks too much. He was in poor health to begin with, and he has been following me on expeditions this year. I don't know which of us brothers will go to see the Late Emperor first. I can't say anything when we get to the Late Emperor. I'm sure your fifth uncle will report me to the Late Emperor, and the Late Emperor will also blame me for not taking good care of your brothers."

Murong Chao sobbed when he heard this, "Father will surely live a long life."

Murong Ying said, "How can an emperor live to be a hundred years old? Sitting in this position, you have to worry all day long, trembling with fear, as if you are on the edge of an abyss. I have neglected you too much in the past. The second and third brothers were crowned kings for several years before I crowned you a king. They all had officials to help them manage the affairs, and I have never selected decent officials for you. However, you have actually always done well, abided by the rules, and were sensible."

Murong Chao said: "Father, I have never dared to ask for too much. Now I just hope that you will be healthy. Dayan cannot do without you, and the world cannot do without you."

Murong Ying smiled and said, "I will die eventually, so I have to talk to you about these things while I understand them and can still move. When the day comes, I may not be able to finish talking to you. There are some things I have to do in advance."

Murong Chao knocked his head to the ground and said, "Please give me instructions, father. I will listen carefully and follow them."

Murong Ying sighed and said, "Listen carefully to every word I say next. Starting tomorrow, you will go to the Shangshu Province to observe government affairs. Shangshu Ling Gao Shi is a veteran minister of three dynasties and is from the Gao family of Bohai. He is loyal, upright and serious. You will serve him as a teacher."

"Zuo Pushe Xue Chu is a capable minister with great courage. He can be used, but we still need to be cautious."

"Zhongshu Ling Liu He is greedy by nature, but he is loyal. I can control him, but you may not. If you can't control him, you can take his position, but you have to take into account the reaction of the Hedong Liu family."

"Li Shenfu, Lou Jushi, Duan Yihong, and your uncle Gao Huang are all capable of becoming generals. Li Shenfu is the cousin of Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang. Now we are going to make great use of Li Yuan's family. Li Shenfu can be involved in military affairs, but he cannot be given military power. General Duan is a fellow Xianbei of ours, and he shares the same fate with the country. You can rely on him. Lou Jushi is a famous general who has fought many battles. If there are border issues, you can let him lead the troops. As for your uncle, you can let him and General Duan jointly command the central army to check and balance each other."

"Minister Murong Hui is a prominent figure in the imperial clan, but his tactics are too sinister. Use him with caution."

"If the Minister of War Wei Ying comes to Liuhe, he can be made the Minister of the Central Secretariat. You should marry another woman from the Wei family as your concubine."

"Local governor, Li Yuan is a kind elder, talented and cautious, so I placed your fifth brother in Yizhou and let him take care of him. Li Shenfu can be appointed as a general in the future."

"Although Gaoyang Prince Murong He lacks talent, his loyalty can be trusted."

"King Murong Hui of Xia in Jizhou and King Murong Lang of Han in Jingzhou should be allowed to enter the court as soon as possible. Sooner or later, they will become disloyal and cause trouble."

"Youzhou Governor Wang Liang, Yangzhou Governor Zhuge Qiong, and Yuzhou Governor Zhou Zhe are all capable officials with the potential to be prime ministers."

"The generals of the brave and capable army are all young talents that I have selected in recent years. You should not leave them unattended just because they were close to the second and third brothers in the past. Among them, Wei Xiaoju and Duan Wuchen have the talent to be great generals."

"Jinyang's husband Li Yuanhui is very brave and has the style of his father. His father is the governor of Yizhou, and his brother is the general of Longyou. We need to be on guard. After I leave, you can let him return to Huainan to guard it, and then transfer Li Jiaerlang from Longyou and let him join the Xiaoguo Army as a general of the Tiger Guard."

"The royal family, both guard against and use them."

Murong Ying spoke intermittently for another half an hour until he felt tired and his mouth was dry, and then he let Murong Chao go back.

Before Murong Chao left, he looked back every few steps, his eyes blurred with tears.

This made Murong Ying feel that his eldest son was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye.

(End of this chapter)