Seeing Zhao Ji's furious rage, Fan Zheng Guo closed his eyes.
Even though he was also filled with anger, at his current position, he understood that this was not the time for him to speak.
What had the hundreds of thousands of troops done?
Was this question not obvious?
One incompetent general could exhaust a thousand soldiers, and what's more, Tong Guan had no exceptional military talent.
To expect a eunuch to recover lost territories, even if Fan Zheng Guo didn't understand military affairs, he felt that this matter was absurd at this moment.
"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that now is not the time to discuss this. Now that Yanjing has fallen into the hands of the Jin people, we must find a way to reclaim Yanjing and the surrounding lands as soon as possible..."
After a few dry coughs, Cai Jing finally spoke first.
Others could remain silent, but he, as the Grand Minister, could no longer continue to do so.
After all, the Prime Minister was the teacher of all officials. If he didn't speak, he would not be far from being dismissed...
"Your Majesty, I believe Yuan Weng's proposal is inappropriate!"
As soon as Cai Jing finished speaking, Zhang Bang Chang immediately stood up.
Seeing Zhang Bang Chang actually oppose Cai Jing at this moment, even Fan Zheng Guo was somewhat surprised.
"This proposal is inappropriate. What is inappropriate about it?"
Seeing Zhang Bang Chang stand up, Zhao Ji looked at him with a grim expression and asked.
"Hundreds of thousands of troops consumed over ten million guan from the national treasury, resulting in the loss of several commanding generals and nearly a hundred thousand soldiers. If the crime of losing the army and disgracing the nation is not investigated, what authority do the laws of the court have?"
Seeing Zhang Bang Chang's righteous demeanor, Liang Shi Cheng was a little surprised.
Had this fellow taken the wrong medicine when he went out?
No one knew this old man's usual character better than him. If he had any talent, it was probably the ability to shift with the wind.
Moreover, this old rascal was a close confidant of Wang Fu not long ago!
It was only because Wang Fu had died, and Zhao Ji had no suitable candidates around him, yet he was unwilling to see Zhao Zhen's influence grow stronger, that he had been promoted to the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat concurrently serving as the Right Minister of the Department of State Affairs.
However, he did not expect that this old fellow, just a few days after taking office, would turn around and throw himself into Zhao Zhen's embrace.
If it weren't for the fact that this old rascal had been acting cautiously all along, he would likely have been directly kicked back to his hometown by the Emperor.
It was truly surprising to Liang Shi Cheng that such a opportunist could utter such words today!
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister also believes that Tong Guan should be investigated for the crime of losing the army and disgracing the nation!"
Since someone had taken the lead, Fan Zheng Guo was naturally unwilling to miss such a good opportunity. He unhesitatingly stood on Zhang Bang Chang's side.
"I second that!"
"I second that as well!"
Seeing the two of them express their opinions, several old officials from the Crown Prince's faction were overjoyed. They almost unhesitatingly stepped forward to support them.
Even Cai Jing did not expect that in such a short period, Tong Guan had become a broken drum, battered by everyone...
"Yuan Weng, what do you say?"
Seeing everyone's impassioned reaction, Zhao Ji, with a blank expression, turned to Cai Jing again.
Seeing the cold glint flashing in his eyes, Cai Jing suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.
"Tong Guan is indeed guilty of losing the army and disgracing the nation, but this old minister believes that now is not the time to investigate. It is easy to dismiss Tong Guan, but who can replace his position?"
Zhao Zhen was about to return. Before he even reached Bianliang City, he already had Zhang Bang Chang and Fan Zheng Guo, two junior ministers, under his command.
Adding Zhong Shi Dao and Wang Xiang, two deputy envoys, once they returned to the capital, he alone would hold four positions of ministerial rank.
If Tong Guan, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, were to be removed at this critical juncture, who could guarantee that this position would not fall into the hands of Zhong Shi Dao or Wang Xiang?
Compared to his relationship with the Crown Prince, his relationship with Zhao Zhen was clearly more tense.
He still had many things to do, and he was unwilling to let himself be inexplicably sidelined.
Therefore, even though he knew that Tong Guan was doomed this time, he could only do his best to protect him.
At the very least, he had to buy Tong Guan another month or two. By the time the matters of Wang Xiang and Zhong Shi Dao were settled, that would be the time to settle accounts with Tong Guan...
"Is there no one in our great Song dynasty who can be used besides Tong Guan?"
Unlike Fan Zheng Guo and Zhong Shi Dao, Zhang Bang Chang had defected to Zhao Zhen halfway. If he had no outstanding achievements, he would likely never be able to enter Zhao Zhen's inner circle.
Now that a great opportunity was before him, how could Zhang Bang Chang bear to let it go?
"Your Majesty, this humble minister believes that Prime Minister Zhang's words are reasonable! Even without Tong Guan, Tan Zhen's talent is sufficient to take over his duties!"
Seeing Zhang Bang Chang speak again, but Liang Shi Cheng standing by silently, Sun Bo, an inspecting censor who had entered the hall with Crown Prince Zhao Huan, suddenly spoke with a light laugh.
"How dare you! For such important court matters, what right does a minor official like you have to speak?"
As soon as Sun Bo finished speaking, Cai Tao, who had entered the hall with Cai Jing, immediately stepped forward.
"Scholar Cai, your words are unreasonable. Since he is an official appointed by the court, why can't he speak about important court matters?"
Regardless of anything else, Sun Bo was after all brought by the Crown Prince. As soon as Cai Tao spoke, the old officials by the Crown Prince's side immediately became displeased.
"Enough, all of you, shut up! If you want to argue, get out and argue!"
Zhao Ji was already furious. Seeing them start to quarrel over such trivial matters again, his face darkened.
"This minister is guilty!"
...
Since Zhao Ji had lost his temper, this debate had to end.
Although Sun Bo's position was humble, his words sent a chill down Cai Jing's spine.
Tan Zhen was Liang Shi Cheng's man!
Although this fellow was also a eunuch like Tong Guan, the problem was that this fellow was the most loyal dog under Liang Shi Cheng.
Although Liang Shi Cheng was from the Crown Prince's faction, Liang Shi Cheng's attitude between the Crown Prince and Prince Xin had been unusually ambiguous recently!
In any case, Cai Jing did not want this position to fall into his hands!
"Your Majesty, this old minister still believes that it is better to be still than to move. This is a war of national destruction. Victory and defeat are common in warfare. Commissioner Tong had won battles before! This old minister implores Your Majesty to give Commissioner Tong another chance. If he still cannot win, then it will not be too late to punish him then!"