A Journey Through the Worlds of Film and Television.

Chapter 445: Military Affairs Department

When Lu Cheng returned to Bianjing City again and came to the palace to see Zhao Ji, he saw Zhao Ji smiling and said, "Shou Xin, I have heard about what you did this time. It really brought honor to our Song Dynasty."

"Sir, it was thanks to the Ferghana horse you gave me that I was able to roam freely on the grassland without being caught by the Liao soldiers. I was able to take the opportunity to ambush and kill some of them. Moreover, the Liao Kingdom has been at peace for a long time, its military preparations have been relaxed, and its combat power is not as strong as before. It is now strong on the outside but weak on the inside."

"Oh? Tell me how you caused the Liao Kingdom to mobilize its army frequently and chase us in just two months."

"This is a long story, please tell me in detail..."

"Then tell me slowly..."

Afterwards, Lu Cheng tried his best to use simple and clear expressions, exaggerating the fragility of the Liao soldiers, downplaying their own military strength, and focusing on describing the role of stepping on snow, etc.

To put it simply, he relied on his superb riding and archery skills to launch surprise attacks and pursue and kill small troops, and tried to avoid large troops. With his high mobility, he caused unrest on the grassland and killed several Liao generals through surprise attacks.

What Lu Cheng said was very similar to the battle reports sent back from the Liao Kingdom.

In order to save face, the Liao Kingdom naturally tried its best to portray Lu Cheng as a cunning guy who could only sneak attack and assassinate, evade everywhere, and was extremely cunning. Moreover, the Liao soldiers also concealed most of the number of casualties, saying that Lu Cheng had sneak attacked and killed more than a thousand people.

If Lu Cheng really described it according to the actual situation, Song Huizong would not believe it because it was too unreasonable and completely beyond human limits.

However, Lu Cheng's half-true, half-false and evasive description made it easier for Song Huizong to believe it.

After listening to Lu Cheng's narration, Song Huizong nodded repeatedly: "I see, it seems that the horse I gave you and your eagle really played a significant role. The kite tactic you mentioned is very good, but I wonder if it can be used in combat against the enemy?"

"Sir, if you want to use this tactic skillfully, you must have a pair of elite cavalry with very strong mobility, and the cavalry's marching speed must be faster than the Liao cavalry, which is not easy. First of all, such good horses are hard to find."

"You are right. However, you have indeed made great contributions this time. However, many ministers in the court said that you acted on your own and destroyed the friendship between Song and Liao. I suppressed them all."

"Thank you for your protection, I am deeply grateful."

"I know you are loyal."

If it were someone else, he might really be pushed forward by the court ministers and then sent to the Liao Kingdom by Song Huizong in order to ease the relationship between the two countries.

But Lu Cheng was Zhao Ji's favorite minister, his cash cow and treasure pot after all. He constantly launched new soaps, perfumes and other products, earning a lot of money for Song Huizong.

Moreover, Lu Cheng did not belong to any faction in the court and was only loyal to Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji naturally was reluctant to give up Lu Cheng, his money bag.

After listening to Lu Cheng's description of the situation in the Liao Kingdom, Song Huizong even had some vague ideas in his mind about whether he should support Lu Cheng and make him a new military general to serve him exclusively.

Since the Liao Dynasty was strong on the outside but weak on the inside and was gradually declining, perhaps he could still fulfill the wishes of his predecessors during his lifetime, recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and leave a good mark in history.

Therefore, after talking to Lu Cheng for a long time and being fooled by him, Song Huizong suddenly made up his mind: "Shou Xin, are you willing to work in the Ministry of War?"

"As long as the government needs me, I will send you anywhere."

"Okay, I will appoint the Deputy Director of the Ministry of War to be in charge of the imperial examinations and school examinations."

"I obey your orders."

The composition of officials in the Song Dynasty was very complex, consisting of official ranks, miscellaneous official ranks, dispatches, honorary officials, and titles.

The Song Dynasty learned the lesson of the demise of the Tang Dynasty. In order to strengthen centralization, it emphasized culture over military power and dispersed the power of officials. Those who were in charge of the military did not care about money and finance, and those who trained the troops did not care about commanding the troops. All aspects restricted each other, which led to complicated institutions and dispersed power.

In terms of the military, the Song Dynasty established the Privy Council, which was responsible for military policies. The selection of military commanders was the responsibility of the Sanbanyuan and the Western Court of Judges.

As for the Ministry of War, it was only responsible for the emperor's guard of honor, travel etiquette, military examinations, volunteer soldiers, etc. It was not until the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song that the Ministry of War's powers were expanded to include militia, foreign soldiers, wing troops, and the inheritance of some ethnic minority officials.

In the Song Dynasty, there were three provinces, six ministries and twenty-four departments. The Ministry of War was under the Secretariat, and was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Driving, and the Ministry of Treasury. Each department had a Langzhong and a Yuanwailang.

Lu Cheng, the official of the Ministry of War, was a sixth-rank official, mainly responsible for organizing military examinations, military competitions, and selecting military talents. However, he only had the power of selection, not the power of appointment.

Judging from the fighting skills demonstrated by Lu Cheng, he is very suitable for this position.

The high-ranking officials in the court looked down upon Lu Cheng, the emperor's favorite, and the middle-level officials also despised him. The main reason was that Lu Cheng did not take sides and was not sociable, which made many people dissatisfied.

However, a small sixth-rank Yuanwailang was not taken seriously by those ministers, and they would not jump out to sing against Song Huizong. It was nothing if some of the minor officials under his command stood up and said a few words of opposition.

The military power in the court is mainly held by the Privy Council, and the 800,000 imperial guards are led by the Palace Front Department and the Imperial Guard Department. The Ministry of War does not have much power, so there is no need to make trouble.

Lu Cheng reported to the Ministry of War and got to know some of his superiors and colleagues there. However, no one treated Lu Cheng coldly. After all, Lu Cheng was able to see the emperor from time to time, which gave him a lot of face.

Although the powers of the Ministry of War are not too great, there are many miscellaneous matters. Lu Cheng has just arrived at the Ministry of War and needs some time to familiarize himself with various aspects of the business. He does not have a specific job.

Wang Xiang, the head of the Ministry of War, assigned two minor clerks to Lu Cheng to help him familiarize himself with the business, explain the rules, and allow Lu Cheng to have a further understanding of the military examination system of the Song Dynasty.

Although the imperial examination was abolished, the martial arts examination only changed its form, and the content of the examination did not change. It was mainly divided into subjects such as archery, horsemanship, fighting, and gunmanship, which comprehensively examined students' combat effectiveness.

Moreover, personal martial arts is only the first hurdle, and there are also learning assessments of subjects such as literary skills, military tactics and strategy.

The poor are good at literature, while the rich are good at martial arts. Practicing martial arts is very expensive, and if you want to take part in martial arts examinations and selections, you have to pay a high registration fee.

Moreover, the military examination in the Song Dynasty had already become completely corrupt by then. Some wealthy families could often use money and power to easily pass the military examination, and it was extremely difficult for children of common people to make a name for themselves.

Of course, Lu Cheng did not think about turning the tide and saving the Song Dynasty. On the contrary, the corruption of the Song Dynasty's system was beneficial to him, as he could make plans and attract talents from it.

After two busy days, Lu Cheng finally had some free time.

That evening, Lu Cheng changed into gorgeous clothes and came to Yuxiang Garden.

Seeing Lu Cheng again, Li Shishi's eyes flickered, and she had a lot to say, but she couldn't: "You... you've been gone for several months, are you finally willing to come back?"