Zhao Ning pointed to the map and said: "The gold thieves have been unable to attack Tokyo for a long time, so they will inevitably start locking down the city."

Zhang Shuye and Zhao Ding also looked at the map.

"So, food is more important than anything else now."

The so-called city lock is to capture all the cities near Tokyo City and turn Tokyo City into an isolated city cut off from the outside world.

In this way, King Qin's soldiers and horses cannot enter this area.

This is how Wanyan Zonghan used his strategy to attack Taiyuan this year.

The entire Taiyuan Prefecture was sealed off so that reinforcements from the division could not arrive.

This is the stalemate at this stage.

Let’s compete with each other to see who has enough food!

"In the past month, I have asked Gao Qiu to send people to conduct door-to-door investigations. The rations of ordinary families are only three months, and the rations of better families can last four months."

Zhao Ding sighed and said: "If the golden thieves besiege the city until March, we will be in great trouble."

The siege lasted until March. Including this month, it would be four months, and ordinary people had already run out of food.

Even if you eat it compactly and only for four months, this is the ideal state.

Because no one is sure that the gold thieves will really besieged until March and then leave. This involves group psychology issues.

By March, what should we do if the city can no longer hold on, there is no food, and large-scale turmoil occurs?

When there is no food, human civilization will regress to the age of beasts.

Will those who have no food to eat go to those who have food?

If the city is in turmoil, why fight?

Zhao Ning said: "Here, Cizhou, here, Xiangzhou, here, Daming Mansion, and this area, Taiyuan, Hejian, Zhongshan, King Qin's army here is all going south."

"Zongze, whom I sent to Cizhou, must have recruited King Qin's army, as well as Wang Boyan from Xiangzhou."

Both of these people were sent by Zhao Huan a few months ago, and Zongze was one of the few that Zhao Huan made the right move.

"The Jin army must have built many fortresses near the Yellow River to intercept King Qin's army in the north and provide food logistics at the same time."

"If Zongze can be here and defeat the Jin army's walled city, the time for the Jin thieves to siege the city will be shortened." Zhao Ning pointed to the Yellow River area to the north.

Of course he knew that in orthodox history, in January of the second year of Jingkang, Zongze's tribe launched a fierce attack on the Jin army in this area.

Thirteen battles and thirteen victories!

For a time, Zongze became famous.

You know, Zongze has only been in the army for a year. Before that, he was a civil servant and a 67-year-old scholar!

When everyone was frightened by the Jin army, this old scholar stood up and used his own shoulders to carry up the resistance against Jin in Hebei.

Zhao Ning pointed to Daming Mansion again and said: "I also wrote to King Kang and ordered him to be the Grand Marshal of the Hebei Army. I believe he will summon King Qin's army in Daming Mansion. Within three months, the situation will definitely change."

Zhang Shuye said: "The officials are wise, the Jin army has just failed to attack the city, and the people are exhausted. If Zongze can attack the Jin army's stronghold in this area in the first month, it will be the best time. I am worried that King Qin's army will be as afraid of the enemy as a tiger."

Zhang Shuye's worries are justified. After all, in the past two years, the Song army has been completely defeated in the north.

All three major military towns in the north fell, and the barrier of the Central Plains was broken.

Among the various divisions, Zhe Keqiu, Yao Gu, and other famous generals of the Western Army were all defeated.

Zhong Shizhong and Yao Gu were almost completely wiped out. The Fugu Zhe clan, known as one of the strongest generals in the Song Dynasty, actually surrendered to the Jin Kingdom.

This had a devastating impact on the Song Dynasty, especially on people's confidence.

So much so that many of King Qin's generals in the north are now timid.

Zhao Ning said: "I have met old General Zongze, and he has the character of Yan Qingchen."

The Yan Qingchen he was talking about was a celebrity in the Tang Dynasty, the famous calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. He defended the city during the Anshi Rebellion and finally died tragically for his country.

Zhang Shuye had never seen Zongze before, so he was still a little worried: "If so, that's great!"

Zhao Ning brought the topic back: "Let's discuss how to solve the food problem in the city."

In fact, Zhao Ning already had a plan in mind.

Just use the Chinese method.

The institutional system that existed in the Song Dynasty could come in handy at this time.

What is the entrance method?

The so-called entry into China method is that merchants transport the materials they need to the border garrison.

The imperial court provided merchants with goods that were in short supply in the market as compensation.

For example Shiohiki!

There were many forbidden projects in the Song Dynasty that had to be run by the state and could not be done by private individuals, such as salt and iron.

At this time, you can use salt to lure merchants into transactions.

For example, the imperial court gave the merchant 500,000 guan of salt, and the merchant gave the imperial court 500,000 guan of military rations.

The merchants transported the military rations to the place designated by the imperial court to collect salt.

The merchant went back and exchanged the salt quotation worth 500,000 guan for salt in the market, sold it for 600,000 guan, and earned 100,000 guan for himself.

In this way, the imperial court solved the problem of military supplies.

Why can China rise in the 21st century?

Many people think that China's governance level in the 21st century is very high, and it is indeed very high.

But they don’t know that the level of national governance in ancient China was already world-class.

In ancient times, there were no banknotes and there was a shortage of currency. The ancients would come up with this method to govern the country based on the actual situation.

Entering the middle method is one of them.

In the Song Dynasty, commodities were developed and business was not suppressed. It was common for the court to cooperate with merchants.

This is also one of the characteristics of the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Ding said: "The officials and ministers have a plan."

"Come and listen."

"The imperial court can sell salt to large households in the city, use the salt to exchange grain of equal value from them, add the grain exchanged, store it, and distribute it to people who are short of food according to the actual situation."

Zhao Ding was worthy of being called Zhao Ding. As soon as his mind turned around, he immediately thought of entering the Chinese Dharma.

The so-called capable ministers are by no means those who only know how to engage in intrigues like Qilin talents.

Those who can govern the country are capable ministers.

Those who can solve problems are capable ministers.

The so-called governance of the country puts people's livelihood first.

Food prices, commodity prices, transportation, commerce, farming, iron smelting, public security, etc. These are what a qualified minister should consider.

Playing tricks is just an auxiliary means.

"Uncle Mr. Ye, what do you think?"

"I think what Yuan Zhen said is reasonable. Since the wealthy households have extra grain in their homes, they must be willing to exchange grain for salt. However, the wealthy households don't know when the gold thieves will return to the north. Some people must have some thoughts in their hearts.

concerns.”

Zhao Ding added: "In special times, high-priced salt can be exchanged. And our success in defending the city also encourages the people. I believe many large households are willing."

"Okay, let's do it like this. I'll leave it to Zhao Ding to arrange it."

"I accept the decree."

In fact, this logic is somewhat similar to financial logic.

Salt is equivalent to national credit. Merchants use grain to buy national credit, then exchange it for necessary salt, and then sell it to earn the difference.

By the way, why not just call on the big households to be good people and take out the excess grain?

There may be some big players doing this, but certainly not many.

People are selfish, this is human nature.

Zhao Ding went down to arrange this matter. This was a means of adjusting the grain market.

The homes of Wang Shiyong and Fan Qiong also had to be confiscated, the money had to be taken, and the pensions had to be paid.

Inside the Jin Army camp.

Shi Liai said: "All the cities around Tokyo City are sealed and camps are built in this area. Within three months, Tokyo City will inevitably have a food crisis."
Chapter completed!