In the Shi family's residence, several people were sitting in the hall discussing.
"To the east of Zhending Fucheng is Gaocheng, which is the territory of the Dong family. There are many Dong family brothers. Currently, those guarding Gaocheng include Dong Wenzhi, Dong Wenyi, Dong Wenzhen and others."
In the past, Shi Gang was not outstanding among the brothers and cousins, and was even considered the mediocre one, but now he has the aura of being the head of the family. At this time, he talks freely and controls the rhythm of the conversation.
"The Dong family is also a heirloom of poetry and calligraphy, and is a Han family that cares about people's livelihood. Dong Wenyong joined His Majesty in his early years and has been working hard to recruit and surrender the Dong family over the years. Therefore, Gaocheng is the most stable place."
Wang Yun nodded and said: "Once Gaocheng surrenders, it will become the horns of Zhending Fucheng. At that time, they can openly take action. Send troops south to attack the daimyo and Zhangde two prefectures, and welcome the king's division to go north."
"What's going on with the Zhang family in Shuntian?" Wang E asked.
When the Jin Kingdom fell, it was Zhang Rou who rescued Wang E from the rebellion, so he was very concerned about the affairs of the Zhang family.
Shi Bang said: "According to the information from the Military Intelligence Department, the Yuan Dynasty was very wary of the Zhang family and sent heavy troops to Baozhou."
Wang Yun said: "In other words, it's not that the Yuan Dynasty didn't respond. It's just that the timing of His Majesty's Northern Expedition was too good. The Yuan army failed to deploy its troops in a hurry. Now various counterattacks are on the way."
"Yes, the situation is not as optimistic as it seems. We must break through the daimyo and Zhangde's second mansion as soon as possible and join Zhang Hongdao's troops. Otherwise, when the Yuan army arrives, Zhending will become an isolated city and besieged, and the Wang army will
It’s difficult to support.”
"Don't let any news about this matter leak out or disturb people's hearts."
After hearing this, Wang E stroked his beard and pondered, "Since the Yuan Dynasty is on guard against Baozhou... I am worried about Gaocheng."
Generally speaking, everyone is a little worried.
Zhending Mansion was able to successfully recruit and surrender everyone and control the city, and the advantage was surprise. Yuan Ting obviously did not expect that Wang E and Wang Yun would surrender, and thought that everything would be fine if Shi Zhang, who was determined and unyielding, attacked the king.
"Should we send someone to Gaocheng? If everything goes well, we should discuss with Dong Wenyong a time to raise troops together. If not..."
Halfway through the conversation, someone hurried outside the hospital, as if they had something urgent to report.
When encountering this situation, Wang Yun was a better manager than Shi Gang. He greeted the visitor and asked him a few questions. Then he returned to the hall and lowered his voice and said, "We have a visitor. He should be from the Military Intelligence Department."
A short while later, two men came in supporting a man in a cloak.
The man walked slowly and staggeringly, and he was obviously seriously injured.
He walked to the hall and lifted the felt hat on his head, revealing a pale and bloodless face, but it was none other than Dong Wenyong.
"Yancai?"
Wang E recognized Dong Wenyong and stood up slowly, looking nervous.
"Dong Zhuangyuan." Dong Wenyong greeted him and sighed dejectedly: "Meng Yuan was on guard for a long time, and I failed to enter Gaocheng."
"this……"
"There is also bad news. More Yuan troops have gone south and are preparing to surround Zhending Mansion."
~~
Baixing, Mengmenguan.
Standing on the top of the city and looking to the east, you can see the flag of Zhang Hongdao Department of the Tang Army and the stretching camp.
Ahema looked at it for a while, then took out a small abacus from his pocket and pulled it. A greasy smile appeared on his face, and he shook his head and said, "I think you can still use it for a few days."
He was too lazy to look at the formations and battle conditions of both sides, as those were things ordinary generals did.
And he has his own views on war.
"What is fought for? Money." Ahema said with emotion, "Both sides contribute money to buy rations for the soldiers to boost morale. Whoever has more money will have more soldiers and higher morale. At the end of the fight,
If one side has no money, it loses."
"The Prime Minister is right."
A man named Yidu Martin was following Ahema, holding a pen and paper in his hand, recording something as he walked, and said: "So the person the Great Khan trusts most now is the prime minister."
"The most trusted?" Ahema shook his head and said, "The person the Great Khan trusts the most is not me, the Prime Minister for financial management, but Prime Minister Boyan."
"How could Boyan be as close as the Prime Minister and the Great Khan?"
They walked back to the public room on the top of the city from the top of the city. Yidu Martin closed the door, and Ahema began to read the battle report that was newly placed on the desk and was still sealed with paint.
One letter was about the war in Shanxi. The Tang army Liu Yuanli had conquered Jiezhou. There was a large salt pond in Jiezhou, which was an important place for Ahema to make money for the Yuan Dynasty. Losing this place gave him a headache.
The other letter was news from the Hetao. When news of Tuohu's death came, it was possible for the Tang army to enter Shanxi from the northwest, which also gave Ahema a headache.
He threw the two letters on the table unhappily, touched his hooked nose, and looked at the third letter on the table.
"Prime Minister, do you want to open it and take a look?" Yidu Martin followed his gaze and asked.
Ahema said: "This must be saying that the Great Khan needs more money and food."
However, Yidu Martin felt that this envelope was ordinary and could not be an edict from the Great Khan, and there was doubt in his eyes.
"You don't believe it?" Ahema said, "Open it and take a look."
Yidu Martin stepped forward and opened the third letter and read it. When he raised his eyes again, he couldn't help but be astonished by Ahema.
"How did the Prime Minister know?"
"As I said, the war is about money." Ahema said: "Take the recently collected grain and transport it to Yanjing."
"Prime Minister, the Great Khan only issued an edict asking the Prime Minister to collect more money and food and recruit troops nearby. He didn't say that they would be transported to Yanjing?"
Ahema then laughed and said: "To become a powerful minister, you must know what the Khan wants and do things in advance."
As he spoke, the proud smile on his face gradually faded away, replaced by a sighing expression.
"The defense line has been shrinking. The Great Khan has only a small territory left in the Central Plains. He cannot collect taxes from the grasslands to support his struggle for the Central Plains. Then he can only collect money and food from this small territory to support the army in fighting.
Of course it takes a lot of money.”
After hearing this, Yidu Martin's eyes gradually became a little uneasy.
"But, in this case...can we still win?"
"Of course." Ahema said: "I told you that in the end, the party without money will lose. Of course, Li Xia cannot be richer than the Golden Family. You see, he seems to be going well now, but waiting for his luggage
The longer the line gets, the easier it becomes for him to fail. The Great Mongolia has defeated its enemies like this more than once."
~~
Yanjing.
Dong Wenzhi and Dong Wenyi walked into the post house side by side. They glanced around to make sure no one followed them into the house, and then they spoke in a low voice.
"Li Xia brought us here suddenly because he suspected that we would surrender."
"Your Majesty may have forgotten that my eldest brother died fighting for Dayuan last year."
"You know, my eldest brother died in the battle to protect King Yan." Dong Wenzhi sighed and said, "And now King Yan has died of illness."
Dong Wenyi's eyes dimmed and he said: "So, my eldest brother died in vain?"
"Tell me, if Third Brother comes to Gaocheng to persuade us, will we surrender Li Xia?"
"Probably not." Dong Wenyi hesitated for a moment and responded: "The imperial court has just promoted me to know how to make imperial edicts, study national history, and teach classics to the emperor and his grandson. We talk about being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, how can we destroy our ministerial integrity first?"
"Speaking of ministerial integrity." Dong Wenzhi suddenly lowered his voice and broke the news, saying: "Yao Gong has been demoted."
"Why? Because of the death of King Yan?"
"After the death of King Yan, His Majesty has made private promises to all the princes and princes. How dare Mr. Yao talk more? This time, it is because of tax matters."
This matter is not new now, Dong Wenyi has always known something about it.
Over the years, wars in the Yuan Dynasty have continued, and the wealth of the Central Plains has been increasing. For this reason, Kublai Khan gradually valued Ahema and used various means to amass wealth. This naturally dissatisfied the Han officials who advocated "frugal use and caring for the people", and also
It became the cause of discord between Zhenjin and Ahema.
So many things have happened recently, and Kublai Khan's suspicion of the Han officials is increasing day by day. Coupled with the unfavorable war situation and the increase in tax collection, this contradiction naturally becomes more intense.
Presumably, Kublai Khan would not demote Yao Shu, his most important think tank, if he could soothe him. It should be noted that it was Yao Shu who accurately predicted Li Fen's movements during Li Fen's rebellion.
It cannot even be comforted, which shows that the conflict has intensified to the point of being irreconcilable.
Thinking of this, Dong Wenyi couldn't help but sigh, and his mood waned.
What's the use of teaching the emperor and his grandson well? It's still unknown whether the Han method will work or not, and it's hard to say whether Dayuan will still be there by then.
"If Third Brother persuades us in Gaocheng..."
He pondered and did not say any more, but his attitude had changed.
Dong Wenzhi said: "So, the situation may change dramatically, but I don't know how long your Majesty can keep it under."
"What does fourth brother want to say?"
"It's nothing." Dong Wenzhi said: "In this Yanjing, you and I are not the only ones who are under surveillance."
After that, he raised his hand and continued: "How about trying to meet someone?"
Dong Wenyi was so surprised that cold sweat broke out on his head.
He thought for a moment and asked with a slight trembling: "It can't be...the Zhang family, right?"
"What are you afraid of?"
"If our Dong family secretly meets with the Zhang family, I'm afraid it will be a serious crime."
"What if the Yuan Dynasty has become so turbulent that it doesn't want to change and just sit back and wait for death? At this point, I would like to remind my fifth brother that people who are not of my race will have different minds."
The two brothers looked at each other, and Dong Wenyi's eyes gradually showed fear.
Now there are some contradictions in the Yuan Dynasty, which cannot be suppressed by relying on talents and strategies...