Li Xia and Pu Zezhi have similarities, they have the same judgment on the current situation, and they also have a tacit understanding during battle.
Therefore, Li Xia was not surprised when Pu Zezhi proposed recruiting.
But there are fundamental differences between them.
In the victorious battle to regain Chengdu, Li Xia could clearly see how a minister of the Song Dynasty was constrained by the corrupt Song court, and every step was so difficult.
"Pu Shuai controls Sichuan, and I, the magistrate of Qingfu County, am assigned by Pu Shuai." Li Xia said, "Pu Shuai only dispatches."
Pu Zhizhi's face didn't show any signs of surprise, but he was slightly surprised.
What he meant was to transfer Li Xia's official position to the Chongqing Prefecture as a recommendation official or to sign judgments, and from then on he would be used under the account.
But although Li Xia deserved it, it sounded like he was unwilling to leave Qingfu County.
Li Xia had a backer, so Pu Zezhi did not force anyone to do anything. After thinking for a moment, he dispatched the mission.
He first recruited his own soldiers and said: "Go and call Qicai."
"yes."
Pu Zezhi just said to Li Xia: "There will be a fierce battle in western Sichuan. I intend to send the Tongchuan Road pacification envoy Zhu Xusun to move the people into the city. You can help with this matter."
Li Xia accepted.
Pu Zezhi asked again: "Do you understand my intention?"
Li Xia said: "If we want to use infantry to defeat the Mongolian cavalry, in addition to blocking Jianmen Pass and Jiantan Crossing to trap them in western Sichuan, we also need to strengthen the walls and clear the country so that they cannot obtain supplies in western Sichuan?"
"One of the reasons," Pu Ze said, "is that the people who are worried about the battle in Sichuan are not brainless Tartars like Atahu; the people who are worried are the traitors like Wang Dechen.
Atahu only knew how to rob and kidnap. During Yu Jie's time, he built mountain cities and stationed soldiers and civilians in high mountain fortresses, so that the Tartars could not take advantage. However, Wang Dechen established his base in Hanzhong, built the city of Lizhou, built the city, accumulated valleys, and stationed troops to guard it.
After Yu Hui took over, he suffered repeated defeats and lost all western Sichuan. The traitor Wang Dechen took the people of western Sichuan captive to Hanzhong and farmed in Shaanxi. Up to now, Lizhou has abundant food and grass and solid city defenses, and has become the front line for the invasion of the Song Dynasty.
If I don’t recapture Chengdu as soon as possible this time, it will be difficult to recapture it again after the Mongolian army’s garrison in Chengdu becomes effective.”
After Li Xia heard this, he understood.
In addition to strengthening the walls and clearing the country, besieging the Mongolian army; in the long run, population is the top priority of the Mongolian and Song Dynasties in the confrontation between Sichuan and Shu.
Yu Jie had been moving people to seek refuge when he was in office. He moved many counties to mountain cities and gathered small villages into large villages.
This also became one of Yu Jie's crimes, and he was called "the laboring army and the poor people".
When Yu Hui took over, he was defeated one after another and the Mongolian army occupied western Sichuan, and the people had no time to evacuate.
Although everyone knows that the Mongols like to massacre cities, except for a small number of people who can escape, most of the Dou Sheng people spend their lives cultivating the fields and do not know where to escape.
Some of these people who had no time to escape died under the sword, and some were moved away by Wang Dechen to grow food for the Mongolian army to supply the Mongolian army when they invaded the invaders every year.
This is the result if we don't "work the army and embarrass the people".
…
Li Xia thought for a while and suddenly said: "Shuai Pu, the city walls of Chengdu are in ruins, and the war in western Sichuan is ongoing, which makes it difficult to farm. Now we are moving people into the city, and we will let them out of the city to farm in the future. There is no guarantee that they will not be looted again."
"Last year, Wuliang Hetai came from Yunnan to provide support. Pu Shuai not only built Lingxiao City, but Qingfu's army could also control the five-foot road for southern Shu. Southern Shu may be a land for the army to farm, but it has no population. Why not?
The people who moved to western Sichuan moved to southern Sichuan."
He clicked on the map and continued: "We only need to collect ships and sail down the Minjiang River to Xuzhou and then to the south bank of the Yangtze River."
Pu Zezhi did not answer immediately, and there was a look of contemplation in his old eyes.
After a while, Pu Zezhi responded: "Wait until the remnants of the Mongolian army are annihilated..."
Suddenly, someone stepped into the tower and said: "Shuai Pu, I agree with Li Feiyu's proposal and believe that the people of western Sichuan should be relocated sooner rather than later."
"Qicai is here." Pu Zhezhi raised his head from thinking and said, "Tell me, why?"
It was Zhu Jisun who came. He stood still in front of Pu Zezhi, cupped his hands, and simply stated his reasons, saying: "I don't believe Liu Wuzhong."
…
Zhu Xusun was forty-three years old at that time, with the courtesy name Qicai and the nickname Nanshan. He was a Jinshi in the fourth year of Chunyou. He first served as an official in Jinghu, followed Li Zengbo to Shu, and had an old friendship with Pu Zezhi.
Therefore, after Pu Zezhi took office in Sichuan, he recommended him to be the pacifier of Tongchuan Road. He also knew Luzhou and was responsible for the military affairs of Luzhou, Xuzhou and Changning armies.
Zhu Xusun is Li Xia's immediate boss.
At this time, without even looking at Li Xia, he said again in front of Pu Zezhi: "Liu Wuzhong has always claimed to be a golden man, but Pu Shuai entrusted Jiantan Ferry to him. In case of defeat, Chengdu must Danger..."
Pu Zezhi waved his hand to interrupt him and said, "Are you afraid that he won't be able to defend Jiantan Crossing? You don't want him to make meritorious deeds."
Zhu Xusun was startled and even said he did not dare, saying: "Pu Shuai's words are serious, I don't think he meant it."
"Then if you are asked to guard Jiantan Crossing, can you hold it?"
"I am determined to fight to the death."
"Can you keep it?" Pu Zezhi asked again.
Zhu Xusun hesitated a little, but he really had no confidence to fight Niulin with equal strength.
Pu Zhezhi waved his hand and sighed: "You don't believe in the people from the north, but the people from the north were once the same race as you and me, and Liu Zheng was an unparalleled general. If he is repeatedly excluded, wouldn't it be a loss for the Song Dynasty?"
It can be seen that Pu Zhizhi has thought deeply about this matter.
He also felt deeply helpless.
It is clear that Liu Zheng is an unparalleled general, but Pu Zezhi's troops are currently insufficient, and only Liu Zheng is capable of guarding Jiantan Crossing.
However, as has been the custom for a hundred years, the civil and military officials of the Song Dynasty despised the Northerners, and military generals repeatedly suppressed Liu Zheng...
But if there is not even a way out for the people returning from the north, and if this continues, and the Han people in the north and south work together, and the Han people in the north are dedicated to helping Mongolia, how can the Song Dynasty not be destroyed?
The saying "People from the south return to the south, people from the north return to the north" has caused disaster for hundreds of years.
The past hundred years of accumulated abuses have weighed on Pu Ze's head, and sometimes he really doesn't know what to do...
Zhu Xusun didn't know how to answer, so the tower became quiet.
After a moment of silence, Li Xia said, "Shuai Pu, I'm also worried that Liu Zheng won't be able to defend Jiantan Crossing."
"Even Feiyu doesn't believe in the people from the north?" Pu Zhezhi asked, "You and others are like this, are you trying to make the Song Dynasty extinct from the people from the north?"
Li Xia said: "The Song Dynasty is probably extinct from the Northerners. Xin Qiji's lifelong hope was to regain his hometown, but he ended up depressed. Since the Pian'an period, the Song Dynasty has never given the Northerners even a little confidence.
I have been to Kaifeng in the north, and most of the northerners I saw were not willing to surrender to the Mongols, but were really desperate for the Song Dynasty. If the imperial court wanted to use northerners, there was only one way..."
"What?"
"Northern Expedition." Li Xia said: "At least we must have the attitude of Northern Expedition, even if we pretend that we want to regain our homeland, instead of saying that Northern Expeditioners will be killed without mercy."
Pu Zhezhi smiled bitterly and shook his head.
impossible.
In fact, although there were war factions and peace factions in the Song Dynasty, the war faction only advocated war to resist the Mongols.
Northern Expedition? To this day, those who dare to say that the Northern Expedition is the mortal enemy of the entire imperial court.
…
Li Xia understood the helplessness in Pu Zezhi's eyes.
The 30,000 men here guarding Chengdu are too weak to annihilate the 10,000 Mongolian cavalry. They can only defend Jiantan Crossing with 10,000 men, and there are no more troops to reinforce.
Whether you believe Liu Zheng or not, Liu Zheng is also the most talented person Pu Zezhi can use.
Li Xia then said: "Please move the people from western Sichuan to southern Sichuan. In this way, no matter what happens in the subsequent war, this war can at least preserve these people."
Zhu Xusun stopped mentioning Liu Zheng and said, "Yes, it is better to move people to the south of Shu than to move people into the city."
Pu Zezhi looked even more tired. After thinking deeply, he finally nodded and said, "Go ahead and do it."