Since Zhang Jue knew about Li Xia's ambition, he was not surprised when he heard this, but he was also a little clearer about Li Xia's next plan.
He pondered for a moment and said: "It is difficult to make a king. Now there is only one county king and four princes...oh, three. Prince Rong is already dead."
Li Xia went to Lin'an last time and had some understanding of this.
First of all, titles in the Song Dynasty were basically not hereditary.
At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, there were only three hereditary titles. One was that the descendant of Taizu who had the closest bloodline and the virtue was the king of Anding; the second was that the descendants of Chai Rong were granted the title of Chongyi Gong; the third was that the descendants of Confucius were granted the title of Duke Yansheng.
Otherwise, it cannot be inherited.
Even if a prince is granted the title of king, the title of king is limited to him, and among the descendants and concubines, only the oldest one among them can be granted the title of duke, and the rest are just to serve as officials.
Therefore, as early as more than two hundred years ago, there was "almost no king" in the Song surname.
It was not until after the Shenzong Dynasty that four more lineages of princes appeared, called "successor kings".
Song Shenzong gave his biological uncle the title of King Sipu and stipulated that it should be hereditary; Song Xiaozong gave his brother the title of King Sixiu;
After Zhao Yun ascended the throne, because he was once the heir of King Yi, he found someone from the clan to inherit the title of King Yi and named him King Yi. He then named his biological father the King of Rong, and let his younger brother inherit the title of King Rong.
"Even if Zhao and Rui die, they should still choose their heirs from the clan."
"King Pu, King Xiu, King Yi, King Rong, and Prince Anding, there are only these five clan kings in the entire Song Dynasty." Zhang Jue said: "If clan kings are like this, it would be even more difficult to be crowned king with a different surname."
Li Xia said: "To be honest, I haven't learned about the title of king with a different surname."
"The commander-in-chief wants to be crowned king, but he doesn't understand?"
"I only came up with it this month, and it's far away from Lin'an." Li Xia responded casually, looking unconcerned.
"There are princes with different surnames, and almost all of them are granted the title after death. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, there are only two people who have been granted the title of prince during their lifetime." Zhang Jue said: "The first is Chai Zongxun, the royal family of the Later Zhou Dynasty, who was granted the title of Prince Zheng after he ascended the throne; the second is
Qian Chu, the last king of the Wuyue Kingdom, returned to the Song Dynasty and was granted the title of King Deng."
He added another sentence.
"Even Li Yu can only be granted the title of Marquis of Disobedience."
Li Xia asked: "On the day of farewell to the temple in a hurry, the church hall is still playing farewell songs? Why bother to be the king of subjugation?"
"Yes, it is impossible to be granted the title of prince while alive." Zhang Jue sighed, "Even among the famous founding generals, only Wang Jing was granted the title of prince during his lifetime, and after his death he was granted the title of prince."
"Tong Guan was also granted the title of Prince of Guangyang during his lifetime."
"What a shame."
Zhang Jue shook his head and did not want to talk about Tong Guan, saying: "Even the powerful Shi Miyuan could only be granted the title of King of Kuaiji County after he fell ill and became an official, and after his death, he was granted the title of King of Wei..."
As for the seven kings of Zhongxing with different surnames, Yue Fei was rehabilitated in the Xiaozong Dynasty, and was not named King of E until the Ningzong Dynasty. Wu Jie died young, and it was not until the Xiaozong Dynasty that he was granted the title of King of Fu. Han Shizhong, who was known as the number one in Zhongxing, was granted the title of Xian during his lifetime.
King Anjun was granted the title of King Qi.
In short, in the Song Dynasty, it was impossible for people with different surnames to be granted the title of prince during their lifetime. Even the heroes with different surnames who were granted the title of county prince could be counted on one hand.
The characteristic of titles in the Song Dynasty was that they could not be hereditary. Those below the rank of duke were granted casually, but there were very few royal titles.
It has diluted its privileges while retaining its honorable aspect...compared to other dynasties that granted kings lavishly, this is actually quite good.
"If you want to 'confer' a king, the commander-in-chief can only confer a title to one county king at most."
"The prince or prince doesn't really matter, it's just a name." Li Xia still didn't care much, "Anyway, if I can't be crowned king, I will be crowned king."
Zhang Jue smiled bitterly and reminded: "I am telling you this because it is almost impossible for the Song Dynasty to agree to the title of king. This is not something that the Prime Minister or the emperor can decide. But if the Song Dynasty does not agree, you will declare yourself the king.
It is equivalent to raising a flag of rebellion immediately, the timing is not good..."
"The timing is indeed bad." Li Xia said: "But I don't care whether it is difficult for the Song Dynasty to grant the king. Whether or not to grant the king is a matter for it to consider. I just set my own goals and achieve them."
"How to achieve?"
"The first step is to capture Chongqing Prefecture..."
As he spoke, Zhang Jue spread out a map.
There is no need for the two of them to discuss how important the strategic position of Chongqing Mansion is.
Even those who don't know the strength of the military can understand it just by looking at the mountains to the east of the Sichuan Basin and the flow of the Yangtze River on the map.
If the Sichuan Basin is compared to a courtyard, the mountains on all sides are its walls, and Chengdu Mansion is the main wing in the backyard.
The Yangtze River is the main road into this courtyard, Jingzhou is the gate, and Yiling has been known as the "throat of Sichuan and Hubei" since ancient times.
Chongqing Mansion is not the main gate, but the lobby of this courtyard.
It occupies half of the territory in this courtyard in Sichuan.
If he doesn't even own the lobby, how can Li Xia dare to say that he is the owner of this courtyard?
For the Song court, sending troops from Chongqing to quell Li Xia's rebellion was completely different from sending troops from Jinghu.
If Li Xia did not occupy Chongqing Mansion, asking Song Ting for the right to open the Mansion would be equivalent to directly declaring war.
When the central government arrived, they saw that Li Xia had not yet captured the Chongqing government, and would immediately mobilize troops from Beijing and Hu to send troops to Sichuan to quell the rebellion. They would station troops in Chongqing and march into Chengdu.
In the face of civil strife, Song Ting definitely had the determination and strength to put down the rebellion forcefully.
For more than twenty years, the Meng Communists, Yu Jie, Pu Zezhi, Wang Jian and others have resisted the Mongolian army in Chongqing Prefecture time and time again.
It was here that the Mongolian cavalry, which traveled across the world and destroyed countless countries, came back defeated time and time again.
If Li Xia cannot win quickly by then, he will surely perish.
Because he had a small population, little money and food, and weak savings, he was appointed commander of Shu for only two years, and Sichuan and Shu were too ruined to support him in long-term operations.
For example, once Lu Wende leads his army into Chongqing, the Sichuan Basin will be the battlefield. In Li Xia's hands, Sichuan and Shu only have a channel to the west of the Longquan Mountains, and the entire sphere of influence is at risk of being split into two at any time.
The only way is to seize Chongqing Mansion before all this happens.
…
"You know, in the entire Chengdu Prefecture, there are less than 10,000 troops stationed in all states and counties combined, and they cannot be mobilized, otherwise there will be chaos in the three states and thirteen counties in western Sichuan."
"I know that I transferred the troops last year."
"There are still more than 50,000 Mongolian prisoners sent by you. I have sent people to guard them and make them work. When will you collect them?"
"It's still early." Li Xia said, "In a year or two, I'm preparing for this. I need to temper them."
Zhang Jue asked: "Can you bring back the troops from Chengdu Prefecture?"
"cannot."
"How many troops can be mobilized from Hanzhong, Longxi and Guanzhong to attack Chongqing?"
"Cannot adjust it."
Li Xia simply said: "Let's do the math. Longxi, Guanzhong, and Dali all need to garrison troops. The Yellow River line needs to guard against Shanxi enemies, Tongguan needs to guard against Henan enemies, Wuguan needs to guard against Jinghu enemies, and Xiaoguan needs to garrison troops."
To defend against the Mongolian cavalry, Longxi has no fortifications to defend, so we can only station more troops to prevent the Mongolian troops from entering Liangzhou..."
The Sichuan Basin has a population of nearly two million, Hanzhong and Lizhou have less than one million, Guanzhong and Longxi have more than two million, and including Dali, the population is about five million. Excluding Chongqing Prefecture, there are only more than four million.
Among them, there are many refugees in Sichuan and Shu hiding in the mountains and forests; Dali is a place that cannot make ends meet; Longxi is a vast area and sparsely populated, so it will not be able to receive taxes from the people of Longxi in the short term; Guanzhong is newly attached, and the current taxes are not much. So these four
With more than one million people, only half of the army can be supported for the time being. In contrast, the Song Dynasty, with a population of 80 million, had difficulty supporting an army of 400,000 people every year.
Li Xia had been sucking blood from the Song Dynasty before to ensure military supplies. Next, he had to recuperate, reduce redundant troops, train elite troops, and implement military garrison strategies.
This was one of the reasons why he was not in a hurry to take in Mongolian prisoners.
Poor, can't afford it.
Nor can he lead the Mongols to the south of the Yangtze River and rob them. Regardless of whether he wants to or not, the Mongols are not loyal to him. Kublai Khan has been in business for twenty years, and the Han system still has to face the persecution of the old Mongolian faction. If Li Xia wants
The scholar was robbed and kidnapped, and his reputation was ruined.
In short, although there are 60,000 to 70,000 troops stationed in various places, the troops stationed there cannot be mobilized, and the troops cannot be mobilized at all.
We have conquered too much territory in two or three years and have no savings...
Zhang Jue only figured it out with his fingers.
He turned to look at Li Xia and saw that he still looked calm and composed, and asked: "You are not complaining to me. Since you said you want to capture Chongqing, you should have troops."
"We don't have it, Ma Qianyou. It doesn't cost money or food to mobilize troops from Chongqing Prefecture to attack Chongqing."
This sentence was incomprehensible, but Zhang Jue understood it instantly, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly realized.
He raised his hand and pointed at the location of Diaoyu City on the map.
"Recruiting the old members of Diaoyu City?"
"Diaoyu City's troops have been organized into Hezhou, Yangzhou, and Langzhou, and belong to Ande Army and Wukang Army. Can they be recruited?"
"It's a bit difficult." Zhang Jue thought about it and smiled for a moment, "But I can do it."
"good!"
…
The two of them were discussing and talking very quickly.
Finally, Li Xia said: "Then please ask Brother Jun Yu to go to Hezhou to make preparations. I also have to go to Xuzhou to appease the rear."
"Shi Jun is in Xuzhou?"
"At the end of last year, I asked him to temporarily take charge of Tongchuan Mansion Road in the name of Commander Shu. I said that the official appointment from the imperial court would come soon. Today, he should be uneasy."
"The commander-in-chief is going south to be a lobbyist."
Li Xia said: "Shi Jun is a scholar and is not easy to persuade. Just lie to him. It just so happens that Ma Qian wants to kill me with a secret order."
Zhang Jue said: "More than twenty guards are too few. I can send two hundred people from Chengdu to follow you south."
"No need." Li Xia shook his head, "I can still ride three horses per person with more than twenty people. How can you find so many people with superb riding skills among more than two hundred people? There are even more than six hundred horses passing through.
The baggage he brought was not only ten times more heavy, including hay, grain, tents, armor and stomach, and equipment, it was too ostentatious."
Zhang Wenjing had just seen Zhang Jue's wife and daughter coming from the back office. When they entered the hall and heard these words, they laughed and said, "Brother, do you know how poor he is? I paid for all the gifts along the way."
"Oh? Did my adopted sister give me a gift?" Zhang Jue was overjoyed, "I can buy two pots of wine and some game today..."
In the afternoon of that day, Li Xia left the south gate of Chengdu and drove to Xuzhou on the fourth day.
He set out from Hanzhong on the third day of the first lunar month, rushed to Lizhou on the third day, and rushed to Chengdu on the seventh day. He only stayed for less than three days, and then arrived in Xuzhou on the fourth day. Along the way, he also dealt with officials in several prefectures and counties.
Not unpleasant at all.
In the next ten days, Li Xia and Shi Jun visited Qingfu County, Changning County and Luzhou counties, and then set off again, heading straight to Hezhou.
He still only had about twenty riders with him.
The road to Shu is inherently difficult to navigate. If you bring too many people, the efficiency of doing things will be low. Local officials who have nothing to do with you will inevitably have to recognize you and entertain you when they see you.
Sichuan and Shu are barren lands. Supporting hundreds of elite soldiers will affect the livelihoods of hundreds of families and thousands of people. If these elite soldiers are not used to garrison the place, but are only used to chase and protect him, no matter how much it is wasted, it will be effective.
, the atmosphere is different.
At the beginning of a business, if those in power do more, save more, show off less, and show off less, the motivating effect they play cannot be underestimated.
Rivers and seas do not choose small streams, so they can be deep and barren. The cost should be saved in details...
The tenth day of February, Lin'an.
"We must send troops to Chongqing Mansion."
Cheng Yuanfeng's face was full of dejection. He looked at Jia Sidao and said directly: "I can remove the prime minister, but you must keep the family of Sheji...Li Xia should not be underestimated. It is best if you personally take command and enter Shu."
Jia Sidao did not want to talk to Cheng Yuanfeng and only waved his hand.
"I'll take care of it."
After saying this, he leaned on the Taishi chair and played with the jade cup he was going to give to the official family.
The body of this jade cup is as thin as a leaf, and its texture is as fine as silk. When wine is poured into it, the heat will rise by itself.
"The self-warming cup is deep and does not need to be warmed."
Jia Sidao groaned, thinking that if he only gave away this small jade cup, he would already have the power of the Privy Council.
As for Cheng Yuanfeng?
"Old waste, do you think I don't know what your plan is? According to the country's system, the prime minister takes command and goes to war. If he is impeached, regardless of the authenticity of his crime, he must resign. How could I fall for your cheap trick when the prime minister goes to Chongqing?
?”
A pot of fine wine is poured into a self-warming cup, and a wisp of fragrance rises.
What kind of currency, money and food, what kind of achievements and royal titles are all included...
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
There is another leader who has not updated the reward. It is too late today. I will update it tomorrow. Thank you in advance.