Chapter 171 Li Jing enters the palace, the god holding the pagoda
The old eunuch walked quickly into the political hall with the intention of reporting good news to Li Qian. He did not care about Chang Zhi and handed the report directly to Li Qian.
Many of the military reports reporting victory were posted along the way, and now everyone in the city is probably aware of it.
But even so, Chang Zhi still chose to avoid it. He stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I have thanked Your Majesty for your grace. Please leave."
"There's no rush."
Li Qian smiled and showed his hands in vain. He didn't even say anything serious. How could he let you go?
"Sit down first. I have a few more things to tell you."
He unfolded the military report, glanced at it briefly, and then turned to Chang Zhi and continued: "Chang Qing's family, what do you think of the Guangwen Department's errand?"
Chang Zhi had obviously made some preparations before coming. He held up his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the affairs of the Guangwen Division should be carefully observed and treated with tolerance."
Carefulness and tolerance are clearly two different and opposite words.
But Li Qian was not in a hurry to speak out. He wanted to see what this old Hanlin, who had been reading all his life, thought of it.
Chang Zhi continued: "Your Majesty, I believe that being careful means that you should treat every article written by the people with care; being generous means that you should not do everything. The Department of Public Information is only a place of communication, not a reviewer. The Yamen should not be in charge of the Jingzhao Mansion."
Li Qian nodded slightly. It seemed that he had also expected that if the Guangwen Department was set up in the future, the common people's chores would definitely be indispensable.
There must be those who complain, those who are wronged, those who propose national policies, and those who seek to be prominent...
There will certainly be no shortage of these things.
If the Public Information Department were to take charge of everything, not only would it be too busy, but it would also encroach on the authority space of other yamen and arouse resentment.
"Chang Qing's family only talks about serving the people, so how does the Guangwen Division serve the king?"
Chang Zhi sighed quietly, the Guangwen Division was really in trouble.
The people directly facing us are the people. If we don't handle it well and cause trouble among the people, they will not be able to escape and will be punished.
The person directly facing above is His Majesty the Emperor. If something goes wrong here, it will be even more serious. Dismissal from office is a minor matter. If he is convicted again and his family is implicated, it will not be worth it.
Chang Zhi had already thought about what to say before he came. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that I should serve you with sincerity. I also want to ask Your Majesty what it is that I want to see."
As he spoke, he still felt a sense of humiliation in his heart.
I have been working as a clerk in the Hanlin Academy for half my life, and I have always judged things based on the merits in my heart. But I didn't expect that when I get older, I will end up risking my life and trying to flatter myself.
It's just that there are too many things in this world that don't go as planned. As people get older, they naturally have more worries...
"good."
Li Qian smiled and nodded. Chang Zhi was indeed very understanding.
He smiled and said: "Your yamen has just opened, so there may not be many people coming to submit articles."
"So please trouble Chang Qing's family and send me all the articles they received from the people."
Chang Zhi didn't hesitate at all, raised his hands and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, I accept your order."
Li Qian smiled and nodded: "In that case, let's go to Chang Qing's family first. It's best not to run around these two days, lest the imperial doctor I send can't find you."
Chang Zhi was startled, then he cupped his hands and said, "I thank your Majesty for your kindness."
As soon as he left, the old eunuch who had been waiting for a long time came forward and said, "Your Majesty, Li Jing, the Minister of War, wants to see you."
Li Qian immediately became interested. This was a rare visitor.
In the past, these ministers would not come to him for nothing, and Li Jing had never taken the initiative to come once or twice. Why did he think of it today?
Subconsciously, Li Qian remembered the good news that had just been delivered, picked it up and read it for a while, and then said to the old eunuch: "Invite him in!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The old eunuch slowly exited.
Li Qian took the winning reports and continued to read them.
What it says here is that the imperial imperial army has moved south, captured Yangzhou, and will soon cross the Yangtze River further south.
This time under Yangzhou City, the imperial army still encountered little resistance. After only attacking the city for half a day, Yangzhou City opened its doors and surrendered.
The State of Wu seems to have completely given up on resisting the imperial army on the north bank of the Yangtze River, so they probably want to take advantage of the natural dangers of the Yangtze River and their naval superiority to defend against the imperial offensive...
While Li Qian was thinking, Li Jing, dressed in a scarlet robe and wearing a black gauze on his head, followed the old eunuch into the political hall.
"Li Jing, Minister of the Ministry of War, is here to see Your Majesty."
"Give me a seat." Li Qian just asked the old eunuch to move the stool over and said nothing.
Li Jing waited for a while, but when Li Qian still didn't speak, he took the initiative and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"The Imperial Imperial Army has arrived to capture Yangzhou and is now heading south."
Li Jing opened his mouth and said: "But at this moment, the army is running out of food and grass, and the Forbidden Army is discussing dividing the troops into two groups."
"One way goes east, taking Hailing, Chongzhou, and as far as the East China Sea. The other way goes west from Yangzhou, crossing the Yangtze River and taking Jinling."
After hearing this, Li Qian thought for a moment, then turned to the old eunuch and said, "Get the map."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The old eunuch hurriedly asked the young eunuchs below to spread the map on the table.
Based on Li Jing's words just now, Li Qian quickly found the two routes of the imperial imperial army.
He pondered for a moment, then raised his head and looked at Li Jing: "Is the army going to receive food and grass from Yue?"
"Your majesty is wise and wise."
Li Jing said with emotion: "The army marching in the rich land of Wu will not lack food and grass. But your majesty takes care of the people of Wu with benevolence, so the imperial army will naturally have to rely on the food and grass of Yue."
"Now the commanders of the Forbidden Army have discussed two strategies, one is to go east to the sea, and then receive the Yue State's grain and grass by sea. The other route is to cross the river to Jinling in the west, and then receive the Yue State's grain and grass by land. The army is There was no resolution on this matter, so we decided to divide our troops into two groups and march forward together."
"But I feel that this is not appropriate, so I came here to ask Your Majesty to decide whether this should be the case."
Li Qian stared at the mountains and rivers on the map, and nodded slightly: "It seems that no matter which way you go, you will be blocked by the Wu Navy..."
Needless to say, going east to the seaside, if the Yue State's grain transport ships want to bypass the Yangtze River Estuary at sea and reach the north bank, they will be desperately blocked by Wu State's navy.
Such a long sea route is no less than a natural chasm for the currently incomplete Yue Navy.
The other way is to cross the Yangtze River and take Jinling.
For an important place like Jinling, Wu State must have sent heavy troops to guard it.
If we cross the river from here, Wu's sailors will inevitably come out in full force. However, most of the Imperial Guards are from the north and are not good at water warfare. Even if they have the advantage in strength, the outcome is hard to predict.
Therefore, the disadvantage of this route is that the imperial imperial army replaced the Yue State and assumed the risk of crossing the waterway.
Li Qian pondered on the map for a moment and then said: "It is not advisable to go to the East China Sea and wait for Yue to transport grain from the sea."
It doesn't matter if you transfer the risk appropriately.
But before passing it on, one must also consider whether the person being passed on can bear the risk?
"The country of Yue is weak, but it is still possible to hold on to one city there."
"But if you want to drive a grain ship northward and break through Wu's blockade at sea, I'm afraid it's not possible, right?"
Li Jing was startled for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, I am also worried about this."
"It's just that transporting food by sea is much faster than transporting food by land. Starting from Yue State, it can reach the north bank of the Yangtze River in two or three days and deliver it to the Forbidden Army. There will be very little loss along the way, which is better than transport by land."
"So many generals in the army feel that they can take a risk."
Li Qian shook his head gently. By then, all the food had been intercepted by Wu State, and there was no place to cry.
"The Yue State's grain ships were not only blocked by the Wu State sailors when they sailed north from the sea, but also suffered losses due to wind and waves. If calculated to the end, the losses are not necessarily less than those of land transportation."
But Li Jing chuckled and said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much about the wind and waves. The storms in the East China Sea and Hangzhou Bay are the most violent in summer and autumn. Now that it has entered October and winter, the wind and waves have gradually subsided. As long as you avoid every In the middle of the month, you will have no worries."
August, the most stormy season in Hangzhou Bay, has passed, and the risk is no longer so high.
However, Li Qian knew that the month of the storm had nothing to do with the month, but with the direction of the wind.
Given the topography of Hangzhou Bay, as long as there is a southeasterly or easterly wind, it is easy to blow out tides like the Qiantang tide. If it is a northwesterly or westerly wind, the wind and waves will be relatively smaller.
Although Li Qian didn't know what the wind direction was in Wuyue, he knew that even though it was October in the capital this year, it wasn't too cold.
From the knowledge of wind formation and other air flow, it can be known that while the capital, Xingyang and other places in the northwest are still hot, the northwest wind may not easily blow out of Hangzhou Bay in the southeast, and the wind and waves may not disappear.
In this case, if the Vietnamese fleet is allowed to transport grain at sea, there is a high probability that people will feed the fish together with the grain.
"This year's situation is special, and the storm may not be light." Li Qian shook his head gently, but did not elaborate on it to Li Jing.
Li Jing frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, could it be the calculation of Qin Tianjian?"
"What they calculated may not be accurate."
"It wasn't Qin Tian who calculated it, it was me..." Li Qian paused and suddenly changed his words: "I met a god who told me in a dream."
Li Jing was a little dumbfounded. God asked him a dream?
"Your Majesty, this matter..."
It was hard for him to believe it. Is it really appropriate to pin the strategy of advancing the army on the illusory dreams of gods and men?
"Your Majesty, may I ask which god is it that told your Majesty about this..." Li Jing looked at Li Qian tentatively.
Li Qian himself knew that this was very unreliable, but at the moment it was the most appropriate thing for the god to tell him in his dream.
He tried his best to remember and said slowly: "It's a god in golden armor, holding a golden pagoda in his hand..."
Before Li Jing could say more, Li Qian added: "But this person seems very unreliable, and what he said is a bit unreliable. I'm not sure either."
"But no matter what, try not to let Vietnam use sea transportation."
Li Jing twitched the corner of his mouth and replied: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will give instructions to the soldiers on the front line."
Li Qian then pointed at the map and said: "In my opinion, it is okay to divide the troops, but they cannot be divided as before."
He said frankly: "One group of soldiers and horses rushed to the other side of Jinling to prepare for crossing the river, while the other group of soldiers and horses continued westward, southward along the Yangtze River, crossing the river at Wuhu and even Nanling."
Following Li Qian's direction, Li Jing quickly guessed his intention.
"Your Majesty wants the Forbidden Army to contain each other in the two places?"
Li Qian nodded and continued: "If the Wu State sends a large number of sailors to guard Jinling, then Wuhu's defense will be empty. At this time, the Jinling garrison can be ordered to attack and hold back the Wu soldiers. In Wuhu, they can cross the river, and vice versa. "
If you look at it this way, the strategy of using troops to contain each other is much better than the previous division of troops.
But Li Jing couldn't help but smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, the army has actually considered crossing the river in this way before."
He pointed at the map and said: "Originally, they planned to send troops and horses directly south from Yangzhou to cross the river and intimidate Zhenjiang on the other side."
"The other group of soldiers and horses went west to intimidate Jinling."
Li Qian frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "This seems to be okay."
Li Jing said helplessly: "Your Majesty, the army is about to run out of food and grass."
After such a fuss, it may not be until the Year of the Monkey and the Moon of the Horse, and if the 300,000 forbidden troops run out of food and grass, something big will happen.
Therefore, many people in the Forbidden Army supported going east to the seaside and letting Vietnam transport grain there by sea.
Li Qian shook his head gently: "It is not necessary to transport food from Yue."
Li Jing was startled.
Li Qian pointed to the Yangtze River Road on the map: "The imperial court's grain has long been loaded on ships in Hengshan, Jiangxia and other counties, and parked at the port. As long as the ships there set off, they will travel down the Yangtze River, traveling thousands of miles a day, more than ten kilometers We can reach Jinling in a day, and it can be faster if the imperial troops are in Wuhu."
Li Jing was stunned, looked in the direction Li Qian pointed, deduced it in his mind, and found that it was indeed the case.
This strategy seems to be a perfect solution to the problems encountered by the Imperial Army.
"His Majesty……"
Li Jing opened his mouth, took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and tried to find some loopholes: "There are also Wu's naval forces on the Yangtze River. If the grain-carrying ships are intercepted by them, wouldn't it be dangerous? "
Li Qian also frowned. Wu Guoneng fought all the way to Yingdu, and his sailors played an indelible role in it.
Wu's warships were invincible on the Yangtze River, and few were their opponents.
The grain-carrying canal ships were without combat effectiveness. If they encountered Wu's warships and did not surrender and were captured, they would have no choice but to be destroyed and sink into the river.
Li Qian thought for a moment and then slowly said: "Wu's sailors are always a big problem."
"Even if the imperial army captures the capital of Wu, if there are still remnants of sailors left to cause trouble in the Yangtze River, the imperial canal ships will still be unable to sail."
Li Jing also nodded in approval. If these sailors were destroyed, the Wu Kingdom would no longer be able to fight back.
Their few land troops and horses could only be slaughtered by the imperial court.
Li Qian thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly: "If it doesn't work, we can divide the imperial army into ten groups, send troops to the north bank, and try to cross the river."
Although Wu's sailors were powerful, their number was still too small compared to the imperial imperial army.
As long as they spread out to defend the imperial court's troops, the number in various places will be reduced to a certain level.
"At the same time, the canal boats from Hengshan, Jiangxia and other counties were ordered to set off and go down the Yangtze River."
Li Qian frowned and said, "As long as a local sailor comes to intercept the canal, the Imperial Army can cross the river."
Li Jing also understood what His Majesty the Emperor meant. No matter how powerful the sailors were, they could not completely leave the shore.
After the Imperial Army crossed the river and captured the sailors' camps and ports, the sailors who had no supplies had no other choice but to surrender.
As long as there is a road of forbidden troops crossing the river, they can slowly encroach on it and finally capture it in one fell swoop.
Li Jing also nodded slowly. This seemed to cause much less damage than forced crossing, and once dispersed, the Forbidden Army's tactics would be more flexible.
As long as there is one place that can cross the river and land on the shore, it can affect the overall situation, which should be better than attacking one place together.
"Your Majesty, after I return to the Ministry of War to discuss it, I will come back to show contempt to Your Majesty." He did not make a decision immediately, but decided to go back and think about it again.
Li Jing's expression was a bit solemn. Regardless of the outcome, today he had seen the capabilities of His Majesty the Emperor.
It is said that His Majesty has grown up in a deep palace since he was a child, but even so, his strategy is no less than that of some generals who have been fighting outside for many years.
Thousands of miles away, one can still clearly analyze the situation in Wu and Yue and clearly see the pros and cons of both sides...
Li Jing felt that his trip was worthwhile.
Li Qian also nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Da Sima, please go slowly, I won't send you off."
"I excuse myself." Li Jing bowed and took a few steps back, then walked out the door.
In this conversation, Li Qian did not mention Li Yuan or the other three people who held military power, and Li Jing seemed to have forgotten about it and did not mention it at all.
~~
Xingyang.
The intrigues in the court did not affect the lives of the people.
South bank of the Yellow River, Zhongmu County.
A few dark clouds floated in the sky, blocking the blazing sunshine, but they could not stop the enthusiasm of the people.
The people working on the river bank were in a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere.
Some wielded hoes and shovels and worked diligently to dig to divert the river, while others carried the transported stones and piled up the prototype of the embankment under the command of the masons...
But no matter what kind of work they do, the dark faces of these people, stained with mud and water, with crisscrossed ravines, all have a light of hope.
It is hard to imagine that these people came to work without any money at all.
In the distance, a fat man in a money coat and an old man were strolling by the embankment. Behind them were several court officials.
"My Lord, our Majesty is really good at it!"
Zheng Chen looked at He Shen who was walking beside him with a smile: "Such a troublesome rumor, your Majesty is actually able to do the opposite, and with one person's power, he can counterattack everyone else's rumors to a complete defeat, so that those people I have to admit defeat, it’s really... tsk tsk..."
He shook his head and kept sighing.
He Shen also thought of the news that had come from the capital in the past few days. Even though he was a little fat man weighing more than 200 pounds, he couldn't help but blush after hearing it.
"Mr. Zheng, this...you can eat randomly, but you can't talk nonsense..."
He Fatty is still trying hard to restore some reputation for His Majesty: "These words may not be passed down by His Majesty..."
"Oh~" Zheng Chen was startled, then he laughed while stroking his beard to show his understanding.
"Sir, I understand. I understand everything. There is no need to explain."
He Shen wanted to punch him in the face. Do you know how to use a hammer?
But Heshen also understood that this matter was really not easy to explain.
According to the usual practice in official circles, if the person behind an incident cannot be found, then the person who benefits the most is usually the person behind the scenes...