Chapter 371 0366 [Attitude of Dalis powerful officials]
In the blink of an eye, it is already March, Li Bangyan has returned to Tokyo, and the head coach of the West Route Bandit Suppression Force has not yet been determined.
The general strategic plan is as follows——
East Route Army: Tong Guan led the elite of the Forbidden Army and went to Xiangyang to take charge, and attacked Jinzhou together with the officers and soldiers of the South Route of Beijing.
South Route Army: Wang Zhen led part of the Forbidden Army and unified the officers and soldiers of Jinghu Road, Jiangxi Road, and Huainan Road. These miscellaneous troops attacked Kuimen.
West Route Army: Attack Hanzhong from Chencang Road, Baoxie Road, and Tangluo Road.
It is necessary to attack so many roads at the same time because the four roads in Chuanxia are blocked by mountains and are all narrow passages. No matter how many troops are gathered together, it will not be possible to launch the attack. If the attack is concentrated in one direction, the logistics pressure is too great.
As the commander-in-chief, Tong Guan could only command the east and south armies. The west route army was too far away from Xiangyang.
We have to choose a coach for the Western Route Army.
"Master Zhong is experienced and prudent, and he is the first choice for commanders on the West Road." Cai You recommended.
Tong Guan immediately objected: "The failure of the expedition against Liao was caused by improper command of Zhongshi Dao. This person must not be the commander of the Western Route. Liu Yanqing made great military exploits during the expedition against Liao, and he also has a high prestige in Shaanxi. He should use this as the commander-in-chief."
He is handsome."
Wang Fu said: "Yao Gu, the military envoy of Xihe, has been a general for generations and is very useful. His son Yao Pingzhong is even more brave in the three armies, and the heroes in Guanzhong call him the 'Little Taiwei'. In the previous campaign against Fang La, Yao Pingzhong made outstanding achievements.
, I don’t know who was exploited for military merit, so I couldn’t go to Beijing to meet the saint.”
Three powerful ministers, each recommending one person, all want to gain military power on the west route.
Song Huizong was in a dilemma. He thought about it carefully and said, "It is better to let Liang Shicheng be the commander-in-chief of the West Road. The three people you recommended are Chen Cangdao, Baoxie Dao and Tangluo Road."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Wang Fu said happily. He has the best relationship with Liang Shicheng.
Tong Guan immediately objected: "In the official family, Liang Shicheng has only suppressed ordinary bandits. The Zhu family and his son are the big thieves entrenched in the Sichuan Gorge. I am afraid that Liang Shicheng's talents cannot take on this important task."
Cai You also said: "Officials should think twice."
Song Huizong's face turned ugly. How long had it been since his three close ministers were still fighting for power? He had to force him to choose one of the three.
Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty asked: "How can I ask for help?"
Wang Fu said: "Zhe Keqiu's qualifications are too low to serve the people."
"Then let Gao Qiu be the commander-in-chief of the West Route Army," Song Huizong didn't bother to talk anymore, and directly decided, "Gao Qiu is my old minister in Qiandi, he is also a Taiwei, and he also led troops in Shaanxi. He will be the commander of the West Route Army.
The coach must be able to convince everyone and there will be no disputes."
As soon as these words came out, the three powerful ministers looked at each other, none of them expected this result.
…
Dali.
Sun Fu, a member of the Ministry of Rites, first went to the southeast along the canal, and then took a sea ship to Guangxi. After spending more than three months, he finally met Duan Heyu, King of Dali.
First, the imperial edict was read out to commend Dali for its obedience, and he was also given gold, silver, Luo Qi and treasures.
Duan Heyu hosted a banquet in honor of him, and his words were quite respectful.
Although this man did not know the Six Meridians Divine Sword, he was indeed very politically savvy and eager to be recognized by the Song Dynasty. His purpose was simply to use the authority of the suzerain state to suppress the arrogance of the powerful Gao family.
After three rounds of drinking, Sun Fu said: "In the Song Dynasty, there were traitors Zhu and his son. They did not recognize the emperor's kindness and raised their troops to rebel. The road to Shu is difficult and it is difficult to send troops. Can the king send an elite army north to capture the Zhu traitors' rear from Lizhou?
?”
"This..." Duan Heyu turned to look at Gao Liangcheng. The military power of Dali was in the hands of this prime minister.
Gao Liangcheng asked: "Who is this red thief? How big is his territory? How many soldiers do he have?"
Sun Fu said: "The old Zhu thieves know some Taoism and are Taoist officials appointed by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. The younger Zhu thieves passed the Jinshi examination and served as prefects for two terms. They caused rebellion on the four roads of Sichuan Gorge and have now occupied Chengdu. As for the strength of the troops
, but there are tens of thousands of thieves, and the imperial army can easily wipe them out. However, the road to Shu is difficult, and even if the imperial army has millions of soldiers, it will not be easy for them to march."
Gao Liangcheng asked again: "How many years have the red thieves been causing trouble?"
Sun Fu said: "The rebellion started last summer."
Gao Liangcheng thought carefully and thought he could fight two Taoist officials and civil servants who had only rebelled for more than half a year. What kind of elite soldiers could they produce?
Gao Liangcheng said: "If you want Dali to send troops, you can send troops. After that, Lizhou and the south of Lizhou will belong to Dali."
Sun Fu had certain negotiating authority, so he bargained: "The south of the Dadu River belongs to Dali, and Lizhou is still the land of Song Dynasty."
The emperor and his ministers at court were very open-minded. Anyway, south of the Dadu River has always been the land of Jisi, so it would not be a bad idea to give it to Dali.
Gao Liangcheng shook his head: "South of the Dadu River, everything is remote and barbaric. What's the use of it? If we don't give it to Lizhou, we, the Dali Kingdom, won't send troops."
Sun Fu was furious and scolded: "I came here on the order of the emperor to discuss with the leader of Dali. You are just the prime minister, and the leader has not spoken yet, how can you make your own decision?"
Gao Liangcheng immediately shut up and looked at Duan Heyu with a sneer.
Duan Heyu was a little panicked and coughed and said, "Well, it's just as the Prime Minister said. I'm not feeling well and I'm going to rest. The angels and the Prime Minister will continue to discuss."
After the King of Dali finished speaking, he left, leaving Sun Fu sitting there stupidly.
Sun Fu looked at Duan Heyu's leaving figure, and then at Gao Liangcheng who was sitting and drinking. Even a pig could understand who had the final say here.
Gao Liangcheng asked: "Angel, do you want to talk again?"
Sun Fu thought for a moment and asked: "What is the title of the Prime Minister?"
Gao Liangcheng said: "Mr. China."
After saying these three words, Sun Fu clenched his fists and was so angry that he almost broke out on the spot.
The powerful official of the small Dali Kingdom was actually titled "Chinese Duke", and his wolfish ambitions were clearly revealed.
In the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty had always been China, and the Liao people had no similar concept.
However, as the degree of Sinicization deepened, the monarchs and ministers of the Liao Kingdom began to fight for orthodoxy, calling themselves "China" and the Song Dynasty as the "Southern Dynasty".
When the Song and Liao countries were engaged in diplomacy, they fought hard for the orthodoxy of "China", and a "Chinese Duke" actually appeared in Dali.
Sun Fu also planned to seduce this powerful minister with a title, but he was already a Chinese Duke, and he could not find a better one among the Dukes.
Otherwise, be crowned king?
After staying in Dali for a few days, Sun Fu privately asked to see Gao Liangcheng.
When they met, this guy bowed and apologized: "I didn't know the majesty of the Prime Minister the day before yesterday. I was really offended by my rudeness."
He gave in to his high-intensity prejudices and his mood became more comfortable.
After all, he was an envoy sent by his overlord, the Song Dynasty. His ability to subdue the Song envoy was enough to prove his power. Gao Liangcheng smiled and said, "Angels don't have to be like this. He who doesn't know is not guilty."
Sun Fu said: "I have been asking people in Dali for the past few days. Everyone praises the Gao family, but no one praises the Duan family. How can the Gao family be just a duke because he has made great contributions to the country of Dali? I personally think that the prime minister should be granted the title of Duke.
king."
Gao Liangcheng was shocked, and then shook his head: "The king of the country has been canonized as the king of Dali by the emperor, how can I, the prime minister, be crowned the king?"
Sun Fu said: "The leader of Dali is the king, and you can be granted the title of county prince."
This is purely a play on words. The king of Dali is at the level of a county king, but his etiquette standards are the same as those of a prince.
Of course Gao Liangcheng understands, but he just wants to be crowned king!
More than ten years ago, the powerful minister Gao Taiming forced Duan Zhengchun to leave home, but no group of confidants came to rescue him.
At that time, the power of the Gao family reached its peak, but soon thirty-seven tribes of barbarians rebelled, and Gao Taiming died on the way to suppress the rebellion. Before the rebellion was put down, the uncles and nephews of the Gao family had begun to fight for the throne. Duan Heyu took the opportunity to send an envoy to Tokyo.
Received the official canonization from the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.
Duan Heyu not only engaged in diplomacy, but also organized factions to fight against each other in the country, and exiled Gao Taiming's eighth son to death.
Two of his subordinates assassinated Duan Heyu and were beheaded on the spot. Duan Heyu ordered a grand burial and praised the two as righteous men, once again attracting a group of Gao family forces.
Four years ago, several large tribes in Dali rebelled, and the Gao family sent troops to suppress it but failed. Then thirty-seven barbarian tribes rebelled again, and Gao Mingqing was killed while suppressing the rebellion.
Only then did Gao Liangcheng inherit the power of the Gao family and sit on the throne of the Prime Minister.
He was very respectful at first and had to cooperate with Duan Heyu. But after successfully suppressing the rebellion, Gao Liangcheng gained great prestige and then took control of the court. He took the king less and less seriously and hoped to go further.
Sun Fu said seductively: "As long as you are willing to send troops, even if you can't defeat Chengdu, you can just come to the city and threaten the Red Army's rear. Afterwards, you will be rewarded based on your merits, and the emperor will make you a county prince. This is the title of county prince by the emperor of Song Dynasty, not Dali.
Which of the Chinese princes canonized by the king is higher or lower? Your Excellency, please think twice."
Gao Liangcheng pondered for a long time and asked: "How can you guarantee that you can be crowned the county king? I can't believe your empty talk."
Sun Fu said: "Whether you believe it or not, it's all up to you. It's just that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes in a blink of an eye. If you miss it, it will be difficult to get another chance."
Gao Liangcheng fell into silence again. He was granted the title of Prince of the County, and his title was equal to that of the Lord of Dali. This was indeed an opportunity that the Gao family had not encountered in hundreds of years.
Regarding the Song Dynasty, Gao Liangcheng didn't take it seriously.
However, Duan Heyu had been canonized by Song Huizong, and his legitimacy was in the hands of the Song Dynasty.
If Gao Liangcheng is also canonized by Song Huizong, Duan Heyu will be in an embarrassing situation. This title is very crucial!
"I'll think about it more carefully." Gao Liangcheng did not reply immediately.
A few days later, Gao Liangcheng found Sun Fu: "In addition to being crowned king, I also want the south of the Dadu River."
Sun Fu smiled: "Of course."
Gao Liangcheng said: "After I have reorganized my troops and pacified the country, I will send troops northward."
The northward march was not Dali's national policy, it had always been the Gao family's route, and the territory it conquered also belonged to the Gao family.
Even without the temptation of being crowned king, the Gao family would take advantage of the transition between the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties to push the ruling area to the south bank of the Dadu River.
Gao Liangcheng's idea is very simple. First, conquer the barbarians there. If there is a chance, he will invade Lizhou. If there is no chance, he will stop as soon as possible. First, plunder Lizhou, and then decide whether to go to Chengdu. It is best to conquer them.
, and robbed all the goods in Chengdu. If they could not conquer it, they plundered the prefectures and counties south of Chengdu.
If the red thief is difficult to deal with, run away immediately.
No matter what the outcome is, the Gao family will definitely not suffer a loss, and being crowned king would be the most satisfactory outcome.
Sun Fu cupped his hands and said, "In this case, I will return to Tokyo and wait for the good news from Prince Gao!"
Gao Liangcheng smiled and said: "I sent some gifts to the angel. Please accept them."
"Prince Gaojun is too polite." Sun Fu said happily.