Zhao Si bowed to the official, turned around, and said loudly and grandly.
"Brother Imperial, gentlemen, although our army has been victorious in consecutive battles and looks very impressive, in fact this is also the most dangerous moment for our army."
As soon as this statement came out, there was an uproar in the palace, and many people talked in low voices.
Zhang Dun coughed, glanced at the people who were "having a small meeting", and said loudly: "Your Majesty, how dare you not abide by the courtesy of a minister?"
His words immediately silenced the entire hall.
Zhang Dun held the wat board in both hands, put it on his abdomen, raised his chest, took a deep breath, and looked at Zhao Si proudly.
Okay, you are awesome! You are Jingdian Taisui!
Zhao Si cursed and continued.
"First of all, the actual combat strength of our army is indeed not as good as that of Xia's army. We have won successive battles, and the right time, place and people are indispensable. Now the morale of the five armies along the border is high, but the actual combat strength has not increased. Instead, they are filled with blind arrogance.
.”
Speaking of this, Zhao Si said word for word: "Arrogant soldiers will be defeated."
General Xu was anxious and couldn't help but interject: "Your Highness, we, the Song Dynasty, have been fighting with the Hexi family for so many years, and we have finally gained such a huge advantage. We cannot let it go to waste. Good opportunities are fleeting!"
Zhao Si nodded, "Xu Youcheng, please listen to my detailed explanation."
Seeing that there was no sound from the palace, he continued.
"Secondly, our army has been fighting for several months, and its troops and material resources have been used to the limit. The food and grass stored in Jingzhao Mansion and other places have been exhausted. The officers and soldiers need to rest, their armor needs to be repaired, and their arrows need to be replenished... And now is the winter month,
It’s freezing cold in the northwest, making it difficult to move, and we can no longer launch large-scale military operations..."
"Thirdly, although the Xia Kingdom has been defeated in a row and the people's hearts are floating, everyone knows that they are on the verge of national subjugation. At such a critical time, no matter how big the internal contradictions are, they will be suppressed and unite as one to fight against us, the Song Dynasty. And after
After several battles, Xia Jun is already familiar with our army's new strategies and tactics, and must have corresponding strategies, so it will be difficult for him to be deceived again."
When Zhao Sikan spoke, everyone listened and had different thoughts in their hearts, but on the surface they still felt that what he said was indeed reasonable.
"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Lu Huiqing asked.
"Lü Zuocheng, the Privy Council has decided on countermeasures and submitted them to the officials. Now, I will tell everyone. But before that, I need to reiterate that what I say next are military secrets. Everyone
It must be kept secret. Even close relatives must not reveal it."
Everyone, look at me and I look at you. Is there still such a rule? In the past, we civil servants used to talk about military and state affairs as a daily routine. Why should we change the rule?
Seeing Zhao's seemingly unquestionable expression and the official's supportive attitude, many people were reluctant to follow Zhang Dun and others and said, "We must keep it a secret."
Zhao Si sneered in his heart. The integrity and commitment of some civil servants were worse than even the singers of Panlou and Baifanlou. Knowing these guys, he might turn his back and tell his relatives and friends complacently about these military and national secrets to show off.
capital.
What I will say later is all conspiracy. Even if it is leaked by some bastards and spread to the ears of the powerful people in Xixia and Northern Liao, it will not help.
The meaning of Yangmou is that you know it, and the one who should be trapped has to jump in.
But maybe we can take this opportunity to establish the authority of the Privy Council.
"Okay. Sir, please listen to what I have to say in detail."
"The first countermeasure decided by the Privy Council was to treat the Northern Liao Dynasty with humiliation and politeness. It clearly stated that the war between the Song Dynasty and the Xia Kingdom was completely a misunderstanding. Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, we should stop fighting and negotiate for peace. In short
, which is to give the Lord of Liao face a lot of face. Of course, the credential to the Lord of Liao, with its colorful words and humble tone, requires the wonderful writing of all famous people and talents."
Misunderstanding? How big of a misunderstanding can cost more than 100,000 lives?
"Your Majesty, where is the generous gift?" Cai Jing suddenly asked.
"My king gathered the most skilled craftsmen from all over the world and worked hard to finally make a fine liquor - Immortal Drunk, exquisite glassware, as well as perfume, soap and other luxurious things. It should be considered a generous gift."
Zhao Si replied with a smile.
These things are expensive to make and even more expensive to sell.
Now as a free gift to the Lord of Liao, it is considered as an advertisement.
When the nobles of the Northern Liao Dynasty saw it, they would definitely be moved. If they are moved, they would take action. I have prepared a large amount of inventory during my Fengheng Yu trip, just waiting for these wealthy locals to buy it.
"The second countermeasure is to hear that the Lord of Liao and the nobles are devoted to Buddhism. This is a good thing. If you recite Buddhist scriptures too much, you may not really be able to put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha immediately."
"As a merit envoy, I will select one hundred eminent monks from various Buddhist temples and one thousand sutra-chanting bhikkhus. I will also send you 3,600 carefully carved Buddhist scriptures and thirty-six hundred-year-old Buddha statues on a special trip.
Give it to the Northern Liao Dynasty to praise the long-standing friendship between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom!"
"Well, everyone in the Xia Kingdom also worships Buddhism. In order to truly reflect our sincerity in the Song Dynasty to stop the war and negotiate for peace, I also selected a hundred eminent monks and a thousand sutra chanting monks, and sincerely presented them to the Xia Kingdom. Then
The two countries have carried out large-scale religious services in water and land monasteries to offer salvation to the victims. I, the Buddha, have mercy!"
At this time, Zhao Si was filled with compassion and compassion, and his precious elephant was solemn.
All the ministers in the palace were dumbfounded. Didn't you lead the men to capture the heads of the 90,000 Xia army? Now you are showing mercy here, it's too inconsistent!
However, Zhang Dun, Fan Chunren, and Lu Huiqing, a few scheming people, were praising and criticizing in their hearts.
For being able to use strategies so brilliantly and shamelessly, King Qin, you are considered unprecedented.
As we all know, the Liao and Xia kingdoms really worshiped Buddhism. The King of Qin sent so many eminent monks and monks there. The nobles and common people of the Liao and Xia kingdoms had to accept this gift, and they could deeply feel the "goodwill" of the Song Dynasty.
But the problem is that these eminent monks and monks don't work hard.
After they go, they must be accommodated in a temple and provided with offerings. Moreover, they are all eminent monks, and they are also "monks from abroad who can chant sutras." They must not lose face. The treatment must be higher.
When a new temple is built or expanded, the Buddha statues must be gilded, and oil lamps must be installed to light up the entire temple hall day and night... All of these are expensive.
Therefore, it was necessary to donate a large number of slaves and maidservants, use fertile land as temple property, and recruit a large number of novice monks to serve on them, so that the eminent monks and monks could concentrate on chanting sutras and worshiping Buddha.
The Liao Kingdom was fine, they were used to being generous, so it didn't matter.
It's hard to say about the Xia Kingdom. They suffered successive defeats, not only losing troops but also seriously delaying this year's autumn harvest. There will most likely be a major famine next year.
According to King Qin's style, you can have as much eminent monks, monks, and Buddhist scriptures as you want. Food? Don't even think about it! The border jams along the five roads must have been strictly guarded, and it is strictly forbidden to allow a grain of grain or an inch of cloth to leave the customs.
Now having to support so many monks who are not engaged in childbirth is definitely a serious burden for the current Xia Kingdom.