Chapter 56 The original intention of appointing a hundred disciples
Jiangcheng Mansion, the important place of Xia Kingdom, is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Land shipping is developed and radiates to most of Xia Kingdom. Caravans traveling from south to north gather here, creating unparalleled prosperity here.
Even in the whole world, this place can be called a prosperous place.
Since the Southwest Recruitment Office was established, the most prosperous place in the hinterland of Xia Kingdom was suddenly shrouded in the haze of war.
At this time, in Jiangzhou City, the prefectural city, there were no more business trips, the people stayed behind closed doors, and all businesses withered.
Elite soldiers and horses took over the defense of the city and stood ready. Scouts from the army, officers at the post stations, and spies kept coming and going, passing on all the military information on the southwest front and reports from various local officials.
Intruded by the Yun Kingdom's troops, the six southwest counties are in danger and appear to have fallen. If nothing can be done, Jiangcheng Mansion, which has been at peace for more than 600 years, will become an important frontline to resist the Yun Kingdom's army.
The purpose of setting up the Southwest Recruitment Division is to coordinate the various local states and counties in the worst possible situation and establish a new line of defense in the shortest possible time.
Among the many disciples from hundreds of schools who came to recruit Si Yamen, they were reporting to King Qi.
A scholar wearing Confucian robes took the lead and said:
"Your Highness, the inventory of Jiangcheng Mansion's treasury has now been completed! The imperial court is continuously transporting all kinds of materials and weapons, which are still sufficient for frontline dispatch. Only in terms of food and grass, the Wuzhou Camp's one-month expenses were just allocated yesterday.
After allocating 600,000 shi of food and grass to Anshun County, there were only 3.8 million shi left in the treasury."
3.8 million stones of grain and grass sounds like a lot.
But what a hundred thousand troops need every month is hundreds of thousands of stones of food and grass.
Not to mention the soldiers and horses under Hao Yuanhua of Anshun County, the two armies of Guangwuzhou and Rongcheng combined totaled 300,000 troops. 3.8 million dan, only three or four months.
When King Qi heard this, he raised his head slightly, made some calculations in his mind, and said calmly:
"It's enough to support the frontline army for three months! It's the autumn harvest now, so don't worry about food and grass for the time being!"
Jiangcheng Mansion is located in a plain and has developed agriculture. Although it is not as good as the southern border of Yun Kingdom and the south of the Yangtze River of Xia Kingdom, it will definitely not be short of food and grass.
Emperor Xia had previously overridden all opinions and ordered King Qi to take the lead in establishing the Southwest Recruitment Department, in order to coordinate and mobilize the local government forces at this time, so as not to recruit from the rear and waste manpower and material resources.
When the scholar heard this, he immediately bowed and bowed, then stepped back.
Immediately, another person stood up, cupped his hands and said:
"Your Highness, the Yun Kingdom's army is at its peak, and we currently do not have a large army in southwest Daxia to defend ourselves. Just in case, your Highness is requested to issue an order to organize the local governments of Dejiang County, Shaoyang County, and Hechi County to harvest grain and grass.
Relocate the people to avoid endangering the enemy. In addition, the storage, drawings, and craftsmen in such confidential places as the Wuzhou City Ordnance Station should also be relocated immediately!"
Strengthening the walls and clearing the country, diverting manpower and military industry, so that the enemy can only gain nothing, are the methods used to deal with powerful enemy forces since ancient times.
Although King Qi was born in the military, there was a hint of bad-mouthing in this scholar's words, which seemed to have the intention of shaking the morale of the military. But this was not a battlefield, so naturally there was no accusation of shaking the morale of the military.
On the contrary, when doing calculations in the temple, what is important is to be prepared just in case and not to fight an unprepared battle. King Qi can still think clearly about this.
When King Qi heard this, he nodded immediately and said in a deep voice:
"Okay, you will be the one to help with this kind of thing. If you have any merit, I will reward you in the future!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Seeing that King Qi was not angry at all after hearing these remarks, but instead accepted the advice humbly and valued this person. The disciples from hundreds of schools who came to obey finally felt relieved and gave advice one after another.
A disciple of a famous master came forward to ask for an emissary to the Yun State, using his words as a sword in order to force the Yun State to postpone the advance.
Some Mohist disciples requested to send manpower to set up an ordnance factory to forge killing weapons so that they could be supplied to the army to resist the Yun army in the future.
The Confucian disciples took on the responsibility of pacifying the people in the city and coordinating local affairs. The Legalist disciples made it clear that they should use thunderous means to strictly enforce law and order to prevent chaos in the city.
The Taoist disciples looked up at the sky to determine the weather of the four seasons, the changing winds and clouds, and the ebb and flow of the tide. The Yin-Yang disciples looked down at the terrain and drew a detailed map of the southwest. They then gave the results of the two families to the military disciples to determine where the army should be stationed and where they must defend.
Finally, it was handed over to the senior generals of the Xia army to discuss and confirm the military strategy.
The Xia Kingdom has a vast territory and abundant resources. It has tens of millions of people under its rule and has a lot of talents. In addition, the Xia Kingdom is the first among all the countries in the world to appoint disciples from hundreds of schools as officials. It wants to use the talents of hundreds of schools to
Director, assisting the court in governing the country.
So there are so many outstanding talents in the court!
It is a pity that the relationship between hundreds of families has become increasingly tense due to the constant factional fighting in the court. These outstanding people have used their talents and abilities to fight with each other, wasting national power in vain.
But now, these elite disciples from hundreds of schools who are disgusted with party disputes have gathered under King Qi to work together and show their strengths. Even if there are arguments, they are completely free of selfish grudges and have a common heart.
Among the hundreds of students who are recruiting the Si Yamen in the southwest, they are so sincere that it makes people feel excited. It is in sharp contrast to the decayed and dead atmosphere above the imperial court in Jinling City!
This scene was the original intention of appointing hundreds of disciples to serve as officials in the court!
King Qi sat at the top, looking at the hundreds of disciples who were arguing from time to time below, and felt inexplicably happy in his heart.
Previously, in Jinling City, I had been hypocritically pandering to him every day, and seeing the courtiers quarreling over each other for personal gain, all the dissatisfaction accumulated in my heart immediately dissipated.
At this moment, the military messenger and an embroiderer came running in one after another, knelt down on one knee and said urgently:
"Your Highness, urgent report from Dejiang County from eight hundred miles away!"
"Your Highness, the embroidered envoy of Li Dynasty has urgently reported!"
When the disciples from hundreds of schools heard this, they were stunned for a moment, then became quiet, and bowed their hands to King Qi, saying:
"Your Highness, let us evade first!"
These disciples from hundreds of schools have now joined King Qi and are already performing their duties as advisers. However, they have no official positions and are not trusted confidants recognized by King Qi. They are not yet qualified to hear military intelligence reports in person.
When King Qi heard this, he immediately nodded, his voice softened, and he said comfortingly:
"After I finish my work, I will ask you all for advice in person!"
During this time in Jinling City, King Qi was already regarded as the heir apparent by both the government and the public, as well as inside and outside the Forbidden Palace. Many people had begun to teach him the way to be a king, both overtly and covertly.
Learning to restrain his sharp edge, appease his subordinates, and behave like a virtuous corporal is his biggest gain during this period!
When all the scholars heard this, they immediately bowed respectfully and left.
The soldiers in the army were ordered to leave when they saw someone, and they quickly reported:
"Your Highness, the heavy troops and horses that were escorting grain, grass and weapons to Rongzhou were ambushed by a Yun army three days ago, and the entire army was defeated. After investigation, it was found that Yun troops were attacking everywhere in Dejiang County to attack cities and seize territory."
When King Qi heard this, he was startled, stood up suddenly, and shouted:
"What? Is there any news over there in Rongzhou City?"
The previous attack on Shicheng County was unfavorable, and Xia's southwest frontier army of hundreds of thousands retreated to Rongzhou City.
As the southernmost city of Dejiang County, it is extremely strong and guarded by hundreds of thousands of elites. It should have involved all the Yun troops in Shicheng County.
But now, the entire Dejiang County is full of Yun troops attacking everywhere. Isn't Yun Jun afraid that these hundreds of thousands of troops will cut off his retreat?
Or is it that Rongzhou City has been lost?
Thinking of this, King Qi shook his head repeatedly and exclaimed:
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! According to the previous military report, Shicheng County has only 20,000 troops. How could it be possible to swallow up my army of more than 100,000 in one go?"
Even if there are hundreds of thousands of pigs, it is impossible for his 20,000 Yun army to wipe them out so silently!
What's more, King Qi personally led these hundreds of thousands of southwest frontier troops for two years. Although they may not be as good as the elite troops in the northern border of Xia Kingdom, they are also well-trained and are definitely not a ragtag group!
King Qi sharpened his eyes and shouted loudly:
"After passing the order, General Qimo ordered Wuzhou Camp to send people to quickly find out the reason!"
"yes!"
Feng Chu, who was behind him, heard this and said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, the Embroidery Envoy has arrangements in Rongzhou City, and I believe there will be news about it soon. I will do everything possible to find out the situation in Rongzhou City!"
Upon hearing this, King Qi nodded immediately.
At this time, the embroidery tool is indeed more useful!
The Embroidered Clothes Envoy spy who followed later couldn't help it and said urgently:
"Your Highness, there is urgent news from the Li Dynasty! The clan of the Li Dynasty, Ao Houli, escorted all the soldiers out of the palace, killed Guang Luxun of Li Dynasty to seize the power of the Imperial Guard, invaded the imperial city, killed Li Weining's son, and established himself as king. Now he has accepted the Yun Kingdom again.
Canonized, willing to surrender and be subordinate..."
Hearing this, King Qi was startled again, and his mind suddenly became confused.
I had heard before that Aohou of the Li Dynasty helped Li Weining eradicate the traitors and treacherous ministers in the country, and he was famous for his loyalty. When Li Weining went on an expedition, he entrusted all the affairs of the country to the king, and it was a scene where the king and his ministers enjoyed each other.
How come it was only so long before he usurped the throne and rebelled?
Even Feng Chu, who had not reacted much when he heard that there might be something wrong in Rongzhou City, now shrank his pupils and looked shocked.
"Prior to this, the embroidered garment envoy heard that there were many prophecies and strange things in Thang Long Mansion, saying that Li Hu was ready to become the king. We all thought that Yun Guodongchang just wanted to take the opportunity to shake the Li Chao court..."
Feng Chu looked ugly and continued to bow and apologize:
"Your Highness, it was our embroiderers who were negligent and did not pay attention, resulting in being caught off guard. Please forgive me, Your Highness... But this matter must not be known to Li Weining!"
King Qi also calmed down a little at this time. Hearing Feng Chu's words, he immediately reacted.
On the condition of sending Li Weining back to his country, they took out the method of luck from his mouth.
But at this time, Li Hu rebelled and became self-reliant. It was not that simple to send Li Weining back!
Li Weining obviously also knew that with the arrival of the Yun Kingdom's troops and the turmoil in the southwest of Xia Kingdom, it was absolutely impossible to send troops and horses to the Li Dynasty to help him reset. So if he was informed of this news, he would not even think about this method of luck!
King Qi frowned and said in a deep voice:
"This matter can only be concealed for a while. Even for the sake of luck, we cannot keep Li Weining under house arrest forever..."
Having said this, King Qi gritted his teeth and said:
"We can't delay it any longer. We must get the method of luck in our hands as soon as possible! Pass on this king's decree and summon the Southwest Recruitment Division and all the civil and military officials from Jiangcheng Mansion to come to discuss the matter. Invite Li Weining again and let him be the official In front of me, hand over the secret method to me!"
King Qi said coldly:
"Among the civil and military officials, there are the confidants of my father and the disciples of my brothers. If you hand it over to me in front of everyone, he can always rest assured!"
When Feng Chu heard this, his mouth twitched. After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice and said:
"Your Highness, have you thought clearly?"
When King Qi heard this, he subconsciously turned to look at him.
Feng Chu looked a little struggling. After thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"Le Weining said before that the original change in Thang Long Palace was to eradicate the founding king of the Le Dynasty, Le Xing, who had been hiding behind the scenes and taking charge of the government and treating the previous kings of the Le Dynasty as puppets."
"There are some things that I, a minister, should not have said. But now, Your Highness, your position as the crown prince has been confirmed... If, if this method of luck were to be presented to you in its entirety, it would be difficult to say..."
Let's not talk about whether he will be treated as a puppet. Let's talk about it. Throughout the ages, at the beginning of the appointment of the crown prince, who is not the emperor's favorite and regards him as the heir who can entrust the country?
But what happened later? As the prince gained prestige and his power grew larger, the emperor inevitably became wary. If he was not careful, the court would be unstable and the world would be in turmoil!
Since ancient times, if both the emperor and the prince are strong, they will have incompatible fates.
When King Qi heard this, he looked at Feng Chu deeply, shook his head and said:
"You are the embroiderer, the confidant of the army arranged by my father to be beside me. You said these words, do you know what they mean?"
When Feng Chu heard this, he subconsciously looked solemn and gritted his teeth and said:
"I am a minister of Great Xia, and Your Highness is the hope of Great Xia... Disciples from hundreds of schools work together under His Highness to wipe out the bad habits of party disputes in the court. It is impossible for me to remain unmoved!"
When King Qi heard this, his eyes narrowed and he said in a deep voice:
"I can guess what Li Weining is thinking, but I have never cared about such things!"
Li Weining wanted to use the method of luck and immortality and use the throne and imperial power as bait to provoke a fight between Emperor Xia and Prince Qi, the crown prince, and recreate the past events of his Li Dynasty for hundreds of years.
The reason why Emperor Xia's confidants were asked to take over the method of luck was because he was afraid that King Qi would deliberately conceal this method of longevity.
If he hadn't seen his plan, King Qi would not have thought of summoning a group of civil and military officials to come together.
Because so many people came, they saw with their own eyes that King Qi had obtained the method of using luck, and knew that this method of luck could also extend life. Even if King Qi wanted to conceal it later, he would definitely not be able to hide it.
Only in this way will Li Weining hand over the secret method with confidence.
Seeing that Feng Chu was about to speak, King Qi immediately interrupted:
"Now is not the time to talk about these things. The Yun army is attacking and they cannot get the luck method. Daxia is in danger!"
When Feng Chu saw this, he took a deep breath and said seriously: