Ning Wang's lineage claims to be the direct descendant of Taizu, so it is normal to have restless thoughts.
To put it another way, some of the vassal kings who are also members of the royal family have no idea about the dragon chair in Qian'an Palace.
But normally, their ambitions are impossible to realize, so they just pretend that they don't have such an idea.
Now that a catastrophe has occurred, and King Yong has rebelled and seized power, in Zhao Yongshen's eyes, the Central Plains has been beaten to a pulp.
The five counties in the south are well prepared with money and food. Although they are currently short of troops, as long as they hold on to the river and delay, a strong army can be trained in three to five years.
Therefore, in Zhao Yongshen's world view, as long as the South can withstand the initial wave of pressure, it will be easy to attack and defend.
In fact, many people in the south share Zhao Yongshen's views on the world's structure.
The reason why this is the case is that the current message delivery is slow and confusing, making it difficult for people to see the overall situation clearly.
Second, Zhao Yanxun's record was so unbelievable that it made people feel that he was too weak. It was judged that the imperial court had improper command and control, which allowed Yong's army to advance so triumphantly.
Therefore, Zhao Yongshen could not understand why Fang Hongji, who was the emperor's master and a man of integrity, would speak for the rebels and call on the five southern counties to submit to Zhao Yanxun.
Of course, Zhao Yongshen would not think too much about these issues. In his eyes, Fang Hongji was already dead.
What he is worried about right now is how to deal with the guests he meets soon and let these people choose to support him
To fight against the Yong army in the Central Plains, the first thing to do is to unite the five southern counties.
Although the five southern counties have sufficient money and food, Yong's military superiority in force is objective and must be dealt with carefully to withstand the pressure and gain time for development.
To protect the security of the South, the most important thing is to unite the Southern army.
So what Zhao Yongshen wants to meet today are several senior officials from the five capitals.
He sent out the invitation seven days ago, and it just so happened that these people were willing to come over and have a chat.
After Zhao Yanjue exited the study, the princess put on Zhao Yongshen's robe. The princess sighed and exited the study.
She just hopes that her family will be safe, and she doesn't agree with her husband's troubles from the bottom of her heart, but as a woman, she basically has no say in such matters.
When the princess left, Zhao Yongshen was alone in the study.
The so-called study room naturally focuses on the construction of privacy. In addition to reading and writing, it is more suitable for discussing secret matters.
With things in my mind, time flies by.
Half an hour later, footsteps sounded outside the house.
I saw a middle-aged man appear at the door, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, several distinguished guests have arrived. We are waiting in the flower hall now!"
Anyone who can appear in the study is someone Zhao Yongshen can trust.
"Bring them here!"
"yes!"
At this moment, Zhao Yongshen straightened his demeanor and even stroked his beard, becoming more dignified.
After a while, several men in brocade robes appeared outside the study, and they entered the study under the leadership of the servant.
"See you, my lord!"
These people came from Dusi Yamen and had never interacted with Prince Ning's Mansion. They felt a little awkward meeting Zhao Yongshen at this moment.
"Everyone, please excuse me and have a seat!"
Zhao Yongshen gave enough courtesy to these officials who held military power, just to make the atmosphere of the following conversation more relaxed.
The few people who entered the room were not polite and sat on chairs on both sides.
Among these five people, only those from the two counties of Nanhai and Jiangxi were commanders, while the other three counties were either Tongzhi or Qianshi.
It's not that the other three counties don't show respect, it's that they are far apart and it's not easy to visit.
Looking at everyone, Zhao Yongshen said: "King Yong has rebelled, the court is in trouble, the country is in decline, you have received so much favor from the country, how can you repay the country at this time?"
This is a simple and straightforward statement, directly asking everyone's attitude.
Having already arrived at his house, everyone knew what they were going to talk about today, so Zhao Yongshen didn't want to waste time.
Everyone was silent for a while. It was because they lacked mutual trust and did not want to express their stance in advance.
After a few breaths of silence, Jiangxi Commander Huan smiled awkwardly and asked, "I wonder what your lord has to say?"
"King Yong rebelled. If he is a loyal minister of the court, he should exterminate the rebels and reshape the country!"
Of course, this one was too difficult, so Zhao Yongshen continued: "But now that the bandit army is strong, we need to stay away from the enemy for the time being, and when the time is right, we can suppress the bandits from the north!"
At this time, someone said: "Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition to suppress the bandits is not an easy task!"
As military attachés of the capital, they had a more professional understanding of war and knew how difficult the Northern Expedition was.
Zhao Yongshen quickly replied: "Of course it is not easy. Because of its difficulty, you have great merit. When the Northern Expedition succeeds, you will all be heroes of the Jingguo!"
Immediately, someone else said: "Your Majesty, the Yong army has a strong army, but we don't have strong soldiers in the south. I'm afraid the Northern Expedition will be hopeless!"
The possibility of failure is greater, and there are not enough benefits. Who would be willing to follow your surname Zhao?
The gentry wanted to cut off from the north so as to save themselves from the burden of taxes, but they wanted them to play with their lives against Yong's army. Why?
"Even if the Northern Expedition fails, it will not be too difficult for our army to deploy defenses along the river to prevent the Yong army from attacking!"
Compared with tributaries of large rivers such as Hanshui and Jishui, the width of the river is several times greater, and it does not freeze all year round, so the prevention effect is surprisingly good.
"Although you are leaning towards the south, you still retain the imperial court's integrity. You are still the heroes of the Jin Dynasty, and it is not impossible for you to become princes and princes!"
By staying in the south, the difficulty of the task is reduced a lot, and there is still a chance to become a prince, which I must say is attractive to these people.
Although they are among the top officials in the capital and are considered important figures in the local area, they are not even the slightest bit different from the noble families who share the same family with the country.
Everyone present looked at each other, they were already a little tempted.
"The Northern Expedition is difficult, and self-protection is also difficult, but it is not as difficult as you think!"
"The five counties in the south have a lot of people and a lot of food. The wealthy gentry from all over the country will definitely give their money to help protect the hometown. It won't be too far to train strong soldiers!"
In this sentence, Zhao Yongshen once again reiterated the support of the southern gentry for him to demonstrate his "leading" status.
In fact, people's support for him to ascend to power will inevitably lead to Zhao Yongshen "sharing the world" with these people in the south.
Seeing that everyone was thinking, Zhao Yongshen stood up and said with a smile: "As long as we survive the first one or two years and hundreds of thousands of elites gather in the south, how difficult will it be to succeed in the Northern Expedition?"
Everyone nodded slightly, but still did not express their opinions.
Going against the powerful Yong army can be said to be gambling with one's wealth and one's life. They must be careful whether they want to gamble or not.
"Everyone, time is running out. If you continue to delay, once the Yong Army comes over, you will have no chance to choose!"
"Zhao Yanxun is a man who is cruel, cruel and bloodthirsty... I'm afraid that by then, not only will you lose your official position, but your entire family will also lose their lives!"
Walking in front of Huan, Zhao Yongshen said with a smile: "In the past dynasties, civilian officials were able to govern the people in the new dynasty, but I have never heard that military generals can still control the army!"
Word after word, everyone present was shaken. Unfortunately, only two of them were able to make their own decisions, and the other three had to go back and report before the results were announced.
"My lord, to resist foreign humiliation... I can send troops!" Huan was the first to express his stance.
Although the envoy of Nanhai County did not speak, he nodded with a serious look on his face.
The remaining three people all said that they would report the situation when they got back and give Zhao Yongshen a result as soon as possible.
"Time waits for us not. You must hurry up. If you agree with this king's proposal, you can lead your troops northward and set up defenses in important places along the river!"
The five counties in the south usually have about 250,000 garrison troops.
However, in the past three years, the imperial court has continuously deployed troops, resulting in the total number of troops in the five counties now not exceeding 150,000.
Of course, as long as it is used properly, it can also have miraculous effects in Zhao Yongshen's opinion.
