Previously, the imperial court promised huge profits and borrowed troops from Tuyuhun and Rouran. It seemed that they were driving away wolves and devouring tigers, and borrowing swords to kill people.
Now, the imperial court is once again making peace with the two barbarians. It is also a desperate and desperation decision, but it is a strategy that takes advantage of the situation and adapts measures to local conditions.
This time, Tuyuhun and Rouran were not given a pound of grain, a pair of armor, and an arrow, but they had to put in all their efforts. They knew that there were tigers in the West Sea, but they chose to go to the West Sea?
This is the only thing that can make a decision.
Li Chengzhi had previously doubted why Gao Ying suddenly became enlightened. After receiving the secret report, he realized that the stumbling block of Gao Ying was removed, and the imperial court finally began to play the role it should have played.
Li Chengzhi had previously hoped that the imperial court would compensate Xihai's population, food, land, etc., but he didn't even think about it anymore.
The eight assistants complement each other and check and balance each other. No one would be stupid enough to "give resources to the enemy" or "give others a handle". Even if someone is really that stupid, the other seven will never agree.
As for Li Chengzhi's fantasy of "three years of accumulation," "five years of counterattack," "ten years of great achievements," etc., they are even more like idiots' dreams.
Anyone who is not stupid enough knows the principle of preventing disaster before it arises and preventing disaster before it happens. Moreover, since Bafu is a leader in the world, they all know that even if they fight to the death, they will never give Xihai a chance to develop and grow.
In this way, the current situation of the army pressing down on the country and the impending storm is no different from that in the early spring of last year.
But compared with last year, Xihai is not the same.
Continuous battles and victories, repeated battles and victories, are like fire burning steel. The more you practice, the better you become. Your experience, morale, and military morale have more than doubled?
Even if he encounters an enemy that is ten times more powerful, Li Chengzhi is confident that he can win even if he does not rely on firearms.
In the past year, Xihai has worked together and worked together to make full use of military equipment, soldiers, armor and horses. A large mine was also opened in the Qilian Mountains. In the second half of the year, the gunpowder prepared was four times the amount accumulated in the previous five years.
More than enough.
But there are still problems, and the first one to bear the brunt is grain.
First, the population in the West Sea was too small, and Li Chengzhi was afraid of a protracted war. If there were workers, there would be no agriculture, and if there were agriculture, there would be no workers, and he would not be able to balance military needs with food.
Second, Hexi is vast, has a long border, and no natural dangers to rely on, making it easy to attack and difficult to defend. In addition, there are not many soldiers in the West Sea. If Hexi is still used to farm and grow grain, a large amount of military force will inevitably be spent on guarding, and the gains outweigh the losses.
With the existing grain reserves alone, if a war breaks out, the expenditure will be even greater, and it may be difficult to maintain it for a year.
And this is only second.
What Li Chengzhi was even more afraid of was that the imperial court and the two barbarians would be surrounded but not fight, and they would be blocked but not attack.
No matter how powerful Xihai is, it can only occupy the land of several states, with no more than 400,000 households. In order to fight, the whole people have to be mobilized. As mentioned before, those who have farmland do not have the help of workers in various factories. If there are helpers, the land is barren
Already...
If the imperial court grits its teeth and consumes it, Xihai really cannot consume it.
So after much thought, Li Chengzhi decided that the best way was to make a quick decision.
But now it seems that the imperial court has obviously worked hard and used its brains: Xing Luan, a famous general and a hero of the generation, actually learned from the Hu people and started guerrilla warfare?
Although it is only temporary and relative, honestly speaking, this kind of tactics can really restrain firearms to a certain extent.
At least Li Feng's mixed infantry, horse and artillery regiment would never be able to catch up with Xing Luan's 20,000 light cavalry.
Xing Luan became more and more handy, and Tuyuhun and Rouran became even more handy. If the three parties worked together to attack the West Sea, how many troops would Li Chengzhi have to send to defend the border line that is more than a thousand miles long in the north and south?
It is simply unrealistic to say that all soldiers and civilians will move to Longxi after abandoning the defense of the West Sea.
Regardless of the rest, without coal, iron, and sulfur, the West Sea army can still use wool to connect the enemy and win every battle?
Although Li Chengzhi knew that Longxi was not lacking in these items, he had a dark eye as to where the mine was and whether it was easy to mine.
Feeling suddenly stuck?
Li Chengzhi was silent and silent, and everyone in the hall also had sad faces, racking their brains to think of a solution.
For example, Li Shixian even sighed and regretted.
He finally understood what Li Chengzhi had said to him with much sincerity: Even at the end of the dynasty, when all the heroes came together, rebellion was not easy. What's more, the Yuan and Wei dynasties only showed signs of decline, leaving
The country's subjugation is still far away...
Now, just by kicking away the stumbling block of Gao Ying and the imperial court exerting some instinctive effect, Xihai is in dire straits. If an Ming leader like Yuan Ke were in power, Xihai would not even be able to make waves...
Li Shixian couldn't help but regret a little: Why did he force Li Chengzhi to raise an army like crazy in the first place?
If I spent several years at night and accumulated more, it wouldn't be as difficult as it is now.
It's a pity that there is no regret medicine in the world...
He shook his head, cleared his thoughts, and asked doubtfully: "Xing Luan only has 50,000 surrender troops under his command, where did the 20,000 fine cavalry come from?"
"What's so difficult about this?"
Wei Zijian sighed slightly, "Although Xingluan's troops only have more than 50,000 troops, Yuan Yao and Xi Kangsheng are nearby, with a total of 200,000 troops. Although they are all surrendered troops, most of them are from the town army in Beizhen. Among them,
There are many people who are skilled with bows and horses, and who have been in battle for a long time. It is said that under the heavy reward, there must be brave men. With a little preparation and some generous profits, it will be a strong army...
And the imperial court is not short of horses. The Heyang Racecourse alone raises more than a million horses, and it can train 100,000 war horses in just one year. It is not difficult to organize 20,000 light cavalry..."
"Where do the food, grass and winter clothes come from?"
Li Shixian was even more puzzled, "The winter before last, Xi Kangsheng attacked Gao Zhao. If he had not persuaded the Guanzhong gentry to donate generously, most of the soldiers would have frozen to death outside Jinming City. But now it is Xing Luan who is chasing Li Feng and Li Feng in the cold winter of March 9th."
Thousands of miles away and not even a scratch?"
With such a hot pursuit, Xing Luan must have not prepared a rear army, and the food and grass camps could only be prepared by the cavalry.
Horses are easy to deal with: from the fertile fields to the West Sea, it is a vast area of thousands of miles, and most of it is land with abundant water and grass. Even in the severe winter, it is impossible for everything to be covered with heavy snow. If you keep walking like this, you can always find a place to herd horses.
But what should people do? They can’t chew grass like horses, right?
Assuming that one soldier had two kilograms of food per day, the daily requirement was 40,000 kilograms. Xing Lian chased for more than three months, which was four million kilograms, or more than 30,000 kilograms.
Of course, it is also possible that Yuan Yao Yin supported the grain and saved it from the mouths of the other soldiers. But where did the thick tents and winter clothes for the cavalry camp and march come from?
This is not an ordinary march, but a cavalry pursuit of the enemy in the vast wilderness in the cold winter of March 9th. Not only the people need felt tents and winter clothes, but also the horses need felt clothes.
Otherwise, within ten days, most of them would freeze to death.
Wei Zijian glanced at Li Shixian and remained silent.
He naturally knew the reason, but it would damage Li Chengzhi's reputation, so he refused to answer.
"I was just paranoid for a moment and fell into Yang's plan!"
Li Chengzhi sighed with regret and simply handed the secret report in his hand to Li Shixian.
Li Shixian glanced hastily and his eyes suddenly bulged.
The detailed work says: Just after the New Year, large quantities of grain, grass, silk, fur and other goods were shipped out from various states in Guanzhong, most of which were shipped to Beizhen. However, they were not forcefully summoned by the imperial court, but seemed to be donated by aristocratic families on their own initiative. It was just for transporting heavy carriages and horses.
, what is hanging is the family flag of the clan...
Li Shixian's hands trembled in shock: "Why is this happening?"
"It was the Yang family who lobbied the powerful Guanzhong family, saying that the country was in danger and it was everyone's responsibility, so why should the family be respected? He even donated all the Yang family's accumulation over several generations to the court for justice. And the Yang family has been the leader of the Guanzhong family for decades.
The impact was so far-reaching that other aristocratic families, either sincerely or helplessly, donated their money one after another...
It’s not just Guanzhong. In places such as Hedong, Shandong, Henan and other places, every commander and noble family has contributed more or less... and it’s not just that..."
Li Chengzhi sighed leisurely, "After the Queen Mother issued an imperial edict, the Prince of Qinghe took over as the regent, and they tried their best to reconsider and change the virtual title of 'grabbing nobility upon receiving millet' into a real title. Moreover, it was hereditary, and children and old men were not deceived...
"
Not to mention Li Shixian, even Cui Guang was shocked: "Even if it is sealed, it will definitely be an anointed place. But Guanzhong, Hedong, Shandong and other counties have already been sealed, so how can there be any vacancies?"
"There are only a few counties in these areas, how many officials can be granted?"
Li Chengzhi smiled helplessly, "As for Beidi, Six Towns, and even Hexi, there are more than a thousand large and small counties. Even if one county sells for a thousand dan, this is also a million dan of grain, not to mention Yuan Yi's sudden whim.
, all were given to "the one with the highest price", and a written statement was made: as long as civil strife is quelled, those who receive grain will be demoted to three levels and given actual duties.
For example, a county male (ranked from the fifth rank) can be appointed as county magistrate or county lieutenant (ranked from the eighth rank). For example, a county son (ranked from the fourth rank) can be appointed as a county captain or county captain (ranked from the seventh rank). If it is
A Sanhou (from the second rank) is the governor of a county... In this way, how is it different from a real seal?
And it’s not just that: if the father dies, the eldest son can inherit the title. If he has not been promoted to official position, he will be demoted one level. If the eldest son has been promoted, he can only inherit the title, and the actual official position can be inherited by the second son..."
Everyone in the hall was shocked: How can this be done?
Beidi and Six Towns had been beaten to pieces long ago. The officials of the prefectures and counties were either demoted to Gaozhao or fled back to the capital. Even if they were not beheaded, they were absolved of the crime of ineffective defense of the city. Now these two
The land is all under military control, and Yuan Yao and Xi Kangsheng will decide according to the actual situation, either appointing powerful officials to take over temporarily, or directly taking charge of it by military officers.
Without the imperial edict, there would naturally be no such official position. Now that Yuan Yi suddenly came up with the idea of "taking grain, conferring a title, demoting him to three levels and appointing him, the one with the highest price will get it." How could these temporary officials sit still?
In all likelihood, they will try their best to keep their official position. What's more, they will be given a noble title, and they will flock to it like ducks.
And like the rest of the sects, the powerful ones would naturally not stand by. After finally encountering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they had to take a gamble no matter what and find a way for their children to be born.
The reason why it is a bet is because the Yuan and Wei Dynasties are currently in a precarious situation, and the country may be destroyed one day, so naturally this official position cannot be counted.
But even if you change the dynasty, have an official status, have a title, your capital will be a little thicker, then you will surrender, and your qualifications will be higher than others.
What's more, there might be a day when the imperial court is no longer able to survive, or a rebel army enters the city, and 90% of the family's wealth cannot be saved. It is better to replace it with something practical as soon as possible.
If the imperial court wins, it will be the best. With an official position, the money and food donated will be recovered sooner or later.
Why not?
In other words, although the consequences of this move are not small, for the court, it is not a hundred times more powerful than compensating food, compensating people, ceding territory, and granting the country to Xihai?
What's more, if you can accept millet and grant titles, you can also offer troops and officers: for example, if you bring a hundred strong men, I will make you the leader of the team; if you bring a thousand, I will make you the leader of the army... This way Come on, don't you even have soldiers?
It was obviously a dead game, but it suddenly came alive?
Now that there are strong reinforcements from outside but no attack, Xihai is struggling to cope. There are good plans inside to recruit troops and horses, and to accumulate grain and armor. In this way, it will not take long, at most one to two years, for the imperial court to accumulate enough money. The strength to comprehensively counterattack the West Sea...
Cui Guang narrowed his eyes and asked in a cold voice: "Who made this plan?"
"It is rumored that Yang Bo offered it, but in my opinion, Yang Bo definitely does not have such ambition and courage!"
"Not to mention Yang Bo, even Yuan Yi and Yuan Yao have absolutely no such insight and determination. This move is definitely a sign of the destruction of the country. If the imperial court can really bring order to the chaos and stabilize the world, this prince and this official will definitely do the same. It cannot be given..."
Cui Guang's eyes flashed, "If you are not Yuan Cheng, you are Gao Zhao. One of these two people is a capable minister in governing the world, and the other is a hero in troubled times. Both of them have been in charge of the court for a long time. They have been under one person and above tens of thousands of people for a long time." ... Only in this way can we have an overview of the overall situation and use skill to overcome power..."
Li Chengzhi naturally knew Cui Guang's hidden intention.
If we really want to divide it like this, the world will be in the hands of powerful tycoons, and the emperor and the court will be like decorations, even worse than the Sima family in the later Jin Dynasty.
But it is better to quench the thirst of the country by using poison to quench the thirst. It is better for the country to die later than to die early.
It is even more possible that before the promise is fulfilled, the imperial court will have a solution, such as imprisoning Gao Ying, killing Yuan Yi to apologize to the world, and surviving for a while.
As for who provided the idea, it is meaningless to investigate now.
The difficult thing is, how can we avoid being led by others and break this dilemma?
It seems like there is no other way besides fighting?
And the sooner the better.
If the imperial court really recruits enough soldiers and horses and accumulates enough food and grass, will it be too late to attack?
After pondering for a long time, Li Chengzhi sighed: "Let's fight. While Li Song is holding Rouran in Moxi and Tuyuhun is watching, paralyze the court first... When we meet on a narrow road, the brave will win!"