In the small conference room of Yanhe Hall, I asked Xiao Qi to make tea, and motioned Jia Sidao and Chen Yuan to sit down. Then I got straight to the point: "Chen Yuan, I'm here to ask you, what do you think of the current situation in Song and Mongolia?" And how do you view Annan’s future?”
Chen Yuan said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty, the war between Song and Mongolia is about to break out. I, the King of Annan, hope that the Song Dynasty will win. As for Annan, I will always respect the Song Dynasty as the Celestial Dynasty and pay tribute every year."
I shook my head and said calmly: "Chen Yuan, I think you are a sensible person. That's why I plan to talk to you from the bottom of my heart. Look here, except for me and the Grand Master, there is no one else. It's because I want to hear it." Listen to what's in your heart, not your high-sounding prevarications."
Chen Yuan's face turned red. Then he stood up and said: "Your Majesty, it is indeed as your Majesty said between Song and Mongolia. The outcome is indistinguishable. In terms of military strength, Mongolia is slightly better. But the Song Dynasty has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. If there is any resistance, you can still fight."
"It is precisely because it is difficult to predict the outcome. That's why you, Annan, adopted the strategy of not wanting to offend both sides."
Chen Yuan smiled coquettishly: "Your Majesty, in fact, I, Lord Annan, still have my heart set for the Heavenly Kingdom."
I also smiled and drank a cup of tea and said, "I understand this too. However, it is impossible for Song and Meng to confront each other for a long time. No matter who wins, Annan's ending must be the same as that of Dali."
Chen Yuan was shocked when he heard what I said. He said to himself, "This is the real topic."
"Chen Yuan, let's not mention this for now. You have had a lot of contact with our country. What do you think has changed in our country in the past one or two years?"
Chen Yuan said sincerely: "Your Majesty, in the past two years, all aspects of the Song Dynasty have made great progress. When Chen Yuan came this time, what he saw and heard along the way was very different from last time. The most direct reaction It means that people's living standards have been greatly improved. After coming to Lin'an, I found that the city is becoming more and more prosperous. And the whole city is full of vitality. It's like a vibrant young man."
"Chen Yuan. What about the lives of you Annan people?"
"Your Majesty, it is incomparable. Our land of Annan is no less than a hundred years behind the Song Dynasty."
"Really? Chen Yuan. You are also the chief minister in Annan. I heard that you are a good and dedicated official. However, the way to be an official is to benefit the people. To benefit the people here. In other words, We must make the lives of the people easier day by day. The so-called etiquette is known in the warehouse. Do you think the people of Annan have met the basic living requirements of adequate food and clothing?"
"Well, only a few people have achieved this."
"Well, Chen Yuan, I agree with what you said. In Annan, except for a few high-ranking officials and nobles, the lives of ordinary people are very difficult."
Chen Yuan said ashamedly: "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Chen Yuan. When the gap between rich and poor in a region exceeds a certain limit, what do you think will happen in this region?"
"This. Well..."
"I know you also have the answer in your heart. When people are unable to meet their basic needs, they will first complain. When this complaint expands to a certain level, it will cause turmoil and even rebellion."
Chen Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and whispered: "Yes. Yes. Your Majesty, it is your pleasure."
"This is not because my knowledge is superior to others. But thousands of years of history have proven this. Chen Yuan, just imagine. Even if there is no external erosion, if the lives of the people of Annan become more and more difficult, will there be turmoil? What’s the situation?”
I continued: "Chen Yuan, as an important minister of Annan, you must not be able to bear to see this situation happen. In the land of Annan today, Chen Huang abdicated and continued to be regent. Of course Chen Huang was unwilling to be controlled. There are two tigers in one mountain. So Secondly, between Song and Mongolia, Annan was wavering and just wanted to stand in the middle. Chen Yuan, you are also an old man in the political arena. Naturally you should know that in the early stage of the cruel political struggle, the centrists were competing for each other. The target to win over. But once the dust settles, what will happen to the centrists? It must be very miserable. If they want to have both sides, they will eventually be abandoned. This is indecisive. Besides, the land of Annan is poor in resources and economically backward. What do you do to make the people have enough food and clothing?"
Chen Yuan was silent for a moment and then said: "Your Majesty's intention is..."
"Chen Yuan. The Annan area speaks Chinese and writes Chinese characters. It is not much different from our dynasty. I pursue the idea of unification. Of course, it is too early to say this now. You Annan are currently adopting a neutral approach. I acquiesce. But when I send my troops to the Northern Expedition, destroy Mongolia, and regain the mountains and rivers, I will definitely bring Annan into the territory of our Song Dynasty. I will let the people of Annan live a life of abundant food and clothing."
As the chief minister of the Annan Kingdom, Chen Yuan was certainly aware of the situation at hand. The Mongolian Khan Kublai Khan inherited the strength of his ancestor Genghis Khan. He continued to conquer the east and west, commanding the Mongolian cavalry to fight everywhere. And he was invincible. And the Song Dynasty The new emperor is very different from the previous Song emperors. His momentum even far exceeds that of the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin. What is even more puzzling is that the new emperor of the Song Dynasty did not put on the "style" of the Celestial Dynasty and was content to accept the surroundings. The small country paid tribute. Not long ago, the Song Dynasty had incorporated the Ryukyu Islands into its territory and established the Ryukyu Province. This was undoubtedly a demonstration to the world. The unification behavior of the Song Dynasty had been clearly revealed. The small country of Annan was in a tiny place. Between two tigers, the outcome is not difficult to guess.
Chen Yuan was silent for a moment and asked: "Your Majesty, Chen Yuan has a question. Can I ask it?"
"Speaking."
"Your Majesty believes that the upcoming war between Song Dynasty and Mongolia has a certain probability for the Song Dynasty."
I said without hesitation: "I am absolutely sure."
"Very good." Chen Yuan took a sip of hot tea. It seemed to give him courage. Then he continued: "Your Majesty, since the rise of Genghis Khan in Mongolia, he has unified the desert, wiped out the Jin Kingdom, and recovered Xixia and Goryeo. Ten Years ago, the Dali Kingdom was annexed. It enjoyed great glory for a while. Although the Song Dynasty held on to half of the country, its military strength deteriorated from bad to worse after Duanping entered Luo. Six years ago, Liu Zheng in central Sichuan surrendered, which undoubtedly made matters worse. How can we say, sir, that your Majesty has a 100% chance of winning in the future battle between Song and Meng?"
Chen Yuan's idea is the idea of most people in the world today. In everyone's opinion, even if it is 50-50, it slightly favors the Song Dynasty. The most reasonable odds of winning should be Mongolia's 60% and the Song Dynasty's 40%. This 40% The main reason is because of the danger of the Yangtze River and the solidity of the city.
Jia Sidao on the side was holding a wine glass. He seemed to really want to know my answer.
I smiled and said, "Chen Yuan, there are three main reasons that determine the outcome of a war. The first is financial resources. The second is material resources. The third is manpower. Do you agree with this?"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right."
"Okay. Let me analyze these three points one by one. The first is financial resources. I think there is no need to explain this point. Our country's financial resources are stronger than Mongolia. Especially in the past two years, with the development of the economy, I The treasury of the DPRK is becoming increasingly abundant. Although Kublai Khan of Mongolia also wants to develop the economy, this great khan who grew up on horseback is far inferior to our DPRK at this point. The second is material resources. Although over the years, the Mongolians have The territory is getting bigger and bigger. However, the land it gains is not a wealthy place. Let me give a simple example. The armor and weapons of our soldiers are better than the equipment of Mongolian soldiers. Compare the entire military supplies. Except Except for the war horses, our dynasty can outperform everyone. As for the third point, I think it is what you are most concerned about."
Chen Yuan nodded subconsciously and said: "Exactly."
"The direct factor that determines the outcome of a war is military strength. Everyone knows what military strength is. It is the combat effectiveness of the army. Everyone says that our dynasty has never had a good general since Meng Gong. The Mongolian cavalry is invincible. The army of our Song Dynasty can only Relying on the city to fight defensive wars. If we compare the overall military strength of the two sides, the quality of the Mongols' individual soldiers is far better than that of the Song soldiers. Maybe you think so too. I won't judge this for the time being."
"We have just occupied the Ryukyu Islands. Grand Master is very aware of this. Chen Yuan, you must have heard about it. The cause of this incident was that our navy wanted to annihilate the pirate Zhang Xuan who had been entrenched in our waters for a long time. The people of Ryukyu actually protected Zhang Xuan and allowed him to land on the island to escape. Our court had no choice but to do it. Zhang Xuan did many evil things at sea. He intercepted and killed ships and smuggled contraband to the north. He had already violated the law and justice. It’s time to wipe it out. Our army has conquered it several times before, but all failed. Why did it succeed this time? Think about it. This is not because Zhang Xuan’s strength is not as good as before. And I am facing the water. As for the division, it is still the same men and horses. The men, horses, warships and ships have not changed. But the combat effectiveness of our army has obviously changed. It has become stronger. What is the reason for this? I believe you all understand it roughly."
I answered myself: "It's because the morale of our Great Song Navy has changed. It's because our Great Song Navy has the belief that we must win. It's because our Great Song Navy has a soul that belongs to them. And this soul has spread throughout our country. In other words, our army has regained its own military soul. A hundred years ago, our dynasty had an invincible Yue Family Army. What did they rely on to win? It was because the Yue Family Army had its own military soul. Now, all the armies of our dynasty have this kind of military spirit. Can't they still win?"
I looked at the speechless Chen Yuandao: "Mr. Chen Yuan, let me go back to the previous questions. In fact, good generals exist at all times. Didn't the ancients say that there are always horses with a thousand li, but there are not always Bo Le? Just like I said before. Li Tingzhi, the commander of the Yangzhou Military Region, was personally promoted by the Grand Master. During the several years that Li Tingzhi guarded Yangzhou, the Mongols did not dare to invade. Others such as Xia Gui, Lu Wende, Gao Gao, Zhang Jue, etc. were all capable of conquest. Good generals who are accustomed to fighting. Both I and Taishi Jia are rare Bole in the world. With Bole, there is no need to worry about not having good generals. As for the invincibility of the Mongolian cavalry, that is because the Mongolians grew up on horseback. Their cavalry He is invincible in shooting kung fu. I admit this. But this situation only exists before the cavalry nemesis appears. If the power of the Mongolian cavalry is restricted, it will undoubtedly mean that the tiger has its teeth pulled out. Relatively speaking, it will be very easy. It’s easy to deal with. As a result, the problem of relying on the city to fight defensive wars and the ability of individual soldiers no longer exists.”