This year, many people in the Song, Xia, and Liao kingdoms were not living in peace, especially Zhao Guangyi. Xichuan had already sent heavy troops, but this time it was far more difficult to suppress the bandits. Although a large number of troops and materials were deployed, so far, the results were not good.
big.
The reason for this is that in addition to the fact that the bandits' activities have disrupted Xichuan's bureaucracy and prevented it from functioning normally, the bandits' different methods from the past played a huge role. In the past, when Zhao Dezhu was the leader of the bandits, he was completely
They were just like bandits. Even if they captured a city, they would not defend it. After looting, they would leave without waiting for the officers and soldiers to arrive.
At that time, the suppression of bandits usually involved the imperial army entering the mountains to sweep up. After Zhao Dezhu died, the court thought it was a major blow to the rebel bandits. Unexpectedly, Tong Yu became even more difficult to deal with than Zhao Dezhu after he succeeded him. Tong Yu has been in power since he took the throne.
After taking the top position in the rebel army, he changed his previous practice of wandering around after a battle. Every time he conquered a city, in addition to plundering the treasuries and gentry for armaments, he also opened warehouses to provide food relief, infiltrated the people, and performed official duties.
The cities he chose when attacking were no longer those that were nearby and had no purpose. Instead, he chose places with great influence and where they could help each other with the cities he already occupied. At the same time, he was still at Bashan Shu River.
Base areas began to be established in dangerous and difficult places, allowing the old, weak, sick, disabled, women and children to stay in these strongholds built deep in the mountains and swamps. Only loyal and brave warriors were left under their command. At the same time, these troops were reorganized and established.
There are four armies of Heroic, Valiant, Fighting, and Victory. Each army only has 20,000 people. Although the number is small, the weapons and equipment are relatively sophisticated, and the combat effectiveness is ten times that of before.
At the same time, Tong Yu also strengthened the implementation of military discipline. In the past, after conquering the city, he said that he only robbed the wealthy gentry and powerful people. In fact, if a well-off family has a strong family, it is inevitable that they will become a fish in the pond. There are those whose women are outstanding in beauty, and they rebel against the army.
When entering the city, it is inevitable that someone will cause harm. Although these rebels were originally ordinary people with no family, once they hold the handle of the knife in their hands, their ferocity and greed are no less than that of bandits.
After Tong Yu strictly enforced military discipline, he required Qiu to commit no crime every time he conquered a city. The required supplies were first used from the treasury. When the supplies were insufficient, he called on the people to report local wealthy and unscrupulous businessmen and tyrants, and confiscated their property to make up for the shortage.
If there is any surplus, he will give it to the people. However, from those gentry families with a good reputation, he will never take a penny even if their wealth is millions.
As a result, Tong Yu's army gained great popularity among the people. In the past, when they attacked a city, the local gentry and wealthy businessmen spared no effort to support the government in all aspects of life, property and property. But now it is quite different. Sometimes when a city is captured, it is indeed as Zhou Weiyong, the prefect of Chengdu, said
Wherever the flag came, it fell in the wind without even a decent resistance.
Wang Xiaobo, who held the third most important position in the rebel army, became Tong Yu's most relied-upon staff. He proposed for him, "I am ill and the wealth is unequal, but now it is for you to balance it. My illness and heavy taxation are now for you to reduce it."
"Those who are busy tilling the fields have no land, now I will divide it for you" slogan. They did exactly this. Everywhere they went, they helped the poor, exempted and exempted taxes, and divided the fields, thus winning the hearts of the people.
Tong Yu's series of actions made this group of roaming bandits begin to look like a regular army, while Wang Xiaobo's series of actions gave this army the characteristics of a political power.
I no longer dare to take it lightly.
The situation on the Hexi side also began to become complicated. Taking advantage of the conflict between the Liao Kingdom and the Xia Kingdom in the Fengtai Mountain area, Pan Mei organized several counterattacks. Although he now had limited troops and no advantage, he still achieved certain results.
As a result of the victory, the Xia army was forced to abandon some forts and beacons on the eastern outpost of Hengshan. Unexpectedly, the Song side had just gained the upper hand, and the Liao side immediately stopped attacking. Empress Dowager Xiao's envoys also rushed to the Xia country at this time, and both sides
Negotiations began. While negotiating with the Liao State, the Xia State concentrated its forces and launched several counterattacks against the Song State, recapturing some forts. The outcome was half-win for both sides. Overall, it was still a stalemate.
situation.
One was southwest and the other northwest, which troubled Zhao Guangyi. The New Year holiday had just ended, and after the court meeting was held early in the morning, he immediately left several leaders from all walks of life in the military and government to discuss the two in Wende Palace.
It was a big headache for him.
After several ministers had finished paying their respects, Zhao Guangyi said straight to the point: "My dear friends, now that Xichuan is rotten and Hexi is in a stalemate, it is very difficult for the court to pay attention to both sides.
There is no peace in Huyungui and even Guanzhong, and this inner trouble must be eliminated. Yang Hao of Hexi rebelled and ignored the imperial court. This is a treasonous act and must be punished to scare the world. However, in the current situation, the southwest and northwest are fighting. Who is in charge?
Who is inferior, who is less important and who is more important? What do you, dear friends, do you think?"
Regarding the military, Privy Councilor Cao Bin, as the supreme leader of the military, should naturally express his opinions first, and immediately went out to the squad and said: "Your Majesty, the people of Xichuan gathered in crowds to rebel.
Again, Wang Quanbin turned his troops into bandits and looted everywhere, which aroused public resentment. The recent reason was that after our country unified Xichuan, the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes imposed by the former Shu were not abolished. The people's lives were difficult and they had no livelihood. The salt tea policy was introduced again.
Big problems, such as these, have led to the boiling of grievances among the people. At this time, natural disasters occurred frequently, and they just started to rise up.
Speaking of which, the Xichuan bandits are just some desperate people who plundered everywhere in order to get food. The harm they caused is completely different from that in Hexi. Therefore, I believe that the Xichuan bandits should be suppressed and appeased. On the one hand, they should deal with the stubborn ones.
Those who failed were surrounded and suppressed by heavy troops. On the one hand, they abolished exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, adjusted the Xichuan salt and tea policy, provided food for disaster relief, and cut off the source of the chaos. Then the disaster would be eliminated naturally. However, Yang Hao of Hexi Province was originally a minister of the Song Dynasty, but he rebelled in the territory. He was not punished.
Why should we warn the world? Now that Yang Hao has just proclaimed himself the emperor and founded the country, his foundation is shallow, and he is at odds with the Liao people, it is a good opportunity given to our court by God. The court should stabilize the Northern Dynasty, use heavy troops to attack Hexi, and complete the victory in one battle."
"Master Cao, what you said is wrong."
Zhang Jie immediately went out to retort: "Towards Xichuan, I also agree with the use of both kindness and power, suppression and appeasement. However, as for the Hexi policy, I feel that Lord Cao's idea is a bit wishful thinking."
Cao Bin did not feel dissatisfied, and raised his hands and said: "Master Zhang, if you have any opinions, Cao is willing to hear the details."
Zhang Jie said: "Internal troubles have always been more important than foreign troubles. The rebellion in Xichuan was caused by the people of the Song Dynasty causing chaos in the territory of the Song Dynasty. The soldiers and horses Yang Hao commanded, the territory under his jurisdiction, and the people he governed were all based on the Tuoba clan in Hexi.
As the foundation, it was built by expanding the Jade Gate to the west. Which of the two is further away and which is closer, and who will be harmed less and who is more harmed? Xichuan is the heart of the imperial court. If it is not calmed down for a long time, its vitality will be damaged.
As for the Xichuan bandits, they are just desperate people who plundered everywhere and had no ambitions. Mr. Cao underestimated the damage done by them. Qiang Qin unified the six countries, Weijia Yunei, and was as strong as ever, but
The cause of the overthrow of the Qin Empire was the rebellion of a group of mud-legged people in Daze Township. Since ancient times, when the old was replaced by the new and the political power changed, how many times did it start with ordinary people acting as bandits and causing trouble for one party?
Those grassroots people may really have no ambitions, but when they have matured, the ambitions and ambitions of their leaders are naturally not as good as in the past. Furthermore, even if they have never had the ambition to pursue the country, there are still ambitious people who will do it to them.
Utilize. When Zhao Dezhu, the bandit leader of Xichuan, was here, he led the bandits to plunder everywhere and gather in the mountains and forests. They were indeed a group of bandits with no ambitions. Now... what they are doing clearly has the intention of establishing a political power. Once they really let them
It has become a climate, and its harm is particularly severe in Hexi."
These words were fair. Lu Yuqing, Xue Juzheng and others nodded after hearing this, and Zhang Ji said: "Looking at Hexi, how easy is it to win all the achievements in one battle? We, the Song Dynasty, have just gained the upper hand, and the Liao people, who have always been fierce and arrogant,
We immediately called a truce with the Xia people. What's the explanation? We just didn't want to give the Song Kingdom an opportunity to take advantage of it. Even if the Liao Kingdom didn't interfere with it, there is chaos in Xichuan in the court now, and it would be impossible to conquer Hexi overnight."
Lu Duoxun twisted his beard and asked: "Then according to Master Zhang, the imperial court should focus on Xichuan, take Xichuan first, and then conquer Hexi?"
Zhang Jie smiled slightly and asked instead: "Master Lu, do you think the fundamental enemy of our dynasty is in Hexi or in the north of Saibei?"
Lu Duoxun was startled. Seeing everyone looking at him, he had to reply: "Of course it is in the north of the Great Wall. Even if Yang Hao becomes emperor, he is just a small vassal in Hexi. The land in Hexi is barren and the people are poor, so it is difficult to achieve great things. Since ancient times,
Since then, my most serious troubles in the Central Plains have always come from the Northern Saipan, the Xiongnu, the Turks, and even the Khitan today, it’s all like this.”
Zhang Jie smiled and said: "That's it. Saibei is our great enemy in the Central Plains. Since the Sixteenth Province of Youyun fell into the hands of the Northern Kingdom, the threat from the Northerners to our Central Plains has become even greater. Because of this, the former
Emperor Shizong of our dynasty personally conquered the Northern Kingdom and recaptured the three states of Ying, Mo, and Yi. Emperor Taizu of our dynasty, at the beginning of the founding of the country, set the national policy of moving from the south to the north, with easy things first and difficult ones later. He also wanted to regain Yanyun
.
After the late emperor unified the Central Plains, he refused to accept the invitation of his ministers to give him the title of "Unify Taiping" because the late emperor never forgot that You Yan had not yet returned. Today, the imperial commander personally marched to conquer the Han Dynasty, in order to eliminate the resistance to regain You Yan. When the ministers come, the late emperor
Your legacy will be fulfilled in the hands of the Holy One, and the title of "Unifying Peace" will be bestowed upon the Holy One by us."
After hearing this, Zhao Guangyi's face suddenly flashed red. "Conquering the Han Dynasty in person" was the most glorious feat in his life so far. When Zhang Ji mentioned it, he was naturally very excited. And the title of "unifying peace"
In the previous dynasty, Sejong Chai did not get it, and Emperor Taizu did not get it. If it could be added to his imperial title, he would be able to surpass Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin. He is now the emperor, rich all over the world, and his status is unparalleled.
When people are on par with each other, what else can he pursue? The only pursuit is to have a status in the history books. To surpass Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin and become the emperor with the most brilliant civil and martial arts after Emperor Qin, Han, Wu and Tang Taizong. This idea makes his blood boil.
Seeing that Zhang Jie had successfully aroused the official's ambitions, he became more determined and said eloquently: "Now, Hexi has become a force of its own. If it joins forces with the North, the west and the north join forces to suppress the Song Dynasty, we will have two sides."
The enemy's plan to plot Youyan will be in vain. The Liao and Xia are currently at odds with each other. This is a God-given opportunity that should be taken advantage of. If Yang Hao continues to suppress Yang Hao blindly, he is afraid that he will have no choice but to completely surrender to the Liao Kingdom. Isn't that right?
Self-defeating.”
When Zhao Guangyi heard him mention the feat of conquering the Han Dynasty with his imperial chariot, he looked quite proud of himself, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but his face darkened, and he said displeasedly: "Yang Hao proclaimed himself king as a minister, facing south.
To turn his back to the north is an act of treason. If we don't attack him, how can we warn the world? Is it because we are afraid of joining forces with the Northern Dynasty, so we cannot recognize his throne?"
Zhang Jie hurriedly bowed and said: "I don't dare. What I mean is that the people under Yang Hao's jurisdiction and the land he controls are all the five prefectures and Hexi prefectures. The troops he leads will come from
The old troops of the Dingnan Army came from the Susa prefectures in Gansu and Liang in Hexi, and they were recruited from the Western Regions. The Song Dynasty was just established and we had no time to go west. The people and lands mentioned above were not under the original rule of the Song Dynasty.
, it is better to be in the hands of Yang Hao now than to be in the hands of the Dangxiang, Tubo, and Huihe leaders. Of course, the premise is that Yang Hao can still regard himself as a minister of the Song Dynasty.
Yang Hao had no such ambitions when he proclaimed himself emperor. In fact, it was because the imperial army was marching westward. His status was embarrassing and he could not advance or retreat. He had no choice but to do so. Therefore, if the imperial court could take advantage of the bad relations between Xia and Liao, call off the war and send envoys to convince them.
Since he has lost his imperial title and been demoted to a lower level, he still considers himself a Song minister, so that he can be restrained in his name. In this way, our court can free up its hands to pacify Xichuan first and relieve its worries. At the same time, it can also completely
Cutting off the connection between Xia and Liao and clarifying our sovereignty over Hexi can be said to kill two birds with one stone.
After that, when Xichuan is pacified and the time is right, you can go to the Northern Expedition or the Western Expedition. If you want to go to the Northern Expedition, Hexi will be weak and alone, and it is already under the control of the imperial court. But if you have any luck, you will not cause trouble and be willing to do anything.
The pioneer of the Liao Kingdom. As long as the imperial court shows kindness, it can appease them and make the northwest sit on the wall and watch, without hindering the imperial court. If you want to conquer the west, the rear area will be peaceful at that time, which will be much easier than now. "
Luo Kedi shook his head slightly when he heard this and said: "In the past, Li Yu of the Tang Dynasty also demoted himself as emperor, but he failed to stop our army from going south. Learning from the past, now that Yang Hao has proclaimed himself emperor, Anken believed in the imperial court's appeasement, demoted himself, and removed
Emperor's title? If he attached himself to the Liao Kingdom, he could at least keep his throne. Between the Song and Liao Dynasties, he would not choose the Song Kingdom."
Mr. Luo, who always believed in doing more and talking less, stood aside with his eyes half-opened and half-closed, as if he was asleep. It wasn't until his son spoke that his old eyes opened slightly. After listening to his son's words, there was nothing missing.
At a certain point, the upper and lower eyelids are closed again, and the appearance is just more breathtaking than the Longting stone pillar next to it.
Zhang Ji had already accepted Yang Hao's request, and he was confident. Hearing this, he said with emotion: "The Han Kingdom is willing to be a pawn of the Liao Kingdom. What will happen to it is also a lesson learned from the past. Of course, where to go depends on Yang Hao's choice, but if we can take the initiative to recruit
, convince him, how can I know that he will not choose our court? What's more, now that there is a dispute between Liao and Xia, this is a good opportunity. If you seize the opportunity, you can get twice the result with half the effort. If you can talk the right way, why worry about not being able to do it?
Convince Yang Hao?"
When Zhang Jie said this, he bowed his hand to Zhao Guangyi and said: "If the Holy One agrees, Zhang Jie is willing to preside over the affairs of the imperial court and persuade Yang Hao to surrender to the government!"
Zhao Guangyi thought about the situation in Xichuan that was getting worse and worse, and then thought about the always arrogant and arrogant Liao Kingdom, and its performance before and after the Song army went to war, and he felt a little moved. The two vassals of Linfu were determined to solve the problem of the five states, and then
The Tubo and Uighurs heading west had never been under the control of the imperial court before. Now the imperial court has captured the two prefectures of Linfu. However, the disastrous defeat at Black Snake Ridge stopped the offensive at Hengshan. If Yang Hao could be forced to surrender again, Linfu would
Now that it has been obtained, the imperial court will withdraw its troops from Hexi in a dignified manner for the time being, and why not plan for it later in the future? The Southern Tang and Northern Han Dynasties are both insurmountable, and today's Xia Kingdom seems to be no better than the Tang and Han Dynasties.
Not inferior, the imperial court cannot expend all its strength in Hexi. Zhang Ji is right, the most threatening to the Song Dynasty is the Liao Kingdom, and the Liao Kingdom will not sit back and watch the Song Kingdom occupy Hexi, and just accept it as soon as possible...
The more Zhao Guangyi thought about it, the more he felt that this delaying strategy had made Lu Duoxun watch his words. Seeing Zhao Guangyi's expression, he couldn't help but secretly thought that something was wrong. He thought of the history books that Zhao Guangyi had read a few days ago and suddenly realized: "This is simply the emperor's intention.
, The Holy One wanted to imitate the Han Dynasty and control Hexi and control Mobei. If Mobei was determined, Hexi would naturally surrender. However, Yang Hao turned out to be a rebellious minister. The Holy One was embarrassed and could not take the initiative to compromise. Zhang Jie... was afraid that he had been instructed by the Holy One.
I just came up with this idea."
Thinking of this, Lu Duoxun suddenly felt a sense of crisis. He consciously checked Zhao Guangyi's pulse. He was afraid that Zhao Guangyi would nod immediately and agreed, so he had to show off to show that he and the Holy Father had always been in sync with each other, so he left work in a hurry.
The memorial said: "Your Majesty, I think what Lord Zhang Jie saw is very true. In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty regarded the Xiongnu in Mobei as his great enemy. In order to fear that the Western Region would be hindered, he took the initiative to form an alliance with King Wusun. Once the Xiongnu was defeated, the Western Region
Surrender without a fight. If not, it would not have been easy for Han Wu to march straight in and defeat the Xiongnu.
Yang Hao in Hexi Province rose to the occasion. However, its land is barren, its people are fierce, and the imperial army is pressing down on the territory. The Zahu tribes under its jurisdiction can still work together. Once the external forces are gone, Yang Hao wants to integrate the Tubo and Uighur tribes.
It is as difficult as climbing to the sky to use it for one's own benefit. Internal strife has arisen on its own during the intervening period, and there is too much time to take care of the outside world. If the imperial court can restrain Yang Hao now, it can solve the problem of using troops on two sides and concentrate on quelling the rebellion in Xichuan. In the future, if it wants to conquer the Khitan in the north, it can also order Yang Hao.
Hao sat on the wall and watched. Once You Yan is obtained, Yang Hao will be nothing more than the second Chen Hongjin. Apart from offering the land to receive it, is there any other option?"
The most important place in Zhao Guangyi's heart is also Youyan. The reason why Hexi must be attacked is because Yang Hao became emperor and his former ministers were equal to him. This was something he could not accept in any case. He did not think that Hexi alone could pose any threat to the Central Plains.
, but it will be different once Hexi joins forces with the Liao Kingdom. And now it is clear that the harder the Xia Kingdom is beaten, the greater the possibility of an alliance between Liao and Xia. Since the plan of a surprise attack and quick war has stopped at Lin Mansion, no more can be obtained.
It is indeed a good choice to end the Hexi War with dignity and concentrate all efforts on solving the Xichuan Rebellion first.
As for the Xia Kingdom, when Xichuan is pacified in the future, if you want to take Xichuan, you can follow the example of the emperor's brother and summon Yang Hao, a minister, to come to see you. If he comes, you can put him under house arrest in the capital. If he doesn't come, I'm afraid there will be no excuse for him to come again.
Conquer Hexi. The more Zhao Guangyi thought about it, the more he felt that this was the most appropriate way to deal with it. Now that the two prime ministers he relied on most agreed, Zhao Guangyi was determined. He nodded and was about to speak when Lu Duoxun took a step forward and said: "
When Yang Hao was the minister of Honglu Temple, he was quite familiar with me. I am willing to share your majesty's worries and negotiate with Yang Hao to persuade him to surrender."
Zhao Guangyi was overjoyed and said happily: "Okay, in that case, I will leave this matter to my two beloved ministers. The two beloved ministers have the talents of Su Qin and Zhang Yi. With my two beloved ministers assisting me, I can expect great success! Hahaha...