Chapter 431 Jiang Donglai Lobbying
Tan Yousan then coughed again and reported to him that the Logistics Department of the Ministry of War had arranged for the production of a large number of tools and farm implements as early as the beginning of the Central Plains War, and they would soon be shipped to Kaifeng. The brothers still needed to work together to solve the problem of eating.
The brothers immediately became happy.
Zhao Yulin said seriously: You San is not lying. It is obviously unrealistic to rely solely on Guanzhong, Jinghu or Jiangnan to transport grain and grass to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of people.
The Central Plains at present is vast and sparsely populated, which is just right for us to cultivate land, be self-reliant, and develop production to support ourselves.
At this point, he whispered a secret mission to Li Da Kui who was stationed in Daming County, telling him that as long as he could accomplish this task, the entire army would have food to eat, and perhaps they could even recapture Shandong without bloodshed.
Everyone looked at them curiously.
Da Kui was already happy and promised him that he would do it when he got back and would do a good job for the Third Young Master.
The Central Plains had just been recovered, and they had to eliminate the bandits, wipe out the gangsters, and eliminate the few Mongolian strongholds along the Yellow River. There were so many things to do that the brothers discussed until dawn.
After going out, Zhao Yulin saw that Tan Yousan looked unhappy and asked him what was wrong with him.
Are you sick?
He coughed three times and then smiled and said it was okay. He had been feeling the urge to cough twice recently to feel better, so he was not sick.
However, Zhao Yulin felt as if he was wrapped in a layer of plastic cloth. He was worried that something was wrong with his health, so he urged him to find a royal physician to check him out before letting him go.
In Jiankang Prefecture, Meng Gong's arrow wound has healed. After he finished his military duties, he asked his maid to watch over him while he basked in the sun in the yard.
The Minister of History of Lin'an Prefecture sent Yang Daquan to Jiankang Prefecture to make contact. When he saw Meng Gong looking relaxed as if he was on vacation, he said to him in a reproachful tone: "The Minister of History has always been concerned about Meng Gong. Meng Gong did not go to Lin'an to visit the Minister of History even after he arrived at the river. Isn't this a bit unreasonable?"
After hearing these words, Meng Gong felt conflicted.
Yang Daquan was right. In his early years, Meng Gong was considered a subordinate of Shi's son, and he took good care of Meng Gong in the Jinghu war zone. But now Meng Gong is the deputy director of the Central Council of the New Song Dynasty. Shi's son did not even have an official appointment from the Central Council of the New Song Dynasty. He appointed himself as the Pacifier of Liangzhe and wanted to be above Meng Gong?
What is this called?
Even if Meng Gong was willing to condescend and cross the river to reminisce with Shi Xiang, the Chengdu Central Academy would definitely be dissatisfied with Meng Gong's actions. Because he represented the attitude of the New Song Academy, which would cause others to misunderstand and be imitated by later generations, which is definitely not a good thing.
Meng Gong replied perfunctorily in a lukewarm tone: He is busy with military affairs. There are constant wars in the north. He has to dispatch troops and organize logistical supplies to supply the war at the front. He cannot leave for a while.
At that time, the Shenwei Army and the Mongolian Army were fighting fiercely in Xuzhou. Meng Gong's words were well-founded and no one could refute them.
However, Yang Daquan relied on the support of Shi Xiang and did not take Meng Gong's position in the New Song Dynasty court seriously. He was still dreaming in the corner of the Lin'an court. This guy continued to blame Meng Gong for staying in Jiankang for almost half a year. He could always find time to go to Lin'an when he was busy. Shi Xiang had a lot of intimate things to tell Meng Gong.
Yang Daquan kept talking about the prime minister, and had no idea about the new Song Dynasty. Judging from the situation, he almost said that he wanted to bring Meng Gong to Lin'an to join him.
This made Meng Gong unhappy. He picked up the tea bowl and drank tea without saying a word.
The maid A Qian standing by knew that Lord Meng was wounded by an arrow, but he was still busy handling military and government affairs despite his pain. He was so busy that he didn't have much free time.
She took care of Meng Gong's daily life and admired the general's heroism. She felt that Meng Gong was wronged and refused to accept it, so she took the opportunity of refilling the water to say that Yang Gong did not know that Meng Gong was wounded by an arrow and had to worry about state affairs and the war on the front line. He slept very little every day and was really tired.
Yang Daquan said with dissatisfaction: When a master is talking, how can a lowly servant have the right to interrupt? It's really unruly.
This really pissed off Old Meng.
How could this guy know that A Qian was Meng Gong's personal maid, who usually took good care of him and made him very comfortable. They had already secretly become pregnant, so how could he allow her to be yelled at and humiliated like this?
Meng Gong immediately said unhappily: "Ah Qian is my wife, what can't be said?" He motioned for Ah Qian to sit down next to him and have tea.
A Qian's face immediately blushed, she was so happy.
All along, they both acted as if they were strangers in front of outsiders and didn't break the window paper. Today, Yang Daquan came to cause trouble, and old Meng Chongtian got angry for his beloved and directly exposed their good deeds. She finally became Meng Gong 's wife in a legitimate way and was very happy.
Yang Daquan was confused. How could he accidentally step on a landmine?
He smiled awkwardly and said that he really had no idea and was sorry for being rude, and asked Mr. Meng to forgive him.
Meng Gong said coldly that he was tired and that they would stop here today. Then he served tea and sent Yang Daquan away without even looking at him.
Yang Daquan left the government office in a daze and got angry as soon as he entered the posthouse: Humph, Meng Heizi is so brave and capable that he actually dares to brush his sleeve?
The deputy envoy said cautiously: "Meng Gong is now the deputy director of the Central Council of the New Song Dynasty. Even if Shi Xiang's status as the pacification envoy is confirmed by Chengdu, he is only a road-level officer. Meng Gong decides who will be the superior of the road-level officer. The New Song Dynasty does not recognize the ranks of the previous dynasty. If we follow Shi Xiang's buttocks to beg for food, we will naturally be nothing."
When this guy heard this, he suddenly woke up. Lin'an had no court long ago. Prime Minister Shi had previously brokered a small court to survive in a corner, and everyone had an illusory official hat on their heads. Now, Liangzhe has abolished its own court and recognized the legal status of Chengdu. He is nothing now.
After he understood the whole story, he sighed and sank down on the armchair.
The next day, this guy was much more disciplined when he went to talk to Meng Gong again. He very carefully presented the three issues raised by Shi's son for negotiation.
Meng Gong read the letter and asked the prime minister to first hope that the cooperative in Chengdu would increase the purchase of sea salt to increase the financial benefits of Lin'an. Second, he asked why the ships of the Shenwei Army's South China Sea Fleet had entered Hangzhou Bay. Third, he hoped that Chengdu would transfer a column of new weapons to arm the garrison troops in Liangzhe for self-protection.
He knocked on the table and told Yang Daquan: The cooperatives make a living by operating independently according to the market's purchase and sales situation. The court only manages compliance and collects taxes, and never interferes with the cooperatives' business activities. There is no need to be surprised by the warships of the South China Sea fleet cruising in Hangzhou Bay. Can't the navy of the New Song Dynasty circle around in the rivers and seas of the New Song Dynasty?
Yang Daquan immediately fell silent.
Yes, the army of the New Song Dynasty cannot operate on the land, rivers and seas of the New Song Dynasty. What’s the matter?
Meng Gong said again: The affairs of Liangzhe have not been concluded in Chengdu, but I hope that Mr. Shi can see the general trend, take the initiative, and realize the unification of the country's political, financial and military affairs as soon as possible.
The first-level officers of the New Song Dynasty have no authority to deal with military affairs. Even I, Meng Gong, have to report to the Central Council in Chengdu when I use troops. What right do I have to equip the 20,000-strong new army in Lin'an Prefecture?
Yang Daquan had offended Meng Gong yesterday, and he expected that he would not receive any good words from him, but he did not expect Meng Heizi to completely deny him without even giving him a needle-sized cut.
He wanted to argue a few more words, but Meng Gong had already shouted "See the guest off" and picked up the teacup to drink tea.
The guy was immediately stunned and petrified. His subordinates pulled his sleeves twice, and then he stood up and said goodbye and left.
Meng Gong felt comfortable.
Last night, our General Meng hugged A Qian and said guiltily that he was far inferior to Commander Zhao in terms of conduct. Commander Zhao dared to speak and act, to love and hate, and his wives all lived with their heads held high and without worries, but he had hidden A Qian for so many years, and she had never had a good day with him.
The woman clung to his chest and shed tears of happiness. She whispered: her husband is the best. Lao Meng relaxed and was happy. He was full of energy and enjoyed himself with A Qian for half a night. When he got up, he made a good meal of Yang Daquan.
This guy took a boat across the river back to Lin'an. While he was still on the way, Shi's son knew the whole story of his trip. Shi's son wanted to use Yang Daquan's recklessness and arrogance to test Meng Gong's bottom line.
This test really revealed the bottom line.
His expectation of an independent kingdom with Zhejiang people governing Zhejiang and a high degree of autonomy was absolutely impossible. He also wanted to keep the army? That was just a foolish dream.
There is no need to expect Meng Heizi to form a united front with him.
Shi's son was well-informed. The battle of Xuzhou between the Shenwei Army and the Mongolian Army had ended. The Mongolian Army was defeated again, and the Shenwei Army won a great victory. The army of the New Song Dynasty was almost able to recover the territory of the Song Dynasty during its revival. Would it still tolerate the independent existence of Liangzhe?
At this time, his good friend, Xie Lingyun, a member of the old queen's clan, suggested to him: it is better for the country to be unified, so let's go to Chengdu to talk. Princess Feiyan is in Chengdu, and she is also the deputy director of the Central Council. Zhao, the commander of the Shenwei Army, is benevolent. If it weren't for his patience, we would have been wandering and begging somewhere long ago.
Mr. Xie had been to Chengdu and witnessed the prosperity of the city of Shu. He knew that the current economic scale of Liangzhe could not be compared with that of Chengdu, let alone against the nearly one million strong army of the Shenwei Army.
If a real fight breaks out, the militia garrisons in Liangzhe will fall down in minutes.
Shi's son had been a prime minister, and as someone who was concerned about the overall situation, he was of course very aware that this was the trend of the times. He nodded reluctantly and said: "Please let Mr. Xie go."
Xie Lingyun also wanted to meet his beloved niece Zhao Feiyan as soon as possible. The last time he went to Chengdu, he promised to promote the division of the officialdom in Lin'an and unify it as soon as possible.
He immediately said goodbye and prepared for his journey despite the low water level in winter which made sailing difficult.
When Yang Daquan returned to Lin'an, he was upset when he heard that Xie Lingyun had gone to Chengdu. Going to Chengdu was a good mission, so why did Xie Lingyun go?
He suffered a lot from Meng Heizi in Jiankang.
This guy hurried to see Shi's son to report the mission. Shi's son turned a blind eye and said he knew everything. Thank you for your hard work, Lord Yang. Don't mention the word "mission" again in the future. We are from the Liangzhe Road of the New Song Dynasty. Remember that.
He waved his hand and told them to go back and rest.
Yang Daquan couldn't understand.
Why has Shi Xiang changed? Does he no longer want to be an independent emperor?
