Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 24: In ancient times, there was Sun Shiwan, and now there is the Lord of Meng
This war is not a simple matter of numbers, nor is it a game.
Everything will be fine as long as the army has sufficient food and fodder.
The use of military force is a political issue that affects the entire body.
What is being tested is the operation of the entire state apparatus.
The operation of this national institution depends not on one person, but on a group of people.
Meng Chang put it simply, sending more troops was just a matter of a word.
But where do the soldiers come from?
Where does military rations come from?
Where does the military pay come from?
At the same time, who should be sent? Who is willing to go?
Who is responsible for logistics? Who is escorting the food and fodder?
All of this is a problem.
And the person who can coordinate all of this reasonably is far more important than fighting on the front line.
This is also the reason why Xiao He is the first meritorious minister of the Han Dynasty.
This is also the reason why Liu Bei dared to abandon everything and personally lead an expedition to Hanzhong to challenge Cao Cao in the harsh environment of the newly acquired Shu territory, which was still unstable internally and full of chaotic party alliances.
Because the man behind him is called Zhuge Liang.
This is exactly the kind of person that Hou Shu lacked.
The current prime minister of Hou Shu is called Li Hao. He has excellent literary skills, but he has no other special talents except his writing skills. However, because of this strength, he has served as the prime minister of Shu for more than ten years and is highly regarded by Meng Chang.
He controlled the financial power for many years, earning tens of thousands of yuan every year, and lived a particularly luxurious life. He kept hundreds of prostitutes and concubines at home, and everyone wore silk as their daily clothes.
He once read the Book of Jin and came across the story of Shi Wang competing for wealth. He was very contemptuous of Wang Kai and Shi Chong and mocked them, saying, " It is ridiculous that a poor and frugal beggar regards this as wealth."
In his heart, the two famous wealthy men in history were like beggars.
Whenever money was needed, taxes were collected from the prime minister first and then distributed.
The king is extravagant, the prime minister is corrupt, and the officials below exploit them layer by layer. So how much is left in the hands of the soldiers?
The Shu Kingdom sent a large number of troops to support Baishui Pass and Yangping Pass.
The military pay allocated by the imperial court was missing by two-thirds before it was delivered to the army.
The Shu Kingdom was known as the Land of Abundance and was rarely affected by disasters. The Chengdu Plain and the Hanzhong Plain had bumper harvests year after year, so the Kingdom did not have to worry about food.
However, in order to maintain the extravagant life of the rulers and ministers of Shu, they issued various tax deduction methods.
Planting peonies can be used to offset taxes, cutting down sycamore and nanmu trees can be used to offset taxes, Shu brocade and furs can also be used to offset taxes, but grain, because it is the most mediocre, has the heaviest taxation.
As more people start side jobs, fewer people are left to farm.
Food reserves are running low.
As a result of the war, the people were in turmoil and panic. Merchants, in pursuit of profit, began to purchase grain and raise its price.
Raising food prices during wartime is punishable by death.
However, officials and businessmen are in the same boat and have no fear of the law at all.
Not only did they not punish him, they even embezzled some of the military rations and sold them to merchants.
This results in less and less food and higher food prices.
The chaotic logistics completely emptied the Shu Kingdom's treasury.
Meng Chang was helpless, and those who claimed to have the talent of Zhuge Liang became speechless.
In the end, it was Li Hao who stood up.
What this prime minister of Shu was best at was surrender. When the last emperor of Former Shu, Wang Yan, was attacked by Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang, Li Hao personally wrote a letter to ask for surrender.
In history, when the Song Dynasty sent troops to attack Shu, it was Li Hao who persuaded Meng Chang to surrender and personally wrote a letter to submit a petition for surrender.
The people of Shu despised what he had done and secretly wrote the six words "Shi Xiu surrenders to the Li family" on the gate of his mansion.
Now Li Hao's bad leg problem came back: "Your Majesty, Luo Youdu once said that there is no two suns in the sky. It shows that they are not unwilling to negotiate, but they insist on the rule of the Central Plains. Now the enemy is unstoppable, why not take a step back and follow the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang who repelled the enemy by the Wei River."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zhaoyuan, the envoy who compared himself to Zhuge Liang and the Privy Councilor, stood up and said confidently: "Your Majesty, give me three years. I am willing to help Your Majesty recover the four states and conquer the Central Plains."
Meng Chang had no choice but to say with a bit of decadence: "In that case, then it will be as you said."
He felt that he had suffered a great humiliation, and vowed in his heart to follow the example of Li Shimin, work hard to govern the country, and completely avenge today's shame.
When the envoy sent by Meng Chang appeared in Fengzhou.
Wang Jing was stunned!
Han Lingkun was stunned!
Luo Youdu was also stunned!
Luo Youdu only knew that Shu's economy was in a shambles, but he had no idea how bad it was.
It was just a tentative pressure, and his main purpose was to shout out "There is only the Emperor of Zhou in this world, there is no Emperor of Shu" to show his loyalty to Guo Rong who was far away.
I really didn't expect that Meng Chang would agree to give up the title of emperor, change to the ruler of Western Shu, and send envoys to honor the Great Zhou as the legitimate dynasty.
Looking at the two messengers in front of him, a sentence suddenly popped up in Luo Youdu's mind:
In ancient times, Sun Shiwan sent Zhang Wenyuan into the Temple of Martial Arts, and now, King Meng promotes Luo Youdu to all quarters.
When the news that Meng Chang had given up his imperial title and respected the Great Zhou as the legitimate dynasty reached Bian Jing.
The Emperor of the Great Zhou was playing with his son Guo Zongxun in the harem.
Guo Zongxun is less than two years old this year. He can speak but is not yet intelligent. This is the most fun time for him.
The ignorant little guy is full of curiosity about the new world and wants to learn everything.
Guo Rong was always personally involved in government affairs and had been immersed in government affairs for a long time. Empress Fu rarely saw this kind of scene and smiled happily on the side.
In his busy schedule, Guo Rong glanced at Empress Fu and said, "What is the Empress laughing at?"
Empress Fu said, "I see that Your Majesty is in a good mood recently, so I am happy too."
Guo Rong nodded and said, "The situation is very good, and it is indeed worth being happy. The roads in the north of Kaifeng are narrow and crowded, while the south of the city is dilapidated due to the war. The refugees gathered before, and the south of the city has been cleaned up and repaired. Based on this, the Ministry of Works will re-plan, and it won't be long before Kaifeng will be four times its current size, comparable to Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty."
"The war in the west is also going smoothly. Four states have been annexed by our Great Zhou. Luo Youdu's performance, in particular, has far exceeded my expectations. Good news has also come from Hedong. Li Yun seized the opportunity and won a small victory, repelling the invasion of Wang Chao, the governor of the Northern Han Dynasty. It is really a continuous flow of good news."
What really made him happy was Luo Youdu's words: "There is only the Emperor of Zhou in this world, and there is no Emperor of Shu."
The fact that he could say these words in front of the envoy from Shu Kingdom shows his loyalty.
He did not show any displeasure at Luo Youdu's behavior of driving away the envoy.
Guo Rong was full of ambition and would never allow the emergence of a second emperor in China.
He also hoped that all the people in China would only recognize him as the Emperor of the Great Zhou.
Empress Fu hesitated to speak, and after a moment's thought, she said, "Mr. Luo is still unmarried, right?"
Guo Rong was slightly startled and said, "Does the Queen want to marry Qing'er to him?"
Queen Fu said, "Not really, but for some reason, mother likes him very much."
Guo Rong shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Madam Guoguo likes any child who is outstanding. They are of similar age, talented and beautiful, and a perfect match. When Mr. Luo returns to Beijing, you can try to ask him."
Just then, the eunuch came hurriedly, holding an urgent memorial from the council hall.
Queen Fu hurried forward and took the child.
Guo Rong opened the memorial and read the news that Meng Chang had given up the title of emperor. His head was buzzing.
