Volume 4 Chapter 29: Yuetai (Part 2)
Yang Yizhong knew Emperor Zhao. Qin Hui's name appearing in the official announcement of the Jin Dynasty was certainly a relief for the emperor.
In fact, if you think about it, you will know that as a time traveler, Zhao Jiu has been destined to face some specific difficult problems for a long time.
The most basic thing, that is, the main task of recovering the lost territory and resisting the Jin and Song dynasties, is actually not a matter of hesitation. For such a matter of right and wrong, you just have to go ahead with it, whether you succeed or not. After all, you are a person who has received nine years of compulsory education. How can you bear to abandon the Central Plains and the two rivers?
But other issues are more subtle.
For example, how to deal with and face the two saints? How to treat the other members of the royal family who were abducted? And at the beginning, how to face Concubine Pan, who was then Concubine Pan, the heir, and the so-called Empress Dowager Yuanyou? Even more, how to face Li Gang and Zong Ze?
It should be known that Zhao Jiu initially had an evasive mentality towards Concubine Pan and even Zong Ze, and could only remain indifferent towards Li Gang. It was not until he made some achievements and was forced into a corner that he dared to respond.
But these are still dwarfed by the final and most crucial part...that is, how to face Yue Fei and Qin Hui?
After all, for Zhao Jiu, Yue Fei is not just Yue Fei, and Qin Hui is not just Qin Hui. The names Yue Fei and Qin Hui in his mind represent not two simple people, but two cultural symbols that have gone beyond themselves and have a deeper meaning after nearly a thousand years of cultural brewing. But at the same time, as a so-called official of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Jiu had to face these two living people in reality and maintain a relationship that was reasonable in the times.
Yue Fei was okay... After all, Zhao Jiu was not a famous person on Zhihu before he traveled through time, and he had to consider how to kill Yue Fei to save the Zhao Song regime. It was just that at the beginning, because of the vanity of the angry young man, he was a little jealous of the image of the protagonist of that era. But these had long disappeared after he saw the real person with his own eyes and reached a successful cooperation model with the other party.
In short, Zhao Jiu and Yue Fei are destined to be natural comrades in the same camp, and there has never been any inevitable conflict between the cultural symbol in the image and the relationship between the two sides in reality.
But it is hard to say about Qin Hui.
The simplest question is that, thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of so many people, the Song and Jin dynasties have achieved a confrontation along the Yellow River, and the defeat of the Jin people does not seem so unimaginable in the long run. So if Qin Hui comes back at this time and wants to serve the country and the people like Wanqi Xie, there is no evidence at this time... Then I would like to ask what Emperor Zhao would do?
Is it groundless?
If it was really a false accusation against a former Chief Censor, Li Gang would have died of vomiting blood in the southeast, and Zong Ze and Wang Boyan would have crawled out of their graves to write a letter to the world to justify Qin Huizhi. Even people like Lu Haowen, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, Liu Ji, and Chen Gui would have been disheartened, and even Yue Pengju and Han Shizhong would have written a letter to appeal for his injustice.
Then the history books also say that the tenth emperor of the Song Dynasty created the biggest injustice in the history of the Zhao Song Dynasty... That's really like a toad crawling up your foot, it will make you sick to death if it doesn't bite you to death.
You just can't explain it!
What to explain?
Since ancient times, people have judged by deeds rather than by the heart!
In fact, Zhao Jiu had been sensitive about this since Zheng Yinian started... and Zheng Yinian probably didn't know that the brothers had been separated from each other in the north and south one after another, just because the government was wary of their cousin-in-law and wanted to use him to scare the emperor?
But no matter what, no matter whether the warning worked or the three brothers Wuzhu really needed such a person, Qin Hui has now become a standard high-ranking official of the Jin Dynasty. At least they don't have to worry about this person disgusting them.
This also made Emperor Zhao feel a little better today.
But it was only a little better... A moment later, Zhao Jiu had to face the serious problem of the Imperial Camp Cavalry. No matter what, how could he march north without war horses?
"Don't worry about the Jin Kingdom for now..." After personally ordering the 8,000 cavalry to move into the prepared camp, Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, then shook his head at the accompanying civil and military officials. "I just want to ask you, what should we do about the war horses?"
The colleagues around looked at each other in threes and fives, seemingly thinking about something.
Obviously, these people do not think that the affairs of the Jin Kingdom should be "ignored for the time being"... What is the purpose of war horses and even the establishment of the Imperial Cavalry? Isn't it the Northern Expedition? Why is the Northern Expedition? Isn't it to deal with the Jin people?
How could the Jin people not be able to maneuver a little in diplomacy when faced with such a major change?
Don't forget, the attitudes of many people were clearly revealed in the drama of the Broken Ribbon that Emperor Zhao staged in the Wende Hall before. Now that the Jin people are in civil strife and there is really a possibility of sincere peace talks, it is normal for these people to be uneasy... However, without mentioning Emperor Zhao's attitude, they only said that he had a sour face for half a day today, so it was not appropriate for them to say anything more at this time.
Therefore, after a long time, someone finally came out to greet the others and said something nonsense: "Sir, if you want to get war horses, you have to restore the horse policy in the long run..."
"The horse administration of the Song Dynasty?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly. "Did there used to be a special office for war horses?"
"Of course there are." The officials below continued to talk seriously. "When the Song Dynasty was founded, the Herdsmen's Office was established, and the official horse farms covered tens of thousands of acres. At the peak, there were 170,000 horses. If half of them could be used for military purposes, there would be 70,000 to 80,000 horses available..."
"No need to say more." Zhao Jiu was a little impatient when he heard half of it. "I don't even need to think about it to know that the civil officials are in charge of horse affairs, but they don't know the knowledge of animal husbandry. Then there are the excessive encroachments of the court, and the corruption of lower-level officials... After a few years, the horse affairs were abandoned, and these animal husbandry officials were also lost in several reforms, right? How many bad things in the Song Dynasty can be separated from these three types of people? Aren't you, us, and them the ones who ruined the world? You can't blame others!"
The man shut up immediately. However, Qu Duan wanted to say "the government is wise", but he held back and didn't dare to say it.
Emperor Zhao sighed, helpless, but continued to ask: "What happened later? The Herdsmen's Office is gone now, so how did you deal with the war horse issue later?"
"So that the officials know, later when Wang Shuwang (Wang Anshi) was in power, he made the Horse Protection Law, which meant that the court's war horses were fostered in the homes of ordinary people, and horse raisers could use the grown horses to offset their taxes..." Another person came forward and listed all the treasures.
Zhao Jiu shook his head again: "I have great respect for Wang Shu, but his new law, as long as it involves the government and the people, will inevitably be suspected of apportionment, and once the apportionment is made, the people will inevitably complain. This method must be the worst of the new laws."
"The government has made up its mind," the people below responded immediately. "So this method was abolished and the government ranches were changed back to the original government-run ranches, but the horses from the border cities were mainly raised in a centralized manner, and they were no longer allowed to breed themselves."
"In other words, no matter what, the horse policy can't escape three categories... the so-called official self-raising and self-breeding, raising with the help of the people, and border trade?" Zhao Jiu sighed.
"Exactly."
"In the long run, we can consider restoring the Herdsman Bureau to allow official management, but we cannot allow civil servants who have no knowledge of animal husbandry to participate... The provincial government and the Privy Council should work together to come up with a proposal." Zhao Jiu gave the order helplessly.
"Yes." The men were obviously absent-minded.
Qu Duan, on the other hand, suddenly raised his hands and said, "If the government sets up a herdsman department, it will probably work."
"What do you mean?" Zhao Jiu looked at him puzzled. "Why are you flattering me now?"
"I am not flattering you, I am speaking the truth." Qu Duan answered earnestly. "I have been in Guanxi and I know that the reason why horses were not raised in the imperial gardens in Guanxi in the past was that they all raised sheep. The sheep in Guanxi are fat and tender, and they are specially used to supply the palace and the capital. It is said that the palace consumed tens of thousands of sheep every year. With the current frugality of the government, I think Guanxi can at least have more horses!"
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a long while, then shook his head and continued, "Establishing a herdsman office is a long-term plan, and raising people by force is the most undesirable, so there is no need to say more. But at present, if we want to solve the urgent problem, we still have to go to the border to trade... But Xixia... Does Xixia have any envoys in Tokyo?"
"Reporting to the emperor...nothing." The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhai Ruwen, hurried out.
"Is there anyone who knows the inside story of Xixia?" Zhao Jiu frowned even more.
As soon as these words were spoken, dozens of people, including civil officials from Zhao Ding and below, and military officials from Qu Duan and below, stood up at once.
Zhao Jiu saw this and realized that Song and Xixia knew each other well, so he simply pointed at Zhai Ruwen and said, "Minister of the Honglu Temple, this is your duty."
"Your Majesty." Zhai Ruwen bowed slightly, then raised his head and looked at him seriously. "I wonder what your Majesty wants to ask about Xixia?"
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment... He was completely in the dark about Xixia.
However, seeing the cavalry entering the camp one after another, and it was still early today, Zhao Jiu was happy to listen to the story, so he simply asked directly: "Who is the current ruler of Xixia? How long has he been on the throne? What is his reputation in the country? How is the country's situation? I want to hear the truth."
Although Zhai Ruwen was surprised that Emperor Zhao didn't know the ruler of Western Xia, he immediately responded, "Good instructor, I know. The current ruler of Western Xia is called Li Qianshun. He ascended the throne at the age of three and has been in power for forty-five years. He has a very high prestige in Western Xia. These decades are also the most stable decades for Western Xia, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe."
This is somewhat unexpected.
However, Zhao Jiu was only slightly stunned before continuing to ask: "What major events has Li Qianshun accomplished since he ascended the throne? Tell me briefly."
"Reporting to the emperor... Before Li Qianshun was sixteen, the government was basically controlled by his mother's family, the Liang family. After his grandmother Liang died, his mother, also a Liang family, continued to control the government. About thirty years ago, his mother, the young Empress Liang, first fought for power with her brothers, destroyed her own Liang family relatives, and acted arbitrarily. Then she used the then-immature Li Qianshun to cause chaos and attacked our Yanfu Road with the whole country... After the Western Xia was defeated in that battle, the Liao emperor knew that the Liang family had been doing all kinds of evil, so he sent someone to poison Liang after the war. Since then, Li Qianshun has gotten rid of the Liang family and successfully ruled the country."
Hearing these words, Zhao Jiu remained calm... What else do you want? This kind of mess with in-laws is a traditional art in East Asia.
"Several years later, Li Qianshun married a Liao princess again and used Liao as a supporter. He was in an uncertain relationship with the Song Dynasty..."
"Who won?" Zhao Jiu suddenly interrupted curiously.
Zhai Ruwen hesitated for a moment, but answered seriously: "During the reign of Emperor Zhezong, the Song Dynasty won more battles than they lost. During the reign of Emperor Taishang Daojun, the Song Dynasty lost more than they won... The most famous battle was twelve years ago, when Tong Guan led Liu Fa (father of Liu Zhengyan), the governor of Xihe Road, as his general and fought all the way to the city of Lingzhou. Unexpectedly, the Xixia people won the battle behind the city, and Liu Fa's army was wiped out."
Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged, and it was obvious that he didn't feel surprised at all.
"However, Li Qianshun took advantage of the situation to counterattack. After a great victory, he asked for surrender in the name of Liao... The Song Dynasty was almost forced to agree."
Zhao Jiu was slightly moved.
"The officials should all know what happened later. When the Jin army marched south, Li Qianshun, as the son-in-law of the Liao, came to rescue them three times. In one battle, his 30,000-strong army was defeated in a single battle at Loushi. Western Xia then surrendered to the Jin army...The queen of Western Xia, that is, Princess Yelu Nanxian of the Liao, died of starvation upon hearing that her homeland had been destroyed. The crown prince of Western Xia, Li Ren'ai, who had always been filial, also died of grief and anger along with his mother." Having said this, Zhai Ruwen added a little. "Li Qianshun and his queen had always had a deep affection for each other, and he loved his eldest son even more. If it was about selfishness, he would naturally offend the Jin people, but he had always been tolerant. After his wife and his wife died, he put the safety of the country first and became more docile to the Jin people... The year before last, Lou Shi attacked the Jinning Army and surrendered Zhe Keqiu, and he traveled freely in the territory of Western Xia. Not only that, he found out that the leader of the Jin Kingdom's Western Army was Nianhan, and he was particularly flattering to Nianhan. It is said that he repeatedly bribed Nianhan with large sums of money, and Nianhan repeatedly denied the idea of attacking Western Xia."
Zhao Jiu nodded, thinking, and then asked: "Besides military affairs, does Li Qianshun have any other famous achievements?"
"Yes." Zhai Ruwen continued to respond casually. "He worshipped Buddhism and Confucianism. During his decades in power, the decades-long dispute between 'Han rituals' and 'Fan rituals' in Western Xia was finally resolved. Now Western Xia has become a Han dynasty..."
Zhao Jiu laughed in silence. This was expected... Which decent monarch of a decent country would not sort out the ideology before starting work? Even the Jin people, didn't they immediately carry out the sinicization reform after the coup?
"No matter what, this Li Qianshun is a leader who maintains the status quo?" After laughing, Zhao Jiu still looked at him solemnly.
"I think Li Qianshun can indeed be described as someone who is capable of maintaining the status quo." Zhai Ruwen bowed his head.
However, after hearing this, Zhao Jiu asked curiously again: "Let's not talk about Li Qianshun, just talk about Xixia. I still don't understand one thing... Isn't the core of Xixia just the Hetao area? Even the foundation of the country is the Lingzhou and Xingzhou area... No matter how fertile that area is, it is not even one-fifth of Guanxi, right? Why did Li Yuanhao establish a country? And then the country continued for nearly a hundred years?"
Zhai Ruowen seemed to want to say something but stopped himself. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to respond.
"Qu Duan." Zhao Jiu simply called out his name. "You go ahead."
"I think it's probably the vast sea!" Qu Duan answered with a stiff face. "So that the emperor knows, if you want to take the land of Xingling, there are only three ways. One is to go out of Xihe and go down along the Yellow River; the second is to go out of Jingyuan, go along Hulu River and then connect to the Yellow River; the third is to go out of Baimachuan and connect to Lingzhouchuan... Among the three roads, the closest one is the road from Baimachuan to Lingzhouchuan, but it also has hundreds of miles of vast sea of desert to go through."
"How many hundreds of miles is a few hundred miles?"
"The narrowest part is two to three hundred miles, and the widest part is six to seven hundred miles..."
Zhao Jiu felt it was getting more and more absurd: "Hundreds of miles of desert... how could there be Baima River and Lingzhou River as roads in the middle?"
"yes."
"Then why not send 50,000 elite troops, prepare logistics, and attack Lingzhou by surprise?" Zhao Jiu said seriously. "Don't play dumb with me. With the national strength of Xixia, even during the time of Li Yuanhao, could there be 50,000 elite troops?"
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Ding couldn't help but step out and interrupt.
"Qu Duan, let's talk!" Zhao Jiu raised his hand to stop Zhao Ding.
"Your Majesty." Qu Duan said carefully. "It should work, but military affairs are not certain..."
"Why go through the desert and the vast sea ? Why go through the Hulu River? Can't we take the Yellow River as the food route and fight steadily?" Zhao Jiu was obviously a little angry. "I'm not saying that we should hit the target in one shot. What I mean is that Xixia was founded nearly a hundred years ago. From Li Yuanhao to Li Qianshun, the Song Dynasty must have lost millions of people in this tiny country and lost countless billions of military funds, right? A million people, divided into twenty groups, can fight along the Yellow River and even Hengshan. Even if the whole army is wiped out nineteen times, it should be successful once, right?! And I'm not saying that Xixia can be destroyed in one battle. If we can touch the hinterland of Lingzhou once, wouldn't the overall situation be successful? Even if the destiny is not on the Song Dynasty, it will not work in twenty times, but if the army advances twenty times, the Xixia people should be worn out, right? Why is it like this? Or are Di Qing and his people useless? Are the history books I read fake? Are the people who compiled the history books Di Qing's sons?"
"Your Majesty." Qu Duan finally couldn't bear it anymore, but he raised his head and faced the angry eyes of several officials. "The people who compiled the history books were the sons of Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan. If Di Qing replaced Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan, Xixia would have perished long ago."
Several ministers and officials had no choice but to go and see Emperor Zhao, but they only saw him sitting there with his head raised and not saying a word.
Half a day later, the emperor was seen holding his mouth and rubbing his lips, saying angrily: "One is Yanyun, the second is Xixia, the third is Nanyue, and the fourth is Dali. They have left a legacy of disaster for a hundred years. It is a disgrace!"
All the civil and military officials dared not speak for a moment.
