Han Shizu

Chapter 467
It was midwinter, and the Jiangnan area was gradually entering the coldest time.Compared to previous years, Jinling City was much less prosperous in winter. There were many discussions among the people, and people's hearts gradually became unstable.The main reason is the war in Jiangbei.

Although it has been a while, there have been battle reports from Jiangbei, and the Southern Tang cavalry no longer shouted "disaster" stupidly, and felt that the people's hearts were unstable. The Southern Tang court also strengthened the martial law and control of Jinling, and started to Blockade Jiangbei's defeat.

However, there is no impenetrable wall in the world, and Jinling is leaking everywhere. Basically, the scholars and people in Jinling know that the Northern Han Dynasty invaded and the Tang army was defeated.

Moreover, with the frequent mobilization of soldiers and horses of the imperial court, armaments were built, brave men were recruited, and money, food and materials were collected.Although the Southern Tang Dynasty had accumulated a lot of capital over the past ten years, especially during Li Min's reign, he couldn't bear to spend a lot.

Especially since Li Jing succeeded to the throne, he has built palaces and gardens, held banquets, and spent extravagantly.Sending troops abroad cannot be regarded as a small amount, but it is too much to spend money and food to make ends meet.

It is precisely because the Huainan half and the Jiangnan half can complement each other economically that they can support the profligate enjoyment of the Southern Tang monarchs and ministers.Now that the northern troubles came, it was as if the hair was blown up, and the reaction was fierce, and they desperately wanted to resist the Han army.

With the large-scale preparations for levy by the Southern Tang Dynasty, the price of goods in Jinling rose accordingly, and the living cost of ordinary people rose sharply.The adverse effects of the war on the people of the Southern Tang Dynasty have been gradually reflected in Jinling City.

Of course, in this cold northern current, when Xiao Xiao goes south, there are always people who don't hear what's going on outside the window, and only study the sages and sages.

In Prince Zheng's Mansion, in the back garden, among the pavilions, in the warm room, in the elegant and fragrant environment, a young man with a beautiful appearance and handsome temperament is picking up a pen to practice calligraphy, and a warm poem is completed overnight.This is the sixth son of Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty, King Zheng Li Congjia.

He read a few words in his mouth softly, and praised gently: "The rhyme of Wen Gong's words is so fascinating!"

Li Congjia showed a gentle smile on his handsome face, and he greeted the waiter who was waiting at the side, and asked, "How do you write the word Gu?"

The servant is the eunuch sent by the palace to serve King Zheng. He has heard and seen, and also has some literary talents. Of course, he compliments and praises his master, and he speaks like a young man with a smile on his face.

"This calligraphy is for you!" Li Congjia said happily to his servant.

The servant hurriedly said: "Xie Liulang, my little one!"

The young man didn't know how to feel sad, twisted his long and slender hands, and suddenly asked: "Recently, I heard rumors from people in the house that the north invaded and the south invaded, what's going on?"

Facing Li Congjia's curious eyes, the servant said cautiously: "It is said that the Han Dynasty in the north suddenly sent troops to attack our border! Your Majesty has sent soldiers north to rescue!"

"These northerners are really good at attacking troops, and they want to use this unknown army!" Li Congjia nodded suddenly, and said: "But since the imperial court has sent troops, it should be fine, and they can stop the enemy!"

"Your Highness is right! My Great Tang inherits the world and Zhengshuo, the national power is strong, and when the Han soldiers come, I will be my generals!" The servant said so to comfort Li Congjia, and did not use the defeat in the north to influence King Zheng His Royal Highness lives in peace and tranquility.

Li Congjia became interested and said: "Pave out the paper for Gu again, and I will write a poem for Gu, and wish for the soldiers who resist foreign aggression!"

The servant hurriedly moved, and said in his mouth: "Liu Lang has such a heart, and His Majesty will be delighted when he finds out!"

At the same time, in the palace city of Jinling, Emperor Li Jing was annoyed that the situation in Huainan was deteriorating day by day, reports of defeats were frequent, and the oppression of the Han army almost made him breathless.

Even though more than twenty days have passed, Li Jing still remembers the palpitations and panic when he learned that Liu Yanzhen's entire army was wiped out.During this period of time, Li Jing didn't know how to eat, couldn't sleep, and didn't have a peaceful day.Poetry, singing and dancing, and extravagant entertainment in the palace rarely make him lose interest.

"Your Majesty, the ministers are all here!"

Hearing the news, Li Jing managed to perk up a bit and ordered to be driven.

In the main hall of the palace city, several important ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty were already waiting. Among them, the most magnanimous ones were the Grand Tutor, the Duke of Chu, and the privy envoy Song Qiqiu who had returned from Hongzhou.Originally, Li Jing was a grand master in Jin Qi, but Qiqiu Gu resigned in Song Dynasty and was still a grand master.Yuan Chen is old, but at this time of national crisis, there is a faint tendency to become the backbone of the country.

Under the guidance of the servants, Li Jing entered the palace with a blank face, sat upright to receive the ceremony, and swept around a few officials. Li Jing rarely asked neatly: "Tell me, what's the bad news? What's the Han army doing?" ?”

The courtiers looked at each other, Li Zhenggu, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, got up and said: "Your Majesty, it is news from Hunan. When Bian Hao reported it, the Chu soldiers rebelled, the Lang army was rampant, Changsha's army was in turmoil, and food and fodder were insufficient. There is a shortage of military supplies, and it is no longer enough to defend. If the imperial court does not rescue, the land of Hunan will be lost!"

Hearing this, Li Jing became angry immediately, and reprimanded in front of the hall: "Why is the pickaxe so useless here? The [-] army can't hold down a mere Hunan, but was forced to come here by a group of deserters and mobs. Wait for the embarrassment!"

"Your Majesty, envoy Bian Hao is certainly responsible for the matter in Hunan, but it is not his fault that the current situation has developed to this point!" Han Xizai said something fair, and when he said this, he glanced at Song Qiqiu, Feng Yansi et al.After Qiqiu returned to Jinling in the Song Dynasty, the scholars who traveled south were immediately suppressed. In terms of influence on the military and political affairs of the Southern Tang Dynasty, it must belong to these Jianghuai bureaucrats.

"Xian Shilang, why didn't he lead the army northward and join forces with Bian Hao to defeat the Lang soldiers and the rebels first!" Li Jing said again.During this period of time, Li Jing obviously made up for the situation and the battle situation of all parties, at least he was able to speak briefly.

Li Zhenggu said: "On the side of the Xianshijun, there are endless rebels and turmoil, and there are threats from the Southern Han army in the direction of Guizhou, so I dare not leave without authorization!"

Listening to his explanation, Li Jing's mood became even more depressed, and her face was very gloomy.Seeing this, Song Qiqiu spoke out, but his face was calm, and he spoke directly: "Your Majesty, it is time to make up your mind. Hunan is already a quagmire, a country of chaos, and it cannot last long. It is already deep in the mud. Pull yourself out, a strong man cuts off his wrists, like cutting carrion!"

"At present, Liu Yanzhen's army is defeated, Shouchun City is besieged, Jiangbei is in a hurry, and dealing with the Northern Han invasion is the most important thing. On the Hunan side, we should resolutely abandon and withdraw the army that entered Chu. It is not as good as this to recruit [-] men in Jiangnan. The [-] to [-] troops entering Chu only need to withdraw, rest for a period of time, and without training, they can be transferred north to defend against the enemy!"

"Chu people are so pressing, can they be withdrawn smoothly?" Li Jing obviously also had this thought, but he was worried.

Seeing this, Song Qiqiu sternly replied: "Bian Hao and others can't defend Hunan. If they don't even have the ability to retreat, then it's useless for these soldiers to be transferred to the north!"

After finishing speaking, his tone eased a little, and he said: "In the current situation, it may be difficult for the Chu army to return home and let them stay in Hunan, besieged on all sides, to fight against sending troops. But let them withdraw their troops and return to the country , will surely rise up enthusiastically, and the Chu people will be hard to stop!"

The army that entered Chu is an army whose military discipline has been completely corrupted. They don't want to fight against the Chu people, so how can they fight desperately with the more fierce and powerful Han people?I don't know if Song Qiqiu has considered this point, or if he has considered it, he has not brought it up.

Han Xizai said, to reassure Li Jing's heart: "Your Majesty, according to investigation, Wang Kui of Langzhou and Zhou Xingfeng are all greedy, despicable and profit-seeking people. Although they are called 'ten brothers', they have their own ghosts. The land has ambitions. Our army is in Hunan, so they can barely fight together, and once our army withdraws, they will not be too obstructive!"

"After all, those warriors absolutely don't want to use their soldiers to consume our army. In the face of our withdrawal, they are more likely to sit back and watch, and instead share the food in Hunan, each occupying its own territory and dominating it!"

"The only thing that can prevent me from withdrawing is the Han army! But the Han army in Lizhou, after all, is outnumbered and cannot be supported alone, and it is difficult to become a major obstacle!"

Hearing Han Xizai's analysis, Li Jing hadn't responded yet, but Song Qiqiu stroked his beard indifferently, and said, "Han Shilang's words are somewhat insightful, the teacher of Hunan, your Majesty can rest assured to issue an edict!"

"Issuing the draft edict!" Seeing this, Li Jing waved his hand.

"Yes!"

The tragedy in Hunan is a decision, but Li Jing's heart is still heavy. The pressure from the north is the heart disease and the serious trouble.

"Where's the army of the Northern Han Dynasty? What's going on? There are just a group of hungry dogs in Hunan, but a fierce tiger in the north!" Li Jing sighed, worried: "How to fight against it?"

After saying this, the hall was silent for a while, and Li Zhenggu still left the message: "Since the emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty personally conquered, fortunately, the Huainan front line, soldiers surrounded Shouchun, the connection between our dynasty and Shouchun has been completely severed! There are tens of thousands of forbidden troops in the Han Dynasty, and they are trapped in Shouchun, so I don't know what the situation in the city is like!"

"He Shijun and others will stick to their loyalty to the country and try their best to save the defeat. They still have soldiers and horses, food and grass are ready, and they are defending the city. Now it is mid-winter. It is expected that they will be able to hold on for a while and wait for the imperial reinforcements!"

Han Xizai added: "The army of the Northern Han Dynasty built a fortress under Shouchun City. From its movements, it can be seen that they have the heart of a long battle. In my opinion, at least until the end of winter, the Han army will not forcefully attack Shouchun. Therefore, we still have enough time to reorganize the Northern Aid Army!"

Regarding Han Xizai's analysis, Li Jing still believed in it. Hearing what he said, he was slightly relieved, but the worries in his heart were still heavy.

Li Zhenggu continued to report: "In addition, after the loss of Haozhou, Emperor Han sent two partial divisions, one was from the enemy Huaidong's strategy envoy Guo Rongdong to attack our Sizhou, and the other was from Huang and Guang's inspection envoy Si Chao to go west. , Has captured the two counties of Huoqiu and Anfeng in the central part of Shouzhou. Feng Yanlu, the training envoy of the Sizhou regiment, requests the imperial court to send troops to support as soon as possible!"

"When the Han army enters the country, let them run freely and fear nothing?" Li Jing finally became angry: "Everywhere is asking for help. Do the reinforcements arrive as soon as they are mentioned?"

The reality is that the [-] forbidden troops that were worthy of fear by the Han army have already been defeated by Liu Yanzhen, and it is useless for Li Jing to be so incompetent and furious.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Emperor of Han took Wang Pu, the deputy envoy who came to Jinling, as the magistrate of Haozhou, acting as the military governor of Haozhou. Although he is young, he is very capable and means. He has already begun to count the registers in Haozhou and reform The Han system, recruiting scholars and people, recruiting dissidents, buying people's hearts, turning Haozhou into Han rule!" Han Xizai said solemnly: "Compared with violent attacks, Han Emperor's methods are more effective for our dynasty. Even scarier."

Hearing this, Li Jing couldn't bear it anymore, and angrily wiped away the documents on the imperial case.

"Your Majesty, calm down!" Seeing this, a group of courtiers hurriedly begged.

The scattered documents are just like Li Jing's scattered mood at this time.

(End of this chapter)