Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 177 Expansion of the Army
Shi Congyun and the two talked more and more speculatively, seeing the sun setting, they couldn't bear to part.

If you want to talk about bragging, Shi Congyun, who has been a librarian and read many messy books, has touched the professional field. He can brag for three days and three nights without repeating the same thing, from astronomy and geography to national strategy. He has a little understanding of the formation of troops, the people's livelihood and even the secret techniques in the house.

In the end, seeing that the two were not satisfied, Shi Congyun simply invited the two to his home to continue the conversation, and both Wang Pu and Wei Renpu agreed.

Wei Renpu's mansion is on the East Street opposite Daxiangguo Temple, very close to Shi Congyun's mansion.

Wang Pu lives in the official residence, and the Kaifeng government office is just opposite the West Street of Shi Congyun's residence, and it is also very close.

Although Wang Pu has an overall view, is very talented, and is a confidant of officials, but he has a bad personality, which is a bit similar to Dong Zunhui's traits.

As long as you are arguing with others, you must forcefully win the other party and make the other party submit. It is precisely this kind of character that gives way to Wang Pu's friends who have high authority.

However, unlike Dong Zunhui, Wang Pu is headstrong, but most of his views are extremely far-sighted.

Just because he is headstrong, has few friends and few confidantes, with Shi Congyun who has the same views and ideas, he is immediately regarded as a confidant.

But Wei Renpu is different. Wei Renpu has a very generous personality and gets along well with many people. Except for those old-fashioned scholars in the court, everyone has a good relationship with him.

Shi Congyun also has his own understanding of Fan Zhi's displeasure with him. On the surface, it is because Wei Renpu was not born in the imperial examination, but was appointed prime minister by the government. The truth is that many people who can't think independently or have little experience have been persuaded.

Shi Congyun had his own opinion. In fact, it was a matter of profit and loss in the final analysis, because Wei Renpu's appointment as prime minister meant that scholars lost another aspect, so they were of course anxious.

He has read a lot of history, read a lot of books, and seen a lot of things. In fact, Shi Congyun has formed his own wisdom system long ago, and he can see the root of things keenly.

China takes Confucianism as an example, and Confucianism advocates governing the country by virtue, so it is a moral country, so that many events in history will be covered with a moral cloak, and what is said is benevolence, righteousness and morality, but he can see the essence through these superficial, Most of the time, the essence is still a calculation of interests.

Like Cao Cao, the scholars of the Jin Dynasty began to scold him after the fall of Wei. The scolding of Cao Cao was not the beginning of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and they have been scolding for a long time.

But it stands to reason that Cao Cao's deeds are much better than him in history, and much worse than him, so it is not outstanding.It was his son Cao Pi who claimed the title of emperor. He did not claim the title of emperor until his death. Sun Quan and Liu Bei did. Why did the scholars stare at him and scold him after the Jin Dynasty?

To put it bluntly, Cao Cao is a meritocracy, and Cao Pi is a nine-rank Zhongzheng system.Only Cao Cao ruled out the way for noble families to monopolize official careers. Cao Pi’s nine-rank Zhongzheng system ensures that noble families monopolize officialdom from generation to generation. Then of course those noble families who dominate the officialdom will of course stare at Cao Cao and let go of the reputation. Emperor Cao Pi.

In the end, it is still a calculation of interests. Cao Cao's meritocracy has harmed the fundamental interests of the gentry, but when he scolds, he still has to start from moral character and criticize under the cloak of benevolence and morality.

So of course Shi Congyun would not believe the nonsense of the scholar, on the contrary, he saw it more thoroughly. As a privy envoy, Wei Renpu had always been his boss, and he saw this person's ability in his eyes.

Wei Renpu did not come from a regular imperial examination, but his ability is definitely among the top people in the dynasty. It is very beneficial to have a good relationship with him.

After returning to the mansion, it was time for dinner. Shi Congyun had someone prepare mutton and fine wine, and he chatted with the two while grilling the meat while drinking.

As he talked, he talked about the current situation, the past, and the future, talking about the world, the past and the present.

In the end, they talked about going back to Yanyun Sixteen States. Both of them had the intention to take back Yanyun Sixteen States, but they were far less urgent than later, because the stories of Han and Tang came first, and no one felt that much.

"Ten years earlier, decades longer, the land of the sixteen prefectures will belong to the Central Plains again." Wei Renpu arrived while drinking.

Wang Pu also nodded in agreement, "Taking the sixteen prefectures as the northern barrier is inevitable, but there is no rush right now, and the south should be the most important thing."

"If the Liao Kingdom is unprepared, it may be possible. The old man heard that the current ruler of the Liao Kingdom is a foolish lord. It's a good time," Wei Renpu said while licking the mutton skewers.

Wang Pu was about to refute immediately, but Shi Congyun was afraid that they would quarrel, so he quickly interjected, "Miss Wei, a certain number of states and counties in the south of Youzhou can be taken, but Youzhou is not yet ready.

Let's make a hypothesis, if after the expansion of our country's military, 20 forbidden troops from all over the country will go northward and capture Youzhou.

What about the future?Once you capture Youzhou, you will definitely start a full-scale war with the Liao Kingdom. It is impossible for us to go north from Youzhou to seize their grassland land, and the Liao soldiers must go south.

How many soldiers and horses does the Liao Kingdom currently have?At least more than 20 people.How many soldiers and horses did the Northern Han have?At least more than eighty thousand.

At that time, there will be the Northern Han Dynasty in the west, the Liao Kingdom in the north, and the countries in the south will still be in full swing with the Liao Kingdom. We must always be on guard against the Liao Kingdom and the Northern Han Dynasty, just like the Jin Dynasty (Later Jin Dynasty), or even worse, our country has 20 Most of the army must be deployed in Youzhou to the vast area between the beams.

If you can't spare any more, go to recover the lands of Tang, Wuping, Jingnan, Southern Han, and Western Shu.

This must also be based on the fact that we can resist the Liao army's southward retaliation.

And it won’t work in the long run. We only have Qidi, Hebei, Henan, Guanzhong, and Huainan, and we support 20 troops all the year round. Even if there is no war, the country will be dragged down for a long time, just like the Jin Dynasty more than ten years ago.

The demise of the Jin Dynasty was due to the rebellion of the general Du Chongwei, but it was difficult to support the country. They did not have a long-term vision and used half of the country to resist the Liao Kingdom. Although they could resist the Liao Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom went and came again. However, the state of Jin has to use a small amount of land to forcibly support this huge army that can compete with the Liao state. It will definitely be dragged down after a long time, and our dynasty cannot repeat the same mistakes. "

Wang Pu said comfortingly: "Deputy Marshal Shi is really a confidant of this old man, what I said has reached my heart, how could I not know that the land of sixteen prefectures must be taken back.

But the reason why the policy of first going south and then going north was proposed to the officials is because wars can only be sustained if they are profitable.

Attack the south first, easy to fight is only one of them, the most important thing is to get a lot of money, food and people, so that our country of Zhou can grow stronger.If we are in a hurry to fight Youzhou and start a war with the Liao Kingdom early, we must go all out to fight the Liao Kingdom.

Unlike the battle of the Liao Kingdom and the South, the war with the Liao Kingdom is not profitable, it can only be a protracted war of attrition, what happens after we take Youzhou?The Northern Expedition to the Grasslands and Deserts Failed?That will only waste money and money, but manpower and material resources will get nothing. "

"But the sixteen prefectures are good for defending against the north." Wei Renpu said.

Wang Pu was so anxious that he wanted to speak again, Shi Congyun hurriedly rushed to speak, for fear that the two of them would quarrel, and he also understood that Wei Renpu didn't quite understand Wang Pu's meaning, and Wang Pu had a more strategic vision, so he said in a metaphor:
"Miss Wei, let's use an analogy, I, Da Zhou, am now a family who can only eat half full, living in a thatched hut without enough to eat.

For this family, the south is a large amount of rice, noodles, money and food, and the sixteen states in the north are a big house that shelters us from wind and rain.

We can only eat enough to make the whole family strong enough to have the strength to build a shelter from the wind and rain. If we do this the other way around and the whole family is still hungry, we should think about going to the house first. Build a big house, but the house is not built yet, and half of the work will starve to death.

Both the south and the north are important, but they must be prioritized, and the priorities must be understood. Food must be eaten bite by bite, and roads must be taken step by step. "

"What a wonderful speech!" Wang Pu raised his glass to him happily, Shi Congyun quickly picked up the glass and drank with Wang Pu.

"That's what this old man means. We must take it step by step and prioritize. The sixteen states are going to take back, but it is by no means the moment. The time has not come. If you are eager for quick success, it is very likely that more than ten years of work will be destroyed in one go."

Wei Renpu also understood what Wang Pu meant, so he raised his glass and said, "Prefect Wang is really far-sighted."

It seems that Wei Renpu also agrees with Wang Pu's consideration.

That night, the three of them talked until very late, so they couldn't go back. Both Wei Renpu and Wang Pu stayed in his residence.

Wang Pu even regarded Shi Congyun, a young junior who was like-minded and at the same level as him, as a year-end friend.

In fact, everyone knows that doing things should be down-to-earth and step-by-step.

Perhaps there are very few people who can do it in history, and it is difficult for ordinary people to lose weight. What's more, this kind of family-country strategy has been persistent for more than ten years and decades.

Those who can persevere are the masters of great talent and strategy, such as Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty. They are all very determined and persistent people, and the country has benefited a lot from their persistence.

Guo Rong is far behind. Although he compares himself to Li Shimin, if you look closely at his actions, starting from the Battle of Gaoping, the gap is relatively large in general.

Shi Congyun feels that the current emperor is characterized by bravery and decisiveness, but lacks strategic vision.

There are great talents, but lack of generality.

The next day, Shi Congyun sent Wei Renpu and Wang Pu away.

Shi Congyun prepared presents under Zhao Shijian's reminder, and together with Guo Tingwei, visited Liu Renshan who was living in the capital.

Liu Renshan was worshiped as an official inspector and Taiwei, but he had no actual position. He was only given a salary, arranged a mansion, and let him live in the capital.

And Zhu Yuan and others who surrendered with him were arranged to serve as regimental envoys and governors in the states of Huainan.

Although Liu Renshan gave him treatment and did not let him become an official, he might not be at ease with him, after all, Liu Renshan was too capable.

Moreover, his subordinate Guo Tingwei's original identity is not simple. Zhao Shijian told him quietly that Guo Tingwei should be a descendant of Guo Ziyi, the official of the Tang Dynasty and the king of Fenyang.

So he asked Guo Tingwei in private, but he didn't expect it to be true.
In the middle of November, Shi Congyun heard the news from Si Chao that the three envoys, Zuo Pushe, Shizhong, Pingzhangshi, and Xingshouzhoufu Li Gu were coming back, because their navy was ordered to send ships to Wokou picks up Li Gu and his entourage, so he also came to inform.

When Shi Congyun got the news, he told Si Chao that the navy ship was coming to Daliang to tell him.

On the day the boat arrived, he took Zhao Shijian to meet him at the ferry in person.

Li Gu can be regarded as his great benefactor. In Zhengyang, it was Li Gu who rejected Li Chongjin and let him play forward.

In the later battle of Huainan, he commanded an army of 30 to fight, and Li Gu dispatched [-] civilian husbands and township soldiers to protect the logistics of the army. There was no problem at all, and the battle in Huainan was so easy to fight.

He is both a benefactor and an old colleague.

But what he didn't expect was that there were a lot of people coming, and there were people standing everywhere around the Bianhe River, all of them came to welcome Li Gu, and there were many people from both civil and military sides.

Among them, there is Wang Pu who is not popular
. .
On November [-], someone from the palace came to the official office in front of the palace and asked him to meet the official family.

Zhang Yongde and Zhao Kuangyin also went with them, as well as Wei Renpu, the privy envoy of the palace, and Li Gu, the third envoy.

The officials asked them to discuss the matter of officials accusing the Crane Army of expanding its two wings, which is a big deal.

According to the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, each chamber has 5000 people. That is to say, the expansion of the two chambers means the expansion of [-] forbidden troops. This is a big event.

The imperial army of the Great Zhou Dynasty is currently only 18 to [-], and the expansion of the army by [-] will increase the size of the imperial army to about [-]. The increase of [-] is a large number.

The Crane Control Army is the main force under the Dianqian Division, so they summoned three senior officials of the Dianqian Division to discuss.

Because of the success of Yu Langzhi's formation, Shi Congyun became the official's first choice for the matter of military expansion and training. Both Zhang Yongde and Zhao Kuangyin agreed with this, and Wei Renpu and Li Gu did not object.

The wave-riding army he formed was only completed, and when it arrived at the Huainan battlefield, it immediately broke out with strong combat effectiveness, which was impressive.

The officials also looked at him and asked him to talk about his ideas and tricks.

"Officials, there is only one trick. Han Xin, the soldier fairy in those days, has already said that, that is, to use veterans as examples for recruits. We can transfer experienced veterans from other armies to serve as low-level officers in the new army. In this way, the new army It grows up very quickly."

The officials nodded, and finally ordered Shi Congyun, Zhao Kuangyin, and Cao Bin to be fully responsible for the formation of the new army, and Zhang Yongde was temporarily handed over the affairs of the Dianqian Division.

Zhao Kuangyin and Cao Bin were Shi Congyun's assistants.

Zhao Kuangyin's deputy was indeed a help arranged by the officials. Cao Bin was an internal minister, with the meaning of supervising the army. The officials also allowed him to dispatch officers below the two divisions to help. Shi Congyun and others quickly took orders.

The expansion of the Forbidden Army involves a lot of materials, money and food, and it also needs to be handed over to Li Gu, the third division envoy.

So in the following days, Shi Congyun became busy again.

Just as Daliang was busy expanding his army, all countries in the world were also shaken.

The Tang State was beaten by Shi Congyun and lost half of its country. It is a big deal for the situation of the world to bow its head and proclaim itself a vassal.

Because the reason is very simple, in today's world, the Liao Kingdom in the north is undoubtedly the largest country.

On the other hand, there were two big countries in the south that used to be roughly equal in national strength, that is, Zhou State and Tang State. Now that Tang State has been completely defeated, lost half of its country, and bowed its head, it means that there is no country in the Central Plains and South that can compete with Zhou State.

The news spread to Xishu, Jingchu and other places a few years ago, and all the countries were shocked and began to send envoys to Daliang with heavy money and precious gifts.

Many were sent directly to the palace, and many were sent to Shi Congyun's mansion.

Because the fight against Huainan was fought by Zhou State General Shi Congyun, and now he is famous all over the world, everyone fears and wants to please Shi Congyun.

But at this time, Shi Congyun didn't dare to embezzle, and hurriedly sent all the gifts received from various countries to the palace and reported them to the emperor.

Accepting gifts from his own ministers is at best a moral issue, while accepting bribes from foreign countries is a political issue. He is clear-headed about this.

And years ago, as the news spread, after Shi Congyun flattened Huainan, the most terrified country was none other than the Kingdom of Shu.
(End of this chapter)