The rise of the prince

Chapter 861 It's all over, count the romantic figures, and look at the present
Yang Hongzhao listened to the envoy of the Kingdom of Jin and quickly understood the general situation.

After much deliberation, he made a quick decision and sent people south to report to the imperial court. At the same time, he ordered the states to shrink their troops, and continuously transferred troops from Zhongxing Mansion, Jinzhou, and Ningyuan to the border of Huizhou.

Already familiar with the new army's combat mode and firearms tactics, Yang Hongzhao personally went to the front line of Yinshui to organize soldiers to build trenches, build bunkers, and stand ready to prevent the Mongols from going south.

There are three avenues, two from the north and one from east to west, converging in the valley outside Huizhou.

Yang Hongzhao, with half-white hair and beard, was on horseback looking into the distance, with a panoramic view of the three avenues in the distance. Two days ago, there were Mongolian soldiers rushing to the distant mountain pass to look south. The meaning is unknown.

But in the past few days, no Mongolian pursuers will come to the mountain pass.

He vaguely understood the change in the attitude of the Mongols. It should be that the commander began to restrain them, so he also ordered that as long as the Mongolian army did not cross the mountain, they would not fight back, and the forward positions would not be built northward, and the current boundaries would be maintained.

As for the northern refugees
After thinking for a while, Yang Hongzhao decided to take them in. After all, if they are not allowed to come here, they will still be able to find a place to cross the 1000-mile border between Jin State and Jing State when they are hungry, and then they will become bandits and harm the people.

However, the admission cannot be in vain. It was just at this time of post-war reconstruction that the states lacked labor.

The Zhongxing Mansion hoarded a large amount of grain, which mainly consisted of two parts. One part was robbed from other states and counties when the Jin Kingdom was broken. Surplus.

The other part was obtained by Wu Linhuang's suppression of the big family according to the order of the emperor's grandson.

As expected by the emperor's grandson, Wu Linhuang crazily suppressed the original Jin family and his compatriots in order to please the new dynasty, to show his loyalty.

During this period, a large amount of food and money was confiscated from the rich families in Liaodong and Liaoxi, and some big families were eradicated. Yang Hongzhao took over the land of these big families according to the plan reserved by the emperor's grandson. Put forward favorable conditions, no tax will be charged for the first two years, and [-]% of the annual harvest will be charged after two years.

For the people of Liaodong, this is a favorable condition that they can't even imagine.

Yang Hongzhao has always remembered what the emperor told him at the time, the Liaodong Plain is more than a thousand miles north and south, eight hundred miles east and west, and thousands of miles of fertile fields. The black soil and fertile soil that is rare in the whole world should allow the people to have land to cultivate and mobilize their enthusiasm. People, food can support half of Jingguo.

After fighting with the emperor's grandson, he already has a habit of trusting the emperor's grandson unconditionally, so he has been pursuing this policy, and constantly trying to find ways to distribute land to ordinary people who have no land to cultivate.

It has only been less than a year now, and Yang Hongzhao has a very high reputation in Liaoxi and Liaodong, and the Jingguo court has received great support.

And historical reasons are also important.

Compared with the rule of the Jin Kingdom, the original Khitan people and Xi people obviously recognized the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty more.

The Taizu of the Liao Kingdom was the Jiedu envoy of the previous dynasty. He enshrined himself in Zhengshuo and called the people of Jingguo "Southern people".

The Liao Kingdom took the lead in Sinicization from top to bottom. There were Han people in the court. The officials in the Liao Kingdom were like the Central Plains Dynasty. The imperial examinations also used Chinese characters. The examinations were Confucian classics, and the teachings of Confucius and Mencius were respected.

Coupled with Yang Hongzhao's very popular actions, under the sense of approval, the rule is even more stable than before the Jin Kingdom, and production and life resumed soon after the war, and the faction is thriving.

This time the Mongols went south, and many people even joined the army enthusiastically, preparing to resist the Mongols.

Of course, many wealthy families also complained about their misery. Yang Hongzhao turned a blind eye, pretending not to see, and the blame was all on Wu Linhuang's head.

And Gu Lichuan recommended by the emperor's grandson was not idle, but he was capable. He helped him quickly suppress several small rebellions in the east, and resisted several attacks by the remnants of the Jin Kingdom in the north. Yan Zongbi and the remnants of the Kingdom of Jin headed by Wanyan Yingge were utterly frightened, and did not dare to go south again, so they hurried to the snowy forest in the north.

After a year of hard work, the newly occupied areas have gradually united into an iron plate, and even the common people began to spontaneously report the traces of the remnants of the Jin Kingdom to the government.

After all, it was hard to live a life with arable land, and no one wanted to lose it.

With this foundation, for some reason, Yang Hongzhao immediately felt full of confidence. Even though the Huizhou frontline new army had only six camps, the total number of Xiang troops gathered from all over the country was only about [-] battalions.

In other words, there are only about 8000 troops that can be deployed to the front of Huizhou at this time.

According to the intelligence of the past few days, the Mongolian army besieging Shangjing has at least more than 5 people!

There may be troops in the follow-up, but it is not just him, even the frontline soldiers are not afraid. They build trenches every day and patrol on a daily basis. It seems that they are not afraid of the Mongolian army of more than 5 people going south.

Probably it is the confidence brought by all victories, or another force that unites people's hearts.

But seeing the soldiers like this, how can he, the commander, chill the hearts of everyone?
Soon, the Mongolian envoys also came, with a humble attitude, showing that they only wanted to avenge the blood feud with the Jin people, and had no intention of becoming an enemy of Jingguo. If Jingguo allowed them to attack Jin without interfering, then they would offer generous offerings.

Yang Hongzhao really didn't react, because the Mongols' resignation came too quickly.

In other words, he is not used to the change in Jingguo's status.

In the past, in the eyes of the people of the world, Jingguo was just a larger country in the south. In the beginning, the hegemony of the world was the Liao Kingdom, followed by the Jin Kingdom.

The Liao people and the Jin people do not call Jingguo China in their official titles, but the Southern Kingdom.

The so-called Fengzhengshuo is based on the calendar of the suzerain country.Like the Yunnan area, although it became an independent country at some times in history, it always regarded the Central Plains as Zhengshuo, and the calendars were all in accordance with the Central Plains Dynasty.

In the previous dynasty, the neighboring countries, regardless of whether they were north, south, east or west, even if they had border friction with them, they still regarded China as Zhengshuo and adopted the Central Plains calendar to record the year.

But in Jingguo, there is no such treatment. The northern powers do not recognize it, the northwest warlords do not recognize it, and they have repeatedly failed to send troops.

But now, especially after the war with the Kingdom of Jin last year, countries from the north, the south, and the east and west have come forward one after another to restore the practice of Fengjing Kingdom as Zhengshuo, but Yang Hongzhao is not in the court and does not know about those changes. The attitude is surprising.

If he knew the situation in the DPRK and China, he would not be surprised. Now Jingguo seems to be the most powerful country in the world, and Temujin has a strategic vision, so he will not offend Jingguo while attacking Jinguo.

Yang Hongzhao was unable to make a decision at this level. He did not relax and strengthen the defense of the north, but at the same time sent envoys from the two countries to Beijing to make them defend themselves before the emperor.

So in the middle and early August, there was such a scene. The envoys from the two warring countries arrived in Kaiyuan one after the other, saying that they were justified and that Jingguo should be the master.

The Mongolian envoy said that the people of the Kingdom of Jin killed their Khan’s grandfather and Khan’s father, and also implemented a brutal policy of reducing the number of people on the grassland. Return Jingguo with cattle and sheep.

The envoys of the Kingdom of Jin said that they were the vassals of the Kingdom of Jing and were being bullied by outsiders. They hoped that the suzerain of the Kingdom of Jing would send troops to help or make the Mongols retreat. They were willing to sacrifice all the gold and silver in the treasury to the Kingdom of Jing.

This is a rare situation.

The emperor was both proud of this, but also a little hesitant.

The DPRK and China have also launched some disputes about this. Undoubtedly, no matter which side they stand on in this matter, there will be benefits, but no matter which side they stand on, they will lose part of the benefits.

Everyone has had a heated discussion about this.

Li Xingzhou's opinion naturally became the focus of attention. In fact, he himself tended to agree with the Mongolian request.

There are two reasons for this.

First, Jin Kingdom is not so easy to destroy. Shangjing is only a strategic center of gravity in the west of Jin Kingdom. Even if Shangjing and Wanyanli are gone, then there are Wanyan Yingge and Wanyan Zongbi. They will definitely continue to fight with the Mongols beat.

The Mongols and the Kingdom of Jin are different from other countries. It is really a bloody feud. Temujin’s grandfather and father both died in the hands of the people of the Kingdom of Jin. The policy of reducing the number of people in the Kingdom of Jin does not know how many Mongol men have been killed and how many wives have been separated. So Mongolia is absolutely going to fight to the death with Jin Guo, and if it doesn't work in the short term, it will fight for a long time.

The second is that at this time Jingguo's strategic center of gravity is Xiaguo in the west, and Li Xingzhou is eager to take back the vast area between Helan Mountain, Yin Mountain, and Luliang Mountain, which is not suitable for two-front warfare.

"If you see death at this time and don't save it, what's the face of my suzerain's country? It's only a few months ago that all the countries came to court and regarded China as Zhengshuo. If you relax at this time, you will lose the hearts of the people of the world.

At this very moment, I'm afraid that all the nations in the world and the dependent countries of the world are watching our actions. " Degong said while knocking on the table with his hands. This is the office of the Zhengshitang, and the people in it are all senior officials of the second government and the third department of the court, even the emperor is there.

"Whether you can resist the Mongols, let alone whether you want to go to war with the Mongols, at least make a gesture."

As soon as the words fell, Di Zhi, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, said, "The king's words are reasonable, but in terms of military affairs, this is still inappropriate. Once you agree to the Jin people, no matter whether you want to start a war or not, you must garrison a large army in the north.

In the direction of Liaoxi and Liaodong, Jingguo has a border line of thousands of miles. If the army is used to guard against the Mongols, then Xiaguo will be difficult to fight, and Hexi will be difficult to take back. "

De Gong took a sip of his tea. An ordinary young man would not dare to talk to him like this, but Di Zhi was different. He had great military exploits and the grace of saving his family. As the Deputy Privy Envoy, he had to recognize and value this young man.

"Then let it go for a few years and then fight again. Prestige is better than meritorious deeds. When the prestige is conquered, it will be easy to fight a small Xia country." De Gong continued.

The emperor didn't speak, but looked at Li Xingzhou.

Li Xingzhou didn't say anything, just said: "Everyone speak freely, if you have any ideas, you can speak up."

Xue Fanggong cupped his hands and stood up: "I think the land of Liao must be preserved. There is no other reason. The land of Liao has fertile black soil and a large area of ​​plains. When the Han Dynasty was strong, the land of Liaodong was both a horse farm and a granary. Jingguo has both. , never let go easily.

Therefore, if the starting point is to protect Liaodong, I agree with Degong’s opinion. You can gather a large army in Liaodong first, protect the land and secure the people, and after a few years, Liaodong will be settled. "

"I don't think Hexi can delay. There are two main variables. One is that the current regent Prince Xia is not an idler, and the other is that Mongolia is also coveting Xia!

It has been half a year since the beginning of the year that Mongol general Zhebe attacked and harassed Xia Kingdom in the north of Yin Mountain. What if Xia Kingdom falls into the hands of Mongols after another two or three years? "He Zhao spoke, it seems that He Xu told him a lot about Xia Guo's situation.

Li Xingzhou listened to the debate, and everyone's opinions were divided into conservative and radical.

Although there are differences, generally speaking, conservatives feel that they should digest and occupy the territory of Jin Kingdom first, and then plan to make progress.

The radicals felt that the opportunity was not lost, and they must continue to attack quickly to solve Hexi's troubles in one fell swoop.

Then there are differences.

To be conservative, if you want to digest the new land, you must protect the Jin Kingdom, oppose the Mongols, and ensure the safety and security of Liaodong.

If you want to be aggressive, if you want to attack Hexi, you can't protect the Jin Kingdom. If you don't confront the Mongols, Liaodong may be threatened by Mongolia.

It's time for the fate of the country to make another decision.

In fact, both parties are right. Conservatives have conservative reasons, and radicals have radical reasons, but a decision must be made.

To simplify it, in the next few years, Jingguo's strategic focus will be on the east side of Taihang Mountain or the west side.It is related to the future of Jingguo, and it is related to the direction of major policies in the next few years or even ten years.

The discussions at the Political Affairs Hall that day did not yield results.

After Li Xingzhou returned home, he went back to see He Qian and Pu Chaling who were pregnant. The two were going to give birth soon.

Even He Qian, who has always been carefree, became nervous. Li Xingzhou kept comforting the two of them, and did not tell Pu Chaling the news of Shangjing's siege, for fear that she would be worried. After all, his father was also besieged in Shangjing by the Mongols.

Afterwards, this matter was discussed for several days, but it was still unable to come up with a definite plan. In fact, in the final analysis, it was Li Xingzhou who could not make up his mind.

He didn't want to argue with the Mongols, he wanted to pacify Hexi quickly, but he was afraid of the trouble of raising tigers.

If it were someone else, he might have adopted He Zhao and Di Zhi's suggestion, regardless of the Mongols, and quickly won Hexi.

But the opponent is Temujin, Genghis Khan, a generation of pride.
This made Li Xingzhou struggling and unable to extricate himself. After all, he was not confident enough to face Temujin and Mongolia a few years later.

In this regard, many people are a little confused, because his recent performance is really not like the bold, confident, and reckless Li Xingzhou at the beginning, the prince who is not afraid of anything, and the invincible Chang Sheng General.
In August, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the sky is high and the clouds are light, the wind is gentle and the air is clear. Li Xingzhou isolates himself in the backyard, cuts off the hustle and bustle, and quietly writes ink on the stone table.

"The scenery of the northern country is frozen for thousands of miles, and snow drifts for thousands of miles.

Looking at the inside and outside of the Great Wall, there is nothing but mangmang;

The mountain dance silver snake, the original Chi wax figure, wants to compare with Tiangong test.

On sunny days, look at the red dress, which is extremely enchanting.

There are so many splendid rivers and mountains, which has attracted countless heroes.

Pity Qin Huang Han Wu, slightly lost literary talent; Tang Zong Song Zu, slightly less coquettish.

A generation of proud, Genghis Khan, who only knows how to bend a bow and shoot a big eagle"

After writing this, Li Xingzhou stopped writing and breathed a sigh of relief. The poems are so wonderful, the meaning is clear, and if there is no arrogance in the chest, he uses the arrogance to strengthen the liver and courage, so he also feels that there is a gap in his chest, and he can accommodate the world!

"The proud generation, Genghis Khan, only knows how to bend a bow and shoot a big eagle!" He rewrote it again.

"It's all in the past, count the romantic figures, and look at the present!" The last sentence was read out.

"It's all over!"

Putting down the pen as he spoke, he had already seen his own path in his heart. In the past, he always borrowed the lessons from his predecessors to open his own path, but at this point, he no longer had any lessons from his predecessors, and he no longer had the wisdom of others to use.

"That's right, it's all over!" Li Xingzhou couldn't help saying loudly with a clear idea.

"Counting the romantic figures, let's look at the present!"

(End of this chapter)