The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

(Very tired! Very helpless!)

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With Zhao Zhen's nod and acquiesce, Du Yan moved his black and fat body, came to Su Jin, cupped his hands and said: "The Special Envoy Su has turned the tide and opened up the situation for the court's food affairs. He is brave and resourceful, and this old man appreciates it very much."

"Thank you, Privy Du, for your compliment. Even though you will die for the imperial court, you will never give up." Su Jin returned the salute with clasped fists.

"Special envoys don't need to be overly modest, but officials must consider and balance their actions, on the premise that they do not violate the court's laws. If the special envoy of the Soviet Union resists the decree and fails to comply, even if the emperor pardons your crimes, I still need to remind you. There are things that are not considered, but one must not be two, otherwise it will set up a negative image for our officials in the Song Dynasty."

Su Jin bowed and said: "I have been taught, and I will definitely keep Du Shumi's golden and jade words in my heart; the emperor loves me so much, how can I know the good and the bad, and I will definitely not do it again."

Du Yan smiled and said: "That's good. Envoy Su can wake up and realize that it's not in vain for His Majesty to love and cherish talents; but I have one more thing to ask the envoy, and I ask the envoy to explain clearly."

Su Jindao: "Please ask Privy Du to inquire, and the next official will answer everything."

Du Yan habitually squeezed the fat on his chin, and said quietly: "When Special Envoy Su was on a business trip, he once led my guards in the capital, Ma Jun, with two hundred entourages, and Ma Jun's deputy commander, Long Zhen, tied the tie. , Now that the food affairs have been completed, apart from the 26 Ma Jun who sacrificed their lives, the other 170 people are all listed. Both Ma Jun returned in triumph, but why did Long Zhen not show up for so long? He is really a subordinate who assists Special Envoy Su in his errands, and can also be said to be Su Special Envoy's deputy, so why did Special Envoy Su not mention the fact that the dragon really disappeared?"

Su Jin knew that this matter could not be avoided, and if no one else asked, Du Yan, who is a privy envoy, would definitely ask, because he had already learned from Yan Shu that Long Zhen was recommended by Du Yan to follow him on business. How could Du Yan rest when the Deputy Commander of the dignified horse army disappeared.

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Su Jin didn't mention this matter at all, which aroused many people's associations; everyone who understands knows that Long Zhen recommended Du Yan to follow Su Jin on business affairs, which was actually a hidden stake planted beside Su Jin; contacting Su Jin was recommended by Yan Shu , and the semi-public battle between Yan Shu and Du Yan, the twists and turns here are extremely subtle; but now that the food business has been successfully completed, Long Zhen, who can also get a share in this matter, has disappeared , is rather intriguing.

Everyone looked at Su Jin, hoping that Su Jin could give an explanation. His deputy disappeared. As his superior, Su Jin really lacked an explanation.

Su Jin seemed a little angry, and his tone was a little indifferent: "Private Du, I still want to ask you about this matter. He is the commander of the Imperial Army, and he thinks very highly of himself. When he was with me on business, he disobeyed my orders several times. For the sake of the overall situation, he didn't care too much about it; when the bandits in Bagong Mountain robbed grain, this man did not resist, allowing more than [-] mobs to rob the grain under the eyes of the [-] elite cavalry led by him. Let’s go, I’ve completely disgraced the officers and soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty; it is said that this person was recommended by Du Shumi, and I would like to ask Du Shumi why he recommended such a pustule to embarrass the emperor and the court.”

Du Yan said coldly: "Special Envoy Su, you should be more careful in what you say, the fact that Long Zhen's food escort was robbed by the bandits is the cause of your body; if you hadn't made a mistake in making a decision and chose land instead of water, how could this happen occur?"

Su Jin sneered and said: "I heard Du Shumi's words. What you mean is that if a person buys a knife to kill, the murderer is not guilty, but he is guilty of selling a knife. This matter is only talked about in the court. If it is passed on If you go out, wouldn't it make people laugh out loud?"

Du Yan's face was hot, and he also felt that what he said was a bit unreasonable. Fortunately, his face was dark and his blushing was not noticed. Isn’t it your fault that you chose the dangerous road instead of the safe one while bandits infested the dangerous road?”

Su Jin said with a smile: "Du Shumi really doesn't know or is he pretending to be confused? Well, the next official might as well explain this matter, so that no one will say that I, Su Jin, don't follow common sense; After half a year of severe drought, the river has receded, the river has dried up, and all of them have been frozen. Even if these factors can be overcome, a large number of ships will have to go upstream to the south wharf of Luzhou City to load goods, and then go down the river to the south wharf of Yangzhou. Follow the canal north to Yangzhou."

Du Yan said: "Isn't this going smoothly?"

Su Jin sneered and said: "It sounds very smooth, but first of all, where does the ship come from? Second, even if there is a ship, it takes a large cart and manpower to get food on the ship, and a large cart and manpower to get off the ship. How much time will it take in the middle?" Every day in Yangzhou city there are starving people starving to death, every day there are refugees gathering, can there be delays? What's more, the boats can't go to the pier at all, the Feishui and the canal connecting the Yangtze River at both ends are dry like a small river ditch, a bathtub Even if they can’t float, can’t it be possible to ask the Sea Dragon King to do something like summoning wind and rain?”

Du Yan rolled his eyes and said: "That's better than knowing that the bandits are robbing you but taking the risk anyway. In fact, after being robbed by the bandits, the delay will be longer."

Su Jin chuckled and said, "This is exactly what the lower officials are wondering. Why is it that the two hundred horsemen are no match for the hundreds of ill-equipped mobs? It's not that the bandits are too cunning, but that the dragon is really incompetent."

Du Yan shouted: "Xiu has to slander the generals of the imperial army. This matter has long been settled. The time to transport food is after the heavy snowfall. The horse army's advantage lies in the horse. After the snow, the road is muddy. How can the horse army's advantage be used? You If you don't understand military affairs, you don't have the right to banish; Long Zhen has no choice but to do so."

Su Jin fell down with a smile, a little unscrupulous, Yan Shu frowned and shouted: "Special Envoy Su, this is above the court, and the emperor is here, pay attention to your words and deeds."

Su Jin said indifferently: "Your Majesty, my lords, it's hard for you to be so calm. Don't you think that Du Shumi's words are really funny?"

Du Yan shouted: "What's so ridiculous?"

Su Jin smiled and said, "May I ask, Clerk Du, in your opinion, is it easier for an army of two hundred horses to stop four hundred bandits on flat ground, or is it easier to lead people to attack after the bandits have reached the stronghold? You understand military affairs and the methods of warfare." , might as well explain it for the next officer.”

Du Yan said coldly: "It's not your turn to study this old man."

Su Jin smiled and said: "You don't bother to talk about military affairs with me, so I'll ask others; may I ask which adult is the leader of the army, can you help Su Jin solve this doubt?"

All the officials didn't move. Although they didn't want to go into the muddy water at this time, although they didn't know what Su Jin's intention was, they obviously had a trick.

Zhao Zhen said: "Pang Aiqing, you have been on the battlefield in the northwest for a long time, and you are very familiar with military affairs. You are here to explain to Special Envoy Su."

Pang Ji rolled his eyes and said: "Your Majesty Qizuo, most of the veterans are in charge of logistics and food. The analysis of such specific battle cases may not be comprehensive enough. It is better to ask others to answer."

Everyone in the hall scolded secretly: When the situation is unclear, it is indeed an old fox who does not hesitate to admit that he is incompetent in order to protect himself wisely.

Zhao Zhen was helpless, glanced at the group of officials, pointed to Fan Yong, the minister of the official department, and said: "Fan Aiqing, tell me, you have been to the border of Yanzhou, and you have led troops to fight against the enemy several times, you should be able to explain clearly. "

Fan Yong rolled his eyes, and could only salute and said: "The old minister tried to analyze it from his own point of view; the two cases mentioned by Special Envoy Su are actually a comparison between field battles and fortified battles. In my opinion, the difference between the two The degree of difficulty is related to many factors, such as the ratio of troops, weather, terrain, morale, weapons, etc.; if you want to draw conclusions simply, it is not easy."

Zhao Zhen frowned and said: "I didn't ask you to make a long speech. Didn't Special Envoy Su already mentioned it very specifically? Two hundred horse troops fought against four or five hundred bandits on the flat ground, and the other side was attacking the bandit's stronghold. Only comparing the two It's just difficult."

Fan Yong hurriedly said: "Yes, if we compare these two examples, it is obviously more difficult to attack the mountain; if the terrain is suitable for a confrontation on the flat ground, the cavalry can be as good as ten, and fifty or sixty cavalry are elite, and they are enough to crush the troops with poor equipment. Jing's formation of hundreds of bandits may not be able to kill many people, but it is safe to win the battle."

Zhao Zhen said: "What about the Snow Queen? What changes in the Snow Queen?"

Fan Yongdao: "The Queen of Snow is naturally different, but with the number of two hundred, it should not be defeated. Our cavalry guards are well-equipped, with armor all over the body, equipped with long spears, bows and arrows, and short blades. Infantry envoys, four or five hundred bandits can't even think about taking advantage of it."

Du Yan stared fiercely at Fan Yong, and secretly scolded the old boy for doing such a solid analysis today. Isn't this saying that Long Zhen and the horse army must win but they are timid to fight.

Fan Yong turned a blind eye and said in his heart: I also want to speak for you, but there are many civil and military experts here in the Manchu Dynasty. If I open my eyes and tell nonsense, won't the emperor and all the officials think that I am a pustule and have nothing? understand?

"The conditions for attacking the stronghold are even more stringent. Not only do you need several times the number of the enemy, but you also need long-range attack weapons, and you have to pay several times the number of casualties to be effective; if four or five hundred bandits occupy a dangerous place, if you want to To attack and break through, at least five times as many troops are needed, and it also depends on the luck on the spot."

Su Jin interjected: "What if one thousand troops are against one thousand?"

Fan Yong shook his head and said, "That would be extremely difficult. This old man can't do it."

Su Jin cupped his hands and said, "I've been taught."

Fan Yong bowed to the emperor, lowered his head and got into the crowd.

Su Jin looked at Du Yan and said, "Private Du, you heard me, do you have any objection to Master Fan's words?"

Du Yan snorted, what Fan Yong said was the truth, what objection could he have? In military matters, one is one and two is two. Under constant factors, there are very few variables in winning or losing, so I will never be so stupid He insisted that Fan Yong's analysis was wrong.

"No objection, but what does this mean?"

Su Jin smiled and said: "Just now you said that the horse army after the snow can't take advantage of it. I agree with this point. The lower official is not asking whether he can take advantage of it, but whether he can keep the food and win the battle; Master Fan gave The clear answer is that our horse army is well-equipped, even if we give up our horses, we can still win the battle, which shows that Long Zhen is simply fleeing because of cowardice, not anything else."

Du Yan said: "Even if you can win, it will be a miserable victory. Long Zhen must have considered this before deciding to settle for the next best thing. It is not known when he will call up an army to fight again."

Su Jin smiled and said: "Private Du is really a caring person, and he is so considerate for Long Zhen; why didn't you consider the life and death of hundreds of thousands of Yangzhou people? It was the two hundred horsemen who died and the hundreds of thousands of people in Yangzhou. Compared with the stability of the country, which is more important?"

Du Yan was speechless.

"What's more, the situation is not that bad. As long as Long really dares to fight, the bandits will collapse, and the casualties will not be too great; Well, don’t you think that the enemies Long Zhen faced at that time were nothing worth mentioning? Mr. Fan said that a battle between a thousand officers and soldiers and a thousand bandits would be extremely difficult to win; People who understand military affairs can even wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop. What reason does Long Zhen lead two hundred elites to fight and flee? If it is snowing heavily and the road is muddy, if this is an excuse for failure, then I, Su Jin, can find out There are thousands of reasons to let the bandits run free, but can we do this?"

Su Jin began to be righteous.