Do you know: I am Yuan Wenshao

Chapter 323 Arrears of wages
Feng Rushan pondered for a while and said: "Originally, I planned to wait for Mavis and the Qiang to defeat both sides and capture Hehuang in one fell swoop. But now that the Great Zhou Dynasty has sent more troops to Hehuang, there is no time to wait any longer. You send a letter to Kelsang Norbu and ask him to prepare for a counterattack, and I will ambush Mavis on his way back to the army."

The Qiang and Dangxiang are both nomadic peoples, and the Qiang are also divided into multiple tribes, and they are separated from the Zhou Dynasty by Tubo.

In order not to give Zhou a chance to intervene in Hehuang, Feng Rushan could only annex Tubo in Hehuang first.

At that time, the Qiang people can slowly take care of things.

"Yes!" Feng Guang responded and hurriedly retreated.

……

Qinzhou City

After Yuan Wenshao entered the city, he was warmly received by Hu Huaining.

The reception banquet lasted until late at night. Yuan Wenshao was escorted off by an official from Qinfeng Road, and left the restaurant and returned to the inn.

After sending Yuan Wenshao away, officials like Qin Fenglu also went home.

However, Xue Weimin gathered with a group of confidants.

"Xue Zhizhou, the Grand Prime Minister asked us to give Marquis Zhongyong a warning, but the transfer envoy was very polite to him. I'm afraid things will be difficult to handle."

"Yes, if the transporter doesn't help, it will be difficult for us alone to do anything."

"Haha, don't worry, everyone. Yuan Wenshao is impulsive at this time, and because he is close to the Queen Mother, he is not trusted by the officials. It is not difficult to deal with him." Xue Weimin said with a smile.

He didn't think of any good solution for a while, but people's hearts could not be disturbed, so he calmly appeased everyone.

……

Yuan Wenshao returned to the inn and took a hot bath, feeling weak all over.

Traveling for days and days was very painful, and even with his physical strength, it was somewhat unbearable.

There is no way. Although Yuan Wenshao has insisted on practicing martial arts for so many years, he is just pampering himself. He has never suffered like this.

Before, I had been nervous to persevere. Now I relaxed, and a deep sense of fatigue came over me instantly.

After taking a bath, I went to bed and lay down, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next day Yuan Wenshao was woken up by a knock on the door.

"What's the matter?" Yuan Wenshao frowned.

Qin Li said: "Master Hou, the commander of Wu Xiong's army has come to ask for an audience."

Yuan Wenshao was stunned when he heard this and said, "Just tell him to wait, I will get up right away."

"Yes!" Qin Li responded.

Yuan Wenshao got up and put on his clothes, asked the soldiers outside the door to bring him toiletries, packed them up, and went to the front hall.

Sitting in the hall was a strong man in his thirties with a full beard.

Seeing Yuan Wenshao come in, he quickly stood up and saluted: "General, I will pay my respects to the Marquis!"

Yuan Wenshao waved his hand and said, "General Chen, you're welcome. Please sit down."

The commander of Wu Xiong's military capital is named Chen Ze, and Hu Huaining introduced him to him yesterday.

This person controls all the troops and horses on the Hehuang border defense line.

Although Yuan Wenshao is now the highest official in Qin Feng Road and controls military and political power.

But if Hu Huaining and Chen Ze don't cooperate, it will be difficult.

Hu Huaining already expressed his attitude yesterday. Although I don't know whether it is true or disguised, Yuan Wenshao himself has no intention of intervening in local government affairs, as long as Hu Huaining does not cause trouble for him.

Chen Ze is different. Yuan Wenshao only has five thousand soldiers and horses. If there is a change in Hehuang, the soldiers and horses Chen Ze has will be crucial.

Although his current position can be transferred, it will be very troublesome if Chen Zeyang goes against his will.

Therefore, Chen Ze is the person he must win over.

What Yuan Wenshao didn't expect was that before he could take action, Chen Ze came to the door himself.

"I would like to report to the Marquis that the soldiers on the defensive last night captured a man coming from the direction of Hehuang. This person claimed to be a person sent by the Prince of Tibet. The general did not know the truth or falsehood, so he came to report to the Marquis and ask the Marquis to make a decision. "

Without waiting for Yuan Wenshao to ask, Chen Ze took the initiative to reveal his intention.

"Oh? I wonder if that person has explained his intention?" Yuan Wenshao asked.

"Back to the Marquis, the man brought a letter written by the eldest prince of Tibet. The general read it. In the letter, the eldest prince of Tibet wanted to ask the Great Zhou Dynasty to send troops to help him control the situation. He was willing to lead Hehuang Tubo to become a vassal state of the Great Zhou Dynasty. "Chen Ze said.

Yuan Wenshao groaned after hearing this and tapped his finger on the table.

If so, it would give Dazhou a legitimate reason to send troops.

In ancient wars, it was important for one division to be famous.

Many people may think that the ancients were influenced by Confucianism.

actually not.

War involves death, and it also serves as a sign for the people to exercise enough food and grass.

Neither ordinary soldiers nor civilians like to fight.

The so-called master's reputation is not for outsiders to see, but to appease the inside.

Therefore, having a good reputation as a teacher can improve morale and popular support, which is not as superficial as some people think.

This opportunity seemed very good, but now that he had insufficient troops, he sent out troops rashly. Even if he could capture part of the city, he would have to divide his troops to defend it.

But Xixia has not yet made a move. It is not a wise choice for him to enter the quagmire of war first.

After a long silence, Yuan Wenshao said: "Commander Chen Du, you have been stationed here for many years and know the situation better than I do. What do you think we should do?"

"Back to the Marquis, the general feels that this is not a good time to send troops. Firstly, the border army's salary has not been paid for three months, and the morale of sending troops is not high at this time. Secondly, the situation in Tubo is unclear, so it is not a good time to send troops. But Tubo Since the eldest prince has asked me, Great Zhou, for help, it can be seen that he has reached the end of his rope. If he does not intervene, the general will worry that he will choose to defect to Xixia. The general will not know how to make a decision for a while." Chen Ze said.

When Yuan Wenshao heard this, he looked deeply at Chen Ze.

Facing Yuan Wenshao's gaze, Chen Ze's expression did not change at all.

Yuan Wenshao withdrew his gaze, remained silent for a while, and said, "Let me think about this matter. You hand that person over to me first. I have something to ask him."

"Yes! If the Marquis has no other instructions, I will leave first," Chen Ze said.

Yuan Wenshao nodded and said, "I will send Commander Chen Du off."

"Master Hou, stay!" Chen Ze cupped his hands and said.

Yuan Wenshao did not insist, nodded and watched Chen Ze leave.

He didn't understand Chen Ze's intention at first, but after Chen Ze's words, he finally understood.

The purpose of Chen Ze's visit this time was somewhat threatening.

Just as he was thinking about it, Sheng Changwu walked in.

"General, I heard that the commander of Wu Xiong's army has arrived. Where is he?" Sheng Changwu bowed and asked. "left already."

Yuan Wenshao asked Sheng Changwu to sit down, and then repeated what Chen Ze said.

After listening to the atmosphere, Sheng Changwu said: "The imperial court has not paid the military pay, but he comes to threaten the general. It is simply unreasonable!"

"Haha, there is nothing to be angry about. Although there is something wrong with what he did, it is not for himself. He is a fourth-grade commander, let alone three months without military pay, even one year. , and he won't be hungry. He did this for the sake of his soldiers. No wonder it is not unreasonable to say that this man has a strong military spirit." Yuan Wenshao shook his head.

Although the Zhou Dynasty valued civil servants over military officers in terms of status, in order to appease the generals, they paid very high salaries.

The salaries of officials in the Zhou Dynasty were far higher than those of any other dynasty, and the salaries of military generals were much higher than those of civilian officials.

Chen Ze is a fourth-grade military general. Even if he is not greedy, his salary alone is enough for him to live a good life.

"What bothers me right now is why Takeo's army has been in arrears for three months in salary arrears. For such a big matter, neither Qin Fenglu officials nor court officials dared to be greedy. However, I didn't get the slightest news before this." Yuan Wenshao's expression said solemnly.

No matter who it is, no matter how courageous it is, it is impossible for them to squander all the military pay.

It can be seen that the lack of military pay for Takeo's army is a problem on the court's side.

As the saying goes, the emperor is not short of hungry soldiers.

Soldiers don't know anything about it. They join the army just to earn a living.

Now that the military is not paid, let alone fighting, there is a possibility of mutiny.

Now that Hehuang is in turmoil, he only has 5,000 soldiers and horses at his disposal. Why should he count on Wu Xiong's army if anything goes wrong?

Sheng Changwu naturally knew the seriousness of the matter and asked, "General, what should we do now?"

"Now we have to understand the situation clearly." Yuan Wenshao pondered for a while and said, "Send a few people to find out about Chen Ze's personality. I will figure out the rest."

"Yes!" Sheng Changwu responded and retreated.

"Master Marquis, Commander Chen Du has sent someone here."

Yuan Wenshao was meditating in the hall and did not come back to his senses until Qin Li came to report.

"Bring it in." Yuan Wenshao said.

After a while, Qin Li came in with someone escorting a middle-aged man.

Yuan Wenshao glanced at him and asked, "Are you sent by the Tibetan Prince?"

"I wonder who this gentleman is?" the man asked.

"I am the pacification envoy of Qin Feng Road." Yuan Wenshao said calmly.

The man was overjoyed when he heard this and said: "Please send troops to help my eldest prince bring order to the chaos and eliminate the rebellion. I, Tibet, am willing to become a vassal state of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Although he didn't know what kind of official the official was, Yuan Wenshao called himself a marquis, so he still knew what it meant.

If a marquis from the Zhou Dynasty went to Tubo, the ruler of Tubo would have to personally entertain him.

"Tell me first what's going on in Tubo." Yuan Wenshao said calmly.

"Returning to your lord, some time ago, I, the leader of the Tubo Kingdom, planned to enthrone the eldest prince as heir apparent. However, after the third prince found out, he wanted to assassinate the ruler and the eldest prince. Fortunately, the eldest prince was alert and noticed the third prince's conspiracy, and captured the third prince. The king of the country was already seriously ill, but because of the incident involving the third prince, he died.

The uncle of the third prince is Mavis, the leader of the second largest tribe in Tubo. This man was ambitious and slandered the eldest prince for rebellion. Under the guise of counterinsurgency, troops surrounded the country. "The man said.

Yuan Wenshao was a little speechless. This assimilation was so thorough that he even used it to die.

"But how did I hear that the eldest prince borrowed troops from Xixia and put the leader of Tubo and the third prince under house arrest?" Yuan Wenshao said lightly.

"Your Excellency, it is clear that the third prince and Mavis have long had their objections. Many tribes were attracted by him. The eldest prince knew that he was no match, so he borrowed troops from Xixia." The man said.

"Then since the eldest prince can borrow troops from Xixia, why does he want to join the Zhou Dynasty now?" Yuan Wenshao asked.

"Sir, Xixia is so ambitious that it only sent a small number of troops. It said that it would only send troops unless the eldest prince was willing to completely surrender to Xixia. The eldest prince naturally refused, so he sent a villain to go to Dazhou to ask for troops. Dazhou is the celestial dynasty. If you go to the country, you will definitely not die without saving someone." The man said.

Yuan Wenshao was not affected by the man's words. He was silent for a while and said: "I don't care whether what you said is true or false. You go back and tell your eldest prince that if you want me, the Great Zhou Dynasty, to send troops to help him, you must prove that it was Mavis who conspired against him, and Cut off contact with Xixia. If he can do that, then we have the need to continue talking."

If he wants to send troops to Hehuang under the pretext of helping Tubo, the eldest prince must not be the one who plots rebellion.

Otherwise, it would be nothing if Dazhou sent troops to help a person who conspired to rebel.

"Yes! I'll go back and report to the eldest prince now." The man naturally knew that it was impossible to ask Da Zhou to send troops when they first met.

Now that Da Zhou has expressed his attitude, he will go back and report to the eldest prince, and the two sides can just discuss it.

"By the way, what's your name?" Yuan Wenshao asked.

"The villain's name is Zhu Wenzheng." Zhu Wenzheng replied.

"Han?" Yuan Wenshao frowned.

"My ancestors are indeed Han Chinese." Zhu Wenzheng said with a smile.

Yuan Wenshao didn't care either. Whether it was Hehuang, Xixia or Liao, they themselves occupied many Han territories and there were many Han people in their territory.

Although these people are Han people, they have been ruled by foreigners for many years and have long been loyal to the foreigners.

"Okay, go back and report my intentions to your eldest prince." Yuan Wenshao said.

"Yes." Zhu Wenzheng responded.

Yuan Wenshao asked Qin Li to arrange for someone to send him away. After pondering for a while, he led his soldiers out of the post station and headed to the transfer envoy's Yamen.

When they arrived at the Yamen, a personal guard came forward to negotiate, and Hu Huaining came out after a while.

"If Marquis Zhongyong has any orders, just send someone to notify him. Why did he come in person?" Hu Huaining saluted.

"I have something to ask Mr. Hu for advice." Yuan Wenshao smiled.

"Master Marquis is too polite. I don't dare to ask for advice. As long as I know, I will naturally tell you everything. Master Marquis, please come in!" Hu Huaining said with a smile.

Yuan Wenshao followed Hu Huaining into the transfer envoy's office, sat down in the back hall, exchanged a few words, and said: "Sir Hu, I heard that Wu Xiong's army has not been paid for three months. I wonder what's going on?"

Hu Huaining sighed after hearing this and said: "Although this matter is not my business, I have heard about it. The reason why there is no military pay is because the imperial court really can't come up with the money. This year's drought in the northwest has reduced grain production, so only 60% of previous years. The northwest is bitterly cold and grain production is not high. After the reduction in production, not only are the people unable to pay taxes, but they will also have to receive assistance from the court when the harvest is poor next year.

Spending money was needed in all aspects, and the court did not have that much money, so it could only default on military pay.

As far as I know, except for the soldiers in the north who are paid in full, other places in the northwest are mostly paid half. For example, the Takeo Army was not paid a penny because they were guarding against Hehuang. "

Yuan Wenshao fell silent when he heard this. He knew that the court was short of money, but he didn't expect it to reach this point.

No wonder Zhao Zongquan was so eager to thoroughly investigate the salt affairs.

In fact, Yuan Wenshao didn't know that this matter had something to do with him.

Because he offered the Huihui cannon, Zhao Zongquan ordered people to build a large number of them.

As a result, the already empty national treasury became even more depleted.

And military expenditures accounted for the bulk of the imperial court's expenditures, so naturally they could only default on military expenditures.

(End of this chapter)