The struggle of the reborn prince

After receiving the imperial decree, Ma Kuo rushed to Yuanyangbo to meet the saint at night. He had already been notified by the emperor that he was visiting Yuanyangbo to escape the summer heat.According to the usual practice, all the guards had to go to meet him, and he was also ready, but unexpectedly, the emperor did not order him to be summoned.Ma Kuo didn't think much about it, but ordered the garrison to strictly guard the border and increase patrols to prevent the enemy from crossing the border and disturbing Sheng Jia.

At this time, the Mughal tribe had already moved in according to the order, and he was busy coordinating the pastures and mobilizing supplies, so the affairs of the opposite side of the saint faded away.But just when Ma Kuo thought that the emperor had forgotten him, he suddenly came by himself and ordered him to go to Yuanyangbo to meet him immediately.He came in such a hurry that Ma Kuo only had time to say hello to his colleagues, and had no time to hand over the work, so he hurried on the road with a few entourages.

There are two things to think about when the emperor wants to see himself on Makuo Road: one is the recovery of production after the disaster and the livelihood of the people; Situation of the steppe.These matters are all important matters this year, and he can say that he can be sure without preparation, but Ma Kuo is still uneasy, but he can't think of anything else that makes the emperor look for him so anxiously. "Chen Ma Kuo pays homage to Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live!" Ma Kuo had just arrived at Yuanyang Park.He only had time to wash his face when he was urged by Xiao Huangmen to go up.After he entered the tent, he saw that the emperor's face was normal, and the ministers who followed him were also the same.Feel at ease, and quickly salute and say hello.Stand on the train.

After the court meeting started, Ma Kuo was surprised that the topic of today's court meeting seemed to have nothing to do with him. Everyone was talking about Dali Kingdom.A while ago, he only knew from the mansion newspaper and rumors that Duan Heyu, the leader of the Dali Kingdom, had become a monk because of the rivalry among his sons, because he had once been sent to Dali to help Duan Heyu restore the government, which also attracted his attention.But he did not expect that the situation in Dali has deteriorated to such a dangerous level. Master Jin He, who witnessed the alliance with him back then, was assassinated by political enemies.

"Master Ma, what do you think of the current situation in Dali?" Just as Ma Kuo was contemplating, the chancellor Chen Yun suddenly asked for his opinion. "Ma Kuo, you have been an envoy to Dali, and you know more about the customs and customs there, so why not talk about it!" At this moment, Zhao Tong said.He had seen Ma Kuo listening quietly and contemplating just now, thinking that he should have had a preliminary opinion,

"Your Majesty, although I went to Dali as an envoy, it was many years ago. The situation is very different from the past, and I dare not speak nonsense!" The emperor called his name, and it would be inappropriate for him to decline.But Ma Kuo knew that what he said might affect the country's decision-making, and there were Zaizhi and courtiers present in the account.Therefore, I still feel that it is better to say less.

"Hey, everyone consults each other. There are so many scruples, just say it!" Zhao Tang waved his hands and said, letting him speak freely.

"Since this is the case, I have some foolish opinions. Please don't laugh at your Majesty and everyone!" The emperor's words have reached this point, Ma Kuo can no longer shirk, and he comes out to salute, "Your Majesty, I think that the matter of the great lama must be Make a quick decision before the situation gets out of hand!"

"First, although the Dali Kingdom upholds Han etiquette and believes in Buddhism, it has lived in a barren land for a long time. They often return in vain, and can only use money and official positions to appease them, making them even more arrogant, and citing them as examples to threaten the court!"…

"Secondly, there are many barbarian tribes in Dali, most of which have 37 villages, and hundreds of small tribes. They often conquer each other at different times to compete for water sources and forest lands, and even collude with each other to fight against the imperial court, affecting the government and the appointment and dismissal of officials. The rules. The imperial court and the great clan had no choice but to woo them and use them as aid to influence the ruler of the country."

"Thirdly, although the Duan family is respected in the Dali Kingdom, because it often relies on tribal power to stabilize the kingship, it leads to a large number of powerful ministers and the decline of the king's power. The Yang, Dong, and Gao clans all used powerful ministers to usurp the throne and change the country's name. , and the Duan Clan can often only rely on the power of another clan to reset, but the result is just a change of powerful ministers, and go back to the old path. This turmoil is also caused by this, and they want to use the opportunity of supporting the king to usurp power!"

"Well, the analysis is thorough, it hits the nail on the head!" Zhao Tang couldn't help but clapped his hands and praised, and the ministers in the tent also nodded in agreement. Ma Kuo's insights made them feel refreshed, and he explained the situation of Dali Kingdom clearly in just a few words .

"Your Majesty is flattering you, but I'm just talking nonsense, which made my colleagues laugh!" Although Ma Kuo was a little proud of receiving the emperor's praise and everyone's approval, he had to be humble, so as not to make people think he was arrogant.

"Keep talking!" Zhao Tong raised his hand to encourage.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ma Kuo saluted again, "I think that since the early years of Xingguo, Your Majesty took the opportunity of developing the Dali Copper Mine to support Duan's family and help him quell the civil strife. The relationship between Dali and our Song Dynasty has become closer. The three counties Taking the opportunity to return to the Song Dynasty, the business traveler used its "Tea Lu Road" to open up business routes with Tubo; and the various ministries of Dali also gained a lot of benefits from it, allowing them to export their war horses to China and obtain food to make up for the shortage, especially they exchanged And because of the intervention of our Song Dynasty, the countries on the side of the Great Puppet did not dare to use swords, not only maintained their peace and stability, but also gained a lot of wealth through business with other countries!"

"Nowadays, the civil strife caused by the battle for the position of Dalizi, if I, the Song Dynasty, does not intervene and stop it, it will soon spread to the whole country, and all tribes will inevitably be involved. At that time, wars will break out, which will not only cut off the trade routes, but also put us The financial and tax losses will be huge, and it will also threaten the safety of our country's Guangxi Road, Zizhou Road, and Chengdu Road, so we have to send heavy troops to guard against it."

"In addition, although the three counties have been returned to the Song Dynasty, their ministries still have many connections with Dali. The three counties are the copper smelting base of our Song Dynasty, and the output accounts for more than half of the national output. If the three counties are involved, it will reduce the supply of copper. The shortage will affect the production of ammunition and weapons, and further reduce the combat effectiveness of the army, which will hinder your Majesty's great cause of the Northern Expedition!"

"Furthermore, if we let the turmoil in Dali go unnoticed, not only will the country support itself, but it will also lead to the invasion of neighboring countries such as Champa, Tianzhu, Tubo, and Bagan, which have long coveted Dali. There are endless border troubles, and sending troops to crusade will use the whole country's army, which will cost a lot. Why don't we intervene when the turmoil is just beginning and the countries are still waiting to see, and stop before the fait accompli..."

Ma Kuo talked eloquently, his thinking was clear, he analyzed the situation of Dali Kingdom thoroughly, his words were reasonable, and he had unique insights. All the people in the tent listened attentively, and no one interrupted, as if they were all listening to his teachings.What is surprising is that everyone knows that the southwest and the northwest are far apart, and the information is blocked. It is admirable that he can see the situation in Dali so clearly based on the public information and just a few words of debate that he just heard.

"What Master Ma said is very true. If I want to interfere in Dali's internal affairs, is there a good strategy?" Chen Yun asked. He had to admire Ma Kuo's talent, and even more admired His Majesty's ability to know people.At that time, Ma Kuo was an envoy under Tong Guan for the Kingdom of Jin and warned him to be careful when he saw the Jurchens preparing for the war, but Tong Guan not only refused to listen, but fled back to the capital in a hurry after the Jurchens invaded and let Ma Kuo take the place of the dead ghost, almost dying in Hedong .

"Your Majesty, my lords, I think there are three strategies to deal with Dali's state affairs!" Ma Kuo was praised by everyone when he started his lecture.

"The first is limited interference. As the suzerain, we send a mission to the country to persuade all parties to strike, select a successor from among the princes of the Duan family and recognize it, so as to resolve the turmoil of the princes. But this strategy There are also disadvantages, we can't eliminate the fundamental contradictions of the Dali ruler, but only temporarily suppress the various factions, and the new ruler will be elbowed everywhere, and once something happens, disputes will resume, which is a strategy to calm the flames."

"The two intervened by force, using our garrison in Dali to raid Yangjubai City, the capital of Dali, to control the palace and choose a prince who is not under the control of Gao and Dong as the successor from among the princes, and at the same time, Gao and Dong will be separated. The power is expelled from the court, so that it cannot indirectly control the ruler of Dali by coercing the emperor to order the princes. But it will also cause dissatisfaction among the tribes, which will inevitably lead to rebellion.

"The three are comprehensive interventions, that is, to eliminate its national name and include Dali in the territory of our Song Dynasty. In the name of stopping the civil strife in Dali, we dispatched a large army to control the main state capital, and at the same time called the leaders of the 37 barbarian tribes in Dali to gather in the Jingshihui Because there are many people who envy the prosperity of our Great Song Dynasty, they are willing to follow the example of the three counties and return to the Song Dynasty, and we can use some means to make them propose to return to the Song Dynasty and eliminate the country's name, and smoothly integrate their country into the territory. Keep Duan's title, Gao and Dong will deal with them depending on whether they have the sincerity to return to the Song Dynasty, this is a once-and-for-all strategy!"

"Well, Ma Aiqing's three strategies are very insightful. If I order you to go and take care of the overall situation, you dare to accept orders in the face of danger!" Zhao Tang waited for him to finish speaking, and asked with a smile.

"The sage has an order, and I will never hesitate to die to repay my kindness!" Ma Kuo was suddenly shocked or hesitant, he hesitated and saluted...