Dawn of the Empire

Episode 419

"The envoy of the Xia Kingdom made a statement the day before yesterday that he was willing to lend troops to our court. What does the prime minister think?"

In the past few days, Zhao Ke has read the letter of credence countless times, but he is still unable to make a decision.The state of Song and Kansai have been fighting each other for hundreds of years. Now that the country is in decline, Kansai will be prosperous if it does not suffer.However, Feng Chen was standing under the jade steps in a panic.Outside the White Jade Palace, the red sun was slanting towards the west, and the dim sunlight shone into the carved beams and painted buildings, making Zhao Ke feel a sense of poverty in his heart.

"The old minister thinks that it is better to borrow troops from Xia Guo. The Xia army is going to pass through Xijing, and it is just to order Cao Di not to delay the aid." Shao Wu, the privy envoy, seemed to have scruples, and explained a little redundantly, "An Shi's order During the "chaos", the Tang Dynasty also borrowed troops from the Uighurs. But when the Xia army came to the west, they must obey our dispatch, otherwise it would be tantamount to robbery."

"My minister seconded the proposal. The matter of borrowing troops should be carried out as soon as possible." Feng Chen also immediately agreed, "I have seen with my own eyes that the Liao soldiers are like tigers and horses like dragons, immovable like mountains, and aggressive like fire. The Imperial Army in Beijing is really hard to match."

The prime minister, Zhao Zhifu, frowned and said: "But Xia Guozhi is in Zhengshuo, once the switch is released to enter the Central Plains, I'm afraid it will be difficult to send it away. It can be said that the front door goes to the tiger and the back door enters the wolf. It is not the first time that the Khitan went south, but they plundered goods. That's all. As long as the peace negotiation is successful, the Khitan will return to the north immediately. Among the veterans, the matter of borrowing troops from the Xia Kingdom must be done with caution, but when negotiating a peace, you might as well bluff to let the Liao army retreat when it is difficult."

All the ministers and bureaucrats talked about it one after another, and they couldn't agree on what to do.Zhao Ke sat on the dragon chair, also hesitating.At this time, a minister came up to report that King Jing Zhao Qi had received an errand to the Liao camp, and he fainted immediately. I'm weak and hard to recover from serious illness. I'm afraid I won't have much time to take on this important task. I ask the emperor to choose someone else.

"Hmph, I passed on my imperial doctor to diagnose and treat King Jing," Zhao Ke said with a sneer, "King Jing is both civil and military. When the late emperor was here, he was in good spirits every day. Could it be that his body has collapsed in the past two years? Pass the decree Physician, King Jing’s illness will be cured within three days, and the envoy’s itinerary must not be delayed.” This resolute tone made all the ministers and workers in the Chui Gong Palace silent, and no one dared to persuade them.As soon as this matter got interrupted, there was no decision on whether to accept Xia Guo's borrowing of troops.Zhao Ke was exhausted, so he stood up and retreated. Tong Guan, the Taiwei in front of the palace, followed behind the official.

"The matter of borrowing soldiers," Zhao Ke casually asked as he walked slowly, "What do Captain Tong think?"

Tong Guan said cautiously: "I haven't read many books. Your Majesty's question, this old slave is like a drama I read the day before yesterday. It is said that during the Three Kingdoms, Cao Mengde's army went south, Jiangdong's officials all Wanting to surrender to Cao Cao, only Lu Su persuaded Sun Quan that any official is allowed to submit to Jiangdong, but His Majesty is not. After Jiangdong surrendered to Cao Cao, the official will still be his official Son, it will be extremely difficult for His Majesty to return to his current position. Although this old slave has little experience, I feel that the matter of Xia Guo borrowing soldiers is somewhat similar to this scene."

These words were like enlightenment, Zhao Ke was startled, he was stunned for a while, patted Tong Guan's bowed back, and said in a low voice: "Tong Taiwei is planning for me, but these words must not be mentioned to others. Let’s discuss the matter of borrowing troops in the long term.” He sighed, and at this moment, a feeling of being alone and a widow came to his heart, and he even felt a bit of remorse. Back then, when he fought desperately for the throne, it would be better to be a prince and be more peaceful and happy.

............

The White Feather Army camp is now temporarily the camp of the Chinese army of Xia Guodong Expeditionary Army.Wu Jie sat in the hall, and Shi, the new marching commander, stood in the hall.Zhao Xingde was wearing a chain mail, with a round belt around his chest and abdomen, and a wolf fur cloak over it.He was born in a burly figure in full military attire, full of energy but calm and sophisticated, just like a battle-tested veteran.The Liao army approached the city of Bianliang, and the army was on fire. He was worried that he might miss the dispatch of troops, so he rode his horse and galloped to the front of Wu Jie's tent first, while his family's carriage was still on the way from Dunhuang to Chang'an.

Wu Jie looked Zhao Xingde up and down, nodded secretly, with great interest: "Zhao Changshi is a good-looking talent, no wonder the Liaodong Han girl sent two beauties to serve, it is really a blessing." He looked at it with a smile, Zhao Xingde felt scalp numb, He explained: "Miss Han was worried that her nephew would be overworked, so she sent two maidservants to do housework." For some reason, he blushed when he explained, and really didn't want to continue this topic.

But Wu Jie rubbed his palms, and said with a wretched smile: "Yes, yes, if the previous commander, Old General Zhang, hadn't been kind to Wu, Wu would have been transferred to the Chengying Camp a long time ago to see the flavors of the world. Alas, I am old, I am old, and now I am powerless. When I can no longer ride a horse, Wu will go to Shuzhong to retire." He shook his head and sighed, and said, "It's a pity, it's a pity, Zhao Changshi No wonder old brother didn't remind you, if these two beautiful maidservants want to put them in quickly. Otherwise, my brothers in the White Feather Army are probably like hungry wolves seeing lambs and flies smelling stinky meat. Looking for trouble, I want to come to your house to beg for tea." He had a playful smile on his face, without airs, not like a superior talking to his subordinates.

Zhao Xingde cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Thank you, General, for reminding me." He had heard of Wu Baiyu when he was training the army earlier, and he was well-known in the Qinlou Chu Pavilion, but Wu Jie was recognized as the most popular general in Guanzhong for decades .In ordinary military management, except for the rules that must be followed, everything else is simple, but it can win the deadly strength of soldiers.

Zhao Xingde hesitated for a moment, then asked: "General Wu, according to the military newspaper, Bianliang is at stake, when will the army send troops?"

"Send troops?" Wu Jie was taken aback, waved his hands and said with a smile, "Don't worry."

"But?" Seeing Zhao Xingde's anxious face, Wu Jie smiled and said, "Kandong guards against us, just like guarding against a tiger in a cage. We will never simply switch and let our army go eastward until the end of the mountain. Even if Bianliang falls In the hands of the Hu people, they will also think that the Hu people will just plunder some children’s wealth and leave, and the land will never be taken away. If we are allowed to go there, the land of Kanto will also be renamed.”

Zhao Xingde's face was gloomy, and he said in a low voice: "Just let the Khitan people burn, kill and loot, and then walk away?"

"If that's the case, it's too late for the Guandong court to pray to gods and worship Buddha." Wu Jie sneered twice, stretched out his hand and patted Zhao Xingde's shoulder and said, "No matter what they do, we'll just fight hard. If the fools in Kanto insist on resisting, we'll kill the generals at once. In the past, Lian Song took Liao to a spoonful." He paused, and then said, "In the future, the decisive battle between the two armies will require artillery. If there is no artillery, the Liao army may not be able to withstand Wang Yan's tens of thousands of elites. The firearms battalion of the Eastern Expeditionary Army requires Zhao Changshi, who is capable, to work harder and take care." Although the smile on his face was not gone at this time, the expression in his eyes was extremely serious.In the Xia Dynasty, when it comes to the use of firearms, Zhao De is second to none.The role of artillery in the Liao and Song Dynasties was particularly eye-catching.When Wu Jie learned that Zhao De had asked to be transferred here, he suddenly felt that he had picked up the treasure while walking, and fell asleep on his pillow. He immediately decided to let him be in charge of forming the firearms battalion of the Eastern Expedition Army.

After Zhao Xingde resigned, he rode straight to Chen Qianli's residence.Chen Qianli had received the news of his return to Chang'an early on, and specially held a banquet in the mansion to wash him away.At this time, the Eastern Expeditionary Army has not yet set a date for the expedition, so the marching commander Shi does not have to stay in the camp all the time.The two talked about the war in Kanto.The court of the Song Dynasty was hesitant on the matter of borrowing troops. Seeing that the war situation was getting more and more dangerous, Zhao Xingde felt helpless, and his resentment was beyond words.

"Forcibly pass through Hangu Pass?" Chen Qianli said slowly, holding a glass of wine, "General Wu's heroism is good, but now the west may go to war with the Ross rebels and the Roma Turks at the same time, and the east will fight To fight Liao and Song at the same time, this... Not only will the Huguo Mansion refuse to agree, but the most severe opposition must be the Anton Army Commander. General Qu Shang has always had a rift with Wu Jie. This time the General He was already extremely dissatisfied with letting Wu Jie lead the army to march eastward, but he just couldn't find a chance to attack."

Zhao Xingde sighed, picked up the wine glass and touched Chen Qianli, and drank it down in one gulp.When the wine enters the heart of sorrow, the depression in the heart becomes deeper.Based on his experience, it is absolutely impossible for the Huguofu to agree.However, if the Song Dynasty court's borrowing of troops continues to drag on like this, the situation in the Kanto War will only get worse and worse.For ordinary people, war is extremely cruel, and disasters, famines, and plagues often follow one after another. Based on his experience in Liaodong, whether it is military looting or fortified walls and clearing the fields, it will cause great harm to the people, and the population will be halved. , or even one out of ten, all happened before Zhao Xingde's eyes.Because of this, the cold descriptions in the military newspapers, in Zhao Xingde's view, are more cruel and miserable than ordinary people can understand.

"Brother Chen, if, I mean if," he said carefully, "if, if the Song Dynasty court never agrees to borrow troops, the Eastern Expeditionary Army will not be able to pass through Hangu Pass. According to military law, after five years in the army, you can retire at your own request. I joined the Chengying Army in the 13th year of Yuande. Now it is the 22nd year of Yuande. I have served in Lumei and Liaodong for almost ten years. Law, can you ask yourself to retire and go to Kanto to fight against the Liao people?"

"Straightforward, what you said came out of your mouth and into my ears, and you must never mention it to a third person." Chen Qianli was silent for a while, and said in a low voice: "You can ask to retire after five years of service, and you can even serve Caravans and darts are for ordinary sergeants. You have served in Chengying Army and Longya Army, from officials to generals, and in charge of important places such as the Firearms Battalion. It is absolutely impossible to ask for retirement. Send troops to Kanto You can think of a way to deal with the matter, and think about it in the long term. You must never mention the matter of retiring, if it falls into the ears of someone with a heart, I am afraid that the Department of Military Intelligence and the Department of Military Justice will both come to trouble you."