Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 449 Chapter 84

The lake was covered with mist.The sun in early spring basks in people's bodies, which only makes people feel warm.

In such a beautiful early spring, Henan and Hebei in the Song Dynasty have become a massacre of war, and the people in the southeast have been devastated.Under the iron hooves of the Liao soldiers, countless families were ruined every second, and Zhao Xingde's heart was blocked. He sighed, looked up at the vast sky in the distance, and saw thousands of miles of white clouds like a river. It flows slowly on the vast blue sky, giving people the illusion that this body and the whole world are in a slowly flowing river.

"The dead are like gentlemen, never giving up day and night." Chen Dong's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Zhao Xingde turned around, and saw Chen Dong wearing a Confucian robe, and asked with a smile, "Xingde allowed these heroes of the world to set up their own rules, so that they can follow the rules and guard the southeast half of the Great Song Dynasty. Is it Mr. Er's 'way of self-preservation'?"|

Zhao Xingde was stunned, and Fang said: "I just think that when the water is clear, there will be no fish. Human nature is good. Seeing their hometowns in ruins, everyone has the same hatred and hatred. It's just that people are not sages. If they are asked to completely abandon themselves Benefits are too demanding. I saw that these Jingxiang heroes all have the heart to serve the country with fists and fists, but they are full of worries. They are worried that the court will kill people with swords and consume their power. I still have to suffer from hunger. I thought, how can I think of a way to dispel the worries of these heroes of Jingxiang as much as possible, so that they can serve the country with peace of mind. So I suggested that by discussing the method of grace and rules, let the These brave men spoke out all their worries. The imperial court took care of the soldiers' concerns as much as they could. Only in this way can the people in the world who are willing to serve the country no longer have to worry about the future, and can work together to serve the country. Soldiers are not sages, they are precarious, how can they protect the world for the country. Unexpectedly, it coincides with Mr. Lu Er's way of self-defense."

After Zhao Xingde finished speaking, he sighed and didn't say anything else. Looking into the distance, the lake surface was shrouded in hazy mist, just like the complicated emotions in his eyes, making it difficult to see clearly.The smoke waves on Dongting Lake are misty, and occasionally a gull-heron skims over the water, creating a circle of ripples.

Chen Dong was silent for a while, then said in a low voice: "How does Xia Guo plan to help Southeast resist the Liao army?"

Zhao Xingde said: "If the Song State needs it, weapons, armaments, and war horses can be sent from the Shu State. The price will be recorded according to the usual practice of the Xijing camp and the Guanzhong mutual market. Repayment. If the Song State agrees, the Xia State’s eastward expedition army will have more than [-] troops, and they will transfer to the middle of Shu and go down the river to help the southeast Song army resist the Liao army.” He paused, “Because Zhao Qi and Cao Di refused to open it. Hangu Pass, let the Eastern Expeditionary Army fight against the Liao Army, and angered the Huguo Mansion and the General's Mansion, and the two mansions just decided that Ezhou could represent the Song Dynasty to receive soldiers, horses, money and food."

Chen Dong listened attentively to every word Zhao Xingde said, but he didn't answer immediately, instead he pondered for a while.With the current strength of Ezhou and Lishe, it can be said that it is impossible to negotiate conditions with Xia Guo. In the name of the Song Dynasty court, they can obtain weapons, money and food, especially the extremely scarce war horses in the southeast of Song Dynasty, which can be said to be a great help.However, the southeast people's defensiveness towards the Xia Kingdom is far less deep than that in the north.The Li family of Bowanghou who lived in the Xia Kingdom was descended from the Southern Tang royal family. The Chen family of the Xia Kingdom royal family was also a general of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Many generals of the Chen family also came from the Southern Tang Dynasty.Therefore, at the beginning of the founding of the Song Dynasty, they were very worried that Xia would invade the southeast in the name of restoring the homeland of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and specially built the Jiangling Navy to prevent it.However, for more than a hundred years, the southeast and central Shu have been closely linked in trade.Many seafood landed in the southeast, went west along the river, and traded from central Shu to Xia.And all kinds of goods from the Xia Kingdom also flow down the river, and are popular in the southeast through many commercial firms.

"There is no shortage of food, grass and weapons for the time being. We need horses, iron armor, and iron barrel guns. Xia Guo will help us train the gunners." Chen Dong suppressed the humiliation in his heart, and explained, "The armaments in the prefectural and county treasuries are really poor. Now, the armor of the Xiang army and the righteous soldiers is not suitable for fighting at all, I can't let them use their flesh and blood to withstand the Liao army's sharp arrows and iron cavalry." He whispered, "I will try my best to raise money and food for these things, and pay them in full. price."

"Okay." Zhao Xingde nodded and said, "I will report to the General's Mansion for a decision."

Chen Dong also nodded and sighed deeply.An unspeakable feeling gradually permeated between these two life-and-death friends who had a moral relationship at the beginning, and they didn't know what to say.The embarrassing silence lasted for a while, and Zhao Xingde said in a low voice: "The war is very dangerous. Once the battle with the Liao soldiers starts, the armor and other ordnance will be greatly depleted. If it is transported thousands of miles from the Xia Kingdom, the distant water will be difficult to quench the near thirst. , The iron ore in Daye County, Ezhou is of high quality, and it was the place where Sun Quan forged swords and made soldiers in the Three Kingdoms. It has been mined in successive dynasties, which can expand the scale of iron workshops and make more armor and weapons."

"Iron mines in Ezhou?" Chen Dong frowned. He had just arrived in Ezhou not long ago, and he only heard that the imperial court had an iron ore factory in Ezhou, but the scale was not large. The iron mainly comes from Xing and Ci prefectures in Hebei. The income of the mine supervisors in these two states can account for more than [-]% of the annual income of the iron mine supervisors.The iron mines in Ezhou are somewhat unknown.

"But the original iron mines in Ezhou were too small, and the number of craftsmen was too small." Chen Dong sighed, "Hebei and Henan fell too quickly. in human hands."

Zhao Xingde thought so too, iron smelting in this era is mostly done by hands.Because the total output is not large, the scale of most mines is not a problem. On the contrary, the number of skilled craftsmen limits the expansion of iron smelting scale.After thinking for a moment, he said: "The official iron factory craftsmen of the imperial court may be limited, but if we follow Xia Guo's practice, divide the mine into mining areas, sell the mining rights to various private iron factory workshops, and then buy iron armor at a high price, soldiers will Blade, in this way, the production of iron ore can be quickly increased." He paused, and added, "Everything in the world is for profit. If there are not enough iron factories in Song Dynasty, I know many people in Guanzhong. There are many skilled craftsmen in ironworks."

Xia Guo puts a lot of emphasis on martial arts, and the blacksmiths in Guanzhong are the best in the world.But Chen Dong still hesitated.Unlike Xia State, most of the iron mines in Song State are government-run. "If the iron mines are loosened up for merchants to come and operate?" He murmured, "Will there be armor and weapons scattered, and the bandits will use them as evil, which will make the place unstable instead?"

"Brother Chen, isn't the place where you and I stand is the lair of bandits?" Zhao Xingde sighed, "So what if Qin Shihuang collected the world's weapons and cast them into the Twelve Golden Men? Banner, the result was the death of the second generation. Given the current situation, if there are enough weapons, I wish that every household in the Song Dynasty would have armor and weapons, so that when they face Liao soldiers and villains, they will not have no resistance People's 'nature' is inherently good, after all, there are more people in this world who are inherently good, do you believe in this Mencius' way?"

"Brother Yu has been educated." Chen Dong nodded, "Let me go back and discuss with General Yue about the mining of iron ore. If possible, please invite Yuan Zhi to introduce skilled craftsmen in Guanzhong to make armor and weapons for the army. , as long as the goods are good enough, we don’t spare any money.” He hesitated for a moment, then murmured, “As for the matter of Xia Guo’s soldiers and horses going down the river to help the southeast defend against the Liao army, I will also discuss it with General Yue. , to make the final decision.”

"Naturally." Zhao Xingde nodded.The matter of borrowing soldiers is so important, it would be strange if Chen Dong agreed on the spot.

After the two had settled down, they were about to leave when Luo Xianshi's voice came from behind: "The two adults are here, so that Luo can easily find him." Zhao Xingde turned around and saw that Luo Xianshi walked quickly to Zhao Xingde He held a blank sheet of paper in his hand and handed it to Zhao Xingde.It was the grace clauses negotiated by the leaders of his group of bandits.

Zhao Xingde opened it up and saw that the handwriting was like a silver hook and iron painting, which seemed to be Luo Xianshi's own handwriting. He couldn't help praising: "Luo Dangjia's good calligraphy!" He raised his eyebrows slightly, and read in a low voice: "The Art of War says, The strength of the small enemy is the capture of the big enemy. Therefore, if the enemy's army is strong, more than three times the size of our army, and if the reinforcements are not enough, our army will lead the troops away and temporarily avoid the enemy's front. It is not a crime. "Zhao Xingde nodded, and read again, "The Art of War says that if you double your army, you will attack it, and if it is ten times your army, you will encircle it. Therefore, if the enemy's army is ten times our army's, if the Shangguan wants our army to defend a lonely city, or to be attacked by the enemy, If there are no natural dangers and geographical advantages, and no real reinforcements, disobeying orders is not a crime." Zhao Xingde nodded, and then read: "If the two armies are in a decisive battle, if the other troops leave without warning and put our army in danger, then we will The army can also withdraw, so as not to commit suicide, it is not a crime."

Luo Xian said happily, "Did Mr. Zhao agree to all three of these?"

Zhao Xingde said with a smile: "Master Luo is familiar with military books and quotes classics, how could Zhao not allow it."

Only then did Luo Xianshi feel relieved, knowing that Zhao Xingde sincerely made a pact with the heroes, he clasped his fists and said, "Sir, you have a heart like a valley, and Luo admires it." After speaking, he glanced at Chen Dong, cupped his hands, and turned to leave. go.

Not long after Luo Xianshi left, Zhang Wudi came over again, holding a piece of paper, which was written by a teacher from Shisanlian Village. "I don't know if this teacher has written it clearly." Zhang Wudi stuffed the paper into Zhao Xingde's hand, as if he wanted to argue with him, and said loudly, "Old Zhang Ming doesn't do secret things, it's better to make it clear in person. What does Mr. Zhao say? You are responsible, the big guys will fight with you, but brothers can’t go hungry, if we can’t get enough food and salaries, we will either break up, or go to the prefectures and counties to ask for food and salaries, Mr. Zhao, will you agree or not?”

Chen Dong's face suddenly changed color, Zhang Wudi said "Go get it yourself", it sounds nice, but in fact it is going to send troops to loot the place. "How can you agree to this?" He thought to himself.

Zhao Xingde's face was as usual, and he smiled slightly: "The emperor does not send hungry soldiers. If there are no soldiers to fight to the death, the Liao soldiers will not only rob money and food, but also kill our people. This is all right. But, I would like to add one more point. When the ministries raise their salaries, they must first seek the magistrates. If the magistrates can promise the money and rations, they should not 'harass' the people. In addition," he said in a condensed tone, "when the time comes, you must not Harm the lives of the common people, do not take the opportunity to insult the female relatives, do not wipe out the food in each house, but leave rations for the common people. If these points cannot be done, then Zhao’s place is not good Leave the heroes here."