Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 881
"How do the people know that we embezzled their money?" Han Xizai asked back, "As long as Your Majesty's auspicious talisman country is established in the world, the people's money will not be lost at all."

Ma Wentao's face turned red, but he was speechless for a moment.

Jia Xian knew in his heart that what Han Xizai said was fallacious, but he also struggled to refute without words.After hesitating for a while, he finally decided not to humiliate himself. Although he knew that it was inappropriate, wrong, and wrong to embezzle the money stored in the Xiangfu Bank, he didn't realize how serious the consequences would be.

Li Junhao just stared blankly, and exchanged glances with Hu Sanguang.Both of them are by no means ignorant of people's livelihood and finance, and they also know that it is a dangerous thing to embezzle the bank deposits of Xiangfu Bank.But in the eyes of the two of them, this seems to be nothing compared to seizing this opportunity to take down the Hexi Corridor.As Han Xizai said, as long as the Xiangfu Kingdom exists, the people's money will not be lost in the end.The big deal is that if the money in the Xiangfu Bank cannot be turned around, tell the truth to the people, and with the reputation of His Majesty and the court, the people probably won't have any opinions, so this is also a temporary expedient measure.

Ye Chen thought for a while, and said: "Unless it is absolutely necessary, the bank deposits of Xiangfu Bank cannot be embezzled. Otherwise, if the money in the bank cannot be circulated, the reputation of Xiangfu Bank as a way of making money may be destroyed in one day. Undoubtedly, it is killing the chicken to get the eggs. But the plan of sending troops to the Hexi Corridor has not changed. If there is no supply of food and grass, then attack one state as one state, and take another land after it is stabilized."

The ministers suddenly promised.

...

...

Driven by Ye Chen, a series of pre-war preparations, such as food and grass storage, weapons and ordnance, logistics transportation, intelligence spying, etc., were officially started in Xiangfu Kingdom. On the basis of the map of the Hexi Corridor obtained, he drew a detailed geographical map of the mountains and rivers of the Western Regions, copied many copies, and distributed them to the generals who participated in the Western Expedition.

In the Palace of Government Affairs, the last highest-level military meeting before the expedition.

Apart from Ye Chen, only nine people participated, namely Yang Jiye, Han Xizai, Ma Wentao, Li Junhao, Hu Sanguang, Jia Xian, Xu Xuan, Bai Canghai, and Yu Wen.

After some deliberation, Ye Chen concluded: "This expedition is related to whether our Xiangfu Kingdom can rise in the northwest and truly compete with Song and Liao. It can be said to be of far-reaching significance. After repeated research and decision by the Ministry of Military Affairs , I intend to mobilize all the Volunteer Corps as the main force, the four legions of the White Tiger, Suzaku, Qinglong, and Zhelan each have an infantry brigade, the three legions of the Xuanwu, Heilang, and White Wolf each have a cavalry brigade, and the special battalion of the Special Battalion, a total of five 6000 people, and more than 1000 prisoners of the Liao Army who had been persuaded to surrender were scattered and assigned to various brigades. The total was more than [-] people, led by General Yang Jiye of the Zhu Kingdom, and Huang Dongqiu, head of the Volunteer Army, as deputy commander , sent troops to the Western Regions. With Ma Wentao as the main force and Jia Xian as the deputy, he was responsible for all food and grass collection and escort matters in the rear. Yu Wen was in charge of ordnance transportation and supply matters. Hu Sanguang led the Security Department to be responsible for the intelligence investigation of the enemy's rear. objection?"

Ma Wentao said: "Your Majesty, the Hexi Corridor is indeed my homeland in China. Your Majesty's troops are pointing directly outside the Yumen Pass. This is an upright battle, and it will shine through the ages. Before sending troops, there should be an announcement to the world."

As soon as this remark came out, Han Xizai, Xu Xuan, Jia Xian, and Yang Jiye responded in unison. Ye Chen wondered why he had forgotten about it, and nodded slightly: "Mr. As a talented person, it is easy to write a sonorous and upright statement, but the tone of this statement must be settled first, what do you think?"

Han Xizai immediately said: "Your Majesty, there are millions of Han people in the homeland of the Hexi Corridor. Your Majesty is sending troops this time to restore my homeland in China and save the people of the Han family who are of the same ancestor and ancestors from their distress. This point should be emphatically stated. The barbarians in the Western Regions, barbarians, uneducated, took advantage of China's no one, the wild fox ascended to the throne, the monkeys crowned, robbed the Han land, and oppressed the Han people. Fortunately, the good fortune has returned, and His Majesty established the Xiangfu Kingdom in the northwest , the revival of all industries, and the rule of people's minds, therefore, relying on the power of heaven, clearing up China, restoring my homeland, and saving my Han people, this is an act of obedience to heaven's destiny. The captive Xiao Xiao is small, you should bow your head and heart, and be willing to be a servant. If not, the might of the soldiers will come, and jade and stone will be burned!"

Xu Xuan cheered up, clapped his palms and sighed: "Mr. Han throws the ground with a loud voice. He is so bold. Such an inspiring message spread to the Hexi Corridor, and millions of Han people in the Hexi Corridor will definitely return to their hearts."

But Ye Chen suddenly shouted: "It's ridiculous, it's a barbarian, and it's a Xiaoxiao, have you forgotten that I, the Xiangba clan of the Xiangfu Kingdom, and the alien people who have reformed their lands, especially at least one-third of my nine legions The soldiers come from Dangxiang, Khitan, Tuyuhun, Tubo, Huihe and even Qiang people. Once this article is published, where will these millions of people and tens of thousands of soldiers be placed?"

Ye Chen seldom got angry. Although he just drank lightly at this time, Han Xizai and Xu Xuan's faces turned pale. They immediately stood up, bowed and said in unison: "Your Majesty, please punish me for your recklessness."

Ye Chen shook his head and said, "Okay, sit down!"

After the two sat down, Ye Chen said again: "There are more than 50 ethnic groups in the Khitan country. In order to respect the habits of each ethnic group, they win over the people from all over the world. With the arrogance and barbarism of the Khitan people, we know that each depends on its own ethnicity and customs. The South Court and the North Court were also set up to properly accommodate the Han people. After 60 years, as early as when I was in the Song Dynasty, I asked the Huaxia Weifu to inquire and investigate the current thoughts of the Han people in the sixteen prefectures of Youyun. The heart is optional. Now the Han nationality has accounted for one-third of the Liao army, which is a clear proof."

Ye Chen paused, and then said: "Actually, in my opinion, what the Liao Kingdom has done is only superficial, otherwise there would not be frequent rebellions from Mongolian, Jurchen and other ethnic groups. Dear friends, look at our Xiang Fu Guo, the Dangxiang Ba clan was in the same situation as the Han people in the northwest of my country before the founding of Xiang Fu Guo more than a year ago, and they were even more dissatisfied with Wang Hua and unwilling to reform the land and return to the people. But what is the situation now, I think you all know There are also Qiang, Tubo and other foreign tribes in Xiangfu Kingdom who either voluntarily or forcibly changed their lands like Shanshen Town, and their attitudes towards the imperial court have changed greatly. You should know why these changes came about. It is because I have always advocated that all people in our Xiangfu Kingdom, no matter what ethnicity, should be treated equally, so that they can be naturalized. There is no water in the world greater than the sea, why? Because Wan Chuan accepts it. There are not only millions of Han people in the Hexi Corridor, but also millions of people of other ethnic groups. Once this article is published, even if they want to belong to us, most of them will not dare to fall in love with us again, and they will definitely When facing our army, do you have a desperate heart? You are the ministers of our Xiangfu Kingdom, and what you think and do is related to the national policy of our Xiangfu Kingdom court. You must not act recklessly. Remember what I said today. "

All the ministers stood up with panic on their faces, bowed and said: "The ministers will bear in mind your majesty's instruction."

Seeing that everyone really listened to what he said, Ye Chen calmed down and said, "Okay, let's all sit down!"

The ministers immediately said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After speaking, they sat down together again.

Ma Wentao said first: "Your Majesty's words just now are deafening to the ministers. I recall that the Han general Zhang Yichao raised his flag and swallowed thousands of miles. He occupied the eleven continents of the Western Regions in an instant and became the Hexi Corridor above Tubo and Uighur." The first overlord, but his power has gradually shrunk since then, and now his descendants are only left in Guazhou and Shazhou, struggling hard. I just listened to His Majesty's teachings and thought about the reason. Obviously, it is to belittle other tribes. There are continuous wars between each other. The Han people in the Hexi Corridor have suffered greatly, from support to abandonment."

Han Xizai and Xu Xuan were originally the former ministers of the Southern Tang Kingdom who were in the confidant of Jiangnan and Huaxia. They didn't have deep feelings about this. Only then did they say this. Now, after hearing Ye Chen's words and Ma Wentao's confirmation, they were already sweating profusely, and felt that they were really He was too reckless, and he blamed himself endlessly, especially in Han Xizai's heart, thinking that he should study more about His Majesty's views and habits later.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, and said: "So, first of all, you should use less magnificent rhetoric and biased words in this essay, otherwise, I am afraid that apart from some Bo Hongru who have the heart to belong to me, not many people can understand it. If it is personal, it will lose its meaning. It must be concise and straightforward, so that everyone in the Hexi Corridor can understand it. Second, in terms of conception, the important role of the Hexi Corridor’s golden commercial road should be emphasized. You know, back then, Hexi Corridor The corridor is a commercial road, transporting east and west, and the wealth of Hexi is the richest in the world, who will not be benefited by it, so what now?"

"Let everyone in the Hexi Corridor know that the forces of all parties are now intertwined and constantly fighting each other. As a result, the Hexi Corridor has been plagued by wars for a hundred years, and the people of all ethnic groups have suffered. People, rich or poor, have suffered from wars and plundered. Not a single blade of grass is left, the commercial roads between the Central Plains and the Western Regions are cut off, so that the people have no livelihood, and the westward cities are becoming increasingly depressed. And my army is going to open up the commercial roads with the Western Regions, so that they can be protected by our Xiangfu Kingdom, revitalize the Hexi Corridor, and make the All the tribes in the Western Regions, and the people of the four directions will all benefit from it. Farmers, animal husbandry, and businessmen can only ask for food and clothing. If you say it this way, the benefits will be self-evident."

He paused, and then said: "However, what Han Xianggong and Xu Qing said just now also needs to be mentioned, but we must pay attention to the wording in moderation, and never intensify the conflict. Poems, books, and rules cannot be passed on, and they will be annihilated. If I send troops, this is to defend the way and protect Confucianism. Scholars in the Western Regions should also support it."

"Also, the Hexi Corridor is full of endless wars. Not only the people suffer, but many Buddhist monasteries are also plundered and burned by overbearing tyrants, causing monks to wander around and unable to worship the Buddha and meditate. Naturally, we will protect them from the army of the Xiangfu Kingdom. worry."

(End of this chapter)