Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Xiangyang.

Generalissimo Zhu Ming and prefect Li Hanzhang were gathered around a map.

Zhao Fengji pointed to the lines and circles drawn on the map and said: "The lake and swamp area north of Jiangling is the easiest to manage, and there are more people in the countryside. Construction will start next year. The owners of those rural altars will either be killed by us or be taken away by Zhong Xiang, Baojia should be reorganized. Let the Baojiang lead the villagers to dig diversion canals, keep some lakes to store water, and build some lakes into polders. In this way, the accumulated water in the swamps can be drained, and the water in the swamps can be left. There are lakes to discharge floods and droughts, and aqueducts along the way can also be used for irrigation.”

Those lake and swamp areas are man-made, and remediation does not count as damaging the wetlands.

Li Hanzhang said: "In recent days, some wealthy households have come to complain. They are all landlords who fled from Jiangling. Their land was taken away, and now that Zhong Xiang is no longer here, these landlords want to get their land back. Some others are The merchants in Jiangling hope to get their shops back."

"Now that the peasants have obtained the land, interference will easily lead to chaos," Ju Ming said tactfully. "There are wastelands everywhere. Just let the gentry continue to cultivate the land. At most, they can reduce or reduce taxes a little more in the first three years. As for the merchants, There is a shortage of people in Jiangling City, so just ask them to take the store back."

When Prime Minister Zhong withdrew his troops, although he promised not to take away the people, thousands of soldiers were recruited from the city and moved away with their families, and many craftsmen were also quietly taken away.

As for shops, small shopkeepers and vendors were not attacked by Zhong Xiang. They were still doing business under the rule of Chu State.

Those who ran away were all big businessmen. It was difficult for these people to return to Gangneung because they lacked funds and goods. Even if they got the shops, they would probably have to rent them out. Moreover, it is not always possible to find tenants for large shops and restaurants.

Li Hanzhang never thought about attacking the big landowners, but he did not want to cause more chaos, and agreed with Ju Ming's approach: "This year, we will first prepare Baojia to appease the people of Jiangling and prevent the remnants of Manichaeism from causing chaos. After the autumn rainy season next year, I will organize the people Manage lakes and swamps.”

"You can make arrangements for how to do it. I won't interfere too much. Just go and get busy." Ju Ming still remembered the agreement he made with his father.

Li Hanzhang and Zhao Fengji bowed and left, and Zhu Ming took out the translated secret letter.

Ju Ming also sent Seisaku to Tokyo, but he could only obtain ordinary information.

What Li Bangyan sent was first-hand information from high-level officials. For example, Ma Kuo reported that the Jin people were training troops at the border. No more than twenty people could obtain this information.

What's even more ridiculous is that the survivors of the Liao Kingdom there were starving and fleeing famine a few months ago, and agricultural production was almost completely abandoned. The Song Dynasty transferred money and grain from Hebei and Shandong to provide relief, and the replanted wheat was about to be harvested. The Jin people suddenly took back the prefectures and counties, and trained the people saved by the Song Dynasty as soldiers.

If the Song Dynasty did nothing and allowed the Liao survivors to starve to death, the Jin people would not be able to quickly detonate their troops.

Historically, the Jin people went south the year after tomorrow, and I don’t know if it will happen earlier now.

"Marshal, the two ladies from the Zhong family and the Zhe family have arrived," Bai Sheng came in to report. "The first batch of northwest war horses has also been delivered, and two Longxi martyrs have also arrived. According to the horse buyer, these two are in Lanzhou He is very famous in Longxi, and the man named Li Xiaozhong changed his name to Li Yanxian, and the horse buyer has sent someone to find out his real name."

"What?" Zhu Ming suddenly raised his head.

Bai Sheng said: "Li Xiaozhong."

Ju Ming stood up and said, "I meant his pseudonym."

"Li Yanxian." Bai Sheng repeated.

"The mainstay." Zhu Ming muttered and walked out.

The mainstay of the Yellow River was in Shaanzhou, and Li Yanxian clung to Shaanzhou and finally committed suicide by jumping into the Yellow River. His title of "mainstay" is well deserved.

Although this gentleman was supported by the soldiers and the people, he was unwilling to compromise with the civil servants and generals. He was too upright and upright, not only offending civil and military officials, but also offending Zhao Gou by refusing to accept the post of governor. With this approach, how could any friendly forces rescue him?

Being humble yet arrogant is completely opposite to normal people.

In comparison, Yue Fei can bend and stretch, and can withstand all kinds of cowardice.

Zhu Ming first went to see the horses that had been delivered. The horse buyer named Qu Shouxin, bowed and said: "Generalissimo, I have lived up to my humble duty and bought back a total of 165 good horses. One of them died of illness on the way, and there were a few more." Pi is sick, but should be fine."

"Okay, your Excellency has made a great contribution!" Zhu Ming was generous with his praise and decided to upgrade this person to a higher level, and everyone who participated in the horse buying process would also be rewarded.

Most of the more than one hundred war horses in front of us are Ganqing horses, which come from the Qinghai and Gansu areas, which are also called Tubo horses in the Tang and Song dynasties.

The Xixia cavalry also adopted a large number of Ganqing horses and selected and bred their own unique war horses (Western horses).

The West Horse is the offspring of a cross between Gansu and Qinghai horses, Mongolian horses and Dawan horses. It can fight on the plains and cross mountains. It can even endure hunger and thirst and cross a small desert.

The more Ju Ming looked at it, the more he liked it and asked someone to bring the cornucopia.

Cornucopia was very happy to see its little friend, and got into the group of horses to rub around.

Qu Shouxin then introduced: "These two are heroes from the northwest. The taller one is called Li Yanxian, and the shorter one is called Yan Ping."

"Greetings to the Generalissimo!" The two men stepped forward to salute.

"What a strong man!" Zhu Ming praised.

Li Yanxian is about 1.8 meters tall, and Yan Ping is also about 1.75 meters tall. They have been observing the mountains and rivers and robberies on the border all year round, which naturally created an unruly temperament.

They are not subject to the control of power. If they are not happy working under Ju Ming, they will resign even if they are in high positions.

Ju Ming pulled the two of them in to talk, not caring about the daughters of the Zhong family and the Zhe family.

"What do you two think of the Song-Xia border?" Zhu Ming exchanged a few words and then began to ask about military affairs.

This is exactly in line with Li Yanxian's character. He doesn't like people who come to Xu, so he immediately replied: "After the Song Dynasty court occupied Hehuang, the number of war horses and population that Xixia could requisition decreased sharply. In addition, the domestic political situation in Xixia was unstable, and the food harvests had been poor for many years. The combat power of the army has long been reduced to what it used to be. At this time, the Han people only need to camp step by step, and every time they occupy a new land, they build forts and immigrate to colonize it. Within ten years, the border of Xixia will be entirely Han land. The monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty were eager for quick success, even if After occupying a new territory, the settlement was extremely bad, forcing the border soldiers to flee one after another."

"Have you ever served in the Western Army?" Zhu Ming asked.

Yan Ping said: "Not only did he serve in the Western Army, but he also served as a deserter in the Western Army. My brother has an upright temperament and easily offends the superiors. He couldn't bear the birdiness and ran away within half a year."

Li Yanxian said: "I don't know about other places in the Song Dynasty. I only talk about the various armies in Shaanxi. Whether it is the imperial army, the Xiang army, or the rural archers, the biggest problem is unclear rewards and punishments, and the deduction of food and wages. As a general, you should Share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. Even if you can't do this, rewards and punishments should be clear. In today's Western Army, those who have made meritorious services are rarely rewarded, and those who make mistakes are not punished. Over a long period of time, military discipline does not exist, and military orders are disobeyed from top to bottom. When fighting, only Know how to save your own life."

"There is also the land of Hehuang. The soldiers' military fields have not yet been cultivated, and they levy exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. The military pay the soldiers can receive is not enough to pay taxes to the border states and counties. In those few years, the border soldiers have escaped with a There were none left. Later, Lao Zhong was promoted to the governor of Xi'an Prefecture, and then he was promoted to Hehuang, where he vigorously improved military discipline and reduced exorbitant taxes. This resulted in fewer soldiers escaping."

Li Yanxian said impassionedly: "Nowadays, people in all areas of Shaanxi are suffering from military service and miscellaneous taxes, and the Western Army has long been vulnerable. The generalissimo should raise troops as soon as possible, take all areas of Shaanxi into his pocket, and treat the people a little more leniently, he can have hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the northwest Jian'er is willing to serve. When the generalissimo sends out troops, I can go back to Longxi to respond, and recruit three to five thousand strong men. It's not a problem to capture Longxi in just a day and night. Even Lanzhou can be taken by me!"

If he were not familiar with history, Ju Ming would think that this person was bragging, but in fact he was telling the truth.

Zhu Ming smiled and asked, "Don't you know how to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country?"

Li Yanxian said: "I was born in Ningzhou and grew up in Longxi. I also thought about being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, so I joined the Western Army to serve. But most of the generals in the Western Army were wine sacks and rice bags. They deducted the army's pay and made soldiers very good, allowing them to lead the army in battle. But it's like child's play. Even those few experienced generals who know how to fight are also constrained by eunuchs and civil servants, who force them to lead their troops to die. It is common for tens of thousands of troops to be killed in a defeated battle. But once the front line is defeated, the Xixia people take advantage of the opportunity. Cross-border plundering, how many people on the border have been destroyed and their lives lost? The imperial court is hopeless. Isn’t this why the general is raising troops? "

Ju Ming said: "To be honest, I negotiated peace with the Song Dynasty court last year because of the lack of food and grass. Although this year's harvest is good, we have to cultivate wasteland in Jingxiang and Nanyang. We have to wait for next year's summer and autumn grains to arrive in the warehouse before we can have enough. . It is possible to forcibly occupy Shaanxi, but the continuous transportation of military rations from Sichuan is too expensive. Food must be collected locally to maintain the army. How can the people of Shaanxi still have so much food to collect?"

But Li Yanxian said: "If the Generalissimo doesn't collect grain from Shaanxi, won't the Song Dynasty officials do the same? Just attack as soon as possible and let the people of Shaanxi suffer for a year or two, and then they can live a good life in the future. The Generalissimo is dragging his feet and not sending troops, sitting back and watching the people of Shaanxi Being levied and extorted is nothing more than cherishing your own reputation."

Is it necessary to be so direct?

Zhu Ming finally understood how capable Li Yanxian could offend people.

Ju Ming was already familiar with the territory of the Song Dynasty. He dipped his hand in tea and drew a simple map: "Do you two know the Kingdom of Jin?"

Yan Ping said: "Of course we know that the Lord of Liao was beaten and fled. The Xixia people have changed their masters and have surrendered to the Kingdom of Jin."

Ju Ming said: "The Jin soldiers were so fierce that they could make the Liao army dare not fight. And the frightened Liao army could make the Song soldiers flee. There was a battle last year, and a thousand Jin cavalry lured the enemy. , feigned defeat, and set up ambushes. In the end, only 800 people were left, and they rushed straight into the 30,000-strong Xixia formation and killed the elite Xixia army to a great defeat."

"Is there such a thing?" Li Yanxian asked in shock.

Ju Ming added: "This year, the Jin Kingdom is training troops on the border between Song and Jin Dynasties, and its intention to go south is already obvious. Maybe next year, or at the latest the year after next, the Jin soldiers will invade the south in a large scale. These barbarians are more brutal than Xixia. The officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty are blocking If you can't help it, it's not uncommon to be killed by the Jin soldiers in Tokyo. At that time, it's our time to send troops. Resist the foreigners and liberate the people, and take advantage of the situation to replace the destiny of the Song Dynasty!"

Li Yanxian was very moved when he heard this. He clasped his fists and said, "Today is just the first time we meet, and the Generalissimo actually told me about a major event for the country. It is rare in ancient times and modern times for such an appointment to be trustworthy. Since the Generalissimo trusts me, I will definitely devote myself to death in the future!"

Ju Ming smiled and said: "Take you to meet a man who is a surrendered general I just conquered. He is a hero from Dongting, and you are a hero from Longxi. I believe we will be able to hit it off immediately."