Prime Minister

Chapter 1158 Road

Chapter 1158 Road

From the "Cedict of Peace" of Emperor Taizong's reign to today's ceremony of surrendering captives, the national policy of the Song Dynasty has never shifted from inward contraction to expansion again.

In Zhang Yue's mansion, Lu Dazhong and Xu Xi brought Zhang Yue a "surprise" gift from Han Zhen.

Seeing Zhang Yue slamming the table, Xu Xi bowed his head and said, "Prime Minister, please allow me to report... Envoy Han did not intend to disrupt the peace talks. He just wanted to build a city in Hengshan to protect the three newly acquired Dingnan states."

Zhang Yue sneered. Han Zhen gave him a set. Did he think he was a three-year-old child? Did he think that I didn't know what you were thinking just because you changed your words?

The routines you gave me are the paths I have taken in the past.

He looked at Xu Xi and said, "Say that again!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xi realized that he had said the wrong thing.

Zhang Yue asked: "What is the difference between building a city in the old city of Yinzhou and building Luowu City in the third year of Xining?"

"How can the Tanguts tolerate this? They will definitely come to fight!"

Xu Xi said: "Prime Minister, if an enemy comes, we will stop him with our generals and if a flood comes, we will block it with earth. It is time for the Tanguts to break up the peace talks instead of us."

Zhang Yue asked: "If the Tanguts come to attack, can you stop them?"

Xu Xi said: "I am 90% sure that I can defeat the Dangxiang in Yinzhou."

Zhang Yue held his forehead with his hand, thinking that Han Zhen would definitely not be willing to negotiate peace, so he took advantage of the peace talks between Song and Xia to re-propose the plan of building up the Hengshan line.

On the surface, this plan seemed to be that as long as Xixia did not send troops, I would build a city in the place you ceded, and it would not be considered a violation of the peace treaty. In just two or three years, once I had cultivated land and logistics supplies, Xixia would definitely be finished.

But in fact, Western Xia would definitely not tolerate the Song Dynasty's plan to build Hengshan, and would definitely send troops to fight a decisive battle with the Song.

Zhang Yue said to Xu Xi: "The conflict between the two countries is not just a battle of troops, but a battle of systems, policies, economy, people's livelihood and technology."

"You can't win just because you think you can."

Lu Dazhong took over the conversation and said, "I understand that Prime Minister Zhang is not determined to attack the Tanguts, but to reform the system internally through attacking the Tanguts."

Zhang Yue's expression softened slightly when he heard this and said to Lu Dazhong, "You do have some knowledge."

Lu Dazhong said, "Your Excellency, I am flattered. It was my brother who told me these words."

Zhang Yue nodded slightly and said, "Is it Wei Zhong?"

"Yes, I have heard the Prime Minister say that when an emperor is about to encounter a major event, he will assess the situation and make repeated decisions. The Prime Minister has decided on the strategy of [attacking the west and defending the east] to defeat the Tanguts."

"If your subordinates have good ideas, why can't you listen to them?"

Zhang Yue formulated the strategy to attack the Dangxiang tribe.

In terms of the deployment of the Song army, the Qinfeng Road and Xihe Road attacked westwards, facing the Dangxiang's Liangzhou, Lanzhou and other areas along the Hexi Corridor, while the Jingyuan Road, Huanqing Road, Fuyan Road and Hedong Road defended eastwards, facing the Dangxiang Hengshan and Tiandu Mountain areas.

Because it is impossible to hit someone with two fists.

Therefore, in the distribution of troops, money and food, Zhang Yue always gave the greatest support to the Lanhui Xihe Administration Office in Qinfeng Road and Xihe Road.

As for the other four routes, it is inevitable to favor some over others.

Han Zhen was nominally the Privy Councilor of the Six Routes, but the Xihe Administration Office had independent financial and personnel powers, and Li Xian reported directly to the emperor, Zhang Yue.

So Li Xian didn't buy Han Zhen's account at all. Before that, Zhang Yue had heard the two of them attacking each other and setting traps for each other.

Now Han Zhen asked Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong to propose to him to build Hengshan, which was not only to further establish his career, but also to compete with Li Xian and compete for the court's resources.

Zhang Yue said: "In the year of Zizhiping, Wang Shao established himself in Gongzhou. Then in the third year of Xining, I cooperated with Wang Shao to send troops from Hengshan and burned Tiandu Mountain. Then in the seventh year of Xining, I went to Xihe Road to recover our Han and Tang homeland. Then Zhang Zhifu recovered Qingtang, and the great victory in Lanzhou today, all came from this road."

"I have been almost undefeated in my military campaigns along the Xihe Road. Tell me, why will I lose next time?"

"On the other hand, in the direction of Hengshan, take the Battle of Luowu City in the third year of Xining as an example. Our dynasty has always lost more than it has won. Why do you tell me that we will win next time? What's the logic behind this?"

If you win, you will keep winning. If you win the first, second, and third time, you will not lose next time and there is a high probability that you will win.

But I keep losing, the first time and the second time, so why won’t I lose the third time?

Xu Xi immediately took out a map from his sleeve and gestured to Zhang Yue, saying, "Prime Minister, this time the Tanguts ceded three states, Yin, You, and Sui, but they cannot defend this place. It is as good as not ceding any land."

"If we cannot take over the entire Hengshan Mountain, we will not be able to overlook Pingxia. On the other hand, if we take over this place, the plains over a thousand miles long will be fertile and can be cultivated. This is a plan for military farming. If we station strong troops to resist the invaders, then the entire Hebei area can be cultivated, and defeating the invaders will be a matter of time."

Zhang Yue slapped his thigh and said, "Wrong, wrong, the place you mentioned for building a city is what the western bandits must fight for. Moreover, the road is dangerous and far away. If you win, you can't support each other, and if you lose, you can't help each other. It's not good for fighting and defending. If you really want to build a city on Hengshan, I think you should start from Shibao, then Luobo and Luowei. You have to build a city on Zhangshan in a connected way. However, this method will take several years to complete."

Lu Dazhong said: "Prime Minister, whether it is attacking the west and defending the east, or attacking the east and defending the west."

"In the end, we have to capture Xingzhou and Lingzhou and destroy the Tanguts. To do this, we need logistical support. The best strategy now is to start from nearby and gather troops on the border."

"Between Yinzhou and Youzhou, we should consider the terrain and obstacles, measure the distance, build forts, store food and grass, and then repair Yinzhou and Youzhou one by one. Move the soldiers and food as a foundation, and wait until they are fully prepared, and then slowly advance. In this way, the western bandits in the Hengshan area will not be able to cultivate the land, and their livelihood will be cut off. They will return to the court without the need to bother the royal army. This is really a perfect strategy."

Zhang Yue stared at the location of the city marked by Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong on the map and shook his head.

Although both of them are fortress tactics, the difference between the construction in Hengshan, Tiandu Mountain and Lanhui is that they are too far away from the supply line of the Song army.

It would be too expensive to build a fortress all the way there.

However, if they followed the method of Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong and abandoned Zhang Yue's method of building Zhangshan Lian in Lanzhou and Xi'an, it would be like a leapfrog tactic, and they would form a very deep salient in one go.

Both Luowu City and the historical Yongle City have this serious problem.

Xu Xi said: "As long as Yinzhou succeeds in building the city, it will be completed in three months. It will definitely save time and effort than building in Lanhui."

"I am entrusted by Prime Minister Han to report this strategy to the Prime Minister. I hope the Prime Minister can support this strategy!"

Zhang Yue looked at Xu Xi and thought, yes, you died here because of this in history. Zhang Yue felt very sad, I have been saving your life again and again, but you don't know.

Zhang Yue rubbed his brows and once again looked over the document on building the Hengshan City submitted by Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong.

The idea was proposed by Han Zhen, and the document was drafted by Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong as their aides.

Better than in history, Xu Xi chose to build the old city of Yinzhou instead of Yongle City. In history, Zhong Yan also wanted to build the old city of Yinzhou, but was opposed by Xu Xi and Shen Kuo, so he finally built Yongle City.

This time, without Zhong Yan's objection, Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong directly chose the ancient city of Yinzhou. Their plan was similar to Zhong Yan's historical plan.

Advance from Yinzhou to Hengshan.

The next question is whether you want to support this plan.

Zhang Yue certainly did not support this in his heart. He now wanted to use the prestige he gained from the war against the Tanguts to reform the official system and make up for the new law.

It would be his ideal situation to postpone the use of troops against Xixia for two years. Moreover, building Hengshan Mountain was also completely contrary to his strategy of attacking the west and defending the east.

In order to further his ambition of making great achievements, Han Zhen proposed a plan to build Hengshan, which not only disrupted his steps but also violated his strategy.

However, the plan of Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong is feasible, and in terms of destroying the Tanguts, it saves time and money than Zhang Yue's plan.

Zhang Yue said to Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong: "You also know that the truth of this case will never be supported."

But Xu Xi fell to the ground and said, "Prime Minister, please think twice!"

Lu Dazhong also kowtowed and said, "Prime Minister, this is a great strategy to destroy the Dangxiang. We must not miss this opportunity!"

Xu Xi cried, "Prime Minister, this strategy was strongly advocated by me. If it fails, I will take full responsibility."

Lu Dazhong said: "Prime Minister, now that Lanzhou has been won, the Western Army is united in hatred of the enemy and wants to avenge General Zhong and General Zhang. Now is the time to use the army's morale. In a few years, the troops will be old and their ambitions will be gone."

Seeing Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong crying and begging, Zhang Yue's face changed and he said, "I am doing this for your own good, for the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Western Army. If we lose this battle, the morale that we have worked so hard to boost will be destroyed in an instant."

After saying this, Zhang Yue stood up and left the table. Xu Xi immediately stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Yue's sleeve and cried, "Prime Minister, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Western Army are united in purpose and will not return until the Dangxiang are defeated. We should not miss this opportunity to make a great contribution to the future while the Dangxiang are depressed."

Zhang Yue was crying while Xu Xi grabbed his sleeve. He wanted to pull it away, but Xu Xi refused to let go.

Lu Dazhong said, "Prime Minister, I heard that you are always lenient when governing people. You usually don't ask what your subordinates do. You just reward or punish them after the fact."

"The Prime Minister has discussed everything with Your Majesty, and even repeatedly violated Your Majesty's wishes, but why not accept Envoy Han's advice this time?"

Zhang Yue's expression eased slightly after hearing what Lu Dazhong said.

He always lets things go so that the people below him can have subjective initiative.

Take the Liaoshen Campaign as an example. The Central Committee first ordered the Eastern Field Army to attack Jinzhou, but the Eastern Field Army wanted to attack Changchun. Although the Central Committee thought it was not possible, it did not object. After that, the Eastern Field Army went around and still attacked Jinzhou as planned.

Since it is decentralization, we must give the lower levels the power of autonomy and give them subjective initiative.

Isn’t this the purpose of setting up the Privy Council?

Otherwise, if you insist on everything, it will go against your own will. You have to let people try everything, and finally let the bridge be the bridge and the road be the road.

You have to walk your own path, not have someone draw it for you.

If you must do it, then go ahead. You will bear the consequences yourself.

Zhang Yue calmed down his anger and said to Xu Xi, "The more you practice, the more you will know. The deeper your knowledge, the more you will achieve. I may not be right. You two will go to the palace and report this case to the emperor."

"But I still say that I am against this case."

Xu Xi and Lu Dazhong were overjoyed when they heard this and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister!"

Zhang Yue looked at the two of them and shook his head. I really don’t know which way to go next.