Prime Minister

Chapter 974: Things don’t serve things

Bianjing in April.

"Your Majesty, now the Xixia Prime Minister Liang Yi is personally leading a heavy army to attack the Jingyuan Road. Zhang Yue has made a mistake in planning this. He is not at peace with the Liao Kingdom and has left the Xihe River empty, so that our army loses its foothold in advance and retreat."

"I ask that Zhang Yue be dismissed from his position as the envoy of Xuanfu!"

Deng Wan's voice almost shook the palace.

This time Deng Wan proposed the impeachment of Zhang Yue to the officials in the daily life.The general meeting is held once every five days, and is attended by officials above the official rank.

According to the nature of the meeting, the more people participating in it, the less likely it is to decide.

In fact, the impact on the outcome of the meeting will not be determined by anything.

But the victory lies in its great strength, which is comparable to a bomb dropped into a cesspit.

When Tang Dynasty impeached Wang Anshi, it was in Chang Dynasty, in front of all the officials.

In short, the effect of highlighting one thing is amazing and it makes things big.

Officials also frowned when they heard Deng Wan impeached Zhang Yue. Deng Wan wanted to overthrow Zhang Yue not once or twice.There are quotas for governing the two governments. As the censor Zhongcheng, Deng Wan's desire to quarrel over politics is well known to everyone.

After excluding Zhang Yue, who had different political views, he was naturally ranked as the second government.

Even the officials despised his conduct.

Now in power, Zeng Xiaokuan, the deputy privy envoy, participated in Yuan Jiang to support the reform. Wang Gui is a cunning old man who will not let anyone make any mistakes.Therefore, if Deng Wan wants to ascend to power, he must squeeze out Zhang Yue.

However, since there were conflicting opinions, the officials also acquiesced in Deng Wan's move. After all, if you want to impeach someone, you must have real evidence and cannot just talk about it.

……

Retreat into the back hall.

Only the two government offices and admonishment ministers remained.

Deng Wan raised the issue of impeachment again.

Wu Chong responded: "Your Majesty, it has been found that 30 inner troops of the Liao Kingdom are stationed in Xijing, while our army is less than [-] troops in Zhending, Dingzhou, Zhongshan, Daizhou, and Hejian, and we lack How can the cavalry be maintained if we don’t adjust the Xihe Road cavalry?”

"As for Xixia's ambition, if I really give in to the Liao negotiations, who knows that he can't take advantage of it?"

Faced with the large number of Liao troops massed in Xijing, the Song Dynasty did not have enough troops to maintain its front line.

Once the entire Liao army moves south, there is a high probability that the entire Song army in Zhending, Dingzhou, and Daizhou will collapse. There will be no troops and horses along the Xihe Road, and there will be no bargaining chips.

So Zhang Yue's decision was not wrong.

Wang Gui said: "Can Zhang Yue lead his troops to withdraw to Xingzhou or Damingfu? Can the Xihe Road cavalry return to support Shaanxi?"

Zeng Xiaokuan said: "Zhang Yue and Chen Zhao said that Hebei is a flat river, but Taiyuan is really Ding. Dingzhou is dangerous and can be defended. If there is no horse army, the Liao cavalry will be unscrupulous."

Wang Gui sighed: "This is the disadvantage of losing the sixteen states of Yanyun."

Zeng Xiaokuan said: "It is true. There are no Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures. We can only gather troops and horses in Zhending and defend the outer lines of Ding Prefecture. There is almost no depth to speak of."

"If Dingzhou is really settled and Dingzhou falls, the Liao cavalry can drink from the Yellow River."

Deng Wan was furious after hearing this. Zeng Xiaokuan and Wang Gui, through chatting, refuted his impeachment against Zhang Yue one by one.

Deng Wan felt that you were helping Zhang Yue, but the officials knew that what they said was the truth.

What's more, at this time, it is meaningless to hold Zhang Yue accountable for not negotiating peace with Liao before.

The Liao Kingdom issued a letter of credence, so he himself had to respond with a letter of credence.For an emperor who cares about his reputation both before and after him, he wants to answer the ceding of territory with a letter of credence. No one can afford to lose this person.

What the officials didn't know was that Zhang Yue was playing a trick here. The Liao emperor's reply with a letter of credence was not a matter of demarcating borders and ceding territory.It's just that the Liao envoy is still on his way to Bianjing with his credentials, and he hasn't seen the full text of the Liao's credentials yet.

The official said: "At this juncture, we are still holding others accountable. Can't Deng Qing share my worries?"

Deng Wan blushed when he heard this. He could tell that the officials were dissatisfied with him.

The discussion in the hall continued, and the official said: "Li Xian is giving a secret report. He heard a message from the leader of the Tibetan tribe in Hezhou. Before Liang Yi buried his troops, he communicated with the Qing and Tang Dynasties and agreed to attack together and divide the Xihe River equally between the two families. .With Xizhou, Taozhou, and Minzhou returned to Qingtang, with Huizhou, Hezhou returned to Xixia."

"It's hard to tell whether this is true or not. What do you think?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was speechless. It would be difficult to deal with this.

Wang Gui said: "Your Majesty, Dong Fei and Ali Gu are still submissive at the moment. This may be Xixia's plan to alienate each other."

"I also hope it's a estrangement strategy. I heard that Dong Xiang is currently ill and Ali Gu is in charge of Qingtang City. This man has met me three times in court and is quite submissive. I don't believe he will rebel."

When the official said this, he thought of Ali Gu and couldn't help but have a good impression of this young man.

Deng Wan said: "Your Majesty, Dong Xiang's wife is a Khitan princess. How can we believe it?"

The ministers talked for a while and couldn't stop arguing.

Just then, the chamberlain said: "Your Majesty, here comes Zhang Yue, the envoy of Xuanfu!"

Zhang Yue's letter is now the highest priority official document in the court. If there is an emergency, the chamberlain can wake up the sleeping emperor in the middle of the night.

Generally speaking, as soon as Zhang Yue's messenger arrives, no matter when and where he is, the officials must see him immediately, even in important meetings such as this where important ministers from the two governments gather to discuss.

In front of the emperor and ministers, the chamberlain used a wedge to break open the bamboo tube and took out the bamboo slips. …………

Outside the cave in Damao Mountain, it rained heavily last night.

Zhang Yue walked to the cave and looked at the young leaves in front of him with raindrops hanging on them. The heavy rain had washed them all night, as if everything in the mountains was new.

The mountain spring water gurgled soundly and poured into the mountain stream.

Zhang Yue wore a raincoat, a bamboo hat, straw sandals, and a bamboo stick in his hand. He walked around the mountains with a wine gourd on his back. After finding the mountain spring, he sat in a dry place under the forest and picked up the wine gourd. Drink it slowly.

Looking at the mist and rain in the mountains and forests from a distance, I drank the fresh smell of vegetation and drank the wine. The wine was also plain wine, the taste was extremely bland, but as I drank, I tasted the leisurely and carefree artistic conception of wandering clouds and wild cranes.

Being in the officialdom and ranking as prime minister, you are the most worldly person in the world, but your heart can be a worldly mind, like a sand gull in the vast world. It is good at flying, can water, and can walk. It can go anywhere in the world. , nothing can trap yourself.

Hiding in this secluded place, you can also get a glimpse of the vastness of the world and the subtleties of truth.

All this truth is hidden in "things are things but not things."

After sitting there for an unknown amount of time, Zhang Yue returned to the cave, sat by the desk, sharpened his ink, and wrote a note to the official.

Since I was ordered to promulgate the governor of Hedong and Hebei, I have been trembling with fear and restless, not daring to live up to the mission entrusted by Your Majesty.Today, Khitan has stationed 30 troops in the world to dominate others...

Zhang Yue's letter to the official family first wrote about the current situation of the current confrontation between Liao and Song. He was in a difficult situation. The Liao envoys were arrogant and unreasonable. They deliberately blackmailed and used the threat of war to force the Song Dynasty to make concessions.

After Zhang Yue laid the groundwork, he talked about Xixia's dispatch of troops. It was a no-brainer that it must have been instigated by the Khitans.

Now Xixia seems to be attacking the original road to Jing, but it is just a trick to deceive others, and its purpose must be to take the Xihe Road.

……

Soldiers are important matters of the country, the place of life and death, and the path to survival. They must be carefully observed.This is the difficulty for me.

His Majesty's holy heart alone guides and plans the overall situation, and it is important to implement the strategy to control the invaders consistently.

Although the Qing Tang Dynasty seemed to be Fu Ding, Dong Fei was no longer in charge, and his adopted son Ali Gu was actually a tyrant. He seemed to be submissive, but in fact he was outstanding in his ability to hide and rise, and the court must not take it lightly.

……

Writing this, Zhang Yue thought of Ali Gu.Originally, under Dong Fei, Gui Zhang and Ali Gu were side by side, but now that Gui Zhang is gone, Ali Gu's strength has greatly increased, and he is actually the talker of the Qing Tang and Tibetan tribes.

From Zhang Yue's dealings with Ali Gu, we know that this person is outstandingly capable and ambitious.

This man was not a descendant of Zushiluo. In the Qing Tang Dynasty, where lineage was valued, someone with Ali Gu's background was considered a descendant of a 'poor family'.

There are two levels for a child from a poor family to reach a high position. The first level is one who is well-mannered, has a soft body, can pat you and support you, and has noble people to support you wherever you go.

The second step is to make your own decisions, disown your relatives, knock out your teeth and Xuetun, take two watermelon knives in hand, and cut from Nantianmen to Penglai East Road.

This Ali bone is exactly the representative of the latter.

Such people are very familiar to Zhang Yue, who also comes from a poor family. Many people he knows have the shadow of Ali Gu.

They do everything based on interests and show no mercy at all.

It can be said that Ali Gu will be a serious problem for the Song Dynasty sooner or later, but he is not strong enough at the moment, so he behaves very meekly.

So Zhang Yue asked the officials in his letter to cede the land of Huangzhou to Ali Gu, and let him send troops from Qingtang to attack Xixia with all his strength!

Zhang Yue wrote this, knowing that his suggestion was too shocking and even unacceptable.

Huangzhou was conquered by Zhang Yue himself, and it was a large state. The Song Dynasty had been running it for two years, but it was suddenly handed over to Qingtang.Moreover, in Zhang Yue's plan, Huangzhou sent troops to attack Liangzhou City and retake the Silk Road.

You are fighting for hundreds of miles of land with the Khitan, but you are abandoning hundreds of miles of land in the Qing and Tang Dynasties. Isn't this sick?

Moreover, the Song Dynasty’s grand strategy was to destroy Xia. Do you mean the same thing by abandoning hundreds of miles of land in the Qing and Tang Dynasties and abandoning hundreds of miles of land in the Khitan?

Zhang Yue knew that as soon as this discussion came out, the court would definitely explode.

He gave an example here, that is, the Hunan River chemical industry.

This was the agreement between Soochow and Western Shu. At that time, Cao Cao wanted to attack Hanzhong, and Soochow wanted to plot Jingzhou. Liu Bei thought repeatedly about delimiting the border with Soochow by the Xiang River, and gave Changsha County and Guiyang County to Soochow, allowing him to send troops to Huainan. Attack Cao Cao.

There is this passage in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Zhuge Liang left Jingzhou and went to Sichuan to rescue Liu Bei. Before leaving, he asked Guan Yu who stayed behind to guard Jingzhou.

What if Cao Cao invades?

Guan Yu said that he would refuse with force.

Zhuge Liang asked Guan Yu again, what if Cao Cao and Sun Quan invaded at the same time?

Guan Yu said that he should divide his troops and take advantage of them.

Zhuge Liang said that's it. I'll give you eight words: "Reject Cao Cao in the north, and conquer Sun Quan in the east."

Therefore, Zhang Yue's strategy was to 'conquer the Qing and Tang Dynasties in the west and reject Xixia in the north'.

Zhang Yue said in Zhazi that the biggest taboo in using troops is to be prepared for the left and the right will be few; if you are prepared for the right, the left will be few; if you are not prepared for everything, you will be few for everything.Want everything and get nothing.

As the saying goes, save people and lose land, and everyone and land will survive. Save land and lose people, and everyone and land will be lost.

As long as Xixia's attack is defeated and the momentum overwhelms the Liao Kingdom, Huangzhou will only temporarily lend the bones to Ali, and even the entire Qingtang can get them back in the future.

The meaning of not fighting for the gains and losses of a city or a land is to fight for power but not land, to fight for things but not to take care of things.

ps: Even if it’s a joke, some people will take it seriously, sweat.