Prime Minister

Chapter 1201 How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed? (2 chapters in 1)

Chapter 1201 How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed? (Two chapters combined into one)

Tong'an City.

Located on the Liuling Ridge (Donglong Ridge).

This is the boundary between Liangzhou and other provinces.

This was a strategy to deal with the previous advance of the Song army in Lanzhou. The Dangxiang used the method of city against city to build a city here to prevent the Song Dynasty from invading from the north.

The city was named Geniu City, which was the name given by the Dangxiang people, while Tong'an City was the name given by the Song Dynasty.

In another time and space, in history, Tong Guan ordered Liu Fa to attack Tong'an City in the first year of Xuanhe. Then in the second year of Xuanhe, Song Jiang and Fang La rose up in rebellion. Tong Guan transferred the Western Army to suppress the rebellion in the third year of Xuanhe. In the fourth year of Xuanhe, Tong Guan went north to join the Jin Kingdom in destroying the Liao.

The Battle of Tong'an City was the last battle of the Song Dynasty against the Dangxiang, and the opportunity to pacify the Dangxiang was missed forever.

Calligraphers of later generations blamed Cai Jing and Tong Guan for their military prowess, for opening up border areas and causing trouble, which wasted national strength. They also did not write the word "invasion" when referring to the invasion of the Tanguts, as they believed that the fault was with China and they should not blame the other side exclusively.

Success or failure is often just one step away.

Historically, the city of Tong'an was more than 900 steps long, which was considered a city according to the Song Dynasty standards. But now, with a circumference of only 500 steps, it can only be called a stockade.

The decline of the Dangxiang national strength was visible to the naked eye.

Wang Shan looked at Tong'an City thoughtfully. Tong'an City was so small that the army could take it in just a few days, but he was not in a hurry to attack the city.

Of course, he also knew the pressure from Wang Hou, the governor of Xihe Road, and Prime Minister Zhang Yue in the rear.

The imperial court had been operating in Xihe Road for many years, and all the troops, horses, money and grain were located in Xihe Road.

He also used the method of building forts in the second section, and built more than 50 forts along the border within two years. Although he gradually encroached on the territory of the Dangxiang, he also consumed a lot of financial resources. Fortunately, Zhang Yue was in charge, so there was no civil upheaval like when Cai Jing and Tong Guan led the army.

However, Wang Shan could not win, and Wang Hou and Zhang Yue's historical status would not be much better than Tong Guan and Cai Jing.

Wang Shan said to Miao Lu, "Let's not rush to attack the city, let's surround it first."

Miao Lu was the son of Miao Shou, a famous general of the Western Army, who was a descendant of Miao Jinqing, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty.

Miao Shou had been to the Imperial Academy and studied under Hu Yuan, so he was a classmate of Zhang Yue, Huang Lu, and Han Zhongyan. Miao Shou and Zhang Yue were not close friends. When Zhang Yue was surrounded in Xiangzi City, Miao Shou hesitated and was almost beheaded by Zhang Yue.

However, Miao Shu and Huang Lu are excellent, and because of this he will have a place among the generals of Xihe Road in the future.

Miao Shu has now been appointed as the governor of Huizhou. Although he is not as good as Zhong Shidao, he is much better than Wang Junwan, who was dismissed from his post by Zhang Yue for letting the army do business and died in depression.

Ten years ago, Wang Junwan and Miao Shou followed Zhang Yue and Wang Shao to pacify Xihe. Ten years later, their sons Wang Shan and Miao Lu were ordered to attack Liangzhou. The second generation of northwestern generals was established.

However, Wang Shan's personality is similar to Wang Junwan's. He is proud and conceited and does not like to socialize with others.

Miao Lu and Wang Shan exchanged a few words, but the two did not see eye to eye and did not say much.

Miao Luxin thought, let me see how you arrange it.

Wang Shan did not rush to attack the city, but ordered his soldiers to set up camp early, cook and rest.

At night, Wang Shan ordered his spies to lie low on the ground and sent more people to keep watch.

At three o'clock in the morning, troops were sent from Tong'an City to raid the camp, and the spies discovered the situation and reported it to Wang Shan.

When the Dangxiang soldiers arrived in front of the camp, the soldiers guarding the camp immediately beat the gong to warn them. The Song soldiers in the camp immediately put on armor, held cowhide shields and squatted behind the camp. The Song soldiers in other camps handled the situation as usual.

In history, the Hunan Army would select the terrain, build walls and dig trenches every time they set up camp. There were specific and strict regulations on how thick and high the walls were, how deep and wide the trenches were. Moreover, the excavated soil had to be transported away immediately. The soldiers were miserable.

The same was true for the Song army in Xihe Road.

You may not be good at attacking, but you must be good at defending. Be invincible before the battle.

As the desolate horn sounded, the Dangxiang soldiers attacked the camp, and the Song army was ready. The Dangxiang soldiers fired a round of arrows and then rushed forward. Before they could get in, they were blocked by the trenches, and when they got in, they were shot by arrows again, and nearly a hundred people were killed or injured immediately.

The Dangxiang army saw that the Song army was very organized and did not dare to act rashly after suffering a loss. They shouted and attacked the Song army camp with arrows.

The archers of the Song army also saw a shadow swaying outside the wall and shot at it with arrows.

After the Tanguts' attack failed, they saw that the Song army camp was still standing and they only dared to bluff. After a night of fierce fighting, only a few Song soldiers were injured by arrows, but the Tanguts left behind 200 corpses. The rest of the Song army camps also rested without panic.

Miao Lu was worried all night, and when he woke up the next morning, he saw the Song army approaching the trench with swords in hand, stabbing the Dangxiang soldiers dead or alive.

Miao Lu saw traces left by the Dangxiang army when they sneaked into the camp, and realized that their troops had already bypassed the Song army camp early and planned to attack from both inside and outside.

However, Wang Shan's calm and proper arrangements made the other side return empty-handed. Miao Lu then realized the other side's ability, admired him from the bottom of his heart, and became humble in his attitude.

Wang Shan said to Miao Lu coldly without any consideration for human feelings: "Send troops to sweep the tribes around the city and rob their cattle and sheep to supplement military supplies."

This is taking food from the enemy... Miao Lu clasped his fists and said, "I obey your command!"

"Bring the Dangxiang people with you and let them get some blood on them," Wang Shan ordered.

The Dangxiang people surrendered directly and led the way.

This is a token of surrender... Miao Lu understood and said, "I understand.

After being lost to the Tang Dynasty, Liangzhou had been a place where many ethnic minorities lived together. Later, the Dangxiang and Qingtang fought repeatedly for the control of Liangzhou, and there were many ethnic minorities.

Wang Shan, who defected to the Liangzhou tribe, was treated differently.

Now Xihe Road is constantly registering its people, and they will be useful to the farming population in the future. But Wang Shan is not so kind to the nomadic tribes, he will rob if he can, and kill if he can.

He would distribute the looted cattle, horses, property, and women to his subordinates.

Without Cai Bian's restraint, Wang Shan was also brutal. He was very strict in disciplining his army, and would severely punish any soldier who did not do what he wanted, and then reward him generously after the severe punishment.

So he indulged his soldiers and horses in looting, and then rewarded all the looted goods to his subordinates. With such kindness and power, he was not afraid that his soldiers would not obey his orders, and they would dare to fight hard battles.

In history, Zuo Zongtang once asked Zeng Guoquan, the younger brother of Zeng Guofan who was a frontier governor, "Ninth brother, what is the most helpful thing in your life?"

Zeng Guoquan said proudly, "He killed people without hesitation and spent money like water. He was not ashamed of this at all. He was responsible for the massacres in Nanjing and Anqing. He also looted countless money, and the Hunan Army from top to bottom made a fortune.

Wang Shan’s use of military force was quite similar.

While he was besieging Tong'an City, he ordered Miao Lu to lead the cavalry to attack, and within ten days, he defeated more than ten tribes south of Liangzhou. Miao Lu even approached the city of Liangzhou and saw the induction tower of Liangzhou Dayun Temple (Huguo Temple), but was finally repelled by Jinduo Baozhong who came out of the city.

In the end, Miao Lu returned south with thousands of captured people and tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, horses and camels. As for how many people he killed, he kept his mouth shut.

All we know is that the tribes dozens of miles north of Tong'an City were emptied out.

After Miao Lu returned to the camp, Wang Shan said to the generals: "Since we have conquered Liangzhou, we must establish our authority. The womanly kindness of civil officials like Cai Bian is unacceptable."

"If you had listened to me and massacred Renduoquan City, this small Tong'an City would not have dared to be so presumptuous and dare to resist the army."

All the generals including Miao Lu were smiling happily in the tent.

"Attack Tong'an City tomorrow!"

Wang Shan suddenly spoke, and all the generals looked serious and obeyed his orders in a loud voice.

But before the Song army attacked the city the next day, the defenders of Tong'an surrendered without a fight.

There were less than a thousand Tangut soldiers in the city, wearing tattered fur coats, with left-side lapels and red faces, holding their heads in their hands, and filing out of the gate of Tong'an City.

These Dangxiang soldiers could smell a foul odor from afar, which made the Song army look down on them.

Wang Shan led his troops into the city to search and, after seeing the few grains and weapons in the cellars and armories, he said to himself, "The Tanguts are exhausted."

After the capture of Tong'an City, the southern part of Liangzhou was completely cleared and the gates were all open.

……

Bianjing.

On a small boat on the Bian River, Zhang Yue sat leisurely in plain clothes, looking quite relaxed and contented.

Zhang Yue tasted wine while cruising the river.

During the two years of peace as prime minister, it was very pleasant to enjoy the night breeze and cruise along the Bian River. Under Zhang Yue's two years of governance, there was no trouble on the border, and Bianjing was prosperous in all industries.

An ordinary citizen in the city of Bianjing could get up early to drink tea, buy wine at night, eat meat, and have rice in the pot.

Looking from the boat, people can see businesses on both sides of the Bianhe River from morning to night. The night market lasts until three o'clock in the morning, and the morning market starts at five o'clock. The people in Bianjing City don't cook on weekdays. They eat three meals a day in the market, even in the cold winter, with strong winds and heavy snow.

Because the imperial court could collect taxes from merchants who were trading, Zhang Yue even used the surrounding areas of the imperial city as a market for merchants to trade. After all, this was the royal residence and the place where officials stopped during court sessions. Although officials thought this was unsightly and undermined the dignity of the royal family, when the emperor heard that the market exchange department could collect 30,000 strings of cash a year, he closed his eyes and allowed merchants to trade.

Sometimes the noises of merchants and common people reached the palace in the middle of the night, but the emperor endured it and said to his ministers: "How can I, for my own desires, cut off the livelihood of the people?"

The government officials sometimes went to the night market in plain clothes to check the prices, the people's lives, and whether there were any officials oppressing them. If they came across a merchant who was honest and trustworthy, the government officials would order people to reward them in the name of the emperor.

Sometimes the emperor would even order food from the market to be brought into the palace for tasting.

Of course, whenever the emperor ordered takeout, he would reward them with a large sum of money. Therefore, merchants outside the imperial city did not dare to neglect them, and they kept improving the utensils and the taste of the food.

All businesses that have passed Xuansuo hang a sign outside their doors that says "Once upon a time Xuansuo" to attract customers.

Zhang Yue took a sip of wine, and his followers had already rowed the boat to Zhou Bridge. They saw that in front of Cao's restaurant, people were queuing up to buy food.

The store was so famous that even officials came to buy food. They had to queue up. Once, an official wanted to cut in line and argued with the people because of his status. Afterwards, he was impeached by the censor and demoted.

Zhang Yue naturally loved Bianjing, a prosperous, bustling, and people-friendly city.

Cultivating a good atmosphere takes time.

Thinking of the barbaric and unreasonable behavior of the Yuan and Jin dynasties when they took over the Central Plains, and then thinking about the glory of the Song Dynasty today, this melancholy will linger in my heart for a long time.

No wonder the Song Dynasty has become a popular destination for the petty bourgeoisie of later generations to travel back in and check in.

Zhang Yue got off the boat at Zhou Bridge, as if he had returned to the world from a moment of detachment.

Huang Haoyi and his entourage had already been waiting here. They helped Zhang Yue undress and prepare the carriage. They also handed over the official documents that had been piled up over the past half day for Zhang Yue to review.

Zhang Yue waved his hand and walked to the restaurant nearby and ordered a bowl of mutton offal.

The people of Bianjing particularly like fish and fish, and most of the food near Zhouqiao is related to fish. The same is true for Zhang Yue. If he can have a bowl of mutton offal after a night boat ride, he would not trade it for a chancellor.

After drinking another bowl of mutton soup, Zhang Yue took the carriage back home.

Zhang Yue in the mansion watched Wang Shan write down the process of conquering Tong'an City and couldn't help but have an idea in his mind. Then he thought of the magnificent scenery at the bridgehead of Zhou Bridge and couldn't help but wonder, can this peaceful day last long?

……

Go to court the next day.

The two governments discussed the attack on Liangzhou.

Feng Jing said: "Your Majesty, the leader of the Tangut state, Li Bingchang, sent an envoy to pay tribute to the imperial horse, present an oath and attach a letter from the Liao Kingdom to ask for peace, saying that if any Tangut rebels and enters China, they will be Han Chinese and will never be pursued. The rest are willing to follow the oath issued on the 22nd day of the first month of the fifth year of the Qingli period, pay tribute and apologize, and never rebel against the Song Dynasty!"

When the officials heard that Li Bingchang, the leader of the Tangut state, had submitted an oath, they were all moved.

The Dangxiang have clearly made concessions. When Cao Zhongshou led the former members of the Guiyi Army back to the east and submitted to the Song Dynasty, the Dangxiang had always demanded that the Song Dynasty return Cao Zhongshou and his people, and threatened to send troops to investigate. But now they have relented and not only will they not investigate, but from now on, any Dangxiang who rebels and joins the Song Dynasty will be Han Chinese, and we will no longer care.

This is a big concession.

Xue Xiang said: "Your Majesty, since the third year of Xihe, the Tanguts have been fighting against China every year. China has not been able to resist, let alone a small country. Their leader Li Bingchang led an army of 500,000 to attack Fuyan Road but returned without success. In the direction of Liangzhou, three cities, Zhenwujun City, Renduoquan City, and Tong'an City, were captured one after another. Now they are afraid that I will take Liangzhou again, so they are sending you a map to protect themselves."

Feng Jing said: "Your Majesty, the ruler of Liao has also sent Xiao Derang, who signed the Privy Council, to present the jade belt and a letter from the state to mediate between China and the Tanguts."

"Read it!" said the official.

Feng Jing immediately said: "Yuewei Xiatai is actually a vassal state. It has successively served as the lord and has been repeatedly crowned as a king."

"In recent years, you have repeatedly reported to the emperor that the southern army has made a large-scale move and entered the western border to make deep plans. You have begged for a rescue army to help you overcome the difficulties of the attack. It is reasonable to agree to this. It is important to reconcile. Liao and Song are like brothers; Xia and Liao are like nephews and uncles. They must want to maintain the unity of the two. How could they know that they would lose the peace and sincerity?"

The ministers also looked very excited when listening to the letter from the Liao Kingdom.

"What's more, there were reports of retreat in the Qingli and Yuanfeng periods. It is better to say that they violated the previous order and continued the expedition. If they hide the discussion and think that there is no basis for it, they are worried about creating trouble. Then, the oath is the key to the plan. Rather than being impatient and exhausting the troops, which will cause the people to suffer, why not take precautions and make good plans so that the world can enjoy peace? I especially warn the envoys to be honest and sincere."

Feng Jing said: "The Liao Kingdom did not mention Yelu Yixin's affairs, but reconciled. It's quite strange."

Wang Anli asked again: "Your Majesty, since you want to capture Liangzhou, what is the Liao Kingdom doing?"

"This Liangzhou was originally the land of Qing Tang. After Li Jiqian, three successive kings, Li Deming and Li Yuanhao, all attacked Liangzhou and finally conquered it."

"Our dynasty attacked Liangzhou, and it can be said that we were entrusted by Qing Tang to recover the territory of our allies."

The emperor nodded after hearing what Wang Anli said. He was still very afraid of the Liao Kingdom and said, "What Mr. Wang said makes sense."

Xue Xiang heard this and said, "Liangzhou was originally the land of the Han and Tang dynasties. When did it become the land of the Qing and Tang dynasties? Why do you say that it was taken over by the Qing and Tang dynasties? This doesn't make sense!"

Xue Xiang said, "Your Majesty, there are five Silk Roads since ancient times, namely Xiazhou Road, Lingzhou Road, Jingyuan Road, Xilan Road, and Qingtang Road. Lingzhou Road, Jingyuan Road, and Xilan Road all pass through Liangzhou. The other two, Xiazhou Road, pass through the desert, and Qingtang Road pass through the Qilian Snow Mountain, which are both difficult to travel.

"So the real Silk Road only has three routes: Lingzhou Road, Xilan Road, and Jingyuan Road. After the Tanguts captured Liangzhou, only Qingtang Road remained. Our dynasty's recovery of Liangzhou is not only the recovery of the Han and Tang homeland, but also the reunification of the Western Regions. This is legitimate, so why use the name of Qingtang?"

"Haven't you heard that if the name is not right, the words will not flow smoothly?"

As the saying goes, one person sets the stage and two people perform the show. Now it is not Zhang Yue's turn to come forward in person. It is Xue Xiang and Wang Anli who are advocating on Zhang Yue's behalf.

Of course Feng Jing's opposition was also necessary.

Although they argued fiercely in the court, Zhang Yue and Feng Jing were still talking and laughing in private.

To put it in a positive way, public affairs should not harm private friendships, which is the style of officials in ancient times. To put it in a negative way, everyone is performing for the government, and mixing different opinions is politically correct. Public affairs are public affairs, and life is life.

Feng Jing was opposed, but not resolute.

When Feng Jing and Zhang Yue had a falling out, he planned to resign, but when the emperor said he would replace Feng Jing with Lü Gongzhu and summon Sima Guang to replace Lü Gongzhu, Zhang Yue immediately came to Feng Jing and lowered his status to invite him back.

This is what is called choosing the lesser of two evils.

Lü Gongzhu supported Feng Jing and said, "Your Majesty, since the Tanguts have acknowledged their guilt and are willing to negotiate peace, and the Liao Kingdom has come forward to mediate, it would be morally wrong to continue to pursue them relentlessly."

"Besides, the Liao Kingdom and the Tanguts were not one and the same. When Emperor Xingzong of Liao wrote to Emperor Renzu, he expressed his intention to work together to suppress the Tanguts and to share the same desire to defend against foreign aggression."

"If we try hard to attack the Dangxiang, we will ruin the relationship between Liao and Dangxiang. Besides, Youyan was once the homeland of the Han and Tang dynasties."

The official thought for a moment and looked at Zhang Yue and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Zhang?"

Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, the Tanguts now know that they are in a difficult situation and are begging for peace out of pity, so I have repeatedly requested peace and signed an oath."

"After so many years, can't the ministers detect his hypocrisy?"

For many years, the Tanguts had been sending troops to attack the Song Dynasty while seeking peace. It was like someone slapping you in the face, then immediately apologizing, and then slapping you again after the apology.

Do you think the apology was sincere, or did the slap in the face seem sincere?

Zhang Yue said: "If the Tanguts can be trusted, the oath is sincere and they deeply regret their past crimes, and they will not just say these nice words and leave it at that."

"I think that the Tanguts have been making empty promises for so many years, and have been harboring evil plots. They are temporarily showing a submissive appearance, but they are always plotting against us."

"If this thief is not eliminated, lurking beside my bed, I will not be able to sleep peacefully for a day!"

Zhang Yue directly quoted the famous saying of Emperor Taizu, "How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

The emperor heard this and said, "What Mr. Zhang said is absolutely right. I have decided to attack the Dangxiang and send troops to Liangzhou!"

"Issuing a general amnesty for the Qinfeng Transport Envoy and the Yongxing Army Transport Envoy. All those who have not committed a serious crime will be pardoned. For the Xihe Road General Envoy, their taxes will be exempted for one year!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The end of June in the fourth year of Yuanfeng.

The Song army divided its troops into three routes to attack Liangzhou.

Starting from Lanzhou, Wang Hou led 150,000 troops and headed northwest through Wushaoling to Liangzhou.

Starting from Huizhou, Miao Shou led 50,000 troops and marched westward into Liangzhou along the ancient Great Wall.

Starting from Qingtang, Qingtang general Wen Xixin, Song general Wang Shan, and military supervisor Tong Guan led 70,000 Qingtang and Song coalition forces, crossed the Liuling Mountains and attacked Liangzhou in the north.