Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 273: Scholar Xiao Su! (4k)

In the appointment letter, Su Yun was promoted seven ranks in a row, from Chao San Da Fu to Zheng Yi Da Fu (third rank), and was also appointed as Hanlin Academician and General of Fuyan Road!

The Governor of Fuyan Road was the original assignment and there was no change.

What has changed is the official rank of Ji Lu, which has been promoted seven levels in a row. This is rare even in the Song Dynasty!
There are many shocking points about Su Yun's promotion this time. One is that the position of Zhengyi Dafu was called Liubu Shilang before the reform.

In other words, if Su Yun returns to the court to take up a post, his official position will at least be Vice Minister of Six Ministries!
The Vice Minister is an assistant official in one of the six ministries. Below the Shangshu is the Vice Minister.

Today, the Song Dynasty has been reformed into a system of three provinces and six ministries. Under the heads of the three provinces, there are six ministries, and each of the six ministries has six Shangshu. In other words, if one can serve as a vice-minister of one of the six ministries, he or she will be one of the dozens of most important officials in the Song Dynasty.

The Hanlin Bachelor was even more extraordinary. In the Song Dynasty, they were called the "Four Heads". The so-called "Four Heads" were the Chief Censor, the Three Commissioners, the Prefect of Kaifeng and the Hanlin Bachelor. This was the last hurdle to becoming a prime minister.

Generally speaking, most prime ministers have experience in these four official positions. Of course, it does not mean that as long as one holds these four positions, one can be successfully promoted to prime minister. There are many people who fail to become prime minister.

In addition to the original dispatch of the Fuyan Road General, he was in charge of the military and political power of the five states of Fuyan Road.

In other words, Su Yun has now become one of the important officials of the Song Dynasty!

And the key point is that Su Yun is not even nineteen years old!

It can no longer be said that Su Yun is a rising star in the political arena of the Song Dynasty, but rather that he is already a superstar!

Su Yun entered the officialdom in March or April of the fifth year of Yuanfeng. Now it is only the end of the sixth year of Yuanfeng. After only one and a half years in the officialdom, he has transformed from a top scholar into a senior official of the Song Dynasty. Can you believe this?
The people of Bian Jing used their smart heads to think for a long time and figured out who was the person who was promoted so quickly before Su Yun - Lu Mengzheng!

Lu Mengzheng was also a top scholar, and then he became the vice-chancellor in seven years. This speed of promotion was already the fastest in the Song Dynasty. However, now Su Yun has stepped into the ranks of prime ministers in just a year and a half!
How can one not be shocked by this!
Besides being shocked, people naturally started discussing whether it was a good thing for Su Yun to be promoted so quickly, whether his merits were enough for him to be promoted so quickly, whether there were some problems with the government's use of people, and some people brought up the defeat of Xu Xi and Yongle City.

However, those who supported Su Yun collected all of Su Yun's achievements one by one:
When he was the Tongpan of Kaifeng Prefecture, he immediately eliminated the Left and Right Halls which had become completely corrupt.

Later, he made every effort to manage the Huimin River and made it truly a Huimin River (Li Qingchen: It was me, it was me who initiated it!).

Later, an underground cave was renovated, which increased the court's income by 7 to 8 million strings of cash in one winter, which was equivalent to the annual income increased by the Xining Reform.

Supporters are very confident about this: "... this one item alone is enough to match the important officials of the Xining period!
Just think about it, the Xining Reforms involved tens of millions of people, affected so many industries and covered such a wide range that it caused violent turmoil in the officialdom, and in the end, it only increased the annual revenue by tens of millions of strings of cash.

But with just a small contribution from Scholar Su, the court increased its income by nearly 10 million strings of cash.

I heard that Caicun and the Huimin River are all renovating underground caves recently. Maybe everyone will be able to eat some vegetables in the winter!"

This was a conversation that took place in a teahouse. The speaker sounded proud and the audience was listening with great interest.

"Haha, you're overthinking this. Vegetables and fruits are so expensive in winter, how can you and I afford them?"

Someone sneered.

The man was not convinced and said, "Scarcity makes things valuable! If there are fewer of them, they are naturally expensive, but if there are more of them, they are no longer rare. If the price can be reduced to 100 coins per pound, then I will still dare to eat a meal occasionally."

Someone else laughed and said, "Why was the cave built next to the Huimin River? It's because when the vegetables and fruits are harvested, they are directly sent to the boats. The boats go down the canal. Who among the rich people in the big cities on both sides of the canal doesn't want to have a few bites of these rare things?

Haha, it’s not your turn to eat. Even if there were several times more underground caves, they would not be enough for the rich people on both sides of the Grand Canal to eat.

Unless one day, these holes spread to all cities, and our Bianjing can be self-sufficient, with millions of kilograms of vegetables and fruits produced in one winter, then we ordinary people will have a chance to get a bite or two!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the guests drinking tea nearby all burst into laughter.

However, the man was not discouraged, but directly talked about Su Yun's contributions in the northwest.

"…What Scholar Su did in Kaifeng Prefecture would not be excessive even if he were given to a prime minister. After all, if a prime minister were given to a prime minister, the court would be able to increase its annual revenue by tens of millions of strings of cash. I think the government might have directly granted dozens or even hundreds of such people. Do you know how much the annual revenue of the Song Dynasty is?"

After all, this is Bianjing City, and there are many knowledgeable people here. One tea drinker laughed and said, "Before Xining, the highest was only 40 to 50 million strings of cash. After Xining's reform, it increased to 60 million strings of cash."

"Ha, sir, you are a man of insight, so you understand what this cave can bring to the court in the amount of 10 million guan, right? That is equivalent to one sixth of the annual income of the Song Dynasty!
Just this, what do you think, how great is the merit of Master Su, is it enough for him to be promoted directly to the position of Prime Minister?"

All the tea drinkers present were amazed.

However, the nitpicking creatures are not limited by region or time. At this time, there were also nitpicking creatures who were not convinced when they heard it, "Does making money for the court mean great merit? Then didn't the heads of the warehouses and treasuries also help the court make a lot of money? Can they become high-ranking officials?"

"Ha! Well, if you are right, then I will tell you what contributions Scholar Su has made in the northwest.

When Scholar Xiao Su arrived in the northwest, he was initially appointed as the military commander. The military commander's duty was to train soldiers. When Scholar Xiao Su first arrived in Fuyan Road, he trained hundreds of usable soldiers.

Later, the Western Xia army marched southward. Scholar Su led his team to garrison Qingbian Village. On the way, they encountered hundreds of Iron Harriers and a battle broke out. Scholar Su led the way and wiped out more than a hundred Iron Harriers. Although he was just a rookie, he made great contributions.

And that was just the beginning of a legend. He then annihilated another hundred Iron Harriers, and then another three hundred.

At this time, the Western Xia army was attacking cities and strongholds in Song territory. None of the Song army generals dared to leave the strongholds. It was only the scholar Su who went out in person with 800 knights.

In the first battle this time, 800 cavalrymen rode into the camp of 6,000 troops led by the famous Xixia general Fei Tingsheng, beheaded more than 2,000 troops, captured more than 1,000, and the remaining troops either fell into the river or got lost in the dark.

And the legend of Scholar Su had just begun. He later led 800 knights to break into Yinzhou City and kill the Western Xia prince Li Liangxiang. He then made a surprise attack on Xiazhou City from a thousand miles away and burned countless grains and fodders near Xiazhou City. After that, he broke into Youzhou City, trampled on the Jianing Military Headquarters, killed the Western Xia prince Li Bingxiao, and killed the famous Western Xia general Ren Duo Lingding!

So far, Young Scholar Su can already be compared with the great champion of the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing, but do you think that’s the end?

not yet!
Scholar Su Xiao led 800 cavalrymen to cut off the food supply of the Xixia army. This was just the foreshadowing of the entire grand strategy! The most glorious moment for Scholar Su Xiao was that after returning from the Xia territory, he immediately organized nearly 100 battalions of troops from the Baoan Army, Suide Army, and Yanzhou Army, and won a battle of 100 battalions at the foot of Mizhi Village.

This battle defeated the Western Xia army of more than 100,000 led by the famous Western Xia general Ye Beima, and captured the city of Luowu, which was a major threat to the Song Dynasty.

You may not know how powerful Ye Beima is. You know about the defeat of Yongle City. The main general of Western Xia was Ye Beima. It was he who led the Western Xia army to kill 200,000 soldiers and civilians of the Song Dynasty. His ferocious power was so powerful that all the generals of the Song Dynasty were terrified!

However, under the planning of Xiao Su, Ye Beima led the Xixia army, which was several times larger than Xiao Su, to fight Xiao Su head-on, but was completely annihilated by Xiao Su. Even Ye Beima was beheaded by Xiao Su in the midst of thousands of troops! How magnificent! Xiao Su!
I just want to ask everyone, if such a great victory had happened in the Han and Tang dynasties, he would have been given the title of Marquis of Guanjun, Grand Marshal or something like that, but now he is being given the title of Zhengyi Dafu, Hanlin Academician, is this too much?"

All the tea drinkers present were shaken.

But there are still some who argue: "You are talking nonsense, Ye Bei Ma is not dead, he is said to be on the way, and he wants to dance for our officials."

Su Yun's supporters were immediately furious and said, "Taking the head of a general in the midst of thousands of troops is just a metaphor. You know chicken! You will die if you don't argue, right?"

……

Various discussions spread throughout Bianjing City, and there were even many people who were discussing the improper use of people by the government over the years, such as Xu Xi...

However, there are also people who stand on the side of the emperor, saying that although Xu Xi caused the failure, the emperor’s employ of employees over the years were not so bad, right?

Let's not talk about Scholar Su who is now comparable to the famous generals in ancient times, let's just talk about Wang Shao who planned to take over the Hehuang area, Zhong Yan who just passed away not long ago, and the gentlemen in the court. Aren't they all promoted by the government in recent years? Isn't that good?
Then an opponent sneered, "Are you talking about the three-time Prime Minister Wang Gui, the fence-sitter Zhang Xu, or the cruel official Li Ding?"

These words immediately left those who supported the government speechless.

All kinds of rumors were flying everywhere, and the city of Bianjing was very lively.

However, the bustle in the northwest at this time was no less than that in Bianjing City.

Fuyan Road is particularly lively.

The battle was won, but the aftermath was not easy.

The current work is extremely busy, and relief, medical treatment and other work are being handled urgently.

The destroyed fortresses also need to be rebuilt, not only that, but they also need to be built towards the front line.

The capture of Luowu City meant that all areas south of Luowu City fell into the hands of the Song Dynasty. Part of the Hengshan area and the land suitable for planting also fell into the hands of the Song Dynasty.

There was no way a war could break out in the short term, so Su Yun quickly organized the people to reclaim the land and plant winter wheat before the heavy snow came. By the next year, Fuyan Road would be able to harvest more grain.

Of course, tens of thousands of Xixia captives could not just eat food, they had to work. Su Yun arranged for them to build fortresses so that the people could free up their hands to farm.

These tasks keep Su Yun very busy every day. Being in charge of both military and political affairs is no joke, and everything has to be reported to Su Yun.

However, Su Yun had experience in these matters, so he simply divided things up one by one. The newly occupied land was under the jurisdiction of the Suide Army, and these matters were handled by the Suide Military Officers' Office. Once these matters were divided, Su Yun would naturally have time to deal with them.

Su Yun’s main concern was military training.

Although he won this time, Su Yun knew very well how he won.

Others may praise Su Yun as a military genius, a genius who is comparable to the famous generals of ancient times, but Su Yun himself must be aware of the situation.

This victory was a close one, won by Su Yun with all his might and at the risk of his life.

First, they launched a surprise attack on the main camp, then they broke through three cities, and finally they fought several battles against an army of more than 100,000. All of these were risks of annihilation. These were risks taken when one was outnumbered. If Su Yun had a strong army, why would this have happened?

So, the war is over for the time being, but the soldiers must be trained immediately.

Su Yun thought to himself that if he had 8,000 cavalrymen trained by him, the days when the Western Xia Iron Harriers could gallop freely between fortresses would be gone forever.

However, Fuyan Road does not have 8,000 cavalry. The 3,000 cavalry gathered from here and there last time are all the cavalry of Fuyan Road. It is not so easy to form 8,000 cavalry.

But now it is possible.

Su Yun returned from Youzhou and brought back more than 2,000 horses. Then, in the process of annihilating Ye Beima's army of more than 100,000, he seized nearly 5,000 to 6,000 horses. Together with the original 4,000 to 5,000 horses in Fuyan Road, he now had a total of 12,000 horses.

Su Yun calculated that if he excluded the scouts and necessary horse expenses, based on two horses per person, he could only form a maximum of 5,000 cavalry. Although it was already a lot, Su Yun still felt that it was not enough. He needed at least 8,000 cavalry!
But there is still a shortage of 6,000 horses, which makes Su Yun very troubled. Where can he get these 6,000 horses?
Just when Su Yun was in trouble, he suddenly heard that the negotiation with Western Xia was handed over to him. Su Yun was overjoyed: Isn't the person who delivers the horses here?

However, the Western Xia negotiation delegation still has a long way to go, and Su Yun’s idea of ​​organizing cavalry is still in progress.

To train soldiers, one must first train generals. Su Yun now has available generals including Wang Shunchen, Xu Jin, Qi Ying, Lu Song, Sun Rui, Wei Mingshan, etc., all of whom are capable of fighting. It's a pity that Guo Cheng, whom Su Yun wanted before, has not arrived yet for some reason.

But it doesn’t matter. Talent is something that can be cultivated.

Take Qi Ying, Xu Jin and Wei Mingshan for example. Before, Qi Ying was timid, Xu Jin was careless and Wei Mingshan was considered a weakling. But after several major battles, these people's mental outlook has been completely changed.

Moreover, a lot of talents have emerged in the Qiying Camp, such as the former captain Huo Yong, Brother Luguan, etc., who have demonstrated outstanding abilities in battle. Su Yun believes that with a little training, these people will be more than qualified to be the commander of 500 people.

(End of this chapter)