Song Xiu

Chapter 155 Zhuge Liang's Development Strategy in Shu
Upon learning that Li Hongxin had sent an envoy, the shrewd and calculating Li Yixing had some suspicions in his mind.

Unlike when welcoming the Khitan envoys, Li Yixing did not personally go out of the city to greet them; instead, he sent Li Guangrui instead.

The messenger, holding the secret letter, quickly followed Li Guangrui into the hall.

The hall was filled with burning charcoal, and as soon as the envoy entered, he was drenched in sweat by the intense heat emanating from the hall.

Although Xiazhou is located in the northwest, the weather is gradually turning cool in August, but it is not yet at the point where charcoal fires are needed.

In contrast to the envoy's profuse sweating, Li Yixing leaned weakly against the wolf-skin-covered seat, his head wrapped in a thick felt hat, his eyes half-open and half-closed, as if he were about to faint at any moment.

After Li Guangrui brought the envoy, he whispered something in his ear, and only then did the man forcefully open his eyes to look at the envoy.

"Lord Li holds a high position and wields great power, controlling the capital. What brings you here today with an envoy?"

Li Yixing's voice was low and deep. He had only said a few words when he began to cough violently. Li Guangrui hurriedly handed him some warm water, which he swallowed before continuing:
"Please sit down, envoy."

The envoy noticed that Li Yixing was old and frail.

After sitting down, the messenger quickly presented Li Hongxin's secret letter and said:
"The Prince of Jin of the Song Dynasty was foolish and listened to the slander of the traitor Fu. He even wanted to punish my lord without distinguishing right from wrong."

The emperor's title of Inspector was illegitimate and lacked legitimacy.

My lord and the military governor are both regional warlords. If they can join forces, the Guanzhong region will no longer belong to the Song court.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone became king?

As soon as the messenger finished speaking, Li Yixing unfolded the secret letter and began to read it.

The contents of the secret letter were mostly guarantees from Li Hongxin.

Li Yixing appears mediocre but is actually shrewd; how could he possibly believe a mere letter?

However, he did not show any unusual behavior on the surface.

Seemingly in pain somewhere in his body, Li Yixing let out a soft groan and waved his hands repeatedly, saying:

"I appreciate Mr. Li's kindness."

The messenger only noticed my poor health.
I fell from my horse last winter, and my legs are still weak; I can't even draw a bow.

After describing his physical condition, Li Yixing raised his trembling hand and continued to lament:

"The Dingnan Army has tens of thousands of old, weak, and disabled soldiers guarding five prefectures. In the past, they were barely able to resist the attacks of the Tubo and Uyghurs. How dare they talk about raising an army?"

Seeing that Li Yixing had no intention of forming an alliance, the envoy became extremely anxious:
"The General's reputation is widespread, and none of the Dangxiang tribes dare to disobey him. As long as you give the order, why worry about not having elite troops and strong generals?"

As neighbors, Li Hongxin's envoy was well aware of the strength of the Dingnan Army.

"Sigh, you can't deny that you're getting old."

Li Yixing sighed heavily, his eyes growing increasingly cloudy:

“The Tangut tribes have always submitted to the strong; how could they obey the commands of a dying man?”

Last month, I wanted to allocate some manpower to repair the city's defenses, but the tribes all made excuses. If we were to truly rebel against the Song Dynasty, I'm afraid the Dingnan Army would be thrown into chaos before the elite troops from Bianjing even arrive.

Faced with Li Yixing's repeated refusal, the envoy tried to persuade him again, but Li Yixing refused to give him another chance.

Li Yixing slowly closed his eyes, coughing repeatedly:
"Your journey has been arduous, envoy. Why don't you go and rest first? My body simply cannot continue."

After saying this, he actually fell into a deep sleep, and the messenger could only sigh and retreat helplessly.

Unbeknownst to Li Hongxin's envoy, Li Yixing opened his eyes as soon as he left the palace.

"Father."

Li Guangrui arrived just in time and asked Dingnanjun what his next move should be.

Upon hearing the question, Li Yixing's sickly demeanor vanished, and he handed the secret letter to Li Guangrui:
"Order a fast horse to deliver it to Bianjing."

Li Yixing's decision puzzled Li Guangrui:
Why go through all this trouble when you could simply avoid allying with Li Hongxin if you wanted to build up your strength?

Seeing Li Guangrui's confusion, Li Yixing explained:

"Regardless of whether Li Hongxin was involved in the forgery of the imperial edict, now that Li Hongxin has revealed his rebellious nature, the day when the Song Dynasty's imperial guards enter Guanzhong is not far off."

Guanzhong had been devastated for many years and lacked elite troops and generals. In addition, Li Hongxin was shallow in talent and virtue. How could he possibly defeat the elite troops of the Song Dynasty?
Since Li Hongxin is bound to lose, I might as well go with the flow and take the opportunity to report his rebellion.

After reporting this, I can further observe the Song court's attitude.

Li Hongxin's forces are weak and isolated, much like the Gao family of Nanping in the past, but the Dingnan Army must not become a second Wuping Army.

How did Zhao Dexiu conquer and destroy the Wuping Kingdom?

Using a pretext to destroy Guo!

Given the precedent, Li Yixing had no choice but to take precautions.

Li Yixing's explanation made Li Guangrui thoughtful. After understanding his father's intention, he slowly withdrew from the main hall.

When the autumn winds blew to Chengdu, another envoy sent by Li Hongxin arrived at the Chengdu palace.

Upon learning that Li Hongxin had sent an envoy, Meng Chang, who had long neglected state affairs, unusually decided to personally receive him.

Many people say that Meng Chang neglected his duties, but they don't know that in his early years, Meng Chang was also a diligent and hardworking monarch.

Meng Chang ascended the throne at a young age and had no prestige. At that time, the generals and ministers in the court all looked down on him and were arrogant and domineering.

In order to reverse the corrupt practices of the court, Meng Chang, after only a few months on the throne, used a series of measures, either killing or demoting, to purge all the powerful officials in the court, thus seizing absolute power.

After seizing power, Meng Chang set up a petition box in the court to receive petitions from his subjects to understand the situation below, and devoted himself to rectifying the officialdom of the court.

While managing domestic affairs, Meng Chang also devoted himself to expanding the territory.

He first sent troops to recover the former territory of Shu. After recovering the former territory, Meng Chang took advantage of the internal turmoil in the Central Plains and even set his sights on Guanzhong.

Unfortunately, the Shu army was too slow to deploy. By the time the Shu army set out, the Later Han dynasty had already quelled the internal strife, and the Shu army's efforts were in vain.

Until then, Meng Chang was an ambitious emperor, until he met Emperor Shizong of Zhou.

When Emperor Shizong of Zhou was in power, he sent a large army to attack Shu. Meng Chang led his troops to fight back but suffered a great defeat, losing four prefectures. After that, Meng Chang gradually indulged in pleasure.

Although Meng Chang no longer worked hard to govern, he did not completely give up. After learning about the establishment of the Song Dynasty, Meng Chang sent envoys to contact the rulers of various countries, hoping to jointly resist the increasingly powerful Central Plains regime.

Meng Chang's fear of the Song Dynasty grew even stronger after learning of the Song army's series of victories the previous year.

So powerful was Meng Chang that for months he sometimes lost interest in wine and women.

When Meng Chang met the envoy Li Hongcheng in the side hall, he first looked at the letter written by Li Hongcheng.

Li Hongcheng was Li Hongxin's younger brother. The fact that Li Hongxin personally sent his brother to Chengdu is enough to prove his eagerness to seek reinforcements from Western Shu.

After reading the letter, Meng Chang angrily threw the valuable jade cup in his hand heavily to the ground:

"That's utter nonsense. When have I ever conspired with Fu Yanqing?"

As an important regional power in the Central Plains, Meng Chang had tried to win over Fu Yanqing, but winning him over was one thing, and being falsely accused of lowering himself to conspire with Fu Yanqing was another.

After expressing his anger, Meng Chang glanced at Wang Zhaoyuan, the Privy Councilor who was standing to the side.

Last year, Wang Zhaoyuan was ordered by Meng Chang to lead troops to support Zhou Xingfeng.

In that battle, the Shu army and the Song army did not engage in combat.

From the Song army's perspective, Wang Zhaoyuan had fled in disarray, but when he returned to Chengdu, he claimed that he had "temporarily avoided the enemy's sharp edge." Meng Chang praised Wang Zhaoyuan's explanation, and in addition, Meng Chang was pleased that Wang Zhaoyuan had managed to return with his entire army against the powerful Song army, so he promoted him to the position of Privy Councilor.

After being promoted to Privy Councilor, Wang Zhaoyuan, who was already frivolous, became even more arrogant.

Seeing Meng Chang's anger, Li Hongcheng said loudly:
"My general said that the Song Dynasty, with its repeated victories, is fabricating evidence to create chaos in Guanzhong."

If Guanzhong is devastated, Sichuan will also find it difficult to survive. My general is willing to form an alliance with Sichuan, working together to resist powerful enemies and protect the peace and tranquility of the people of Guanzhong and Sichuan.

Li Hongcheng's use of the name "Great Shu" prompted Meng Chang to stroke his beard in admiration.

Before Meng Chang could speak, Wang Zhaoyuan stepped forward, laughing loudly:
"The envoy has come from afar, and his intentions are commendable. However, these words underestimate the great Shu!"

Wang Zhaoyuan stood tall and proud, waving his feather fan as if he were standing before a million soldiers:
"Think of Zhao Kuangyin, who was originally just a general of the Zhou Dynasty. He was lucky enough to get the throne, so he dared to recklessly use his weapons to invade my Great Shu."

I hold military power over the entire country, commanding 100,000 elite troops, all of whom are veterans of countless battles.

Furthermore, the Jianmen Pass is a natural fortress, impregnable by even a single man; even if the Song army were to launch a full-scale attack, they would surely not return alive!

Wang Zhaoyuan's words made Li Hongcheng's eyes twitch.

Li Hongcheng came seeking help, and he wanted to reiterate the principle of mutual dependence, but Wang Zhaoyuan stopped him with his feather fan:

"Although I am not talented, I often compare myself to Zhuge Liang. Back then, Zhuge Liang was able to lead the elite troops of Shu to conquer Guanzhong. Why can't I do the same today?"

Seeing that Wang Zhaoyuan did not object to sending troops, Li Hongcheng temporarily suppressed his displeasure and listened to him continue:
"The messenger will return and inform Lord Li that if the Song army dares to invade Guanzhong, I will personally lead a large army out of Qishan—no, out of Jianmen—to reinforce Jingzhao Prefecture."

At that time, not only will he be able to protect the Shu region, but he will also help Lord Li stabilize the situation and let the people of the Central Plains know that Shu has a great general!

Meng Chang nodded slightly on the dragon throne, signifying his agreement.

Before meeting Li Hongcheng, Meng Chang had discussed this matter with Wang Zhaoyuan.

Although Li Hongcheng was somewhat disdainful of Wang Zhaoyuan's arrogance, the fact that Shu was willing to send troops to support him was the best possible outcome.

Then Li Hongchen and Wang Zhaoyuan discussed the specifics of their joint military operation in the future.

Two major events occurred in Bianjing (Kaifeng) in August.

The first major event is Fu Yanqing's alleged treason by forging an imperial edict. Under the investigation of three senior officials, the truth is gradually becoming clear, and even the punishments for some of the people involved have been decided.

The Fu family, as the masterminds, received the most severe punishment:
Fu Yanqing was executed by being cut in half at the waist in the marketplace. All the male members of his clan were hanged, and the female members were confiscated and made into government slaves.

The criminal law of the Song Dynasty largely inherited the Tang Code, and there was no saying of "exterminating three generations" for the serious crime of treason.

Although the execution of three generations of a family was not carried out as in the Han Dynasty, the Fu family was essentially destined to disappear into the annals of history after this incident.

This was the first time Zhao Kuangyin had issued an order to exterminate an entire clan since he became emperor. This change represented a new height in the centralization of power in the Song Dynasty.

The second major event that occurred in the court was the death of Empress Dowager Du.

Zhao Kuangyin's pilgrimage to Mount Song did not improve Empress Dowager Du's condition. Several days after Zhao Kuangyin returned to court, she passed away in Yanshou Palace.

The death of Empress Dowager Du caused Zhao Kuangyin immense grief.

Historically, the imperial family has followed the principle of "changing days for months" during mourning periods, with a three-year mourning period of twenty-seven days.

During the Five Dynasties period, frequent wars meant that monarchs often disregarded this, frequently shortening the mourning period to three or seven days.

The grief-stricken Zhao Kuangyin broke with the old customs of the Five Dynasties and declared that he would follow the rites and regulations, resetting the mourning period for Empress Dowager Du to twenty-seven days.

During these twenty-seven days, although Zhao Kuangyin was able to handle his daily government affairs, he abstained from all entertainment activities.

Today is the tenth day of mourning. Having just finished dealing with government affairs, Zhao Kuangyin, accompanied by Zhao Dexiu, came to the outskirts of the city incognito.

The early autumn wind swept across the earthen slopes outside Bianjing City. Father and son stood on the slopes, gazing ahead:

The fields that used to be overgrown with knee-high weeds have now been plowed into neat rows.

In the middle of the field, many farmers wearing coarse cloth jackets were bending over to weed. Their trouser legs were covered in mud, and beads of sweat streamed down their thin cheeks.

The beads of sweat constantly appearing on their foreheads symbolize their hard work, yet many farmers are reluctant to waste time wiping away their sweat, and they are all diligently sowing wheat seeds with smiles on their faces.

In the fields, besides the hardworking men, many women were also walking into the fields carrying bowls and chopsticks; they were there to bring food to their husbands.

Most of the women were followed by children. Although the children were thin, they skipped and hopped through the fields, as if they were happily inspecting their own territory.

"They were refugees whose lives were hanging by a thread last year."

"The imperial court allocated them wasteland, provided them with wheat seeds, and lent them government oxen, so they started planting."

Zhao Kuangyin pointed ahead and spoke to Zhao Dexiu beside him.

As the capital city, Kaifeng Prefecture was the most thorough in implementing agricultural policies.

Nearly a year later, the hundreds of thousands of refugees who had gathered outside the city had all been successfully allocated land.

Zhao Kuangyin's words were filled with pride and satisfaction.

During the decades of chaos, every emperor knew that the countless refugees were the root cause of the world's suffering.

But which emperors were willing to pay attention to the people's livelihood and take action to save the country from its devastation?

After looking ahead, Zhao Kuangyin turned his gaze to the side.

Fortunately, both he and his son were willing!

Noticing Zhao Kuangyin's gaze, Zhao Dexiu said softly:
"Where there is land to cultivate, there is hope. When the people have hope, the world will gradually become stable."

When the refugees flocked to Bianjing last winter, they were all emaciated, their eyes filled with intense despair.

Now, just one year later, hope has appeared in their eyes, and this is only the beginning.

With the seeds sown this year, and the people able to eat wheat next year, the foundation of the Song Dynasty will become even more unbreakable.

After hearing Zhao Dexiu's words, Zhao Kuangyin patted him on the shoulder and instructed him:

"Your Majesty, this scene should bring you joy!"

Since the start of their mourning period, the father and son have not enjoyed any entertainment, let alone fine wines and delicacies.

Such a life is hardly joyful.

But in Zhao Kuangyin's heart, those things were not what could bring the emperor pleasure.

After instructing Zhao Dexiu, Zhao Kuangyin spoke:
"It seems that Li Hongxin will rebel after a while."

The Fengxiang army was weak and vulnerable, and its only concerns were the Shu army and the Dingnan army.

The Tangut people are a formidable fighting force, especially skilled in cavalry. If we rashly engage them in battle, our army will not have a significant advantage.

First, we must conquer Shu, seize its wealth and provisions, and strengthen the foundation of our dynasty.

After Zhao Dexiu returned from his southern expedition, Zhao Kuangyin once said to him:

“Since the Five Dynasties period, China has been plagued by war and calamity, and its treasury is empty. It is necessary to first take over Bashu, then Guangnan and Jiangnan, and then the country will be rich.”

Hedong and Dingnan are difficult to control in the northern border. If we take them, then we will bear the brunt of the Khitan's troubles.

"Keep it for now, as a shield for me; I will take it when I am wealthy and powerful."

The above is Zhao Kuangyin's development strategy for the Song Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)