Powerful Song Dynasty

Chapter 168 The Vortex of Political Struggle 4
There is no absolute person, only a reason. Allying with Jurchen and attacking Khitan is definitely a ploy to seek skin from a tiger. He is very clear about the context of history, but he can't intervene, change, and do things beyond his ability. That person is not winning Some kind of interest, that must be a fool, at least Wang Xiu thinks so.

"The North-South alliance has been good for nearly a hundred years. Soldiers don't know how to use swords, farmers don't add more labor, and the Han and Tang Dynasties and Yidi are not as good as the imperial court's Huairou strategy. The old grand master doesn't agree with the Jurchen alliance. Why did he suddenly change his mind? The soldiers are ominous The weapon should not be used as a last resort. Back then, when the Khitan invaded the south, Emperor Zhenzong used Kou Gong's strategy to conquest, and in the end he sent envoys to discuss peace, and since then the two sides have strictly abided by the covenant." Zheng Juzhong spoke like a river, spit flying all over the place, and his face turned red.

"During the Qingli period, the imperial court was in the middle of a war in the northwest. The Khitan gathered troops in the territory and asked for the name of Guannan. Emperor Renzong sent Fu Gong to the north, and only increased the gift of 14 years to eliminate a big war. Let's look at the two big Following the emperor's will, he kept the covenant because he was worried that the war would ruin the living and the people. So far in [-] years, the world has gradually become peaceful, and the north and the south do not know swordsmanship. The Xianggong suddenly changed his mind and supported the government to break the contract. Dao, the outcome is unpredictable, even if we win, the treasury will be emptied because of the rewards, and the living people will also be embarrassed by the service, if there is trouble, I am afraid that the ancestral temple and society will be endangered."

Wang Xiu agrees with most of Zheng Juzhong's views from the bottom of his heart. If you form an alliance with the Jurchens, isn't this seeking skin from a tiger?However, he disagreed with some views. The alliance between the Song court and the Khitan was not a mechanical observance of the covenant.

Only 39 years after the alliance was established, didn't the Khitan take advantage of the Song Dynasty's defeat of Haoshuichuan and raise troops to extort money, grain and land again?

There are no permanent friends, only eternal interests. The Khitan cannot be a permanent ally of the Song Dynasty, and neither can the Jurchen. The North-South alliance can only be established on the balance of power.

To put it bluntly, there is nothing wrong with forming an alliance with Jurchen to destroy Khitan. It is also okay to stick to the covenant and even Khitan resist Jurchen. The key depends on the choice of interests.Today, the Great Song court can no longer be compared with the Taizu and Taizong eras, and the Jurchen's pursuit of Khitan can only be boring. On the contrary, it can support the weakened Khitan and become a barrier for the Great Song court, which is most in line with the current interests of.

Just think about it, his status is low, even if he speaks out, few people really pay attention, it is impossible for Cai Jing to go in and listen, and it is impossible for Zheng Juzhong.

But Cai Jing said indifferently: "Dafu also said that after 39 years of alliance, the Khitan took advantage of the fire to loot, and the alliance has long since become a defeated alliance. What kind of alliance does the court still stick to? The officials hate the 50-year-old gift deeply, so they have the idea of ​​​​once and for all."

Zheng Juzhong swallowed his saliva hard, and said sharply: "Hanwu used 9000 million yuan to conquer the Xiongnu, and spent 14 million yuan to conquer Dawan; It costs 80 trillion yuan to suppress it, and the imperial court can save tens of millions of money every year with a mere 50 gold, so why not do it."

Cai Jing's face became very embarrassed, he couldn't find any allusions to refute Zheng Juzhong, and said bluntly: "The official's mind has been decided, and it is not you and me who can stop it."

"If we form an alliance with Jurchen, millions of people will be devastated. This is Cai Gong's decision today. I don't know how Cai Gong plans to repay it in the future?" Zheng Juzhong glared at Cai Jing with hatred, and rushed away angrily.

Speaking of this, Wang Xiu does not fully agree with Zheng Juzhong's argument. You compromise deliberately, but you are definitely not blindly avoiding it like a tortoise. Everything has a critical point. Compromise is to better resolve the matter, not you, me. Good, everyone.

However, he still admires this person. A person who climbed into the relationship with Empress Zheng by recognizing his relatives, and planned Cai Jing's second reunification, suppressed Zhao Tingzhi, and stepped into the two mansions step by step. Try your best, it's a pity that today's scholars are lost, but there is still blood in their hearts.

"Wen Shi, what do you think?" Cai Jing watched Zheng Juzhong leave the Donghua Gate before slowly walking.

"The younger generation really doesn't know." Wang Xiu followed Cai Jing, and he had to be extremely cautious. Cai Jing is an old fox, so don't be fooled into selling him out. Since Zhao Ji favored him, Shangmaode Diji, he tried his best to get rid of him, but Cai Jing's attitude towards him is more guarded.

Cai Jing glanced at Wang Xiu, smiled lightly, and said, "It's just about the matter, don't hide the facts."

Wang Xiu smiled awkwardly, and said softly: "The younger generation is short-sighted, so I dare not make irresponsible remarks on important court affairs."

"Just as a matter of knowledge, the old man didn't agree with forming an alliance with Jurchen, but there are some things that I can't control." Cai Jing sighed for a long time.

Wang Xiu knows Cai Jing very well, and he has a clear view of the court structure. Zhao Ji firmly controls the highest power, and is a very happy monarch. The two prerequisites determine everything. Even if you are a god, you can't influence Zhao Ji's preferences. The Zhao officials want to do it The hero who regained the thirteen prefectures of Jibei and completed the unfinished business of Taizu and Taizong.

"Sir, in fact, national affairs and doing business are the same thing, nothing more than size. Doing any business depends on how much it costs, how much risk there is, how much capital you have, how much risk you can bear, and finally calculate your cost and profit. If you can reach this limit and restrain yourself, then the business will be profitable without loss. If you don’t have enough capital or greed, and exceed this limit, then wait for a loss or even lose your money!”

"What you said makes sense, let's talk about it in detail."

Wang Xiu nodded and said, "There's no need to make an analogy. Zheng Xianggong just said that Han Wu and the Xiongnu were right to attack the Xiongnu as Han Wu. He guaranteed the inland counties from losses, but the population of the country was halved in the three wars." , the treasury was empty, and finally had to issue an edict, which is a typical lack of greed and surpassing the apex."

"Let's make an analogy for the younger generation. Han Wu was governed by the two emperors Wen and Jing, and the country was in its heyday, but no matter how rich a country is, it is impossible to do whatever it wants. This determines that when he implements the strategy of attacking the Xiongnu, he needs to formulate an offensive peak. When To move forward firmly, and when to consolidate the achievements and turn to appeasement, this requires careful rehearsal, and it is by no means relying on temporary bloodiness."

Wang Xiuna made a metaphor for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to express his thoughts, and he had a clear conscience, and said: "From the surprise attack on the Xiongnu to the entry of troops into the Qilian Mountains to recover the land of Henan, the Xiongnu have been dealt a serious blow, and the control of the Xiongnu royal court has been weakening. , The Han family is also exhausted, it can be said that this is the peak of the attack, and if we move forward one step further, we will lose the most favorable opportunity."

"At this time, we should send ministers to discuss cooperation, take the opportunity to win over the nobles of the Xiongnu, disintegrate their power, and slowly weaken them while recovering our own strength. When the strength recovers to a certain level, we can choose another offensive peak. If If you still can't eliminate your opponent, then repeat the cycle, no more than three times, and you will definitely be able to completely wipe out the Xiongnu within the range of national power."

Cai Jing was fascinated as soon as he left Donghua Gate, so he stopped and savored carefully, while Wang Xiu waited beside him.

"Are you saying there is a limit to everything?"

"Exactly."

"The officials decided to form an alliance with Jurchen to recover Jibei, what does Wen Shi think?" Cai Jing's face was very serious, and his tone almost put Wang Xiu on the same level as the two prefectures.

But Wang Xiu smiled very vigilantly, shook his head and said: "Master, this junior only talks about Han and Wu, and dare not make irresponsible remarks about military affairs."

Cai Jing stared at Wang Xiu for five or six breaths with his old eyes, regained his turbidity again, and said with a smile: "Okay, I've been tired all day, let's go back!" After finishing speaking, he turned and walked slowly towards his carriage, facing him Two servants came to help.

Wang Xiu watched Cai Jing's elderly back board the car and leave. He had a strange expression on his face. Although he had reservations after saying so much, he might get himself into unnecessary disputes, but he didn't regret it. If he played wisely in this dispute, If you don't ask anything, if you don't do anything, you will definitely not be able to forgive yourself afterwards.

Since he expressed his views cryptically and conveyed the correct strategy through Cai Jing, whether he can attract the attention of the court is beyond his ability. There is no way to say: the accumulation of qualifications is not enough!
Forget it, he didn't have the heart to go to the office, so he just took off his laziness and went to the branch to see how Wen Xijun's arrangement was going?This girl's enthusiasm is unusually high.

Just when Wang Xiu was busy, Zhao Huan returned to the East Palace angrily. Facing the prince with a bad face, the palace people obediently lowered their eyebrows and did not dare to do anything, lest they be regarded as a venting bucket by the prince. crying.

"Officer, what's the matter?" Zhu Lian was talking to his cousin Zhu Xuan, but Zhao Huan came back angrily.

Zhao Huan sat down angrily, took a gulp of tea, and said: "The demons are rampant, but unfortunately I can't recover."

"Could it be Lin Lingsu's spell?" Zhu Lian knew it. The crown prince kept receiving monks, and today he gathered more than [-] monks to fight. It seems that he failed.

Zhao Heng looked at Zhu Lian with complicated eyes, and said coldly: "Young lady is right, that Penglai Sanxian is indeed a man of all appearances."

When Wang Xiu was mentioned, Zhu Lian's beautiful eyes flashed, and he said absent-mindedly: "I don't know why the officials are so angry?"

After drinking tea, Zhao Huan was in a calm mood and chose to talk about today's events. When he reached the wonderful place, Zhu Xuan asked in surprise, "Is there really such a magical spell?"

"This is sorcery, sorcery." Zhao Heng glared at Zhu Xuan.

Zhu Xuan was so frightened that she hurriedly shut up, and obediently retreated to the side. He had married into the East Palace earlier, and he knew Zhao Huan's temper, usually gentle and true, but it was best to avoid it when he was furious.

Zhu Lian listened to Zhao Heng's complaint quietly, but smiled lightly.

"Miss, still want to laugh?" Zhao Heng was very displeased, but Zhu Lian was a new concubine, so he had to show some face.

"It seems that the concubine is right, Wang Zhige will never join forces with the demons, and there is a deep sense of choice." Zhu Lian said plainly.

(End of this chapter)