bookrandom Chapter 1324 is here
Chapter 1324 is here
Chapter 1324 is here
Xianxialing Mountain at the border between Fujian and Zhejiang.
The pines on Xianxia Mountain are surging like waves, and Zhang Yue walks on the mossy bluestone with a bamboo stick. The morning mist flows over the ancient tea-horse road on Wuxian Mountain, and you can vaguely see the thousand-step stone steps carved out by the salt smugglers of Erbadu.
Zhang Yue strolled on the ridge, and all he saw when he looked back was the past.
"What is there in the mountains? There are many white clouds on the hills. They are only for my own enjoyment, not for you to give away."
After becoming an official, Zhang Yue always liked this poem by Tao Hongjing.
The feeling here can only be understood by the heart.
The attendants on both sides were all local officials from Fujian Road. Zhang Yue was the pacification envoy of Fujian Road. They had already greeted him in the north of Xianxialing Mountain, and then accompanied Zhang Yue to climb the mountain into Fujian.
Of course, there was a sedan chair available for him to take along the way, but Zhang Yue declined it.
Officials of the Song Dynasty were still not accustomed to using humans as animal power. Although Zhang Yue, as prime minister, used a sedan chair to enter and leave the Forbidden City, that was a gift from the emperor. Now that he has resigned, it would be better for him to be an ordinary person.
Zhang Yue walked with a bamboo stick in his hand, and commented on the cliff carvings he encountered. The officials in green robes accompanying him were exhausted and wiped their sweat diligently. At this moment, after hearing Zhang Yue composing a poem while looking at the white clouds on Xianxia Mountain, the officials beside him immediately stopped wiping their sweat and complimented him, saying that Jiangong was indifferent and extraordinary.
Zhang Yue smiled, sat on a stone with a cane in hand and said, "Since you have such an opinion."
"Why do we officials sometimes rush to 'resign and return home' as if we were aloof from the world, while at the same time we 'stay up all night to study for the imperial examinations' in order to enjoy our wealth and fame?"
The officials lowered their hands and said, "I don't know how to do it, please let me know."
Zhang Yue sat casually on the stone and said with a smile: "You all must have ignored the essence of Mr. Mingdao's Taoism when you said that!"
More than twenty officials were watching and listening.
"The Great Learning says, 'rectify your mind, be sincere in your intentions, investigate things, acquire knowledge, cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern your country, and bring peace to the world. These are the eight principles.'"
"To rectify one's mind, be sincere in one's will, investigate things and acquire knowledge is for the purpose of self-cultivation, and self-cultivation is for the purpose of regulating one's family, governing the country and pacifying the world. Conversely, regulating one's family, governing the country and pacifying the world is also for the purpose of self-cultivation, and for rectifying one's mind, be sincere in one's will and acquire knowledge."
The officials suddenly understood and said, "Mr. Jian has solved the doubts we have had since we started studying."
"Confucianism does not talk about the study of life and death, for fear of getting the disease of Buddhism. Today, after listening to what Mr. Jiang said, it seems that the two can be integrated."
Zhang Yue said: "This is not what I said, but what Mr. Mingdao said."
"Confucianism talks about the five relationships: father and son, brothers, husband and wife, ruler and subject, and friends. Father and son are close, elders and juniors are in order, husband and wife are different, ruler and subject have righteousness, and friends have trust."
"But the Buddhists believe in following the teachings, which means becoming a monk. After becoming a monk, there is no longer any concept of father and son, brothers, husband and wife, monarch and minister, or friend."
“Are the two contradictory to each other?”
"Not entirely. This is the way to be a sage within and a king without."
All the officials suddenly realized and said they had learned their lesson.
While they were talking, a report came from the foot of the mountain: "An imperial edict has arrived, please stay, Duke Jianguo!"
Zhang Yue nodded and said, "Everyone, take a break here."
The officials said yes, and they didn't know what the sudden imperial edict meant.
Everyone knew that Zhang Yue should have arrived in Fujian to take up his post a long time ago, but he delayed for three months along the way. Rumor spread in the court that Zhang Yue deliberately overstayed his welcome and was resentful.
Or they may be unwilling and try to get the emperor to stay.
Anyway, there are all kinds of things to say.
Everyone knew that this was probably Cai Que's idea, but the local officials did not dare to urge him.
The government has not issued any clear order to reprimand me. I wonder if the government will issue an order to reprimand me this time.
Soon a eunuch arrived, it was Liang Weijian, the warehouse keeper.
"Meet Duke Jianguo!"
Zhang Yue nodded slowly, and Liang Weijian presented the imperial edict and said, "The place is simple, so the etiquette can be omitted, and the reading of the edict can also be omitted. We are waiting for the Duke of Jianguo to reply and report to His Majesty. We dare not stay for a moment."
Zhang Yue nodded and immediately presented the imperial edict. All the officials were smart and turned their heads away immediately.
After washing his hands, Zhang Yue took the imperial edict and read it, then pondered for a moment.
It turned out that the emperor had issued an order to personally inquire whether he could build a city in Yongle City.
Attached to the imperial edict was the overall strategy proposed by Xu Xi and Shen Kuo.
Liang Weijian said: "Your Majesty is worried that the sudden construction of Yongle City is too hasty and reckless. If Lord Jiang makes the decision, Your Majesty can withdraw the order. Otherwise, if more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians... the country will..."
After listening to this, Zhang Yue nodded, handed the imperial edict back to Liang Weijian, and then stood with his hands behind his back looking at the scenery outside Xianxialing.
I watched like this for half an hour.
Liang Weijian said: "Lord Jian, the situation in the front is very tense. The army from Fuyan Road is about to leave Mizhi Village."
Zhang Yue said: "Since the army is about to leave the border, it is useless to ask me."
Liang Weijian asked anxiously, "Mr. Jian, are you just going to ignore this?"
Zhang Yue thought for a moment and said, "Get a pen."
Liang Weijian was overjoyed and immediately presented paper and pen, and used his body as a table.
But seeing that Zhang Yue just wrote the numbers hastily, Liang Weijian did not dare to look at it. He immediately sealed it in a letter, covered it with sealing wax, and then put it in a bamboo tube.
"Building a public announcement!"
Zhang Yue nodded and said, "Please tell His Majesty that success does not depend on me!"
Liang Weijian heard this and thought to himself, "What Jiangong meant by this is that success does not depend on me, so the success or failure depends on Xu Xi?"
Zhang Yue watched Liang Weijian leave.
Huang Haoyi muttered, "Mr. Jian, we have all returned home, is there any need to talk anymore? Are Chen and Shubai dead?"
"Even if you achieve great success, His Majesty will not remember your kindness, let alone Cai Zhizheng."
Zhang Yue looked at the bamboo stick in his hand and said, "That's right. For example, this stick is used when going up the mountain, but not when going down the mountain."
Huang Haoyi packed up silently and followed Zhang Yue down Xianxialing.
However, all the officials were waiting on the mountain road ahead. When they saw Zhang Yue coming down the mountain, they all looked relieved.
Zhang Yue smiled and said, "Taiyi is close to Tiandu, with mountains connecting to the edge of the sea. When you look back, the white clouds merge, and when you look in, the green mist disappears..."
After reciting the poem, Zhang Yue suddenly threw the bamboo stick in his hand high up, and saw the bamboo stick flying through the air.
Finally, the bamboo stick disappeared into the clouds, immediately startling countless flying birds!
Seeing this, Zhang Yue smiled with relief.
……
On the banks of the Wuding River, hundreds of thousands of Tangut troops gathered under a white yak banner with seven-treasure tassels. Li Bingchang sat on his horse in a silver mouse fur coat, with a gold-inlaid curved sword given by his wife, the Khitan princess, on his waist. His eyes passed over the muddy Wuding River and cast towards the newly built Yongle City on the other side.
The Dangxiang leader Li Bingchang, like all previous Dangxiang leaders, personally led the army to war.
Over the years, Li Bingchang has been working hard and worrying a lot.
As the son-in-law of the Liao Kingdom, he was respectful to the Liao Kingdom and actively sought its assistance. He wiped out several Zhubu tribes in the east that did not obey the Liao Kingdom, in exchange for the trust and assistance of the Liao Kingdom.
During this expedition to Yongle City, Li Bingchang asked the Liao ruler for help. The Liao ruler secretly transferred more than 10,000 Liao Pishi troops to cooperate with him.
On the other hand, he worked hard to govern the country, toiling until late at night every day, not taking care of the palace, wearing simple clothes and eating simple food, and making use of Li Qing and Ren Duo Baozhong who came from humble backgrounds. He also promoted a series of young generals and won over the hearts of the people in the country again.
Since he learned that his former nemesis Prime Minister Zhang Yue had finally been dismissed.
Li Bingchang was overjoyed. For him, the whole Song Dynasty was afraid of only him. Li Bingchang resumed harassing the Song Dynasty. As expected, the Song army had to shrink its defense because it was heavily stationed in Hedong and fighting against the Liao Kingdom, so it abandoned Yinzhou and Youzhou.
Now that the Liao army is retreating, wouldn't it be a stupid move to go back?
Li Bingchang also heard that the Song Dynasty was once again divided into factions, and the new prime minister Cai Que presided over the liquidation of the Zhang Yue faction. Even the commander of Fuyan Road, Zhong Shidao, was dismissed and replaced by Xu Xi, a scholar who only knew how to talk about war on paper.
Yet this man still calls himself a Confucian general. Isn't this a sign of the Zhao family's rulers and ministers being incompetent and destroying their own great wall?
You should know that when Zhong Shidao was guarding Fuyan Road, he personally defeated the 500,000-strong army led by Li Bingchang.
Now General Yi can be said to have made a mistake.
At this moment, hundreds of thousands of Dangxiang troops were deployed along the river bank, with flags covering the sun and iron armor shining brightly. In the center, the white yak banner with seven-treasure tassels was fluttering in the wind.
Li Bingchang looked at Yongle City, and the generals on both sides were ready to go.
Compared with the expedition to Pingxia City that year, dozens of high-ranking Dangxiang generals were either killed or captured, and half of the people were new faces compared to that year.
However, these newly promoted young generals were like newborn calves, with eager looks on their faces.
"Your Majesty, the Iron Harriers are ready to go." Wearing heavy armor, Nida Baozhong rode his horse forward.
"Send the order, Iron Harriers cross the river!"
Li Bingchang waved his hand and immediately ordered his 5,000 Iron Harriers to cross the Wuding River first!
Five thousand Iron Harriers responded to the call. These warriors, selected from various tribes in Hengshan, were all wearing heavy armor, and even their horses were covered with cowhide.
The iron hooves broke the river surface, and the Wuding River surged up and down. The leading rider raised a shield with a wolf head painted on it and shouted.
Faced with this scene, Gao Yongneng, who was lined up outside the city, immediately sent someone to report Xu Xi's strategy.
Once these Qiang people's Iron Harrier Cavalry cross the river and gain flat land, their front will be unstoppable. We can attack them before they cross the river and annihilate them. If we allow them to cross the river in full force, our army will be completely destroyed.
Xu Xi, who was standing on the top of the city wall, raised his eyelids and sneered, "What's the point of talking about the barbarian cavalry from foreign countries? Wait until they all cross the river, and then we can wipe them out completely."
Xu Xi refused to comply, but ordered Gao Yongneng to lead the elite troops to fight later.
Gao Yongneng heard Xu Xi's order and his hair and beard stood up. He shouted angrily, "You are ruining the country!"
After all the Tangut troops crossed the river, Li Bingchang was overjoyed. The Song army was so arrogant that they gave up the opportunity to attack them halfway across the river. Wasn't this the reincarnation of Duke Xiang of Song's "the three armies were defeated before benevolence and righteousness were practiced"? He immediately ordered the left and right armies to follow them.
In an instant, the sound of 羯鼓 filled the sky.
Upon seeing this, Xu Xi immediately issued orders, commanding his 70,000 Song troops to attack the Iron Harriers who were crossing the river.
Gao Yongneng quickly led 5,000 selected soldiers to attack. These 5,000 selected soldiers were the best soldiers selected from the 70,000-strong army and were the most brave and sharp.
The selected cavalrymen, armed with silver spears and brocade jackets, immediately broke into the Tangut army's Iron Harrier formation.
……
Liang Weijian rushed at night with Zhang Yue's secret report in his heart and went straight to Bian Jing to meet the emperor.
The emperor has not been in a good mood these days, especially after learning that Xu Xi built Yongle City, the Dangxiang leader Li Bingchang actually urged the twelve military inspectors to seize Yongle City.
Shen Kuo, who was stationed in Mizhi Village, made a report.
After intelligence, the Dangxiang people mobilized civilians to serve as soldiers, selecting nine out of ten men, and asked for reinforcements from the Liao State. They brought a hundred days' worth of food and settled north of Jingyuan, waiting for the government troops to come out of the border and attack. When they heard that the city was Yongle, they dispatched troops there.
The Dangxiang army had arrived, and there were only 10,000 soldiers in Mizhi Village. If Yongle City was lost, the casualties would not be fatal, but if Suide City was lost, Yanzhou would certainly be lost. Guanzhong would certainly be shaken.
I would rather lose Yongle than lose Suide.
Wait until reinforcements arrive to lift the siege of Yongle City.
The emperor was shocked. It turned out that the Dangxiang had already prepared for this battle with the Song army and even begged the Liao Kingdom to send troops for assistance. However, they had originally ambushed on the Jingyuan Road and did not expect that the Song army would come out of the Fuyan Road.
The government immediately mobilized troops from Huanqing Road and Jingyuan Road to rescue Fuyan Road. However, both routes were far away and it would take time to reach Fuyan Road. The closest one was Hedong Road led by Lu Huiqing.
However, Lu Huiqing reported that the Khitan had mobilized 150,000 troops to approach Hedong. At this time, the Hedong Road did not dare to mobilize a single soldier to rescue the Fuyan Road.
Now that Lu Huiqing and Shen Kuo's reports have been received, the emperor is in a dilemma.
To rescue Yongle City, the troops Shen Kuo had in Mizhi Village were of no help at all. If he transferred troops from Suide and Yanzhou, the entire Fuyan Road would be empty.
If Shen Kuo retreated from Mizhi Village and saved Suide City, then Fuyan Road would be saved, but Yongle City and Xu Xi's 100,000 soldiers and civilians in the city would be lost.
Upon hearing this, the emperor was in a dilemma and could not sleep for several nights. He sighed endlessly in the palace and had to rely on ginseng soup to maintain his energy when he went to court every day.
He had thought that the Tanguts had been vulnerable since the defeat at Pingxia City, but he had not expected them to be so strong. He had really underestimated the enemy.
At this moment, more than 100,000 soldiers on the front line were waiting for his orders.
That day, the official suddenly heard that Liang Weijian had returned from Fujian.
The emperor quickly summoned Liang Weijian and asked, "What did Zhang Qing say?"
Liang Weijian said, "Your Majesty, the Jinzi Guanglu Doctor asked me to tell Your Majesty that success does not have to be achieved by me."
Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately showed disappointment and said, "Mr. Zhang is still blaming me. The success does not have to be mine, which means that even if Yongle City is defeated, he cannot be blamed."
Liang Weijian didn't dare to answer directly, but said: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zhang also left a short letter for Your Majesty!"
After saying this, Liang Weijian split open the bamboo tube, picked out the sealing wax, and presented it to the emperor.
But I saw two words clearly written on the letter.