bookrandom Chapter 1240 Zhang Dun's Strategy (Part 1)
Chapter 1240 Zhang Dun's Strategy (Part 1)
Chapter 1240 Zhang Dun’s Strategy (First Update)
After Yelu Po's envoy left, Zhang Yue sat on the chair and thought alone.
There was indeed a peace faction within the Liao Dynasty, headed by Yelu Po, the Privy Councilor of the Northern Court, but there was also a war faction.
Then he picked up the pen and quickly wrote three lines on the paper.
If the Song Dynasty did not return Liangzhou to the Dangxiang, would the Khitan take the risk of launching this war?
Or if the Song Dynasty does not return Liangzhou, what other price will it have to pay?
What is the Liao Kingdom’s bottom line in negotiations?
No one knows this.
Strategic decision-making at the highest level has always been a very mysterious thing since ancient times.
Often the group involved in decision-making makes logically consistent choices, but in the end it leads to a bad result.
In fact, when making decisions, most people are just like the country, they are more averse to risk losses than to benefits gained, which makes them appear to be too rational.
It's like a classic joke: you are happy to find a hundred yuan on the road, but the owner comes and you return the money, and you end up feeling depressed for the whole day.
But you actually have nothing to lose.
Therefore, people and countries tend to be conservative when making choices, and they are more risk-averse than they are profitable. This was true for the Song Dynasty, and it was also true for the Liao Dynasty.
During the hundred years of peace between Song and Liao, no one dared to cross the line.
The Liao Dynasty was not the Jurchens. When the Jurchens first emerged, their aggressive spirit was still intact, and they made absolutely no sense.
Even so, Wanyan Aguda still wanted to maintain the maritime alliance with the Song Dynasty when he was alive, but his subordinates refused. He had no choice but to say, "I have made a maritime oath with the Song Dynasty, and it cannot be broken. After I die, it will be up to you."
The Song Dynasty really had no way to stop the Liao cavalry from drinking from the Yellow River.
But the Liao Kingdom had no way to deal with the strong cities of Ding, Zhen, Ying, and Wei, and had to retreat in the end. When they got home, they realized that the gains from their hard work were not as good as the money that the Song Dynasty had to give them.
Robbery is not as profitable as collecting rent.
So this is what Zhang Yue insisted on again and again.
Only by fighting can we make peace. Without bargaining chips, what can we play? Politics is all about struggle and compromise.
……
There are no secrets in the palace. Sun Gu's opposition to Zhang Yue in the government hall and his leaving Han Zhen outside the courtyard were discovered by the emperor.
The emperor then summoned Zhang Dun, who had just returned to the capital, for a private meeting.
The emperor had high expectations for Zhang Dun. From Wang Anshi at the beginning of Xining, to Lu Huiqing in the middle of Xining, and then to Zhang Yue in the Yuanfeng period, they were all his favorite choices and he personally picked them as prime ministers.
Now Zhang Yue said that he had more than two years left before he resigned as prime minister. He secretly hoped that Zhang Dun would succeed Zhang Yue as prime minister in the future.
The emperor didn't dislike Zhang Yue, and he even wished he would resign.
The emperor knew clearly in his heart that the conflict between the power of the prime minister and the power of the emperor was inevitable from ancient times to the present.
After the great victories in Lanzhou and Liangzhou, Zhang Yue became increasingly powerful. He had to listen to him in most matters, from personnel appointments to government policies. He couldn't even keep his favorite Wu Juhou, and the emperor's face was completely lost. Although he had the idea of temporarily enduring it for the next two years, he also had to start looking for a replacement for Zhang Yue.
Zhang Dun's talent in governing the country was no less than Zhang Yue's, but he was arrogant and only cared about the country rather than himself, and made many enemies in the court.
If it weren't for the care of the emperor himself, he would have been overthrown by his political enemies in a short time.
Therefore, the emperor summoned Zhang Dun alone this time, and gave him a seat and tea.
Zhang Dun also knew that this was a great favor from the emperor. As the saying goes, a scholar will die for his confidant. If it were any other minister, he would be so moved that he would repay the emperor with his life. But Zhang Dun was not flattered, because he had already made up his mind, and his personal honor and disgrace would not change because of the emperor's favor.
He is a national hero, so the emperor should treat him as a national hero.
The emperor felt relieved when he saw this. He felt the same way about Zhang Dun as about Wang Anshi and Zhang Yue. Such people could be relied upon at critical moments.
However, the emperor knew Zhang Dun's character, so he wanted to put an end to his arrogance in person.
The emperor smiled slightly and said, "I remember that when you first came to the capital, you criticized the court's strategy of shallow attack and rapid construction. Do you still hold the same view now?"
Zhang Dun said: "Your Majesty, this is the mistake I made at the beginning. Our dynasty attacked the big Tanguts and invaded the small countries. We used our strength as a long-term strategy to trap the enemy."
"As the saying goes, to use strength, one must have sufficient money and food, sufficient manpower, and a large number of soldiers and horses. In this way, to defeat the Tanguts, we can use the strength of a large country, wear it out over time, and hold it for a long time. The enemy is a small country, how can they not be in trouble? There is no cunning plot here to achieve extraordinary success."
"The imperial court first took Lanzhou, and then Liangzhou. It estimated that if we have enough strength, we will advance, and if we don't, we will stop. We should rush when we can, and slow down when we can. We don't need to force what we don't have. We should slow down when we can."
The emperor was overjoyed when he heard this. With the court's victory in conquering Liang Province, Zhang Dun, who had opposed it at the beginning, also admitted his mistake.
When a big country attacks a small country, it relies on its strength to overcome it, and it takes time and effort to defeat it. The Tanguts were beaten every day, and their men and horses were exhausted. How could they have any chance of winning?
The most important thing is that the strategic initiative is in my hands. I can fight whatever I want and at any speed as I like.
The official said, "That's right. No wonder Mr. Zhang told me that we can carve thousands of copies of the so-called border affairs and give them to the enemy without worrying about them knowing."
Zhang Yue said to the emperor at the beginning, "Even if I copy this tactic a thousand times and give it to the Dangxiang, I am not afraid that he will know it."
Just ask what you can do to me?
Since Zhang Dun's attitude had changed and he admitted his previous misjudgment of Xia's strategic route, the emperor brought the topic back to the topic with a smile.
"Last year, the court withheld the profits from the salt banknotes from the central government and used them for the campaign against Liangzhou, although only one-third was used."
"But in the end, it's still a loan from the local government. The profits from the salt money last year have not been returned to the local government since the Liangzhou campaign."
"No one knows how to deal with the profits from the salt money this year. I have handed everything over to Zhang Qing and the three officials. But now the finances of the military states are already exhausted. Using the army like this will really lead to a shortage of funds. If the Song and Liao fall out again, what should we do?"
Zhang Dun understood the elegant meaning of the music when he heard it.
"Your Majesty, the construction against the Tanguts is indeed a waste of money. Besides, these people sitting there and guarding are useful to the Tanguts, but useless to the Khitans."
The official said, "That's right."
Zhang Dun continued, "We should not treat Liao the same way as we treated Tangut, where we spent so much money to build a pile of earthen fortifications and let the money and food go to waste. We should train a strong army, otherwise how can we fight against Liao in Hebei, which has no strategic location to defend."
"Although taking Liangzhou is an aggressive strategy, it is also a strategy for Lord Zhang Jiangong to maintain his position and consolidate his favor, so that the border generals will have the desire to seek generous rewards. This is what happened when Han Zhen attacked Weizhou before."
The official said, "Yes, in ancient times, if there was no three-year reserve, the country was not a country. I am also suffering from a lack of financial income. Although the profits from the salt notes and the exchange offices are very high, they are still not enough to defend the border. What financial plans do you have?"
After the reopening of the Western Regions, the Silk Road is now almost renamed the Cotton Road. However, the government still thinks that the money is coming too slowly.
Zhang Dun said: "Your Majesty, you can temporarily monopolize salt in Hebei for three years."
The emperor was disappointed when he heard this. In terms of financial management, Zhang Dun was still lacking and was far inferior to Zhang Yue. The method of monopolizing salt in Hebei was something that Renzong and Zhou Shizong did not do (this is what Zhang Dun did when he was prime minister in history).
The emperor said: "I think we should be tolerant of Liao. Now that the Tangut issue is not resolved, we should not provoke border conflicts with Liao."
"There are so many ministers in the court who oppose it, but Mr. Zhang ignores them. If the Liao army marches out of Hebei, how will I treat the millions of people in Hebei?"
Zhang Dun said, "I think Lord Zhang Jiangong is unwilling to negotiate peace with Liao. This is just a bluff. If Liao attacks us, we will be embarrassed to ask for peace. This kind of arrogance will make the world laugh at us."
Zhang Dun's words touched the emperor's heart. He was also afraid that Zhang Yue was bluffing. What if the Liao Kingdom really sent troops? They would find that the Song Dynasty was just a paper tiger.
The emperor said, "What if the Liao Kingdom is just trying to scare me and I abandon Liangzhou? What do you think?"
Zhang Dun said: "Hebei must first discuss strategies for war and defense, train troops and store grain to show the Liao Kingdom that we are prepared!"
"In Hebei, we should select generals for the major prefectures, select defenders for the border states, and replace the arrogant soldiers."
The emperor was pleased to hear this, thinking that Zhang Dun was indeed a man of insight.
"Please be careful!"
Zhang Dun said: "First is the war strategy! We should not wait for Liao to invade Hebei first, but first recover China's former territory, so as to defeat the rebels. When the royal army marches north, the Han people in Youyan will surely come to welcome us with food and drink."
When the emperor heard about the northern expedition to Youyan, he thought it was too bold, but Zhang Dun's words touched his heart.
The story of Cao Zhongshou's return to Han was adapted by Cai Jing and made into a drama in Bianliang, which could be seen in the streets.
Now the people are also looking forward to conquering Youyan and rescuing the Han people who were occupied by Liao.
Zhang Dun said: "Your Majesty, our dynasty has some disputes over the succession of the Zhou Dynasty and the Li Tang Dynasty. However, both Zhou and Tang regarded Yanyun as their own land, and the Song Dynasty will also follow this legal system."
"All Han people in the world want to return to Song, so Yan people miss Han. This is something that cannot be doubted by all the subjects."
What is a trusted minister? The king and his subjects are of one mind. This is it.
Zhang Dun continued, "Since your majesty's Xining Reform, you have regarded it as your responsibility to punish the barbarians and recover the territory of the Han and Tang dynasties. Your majesty has recovered Liangzhou this time, why do the people of the world admire you? Wherever the royal army passes, the people follow you."
"Why did Cao Zhongshou, the governor of Guiyi Army, come to surrender? This is because the Han people in Hexi miss the Song Dynasty. This is the so-called orthodoxy of the world."
"Use the righteousness of the world to defeat the unrighteousness of the world, and unify the world. This is the orthodoxy!"
The official's heart was boiling with blood, and he thought, yes, our great Song Dynasty is the orthodox Chinese culture, and I am the common ruler of the world, and this is my ambition to carry on the legacy of the five dynasties.
Although Cao Zhongshou's identity cannot be verified, the significance of political correctness cannot be overstated. Zhang Dun did not flatter, but he flattered the highest level of the emperor invisibly.
If it were Sima Guang, he would only ask, "Are the people full? Your own people are living with no food to eat, but you care about the Han people in the northwest of Youyan?"
The emperor asked, "What is your defense strategy?"
Zhang Dun said: "The problem with Hebei is that there is no strategic location to defend. Once the Liao army moves south, they can go straight to the Yellow River and spy on the capital."
"I think we can follow the example of the Three Auxiliary Commanderies of the Han Dynasty and set up auxiliary counties around Bianjing to protect the capital. Each auxiliary county can gather 20,000 to 30,000 troops. Once the Liao army goes south to drink from the Yellow River, we can meet them head-on. Together with the four garrisons of Zhen, Ding, Ying, and Wei, we can make the Liao army be attacked from both sides. We will not let them return to Liaodong alive!"
The official's eyes lit up when he heard this and asked, "Is this what you are planning?"
Zhang Dun said, "I dare not hide it from your Majesty. This policy was proposed by my cousin, Deputy Privy Councilor Zhang Yu."
After listening to Zhang Dun's words, the emperor began to think about Zhang Qie, who had been neglected by him for many years.