Prime Minister

Chapter 1080 Asking for advice

Chapter 1080 Asking for advice

Zhang's mansion was surrounded by soldiers inside and outside.

Zhang Yue knelt before the emperor. Since he claimed to be ill, the emperor and his subject had not seen each other for more than half a year.

Although they never met, the king and his subjects did exchange letters.

There is a tacit understanding between the monarch and his subjects.

After all, it is rule by man.

After Zhang Yue claimed to be ill, the government did not feel that layoffs were a major problem. As a minister, Zhang Yue did not have the feeling that he was the only one who could rule the country.

Now the emperor is here in person, I wonder why?

The emperor looked at Zhang Yue for a moment and said, "You haven't changed, but I have aged these days."

Zhang Yue saw that the emperor had white hair on his temples and said, "I have been staying in a thatched cottage lately and cannot share your worries..."

After listening to Zhang Yue's words, the emperor stopped and immediately picked up the scroll beside his bamboo couch and said, "You are a prophet and can predict the future. I found that some of the words in the memorial were not clear, so I came to see this old minister. Why do you say that you are not as good as Zhuge Liang?"

Zhang Yue thought to himself that it was no wonder that the emperor came to visit his cottage, it turned out that the three armies had won victories.

Zhang Yue said, "Your Majesty, I am grateful for your concern. When Zhuge Wuhou was in Jingzhou, he traveled and studied with Shi Guangyuan of Yingchuan, Xu Yuanzhi, Meng Gongwei of Runan, and others. The three of them studied to master everything, but Zhuge Wuhou only studied the general idea. Zhuge Wuhou said that the three of them could become county governors and provincial governors."

"I have studied hard and have only the talent of a county governor. Your Majesty has valued me and promoted me to the position of prime minister."

The emperor said, "I promoted you to the position of prime minister because of your ability."

After a pause, the official smiled and said, "Yes, isn't it good to study hard and master it?"

Zhang Yue said cautiously: "Okay, but it's better to just observe the general situation."

"To strive for perfection is to learn, while to see the general idea is to know it naturally. Zhuge Liang was a rare talent, and he was born into a family of officials, so he was able to see the general idea. But I am stupid, and the only thing I can learn is to make progress day by day through diligence."

After Zhang Yue finished speaking, Zhang Cheng, Shi Deyi and Xu Xi wanted to laugh but didn't dare to.

Zhang Yue's implication is that Zhuge Liang relied on his talent, and I relied on my hard work. This is really shameless. A person who won the first place in the imperial examination at the age of 17 actually said that he relied on hard work rather than talent.

How could there be such a shameless person in the world?

Zhang Yue knew that no one would believe him even if he said it. He was indeed a mediocre person. He did not have a photographic memory, nor was he as talented as Zhuge Liang. He was where he is today entirely because of his ability to study in his dreams when he was young.

What is innate knowledge? They are born with the highest level of knowledge. They are good at finding problems, and then they are oriented towards solving them, and the solution they come up with is the optimal solution.

To learn and know, you have to go through a long process of "the more you practice, the more you know, the deeper your knowledge, the more you practice." At the beginning, you don't even know what the problem is, you can only blindly bump into it.

This is often the case for people who climb up from the bottom. By the time you have vision and perspective, half of your life is already over.

The emperor laughed and said, "One is born with knowledge, the other learns it. Zhuge Wuhou is the former, and you are the latter."

Zhang Yue smiled and agreed.

Xu Xi and Shi Deyi, the emperor all thought they were prophetic and omnipotent, just like Zhuge Liang, so they came to me in person to ask me how to plan the next step in the overall situation?

There is a big misunderstanding here. If he really had the ability to command the Song army to win this battle, why would he oppose the attack on Xia in the first place?

The eunuchs placed the throne for him. The emperor waved his robe and sat down, saying, "I just heard your son talking about the poem of Zhang Yong, the prime minister of the previous dynasty, and it reminded me of the story of Zhang Yong and Kou Zhun encouraging learning."

"Zhang Yong once said that Kou Zhun was a genius, but unfortunately he lacked academic knowledge. So when Zhang Yong met Kou Zhun, he told him that Huo Guang's biography was a must-read. Kou Zhun didn't understand it at the time, but when he went back to read the book and saw the words 'Huo Guang was unlearned and incompetent', he understood what Zhang Yong meant."

"You have great talent, knowledge and skills, far superior to Kou Zhun. What advice do you have for me on the matter of attacking Xia?"

Zhang Yue had always advocated slow and shallow attacks when advocating the attack on Xia, but the emperor wanted a quick and fierce attack, so he resigned from the Secretariat. The emperor no longer trusted him in this matter, so Zhang Yue took a step back and let the emperor use ministers he felt he could trust.

Zhang Yue said: "I am stupid and I dare not speak on this matter."

The emperor said, "This time we attacked Xia from three directions, and all three directions were victorious. Since you already knew this, why did you advise me not to attack?"

Zhang Yue said: "Winning all three routes is within my expectations."

"First, the Xia people are not as good as us in field battles. In the past when they defeated us, they knew how to lure us out of the border and then gather together to annihilate us. This time when we attack Xia, the two armies will definitely not be as good as us."

"Secondly, your majesty has worked hard to govern the country in recent years, and the Western Army has been preparing for battle. With the assistance of famous generals such as Zhong Shidao, Zhong Yan, and Liu Changzuo, victory will not be difficult."

"Third, there is internal discord in Western Xia. The ruler of Xia and the Queen Mother Liang Yimei are fighting for power. When the troops were first dispatched, their orders were inconsistent and they were not in a coordinated manner. This gave us an opportunity to take advantage of it."

"So I predicted victory on all three fronts, not because I had foresight."

The emperor understood a little bit. He thought that Zhang Yue's ability was not beyond his expectation. It was an indisputable fact that the fighting power of the Western Xia had declined in recent years, while that of the Song army had increased. No wonder Zhang Yue could predict the future and come to such a conclusion.

The emperor asked, "What do you think the next step should be after the three victories?"

Zhang Yue heard this and said: "Your Majesty..."

The official said: "Between you and me, the emperor and his subjects, there is nothing wrong with what you say."

Zhang Yue said: "We should stop when we are ahead. After Xihe Road and Jingyuan Road take Mingsha, we will set up camps and defenses here. As for Fuyan Road, we will stop at Xiazhou, Suizhou, Yinzhou, Youzhou, and Shizhou. As for Xihe Road, we will stop at Lanzhou."

There was one thing that Zhang Yue did not say, so there would be no danger of losing the army. Even if there was a small defeat, it would not be a big defeat.

Zhang Yue wanted to say something, but didn't say it in the end.

To put it bluntly, the Song army's logistical supply was not good, so they could only launch weekly offensives. The victory at the beginning was not unexpected, but they could not hold on once the necessary number of days was exceeded.

The Western Xia were stunned at the beginning, and in the later stage, they took advantage of the Song army's weak defense in depth, cut off its food and grass, and harassed its supplies, so that the Song army was bound to be defeated.

Therefore, Zhang Yue has always advocated shallow attack, attacking for a while and then stopping for a while.

The emperor said, "I will consider your opinion. I have ordered Xihe, Jingyuan, and Huanqing to provide logistics support for Wang Zhongzheng's army, and Hedong and Fuyan to provide logistics support for Gao Zunyu's army."

"Nothing will be lost."

Zhang Yue knew from looking at the emperor that he had not listened to his words again, so he could only say: "Your Majesty, Zhong Yan is taking risks rashly, you cannot give him the power to act at his own convenience!"

The emperor smiled and said, "I understand. How is your health these days?"

Zhang Yue said: "My cough has not yet healed!"

The emperor understood Zhang Yue's implication and said, "Okay, you should take good care of yourself. I will come to visit you again in a few days!"

After saying this, the official stood up.

This is using me as a counselor... Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty's grace is deep, and I cannot repay it even if I sacrifice my life."

Zhang Yue and his family personally escorted the emperor out of the palace, but saw the soldiers inside and outside the palace withdrawing.

Before the palace gate, there was a huge crowd of people gathered to watch the emperor's face, and everyone praised the emperor for his courtesy to the prime minister!

I'm afraid there are not many prime ministers in the world who can be visited by the emperor himself.

The emperor left immediately, and Zhang Yue watched him leave and thought to himself.

He knew that the emperor's intentions were good.

For example, the aspirations of Wang Anshi and Sima Guang were all for the sake of the world, the country, and the people, but why did they go in opposite directions and be so incompatible?

But the good and evil of the world cannot be judged by one's heart alone! There are too many such cases in history. Can we avoid mistakes by saying that one's intention is good? In this way, Wang Mang can also be called a saint.

When returning home, Zhang Cheng saw Zhang Yue's worried face and couldn't help asking, "Father, His Majesty personally visited my thatched cottage. The emperor and his subjects have been so kind to each other. There are few people in ancient and modern times who can compare to you."

"Why is Daddy still so worried?"

Zhang Yue smiled bitterly and said, "At this point, I don't need to worry about personal honor or disgrace."

……

Thousands of miles away, the emperor personally visited Zhang Yue at his thatched cottage to ask for advice.

Western Xia court.

Liang Yimai and Liang Yongneng both returned in defeat. Li Qing said nothing. He thought to himself that if he had followed my advice and ceded the five states of Dingnan earlier, this would not have happened.

King Li Bingchang, who was sitting behind Li Qing, remained silent. After Liang Yimai and Liang Yongneng were defeated, not only did the number of generals who continued to advocate fighting against Song Dynasty increase, but they even requested to fight one after another.

Liang Yi said: "The only strategy now is to ask for help from Liao again! As soon as the Pishi army arrives, the Song army will roll up their armor and flee overnight."

Li Qing said: "No, the Liao Kingdom has used the excuse of watching the ceremony to inquire about our country's route several times in recent years. Their intentions are obvious. The Liao Kingdom cannot be trusted."

Liang Yi said: "Your Majesty, only the Liao Dynasty can save me now."

Li Bingchang readily replied, "I understand. I will pay tribute to the Liao Kingdom with camels and horses, and ask the Liao ruler to send troops to help us."

Liang Yongneng, who was badly defeated by Zhong Yan, said: "Your Majesty, it has been found out that there are more than 100,000 soldiers from the East Dynasty in the direction of Fuyan Road, and more than twice as many civilians."

"As for Jingyuan Road and Xihe Road, the total number of people is less than 100,000. Both routes are heading for Xingqing Prefecture."

"What should I do?"

At this time, an old general stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the Eastern Dynasty's troops are extremely powerful. I think it is better not to resist them. We just need to fortify our walls and clear the fields, allowing their troops to penetrate deep into our territory. Then we can gather our troops in Xingzhou and Lingzhou, and use light cavalry to plunder their food supply routes. The Eastern Dynasty's troops will be starved of food, and we can be trapped without a fight."

Liang Yi was buried, and Liang Yong was able to speak well of him.

"The old method is still useful. We used this method when we were defeated by the Song people."

Li Qing questioned: "But Liangzhou and Lanzhou are being besieged by the southerners, Qingtang. What should we do if we abandon them now?"

"We can't worry about that anymore. Let's defeat the current Dongchao troops first," Li Bingchang slammed the table and stood up and said, "Immediately send an order to mobilize the troops of the 12th Army Supervisory Office and the elite troops of Taodui to come to the aid of Xingqing Prefecture."

The generals saw that although the king was young, he was decisive. They had always said that he was determined to be friendly with the Song Dynasty, but he could still control himself when the time came.

After being defeated by the Song Dynasty in the early stages, the Xia Kingdom quickly adjusted its strategy.

From the original occupation of the enemy's gate, they first broke through one route, then immediately switched to a strategy of clearing the countryside, abandoning the outer periphery and concentrating heavy troops in Xing and Ling states.

As a result, the Song army's Fuyan Road army advanced very smoothly and in one fell swoop recovered Xiazhou, Suizhou, Yinzhou, Youzhou and Shizhou, which had almost become deserted cities.

Gao Zunyu was overjoyed and immediately reported the victory. He stationed his troops to consolidate several states, while letting Zhong Yan advance to Xingzhou!

The troops from Xihe Road and Jingyuan Road also met at Mingsha, and discovered that the Western Xia troops had stored hundreds of thousands of rations in cellars. This immediately solved the ration problem that had been plaguing the Song army in Jingyuan Road.

Wang Zhongzheng continued to move north and attacked Lingzhou, an important town in Western Xia, as planned!

For a while, good news came frequently from the northwest front.

(End of this chapter)