Chapter 6 second quarter

The relaxed mood that Liu Kai brought from Tokyo was once diluted outside the Dongyuan Gate, and now it has almost completely disappeared. I noticed the doubts and sullen expressions of Zhong Shidao after hearing the edict, and especially noticed that Zhong Shidao, who had always held a respectful and pious attitude towards the court as if he was facing an abyss and walking on thin ice, unexpectedly lost his manners to such an extent today : He neither expressed "thank you" for the praise and promotion given to him in the first half of the imperial edict, nor expressed "compliance" with the clear instructions given to him in the second half of the imperial edict, but just sang "leading the edict" in general .This was an indirect expression of his displeasure, or at least his disinterest, in the military actions of the court, the strongest means a minister could employ to express dissent from the imperial edict.

Before setting off and during the journey, Liu Qi once had the illusion that the way of a teacher might be easy to obey, but now it is obviously shattered.Then, he must face a tense battle.He clearly knew that unless the tenacious and self-confident teachers hit it off and blended together, it would inevitably be a tense, tit-for-tat confrontation. Liu Kai considered the first combat plan. Now he is not sure whether Zhong Shidao has fully understood the specific content of the imperial court's Northern Expedition?Since Zhong Shidao was able to inquire about the news of his mission and welcome him out of the gate, he may have already understood the mission and purpose of his trip.But it may not be very clear that the imperial court's Northern Expedition was carried out in extreme secrecy after all, and the generals of the Western Army generally rarely intervene in external affairs except for their own business.In the Battle of Zhejiang and Zhejiang last year, many senior generals of the Western Army did not know of such a mission until the day the order was issued, and some of them went to the line without knowing who to fight.In any case, as far as Liu Kai is concerned, frankness and sincerity are the most necessary.Tell Zhong Shidao all the current favorable situation and the court's intentions, tell him everything, let him participate in it, and let him become enthusiastic about this plan. Zhengzhigu's combat strategy.

According to this decision, he went to talk to Shidao Zhong that night. They will enter the secret room of the teacher's way.Zhong Shidao likes "big", even his secret room is very big. Under the light of a candle, it not only looks very empty, but also makes Liu Kai worry about leaking secrets, but Zhong Shidao doesn't consider this at all. . "It's not easy for my nephew to come here from a long distance," he said some polite words as a landlord, "I'm tired of traveling, I should take a good night's rest. Tonight's reckless disrespect makes it easy for my nephew, and I will make amends tomorrow night. You might as well save it for later.”

"It is precisely because of this matter that there is a lot of trouble and the timing is urgent. My nephew has been having trouble sleeping and eating since he was ordered. Now that I am here late at night, I want to listen to Uncle Shi's teaching first." This was an opening statement that forced Zhong Shidao to listen. "Listen to your words!" Zhong Shidao thought in his heart, "I'm not in a hurry to talk." At this time, Zhong Shidao's momentary indignation had passed, and he had already mentally prepared Liu Kai to go. Talk to him.He no longer used impulsive emotions, but listened to Liu Qi with calm reason and no expression on his face.His air seemed to open a big bag, and he was ready to accept as much as Liu Kai wanted to pour out for him.It's still an expressionless expression, a statement without a statement.

Liu Kai recalled the past events in history. Yanzhou (Beijing) in the north of Hebei, Yunzhou (Datong in Shanxi) in the northeast of Hedong and more than a dozen nearby states were originally the territory of the Han family.During the Five Dynasties, it was occupied by the Liao established by the Khitan people. After the founding of the Song Dynasty, they wanted to restore the lost land in this area to consolidate the northern frontier defense.Unfortunately, they were defeated twice and were invaded by the Liao Dynasty. Later, they had to pay 500,000 taels of silver silk every year to buy the Liao Dynasty in exchange for a humiliating peace.This situation has been going on for more than a hundred years, causing the army and civilians in the Northern Song Dynasty to feel great shame and humiliation. People with lofty ideals all demand to regain these lost lands and avenge their shame.

As the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, Zhong Shidao is of course familiar with the military history of this dynasty.Learn about these situations.When Liu Kai recounted the past, he especially emphasized the national defense significance and national consciousness of regaining the lost land, and he himself enthusiastically supported this war for this reason.He hopes to use this to influence Zhong Shidao and incite Zhong Shidao's desire for fame and fame. "Thousands of miles of rivers and mountains have been reduced to barbarians," he said passionately. Gu. At the beginning of the country, several ditches were dug, but they have already dried up and disappeared. What can be done? Once Humanan is herded, within ten months, you can cross the Yellow River and haunt Jidian. Emperor Taizu Wude said, 'Beside the couch, how can you allow others to sleep soundly?' Today's trend is exactly like this. As the pillar of the country, why don't you think about it?"

Zhong Shidao half-closed his eyes and nodded frequently, as if he agreed with everything Liu Kai said, and seemed to say these clichés. ridicule.Liu Kai was puzzled for a while by the impenetrable feeling of being a teacher, and then changed the content of the conversation sharply, pushing it to the core of the problem. The current situation is undergoing major changes. As the rule of the Liao Dynasty is becoming more and more corrupt, the Jin Dynasty established by the Jurchen tribe in the northeast is becoming stronger and stronger. In ten years, it has won many wars with the Liao Dynasty and won major victories.Faced with this changing new situation, the imperial court adopted the suggestion of Ma Zhi, an official who fled from Liao Dynasty, and sent Ma Zheng and others across the sea to negotiate with the Jin Dynasty.On the day of success, the Song Dynasty took back Yan, Yun and other states, and the rest of the land was owned by Jin.The so-called "Alliance at Sea" diplomacy has been carried out in extreme secrecy for several years.Both Ma Zheng and Ma Kuo, father and son who played an active role in the negotiations, were old men from the Western Army.Because the matter was so important, the secret was not revealed to anyone, even Liu Kai, who was in Tokyo, a confidant of the official family and very well-informed, did not know the details.In the far west, it is of course even more difficult for the teacher Zhong Dao, who has always been out of information, to understand the twists and turns.

Now that the negotiations are going well, the time is ripe for both sides to attack. The Song government must prepare to send troops to launch an attack on the southern front.In fact, as early as last year, the imperial court secretly decided to transfer the Western Army to the Hebei battlefield to perform this military task.Helplessly, the Eastern Zhejiang region turned against Fang La, and the imperial court was so anxious that they had to mobilize part of the Western Army to suppress this large-scale peasant uprising. The plan for the Northern Expedition was temporarily suspended.Since the beginning of this year, the Jin Dynasty has repeatedly urged the Song Dynasty to leave the army.The battle against the Liao Dynasty is imperative, the imperial court continued to discuss, and internally decided that the teacher should be under the control of the capital, and under the control of Tong Guan, the envoy of Xuanfu, command the entire western army to move eastward.This matter is a foregone conclusion, and the imperial court will soon sue the temple Xuanyou to leave the teacher.The officials sent Liu Kai to use the bait of Jiedushi to catch the big fish of Zhongshidao, with the purpose of persuading him to actively participate in the Taiyuan Conference and enthusiastically support the war.

Liu Kai was faithful to his mission, abided by the battle plan drawn up in advance, unreservedly spread out the cards in his hand, and repeatedly analyzed the factors of weather, geography, and people, all of which were absolutely beneficial to me.He even made a conclusion on behalf of Zhong Shidao: a military leader like him must be enthusiastic about participating in the war and live up to the ardent expectations of the officials. Liu Kai talked back and forth for two hours, all the way to the fourth watch, but the conversation seemed to be only one-sided.Zhong Shidao remained calm, maintaining the expressionless expression he had at the beginning of the conversation.He seldom spoke, and only interjected one or two important words at the joints, and then closed his eyes again.Sometimes there is a slight snoring sound.When he heard Liu Kai stop talking, he hurriedly opened his eyes again, apologizing for his faux pas.Zhong Shidao obviously wanted to cover himself with a cold and stiff armor in order to avoid Liu Kai's keen observation.In fact, he is also thinking deeply, but he is unwilling to express any clear attitude before he has formed a mature conclusion.This is the consistent style of a teacher, especially when facing such a major problem today.

Finally, it was the turn of Zhong Shidao to end this lengthy conversation.He seemed to wake up from a hazy state of half-sleep, and said vaguely: "How can you make a hasty decision on such an important matter? Stop for a few days, and then discuss it calmly with your nephew and the generals." This was his only answer to Liu Kai's gracious persuasion.Then he showed the friendly attitude of all his elders and invited Liu Qi to attend the reception banquet specially held by the military department for him tomorrow night.

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