Fu Song

For Liu Yu and Qu Zhen daring to take the initiative to commit crimes, Zhao An, a junior official, expressed his anger.

He thinks that these two guys who have been beaten into water dogs by Da Song, shouldn't they hide in the turtle shell obediently, waiting for Da Song to knock on the door?

It turned out to be an anti-customer!

"Since it's a dog, how can it be its own decision?" Xiao Cheng explained with a smile while squatting on the edge of the field with Zhao An. "The dog owner wants them to go east, so they have to go east. If they want them to go west, they don't dare not go west. What else can they do except flap their ears and wag their tails? And this time, it is obvious that the overall command The most important ones are Liao people, so we can't help them."

Seeing Xiao Cheng shaking his hands by his ears, Zhao An couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"If you don't want to be a good person, you want to be a dog!"

"It can't be helped, some people are cheap!" Xiao Cheng said: "Last year it was a warm winter, and this year the whole north was hit by disasters. There was no rain for several months, and the harvest was short. It is much better, even in some places affected by the drought, because of the early prevention, coupled with the blooming of water conservancy projects, the harvest has not been affected too much."

"There is no harvest in the north, and they are going to rob us?" Zhao An said angrily, "If they were like us, building water conservancy projects and digging deep wells early, how could the harvest be lost?"

"Bandits, that's what they look like." Xiao Cheng nodded.

The truth is of course not that simple.

Whether it is Qu Zhen or Liu Yu, it's not that they don't know the importance of these things, it's just that they can't do it on a large scale.

The army of the Song Dynasty was pressing down on the border, threatening their survival at all times, and they had to maintain a large number of troops to ensure their own safety.And as the son's government, he dared not disobey the requirements of Liao's father, and the tribute that should be handed over was not less than a penny.

And how did the large amount of money needed for this come from?

Nature can only scrape the ground.

Knowing that this is drinking doves to quench thirst, but what can I do?

He can only imagine that he can defeat Song State in one fell swoop and stabilize the military form. In the coming year, maybe everything will be fine.

When the backlog of internal conflicts reaches a certain level, it is necessary to find a vent to let out the hostility, otherwise it is like a powder keg, once it explodes, it will blow them to pieces.

War is the best way.

If you can win, then all problems will be solved.

It is obvious that the south has not been affected much by the drought.

Even those areas above the border in the south are rapidly restoring their former prosperity.

Therefore,
to grab.

This robbery also received strong support from Yeluzhen, the southern king of the Liao Kingdom. Tens of thousands of Liao troops were divided into two groups to assist Qi and Zhao in fighting, which made Quzhen and Liu Yu more courageous.

In fact, Yeluzhen is also worried that if Quzhen and Liu Yu don't help this time, once Quzhen's regime collapses, it will cause a chain reaction, which will be detrimental to the rule of Daliao.

Like the original Hebei Road, the behavior of resisting the rule of the Liao Kingdom has never stopped.

If the Song army completely defeated Quzhen and took back the old capital Kaifeng, wouldn't the rebels from all over the place be as excited as if they had been beaten?

"If you don't fight, the hungry people can tear them apart. If you fight, there is still a slight possibility of winning, so naturally you have to gamble!" Xiao Cheng said.

"It's really hard to feed everyone!" Zhao An suddenly sighed: "I was really surprised by the statistics you showed me a few days ago, Master. So many people can’t get enough to eat?”

"The days are getting better day by day." Xiao Cheng said, "No matter how bright the sun is, there are still shadows that cannot be seen!"

Pointing to the yellowing rice in front of him, Xiao Cheng continued, "Isn't the Anmin No. [-] cultivated by you, the official, estimated to have a yield of [-] catties per mu this year? As long as this kind of work continues If we continue to do this, the yield per mu will rise steadily, then more and more grain will be produced every year, and fewer and fewer people will be hungry."

"Of course, I will breed more and better varieties."

"It's not just rice seeds!" Xiao Cheng said with a smile: "Under your leadership, not only the Secretary of Agriculture, but also agricultural officials everywhere have started a trend of cultivating high-quality seeds. Wheat, sorghum, millet, etc., all have new varieties this year. Not to mention anything else, just the Chinese cabbage that Sinong Temple focused on last year can be planted on a large scale this year. One Chinese cabbage can cost four to five It weighs a lot!"

"Food is the most important thing for the people. As long as there is food, most of the world's affairs will be settled!" Zhao An said excitedly: "Master, I think that the court should reward those who cultivate new and good varieties." .”

"This is natural." Xiao Cheng nodded and said, "If you ask for money, give money, if you want officials, give officials, if you want titles, give titles, as long as they can produce something that satisfies us."

Zhao An laughed happily, stretched out his hand to pinch a few grains of rice, and rubbed them vigorously in his hands. Although he was young, he was very skilled in doing these things. He carefully observed how plump the rice was. , nodded with satisfaction.

"Master, I heard Yang Shilang talk about the Southwest Pioneering Group two days ago. What happened?" Zhao An asked after chewing a few grains of uncooked rice.

"The so-called Pioneering Group is actually a private armed force organized by some wealthy gentry. They go deep into the south to seek wealth!" Xiao Cheng pointed to a pavilion not far from Tian, ​​and said, "Guys, let's sit there and talk .”

After returning to the pavilion and sitting down, Liu Fengkui had already prepared drinks for the two of them to quench their thirst and cool off the heat.

After taking a sip of the sweet and sour drink, Liu An asked puzzledly: "I remember that Master has always hated such things as private ownership of armed forces. In the early years in the Southwest, he mercilessly attacked those local armed forces. of."

"In China, it is illegal for them to own private armed forces, and they must be vigorously attacked and eradicated." Xiao Cheng leisurely said: "But outside of the country, there is no such restriction. After all, the laws of our Song Dynasty still exist. Can't control going abroad."

Liu An seemed to understand a little bit.

The meaning of the master probably means that you can harm others, but you are not allowed to cause trouble in the country.

"The Pioneering Group began to appear last year." Xiao Cheng said: "There are two reasons. The original plan of me, Luo Gang, Cen Zhong and others was to prepare for the three-way alliance to manage the Annan area, but I didn't expect it. The great battle between the Liao and Song dynasties ruined all our plans. The army that was originally going to the south had to be transferred to the north and became the main force to fight against the Liao and the puppet Zhao and puppet Qi.”

Zhao An nodded: "This is a hopeless matter. If the master hadn't made a decisive decision, I'm afraid even the half of the country now would not be able to keep it at that time."

"Officials, in this way, the Annan situation that we have been managing for several years will be ruined." Xiao Cheng was a little disappointed: "Originally, the agents of Annan we supported, saw the Song Dynasty being taken by the Liao Kingdom. Defeated, we went northward across the board, and they no longer had pressure, but they also made a decisive decision, turned their backs, and all agreements with us were nullified, and they even fought back, swallowing up many of our local interests."

"Damn it!" Zhao An was furious.

"That's right, but in the past two years, we really couldn't afford to deal with them." Xiao Cheng said: "We can only let them go. Even in the past two years, the imperial court has no spare power to explore the south. Because We can't afford a loss."

"So there is a pioneering group?" Zhao An was stunned.

"It's not just that!" Xiao Cheng continued: "The government's political reform, military reform, and tax reform this time, to a large extent, have deprived a considerable number of people of their fundamental interests, and these people, In the past, it was the root of the big tree of the Song Dynasty. But now and then, the foundation of the past has become the resistance for us to move forward. If we really want to uproot it, it’s not impossible. But if you do this, you will still hurt yourself.”

"So you want to divert the water to the east? Let these anger have a place to vent?" Zhao An asked.

"Yes, these forces have money and people. We will give them a way out, a name, and let them go outside to explore and conquer." Xiao Cheng said: "As long as they get it outside, we will all admit it is theirs." Legal income, and protected by Da Song."

"How do we protect outside the country?"

"Just leave an excuse!" Xiao Cheng explained: "In this way, if they are bullied outside, we can use this excuse to intervene when we recover and have the energy to spare."

"Are there many pioneering groups like this?" Zhao An asked.

Xiao Cheng looked at Liu Fengkui.

Liu Fengkui smiled and said: "If you go back to the official's house, according to what I know, there are now a total of [-] pioneering groups, and nearly [-] people are organized to develop in the south, not only Annan, but also Siamese, In Bagan, in fact, there are still people who go by sea, to Java, Ryukyu, and Japan, but the sea has higher requirements for pioneering groups, so far, there are only four or five companies."

"So many?" Zhao An asked in surprise: "But Shoufu, if these people stay in the country, wouldn't it be better to deal with the Liao Kingdom together?"

"It's a disaster for them to stay in the country." Xiao Cheng said: "But if they go outside, they may be heroes! The officials asked me earlier why they knew that many things were caused by the company and the others. But why I endured it, in fact, this is the reason.”

"I know Master is forbearance for the country."

"That's not entirely true!" Xiao Cheng said: "Even if these people are sick lions, they are still lions. If you push him into a hurry, he will really bite. If there is an internal strife, although I am absolutely sure of winning, in this way, our Northern Expedition will have to be pushed back by at least ten or twenty years. Compared to this price, I would rather take a step back."

"Is this also the reason why you let the company get out?"

"Not only the company, but also people like Liu Mingyi!" Xiao Cheng said. "Now, the power in their hands has spread outward. They have gained wealth. In fact, our Dasong has gained wealth. Because of the money, they still have to go back to Dasong to spend, enjoy, and grab supplies. , still want to sell it to Da Song, and even grab people, only Da Song can eat it!"

"Steal people?"

"Not bad!" Liu Fengkui added on the side: "They plundered people outside, and then trafficked them back to the Song Dynasty. Now that the Song Dynasty is in the southwest, there is still a lack of a large number of people and labor. They want to migrate there from a place with a large population in the south of the Yangtze River. , but with little success, the mines, plantations, workshops, and even villages there need a lot of people.”

"Eunuch Liu is too polite!" Xiao Cheng said: "The answer is actually very simple. If people from the Song Dynasty are hired, the salary and other rights must be guaranteed, even if they are sent there for crimes. , They are also from the Song Dynasty. But these people who were plundered from outside have no Dasong household loan. In the eyes of those mine owners and plantation owners, they are not considered human beings, they can only be regarded as big animals, and they only need to be stuttered. , won’t the cost come down all at once?”

"It hurts the harmony of heaven!" Zhao An's eyes showed an unbearable look.

"At the moment, that's all we can do!" Xiao Cheng said, "After we succeed in the Northern Expedition, we will naturally have to turn around and deal with such matters. Officials, matters have priorities and priorities."

Zhao An nodded silently.

"Officials, like the batch of fragrant rice that was transported to Jiangning last winter, it was brought back from Bagan by the pioneering group, traded at the border market, and then shipped all the way to Jiangnan. Our local rice is equal!" Liu Fengkui said.

"Why so cheap?"

"Because the products of those pioneering groups were snatched by them, without any cost!" Liu Fengkui said: "Every penny we pay them is a net benefit to them."

"Outside, we don't care about their helmets and armors, they are robbers!" Xiao Cheng said: "But as soon as they enter the territory of the Song Dynasty, they have to take off their armor and abandon their swords, change into long robes, put on Confucian crowns, and walk and sit. Respect the etiquette of the Song Dynasty when lying down."

"Will they cause trouble? After all, they were forced out by you, Master."

"At first, there might be some resentment, but now, I'm afraid I'm too happy to leave!" Xiao Cheng laughed: "Besides, although these people will unite outside, they will still intrigue among themselves, and the benefits will be distributed unevenly. After returning to the country, there will be even more ties, and there will be no big waves. Moreover, Eunuch Liu's Imperial City Secretary and the Overwatch Council's Zhiqiu Yuan have been watching them all the time. If there is any bad movement, They will be snuffed out immediately."

"Their existence has also brought our domestic weapon sales to a higher level!" Xiao Cheng continued: "In the first half of this year, our weapon workshop's shipments have already reached the volume of last year, and this It has reversely promoted the great development of our iron mines and smelting workshops."