Han Shizu

Chapter 2132 Sejong Chapter 7 Another minister in the conflict between Han and Jin

In September of the first year of Duangong, Fengzhou of Shanyang Road reported that the barbarians invaded the territory and attacked Yinnanji under their jurisdiction. They killed more than 30 officials, merchants and people, and looted their property. This incident is not a big one. Similar incidents always happen in the remote areas on the fringes of the Han Dynasty every year. Han-barbarian conflicts and barbarian invasions are even more frequent.

However, Naiman suddenly showed his fangs to the court. Although the damage was just a mosquito bite on the elephant's leg, it reached Tianting and caused quite a shock in the center of power of the court.

To the dignitaries of the empire, it was a trivial matter for barbarians to invade the country and kill people and plunder goods. The real problem lay in the reasons behind the move, and the causal relationship could be linked to the Order of the Secretary.

But looking to the bottom of the matter, the cause of the matter still lies with Kangzong. When he raised 100,000 troops to patrol the fortress, at the Baishui Conference, Kangzong promised the Naiman and Khitan large sums of goods and material rewards.

However, before this promise could be fulfilled, Kangzong died. What followed was a months-long struggle for the throne. After Liu Wenji ascended the throne, the court finally stabilized, and more than half a year had passed.

On the Naiman side, they were thinking about the reward from the Han emperor. Seeing that the court still had no response, they couldn't sit still. So in May of the first year of Duangong, Liu Jin sent an envoy to Beijing to ask for it. This matter was also brought to the attention of the people in power. author’s agenda.

Reporting to the emperor for his decision, Liu Wenji was "sick" at the right time. He claimed that he had just succeeded to the throne and was short of national finances. The state affairs were entrusted to the ministers and the government officials were allowed to make their own decisions. Liu Wenji kicked the ball back neatly. In the end, the matter fell to the minister. Ling Xiang Deming was on the head.

This matter is not easy to handle, and Xiang Deming is also very distressed. After years of experience, he can clearly see both sides of the matter. For his own vanity, Kangzong was generous, but let the imperial court foot the bill. This approach itself is unpopular. They are barbarians who do not know how to teach. They come to ask for gifts. They are humble on the outside and wild on the inside. If they agree, they will be criticized by others. They are weak and make peace, which is a waste of national power.

However, if you refuse, someone will inevitably stand up and accuse you of breaking your promise, breaking the trust of a great country, and going against the will of the late emperor, which is also an act of deceiving the emperor. In short, as long as there are opponents, there will always be points of criticism.

So after several rounds of intense negotiations, and with the support of Li Jilong, Guo Yi and other powerful factions in the military, they reported to the emperor for instructions to send troops for conquest on the grounds that they were invading barbarian territory, killing and plundering soldiers and civilians, and insulting the power of God.

This was no bluff. After the order was issued, everyone from the Privy Council and the Second Office of the Ministry of War to the local armies were rapidly advancing preparations for dispatching troops. As the commander-in-chief, Yang Yanlang even set off northward first to set up a tent in Fengzhou.

The envoys came with hundreds of strong horses and fifty cattle and sheep. As gifts, there were also dozens of heads. It was said that they were subordinate leaders who attacked and plundered "without permission" and were beheaded by King Liu Jin of Jin under military law. I beg the court to forgive my ignorance and forgive my sin.

Finally, after the emperor sealed it with his seal, he issued a military order, dispatching 50,000 infantry and cavalry from Hedong, Shanyang, and Yulin, with Yang Yanlang, the Marquis of Yu in front of the palace, as the commander-in-chief to conquer the Naiman.

As for the reaction of the court, the arrogance was a bit serious and it did not take Naiman seriously at all. On the contrary, it started a new round of political struggle. In the middle of the situation, it is impossible for Xiang Deming to compromise and show no weakness at all, so he must be tough to the end.

The Battle of Han and Jin failed to break out in the end. Seeing that the Han Dynasty was serious about it, Liu and Jin decisively gave in. In the winter of that year, they sent envoys to the south to explain the disturbance to the border and misunderstanding. It's all a misunderstanding!

Between the dilemma, Xiang Deming chose the latter. He has experienced hardships and experienced generals, and has developed a strong character. Even if he compromises, he will not attack the barbarians outside the Great Wall. After all, he has spent half his life attacking the barbarians. During the pioneering war, at the same time, there was deep contempt for the foreign barbarians. Naiman, what the hell?

Of course, Xiang Deming's choice to be tough will inevitably be criticized, but at least he has won the support of the "hawkish" dignitaries in North Korea and China. However, in the eyes of Naiman, the imperial court was treacherous and arrogant. After hearing the news, Taiyang Khan Liu Jin was furious and felt it was a shame. He told his subjects that if the imperial court does not give it, I will take it for myself.

The attack on Yinnanji in Fengzhou was just one of the many chaos that occurred on the northwest border of Shanyang Road in the autumn and winter of the first year of Duangong. In fact, there were more than a dozen attacks, large and small, all over Fengzhou and Shengda. , Yunnei, Tiande and other border state armies.

So, when the autumn was high and the horses were fat, the Naiman people, who had been dormant for more than a year, began to take action. However, this time they no longer stubbornly marched eastward to find trouble for the Mobei Khitan, but went south to stroke the tiger's beard.

In fact, after gaining the support of military dignitaries, Liu Wenji would not be able to object, which would only put both parties in an embarrassing situation. On the other hand, in the face of unprovoked invasions of brutal and barbaric territory, as the emperor of the empire, he must also come up with a attitude, otherwise he will lose people's hearts, which will also be detrimental to his rule.

The "poor" thank-you gift from the Kingdom of Jin aroused ridicule from the Han courtiers, and the dozens of ferocious heads made people even more disgusted. This profoundly explained the barbarism and cruelty of the foreign barbarians.

Of course, even though the Naiman invaded the territory boldly and with menacing force, there was a hint of barbarian caution and cunning in all their actions. It was not easy to steal property and not kill many people, and they were able to escape at a touch. He quickly fled before the local border troops counterattacked. It seems more like a test by the Naiman Jin Kingdom against the Han Empire.

Liu Wenji had reservations about this decision. At the beginning of his succession, stability was paramount, not to mention the major event of launching an army to attack. However, Liu Wenji did not show this concern on his face. He only asked some questions about military strategy and preparations in a formal way.

At the same time, the imperial court issued an edict to the Mobei Khitans, asking them to march westward and join forces with the heavenly troops to attack Naiman Buchen. With the imperial court taking the lead, the Khitans, who deeply hated Naiman, had no reason not to allow it. The Khitan King Yelu Longxu took Pi Shixiang and stabilized Yelu Xian as the chief general and mobilized troops and horses. However, the Khitan people were also very smart and only planned to fish in troubled waters in the Battle of Han and Jin. By the way, let's take a look at the specific quality of the Han Empire's army today, because Although the movement is not small, in fact, it is not trying its best.

However, in reality, through such a despicable operation, the Jin Kingdom successfully obtained the "understanding" of the court, stopped a major expedition, and avoided a disaster. At the same time, the former had no intention of spitting out what they had looted from the Shanyang border. As for the hundreds of Han people who were killed, it was not possible to seek justice for them for the time being.

After all, the imperial court was not very determined to fight a war with the Jin Kingdom. First of all, the weather was not right, and the military strategists did not do anything to mobilize large troops in winter and spring. To attack a tribal country like the Naiman, mobilizing a small number of troops will not be effective, while mobilizing a large number of troops will waste the people and money. To be effective, it is necessary to send good generals and fine cavalry expeditions like the Kaibao expedition. How to calculate this account? Why isn't it cost-effective?

Today, the situation in the empire is no better than that of the Kaibao period. The emperor took matters into his own hands, and Xiang Deming and Li Jilong, who promoted the matter, must bear the responsibility. They had to consider the political impact if the matter failed. The imperial court had concerns, and the Jin State also had the fear of the Jin State. As the King of Jin, Liu Jin was afraid of the strength of the Han soldiers, and on the other hand he yearned for the wealth of the Southern Dynasties. It took him more than 20 years to truly integrate the Han Dynasty. The barbarian tribes made them compete with the Khitan in Mobei.

However, after twenty years of accumulation, it seemed too weak when facing the huge Han Empire. If they only face the Han army, they can walk and fight, engage in harassment tactics, and guerrilla warfare. If they can't bear it anymore, they can surrender and seek peace. Compared with the empire, they are barefoot and their burden is not that heavy. Mobei is harsh. The environment forces them to be aggressive.

But if the imperial court unites with the Mobei Khitan, Liu Jin will have to be more careful. Han and Jin are not so familiar with each other, but the Khitan and Jin have been fighting for so many years and have countless confrontations. However, if they know the basics, they have to be on guard.

In this way, the war was eliminated, the peace and tranquility of the past was restored to the Han border, and the Han, Jin, and Khitan continued to live their previous lives. However, some things are unavoidable. At least the blood flowing from the hundreds of soldiers and civilians who fell in the northwest of Shanyang deeply speaks of the differences from the past.

This is the second time in two years that the Jin Kingdom has adopted a retreat and compromise attitude towards the Han Dynasty. The last time was the peace negotiation with the Khitan when Kangzong's 100,000 troops marched up.

But for the Kingdom of Jin, the storm that occurred in the autumn and winter of the first year of Duangong was of great significance and taught great lessons. The greatest significance is that it makes King Liu Jin's future strategy clearer and his management of the Kingdom of Jin more calm and rational.

First of all, Liu Jin made it clear that if the Naiman Jin Kingdom wanted to succeed, they must first eliminate the Khitan, unify Mobei, and then integrate the grasslands, and then go south to compete with the Han Dynasty. This is the successful route for many powerful heroes and tribes on the plateau to rise and achieve great things. The last one was Yelu Abaoji, the founder of the Khitan.

Secondly, on the basis of the first point, we also need to try our best to maintain the friendship with the Central Plains Empire, strengthen trade exchanges, and obtain the scarce materials on the grassland from the Han Dynasty. While the empire remains strong, it is really not advisable to invade the border, and the benefits will be too high. Small, too risky.

Of course, judging from the current situation of the empire, if you want to realize the strategy of unifying Mobei, you will probably face obstacles. When the Han Dynasty changed emperor, it seemed that the temperament of the entire empire changed accordingly. It was an inexplicable but real change. Liu Jinxiong lived in Mobei and looked south at the empire. Even though he was far away, he could feel it.

For the Central Empire, the elimination of an obviously costly and unnecessary war was naturally a good thing. Many courtiers who had previously had objections to the conquest of the Naiman or even clearly expressed their opposition were very happy.

At the same time, surrounding this matter, a new round of political struggle began. This time, the leader was Xu Shilian. He criticized the decision of "Naibarbarian Expedition" as reckless and unwise, wasting military food, wasting people and money, and The act of wasting national power was aimed directly at Xiang Deming, the minister who instigated the matter.

Although the war was aborted before it broke out, the early preparations were all genuine. The mobilized troops and horses could return to their bases, the recruited civilian forces could return to their hometowns, and the unissued uniforms could also be returned to the warehouse. But it was done. Food and grass, money and food resources were lost between actions, but they were basically wasted. The logistical preparations for a fifty thousand army were extremely huge, which also meant how serious the waste was.

Therefore, Xu Shilian's criticisms were not without purpose. As far as the incident itself was concerned, they were well-spoken and pointed directly at the key points. There were also many people in the court who supported Xu Shilian. For example, Lu Zongdao, the censor of Zuodu, also came to Liu Wenji and denounced the move as inappropriate, harmful to the military and the country, and a waste of people's power.

Unlike before, Xiang Deming calmly weathered this storm because he was not alone. Not to mention why Xu Shilian launched a denunciation of Xiang Deming on this matter, but his criticisms with Nagan courtiers and Qingliu angered a group that rarely spoke in the court, but every word could not be ignored. : The privy system, or the military group with real power.

For them, they can ignore the struggle within the administrative system, but you can't bring the struggle to the military. However, Xu Shilian and others ignored this point. Many contents in their articles caused great discomfort to the military system.

The failure of this conquest did indeed lead to considerable losses. But without these losses, how could the Manjin Kingdom be able to surrender and curb its rampant trend? At the same time, according to what those Qingliu said, does the normal deployment of the army, garrison rounds, exercises and training, count as a waste of people and money? If the imperial court maintains so many troops and builds and updates so many ordnance and ships, is this considered a waste of national power?

For the military, "horses released to Nanshan" is the most annoying thing, and it is also particularly sensitive in this regard. And even if we only talk about decision-making, the conquest of the Jin Dynasty was a decision jointly made by the Shangshu Ling and the Privy Council. How about the military struggle, they, who come from a family of generals and a military background, are not as good as a bunch of civil servants?

The enraged military system is terrifying, and its revenge is swift and its methods are even more direct. The prince-in-law, Duke Leping, and the Privy Councilor Li Jilong dragged their sick bodies directly to the emperor Liu Wenji. With a decisive attitude and a stern tone, they expressed their dissatisfaction with Xu Shilian and others to the emperor.

He also issued a seal of impeachment, saying that Xu Shilian and others had no knowledge of military affairs but talked nonsense about military aircraft. Their words and deeds contained evil intentions and despised the hard work of the soldiers. In order to avoid chilling the hearts of the army, the emperor was asked to severely punish them and give justice to the soldiers.

By the way, Li Jilong also brought up a past incident, saying that during the Yulin Rebellion more than thirty years ago, Xu Shilian, as a sinner, fought bloody battles with the defenders in Fengzhou, defeated the bandits, and protected the country and the people. Fortunately, thanks to Taizong, he was promoted all the way to the top, and gradually became the prime minister.

That's all. Xu Shilian has experienced the hardships of the border for a long time. He should have a deep understanding of the hardships of the soldiers and the hard work of guarding the border. He should have a compassionate heart. However, today he is generalizing and making accusations. There must be some mistakes. Don't tell anyone's selfish motives.

Li Jilong's words almost nakedly accused Xu Shilian of pretending to be an "unfinished conquest" and engaging in party disputes with ulterior motives and worthy of punishment.

Of course Liu Wenji knew that Xu Shilian's move contained some selfish motives and obvious political intentions, but it was not as serious as Li Jilong said. However, in the face of Li Jilong's angry look, he still had to comfort him with kind words and said that he would give an explanation to the Privy Council and the army.

In fact, Emperor Liu Wenji did not agree with some of Xu Shilian's and Lu Zongdao's statements and positions. Liu Wenji learned a lot from Emperor Shizu since he was a child, one of which was a very profound understanding of policy, that is, everything has advantages and disadvantages, and strengths should be used to avoid weaknesses, and one must not generalize.

If any policy or decision-making only focuses on the disadvantages, then don't do it. It would be better if you don't do it. At the same time, he also had some opinions about Lu Zongdao and Liu Wenji. He acknowledged his integrity and loyalty, but this was not his ability to criticize at will. The emperor of the Han Dynasty was called Liu Wenji. It was the powerful people who held the power of the court. Not everything had to be relied on. If you know a mere censor of Zuodu and go against his wishes, you will be impeached. You, Lu Zongdao, did not open the Imperial Procuratorate.

As expected, the "explanation" is here!

In the spring of the second year of Duangong, after attending the last imperial banquet of the Qianyuan Dynasty in his life, Xu Shilian, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the prime minister, was demoted. As one of the three major states in Hubei Province, Yuezhou has a suitable climate, abundant fish and rice, and a developed economy. It was the retirement place chosen by Liu Wenji for Xu Shilian.

As a result, things did not go as planned. Perhaps Xu Shilian was overly worried, or perhaps he was already suffering from frustration in his later years. Before he arrived in Yuezhou, when Xu Shilian was crossing the Yangtze River, he saw the surging river flowing eastward. He recited a poem on the boat that night. He died in depression with Jiangling Yiguan at the age of sixty-seven.

After receiving the report from Jiangling Mansion, Emperor Liu Wenji couldn't help but sigh and sigh with emotion. As a confidant of Emperor Taizong, Liu Wenji was very familiar with Xu Shilian and admired his perseverance. However, this man was too attached to the past and could not be used for his own purposes.

There were some other ministers who were demoted together with Xu Shilian. The one with the most official position and reputation was Lu Zongdao, who moved to Quanzhou to be the prefect. It was said that the officials there were corrupt, which just allowed Lu Zongdao to cleanse him.

(End of this chapter)