Han Shizu

Chapter 642 On the occasion of national disaster
If Wang Zhaoyuan were to be dismissed as worthless, it would be biased. No matter what, he was indeed a very intelligent person, and his views on everything could be justified, and his vision did have its merits.If he is really mediocre through and through, no matter how mediocre Meng Chang is, he will not still trust him and entrust him with military administration when he suffers a series of defeats and the national situation is urgent.

Most of Wang Zhaoyuan's problems are that he has high vision but low power, lack of practical talents, knowing himself but not knowing the enemy, and taking everything for granted.As far as his thinking and eloquence are concerned, even in front of Liu Chengyou, he may be able to talk freely about the world without stagnation.
At this time, seeing Meng Chang's hesitation, Wang Zhaoyuan said again: "Your Majesty, it is far from the time to negotiate a peace, the river is steep and narrow, and the Jiange is guarded by one man and ten thousand people cannot open it. As long as the hearts of the people are excited, it is enough to resist the Han soldiers.

Furthermore, negotiating peace at this time is tantamount to begging for peace. What kind of humiliation should His Majesty endure, and how much loss must the Great Shu endure before the Northern Han can stop?Your Majesty must take the story of the Southern Tang Dynasty as a warning two years ago!
The Southern Tang Dynasty had the danger of the Yangtze River and the advantages of the navy, but they could not make full use of it. They lost their teachers and humiliated the country, and sought peace by cede territory.How can we negotiate peace without a fight if we have a favorable location and natural dangers.

The Northern Han Dynasty set off a military disaster, blatantly invaded our dynasty in the south, killed my children, and destroyed my homeland.The crowd is raging, in order to protect the hometown and homeland, we must be generous to go to the national calamity and defend the enemy from outside the pass."

No matter what, Wang Zhaoyuan's slogan can always be shouted loudly.Seeing his upright and awe-inspiring face, Meng Chang seemed to be infected as well, and a trace of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty!" At this time, Prime Minister Wu Zhaoyi stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Over the past few years, due to the war in the north, I have lost soldiers and horses and a huge amount of money and food. , the ambition is commendable, but the people's financial resources are needed, and the country is really hard to support. Your Majesty will build a new Crystal Palace."

"Enough!" Meng Chang interrupted Wu Zhaoyi loudly like a rabbit whose tail has been trampled on, and said angrily: "I have ruled Shu for twenty years, and the country is rich and the people are prosperous, and the country is in dire straits. Is it not enough? It’s ridiculous, the Imperial Han Dynasty is a matter of life and death, if money, food, military equipment, and people’s resources are needed, the imperial court must provide them without any shortage, otherwise, I will never forgive you lightly.”

As he said that, he looked at Wu Zhaoyi, Li Hao, Ouyang Jiong and others, and said sternly: "You are the ministers, uphold the state affairs, eat the emperor's salary, and receive the state's grace. In this troubled autumn, I don't ask you to devote yourself to your devotion and devotion. I hope you can do your duty and be ashamed of your heart!"

Looking at Wang Zhaoyuan again, he said solemnly, "This winter, the soldiers, horses, military equipment, and defense must be perfected. I don't want to hear the report of defeat again!"

"Yes!" Judging by Meng Chang's attitude, it was obvious that he was still on Wang Zhaoyuan's side, but it also put a lot of pressure on him.

Just about to break up the discussion, an internal envoy hurried to the hall.When asked, the answer was that Zhao Jizha, the Xiongwu Jiedu envoy, fled back to Chengdu.

After hearing this, Meng Chang was even more furious: "He still has the face to return to Chengdu? I pay him with a mighty army, but he does nothing, sits and watches success or failure. As a general, he abandons his robes and flees privately. Such a person, let him go. What's the use?"

As far as the monarchs and ministers of the Kingdom of Shu are concerned, although Li Tinggui has lost consecutive battles, at least he is still fighting hard and fighting steadily.In contrast, this Zhao Jizha seemed too miserable and incompetent, sitting on a large army, doing nothing, abandoning his teacher and returning.

Therefore, no one spoke for him to intercede.Prime Minister Li Hao had a good relationship with Zhao Jizha, and under such circumstances, he didn't dare to talk too much.

"Zhao Jizha was in a mess, kneeling at the gate of the palace, begging to see His Majesty!"

"What's the use of seeing him?" Meng Chang flicked his sleeve vigorously, his handsome face was full of ferocity: "Let me listen to him explain in detail how he was defeated and how he abandoned the army?"

"Pass down the edict, escort Zhao Jizha to the entrance of the city, and behead him to show the power of the army and to clarify the law of the country?" Meng Chang ordered directly.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Jizha is certainly guilty, but the case will not be determined after trial, is it?" Listening to his eyes, the prime minister Ouyang Jiong couldn't help but speak.

Turning his head away, Meng Chang lost his patience and said, "This person's crime still needs to be judged? Immediately pass the edict, and the order will not be delayed until it is executed, so don't say more!"

"Yes!"

After pondering for a while, Meng Chang said again: "Decree to Xingyuan Mansion, take away Li Tinggui's title, demote him to be a lieutenant general, and keep him in the army. Zhao Chongtao will be deployed as the northern defense capital to lead the Hanzhong army to resist the Northern Han invasion!"

Originally, Meng Chang planned to punish Li Tinggui severely, but Zhao Jizha's comparison made him change his mind.Li Tinggui cannot escape the blame for his defeat, but he has heard about his deeds in the north, and he has done his best.Right now, it is the time for employing people, and there is a shortage of generals. Meng Chang will finally give him a chance to take the blame and make meritorious deeds, hoping that he will be brave and kill the enemy to avenge his shame.

"Your Majesty still trusts Wang Zhaoyuan and pays for it with military affairs. If this continues, the country will be in danger!" Li Hao sighed with emotion as the two veteran ministers walked hand in hand after the court was dispersed.

Wu Zhaoyi was dressed in luxurious clothes, and when he listened to his words, he expressed his helplessness: "Except for Wang Zhaoyuan, who else in the court can be in charge of the military and government, and win His Majesty's family? Who else has the courage and ability to do so?" Come to take over the military affairs and fight against the Han division?"

Hearing this, Li Hao couldn't help shaking his head: "The old man has already told His Majesty that the Northern Han Dynasty is strong and invincible, so we should fix it right away to ensure peace!"

Looking at Li Hao, Wu Zhaoyi's eyes flickered, and there was a strange look in his old eyes, as if he said to himself: "Wang Zhaoyuan's remarks and opinions are actually reasonable. The Central Plains is strong and the Han Lord is greedy and violent. He is bound to seek unification. Sooner or later, soldiers will invade Sichuan and Shu, how can we allow my court to settle here?

It's a pity that there are millions of people living in Sichuan, and it has been peaceful for a long time, and it will be difficult to return to the days of Taining!Since the defeat of the North, many refugees in Xingyuan Mansion and other places have gone south to escape!

The difficulty of the national treasury can be clearly seen. His Majesty still wants to recruit soldiers and prepare for military preparations. Perhaps it won't be long before the whole court will have to cut down on food and clothing! "

Hearing Wu Zhaoyi's emotion, Li Hao subconsciously touched his jade belt and the jade ring in his hand. The country was in trouble and the territory was restless. Even though they were still well-clothed and well-fed, they were also disturbed.

"Military armaments, the imperial court should give full support, and we must keep the enemy out of the country!" Li Hao said firmly.

"Everything needs money and food. How can we replenish the depletion of the national treasury?" Wu Zhaoyi sighed.

After being silent for a while, Li Hao said: "We can only raise taxes to raise military funds. In the face of national crisis, the soldiers and people of the whole country should show something and work together to resist the enemy!"

A cool wind blew past, it wasn't very cold, but Li Hao couldn't help shivering.Looking up at the sky above the Shu Palace, it was pale, and his thoughts drifted away. The current situation of the Shu Kingdom reminded him of the late period of the former Shu.Although the politics of Hou Shu was not so chaotic and dark, the prosperity of foreign enemies was even better than that of Hou Tang.

The hearts of the officials were fluctuating, and Meng Chang's mood couldn't get better.His face was a bit haggard, and the situation in the north made him extremely anxious. Since Liang Quan was defeated and reported to the south, he hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep.

Walking and walking, I came to the bank of Maha Pool, looking around, I can see that a brand new palace is rising from the ground on the pool.After moving his mind last year, Meng Chang ordered the construction to escape the summer heat.

Now it has reached a large scale. Although it has not been completely completed, it can be seen that it is luxurious and luxurious.Especially in those halls, the pillars are made of nanmu, the buildings are made of agarwood, the windows are inlaid with coral, and the doors are made of jasper. The surrounding walls are not made of bricks and stones, but inlaid with glazed pearls.

However, now that the palace is about to be completed, it is not as good as enjoying it with Mrs. Huarui, and the national disaster has come.At this time, although Meng Chang was a little slack, he had not completely degenerated.

With the cold wind blowing and his clothes fluttering, Meng Chang suddenly became sober as he looked at the extremely extravagant Crystal Palace. Considering his years of diligence and frugality, and thinking about the difficulties of the country, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty, which was very strong.

"Your Majesty, it's windy and cold by the pool, let's go back to the palace!" The servant took the initiative to put a fox fur on Meng Chang, and said with concern. Concubine Hui will be able to stay in the Crystal Palace."

Hearing this, Meng Chang couldn't help frowning, looking at the scene outside Chishang Hall, where greenery was still being planted and the red bridge was being built, he couldn't help opening his mouth.With such an impulse, he wanted to order someone to demolish the Crystal Palace to make up for military use, but he couldn't be cruel after all.

After all, it took so much money, food, rare treasures, and paid such a high price, it would be a pity to destroy it directly.After a long time, Meng Chang tightened his fur and said solemnly: "Continue to pass on the order, and from now on, all expenses in the palace will be reduced, and the financial expenses of each palace will be distributed according to the first year of Guangzheng!"

(End of this chapter)