Fenghou

"It is estimated that there is something important."

Lu Xiu got up and said with a smile: "You are inconvenient, so don't go, I will ask Yu Ying and Yu Lian to accompany me!"

Lu Xiu called the Yu sisters, and accompanied by a large group of envoys and maids, they went to the guest hall in the atrium.

Jiang Yanxian was waiting in the guest room. At this time, there was a ringing sound, and a large number of servants came in surrounded by his wife Lu Xiu. Jiang Yanxian quickly stood up and saluted, "The lowly job disturbed my wife's rest!"

"Jiang Changshi doesn't need to be polite, please sit down!"

Jiang Yan sat down first, and Lu Xiu also sat down on the main seat. The Yu sisters stood behind her, and a group of servants stood behind her. A maid came in to exchange tea.

Jiang Yanxian said with a smile: "To make a long story short, the special envoy of the imperial court, Zhe Yanzhi, came yesterday. He is a privy secretary and co-inquisitor. This time he came to Jingzhao for three things. First, to negotiate and participate in the Xixia War; After defeating the Jin soldiers, the imperial court wanted to commend the envoy Xuanfu, and wanted to ask the envoy Xuanfu his personal thoughts; the third was that the imperial court wanted to take Wanyan Helisa and Wanyan Qi to Lin'an, and the imperial court would negotiate with the state of Jin. Of course, the imperial court will give us a certain amount of compensation, we have had a preliminary discussion this morning, and I would like to hear Madam's opinion."

Lu Xiu nodded, "The envoy Xuanfu told me about this before leaving. If Jiang Changshi asked, he asked me to convey my opinion to Jiang Changshi for him."

Once Jiang Yanxian regained his energy, he knew that the Xuanfu envoy must have an explanation, so he quickly said, "Madam, please tell me!"

"Xuanfu envoy agrees with the third point, handing over the two nobles of the Kingdom of Jin to the imperial court, including Dasheng in northern Shaanxi. Xuanfu has only three requirements. First, he has handed over the list of generals to the Ministry of Officials and asked the officials to Second, the 110 Jinshi in the Sichuan-Shanxi Imperial Examination this time asked the imperial court to grant the same Jinshi background; thirdly, regarding his own identity, he hoped that the imperial court could be crowned king.”

After a pause, Lu Xiu added: "Xuan Fu envoy also specifically said that this time the Xixia War is over, regardless of whether the court agrees, he will be named Fengxiang County King, but he hopes to be canonized by the court, I remember very clearly .”

Jiang Yanxian gave a wry smile, the envoy Xuanfu really spoke straightforwardly, and he had to be a little more reserved about the last sentence.

He hurriedly said: "I understand the humble position. One more thing is that regarding the imperial court's participation in the Western Xia War, the imperial court has made it clear that it does not want to send troops, but is willing to pay part of the money. The military salary, Madam please decide."

"This... Let me discuss it with Qiao Yun! Write a note to Chang Shi later."

"The humble official understands, then the humble official will not bother Madam, leave!"

Jiang Yan saluted first and left in a hurry.

Lu Xiu went back to the back house, Zhao Qiaoyun is still waiting for her!

"Jiang Changshi left so soon?"

"Hmm! He always keeps his stories short and not long-winded, but he left me another question, let's analyze it."

Lu Xiu explained the negotiating terms of the imperial court, and Zhao Qiaoyun sneered and said, "The imperial court really knows how to settle accounts, 50 shi of grain is nothing, the key is 100 million guan military salary, the elder sister knows that the expenditure for attacking Xixia this time is How many?"

"I don't know, tell me!"

"Let me calculate this account. Let me talk about the military salary first. When a war starts, there is usually double salary. 25 troops are dispatched, and the double salary is six guan. One month is 150 million guan. The plan lasts for half a year. Of course, there will be a truce in the middle. Monthly double salary, three single salary, a total of 670 million military salary.

After winning a battle, you will be rewarded at the end, usually money plus land, and the two count as ten pennies!It’s another 250 million yuan. The death penalty is 50 million, and the injured needs to be resettled. I don’t know how many casualties there will be, but the compensation for the death is [-] yuan plus [-] acres of land, and the injury is [-] yuan plus [-] acres of land. This piece counts as [-] Wan Guan!

The above is just the money paid to the soldiers, it will be nearly 1000 million guan, and there are millions of stones of food, weapons, armor, kerosene, gunpowder, tents, flags, war drums, and heavy siege weapons. We spent a lot of money saving these materials How much?

There is also a big head. Soldiers can't just eat food, but also mutton and dishes. How much do 25 soldiers have to supply every day?By the way, there are still 20 civil servants. I remember that each person gave two money. "

Lu Xiu smiled and waved her hands, "Stop talking, I'm dizzy."

"It cost at least 500 million guan. Not only was the wealth accumulated by the Xuanfu envoy over the years basically invested in it, but also without the support of Bashu's financial resources, it would be impossible to attack Xixia."

Lu Xiu sighed: "No wonder my grandfather said to me that wars are fought against national strength. I only now understand the meaning of this sentence. From this point of view, the imperial court is only willing to pay 100 million guan, which is indeed a little less."

"The people in the imperial court are not fools, they are all good people. They proposed or paid for a month's military salary, which is 120 million guan, which is about the same as 100 million guan. How much food will the war cost?"

"Then shall we agree?"

"I suggest that the elder sister choose 100 million yuan and 50 shi of grain. This is relatively clear. There is no specific amount for a month's military salary, and it is easy to argue. In fact, they are just a symbolic support. Otherwise, the destruction of Xixia has nothing to do with the imperial court. Don't let the world laugh?"

Lu Xiu sighed, "After this battle, we will have to live a hard life."

Zhao Qiaoyun smiled slyly, "Eldest sister only thinks of spending, why didn't she think of getting money?"

"You mean... loot?"

Zhao Qiaoyun nodded, "Civilian officials will not support unprofitable wars. Zhou Kuan, who is so stingy, is willing to spend all his money. He must settle the account. In the end, he must make a profit. Not only did he earn all his capital Come back, there must be a net profit."

Lu Xiu hesitated and said: "But... didn't the officials say that the Xixia treasury was empty and extremely weak, so they decided to fight this war. If the treasury is empty, where will the benefits come from?"

"It doesn't matter if the national treasury is empty, there are still so many dignitaries! Xixia's wealth is in their hands. I have read a piece of information, saying that every household of the rich and powerful in Xingqing Mansion has a huge underground warehouse. The granary, decades of old grain piled up like a mountain."

"I understand, let me give Jiang Changshi a clear answer!"

Lu Xiu wrote a note, signed it, and handed it to the leader of the female guards. She asked her to go to the Xuanfu envoy and hand the note to Jiang Yanxian.

Chapter 667 Elder

Orihiko finally stayed in Jingzhao for only two days, had two talks with Jiang Yanxian, and basically completed the mission of this trip to Jingzhao. He reached an agreement with Jiang Yanxian and Zhou Kuan. 100 shi, to support the Western Army to attack Xixia, which is one of the two autonomy granted by the imperial court to Zhe Yanzhi, and he can sign the agreement on behalf of the imperial court.

Although Jiang Yanxian did not have Chen Qing's authorization, but he had the signature of Xuanfu envoy's wife, so he could reach an agreement with the court on behalf of Xuanfu envoy.

In addition, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Xuanfu envoy agreed to hand over the two Jurchen nobles, Wanyan Helisa and Wanyan Qi, to the imperial court. The first request is to ask the court to approve the roster of generals he submitted for promotion as soon as possible;

The first request is not a big problem, the imperial court has approved it, and the approval is already in the middle. The second request is that the imperial court also expressed that it can be discussed, mainly for naming rights. The examiner must be selected by the imperial court, of course, the chief examiner recognized by both parties.

The key is the third requirement, which is also the real purpose of Orihiko's mission to Jingzhao. This must be decided by the emperor, and Orihiko cannot give any answer.

Orihiko then left Jingzhao and returned to Lin'an.

At the same time, Chen Qing's army also completed the substantive occupation of southern Xixia. Liu Cui's army spent a whole month of hard work and finally opened up the southwest military road, and the army arrived in Yingli County. .

They built seven iron cable bridges, repaired plank roads for more than 150 miles, and opened up the Southwest Military Road. Lanzhou's grain and grass materials began to be transported to Yingli County by camels. Such large-scale siege weapons cannot be transported on chain bridges and plank roads, and can only be transported on the ice after the Yellow River freezes in winter.

At this time, the Song Army had assembled 20 troops in the southern part of Xixia, mainly distributed in Yingli County, Mingsha County and Weizhou City. It is only two hundred miles from Sha County to Xingping Mansion, the southern gate of the capital city of Xixia, and the cavalry can kill them in a day. Chen Qing therefore sent dozens of scout teams to the hinterland of Xixia to investigate intelligence.

At this time, Chen Qing was inspecting the defensive deployment at Shatuoguan. Shatuoguan is one of the most important strategic places in Xixia. It consists of two parts: Shatuo Town and Shatuo Fort. A large military fort was built, and the military road had to pass through the city. The Shatuobao city was three feet high and built with large stones.

If the Song army hadn't captured Yingli County in the rear, cut off the logistics supply of Shatuobao, and forced the Xixia defenders to retreat after running out of food, Liu Cui's eastward army might not be able to capture Shatuobao in the end.

But Shatuo Castle is special in that it is not only the entrance to the Southwest Military Road, but also the starting point of the Xixia Hexi Old Road. After passing through Shatuo Town in the north, it enters a large desert area, and then to the north is the boundless Tenge Li desert, walking hundreds of miles west along the desert edge of the desert, they arrived in Liangzhou.

Similarly, walking northeast along the northern foot of Henan Mountain on the edge of the desert and crossing the vast Gobi, you can also reach the northern part of Xixia. The northern part of Huili County retreated, and they were unwilling to take the Gobi Road.

Chen Qing led a large group of generals to the north of Shatuo Town on horseback. After a few miles, the dry Gobi Desert was within a few miles. The Gobi Desert alone was tens of miles away, and there was no desert in sight.

Chen Qing pointed his horsewhip in the northeast direction, and said to Guan Tao, the guard of Shatuo Gate: "Although it is unlikely that the Xixia people will come from the Gobi Road, we still have to be careful of their surprise soldiers. Now that the Southwest Military Road has been opened, I suggest building two forts here to guard against the Xixia Raiders."

Guan Tao quickly bowed and said: "The humble job will arrange the construction as soon as possible!"

Chen Qing laughed again: "Another way is to put only three days' supply in Shatuo Fort, and Yingli County will send a batch of supplies by camel every three days. Tuobao, but it won’t last for a few days, and once Yingli County doesn’t find any camels returning, it will be vigilant and send troops to check.”

Liu Qiong nodded and said: "Dutong's method is good, I agree with it, and I will send someone to be responsible for the supply delivery."

At this time, Liu Cui asked: "We have assembled an army of 20, and we have enough food and supplies. Why doesn't Dutong continue to march northward? Is it because the siege weapons are not in place?"

Chen Qing smiled slightly and said, "It has little to do with siege weapons. Yingli County was captured before with a simple battering ram. The main reason is that now Xixia feels the crisis of destroying the country and is very united. There are actually conflicts among them. Very deep, brother Li Cha did not hesitate to kill Chu King Tuoba Aqu’s family in order to raise money and food. Let’s wait for a few months, when their sense of crisis gradually fades, internal fighting will definitely resume, and when their internal disintegration begins, it will be Xixia When the country is destroyed."

After a pause, Chen Qing said again: "Of course, appropriate provocation is still required, Liu Cui and Gao Ding."

"The end is here! The end is here!"

Chen Qing took out the command arrow and slowly ordered: "You two can each lead [-] cavalry to thresh grain and grass in various regions of Xixia. No matter men, women, old or young, you will be escorted southward, and those who resist will be killed!"

"Follow the order!" The two took the arrow and left.

At this time, a cavalry came rushing forward, clasped their fists and said: "The cavalry is in command, and three elders of the Qiang people have come and are waiting in Huili County!"

Chen Qing nodded, "Go back to the county first!"

……

Chen Qing met three Qiang elders in Yingli County. They were all very old, at least 80 to [-] years old. It is rare to see such old people. Although they are not chiefs, they have a high status among the tribes. They were recognized by many tribes and escorted by hundreds of Qiang cavalry.

Since the founding of the Xixia Kingdom, the Qiang people have been oppressed by the Dangxiang people, just like the Uighurs, Tubo, Han people, and Khitans. The Qiang people are also the second largest ethnic group in Xixia, and most of them live in mountainous areas. Xiao Heda's rebellion can persist for so long , The momentum is huge, but also because of the support of the Qiang people.

This time to attack Xixia, Chen Qing did not intend to go it alone. The Huangtou Huihe Cao Changchun's army would attack Xixia from the north, where the Uighurs gathered.

The Han people are the most oppressed nation, they are basically slaves, plundered from all over the Song Dynasty, they are waiting for the rescue of the Song army.

The Qiang people have their own forces, and their territory is mainly in the mountainous areas in the east and south, such as the large hilly pastures south of Mingsha County, which used to be the pasture area of ​​the Qiang people. Before that, Chen Qing had sent Huyanlei to Xiazhou. Living in the largest tribe of the Qiang people.

The Qiang people have already broken with the Xixia court because of their support for Xiao Heda, but the Xixia court has not had time to clean up the Qiang people, so Huyanlei came at the right time. All the tribes of the Qiang people responded to Chen Qing’s suggestion and were willing to send troops to cooperate with the Song army to destroy Xixia. .

This time, the three elders were also entrusted by the tribes to come to meet Chen Qing, and at the same time they had to finalize the final cooperation plan. In fact, it was to let Chen Qing personally promise their interests.

The three elders all have white beard and hair, and are thin and small. They sit cross-legged on the futon like three clay bodhisattvas. The head elder is called Hong, who is also the oldest. Chen Qing calls him Elder Hong. elders.

"As support for the Song army, we will send 20 sheep. In addition, we have prepared [-] warriors. They are very good at fighting in the mountains and will be handed over to the Xuanfu envoy to command together."

Chen Qing liked dealing with the Qiang people very much on Xihe Road. They were obedient and had no ambitions. As long as they could live a peaceful life, they were satisfied. Even if they had an army, they would not fight independently, but attached to the Song army.

Chen Qing said happily: "There are also [-] Qiang soldiers in my army. They are stationed in Lanzhou. I will treat your [-] troops equally without any discrimination. I will treat them like brothers."

Chapter 668 Clear

Of course, the three Qiang elders came here for their own interests. They showed enough low profile and sincerity, and they also hoped that Chen Qing would make concessions in terms of interests.

Chen Qing also knew this well, so he simply treated the Hehuang Qiang people. First, they needed to recognize themselves as citizens of the Great Song Dynasty, and then give them autonomy.

Second, they have to pay taxes like the Hehuang Qiang people. The reason is simple. Only by paying taxes can they prove that they are citizens of the Song Dynasty. pay taxes.

Of course, it is impossible to pay such a small tax. The sheep tax given by Xixia is 30.00% of the number of newborn lambs per year, which is equivalent to a high tax rate of 5.00%. The same is true for the Qiang people in Xixia.

Third, Qiang people also need to join the army, and the specific number can be discussed.

The three elders readily agreed. They also knew about the Qiang people in Liangzhou, and there was no discrepancy with what Chen Qing said, but the three elders were most concerned about the territory.

Chen Qing said indifferently: "The frontiers of our dynasties and dynasties were first divided into agricultural areas and pastoral areas. The Han people occupied the agricultural areas and handed over the pastoral areas to the Hu people, except for the official horse farms.

If there is a county seat in the pastoral area, then the county seat will be ruled by the government. As long as you can accept the principle of farming and animal husbandry and the principle of cities, then the territory will be easy to talk about. "

The three elders looked at each other, and Elder Hong said cautiously: "But there are also farmers and hunters among the Qiang people, so what should they do?"

Chen Qing said with a smile: "This actually involves the division of agricultural areas and animal husbandry areas. Simply put, the Hetao area is an agricultural area, and the area outside the Hetao area is an animal husbandry area. It doesn't matter what the Qiang people do, whether it is business or farming. Well, the key is to see where he settles.

If he settles in a farming area or within the county seat, he is the same as the Han people, has a civilian household registration, is under the jurisdiction of the government, and is not under the jurisdiction of the Qiang tribe. The same is true for hunters. It also depends on where he settles? "

"How wide is the county seat?" Elder Gui asked.

After a pause, he added: "I mean the county seat of the pastoral area."

"The area within ten miles outside the city belongs to the county seat."

Chen Qing patiently explained again: "This regulation is not aimed at you, it was made on Xihe Road, and we have learned many lessons, if Qiang people and Han people live together, disputes and conflicts are likely to arise, then who will govern? It must be the government, and this Qiang also has a civilian household registration."

The three elders nodded, "We fully understand!"

At this time, Elder Hong said again: "There is still one important matter to discuss with the Xuanfu envoy."

"Elder Hong, please tell me!"

Elder Hong sighed and said: "At the beginning we supported many troops of Xiao Heda, and some soldiers died in battle, but a large number of Qiang soldiers were captured, about 2 people, and their families were turned into slaves and captured. Known as Khitan slaves, they were escorted to Ho Nanshan for mining, but according to the latest news we have, these Khitan slaves have all been transferred to the army. Brother Li Cha threatened the safety of their families and asked [-] Qiang soldiers to work for him , I implore the general to spare their lives during the war."

Chen Qing said slowly: "Generally speaking, we don't keep any prisoners. If these Qiang soldiers are willing to surrender, and we can identify their identities, then we can spare their lives."

"Thank you Xuan Fushi, we will secretly inform these Qiang people and ask them to surrender as much as possible on the battlefield in order to obtain forgiveness!"

Several people discussed some details about the delivery of troops, and then the three elders left. Chen Qing personally sent them out of the city, watched their convoy pass the Yellow River pontoon bridge, and watched the convoy gradually go away.

……

The news that the Song army captured Yingli County and Mingsha County spread to Xingqing City, and the whole city was shocked, including the emperor, civil and military officials, dignitaries, soldiers and ordinary people. After joining the army, in just a few days, he raised a lot of wealth and [-] soldiers.

In the palace, Li Qianshun also let go of his previous sickness and began to focus on the war. Brother Li Cha also forcibly recruited more than 28 troops these days. Including the existing army, the number of Xixia Army troops has reached [-].

The number of troops is enough, but a new problem arises. First of all, they are short of armor, so they start to collect weapons in various cities, even the rusty daggers have to be handed in, so that every soldier has a weapon , but the armor really can't be solved. The [-] army can only wear cloth armor and turbans, and it is called the White Armor Army.

Not only is there a shortage of soldiers, but money and food will not last long. Although the wheat has just been harvested, due to the impact of the war, a large amount of land has been left uncultivated. The wheat production has dropped by half last year and this year.

The output of copper mines in the mine also dropped sharply by [-]%, resulting in no coins being minted for three consecutive years, and copper coins in the market have become more precious. On the one hand, there is a shortage of food, and on the other hand, the circulation of copper coins is very small, and the problem of insufficient money and food is getting worse. It's getting worse.

Brother Li Cha certainly knows that most of Xixia’s wealth is in the hands of the dignitaries. Last time he dealt with Chu King Tuoba Aqu, although he got a sum of money, the emperor also seriously warned him that if he dared to do this again, he would directly Remove him from military rank and title.

The emperor was really angry, so he couldn't do it anymore. Although Jin Guo also agreed to help, he didn't dare to count on when Jin Guo's aid would come.

Brother Li Cha paced back and forth in the room, thinking about what to do?

Staff member Han Feng said with a smile: "There is a way for a humble job, and I can get a sum of money and food."

Brother Li Cha asked happily: "What way?"

Han Feng said a few words in a low voice, Brother Li Cha frowned slightly, "This will involve the interests of those powerful people, even there are hundreds of maids and servants from the Song Dynasty in my mansion, should we also get rid of them?"

Han Feng smiled slightly: "Isn't there a manor outside the city? Send them to the manor, and the rest of the dignitaries will do the same, and they will definitely support it."

Han Feng said a few more words, Brother Li Cha nodded again and again, "It's a good way, it should be able to get a lot of money and food!"

In the early morning of the next day, Brother Li Cha put forward a new suggestion. In order to eliminate Song Jun's spies hidden in Xingqing Mansion, he suggested that all non-Party people in the capital should be expelled from the city. All the people were driven out of the city, and even the army of non-Party people was stationed outside the city.

In this way, there will be no spies from the Song army, and there will be no spies cooperating with others. This suggestion was supported by the emperor Li Ganshun and became an official will.

Brother Li Cha first started to clean the army. The army is very easy to distinguish. Before the distribution of armor and weapons, the distinction was made. The party members all have armor and standard weapons, while the foreign army is all white armor and mixed weapons. As long as all the white armor is stationed Outside the city, there is no foreign army in the city.