One Piece of Song Dynasty

On the th day of the th month of the twelfth month of the lunar month, a major event occurred. Nie Chang, the envoy who ceded the territory, was killed in Jiangzhou.

Nie Chang, Jin envoy Yang Tianji and others arrived at Jiangzhou City on November th. At that time, the city gate of Jiangzhou was closed, and all the magistrates and magistrates of Jiangzhou had abandoned the city and fled. In the city, there was a prison and the clan Zhao Ziqing had the right to know the affairs of the state.

Nie Chang ordered Liu Cen, the counselor, to explain to the soldiers guarding the city. He told them that the Holy Emperor was besieged by the Jin people in the capital and was in danger. He should cede the land quickly to repel the Jin soldiers.

Liu Cen came to the city and asked who the city guard was. Zhao Ziqing stood on the city tower and replied: "All the magistrates and magistrates of the state have abandoned the city, and the people have no one to rely on. Only Ziqing is the emperor's clan, so everyone recommends Ziqing to know the affairs of the state. He is an official of the imperial court, and he can't go with the captives." Could it be that we want to secede Jiangzhou to make peace?"

Liu Cen said: "Your Majesty is in danger and uneasy now. If you can cede land, do so to relieve the court's urgent needs. If you can't cede land, why don't you use troops to protect the country?"

Zhao Ziqing and the Jiangzhou people believed that Liu Cen's words were more reliable and they were willing to listen. However, they were very angry with Nie Chang. They thought Nie Chang was a traitor, so they closed the city gate tightly and refused to let him in. Liu Cen asked for the door to be opened for three consecutive days, but was refused.

Nie Chang saw that the people of Jiangzhou were very uncooperative, so on November th, he had to come to the city in person and present the imperial edict.

When Zhao Ziqing and the people of Jiangzhou saw the edict, they became even more angry and began to intend to kill. They lowered the rope and asked Nie Chang and the golden envoy Yang Tianji to climb up the rope. When Nie Chang and Yang Tianji climbed onto the city wall, Zhao Ziqing led the people to swarm up and captured Nie Chang and Yang Tianji.

When Liu Cen saw Nie Chang and Yang Tianji being arrested at the bottom of the city, he was so frightened that he quickly fled to Shaanxi. Both Nie Chang and Yang Tianji were killed by Jiangzhou people, and both died miserably. Nie Chang was forty-nine years old. Before his death, he left a poem in blood: "The stream of stars destroys five hearts with one arrow, and the electricity pierces the eyes and opens the two sides. When the carriage and horse trample, the head is like powder, and the bones where the black kite pecks are like ashes. Father and brother have Feeling empty and mourning, my children are ignorant and do not express condolences. Looking back to Linchuan, I have not yet returned, and I have built a false viewing platform in the dark."

Later, Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, learned that Nie Chang was accidentally killed by Jiangzhou people, and ordered his body to be transported back to his hometown of Linchuan, where he was buried on Leigong Ridge and built a Zhaofu Temple. Li Gang's inscription on his portrait said: "He scolded the captives with his tongue and pierced the wall with blood. His great achievements and heroic deeds are reflected in the sky. His righteousness and courage are loyal to his liver, but his essence is the only one. He holds the book of life and death and preserves the outline of the past and the present. The dignified portrait is like the sun and the moon. To win glory."

The Jin army accelerated the filling of the Dragon River in the south and north of the city. At the same time, they continued to increase their siege efforts. The situation in the capital became increasingly dangerous. However, at this critical moment, some of the Song soldiers defending the city felt that the reward from the court was too light and refused to fight desperately. If these negative emotions spread, it will be very detrimental to defending the city and the consequences will be disastrous.

On November th, a man named Zhang Shixiong stopped He Li on the street. He stood in front of He Li's horse and shouted loudly: "I have a plan to defeat the enemy. If it is convenient, can you come?" Metropolitan Report"

He Li rode on his horse and replied loudly: "Please go to the capital hall to meet me."

After a while, Zhang Shixiong came to the capital hall. He Li crossed his hands and asked, "What's your plan?"

Zhang Shixiong asked: "The enemy is attacking the city day and night. Do you think your husband is safe? Do you think he is in danger?"

He Li replied: "It can be said to be dangerous."

Zhang Shixiong asked again: "My lord, do you think the capital city can be destroyed or not?"

He Li frowned and replied, "This goes without saying."

Zhang Shixiong said: "Today's matter, there is no cunning plan or secret plan to defeat the enemy. The only way to defeat the enemy is to spare no expense in rewarding the officers and men, and to arouse their greed for gold, silk, and officials."

He Li said: "The reward is not unkind."

Zhang Shixiong said: "Today's reward cannot be considered generous unless it exceeds a hundred times." As he said that, he took out a note he had prepared in advance and gave it to He Li. The general idea of ​​his letter is: Today, I am sitting in a besieged city, and it is not the time to count my merits and award rewards. A few days ago, the commander-in-chief Gao Shidan died in a bloody battle. If the imperial court could spare no expense and reward his family members with hundreds of taels of gold, thousands of taels of silver, and hundreds of pieces of silk, and appoint his son to the same official title as before Gao Shidan's death, Give him a house and support his family with salary and property, and you don't have to worry about other generals not fighting.

Another example is the problem of soldiers going to war. Those who actually enter the formation to fight the enemy instead of retreating in fear of the enemy should be rewarded with silver silk. Among them, those who capture the enemy's head will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver and a hundred bolts of silk for each level they gain, which is not too much. With million taels of silver and million bolts of silk, you can get enemy heads. If this policy can be implemented, not only will the soldiers perform war feats, but the people will also sacrifice their lives. Those who deserve an official position during this period will still be awarded an official position according to rank. Those who died in battle were often those who fought first, and silver silk should also be paid to their families in accordance with the regulations for obtaining heads. For those who died in battle after fighting hard, more bounties and silk should be given to their families, their heroic souls should be commended, and their descendants should be appointed as officials. In this way, there is no need to worry about the soldiers not fighting.

Another example is the problem of soldiers being hungry and cold on weekdays. Today, when we are employing people, it is not easy for them to be exposed to the wind and snow with their cold bodies. Under this situation, if we want them to fight desperately when the enemy attacks the city, it is not difficult to recommend that we order cloth weavers in Beijing to prepare ten people for each family of cotton coats, cotton hakama, and cotton socks. No hemp is allowed outside the shoes. If the person who submits the money is badly damaged, has a meager price, etc., he will be severely punished. In this way, families can obtain clothing for people. If soldiers are so warm, they will enjoy fighting and forget to die. Shixiong is also a weaver. He is willing to spend twice as much as everyone else and provide clothes for twenty people.

The heart of a soldier can be stimulated by financial gain. You can take out some gold, silver, money and silk, place them on the city gates, and then put up a notice on the battlements saying: "Those who deserve the rewards will collect them here every day." In this way, you don't have to worry about people's hearts being weak. Moreover, gold, silver, money, and silk should not be cherished today. If the defense is sparse, even a handful of soil, a spoonful of water, and an inch of grass will all belong to the enemy. With this in mind, the government of the Qing Dynasty encouraged the soldiers and sincerity was the long-term strategy. If we use taels of silver and bolts of silk a day, it will only amount to million bolts a year. The national treasury has been accumulated for nearly two hundred years. How can it not be used for several years? In addition, there is no city that has been besieged for many years. Most of them will be rewarded for their merit. If the generals have meritorious service, the enemy's numbers will be reduced, and after the reduction there will be no more. After counting, the treasury is not exhausted, but the enemy has been destroyed. Moreover, there are countless clans, clans, families of powerful people and wealthy people. If the siege of the city is not lifted within half a year, everyone will spare no expense and contribute all their money to help the country reward its warriors. Is there any doubt about this?

After reading, He Li laughed and said: "The common theory is just a generous reward. Who knows?"