Chapter 4 Sejong Chapter 7 Conflict between Han and Jin
Chapter 2132 Sejong Chapter 7 Conflict between Han and Jin, Another Minister
In September of the first year of Duangong, Fengzhou of Shanyang Road reported that the barbarians invaded the territory and attacked the Yinnanji under the jurisdiction. They killed more than 30 officials, merchants and people, and looted their property. This incident was not serious, and every year in
In the remote areas on the fringes of the Han Dynasty, similar incidents would always occur. Han-barbarian conflicts and barbarian invasions were endless.
However, Naiman suddenly showed his fangs to the court. Although the damage was just a mosquito bite on the elephant's leg, it reached the sky and caused quite a shock in the power center 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 such actions, 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 Naiman and Khitan a large sum of money and material rewards.
However, before this promise could be fulfilled, Emperor 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 not succeeded to the throne for a long time and was short of the national economy. The national 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 was settled by the minister.
Ling Xiang Deming was on the head.
This matter is not easy to deal with, and Xiang Deming is also very distressed. After years of experience, he can see the two sides of the matter. For his own vanity, Kang Zong was generous, but let the imperial court foot the bill. This approach itself is unfair.
He is very popular among people. He is a barbarian who does not know how to teach. He comes to ask for gifts. He is humble on the outside and wild on the inside. If he agrees, he will be criticized by others, weak to make peace, and a waste of national power.
However, if you refuse, someone will inevitably stand up and accuse you of breaking your promise, breaking the faith 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 for criticism.
Between the dilemma, Xiang Deming chose the latter. He had gone through many years of experience and had developed a strong character. Even if he had to compromise, he would not attack the barbarians outside the Great Wall. After all, he had spent half his life fighting against the barbarians.
During the pioneering war, at the same time, there was a deep-seated contempt for the barbarians. Being a barbarian, what does it mean?
Of course, Xiang Deming's choice to be tough was inevitably criticized, and at least he won the support of the "hawkish" dignitaries in the DPRK and China. However, in the eyes of Naiman, the imperial court was treacherous and arrogant. Taiyang Khan Liu Jin was furious after hearing the news
, I thought it was a shame and told my subordinates that if the court would not give it to me, I would take it myself.
So, when 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.
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 Shengyang.
, Yunnei, Tiande and other border state armies.
Of course, although the Naiman invaded the territory boldly and menacingly, there was also 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.
The local frontier troops fled quickly before they could counterattack. It seemed more like a test by the Naiman and Jin Kingdom against the Han Empire.
As for the reaction of the imperial court, the disease of arrogance was a bit serious. It did not take Naiman seriously at all. On the contrary, it launched a new round of political struggle. In the middle of the situation, Xiang Deming could not compromise and showed no weakness.
, we must be tough to the end.
So after several rounds of intense negotiations, and with the support of Li Jilong, Guo Yi and other powerful factions in the army, they reported to the emperor for instructions to send troops to conquer on the grounds that they were in barbarian territory, killing and plundering soldiers and civilians, and violating the power of God.
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, and just asked the question in a formal way.
Some military strategy and preparation issues.
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 and unprovoked intrusions by barbarians, as the emperor of the empire, he must also come up with a plan.
attitude, otherwise he will lose people's hearts, which will also be detrimental to his rule.
Finally, the emperor issued a military order with his seal, 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.
This was no bluff. After the order was issued, everyone from the Privy Council, 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 headed north to set up a tent in Fengzhou.
At the same time, the imperial court issued another edict to the Mobei Khitans, asking them to march westward and join 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.
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.
The Battle of Han and Jin failed to break out in the end. Seeing that the Han Dynasty was really serious about it, Liu and Jin decisively gave in. In the winter of that year, they sent envoys south to explain the disturbance and misunderstanding.
It's all a misunderstanding!
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 pardon my sin.
The "pitiful" 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.
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's loot from the Shanyang border was not
He has no intention of spitting it out. As for the hundreds of Han people who were killed, it is not possible to seek justice for them for the time being.
In the final analysis, the imperial court was not very determined to fight the Jin Kingdom. First of all, the weather was wrong. In winter and spring, large numbers of troops were mobilized, but the military strategists were ineffective. But to fight against tribal countries like the Naiman, it was ineffective to mobilize a small number of troops.
Using a large number of troops will waste people and money. To be effective, we have to send good generals and fine cavalry for an expedition like the Kaibao expedition. This account is not cost-effective no matter how you calculate it.
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 their responsibilities. 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 on the one hand, and yearned for the wealth of the Southern Dynasty on the other. 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, they seemed too weak when facing the huge Han Empire. If they only faced the Han army, they could move and fight, engage in harassment tactics, and guerrilla warfare. They really couldn't withstand it.
They were able to surrender and seek peace. Compared with the Empire, they were barefoot and their burdens were not that heavy. The harsh environment in Mobei forced 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 encounters. But if they know the basics, they have to be on guard.
In this way, a war was eliminated, and the peace and tranquility of the Han Dynasty returned to the frontier of the Han Dynasty. The Han, Jin, and Khitan continued to live their previous lives. However, some things are unavoidable, at least the hundreds of people who fell in the northwest of Shanyang
The blood flowing between soldiers and civilians profoundly 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 army of 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 was that it made King Liu Jin of Jin clearer about his future strategy and became more calm and rational about the management of the Kingdom of Jin.
First of all, Liu Jin made it clear that if the Naiman Jin Kingdom wants to succeed, it must first eliminate the Khitan, unify Mobei, and then integrate the grasslands, and then go south to compete with the Han. These are the achievements of many powerful heroes and tribes on the plateau.
The last successful route to great cause was Yelu Abaoji, the founding father of 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 scarce materials from the grasslands from the Han Dynasty. While the empire remains strong, it is really not advisable to invade the border areas, 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 emperors, it seemed that the temperament of the entire empire changed accordingly. It is inexplicable, but it is true.
Liu Jinxiong lived in Mobei and looked at the empire in the south. Even though he was far away, he could feel the changes.
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 started again. This time, the leader was Xu Shilian. He criticized the decision of "Naibarbarian Expedition" as reckless and unwise, wasting military and food expenses, wasting people and money.
This act of wasting national power was aimed directly at Xiang Deming, the minister who instigated the incident.
Although the war was aborted before it started, 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. Now it's 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 all meaningful and pointed directly at the key points. There were also many people in the court who seconded Xu Shilian's opinions. For example, Lu Zongdao, the censor of Zuodu, also appeared on the list.
Liu Wenji denounced the move as inappropriate, damaging the military and the country, and wasting people's energy.
Different from the previous one, Xiang Deming calmly weathered this turmoil because he was not alone. Not to mention why Xu Shilian launched a denunciation against Xiang Deming on this matter, but he and the courtiers Qingliu
The criticisms angered a group that rarely spoke in the court, but could not be ignored in every word: the Privy Council, or the military group with real power.
For them, they can ignore the struggle within the administrative system, but you cannot extend the struggle to the military. But Xu Shilian and others just ignored this point. Many contents in their articles caused great discomfort in 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 how could its rampant trend be restrained? At the same time, according to what the group of Qingliu said, the army would be mobilized and garrisoned normally.
, does exercise training count as a waste of people and money? Does the imperial court maintain so many soldiers and horses, build and update so many ordnance and ships, count as a waste of national power?
For the army, "horses released to Nanshan" is the most annoying thing, and it is also extremely sensitive in this regard. 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.
Things, they, who come from a family of generals and are members of the military, don’t understand as well as civil servants?
The enraged military system was terrifying, and its revenge came swiftly, and its methods were even more direct. The prince-in-law, Leping Gong, and Privy Councilor Li Jilong directly dragged the sick body to the emperor Liu Wenji, with a decisive attitude and a stern tone, telling the emperor about Xu Shilian and others.
dissatisfaction.
He also issued a seal of impeachment, saying that Xu Shilian and others had no knowledge of military affairs but talked nonsense about military affairs. Their words and deeds contained evil intentions and despised the merits and hard work of the soldiers. In order to prevent the soldiers from being discouraged, the emperor was requested 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, rose to prominence, and gradually became 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 suffering 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 the Privy Council and the army an explanation.
In fact, Emperor Liu Wenji did not agree with some of Xu Shilian and Lu Zongdao's opinions and positions. Liu Wenji learned a lot from Emperor Shizu since he was a child, and one of them was a very profound understanding of policy, that is, everything has its own meaning.
In terms of pros and cons, we should maximize our strengths and avoid weaknesses, and never 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 has some opinions on Lu Zongdao and Liu Wenji. He recognizes his integrity and loyalty, but this is not his arbitrary criticism.
The capital of the Han Dynasty is that the emperor of the Han Dynasty is called Liu Wenji. It is the powerful people who control the power of the court. Not everything has to be based on the knowledge of a mere Zuodu censor.
It’s not you, Lu Zongdao, who opened the hospital.
As expected, the “explanation” came!
In the spring of the second year of Duangong, after attending the last Qianyuan imperial banquet in his life, Xu Shilian, the minister of the Ministry of punishment and the prime minister, was demoted.
First, it has a suitable climate, abundant fish and rice, and a developed economy. It was the retirement place Liu Wenji chose 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 water rushing eastward and 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 do anything for himself.
use
There were also some ministers who were demoted along with Xu Shilian. The most famous official was Lu Zongdao. He moved to Quanzhou to be the magistrate. It was said that the officials there were corrupt, so Lu Zongdao could cleanse him.