Chapter 50 The Southern Tang Dynasty monarchs and ministers celebrated with their foreheads and hands
It was midsummer in the fourth year of Emperor Qianyou's reign in the Northern Han Dynasty.
In the inner hall of Jinling, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, and several ministers who were working on poetry and articles were having a banquet. They looked very happy looking at the emotions they showed.
In the splendid inner hall, there are vessels all around containing ice stored in the palace, and the cold smoke is rising, creating a comfortable environment in this hot summer. Take a sip of the ice-cold wine, and then a few more sips of "ice and snow bayberry syrup"
", the refreshing feeling was almost written on Li Jing's face.
The Lord of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, summoned his ministers to have a banquet this time, not for daily enjoyment, but for celebration. It was mainly to celebrate two aspects of news. One was that the situation in Hunan was becoming more and more optimistic; the other was that the situation in the north was
Han is in trouble.
"Your Majesty!" Feng Yansi stood up with a glass of cold drink. First, he glanced at Han Xizai, who remained calm and elegant, and said to Li Jing: "The news has been confirmed. The war preparations of the Northern Han Dynasty in the past two months are all to prepare against the Khitan invasion from the south.
Rather than what some people are worried about, they have other agendas.”
"According to detailed investigation, since this spring, the Khitan people have intensified their attacks on the borders of the Northern Han Dynasty. Now the whole Han court is in a state of turmoil. They are bent on heading north and are unable to care about it. The affairs of Hunan are in peace with us!"
At first, the big commotion of the Northern Han Dynasty's preparations for war could not be completely concealed. Therefore, there was another strange noise in the Southern Tang Dynasty. Han Xizai was still the leader, suggesting that Li Jing should be vigilant and be on alert, especially when the two countries border.
border.
After a period of thinking, deduction, and comprehensive information from all aspects, Han Xizai finally thought in the direction that frightened him. The Northern Han Dynasty aimed at Huainan.
However, when he rushed to Li Jing and the officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty to warn him, he attracted ridicule from Feng Yansi and others, and even Li Jing thought it was a bit whimsical.
In any case, since the two countries sent envoys to each other to repair relations in the second year of Qianyou, and after the friendship, the Northern Han Dynasty has always shown goodwill towards the Southern Tang Dynasty. Along the Huaihe border, merchant trade between the two countries has become increasingly prosperous.
, Jiangnan silk brocade and tea were sold to the Central Plains, allowing the bureaucrats and merchants of the Southern Tang Dynasty to earn huge profits.
After the Northern Han Dynasty put forward the idea of "dividing Chu", the relationship between the two countries became more like a "love affair". It was Feng Yansi and others who took the initiative to send troops to Hunan. Han Xizai waited until this time to propose
The "delusion" immediately caused Feng Yansi and others to seize the opportunity and criticized him for ignoring national affairs due to political disagreements.
Therefore, Li Jing, who had a soft ear, was somewhat dissatisfied with Han Xizai. Although he did not scold him, he never listened to his suggestions on national policy.
On that day, Han Xizai was so miserable that he couldn't control himself. After leaving the palace, he was so distracted that he burst into tears. He sighed and said: Why is it that the envoy Song Gong is in the court?
The Duke of Song he mentioned was Song Qiqiu, the founding father of the Southern Tang Dynasty and known as the "first counselor". Although Song and Feng Yan were already in the same party, Han Xizai still admired his intelligence and strategic vision, and I believe he could also see it.
Something is wrong in between.
It's a pity that Qiqiu of the Song Dynasty was sent to Hongzhou as a military governor for several years. Now he is far away from the center and has to prepare grain for the Western Expedition. What's interesting is that Qiqiu of the Song Dynasty was demoted to Hongzhou.
It was precisely because of the party dispute with the Jiangbei scholar group represented by Han Xizai.
But this time, with the good news coming from the north, Han Xizai's worries turned into unfounded worries.
Ma Zai from Song and Feng's party, and Wei Cen, the admonishing doctor, also stood up and said with a smile: "Now the Northern Han Dynasty has too much time to take care of itself. Even if they really have ambitions for our country, there is no need to worry. Hunan Ma Xi
"Calyx, everyone is about to betray their relatives and leave, and people's hearts are lost. If we can attack, we will definitely spread the message and expand the territory thousands of miles."
Even Han Xizai, who was sitting alone at the table, looked much calmer, and seemed to have temporarily put aside his doubts. The monarchs and ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty were celebrating with their foreheads at this time, probably because they were destined to love the Tang Dynasty.
"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Li Jing was all smiles. He even shouted "Okay" a few times without hiding his weakness. Then he hesitated and said: "Send troops now?"
Although she had the intention to make contributions, from beginning to end, Li Jing seemed hesitant every time it came to making a decision.
Seeing that the emperor's old habit had returned, Feng Yansi immediately advised him: "Your Majesty, the two generals have been stationed in Yuan, Hubei for nearly two months. Chariots, horses, boats, grain, grass and military equipment are also being allocated one after another, enough to supply the army for three months.
Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng, who used to steal Langzhou, also accepted our appointment. Considering the current situation in Hunan, we can make up our minds."
"In addition, it is said that when the leader of the Southern Han Dynasty heard about Chu's rebellion, he also sent troops and horses to the border to see his intentions. He was afraid that he wanted to take all the land south of Lingnan. Therefore, our court must not hesitate to prevent the opportunity from being missed and the Southern Han Dynasty
The army took the lead."
Feng Yansi was impatient, but the hesitation in Li Jing's character became more and more obvious. He put down the wine glass, thought about it for a while, and said slowly and calmly: "Since the land of Ma Chu can be obtained easily, there is no rush.
,hold on."
Seeing the Tang Lord's reaction, Feng Yan was about to speak when he heard him say: "There is a food shortage in Huainan and hungry people are everywhere. It is better to wait until the hunger is relieved."
Last year, the weather was unfavorable and the harvests in various parts of Huainan were poor. This year, the rich Huainan has experienced a food shortage. The taxes imposed on the lower class people in the Southern Tang Dynasty were actually very heavy. After paying the taxes, they could basically survive.
rations, and coincidentally this spring, the Southern Tang court began to prepare for the attack on Chu, and mobilized a large amount of grain from the official warehouses in Huainan.
All situations came together, which resulted in a large number of hungry people in Huainan. Along the Han border, many Huainan people crossed the Huaihe River to beg for food. In response to this situation, Liu Chengyou issued an edict to release small amounts of grain for relief in Hanzhou County along the Huaihe River.
All hungry people who went north to stay were given land registration registration if they were willing to stay. Those who were unwilling were not forced to stay and were allowed to return south to their hometowns.
No matter what choice he made, it was not a bad thing for the Han Dynasty. It was just a small amount of food. Liu Chengyou did not engage in loss-making business. He was more looking forward to returning to the hungry people in Huainan to promote the Han Dynasty's benevolence and righteousness and attack their hearts before he attacked. After all,
The officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty were not so "generous" in terms of relief.
As for the merchants of the Southern Tang Dynasty who went north to buy grain, Liu Chengyou also issued an edict. There was no need to hinder them and they were allowed to buy. There were no restrictions on the price. No matter how high the price the Huainan merchants paid for the grain, they could be pulled back.
After that, it will definitely be sold at a higher price...
Li Jing was not aware of the evil intentions hidden by the Northern Han Dynasty, but praised his benevolence and righteousness. At this time, he mentioned the hunger in Huainan and said: "In this way, I will send an envoy to the north with gifts to thank him for his help in Huainan. In addition, I will ask him again."
, send troops to divide Chu!"
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"Your Majesty, are you trying to test the Northern Han Dynasty again?" Feng Yansi seemed to have figured out what Li Jing was thinking.
Li Jing did not deny it, his eyes seemed to shine brightly, and there was a little joy between his eyebrows. He seemed to be excited about his wisdom. He raised his hands and said: "When the autumn grains are put into the warehouse, Khitan or
We also mobilized troops to go south. At that time, our government was absolutely safe."
"Let Bian Hao train his troops in Yuanzhou and prepare for attack."
Li Jing seemed to have made up his mind. Feng Yansi thought about it for himself, and it seemed to make sense, and he was not stubborn in admonishing him. After all, the emperor rarely had his own opinions. It was not a smart person to argue with him in this situation.
"By the way, Your Majesty, I have one more thing to report!" Feng Yansi said suddenly.
"Please tell me!" Li Jing was slightly curious.
"The Jiangsai border card reported that an official ship entered the river from Wuyue, saying that it was escorting Princess Wuyue to Kaifeng north to marry Liu Chengxun, King of Huaiyang of the Han Dynasty! The guard did not dare to let it go without authorization, so it has been detained. Please ask the imperial court!" Feng Yansi!
road.
Hearing this, Li Jing was not only puzzled: "Wu Yue paid tribute to the Central Plains and took the sea route. How could he be so arrogant and use our way to go to court this time?"
Feng Yansi said: "In my opinion, Wu Yue wanted to use this to demonstrate to our court and show his friendship with the Northern Han Dynasty by marriage!"
"Hmph!" Li Jing snorted softly. He seemed to be disdainful of Qian Hongchu's little move and said: "Let us pass the order. It just so happens that the envoys are heading north together to congratulate him!"