After arranging the defense near Hongze Lake, Shen Yi rode back to the imperial envoy's camp in Huai'an City, took a comfortable bath and had a good sleep.
Mr. Shen has not had a good sleep for a long time since he took over the defense of Huai'an.
During this sleep, Shen Yi slept very soundly. It was not until almost noon the next day that he stretched and got up from the bed.
All the energy and energy that had been lost in the past half month have been restored to some extent.
After waking up, Shen Yi had a simple meal and then went to the prefect's Yamen.
In the prefect's yamen, Zhang Jian was dealing with some daily government affairs. After hearing that Shen Yi had arrived, he put all the government affairs aside and quickly invited Shen Yi into his study. After pulling Shen Yi to sit down, Zhang Jian smiled. Said: "I went to your place in the morning and heard Jiang Sheng say that you were still sleeping, so I didn't disturb you and came back by myself."
The prefect of Huai'an was smiling all over his face.
"There is no better news than that you, Shen Ziheng, are sleeping. If you can sleep well, it means that Huai'an's defense line is impregnable."
Shen Yi smiled dumbly.
"Senior brother still understands me."
Shen Yi paused and said with a smile: "After using a little trick, I can't say that the Huai'an defense line is impregnable. I can only say that the pressure will be less than before, so we won't worry that the Huai'an defense line is in danger."
Having said this, Shen Yi looked at Zhang Jian and continued: "Brother, the conflicts on the front line will not stop in a short time. They will probably stop attacking Huai'an until the Qi people invade and there is no result at all. Line of defense.”
"During this process, I am afraid that the officers and soldiers of our department will continue to be lost."
Shen Yi sighed and said, "I guess we will still have to recruit troops near Huai'an."
"There is nothing we can do about this."
Zhang Fuzun nodded slightly and said: "It is already a great thing that Ziheng can hold on. If you and I swap places and put Brother Wei in your position, Brother Wei probably won't even know where to start. Start everywhere."
Master Shen smiled slightly.
"As the saying goes, there are specializations in the arts, but in terms of internal affairs, I am far behind you, senior brother."
Having said this, Shen Yi looked at Zhang Jian and said slowly: "Senior brother, I must stay in Huai'an in the past few years and don't go anywhere."
"In a few years, senior brother will return to Jiankang. I will give him a golden credit for his achievements."
Zhang Fuzun smiled heartily.
"No matter how hard it is, if I can help you a little, I will be satisfied as a brother."
"If I really want a future, I won't take the initiative to ask for a job. I was transferred from the Ministry of Household Affairs to Huai'an Prefecture."
He smiled and said: "I am in the Ministry of Household Affairs and have a personal teacher who is the Tang Zun. Isn't it better than having a future in the local area?"
Shen Yi smiled slightly.
"That's not necessarily the case."
He said slowly: "Maybe, this will be an opportunity for senior brother..."
Zhang Fuzun chuckled.
"It's a joy to have something, but it's also a joy to have nothing."
…………
In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.
Time came to late September of the eleventh year of Hongde.
In this month, as Shen Yi expected, the Huai'an defense line has been in constant conflict. Whether it is the eastern or western front, the Qi people are constantly harassing them. There is even a large-scale Qi people going south, and the enemies of the entire Huai'an defense line are , once again over 10,000.
However, in the past month, not only the Huai'an defense line, the Huaihe Navy defense line, but also the land defense line further west have never stopped clashing. Qi people have been testing in many places, seeming to be looking for a breakthrough. Weak point, prepare to march south in a big way.
On September 28th, the autumn mood in Jiankang City became stronger.
There was a small court meeting in the Ganlu Hall.
There were not many people, including the emperor, there were only eight people, namely the five prime ministers of Zhongshu, and the two ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Husbandry.
His Majesty the Emperor sat on the main seat and looked through the documents on the front line. After reading the documents, he looked up at Jiang Jian, the Minister of War sitting opposite him, and asked: "Shang Jiang, the Minister of War has been discussing it for so long. , are there any regulations?"
Jiang Jian lowered his head slightly. He raised his head cautiously and glanced at the prime ministers next to him. He saw that the prime ministers were looking at their noses and noses, without any expressions. He thought that the trend in the court seemed to have changed recently. , Jiang Shangshu lowered his head slightly and said: "Your Majesty, the Qi people have been making frequent moves recently and frequently attack our defense lines. I think that I, Chen, should immediately recruit and train some soldiers to actively prepare for war..."
"If the Qi people really go south in large numbers, I, Master Wang, can handle it calmly."
The emperor nodded thoughtfully, looked at Zhao Changping again, and asked: "Where are you, God of Wealth, what should I say?"
Zhao Shangshu lowered his head slightly and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue still has its original intention. If the imperial court wants to go to war, the Ministry of Revenue will not be short of money and food within two years."
"If your Majesty really wants to prepare for war, what I mean is that starting from this year, we will reduce the expenditure of all aspects of the imperial court. Specifically, I will give you the regulations after I go back..."
The emperor nodded and continued: "Okay, the Ministry of Finance will submit it, and I will make a decision after reading it."
At this point, the emperor seemed to have thought of something, and said to Zhao Changping: "Expenses in all aspects can be reduced, but the Queen Mother will have her 40th birthday next year. The money that should be spent cannot be saved, and I must fulfill my filial piety."
Hearing this sentence, Zhao Changping frowned and wanted to argue. The Prime Minister Chen Jing on the side coughed and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is celebrating her birthday. This is a happy event for me and my family. It must be a grand event."
Zhao Changping glanced at Chen Jing silently, then slowly sat back to his original position without speaking.
Although the meeting was small in scale, the attendees were all the most powerful people in the court.
Therefore, this small meeting can determine the fate of our country.
The meeting lasted from afternoon to Shen Shizheng. His Majesty the Emperor was a little tired and was about to dissolve the meeting. The eunuch Gao Ming hurried to the door of the room.
He looked a little anxious.
The emperor frowned and waved to Eunuch Gao: "Gao Ming, come in."
"Is something wrong?"
Eunuch Gao held a document in his hand and carefully held it in front of the emperor. He lowered his head respectfully and kept his voice as low as possible: "Your Majesty, urgent military information..."
Although his voice was not loud, most of the civil and military ministers present heard him.
The emperor's face was calm, he reached out to take the document, opened it and took a look, his eyelids twitched, but he did not show it.
He waved his hand, signaling Gao Ming to retreat.
After the high eunuch stood aside, the emperor glanced at the ministers present and said calmly: "It just so happens that all of you are here, so I don't need to send anyone to call you one by one."
He handed the document to Gao Ming, motioned for him to pass it to Chen Jing, and then said directly: "According to the information from Yandu..."
"The Northern Qi court has decided to increase its troops on the Huaihe River."
At this point, His Majesty the Emperor's voice became a little hoarse.
"One hundred thousand people."
These three words made everyone here speechless.
One hundred thousand people?
The Northern Qi Dynasty's Southern Conquest Army on the Huaihe River originally numbered more than 100,000 people!
With another 100,000 troops, the scale will be more than 200,000!
How many years has it been since there has been a military confrontation of this magnitude?
I remember the last time was when the late emperor was on his Northern Expedition...
As the prime minister, Chen Jing had to speak at this time. He handed the document to the next prime minister Xie Min, then looked up at the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, the Qi people's intention to increase troops in the Huaihe River is obvious. It is to attack our Huaihe River.
The defense line is watching with eager eyes..."
"Da Chen, we must respond accordingly..."
If it had been in the past, Chen Jing would have directly suggested to the emperor to send the imperial army to support the Huaihe Navy.
But now, His Majesty the Emperor's attitude toward the Huaihe Navy and the Huaihe Defense Line has undergone some subtle changes.
Therefore, Chen Jing did not dare to express his opinions directly.
"Of course you have to deal with what you need to deal with, but I think so."
His Majesty the Emperor glanced at the expressions of everyone present, and then smiled lightly.