"The Liao people were ignorant and relied on the advantage of cavalry to think that they could gallop freely and be invincible. In the foreign wars of the Song Dynasty, we have always won more than lost, and we are so majestic!"
"As long as we hold on to the city and stay behind closed doors, we will definitely make the Liao people return in defeat. This achievement will make the Western Army dare not underestimate us!"
"That's right! Did you hear that? Xianggong Han was also impeached...haha!"
The generals of the Northern Army gathered together, and at first they were still discussing the situation of the war, but soon they turned to the hot topic of Han Jinsun falling into the enemy's trap, and they were full of gloating smiles.
Wang Jizhong sat in the middle, as if he had returned to his position as a leader, but his face was solemn.
My younger brother Wang Jiying died, and he died well. This death made everyone in the Northern Army Lieutenant General feel in danger and share the same hatred of the enemy.
They would not think that Wang Jiying deserved his crime, but would only blame Li Qingchen and the Xiangzhou Han family behind him for their hatred. The few hilltops that were about to make moves also stopped, and the Wang family continued to control the right to speak without any danger.
In addition, the Han family had another scandal. The consort Han Jiayan, who was the frontman, fell ill directly, and even Han Zhongyan of Bianjing was impeached by the imperial censor. This noble family has lost all face. How wonderful it all is.
But the Liao Kingdom came over.
Wang Jizhong did not want to fight.
I really don’t want to fight.
War was fierce and dangerous. The Song Dynasty claimed to favor civility and suppress military force. However, in the 150 years of the Northern Song Dynasty, there were only less than 50 years without war. The other 100 years were spent fighting. The Wang family was actually very concerned about war.
It is also clear that the current Northern Army is absolutely no match for the Liao people.
Perhaps the Liao army as a whole was in decline, not as good as in the past when the Khitan cavalry roamed the Central Plains, but the Northern army was really in terrible shape.
The most frightening thing is that the Northern Army generals in this room don't have much sense of crisis and can't recognize themselves at all.
"In a secret fight with the Han family, if we lose, we can still survive, but at most our life will be difficult..."
"But once the battle with the Liao Kingdom is lost..."
"The name of Emperor Liao's military expedition is so unworthy that everyone in the government and the public feels extremely humiliated. If we lose this battle, my Wang family will be in danger of being destroyed forever!"
Wang Jizhong was so anxious that he couldn't sleep all night long, but he couldn't think of any solution.
War is not a matter of one or two people, and when a group deteriorates, it cannot be reversed in a short time. Even the court knows that "forgetting to fight and abandoning the army" and "all armaments are useless", isn't it helpless?
Just as he was thinking about the court, a personal guard came to his side and whispered. After hearing this, Wang Jizhong immediately said: "The newly appointed magistrate of Daming Prefecture, Cai Daizhi, who is in charge of the defense of Hebei, and the Imperial City Secretary Gao Tiju, who is in charge of the defense of Hebei,
Just entered the city!"
Everyone's expressions changed, and they suddenly became nervous. They were not afraid of the Liao people, but they were more afraid of the officials parachuted down from the imperial court. They took this opportunity to remove them from their posts: "Then Cai Jing is a treacherous person who colluded with the eunuchs. He didn't expect that he would be used, and he always had to use it."
Declare this battle in Hebei."
"Gao Qiu is an old official of the official family. The real decision-maker must be this confidant. As long as we please him well, we can get through safely!"
"I heard that this person is Qingtian..."
"Qingtian is a fart. He's just trying to gain fame and reputation. I don't believe that a kid like him from the market can still be bribed?"
When the discussion was over, Wang Jizhong stood up expressionlessly: "Let's go and greet him right now!"
…
"These Northern Army generals are really a bunch of losers. When the war comes, they don't think about retreating from the enemy. How can they actually think of bribing me?"
In the Yamen of Daming Mansion, Gao Qiu frowned. He endured it again and again, but he still couldn't bear it anymore: "Brother Yuan, these Northern Army generals must be replaced!"
This time they came to Hebei and brought their teams. Gao Qiu brought Gao Lian, Pei Xuan, Jiao Ting, Qin Ming and other capable officers of the Imperial City Division, while Cai Jing brought his in-laws Song Qiaonian, Liang Shijie, etc.
, they are both prosperous and destructive, so you can deploy them with confidence.
However, regarding Gao Qiu's proposal, Cai Jing shook his head and said: "It is taboo to change generals before the battle. No matter how unbearable these Northern Army generals are, their subordinates only recognize them. If they are replaced now, they will not even be able to defend the city."
Well, it’s the lesser of two evils, so we can only keep it like this for now.”
Gao Qiu was anxious: "Then we will just watch the situation deteriorate? If they lead the army to fight against the Liao people, our Song Dynasty will be defeated, and Hebei will probably be devastated!"
Cai Jing stroked his beard and thought.
The decay of the Northern Army has long been expected. This piece of rotten flesh cannot be dug out by force now, otherwise it will bleed and it will only give the Liao people an advantage. Therefore, no matter how disgusting these generals are, they cannot be swayed by their emotions.
Facing the current predicament, he was not surprised at all.
Because they knew the Daming Prefecture and came to take charge of the defense of Hebei, they were not hindered by many ministers. Zeng Bu and Cai Bian just let it go.
From that moment on, Cai Jing knew that the situation in Hebei must be more difficult than imagined, and those people would watch him fall into this whirlpool with cold eyes.
He was calm and not impatient: "I'm going to visit Mr. Li. Can Gao Tiju come with me?"
Gao Qiucai didn't want to pay a visit to Li Qingchen: "Before entering the city, I had already inquired about the whereabouts of Sui'an Academy. Why not go to Mr. Lin first? From him, I will definitely have an in-depth understanding of the situation in Hebei."
Cai Jing's eyes moved slightly: "That's okay."
In Shilin's eyes, he was already a traitor who was collaborating with Gao Qiu. If he paid a courtesy visit to Li Qingchen, he would not gain much. It would be better to save some time and go see Lin Erlang, whom Gao Qiu admired highly.
The two men acted vigorously and immediately left the government office and headed to the north of the city.
By this time, the news had spread, and the atmosphere among the people had become different. Pedestrians on the street were walking in a hurry, filled with a panic and helpless mood.
Many shops have also closed their doors, and even the busy Fan Building has become deserted. However, in front of Sui'an Academy, accompanied by the sound of books, the atmosphere seems to have become peaceful and peaceful again.
Soon Shi Qian came out and was very excited to see Gao Qiu: "Gao Tiju is here!"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Gao Qiu has long been familiar with the academy. He traveled eight times a day when he was in the capital, and now he has returned to that feeling with a smile on his face: "
I’m here to visit Mr. Lin again!”
Shi Qian said: "Brother has been in Cangzhou recently..."
Cai Jing raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this.
Cangzhou is the border and is now the front line against the Liao. Before the Song-Liao war in the past, the Liao people would often send cavalry to the border states and counties of the Song Dynasty to burn, kill and loot as a test. This Lin Erlang dared to do this here
I stayed in Cangzhou for a while, and my courage alone is worthy of my reputation.
Shi Qian obviously had a lot to say, but he glanced at Cai Jing with some concerns. Gao Qiu hurriedly explained: "This is Cai Jing and Cai Yuanchang, the new governor of Daming Prefecture and a good friend of mine. He came to Hebei specifically to defend against bandits.
Defend the home and the country!”
Shi Qian was overjoyed when he heard this: "That's great, you two come quickly! Please!"
Entering the academy, Cai Jing slowed down his pace and listened to the sound of reading coming from the lecture room. He heard from "If you don't teach, it's the fault of your father. If you don't teach strictly, it's the teacher's laziness" all the way to "Diligence pays off, but playing is useless. Just be careful."
You should try your best."
When he was in the capital, he had already listened to the "Three Character Classic". When he compared it, he found that there were changes. It was obviously being continuously improved. No wonder it was unknown among scholars. It turned out that it had no intention of publishing it to the outside world.
This made Cai Jing feel more solemn. How many literati have achieved something and can't wait to spread it and gain fame. But this man was able to learn from his mistakes and devote himself to study. Let alone the younger generation, even he could hardly endure loneliness.
"Such an outstanding person will surely soar to the sky one day, and this year An Academy will also be famous all over the country!"
Making this judgment silently in his heart, Cai Jing felt that it was a pity not to be able to see Lin Erlang in person this time.
As the newly appointed magistrate of Daming Prefecture, he must not go to Cangzhou. That is not brave, but stupid to take risks. What he has to consider now is the situation in Hebei as a whole.
But perhaps it was good fortune. As soon as the three of them sat down, Shi Qian received the news and said excitedly: "Gao Tiju and Magistrate Cai came just in time. My brother is back and is on his way to visit the Han family in Xiangzhou!"
…
Anyang County, Xiangzhou.
Li Yan rode a lion and arrived in front of the Han family's mansion, looking at the tens of millions of local wealthy people.
The training of the Cangzhou Township Corps was in full swing. He left Lu Junyi, Hua Rong, Xu Ning, and Zhang Qing to train their respective units. Duan Jingzhu was responsible for gathering intelligence about the Liao people, and Chai Jin came with him to solve the problem.
The problem of the supply of ordnance and food.
The original Baodings were entrenched in their own villages, eating their own food, and working together to build their weapons and weapons. Although the quality was mixed, and they looked like peasants and soldiers at first glance, there were no worries about logistics.
Now he wants to combine the forces from various villages. Even if it is impossible to form an army of tens of thousands at a time, there are still three to four thousand people. These people have to eat, drink, and eat. This is an imminent problem.
Chaijiazhuang said that it could provide full supply, but they had a lot of food in the village, but no weapons. Moreover, Li Yan's goal was not just Cangzhou. He hoped to gather all the villages facing the threat of Liao's cavalry and use them as much as possible
Twisted into a rope, this requires a strong support.
So he approached the Xiangzhou Han family. This family not only had a decisive influence in Hebei, but also had the Anyang Guild under its command, which was preparing to attack the six major chambers of commerce.
"Han Misun from the Anyang Guild is a man who is very particular about spending money. I'm afraid it will be even harder to get him to donate to the rural corps!"
"But if my brother comes forward in person, he will succeed immediately!"
Chai Jin followed Li Yan, looking at this tall figure with confidence in his eyes.
Some people are born capable of things that others cannot. After coming into contact with this person, he felt this more and more.
But at this moment, Li Yan turned his head and looked towards the road in the distance.
After a while, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and a group of people rushed over.
The leader, Gao Qiu, stretched out his arms and shook them happily, while Li Yan also nodded and smiled.