This was the advice Li Zhi gave Su Hao when he and Li Zhi discussed sending troops to the grasslands.
When the Tatars invaded the Ming Dynasty, they relied on the method of supporting war with war. They fought and plundered all the way, so war was not a burden to them at all, it could even be said to be an opportunity.
There were times when the Ming army sent troops to the grasslands to fight back, but every time it was a waste of people and money. As long as the Tatar army stayed far away, the Ming army could not hold on for long and had to withdraw. The reason was that it could not support it financially.
After arriving at the border, Su Hao and Li Zhi discussed the issue of Ming Dynasty's border defense many times, and came to the conclusion that only offense is the best defense. Blindly relying on border wall defense will consume huge amounts of manpower and financial resources, and will eventually lead to the destruction of the entire country.
They were all dragged in.
If we want to attack, we must solve the problem of war funding. The plan proposed by Li Zhi is four words: support war with war.
"But the reason why the important ministers in the DPRK opposed sending troops was not just financial, but also moral considerations, right?" Su Hao asked Li Zhi for confirmation.
Li Zhi smiled and said: "What does the morality of changing it mean?"
"This is the so-called way of sages. Doesn't it mean that raising troops for no reason is against the way of sages?" Su Hao said. He didn't have many opportunities to deal with courtiers, but he usually listened to Li Zhi, Chen Dao and others talking to him about matters in the court.
, and I know a little bit about it. In the Ming Dynasty, the idea of the way of sages was very popular. If a person wanted to attack his political opponents, the best weapon was the way of sages. Cheng Dong wrote an essay criticizing Su Hao, and there were also a lot of them.
The writing that accuses him of not abiding by the ways of saints and sages is basically equivalent to a scum among scholars, and he is a person who can be punished by anyone.
The national power of the Ming Dynasty was not only able to dominate Asia, but even looking at the world, there was no country that could match it. However, instead of becoming the king and hegemon in the world, the Ming Dynasty was polite to the surrounding small countries, unless others hit them in the head.
Come up, otherwise he would never take the initiative to bully the other party. The explanation Su Hao saw for this kind of behavior was the way of sages.
Invading others without any reason is against the way of the sages. Even if you are facing a Tatar tribe that will harass you when nothing happens, all you can do is drive them out of the country, but you cannot pursue them.
There is no other reason for killing on the grassland, it is the way of the sages.
Now, will Su Hao's suggestion of bringing the war to the grassland cause some controversy in the court?
Su Hao told Li Zhi this confusion, and Li Zhi laughed loudly and said, "In other words, you only know one thing about the way of sages, but you don't know the other."
"Mr. Li, teach me." Su Hao was modest enough and directly put himself in the position of a student.
Li Zhi said: "Change it, think about it, has this sage's way ever taught people to covet public funds?"
"of course not."
"So, have you ever taught others to exploit people?"
"..."
"There are also forming cliques for personal gains, flattering others, following others' influence, and adding insult to injury..."
"..." Su Hao was speechless. He knew what Li Zhi wanted to say. This sage's way is indeed a good thing, and it is also a big killer weapon that officials often talk about, but it falls on each official himself.
What should be done is still the same as before. When they are taking bribes and bending the law, no one will remember the way of the sages.
"It can be seen that this sage's teaching is just talk. The scholars of Ming Dynasty are not pedantic at all. Anyone who thinks they are pedantic must be the most pedantic himself." Li Zhi concluded.
Su Hao laughed at himself: "The pedantic person Mr. Li mentioned must be Su Hao. However, our Ming Dynasty is quite benevolent and righteous to the foreign countries. Is this always true?"
No one can deny that the Ming Dynasty was extremely benevolent to the small neighboring countries. It is said that if any of the neighboring small countries came to the Ming Dynasty for pilgrimage and offered a gift, they would definitely receive ten points in return. From a common sense, the boss would accept it.
The filial piety of the younger brother, but in the history of the Ming Dynasty, it was the boss of the Ming Dynasty who gave out red envelopes to the younger brothers around him all day long. It can be said that he was not self-interested and only benefited others. How to explain this matter?
Li Zhi said: "Change this, but you still haven't figured it out. My Ming Dynasty spent state money on rewards for surrounding small groups, so what does that have to do with officials? Using state money to show one's benevolence and righteousness is not beneficial.
Fei, of course the courtiers will not object."
"Mr. Li, please don't describe all the court officials as so vulgar, okay?" Su Hao said with a bitter smile. In his heart, he had to admit that Li Zhi was really an expert who had seen through the world. His words could no longer be called to the point.
The awl is bleeding.
"It comes down to the matter of sending troops to the grassland." Li Zhi brought the topic back and said: "If you want the important officials in the DPRK to support it, you must let them see the benefits. This benefit is not only the benefit of the country, but also their personal benefit.
The benefits. With benefits, they will support the war, which also means using war to support war."
"Mr. Li is so smart, I admire him!" Su Hao expressed his sincere admiration for Li Zhi.
After understanding the essence of the problem and how to do it, Su Hao no longer needs Li Zhi to teach him bit by bit. He is also a person with high IQ, but he cannot compare with Li Zhi in terms of great wisdom. His small cleverness is still enough.
.
Fighting to support war is the strategy agreed upon by Su Hao and Li Zhi. This strategy has two aspects. One is to obtain funds to support the war through war, which means that the court can win the war without spending a penny.
This battlefield. Secondly, it is to allow the important ministers in the DPRK to gain benefits from this war. Of course, this benefit must also be measured in money, that is, to enable the ministers to make a fortune through the war.
When the two aspects are combined, they are both the same thing, which is to make money. Su Hao knows very well that there is something on the grassland that can be turned into money, and that is the rich mineral deposits. Not to mention the distance, from Ningxia Wei
Beyond the border wall, the Bayan Ula Mountain area, less than 200 miles northwest, is an area rich in gold, silver, lead, zinc and other metal mines. All the geological survey data about this area is in Su Hao's head.
Just pretending to point out a few mineral spots is enough to make the ministers in the court salivate.
"There really are so many mines. How did you know about them?"
Su Hao told Xiao Ruxun his thoughts, and Xiao Ruxun was obviously moved.
"This is a secret, it must not be leaked." Su Hao put on an enigmatic look.
Xiao Ruxun had already seen Su Hao's ability from the survey of Rujigou Coal Mine. Afterwards, he privately asked the veterans of the survey camp, and the explanation he received was that Su Hao had already served in the army before joining the army.
, is the famous local "geologist", digging wells, prospecting, etc., it's just his job. Su Hao said that there are various minerals in the Bayan Ula Mountains, Xiao Ruxun believed at least half of it, and he understood it all at once
Why did Su Hao say that going to the grasslands to fight would not cost the court a penny in military expenses?
As the chief military officer of Ningxia, Xiao Ruxun does not have the authority to send troops out of the border wall to fight. To do so, he must obtain authorization from the court and go through a series of complicated procedures. Regarding the fact that entering the grassland is mainly to find enemies and fight,
Xiao Ruxun completely agreed with Su Hao's opinion, especially after seeing the power of Kanyu Camp's firearms, Xiao Ruxun was convinced that Ningxia Guard and Kanyu Camp would join forces to achieve a complete victory in the grassland.
After thinking about these problems, Xiao Ruxun immediately wrote a note to the Ministry of War, saying that Kuai Bai led thousands of people to flee into the grassland, which was a major danger to the Ningxia Guard. If this problem is not eliminated, the Ningxia Guard will never have peace. In order to eliminate this hidden danger
, Ningxia Guard requested to send troops into the grassland to clear out the remaining enemies, and also requested the Ministry of War to arrange reconnaissance camps to cooperate with Ningxia Guard in operations.
In addition to the formal statement, Xiao Ruxun wrote a separate letter to Chief Assistant Shen Shixing. In the letter, he gave a brief introduction to his discussions with Su Hao, explaining that if the Ministry of War allowed the Ningxia Guard to send troops to fight,
The Ningxia Guard can raise part of its own military expenditures without increasing the burden on the court.
Xiao Ruxun is now in his prime, and it is the time when he needs to make contributions. If he can go to the grassland to attack the Tatar tribe, if he can succeed, it will be a very impressive record for him, which can add many bright spots to his official career.
In contrast, money is not an important thing. He cannot directly tell the Ministry of War that he can raise military expenses to fight the war, because this is a taboo thing. But he can tell Shen Shixing this through a private message in order to
Winning the support of Shen Shixing. When the war is over, military expenditures will be minimal, which is one of his highlights, and this can also give him extra points.
After writing the statement, Xiao Ruxun said to Su Hao: "Change it, I have finished writing the statement. Come and see if there is anything inappropriate."
Su Hao shook his head and said: "Brother Xiao's literary talent is ten times better than Hao's. How can there be anything inappropriate? I won't read it."
"Well, okay." Xiao Ruxun didn't force it, and said: "Anyway, what I wrote is what we discussed. If the court really accepts my opinion, our two families will still have to join forces to send troops.
The credit always belongs to you and me, so you can rest assured that this will change."
"How can I not believe in Brother Xiao's character?" Su Hao said with a smile.
Xiao Ruxun said: "In other words, should you also write a letter to Academician Wang about this matter and report it to him? I heard that he is your benefactor. After you finish writing the letter, I will have someone send it to him.
Just send these letters to the inn together."
The Great Scholar Wang mentioned by Xiao Ruxun naturally refers to Wang Xijue. Su Hao is the person named by Wang Xijue, which Xiao Ruxun has known for a long time. As the saying goes, there are people in the court who are good at becoming officials. If Su Hao wants to compete with Xiao Ruxun
When Xun joined forces to send troops to fight, it would be beneficial to inform Wang Xijue in advance. When the time came to distribute the credit, Wang Xijue would naturally fight for him.
Su Hao said: "I will write a letter to Academician Wang. However, there is no need to send it through the inn. It seems too unfamiliar. I have two ready-made messengers on hand. Let them send the letter, and the effect will be extraordinary.