Chapter 1520: Liu Gong's question, the black-bellied emperor
Chapter 1520: Liu Gong’s question, the sinister emperor
Hearing Zhao Shen's question, Liu Gong took a deep breath. He knew very well that whether he could take this step or not, whether Zhao Shen's answer was satisfactory or not was crucial.
Recalling Shen Tang's previous explanation in his mind, Liu Gong said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if I become a Privy Councilor, I must do three things!"
"oh?"
Zhao Shen became somewhat interested.
"Those three things?"
"First, conduct a detailed investigation into the empty pay and corruption in various armies!"
Liu Gong said categorically, "His Majesty previously ordered Lord Yu Yunwen to investigate matters in the army, but the results were very confusing and the results were not significant.
However, I believe that no matter how strong the resistance is, we must continue."
"When I was in southern Hunan, I saw that some of the armies had as much as 50% of their empty pay! It was just a waste of the court's food and pay, and the combat power of all parties' troops was extremely seriously damaged!"
"Of course, this matter involves a lot, and it is almost impossible to solve it overnight. You must plan it slowly! It can be as short as two or three years, or as long as three or five years. Only when all the snakes, rats, and ants among the generals are eliminated can we determine the success of the Song Dynasty. Foundation!”
"The second thing is to train troops!"
"Although our Song Dynasty is relatively stable now, there are wolves around us, and our homeland in the north has not been restored! There will definitely be a time to mobilize troops in the future! However, now that our Song Dynasty is under the control of all the troops and horses, it is outrageous! Li Jin's rebellion , the Guiyang Army, the Nan'an Army, and the Chaling Army collapsed at the first touch, unable to defeat these ordinary rebels, how heart-breaking!"
"To be fair, the fighting strength of Li Jinzhi's rebels is not strong. Not to mention compared with the cavalry of the Jin Kingdom in the North, even compared with the soldiers and horses of the small countries of Yue and Li, they are far behind. They are no match for them. If other countries How can these soldiers and horses be used when invading or using troops abroad?"
"Nowadays, some of the soldiers and horses of all walks of life are trained once a month, and even those who are diligent only do so once every ten days! Even so, it is done in a careless manner! Your Majesty, how can such soldiers and horses be used?
Dare you use it?
Why are the soldiers and horses of Chengdu Prefecture under the command of Marquis Zhongwu so fierce that they can even compete with the Jin cavalry without losing?"
"Previously, I asked Marquis Zhongwu for advice. All soldiers and horses in Chengdu Prefecture perform drills every three days. From generals to soldiers, it is not a child's play drill, but a real life-and-death fight. During the day, they strangle local bandits. Inspect the garrison for a long time! If your Majesty conducts a detailed inspection of the military garrison in Chengdu Prefecture, you will definitely find that most of the banditry has been put down by the garrison."
"Marquis Zhongwu once said that a strong army can only be achieved through hard training. There is no shortcut! Chengdu Prefecture only has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses all the way, but it can resist Tubo in the west and conquer the Jin people in the north. Our Song Dynasty has nearly a million soldiers and horses. If we can have With half the strength of Chengdu's troops and horses, His Majesty is enough to sweep the world!"
"Of course, if you want to strengthen your army, you must have sufficient military pay and sufficient food and grass! I'm sorry for my arrogance, but the emperor does not need hungry soldiers. Only when they are well fed can these soldiers train hard."
"As for the third one, it's weapons and horses!"
Speaking of this, Liu Gong sighed a little, "We are short of war horses in the Song Dynasty. Although there are several horse farms to supply them, not to mention their quantity, the physical strength of the war horses we cultivated by ourselves is greatly different from that of the surrounding barbarians! The cavalry can attack and defend. It can also expand strategic depth, so in addition to cultivating war horses on our own, we should increase mutual markets and breed more war horses..."
Liu Gong's words made Zhao Shen nod repeatedly. What he said was similar to what Shen Tang told himself before. If these points could be achieved, regaining the homeland of the North would be more than just a hope.
After a long while, Liu Gong's words fell, "My lord, I have finished the recital. If there is anything inappropriate, please forgive me!"
Zhao Shen did not reply, but walked around for a moment, and finally stood in front of Liu Gong, patting his shoulder gently, "I understand what Liu Qing said! Liu Qing came from afar and had a hard time, so he stopped in Lin'an first. A few days!"
"My lord, take the order!"
Zhao Shen's kindness made Liu Gong feel at ease, but he did not give a definite answer, which made him a little worried. However, naturally he should not say more at this moment. He just bowed respectfully and then slowly exited the hall. .
After Liu Gong left, Zhao Shen was silent for a moment and suddenly laughed, "Those who are close to the red are red and those who are close to the ink are black. It seems that Liu Gongfu has learned something from Shen Tang!"
After sitting at the table again, Zhao Shen closed his eyes and rested his mind, tapping his palms lightly on the table while muttering Shen Tang's name.
After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "Is Shen Tang's wife Liu going to give birth?"
"Your Majesty really has a good memory. Counting the days, these are the only ones left!"
"I granted Shen Tang a food reward before. Is it confirmed?"
"Several adults from the Ministry of Revenue have discussed this matter, but some suggested sealing it in Sizhou, and some proposed sealing it in Chengdu Prefecture, so it has not been decided yet!"
"What do the ministers think of the reinstatement of Official Shen?"
"According to the official's wishes, some words were passed on. Master Shi Hao strongly agreed. Ye Xiang and the others were slightly opposed, but not too fiercely!"
"Hmph! Assuming they know what's going on, I can let them go this time, but if they refute, don't blame me for settling old scores..."
Because at the time of the assassination, everything before and after the trip was fully investigated, Ye Yong and others naturally found some traces of planning to attack Shen Tang.
However, if Ye Yong's family is completely suppressed and one family dominates the court, it will naturally not be a good thing.
It's better to use this to realize your intention.
If it were any other time and he wanted to reinstate Official Shen, Ye Yong and others would definitely oppose it.
But now, those people are worried about reliving old scores. How dare they easily refute themselves?
Moreover, this time Shen Tang also played a great role in rescuing the driver, so it was a matter of course for him to be reinstated.
"You go and send a message to the Ministry of Revenue. Anyway, Shen Tang will go to Chengdu in a few months. Let's just seal the city in Chengdu! Choose a high-quality Zhuangzi, and Shen Tang will work hard for me. How can I treat you badly? he!"
"In addition, this kid Shen Tang went straight to Lianli City. He didn't even give me the face to save him, so I wanted to cause trouble for him! The Liu family gave birth and raised the Liu family's imperial edict by one level. I remember that tribal woman. If the daughter is born, the Dali Kingdom canonizes the county lord. If it is a girl this time, the county lord will still be canonized, so that Dali cannot be the only country to be beautiful. If the child is a boy, the country's male will be named. The specific title will be decided by the Ministry of Rites."
"This is not enough. This is Shen Tang's eldest son or daughter. In this case, I will give him a name directly!"
At this moment, Zhao Shen was like a mouse that had stolen oil. He was proud and had a bit of a bad smile, "This bastard brings me trouble every day. Now that he has given birth to his eldest son, I will give him a name. I don't believe that this kid can't do it." I’m heartbroken! This kid is worthy of playing with me!”