While Shi Siming was carrying out massacres in Jiankang City, in the Northern Tang Army camp south of the Huaihe River, a group of soldiers stood by the river, using their halberds to hook the debris blocked in the river and dredge the tributaries in front of the camp.
These debris include debris thrown from the upper reaches of the river, and some are in disarray, but most of them are countless corpses.
Men, women, the elderly, and children were all disheveled and died in miserable conditions. Even veterans who had experienced countless wars couldn't help but sigh after seeing them.
The leader of the Northern Tang Army, who was responsible for dredging the river, shook his head and ordered: "Pull all these corpses ashore and dig holes to bury them. Otherwise, diseases may appear in the army."
A soldier looked at the river water at his feet, which had been dyed a faint bright red, and asked with palpitations: "Team leader, who are these dead people?"
The leader of the team leaned down and took a few glances: "The teeth are intact and there are no traces of work on the hands. I'm afraid they are noble people."
The soldiers were surprised when they heard this.
At this time, in the Beitang camp, Guo Ziyi was sitting in the main seat of the meeting room, closing his eyes and relaxing.
Beside him stood many generals in the army.
A guerrilla captain stood at the account and reported: "In the past few days, all the gates of Jiankang City have been closed tightly, and no one is entering or leaving. There is smoke everywhere in the city, and there seems to be civil strife."
Li Guangbi asked: "Where is the city defense?"
Guerrilla Colonel: "The number of defenders at the top of the city has decreased, and the scouts who were originally outside the city have disappeared recently."
Li Guangbi lowered his head and thought for a while, then said to Guo Ziyi: "Commander, something must have happened in the city, so the city defense is so empty."
Guo Ziyi didn't make any statement, and didn't even open his eyes, as if he was deep in thought.
Li Guangbi further advised: "In the past few days, sergeants have come to report that in the river outside the camp, corpses are piled up like mountains. It must be that the situation in Jiankang is unstable, which has triggered a confrontation between the forces. It is precisely now that our army is attacking Jiankang.
The best time.”
Guo Ziyi still said nothing.
Kong You on the side spoke: "General Li, do you still remember the previous discussion? Shi Siming led troops into the city a few days ago, and now there must be a fight with the forces in the DPRK. The two sides are now fighting to the death, reducing Jiankang's combat power
, is exactly what we expect. If we send troops to attack the city now, it will only make the enemy alert, temporarily put aside the dispute, and unite with the outside world. Therefore, you think it is better to wait a little longer."
Li Guangbi frowned and said, "Shi Siming is cunning and cruel. If our army is late in taking action, I'm afraid he will take the opportunity to escape. If he is allowed to lead troops into Suzhou and Hangzhou, his strength will definitely increase, and the people in Jiangnan will be devastated."
Regarding Li Guangbi's speech, Kong You smiled slightly and replied: "General Li, the puppet Tang Dynasty has been operating in the south of the Yangtze River for many years. Both officials and people are loyal to the puppet dynasty and regard the northerners as enemy invaders. If Shi Siming leads troops into the south of the Yangtze River, another big disaster will happen.
Carrying out plunder and arousing the hatred of the people, then if our army enters Jiangnan at this time and wins the hearts of the people with the force of justice, wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone?"
Li Guangbi was stunned. His first reaction was that what Kong You said made sense, but after thinking about it carefully, he always felt that something was wrong.
Guo Ziyi opened his eyes at this time and said to the generals in the tent: "Separate two partial armies from the east and west chambers and station them in Dalong and Caoshan. Closely monitor every move of Jiankang City, but do not attack the city rashly... Next
, first observe the development of the situation, and then make next steps."
When the generals heard this, they shouted loudly.
Guo Ziyi waited for the generals to leave the camp, leaving Kong You alone.
Guo Ziyi looked at Kong You and said: "Suzhou and Hangzhou are a land of plenty, and the national treasury is currently tight. If these places can be stably occupied, then just taxation can solve your Majesty's urgent needs. Moreover, Shi Siming is good at using troops. If he is allowed to escape,
The strength of Suzhou, Huzhou, and Hangzhou has greatly increased, and it will be even more difficult to deal with them."
Kong You asked lightly: "In the opinion of the commander-in-chief, who is the biggest enemy in Jiangnan?"
Guo Ziyi heard this question and knew that the enemy Kong You mentioned must not be Shi Siming, so he guessed: "Is it the false emperor Li Yu?"
Kong You shook his head and said: "You are pampered and trust the eunuchs. You look at Li Yu like a domesticated animal."
Guo Ziyi asked doubtfully: "Who is the biggest enemy in Jiangnan?"
Kong You: "The biggest enemy in Jiangnan is the thousands and thousands of intricately connected nobles."
Guo Ziyi was stunned on the spot.
Kong You: "When Your Majesty ascended the throne, you had bad relations with the world's nobles. Many northern nobles moved to the south of the Yangtze River, and the Jiangnan nobles even regarded Your Majesty as a treasonous person. If these nobles were not purged, chaos would arise in the south of the Tang Dynasty.
The situation in the future will definitely be unstable."
Guo Ziyi nodded slightly.
Kong You: "This is one of them."
Guo Ziyi wondered: "What about the second one?"
Kong You: "The powerful nobles controlled the government in the court, kept domestic slaves privately, and annexed land, making it impossible for poor students to make progress, untouchables with nowhere to live, and farmers without land to rely on, which eventually led to great chaos in the country. This has been the case in all dynasties.
When your Majesty was talking to you, he once said a word - class. The dignity of a human master is no different from that of a majesty. Those who are in the ninth level are much higher. The nobles of the family are placed under the dignity, but they infringe on the bottom of the hierarchy, which ultimately makes
This is why the hall is unstable and the building collapses."
Guo Ziyi sighed: "Your Majesty is so wise, we are far behind."
Kong You: "Nowadays, most of the world's elites gather in the south of the Yangtze River, either as officials, squires, or literati. They have invisibly controlled the political, civil, public opinion, etc. channels. If our army captures Jiankang,
, spend energy on renovating the south of the Yangtze River. On the one hand, it is time-consuming and laborious, and the results are too slow; on the other hand, it is easy to cause confrontation between the north and the south, which is not conducive to the future. Instead of doing this, it is better to use Shi Siming's hand to eradicate dissidents, and then use the method of appeasement to regain the country.
People’s hearts.”
Guo Ziyi: "There are four million registered households in the Suzhou-Hangzhou area. If Shi Siming is allowed to go south, the south of the Yangtze River may become a scorched land. If the imperial court wants to rebuild in the future, it will cost a lot of gold and silver."
Kong You did not answer this question directly, but used a metaphor: "If the commander wants to paint, should he choose to scribble on other people's drawing paper or change it with a new piece of paper and start over?"
Guo Ziyi instantly understood what Kong You meant and nodded lightly.
After a moment of silence, Guo Ziyi sighed to Kong You: "Sit back and watch the civil strife in Jiankang, and let Shi Siming go south. No matter which one you choose, you will probably be criticized by the court officials. If Zhongcheng does this, I am afraid it will be detrimental to his own future."
Kong You said with a smile: "You act only for Your Majesty, no matter what else. Your Majesty comes from a poor family and hopes to break away from the past and rebuild the world. The world's powerful family is a stumbling block, so naturally it must be removed. As for other people's accusations, there are
What does the life and death of the people in the world have to do with you? Even if there are mountains of corpses in the south of the Yangtze River, and there are no fires for thousands of miles, you will not hesitate at all, and will only move forward on the bones."
When Guo Ziyi heard the last part, she looked at Kong You and shuddered slightly unconsciously.