"Although there were many Ding households in the Southern Dynasties, the folk customs were weak and the bodies were small. The big Han men in the north could fight one against three. Our clan was led by the great ancestor Bei Wu out of the Wulun Mountains. There were no more than ten thousand Ding households. We spread across Yandong, Liaodong, and even reached the hands of our father.
Invincible in the world, why have you ever been afraid of the weak troops of the Southern Dynasties, which are said to number hundreds of thousands or millions? Today, Dayan has expanded its territory a hundred times more than before, and controls Dingkou a hundred times, a thousand times more than before. If it was not afraid before, why is it so lonely today?
Afraid?"
Yeji held an impromptu military meeting in Jinzhou City, and Yeji Baishi made an impassioned speech in front of the meeting.
After the defeat of Jingxiang, although Beiyan carried out strategic contraction under Ye Ji'er's strong pressure, naming Chen Zhihu as King of Qin and guarding Guanzhong was to ask Beiyan's core combat power to withdraw to the periphery of Yanji, with Shandong as the center of gravity.
Consolidating the Hehuai Defense Line - Even with the lessons learned from Jingxiang's setback, how could there not be any internal dissent during such an earth-shaking adjustment in strategy?
At least on the surface, the defeat in the Battle of Jingxiang was directly related to Ye Jiluorong's underestimation of the enemy's aggressive advance on the Western Front, and Ye Jiluorong's strategy of taking Jingxiang directly after the Battle of Nanyang was supported by Yejier
- For this reason, Ye Jier issued an edict to introspect himself, in order to share the responsibility of Ye Ji Luo Rong, and insisted that Ye Ji Luo Rong stay in southern Shanxi, take charge of the defense of the western end of the Hehuai River and control the military affairs in the Guanzhong; for the situation formed at this time in the Southern Dynasties
Among the three major forces, Yezier also secretly adopted a strategy of continuous control.
It's just that the arrogance and indulgence that the Beiyan army has cultivated over decades will not be completely compromised by a single defeat.
In particular, the younger generation such as Ye Ji Baishi, in the past were shrouded in the shadow of Ye Ji Luo Rong, Ye Ji Duo Dy and other veterans, and could not make a big voice, but this time they reflect on the defeat of Jing Xiang, and more
It is to place the blame on Ye Ji Luorong and other veterans for underestimating the enemy and being slow, rather than willing to admit that the military forces of the Southern Dynasties have undergone earth-shaking changes in just a few years.
The prosperity of the Southern Dynasties was not a sudden event.
In the past, the Cao Dao controlled by Yuan Yue was used by tens of thousands of ships all year round, which resulted in the unusual prosperity and wealth of the cities and towns along the Cao Dao. The families of ordinary merchants accumulated tens of thousands of gold. General Yan and Hu knew these things for a long time, but Yuan Yuan
Although Yue is rich, he is still beaten to pieces and pissed off.
Although Ye Ji'er, Ye Ji Duodi, Na He Xiongqi and others are increasingly aware of the strength of Huaidong, in the eyes of Ye Ji Baishi and others, if they are afraid of the prosperity of the Southern Dynasty and are timid, will the wars in these years be inevitable?
Was it for nothing?
Although Ye Ji, Baishi and other princes, generals, and generals were usually suppressed by Ye Ji, but given the slightest opportunity, they would eagerly express their different opinions.
In view of the possibility that Huaidong would directly send a large number of troops to participate in the Goryeo Civil War, led by Ye Jiduodi and Nahe Xiongqi, they advocated that Goryeo Prime Minister Zuo Jing organize a defense south of Hanyang County, and they would send another 10,000 to 20,000 elite troops.
, stationed near Hanyang City, the capital of Goryeo, to ensure that the defense line south of Hanyang was not lost, and acted as a magic needle to stabilize the sea.
This plan, in the eyes of Ye Ji, Baishi and others, is too conservative and is purely due to Ye Ji Duodie. Na He Xiongqi and others were frightened by Huaidong and did not dare to go against Huaidong's military front. They couldn't wait to discuss the military affairs.
to express dissatisfaction.
Sitting on a high chair, Yejier was heartbroken as he watched the generals who had come to Shandong to inspect the army divide into two factions to dispute the troops sent to Goryeo.
The founding of the Northern Yan State was less than thirty years old. Both the military system and the decision-making of power affairs still had deep tribal traditions, which made the newly established monarchy of the Yan State not completely sacred and inviolable.
Although Ye Ji'er is aloof, it doesn't mean that no one in Beiyan Court dares to challenge his power.
After Yeji Baishi grew up, he was unruly and had conflicts with Yeji Luorong and Yeji Duody. However, the biggest thorn in his heart was that he was dissatisfied that Yejier had not appointed him as the eldest son as his eldest son after he ascended the throne until now.
, and suppressed his military power everywhere.
Yezier sometimes had nothing to do with this eldest son who was tame on the outside but wild and ambitious on the inside.
Yejier's health is getting worse and worse. Although he has no heir apparent, which of the princes and ministers below is not considering this matter? Among his disciples, Baishi seems to be the most suitable candidate, but Yejier knows in his heart that he must
Without the rise of Huaidong and Baishi's succession, even if there would be some chaos, there would be no major problems.
At the height of Huaidong's military offensive, even in the city of Yanjing, Ye Jier could feel the pain in his heart. Under such circumstances, establishing Baishi as a reserve and asking Baishi to succeed him after his death would only bring great harm to Dayan.
Come to overwhelm the disaster - but if you don't choose Shiraishi, who can you choose?
Ye Ji'er's thoughts were diverted to the matter of establishing the crown prince. When Ye Ji Baishi saw that his father was silent, he thought he was moved by his words and said loudly: "My child is not talented, so I would like to send troops to help Goryeo..."
Ye Ji'er raised his head, not looking at his eldest son Bai Shi, but at Ye Ji Duo Dy and Na He Xiong Qi.
Ye Jiduo was also helpless. Ye Ji Baishi's biological mother died early, but his mother's family was the Juqu family, the third largest family in Yandong. They were the most staunch supporter of Ye Ji Baishi's appointment as the governor. There were nearly 20,000 elite Juqu clan.
Only Ye Ji Baishi can command the cavalry.
Qingshui County in the southeast of Liaoning was seized from Goryeo and was given to Gaozu as the territory of the Juqu clan. To support Goryeo, the only way to support Goryeo was with the cavalry of the Juqu tribe. It was really impossible to refuse Ye Ji Baishi's offer to be the commander-in-chief of reinforcements for Goryeo.
.
When it was him, Ye Ji Duo Dy had no reason to stop Ye Ji Baishi from leading the army. However, after Jing Xiang's defeat, if he dared to advance in Goryeo and underestimated the enemy and suffered setbacks, Dayan would really be in danger; Ye Ji Duo Dy, on the other hand,
Regardless of whether the conflict between him and Ye Ji Baishi would intensify again, and he wanted to prevent Ye Ji Baishi from leading the army, Na He Xiongqi spoke first from the side: "I think that if the eldest prince is willing to lead troops to aid Goryeo, he will definitely be able to do so."
success……"
Ye Jiduo was startled by Na He Xiongqi's attitude. He actually couldn't figure out when Na He Xiongqi suddenly attracted Ye Ji Baishi. He was shocked and suspicious in his heart, but he couldn't stop trying to dissuade him. Ye Ji'er was also the same.
With a tired look on his face, he said: "Then let Baishi also serve as the governor of Qingshui County, take five thousand elite cavalry from Yanjing, and recruit the rest of the troops from Qingshui County, and command 20,000 troops to be responsible for reinforcing Goryeo..." Then let this matter go.
It's settled.
In the temporary palace where he stayed in Jinzhou City, Yejier decided on the matter of reinforcing Goryeo and asked the ministers to retreat. He was very tired after not sleeping all night, so he returned to his bedchamber to rest.
Ye Jiduo was shocked and confused, but when he saw Na He Xiongqi and Zhang Xie coming together, he walked over and asked bluntly: "When Baishi goes to Goryeo, he will underestimate the enemy and rush forward. If Goryeo is defeated again, Dayan will be in danger. You
Why do you agree with him so hastily?" If he hadn't been involved with Na He Xiongqi for a long time and had Zhang Xie present, Ye Jiduo Dy would probably have yelled out in dissatisfaction.
"Your Majesty, you must have misunderstood General Na He," Zhang Xie explained for Na He Xiongqi from the side, "Huaidong did not draw troops from the current elite combat force, but instead formed a new town division to march to Haidong.
Given the order of the army, it can be expected that the troops and horses sent by Huaidong to fight in Goryeo will be conservative in their initial tactics. When the eldest prince sends troops to Goryeo, he will be eager to seek opportunities for battle, but Huaidong will not be eager to fight.
The prince's patience is worn away, how long can he stay in Goryeo, one year or two years?"
Ye Jiduo Dy stroked his short mustache, thinking about Zhang Xie's words, and asked Na He Xiongqi: "Is this what you mean?"
Na He Xiongqi nodded and said: "Before the discussion, when I met with Zhang, I mentioned that I was worried that the eldest prince would take the initiative to lead the army. Zhang Xiang said that he could ask the eldest prince to go first... I think about it carefully: the eldest prince is also a long time ago.
No matter how impatient the people who lead the army are, they will not make big mistakes in the early stage; when the eldest prince has stayed in Goryeo for more than half a year and loses patience, he can take advantage of the situation and replace it with an experienced and prudent general to take charge of military affairs.
——We cannot wait for the war in Goryeo to drag on for a year and a half, and then let the eldest prince, who was impatient at Yanjing, lead the army, otherwise big problems will arise."
Ye Jiduo Dy couldn't help but nodded, feeling that Zhang Xie was quite cunning: with the condition of his second son, Ye Ji Baishi, who only wanted to succeed as the new emperor, would not be able to stay in Korea for too long.
, it may take up to half a year to return without success, which will also dampen his spirit.
Nahe Xiongqi sighed in his heart. Before the founding of the country, the inheritance of the Khan throne was from elder brother to younger brother, and younger brother to the eldest son. If Emperor Tianming died unfortunately, it would be most beneficial to the stability of Dayan to be succeeded by Ye Jiduodi.
, but after the founding of the country, the tradition of brotherhood was abolished.
Ye Jiduo asked Zhang Xie again: "What Bai Shigang said in front of the hall seems to make some sense at first glance. In the old days of the Southern Dynasty, it was still prosperous at this time. Why was it strong now but weak in the old days?"
Zhang Xie's face was stern. He knew that Ye Jiduo was not trying to sway him. He thought for a moment and said: "Although the Southern Dynasty was prosperous in the old days, the wealth did not enter the national treasury. Instead, the prosperity nourished the luxury style and weakened the people's customs, which was not good for state affairs."
Disadvantage: Sixty-seven out of ten of the prosperous maritime trade, merchants, and manufacturing industries in the Southern Dynasties are in the hands of Huaidong. The new tax policy has also made more than thirty kinds of goods used for trade in the past, which are subject to the annual income of local and central governments.
Naturally, the sources are not the same. In the early years, the three towns of Datong, Xuanfu and Datong had a complete system of border army garrison. The annual military food and horse materials needed could be recruited from the local area. After the garrison was abandoned, Yanjing raised three to four hundred troops every year.
Ten thousand taels of silver is not enough to support the army, but this is also the limit of Yanjing's annual income to support the army. Now Huaidong combines the annual income of the Privy Council and the Ministry of Household Affairs, totaling 20 million taels of silver, which can be used to support the army with five or six times the amount of money.
The army is naturally not the same..."
Zhang Xie's words are very clear. If Yuan Yue had appointed Lin Fu to manage finances, even if the border army generals were still the same as before, it would have been impossible for Bei Yan to invade Yan Ji. What's more, at this time, the Southern Dynasty was changing from the inside out.
All have undergone qualitative changes.
Before Zhang Xie became prime minister of Yuan Yue, he had presided over the Ministry of Revenue for many years. He was responsible for the most important financial matters. He saw Yuan Yue's various shortcomings more clearly than anyone else, and he also had a better understanding of the new tax policy implemented by Lin Fu in the Southern Dynasties than anyone else.
With a deeper understanding - at present, the Southern Dynasty is under the suppression of the Huaidong Army, and there is simply no force that can stand up to obstruct the implementation of the new tax policy.
Take the tea tax as an example. In the past, when the tea industry in Fuliang Prefecture in Jiangxi Province was at its peak, the annual tea production exceeded 5 million jins, and the tax supervisor levied 400,000 taels of silver. The local gentry complained endlessly and frequently resisted the tax. Civil officials also said that
Local eunuchs, tax supervisors, and local eunuchs extort money from the local government, which is harmful to officials.
The new tax policy of the Southern Dynasties divided the tea tax into market tax and municipal commercial tax. The market tax was levied by the central government. When Fuliang tea industry returned to an annual output of five million catties, the tea farm tax would be reduced to less than 100,000 silver dollars, but various places were allowed to
Prefectures and counties collect municipal commercial taxes from tea merchants who enter the country for distribution, which can save another 140,000 to 50,000 silver dollars. Adding the two together, it is still a little lower than in the past, but the most important thing is that municipal commercial taxes have become a source of finance for local prefectures and counties.
, private tea will be completely suppressed.
In the past, the tea tax in Fuliang was once as high as 400,000 taels, but the highest tea tax levied in the country did not exceed 800,000 taels of silver? Could it be that except Fuliang Prefecture, the total number of tea produced in other prefectures and counties was only five
One million catties? It was a common practice for people to drink tea at that time, and the gentry and officials could not have a banquet without tea. There were hundreds of millions of people drinking tea. There were not tens of millions of catties of tea consumed in a year, but there were still thirty to fifty million catties.
According to the data released by Huaidong, the amount of tea exported to Haidong and Nanyang last year through Heishuiyang and Nanyang Shipyards alone was as high as 5 million kilograms; for this, Huaidong levied a customs fee of up to 20%
.
Taking the salt incident as an example, the old system of private salt was rampant, so that the annual output of Lianghuai official salt controlled by the Lianghuai Salt and Iron Supervision was only 150,000 shi; while Lin Fu greatly reduced the salt field tax, allowing local governments to participate in profit sharing and levy a small proportion of the salt.
The municipal commercial tax, coupled with the crackdown on private salt, caused the annual output of official salt in Lianghuai to increase tenfold in just two or three years. While the price of salt continued to decline, less than 30% of the old official price, the central and local governments were able to levy
The total amount of salt profit has actually more than doubled than before.
The old forces in the Southern Dynasties were suppressed by Lin Fu and were unable to raise their heads, while the new forces were attracted to maritime trade. The benefits of tea and salt became relatively smaller and less attractive. Therefore, the Southern Dynasties simply had no power to prevent Lin Fu from implementing the new tax policy.