On behalf of the cabinet ministers, as well as the yamen and officials named by the officials, Fu Bi petitioned the officials to postpone the discussion time.
There is no way, everyone in the current court knows the facts of official affairs. This is another important meeting of the country and the court, and no one wants to be a bystander in this meeting.
The most direct way is for officials to understand their ministers and their performance during discussions.
For a time, Gongyuan became the most lively place, and even disturbed Sima Guang's history compilation.
One of the ministers and workers paid attention to was the Han Dynasty, the other was the Tang Dynasty, and the focus was all on the Western Regions...
"You are self-willed and resort to violence! What we learned from the Han and Tang dynasties, will we, the Song Dynasty, repeat the same mistakes?"
No one told Sima Guang the details, but Sima Guang could see clearly. This is his evaluation of the current court.
The Han and Tang Dynasties prospered with strength, but also died with strength. Sima Guang has not compiled the history of the Tang Dynasty, but has completed the compilation of the history of the Han Dynasty.
Judging from the history of the Han Dynasty, Sima Guang believed that the entire Han Dynasty was mobilized just to show off its force, stationing all the country's elite in barbaric lands, spending countless money and food, resulting in emptiness in the country, and this was the inducement for the decline of the strong Han Dynasty.
However, he no longer cares about the current court, mainly because the officials simply do not listen to his opinions. All he can do now is to concentrate on compiling history for future generations to learn from.
As for the important ministers who started digging into the old papers in a swarm, he was happy because it would make everyone feel something.
It's a pity that all the important ministers who are digging into the pile of old papers are not focusing on the old government affairs, but the records related to the Western Regions... such as "The Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" are the focus of all the important ministers.
The meeting finally came.
This meeting, in the parlance of later generations, should be called an enlarged cabinet meeting. The level of confidentiality is very high... Although this matter is well known among important ministers, unrelated ministers have no idea about it.
Those who discuss matters include cabinet ministers, Privy Council, Gongfangcheng, Jiangwutang, Shiyi Temple, Simu Temple and other yamen chief officials.
The reason why Shiyi Temple was summoned was because Zhao Xi knew that Xifan’s goods had always been on the market, which meant that trade between the imperial dynasty and the Western Regions had always existed...
Zhao Xi thinks that all goods with obvious Arab characteristics should not be shipped by sea.
"The confidentiality level of this discussion is top secret. The theme of the discussion is to advance westward, form a strategic encirclement of Xixia, and finally conquer Xixia, attack from the east and west, and complete the recovery of Xingqing Mansion."
Zhao Xi wanted to see how much information the ministers had mastered, how much information they had obtained, and how much confidence they had in outflanking Xixia. So, he just made a start...
"Since Wang Zichun wrote the "Pingrong Policy" and the imperial court sent Wang Shao to open the border area of Hehuang, the imperial court has begun the prelude to hunting Xixia. After years of strategic planning, the Hehuang area has essentially achieved ownership and has the previous capabilities.
Hehuang serves as the base point for marching westward and the basis for marching north to conquer Xixia."
"In the Hehuang area, only the lonely Qingtang City remains. Almost all the surrounding Tubo tribes have attached themselves to accept the jurisdiction of the imperial court. This is a true acceptance of jurisdiction, not the model of Jizhou. This is also the imperial court's intention to move westward and its strategy.
The reason for Xixia.”
What Fu Bi explained seemed to be the beginning, explaining the background of this discussion to the ministers.
Next, Wang Shao introduced the current governance situation of Hehuang. For example, how many tribes the Hehuang Governor's Office has accepted over the years, how many foreign people have been added, what kind of livelihood they are engaged in, the loose organization and management of the Fancai cavalry,
As well as the imperial court's rewards and policies for the attached tribes, etc.
There is even a general explanation of Hehuang's current territory on the sand table.
These have always been reported, and people usually don't pay much attention to them. It was only when Wang Shao introduced them that they had an intuitive impression... It turned out that Wang Zichun had conquered such a large territory by simply opening up the border.
Moreover, it did not cost the court much money in food, and it had even been taxed into the court for two years!
"The hunt for Xixia indicates that the dynasty will restore the Longyou Road, Anbei, and Anxi Protectorate of the previous dynasty. I read the information and found out that the Longyou Road was not the entire territory of our Song Dynasty. It is also necessary to connect the Longyou Road.
Fighting along the way, not to mention Anbei and Anxi are both under the jurisdiction of Xixia. It is not difficult to conquer Xixia, but it may be more difficult to form a trap and attack in a pincer."
"That's true. The success of Jinglue Hehuang is actually just an extension of Qinzhou's power against Xixia, that is, it surrounds the southern part of Xixia. It can even be said to have replaced the original Qingtang Tubo power against Xixia. Xixia
There was discord with Qingtang and Tibet, and there were many confrontations. In this way, the strategic situation of the country towards Xixia has not changed at present."
Judging from the content of the discussion, Zhao Xi also admitted that the ministers and ministers were attentive. At least they had an understanding of the geography of Xixia, Qingtang and the Longyou Road of the previous dynasty.
"The Hehuang Governor's Office captured Qingtang, and our dynasty has completed the land of Lanzhou and Shanzhou of the previous dynasty. With Daxue Mountain and Qilian Mountain as the boundary, the area to the north is Ganzhou and Liangzhou of the previous dynasty, all within the territory of Xixia
.And due to the feud between Xixia and Qingtang Tubo, Xixia deployed heavy troops on the border of Lanzhou and Shanzhou. With Lanzhou, Shanzhou and Linfu, Huanqing is not enough to form the east-west pincer attack that the officials say."
"The land south of Lanzhou and Shanzhou belonged to Jiyi Prefecture in the previous dynasty and was under the jurisdiction of Tuyuhun. There is a lack of records in the previous dynasty, and it was later occupied by Tubo. There is currently no relevant information, and I am completely unfamiliar with the topography, let alone going west?
"
"All records from the previous dynasties, and even the Han Dynasty, show that the Central Plains Dynasty ruled the Western Regions along the same path, starting from Qinzhou and heading northwest, passing through Lanzhou and Qingtang, and then to Liangzhou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou.
Shazhou eventually formed the rule of the Western Regions."
"Actually, judging from the current situation, it is difficult for the imperial court to plan for Xixia and achieve a strategic situation in which the government and the east are attacking from the east. The prince will go west purely, that is, he will start from Qingtang as.asxs., and then go all the way west
If we fight there, it is basically equivalent to starting a war in the belly of Xixia, which also indicates that there will be an all-out war."
······
They were indeed careful, but unfortunately, maybe the ministers believed the records too much, or maybe they were afraid of the unknown, or maybe they just ignored it. No one mentioned the area south of the Snowy Mountains...
Zhao Xi just listened and listened to the discussions of his ministers. He had no objection to planning Xixia and fighting against Xixia. He just didn't agree with his statement that he would only start a full-scale war after forming an outflanking trend, or he wanted to
It is too difficult to achieve this result.
"Who knows about the Battle of Dafeichuan in the previous dynasty?"
Zhao Xi's sudden question made all the ministers a little stunned.
Dafeichuan... Isn't Dafeichuan just south of the Daxue Mountain? Isn't it the place now occupied by some Tubo tribes? Isn't it the original Tuyuhun?
In the previous dynasty, the cause of the Battle of Dafeichuan was the Tubo attack on the Four Towns of Anxi. The Tang Dynasty wanted to cut off the Tubo retreat from Tuyuhun, thus attacking Luosuo...
According to historical records, no one who has become an important minister of the country is clear about this. This was the beginning of the decline of the Tang Dynasty's military strength.