When Gao Xiangsheng returned to Chang'an, it was already March. The peach trees outside Li Ze's study already had flowers.

"Good work!" Li Ze looked at the general sitting in front of him, and said comfortingly.

Gao Xiangsheng is indeed very hard. Over the years, I have been running outside, and I have hardly stopped. This time he was called to return, but he solved two imminent problems for Li Ze in one fell swoop.

Wang Yikun is dead, and the intelligence networks in Lingnan and Fujian can be preserved intact without the need for large-scale evacuation or annihilation. It is not something that can be done overnight to establish a mature intelligence network, and I don't know how much effort, money, and human lives have been spent to build it. But it was easy to destroy him.

Second, Gao Xiangsheng also got back a full three million taels of silver. For the current Li Ze, it is tantamount to sending charcoal in the snow, Shi Zhuang is using troops against Xiangxi, and the first step is to occupy the main transportation arteries and river forks. The occupation is not difficult, it is rare to stabilize the next. The second step is to form a mountain army to go into the mountains to suppress bandits, which is the bulk of the cost. Here, there are also mixed with the placement, naturalization, missionary and other various things of the people.

If you want to be in Xiangxi, the composition of such an ethnic group is extremely complex, and the local people have no government, court, or the concept of the country to establish a long-term rule, and the army is only the first and easiest step.

For the action in Xiangxi, Li Ze gave his officers only one program, that is, to lay down a place, control a place, and educate a place.

And this requires all departments to quickly follow after the army has been defeated.

And all of these actions require money and a lot of investment.

Fortunately, over the years, Datang has accumulated a lot of experience in how to govern and naturalize those Yi people, although Xiangxi and the Yi people in the north are very different, but it is better than a blind man touching a blind horse, not to be clueless.

"It's all part of the job!" Gao Xiangsheng sat on the chair and bowed slightly, he didn't say anything more because Wang Yikun was his old subordinate, because he knew that Li Ze must not like this kind of relationship.

In the process of coming to Chang'an, the minister has received the information sent by Xie Kun, and Wang Yikun's back hands buried in Guangdong City have been completely removed, and a large number of confidential documents hidden in them have been destroyed by Xie Kun on the spot. This matter can be completely put to an end. ”

"Then do you think it is more appropriate for Wang Yikun to take over this position?" Li Ze asked.

Gao Xiangsheng paused slightly, and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that it is more appropriate for Mr. Gongsun to report this matter!" ”

Li Zeyi smiled and said: "Mr. Gongsun will only be responsible for the issues above the grand strategic framework in the future, and you will be responsible for the specific transactional work, while Tian Bo will be responsible for logistics and funds, or the three of you will constitute the troika of the intelligence committee, but the division of labor and responsibilities will be adjusted." This matter was also adopted by the Supreme Council. So, this matter is really your business. ”

Gao Xiangsheng took a deep breath, Li Ze's statement was almost equivalent to handing over the entire intelligence committee to him.

"Where's Mr. Gongsun?"

"You don't need to worry about this, Mr. Gongsun is old, and he is already a little powerless for transactional work. He has worked hard for so many years, and he should take a good rest to recuperate, we can't use the heroes to death! Li Zedao.

Gao Xiangsheng nodded: "Okay, since that's the case, then I think that with the current situation, it's better to use raw than cooked, so let Xie Kun take over Wang Yikun's work." ”

"Okay, these things, you can start with it next." Li Zedao: "The intelligence agencies have developed rapidly over the years, but there are also many problems, although a number of years ago were cleaned up, but there are still many deep-seated problems that have not been solved, after you take over, I hope that our future intelligence agencies can get a big improvement, not only in terms of efficiency, but also in terms of ideology." ”

"Yes!"

"That's all for this!" Li Ze continued: "You are in Yizhou, and you have been here for more than two years, tell me about the situation on which side!" ”

"The current situation in Yizhou is still quite complicated." Gao Xiangsheng thought about it, but he didn't answer the questions related to intelligence, he knew very well that what Li Ze wanted to know was not this. "On the whole, after Zhu Youzhen entered Yizhou, the entire Yizhou has been greatly improved on the big level. Following the example of our land policy, the people-based policy has achieved great success in Yizhou, and now the financial revenue of the entire Yizhou is more than three times that of Zhu Youjue's period. The abundant financial situation has also made Zhu Youzhen's investment in the army more and more large, and the elite degree of his army, in terms of the quality of the soldiers, is not inferior to our army. ”

"This man is tenacious, and he is indeed a fierce enemy." Li Ze said with emotion: "If you don't die if you fight a snake, you will be counterattacked!" ”

"However, Your Majesty, the results of a series of reforms in Yizhou did not fall on the heads of the people in the end." Gao Xiangsheng said: "The dividends of reform have all been swallowed up by Yizhou's Songjun policy. In fact, the life of ordinary people is not much better. Heavy taxes and forced labor still weighed down their heads. And after a large number of people who did not need to pay taxes and serve forced labor were cleaned out, they had great resentment, and Zhu Youzhen took the opportunity of cleaning up Zhu Youqi's remnants to massacre the wealthy nobles in Yizhou and confiscate their assets, so Yizhou was not stable. In the past two years, Hao Ren has been assassinated more than once a day on average. ”

Hearing the name Hao Ren, Li Ze couldn't help but be a little amused. Zhu Youzhen's bloody rule in Yizhou was basically handled by this guy.

"I heard that Hao Ren is in Yizhou, can he stop the children's night crying?" He asked with a smile.

"That's true." Gao Xiangsheng said: "Zhu Youzhen's ruling center of gravity in Yizhou is mainly in the city and on the plains, in the mountains, Yizhou also has quite a lot of Yi people, as well as many people who fled to the mountains, for these people, Zhu Youzhen has only one means, that is, kill!" ”

"Generally speaking, Yizhou's rule is based on a strong army, and the bloody rule can last for a while, but I am afraid it will not last long."

Li Ze said a little playfully: "But the policy they implemented to divide the fields into households has made our work after taking Yizhou a lot less troublesome, and in this regard, we still have to thank Zhu Youzhen." ”

Gao Xiangsheng smiled and said, "In Yizhou, in fact, we are more afraid of Sheng Zhonghuai than Zhu Youzhen. Zhu Youzhen is good in military strategy, but in terms of governing the locality, he actually doesn't have much experience, and the political affairs of Yizhou are all in the hands of Sheng Zhonghuai, I have to say that this person is indeed a person with outstanding ability. ”

Li Ze nodded: "I can see it." ”

"Sheng Zhonghuai is now vigorously developing trade with Tibet on the basis of stabilizing Yizhou's rule, and this year, the Ancient Tea Horse Road is flourishing again." Gao Xiangsheng said: "Judging from the harvest in the first year, they will inevitably increase their efforts to develop this route this year, and they can get rich rewards from the ancient tea horse road." All kinds of strategic materials are being continuously transported into Yizhou from the Ancient Tea Horse Road. In the same month that I left Yizhou, Sheng Zhonghuai had already sent an envoy to Tibet, and the possibility of the two sides converging was extremely great. ”

"Originally, we were already preparing to do something to Tibet this year." Li Ze stood up and paced back and forth in the house for a few steps, "But what we didn't expect is that the drought in Shaanxi and Gansu this spring has become a foregone conclusion, which has caused us to have a lot of problems in the supply of grain and grass, and now, Xue Ping is also working hard to raise more grain and grass from the Western Regions Protectorate to deal with this situation." However, we can't expect too much, and in addition, the sudden battle in Hunan and Jiangxi last winter also involved a lot of our energy, and this year's offensive plan may have to be postponed. ”

"After a long time, I'm afraid it will be more troublesome. Zhu Youzhen and Sheng Zhonghuai's plan is actually very simple, the most important thing is to defend Hanzhong, Xiangyang and other places, and in the direction of Yiling, they will take the initiative to attack. They occupy a favorable position, it is easy to beat us, and if we want to attack, we are facing the problem of Yizhou natural danger. Gao Xiangsheng said: "I suggest that no matter what, Hanzhong and Xiangyang should be taken down first." In this way, the Tianmantang Department in the direction of Yiling had to retreat. "The high elephant ascended.

"You're right, these two places must be taken down this year." Li Ze sighed: "The plan of the general attack on Tibet can only be postponed again, no matter what, the external attack must be built on the internal prosperity, and we can't put the cart before the horse." In a year, and at most another year, many problems can be solved. The Northeast Construction Corps has already begun to play its role, and real results will be seen this year. Xue Ping is also imitating the Northeast Construction Corps, and a large number of soldiers who have reached the retirement age still start to reclaim in the management mode of the army. The land of Goryeo has begun to recover, and this year should be able to provide us with some help, and overseas trade is growing steadily. As long as the war in Xiangxi and southern Jiangxi goes well, we will be able to accumulate sufficient strength by next year at the latest. ”

"Your Majesty, on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, I have planted a lot of nails that can damage the transaction between the two of them to the greatest extent. Next, I want to continue to exert efforts on this and completely cut off this lifeline in Yizhou. Gao Xiangsheng said: "In this way, Yizhou will be locked to death, forcing them to be more cruel internally, so that we will have a lot of opportunities to make a fuss." ”