In the night sky, the moon dimmed, the stars were sparse, and the whole earth fell asleep.

The lights were still shining in the palace of King Qi, and Lu Qian was carefully reading the financial report that had just been submitted by the household department. Because of the shortage of manpower, and the fact that many places have just begun to have eyebrows, the financial expenses that should have been obtained a year ago were not delivered to him until the end of the first month.

A large deficit, in all respects, in addition to losing money or losing money.

This was not what he expected. Not only last year, but also this year and next year, he still has to lose a lot of money. The money and grain stored in the treasury now are prepared for the present.

What's more, he also decided to exempt the people under his rule from the land tax and abolish the poll tax this year. Relying only on industry and commerce, this income will be extremely pitiful compared to Zhao Song's taxes.

Qingzhou and Jinan are far from being famous cities such as Daimyo Mansion and Yangzhou Mansion, not to mention Suzhou, Hangzhou, Jinling, which are prosperous places that are well known all over the world, the latter can only collect 108,000 yuan a year in commercial taxes, and the former also has 40,000 or 50,000 yuan of income, and Qingzhou, the most prosperous place in Qilu, has only 20,000 yuan at its peak. Anyway, if the land tax is not collected, and the poll tax is abolished, the people will make a profit, and Lu Qian will lose a lot.

But this is buying people's hearts.

If you want the people to really support him, it is not only to shout loudly in the slogan, but also to make them see and touch the benefits.

Lu Qian looked at this kind of data, and then focused on the expenses of accompanying the army and preparing the local garrison, more of a good heart, and so on, to roughly estimate the money and food needed for this year. And that's not even counting the war.

He took out a pen and wrote and drew on the paper, and the final amount was shocking to him. Because this year he is going to annex most of Huainan, and he wants to take down Yingtianfu [Shangqiu] and Xingrenfu, and send troops to Tokyo City and Hebei. That's an astronomical amount of money.

The next day, Lu Qian convened the military affairs under his command and said this.

"Internal friction and external supplementation. Today's convening of civil and military deliberations is to let everyone speak freely, I want to attack Goryeo after the thaw at the port of Kaichun, and use Goryeo's money and grain to supplement my consumption, what do you think? ”

Lu Qian had an excitement in his heart that was difficult for outsiders to detect. It's something that the characters of the current time and space can't understand.

Zong Ze and Wen Huanzhang glanced at each other, a little stunned. They knew Lu Qian's plan to make up for internal friction and external compensation, but if they started a war with Goryeo now, was it a bit too hasty? They have also read the documents of the household department, the amount of deficit is shocking, and this year Lu Qian wants to exempt the field tax and the poll tax, they know that the pressure on the finances is even greater.

But even so, with the reserves of the Liangshan army, it is not a problem to support the situation for three or two years.

Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, and Qin Ming's eyes lit up.

The value of a soldier is on the battlefield, but Qilu and the Song family are afraid of beating wolves, and no one wants to start an incident.

In terms of the overall strategic situation, Tian Hu in Hebei and Wang Qing in Huaixi, as well as Zhong Xiang in Dongting Lake, are all substitutes for Lu Qian and Fang La, shielding arrows. No matter how much the Western Army can fight, it is impossible to cut down three places in one year. As long as Lu Qian does not urgently attack Hebei and Gyeonggi, it is very unlikely that they will fight each other. In such a year, the pressure on Liang Shanjun is very small.

The task of the military lies more in the reorganization of the armed forces.

But that's not interesting.

The current generals in the army, since Shangliang Shanbo, which year has he not been fighting? War is tiring, but the taste of victory is even more addictive.

What's more, the Liangshan Army is currently implementing a variant of the "farming warfare" system, and the greater the combat achievements, the more land there is. And no less has been put in place. In this way, not only the generals were willing to fight, but the soldiers were also happy when they heard about the battle.

This time, Lu Qian wanted to conquer Goryeo, but the ministers did not speak, and the governor's office of the five armies responded in groups.

"King, our army has never had a grudge with Goryeo, and it is innocent and prosperous, and the name is not right." Zhao Mingcheng felt that Lu Qian's behavior was very inexplicable. There are troops to conquer Goryeo, which is across the sea, why didn't they take the land of Huainan into their hands early? Either marching into Gyeonggi or attacking Hebei, it is all appropriate.

As for the money and food, he found it even more ridiculous. As long as the Liangshan army swept through the north and the general trend was cast, how could there be no money?

He thought so, but he didn't realize that there was a fundamental change between Lu Qian and Zhao Song under his rule. - The bureaucratic system has changed.

Lu Qian introduced professional officials for taxation and law, and soon after, more professional technical officials, such as the Ordnance Inspector and the Ship Department.

In this way, the former can still be accepted by Shilin, at least not too slandered. The latter specialize in 'obscene techniques', which is very different from the Confucian view of slapping them in the face. The reaction is bound to be boiling.

There is no guarantee that any of the current officials will resign.

Lu Qian wants to build a new China according to his own ideas, rather than conforming to the existing set, which must be different in difficulty.

Some of the means will also be very different.

This is a very fundamental problem, that is, Zhao Mingcheng's political sense is very poor. He didn't know that Lu Qian's subordinate officials were different from Zhao Song, but he didn't systematically link this difference with 'Wenzhi Confucianism'.

Lu Qian laughed when he heard this, "How can there be no excuses?" The small country of Goryeo, stealing Han land, this is also a crime. "After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty destroyed the Manchurian Korea, he established four counties in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula: Lelang County, Xuansu County, Zhenfan County, and Lintun County. Now it's all Goryeo's territory.

Later generations knew that the Yalu River was the dividing line between China and North Korea, but they did not know that the Goryeo Kingdom had only completely pushed the border to the banks of the Yalu River last year. During the chaotic period of the Liaojin War, Goryeo took the opportunity to achieve a great profit, that is, to seize Baozhou (Baozhou, Zhangzhou) and Laiyuancheng.

These two cities were built on the east bank of the Yalu River by the Liao State during the Khitan War of Goryeo to monitor Goryeo. In the middle of the previous year, Gao Yongchang rebelled in the Bohai Sea, and the Jin army took advantage of the situation to seize Liaodong and besiege the two cities. In March last year, Yelu Ning and others borrowed grain from Goryeo due to lack of food, and Goryeo demanded the return of the characters of the two cities in order to borrow grain, and Yelu Ning and others had to lead the officials and people to abandon the city and flee, and handed over the two cities to Goryeo, and the king of Goryeo was overjoyed and changed Baozhou to Yiju, so that the territory of Goryeo really reached the Yalu River (before only reaching the mouth of the Yalu River).

"Although Goryeo is small, it also has thousands of miles of land, 32 million people, and an annual output of money and grain, which is enough to supplement my needs." But Lu Qian also knew that with the current strength of the Liangshan army, it would be easy to defeat Goryeo, but if he completely occupied Goryeo, it would be difficult. His appetite is not big enough to swallow Goryeo in one gulp. Just subdue Goryeo and make Goryeo obedient.

The civil officials inside shook their heads speechlessly at the broken excuse Lu Qian was looking for. Lu Qian also knew that his excuse was very brainless, and smiled and told them to discuss this matter in the future, but in fact, he already had a preliminary plan in his heart. He first sent an envoy to Goryeo, asking why the Goryeo coastal naval division attacked and killed Qilu's merchant ship to Japan, and asked the Goryeo court to hand over the soldiers and generals who committed the crime, and then compensated Wanguan money, and finally sent an envoy to Qilu to apologize for the dead merchants, and then offered Lu Qian as a minister.

Well, after such a combination of punches, if the king of Goryeo and his subordinates can still endure it, Lu Qian said that he really lost.

In such a 'framing' of Hongguoguo, the military ministers do not need to participate.

Lu Qian summoned people to roll out a wooden movable wall with a map of North Korea hanging on it, and the Jurchens and Qilu Jiaodong were in the corners.

There are two dotted lines between Jiaodong and Kaijing, the capital of Goryeo, one starts from Yantai Port, which has just been established on Zhifu Island, and goes to Kaijing for 800 miles; One is from Weihai Port in Wendeng County to Kaijinghai Road for 700 miles.

Some of the sailors of the Liangshan army were sailors who ran back and forth, and even Zhang Rong himself had been to Kaijing. From Wendeng to Kaijing, the sea conditions are good, and it only takes five days to get there.

"Goryeo is a small country. There are two million people, especially the nobles, the two classes, the good people, and the sluts. Let's not talk about this, just talk about its interior, there are four generations of relatives such as the Li family of Renzhou who have married with the royal family. ”

This is particularly ridiculous, the Goryeo ancestor seized the throne by quelling the rebellion of Li Ziyi, and the Inju Lee family, who had married the royal family for three generations, had been greatly restricted, and Li Ziqian and others were forced to hibernate. However, with the current king of Goryeo Wang Matama accepting the daughter of Li Ziqian as a concubine and giving birth to a crown prince, the Lee family revived, and its power swelled again. I really don't know what this Wang Mata is thinking in his head.

"Second, there are remnants of Silla, Baekje, Goguryeo, etc., and the hidden dangers have not been eliminated." As Lu Qian spoke, the whip in his hand pointed at the northeast, southeast, and north of Goryeo respectively.

As far as his later generations know, the indigenous people of the Korean Peninsula evolved from Silla and the remnants of Goguryeo and Baekje under its rule to the entire Goryeo people, and then from Goryeo to Koreans, and there is a very important process in this, that is, the baptism of the Goryeo-Mongol War.

Just like the Qin people, Zhao people, Wei people, Qi people, etc., in China, they all became Han people in the end, and the name of the Huaxia people also became Han people, no one can deny the influence of the Han-Hungarian War in it.

Later, the Han people became Tang and Song people, just like the Koreans became Koreans, and then they became Nanhan sticks.

"The king is saying that as long as our army can attack Goryeo, the other country will be in chaos first?" Lin Chong's character has always been prudent, and this cross-sea expedition to a foreign country is a great matter, so naturally the bigger the grasp, the better.

Lu Qian said: "What Lin Dudu said is very true. These are not very secrets, and if you are willing to spend money, you can easily know the details. "In terms of intelligence, you can't give up money. Yan Qing did a good job of this.

As for the military horses of Goryeo, it is ridiculous to say that even the medical officers and envoys sent by the Song court also said that their troops were extremely weak, and their weapons were very simple and sparse. Its combat power can be seen. ”

Even the medical officer said this, and the Goryeo Army was not taken to heart by Lu Qian.

The current king of Goryeo, Wang Mata, was a Goryeo king who greatly respected Han culture, and during his reign, the exchange between Goryeo and the Song Dynasty reached the highest peak in a century. From ten years ago to the present, Wang Mata sent envoys to the Song Dynasty six times, and the Song Dynasty sent envoys to Goryeo four times during this period. The artist Zhao Da gave Goryeo unprecedented favor, and twice the imperial pen personally made edicts to Goryeo, and Wang Mata also personally made the text of thanks. Previously, because the king of Goryeo was not canonized by the Song Dynasty, the letter to the Song Dynasty was called "King Quan Goryeo" (or King Quan Zhi Goryeo), and the great artist removed the word "Quan" to show respect, and later upgraded the Goryeo envoy to the level of "Guoxin", from a certain system, the status of Goryeo was also elevated to the Western Xia, and the Liao State was under the management of the Privy Council (formerly Honglu Temple).

He bestowed Goryeo Daseung Le with various ritual vessels, medicines, calligraphy and paintings, and curiosities, and sent medical officers to Goryeo. In short, diplomatic relations between the two countries have reached the closest stage of So-Gao relations in the last decade.

Such words appeared in the records of the experience, and the Zhao Song medical officer who sent Goryeo would not have deliberately belittled Goryeo.

Lu Qian was very well prepared, and who said the record of the envoy's visit, it was clearly recorded in the booklet. After the civil and military officials saw it, the civil officials didn't say anything, but here in the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, they laughed loudly.

The sailor came to report that the Goryeo army was weak, and there might be a falsehood; This Zhao Song's official will not run an errand for Liang Shanbo. If Goryeo is really so weak and sends troops to conquer, wouldn't it be a drum?

"The small soldiers of the Goryeo Kingdom were weak, and they were able to repel the Khitan back then, all relying on the lofty mountains and mountains in the north. And this time, our army marched by sea, and the army went straight to Beijing——"

This is not only a harvest trip, but also a training trip. Of course, the local garrison army is left behind, but the soldiers who have not really been on the battlefield are also rookies, and only after experiencing the tempering of the war can they fade into their youthfulness.

And looking around, what could be more convenient for training than Goryeo?

From Shandong to Jeju Island, the sea route is still long-term, and it is the right way to cut out two leases on the Korean Peninsula and make turnovers.

Lu Qian's starting point is to cut Goryeo's flesh and blood to supplement his own needs, and in his eyes, Goryeo is like a pig and sheep. Zong Ze's eyes blinked, and a kind of realization suddenly rose in his heart.