Hangu Pass, in Chinese history, one of the earliest Xiongguan, in the middle and late Warring States period, very well-known, the battle between the Qin State and the Six Kingdoms, basically around the Hangu Pass, either the Qin soldiers out of the Hangu Pass, or the Six Nations combined, breaking through the Hangu Pass, it can be said unceremoniously, even if the Qin State is strong, without the Hangu Pass, he does not want to block the military peak of the Six Kingdoms.

The dispute between Chu and Han, the struggle for power at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and Hangu Pass all played a huge role in it, but with the passage of time, Guanzhong, which existed as a king, became barren because of historical changes and excessive development, and Hangu Pass also lost its due style.

Since the Tang Dynasty, there is almost no record of Guanzhong becoming the capital, and it has been replaced by Henan.

Such a Xiongguan appeared in the court, and it appeared under such a result, demolishing Hangu Pass.

Even if such a Xiongguan has been useless for a long time, Xiongguan is still Xiongguan.

A few years ago, there was also a proposal to repair the Hangu Pass, for no other reason, the Western Xia became more and more rampant, affecting the entire northwest, and several defeats at that time not only made the Western Xia lay a foundation, but also shook the Guanzhong.

It's just that later, looking at the actions of the Western Xia, maybe it was okay to affect the border passes, but the long drive went straight in, just like the Liao State, threatening the Northern Song Dynasty Forte, which was impossible, and there was no money at that time, so it was shelved.

Now, it is actually proposed to demolish Hangu Pass, what do you think, no matter how dilapidated this level is, as long as it is not demolished, it can be built casually, and now that Western Xia is dead, God knows what else will happen, a Hangu Pass, maybe it will be able to save lives in the future.

When there was an argument in the court, no one supported the demolition, even Ye Qingchen, who had always supported the Dongping Railway, was very hesitant.

As the court, he who knows the Dongping Railway best, and who also knows everything about the Dongping Railway, is also difficult to decide, yes, Hanguguan is indeed useless now, but he is not afraid of 10,000, he is afraid of what if, what if it is useful?

Could it be that the Dongping Railway is just on hold?

At this time, Han Qi, who had not spoken all this time, suddenly said: "What is there to cherish in a dilapidated level?" ”

Han Qi's words were direct and harsh, and the others suddenly couldn't listen to it anymore, and mentioned it one after another, maybe it was possible?

"Nothing is possible!" Han Qi said calmly: "As long as the railway can be built, there is no such possibility!" ”

If anyone knows more about the railway except Ye Qingchen, it is that Han Qi undoubtedly stayed with Zhao Xin at the railway construction site for several days, and then, he also knew everything about the railway.

For the railway, Han Qi is also very clear, it was only on paper before, but after it was completed, he found out that the railway was terrible.

A thing that can travel thousands of miles a day, or even more than 1,000 miles in an emergency, can deploy the army thousands of miles away in a day or two, and in the same way, it can also transport enough supplies to go, which is so terrible for the army.

In the battle of Haoshuichuan, why did he lose, it was some mistakes and command errors, but if he had 100,000 or even 200,000 forbidden troops on hand, would the result be the same?

The strength of the Western Xia at that time, 100,000 troops encircled and suppressed the 10,000 forbidden army, and the final damage, the Western Xia was higher than the Northern Song Dynasty, and the reason why the Northern Song Dynasty would lose was strategic, not tactical, almost every battle, the Northern Song Dynasty could defeat the strong with the weak, and the losses were much lower than those of the Western Xia.

Railways are a terrible booster that accelerates the march of the army, if back then, when the Western Xia was founded, the Northern Song Dynasty had such a thing as a railway, and the Western Xia could still establish a country and mobilize 100,000 troops in a short time, it would have leveled the Western Xia.

The reason why border troubles are difficult to deal with and will become bigger and bigger is because the cost is too great.

When the army marches 300 miles, it is very easy, a surprise attack, maybe a few days, 500 miles, it is a little more difficult, you need to prepare in many ways, thousands of miles, that is a nightmare, 2000 miles, then you will shake the national strength.

Western Xia gradually became bigger, but in the end, the mobilization of the forbidden army in the past will not exceed 100,000, or one after another, there is really a train, and more than 100,000 elite forbidden troops can be mobilized at one time, and it has long been subsided.

At present, in the court, in terms of military understanding, others are not as good as Han Qi, Han Qi talked eloquently, in simple terms, and suddenly put the previous border crisis, and now the solution after the railway, all at once.

At this moment, even Renzong has some understanding, the railway is a good thing, not to mention anything else, purely in the military, once there is a railway, the border troubles in various places will no longer exist, and in the embryonic state, they will be extinguished.

There are still stubborn people, and there are a lot of them, Hangu Pass is just a small thing, the key is that this head can not be opened, the civil and military disputes, all along, has always been the main topic of the Northern Song Dynasty, after the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wenchen has the upper hand, and the warriors are degraded, but the chain cannot be dropped here.

To be precise, the privy envoys of the Privy Council are also civilian officials, and it is impossible for military attachés to do this level, but Han Qi at this time, he does not have a trace of civilian taste, the railway project is only one aspect, and the demolition of Hangu Pass is just a trivial matter, he is to lead to another matter.

Even in a small group, there are all kinds of battles, not to mention the court, all of a sudden, the matter of Hangu Pass is no longer the focus, the focus is on the civil and military disputes.

Han Qi used a series of evidence to prove that problems could not occur in the core area, and Hanguguan was dispensable.

However, the other Wenchen asked Han Qi to prove it, how to prove this, the railway has not yet been completed, even if there is a Bianliang to Yingtianfu, it can't explain the problem, and the Wenchen can quickly veto it.

Looking at the menacing Wenchen, the privy envoy Jia Chaochang himself should be on Han Qi's side, but in the face of Han Qi's increasingly serious threat, he stood more by the side and watched the jokes.

However, Han Qi's performance today is a little strange, why support this issue? Demolishing Hangu Pass, this is a big deal, even Ye Qingchen didn't support it, he was a privy deputy envoy to support it at this time, and it didn't make any sense.

If Han Qi was really such an impulsive person, he would not have suffered so much in the Privy Council.

Similarly, Jia Chaochang also saw Han Qi's influence, in itself, Han Qi was able to stand out in the Northwest, and he had already maintained a lot of people, some time ago, the potential and development of the Northwest made many people fancy it, and countless family children went to the Northwest, they may not support Han Qi with ironclad, but they will also stand behind Han Qi, this force is not small, which is also the source of his pain.

Jia Chaochang, who couldn't figure it out, didn't care about the outcome of the argument in the court, and put more of his mind on Han Qi, he faintly felt that something was wrong, Han Qi seemed to be too calm, the current situation in the entire court was absolutely one-sided, but Han Qi didn't have the slightest feeling of one-sidedness, but gave Jia Chaochang a feeling of winning the game, could it be that in this case, Han Qi had a way to turn the tables?

Han Qi had a smile on his face, he had been working hard to create this opportunity, and some of his hidden allies were also helping, and finally provoked a civil and military dispute in the court.

This is deliberately caused by him, only in this way can he tie up the vast majority of the court, and then he can promote the next step, and he will not let go of this opportunity.

Han Qi smiled slightly, and said calmly to Zhang Dexiang: "Zhang Xiang, what if I come up with a method to prove that the Great Song Dynasty is currently invincible?" ”

Zhang Dexiang, as the first assistant, was above the court, and when Han Qi asked such a sentence, he couldn't refuse, turned around slightly, and said calmly: "If the privy envoy can prove it, of course it will be to demolish Hangu Pass!" ”

Zhang Dexiang is very old-fashioned and not in Han Qi's words, outwardly played, on the matter, if Han Qi can really prove it, if it is demolished, it will be demolished, and if a Hangu Pass is demolished, it will not affect anything.

It's a pity that Zhang Dexiang didn't expect that Han Qi's purpose was not anything else, but the attitude of the prime minister, after hearing Zhang Dexiang's affirmative answer, Han Qi's momentum immediately changed significantly, and he stood up and said: "I can prove it, but I want the common favor of His Majesty and the center!" ”

Renzong is also very curious, from the role of the railway, Han Qi has explained quite clearly, not to mention the role of commerce, purely military, this railway must be repaired, a Hangu Pass, just to guard the gate for the Northern Song Dynasty, but once such a railway is connected, then it will affect the entire northwest.

However, when it comes to the civil and military disputes, Renzong is not good at saying anything, during his reign, except when he was young, because of the relationship between the queen mother, he had little to do with him, and after the pro-government, the management of the court was quite in place, and balance was the most important.

Jia Chaochang looked at Han Qi's expression, stunned for a moment, he suddenly thought of a possibility, it couldn't be something leaked, and he was about to stop it, but Han Qi had already opened his mouth and said loudly: "Xixia is dead, looking for him to verify is to bully it, then use the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to explain!" ”

Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, a few very simple words, but like a thunderbolt, flashed on the entire court, and everyone was stunned.

No one thought that Han Qi would propose such a name, this is the eternal pain of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the battle with the Liao State basically stems from this, from Taizu, Taizong, all the way to Zhenzong, for this place will never forget, and at present, the million army guarding in the north is also to guard against this, if the sixteen states of Youyun are in hand, the Northern Song Dynasty will be able to show the glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and the threat of the Liao State will also be greatly reduced.

"You!" Jia Chaochang looked at Han Qi and was speechless with anger, he had been preparing for so long, and even used some things that belonged to private, but in the end Han Qi said it, perhaps, in the future, there will be his share of the reward for meritorious deeds, but the biggest one will fall to Han Qi.

"What's wrong with me, the Privy Council has been preparing for so long, is the Privy Counsellor still ready to hide it?" After Han Qi finished speaking, he knelt on the ground and said: "Taizu Taizong and the first emperor have always been in their minds, but they don't have this opportunity, but now, the opportunity is already in front of them, Hebei has trained tens of thousands of forbidden troops, and they can cross the three levels at any time and take back the sixteen states of Youyun, please give your Majesty's permission!" ”

At this moment, even if he refutes no matter how powerful Wenchen is, he can't say a word, you say you want to prove it, the other party proves it to you, and you use the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun to prove it, which Taizu Taizong and Zhenzong did not get, as long as you take it, the relationship between Liao and Song will be reversed immediately.

The Northern Song Dynasty was established for decades, even dating back to the Later Zhou Dynasty, and the relationship between the Liao State has always been the focus of the court, the reason is very simple, the Liao State is strong, and holds the sixteen states of Youyun, it is difficult for the Northern Song Dynasty to attack, but once the Liao State attacks, there is no danger to defend.

Youyun Sixteen Prefectures, that is the highest dream of the Northern Song Dynasty, I want to take it back in my dreams, once I take it back and arrange it smoothly, the threat of the Liao State will be weakened many times, and even the Liao State can be defeated, can't it be proved?

Zhang Dexiang finally understood that he had been fooled and acted as a stepping stone for Han Qi, and the proof he put forward, Han Qi also put forward, either to recognize this proof, or to let Han Qi really send troops.

The Northern Song Dynasty fought against the Liao State, can it win? In case of losing, the alliance between the Northern Song Dynasty and the Liao State that was finally concluded will be overthrown, and when the time comes, the Liao and Song Dynasty will fight each other, so what can be done?

Jia Chaochang resented, Zhang Dexiang was also resentful, and even Ye Qingchen, the third envoy, was the same, but he was a little better, and he hadn't gone crazy yet, so he immediately stood up and said: "Your Majesty, this matter is better to think about it in the long run!" ”

From a long-term perspective, this sentence went deep into Renzong's heart, and when he heard the sixteen states of Youyun, he said that it was not itchy, it was really a lie, but it was really inconvenient to provoke a fight with the Liao State because of this, or on such a big court meeting.

But Han Qi has already started, and he is still under the pedal of Zhang Dexiang, if he doesn't give a result, it won't work.

The thought was in Renzong's heart, and after a circle, it finally fell on Han Qi, and Renzong quickly made a decision, leaving all the governors behind, and the rest retreated.

Those who can go to the capital court meeting are all Beijing officials, whether they are young or old, they are all human spirits, this is obviously going to be a big thing, they understand the rules, there is something to say, but this obviously can't be said, don't care if this matter can be proved or not, they must shut up.

Han Qi's purpose was achieved, as for the leakage of what he said at the court meeting, he was not worried about this at all, and he was not afraid of leaking it out.

It's not that the Liao State doesn't know, there are proposals about the sixteen states of Youyun every year, and they care about it, and the Liao State is not tired to death, besides, the previous battle with Yuan Hao has greatly damaged the vitality of the Liao State, even if they know, what can they do, the strength of the Northern Song Dynasty has increased significantly, and they already have the ability to take the sixteen states of Youyun, even if they know, it is just a matter of effort.

In this way, the civil and military officials gradually withdrew, leaving only to participate in the governor's affairs, and by the way, they also changed a location, in Renzong's warm pavilion, which was much smaller, but enough for them to accommodate all, and it was also the place for high-level small-scale negotiations.