"What is a country?" Zeng Xiaokuan asked in Wang Anshi's study.

"Isn't it the new law?" Lu Jia asked angrily and said.

To oppose the new law is to oppose the state and to be expelled from the court. This has always been the attitude of the New Party towards its opponents.

And Han Gang made a summary in the palace, the content was clearer, Wang Anshi had no objection to this, Zeng Xiaokuan also felt that Han Gang's summary was correct: "To be more clear, it is to rely on the new law to enrich the country and strengthen the army, and then restore the Lingwu homeland and recover the lost land of Yanyun." ”

"It's one thing." Zhang Dian said, his eyes were half-squinted, and he was weak to speak.

The new law is the method of governance, enriching the country and strengthening the army is the purpose of governance, and the Western Xia and Liao are the two goals. The last three articles are actually based on the first article, and what the old party opposes is, in the final analysis, a new law that touches their interests.

Zhang Dian, Zeng Xiaokuan, Li Ding, and Lu Jiawen all came to Wang Anshi's house tonight. Between Zai Fu and Zaifu, according to the story, it is not allowed to visit the door for no reason, and the head of the official is not allowed to visit the object of his surveillance. However, after the sack of the Imperial Observatory several times, the courtiers have long had no such scruples.

The core figures of the New Party lineage gathered together and crowded into the outer hall of Wang Anshi's study, which was not very spacious.

Under the lamp, the wrinkles on Wang Anshi's face were more and deeper, and his face was not good, as if he was covered with a layer of ash, and it could be seen that he was really exhausted recently.

"It's the same thing, indeed." Zeng Xiaokuan said, "But if Han Gang wants to revise state affairs, which one does he plan to revis?" ”

Hearing Zeng Xiaokuan ask, the important ministers in the room frowned in unison.

Han Gang has always hidden his true purpose very deeply, he said in the palace today that he would change the ultimate goal of recovering Yanyun, it was indeed a matter of facts, aiming at the focus of the two sides that are now at a standstill, but in fact, no one believed that when it came time to discuss the state in the Vertical Arch Palace, he would only attack it.

Zhang Dian remembered several suggestions made by Han Gang when he first met Han Gang in Wang Anshi's mansion; Zeng Xiaokuan remembered the plate armor and spaceship that Han Gang took out when he was sentenced to the same armament prison with Han Gang; Lu Jiawen also remembered Tingtui, who had lost the opportunity to enter the two mansions; And Wang Anshi even remembered the various methods used by Han Gang when he first met Han Gang until now.

No matter what he says, there's always more hidden behind it. He is telling the truth, but it is by no means the whole truth. It's like an ice floe on a river, where only a tenth of it is always exposed.

Zeng Xiaokuan said, "If Han Gang wants to change the new law, it will be easier to do." No matter which article or section of the new law is, it has been tried for a long time in all parts of the world before it is finally implemented in the world. ”

In fact, what Zeng Xiaokuan said is not objective, even if it is a convenient loan and exemption law, some of the provisions have been implemented without verification. But for most of the new laws, Zeng's words are true. The Qingmiao Law and the Exemption Law were all called for and tried out decades ago, and they were not created by Wang Anshi with his head patted on his head. Han Gang had not implemented a law different from the new law in the local area in the past, and it would be easy to refute him if he rashly came up with one or two.

"The articles of the new law cannot be easily changed. Without trial implementation, what law can be implemented in all states and counties under heaven? Lu Jiawen put away his resentment and said calmly, "Even if Han Gang has been planning for a long time, as long as he has not tried it in the state and county for a day, don't think about implementing the world and replacing the effective law." ”

Wang Anshi nodded lightly, Lu Jia asked that there was no problem with the analysis, even if Han Gang wanted to make a move, he would not choose to start with the new method. Moreover, even if Han Gang can change some of the provisions of the new law, it will not hurt the foundation of the new law. Convenient loans, exemption laws, armor protection laws and many other laws and regulations add up to be called the country, but just change a little of the clauses, it does not affect the overall situation, and as Han Gang, you can do it directly from the political affairs hall, there is no need to be so troublesome. And to change the whole set of new laws that are the core of the state, such a change cannot be successful in a few words, and the meeting in the vertical arch hall cannot make him wish.

"Rich country and strong army......" Li Ding followed, "This is the original intention of the first emperor to draw up the country, and it is with the rich country and strong army that Han Gang can be used." At most, he can only say that a rich country must enrich the people, and it is impossible to deny a strong army. ”

Wang Anshi and Zhang Dian both nodded. Using the elimination method to delete all the options, Wang Anshi said: "Then there is only one thing left to recover Yanyun." ”

Western Xia has been destroyed, and it is possible to be attacked by Han Gang in the future, and what has become his target is still the northward strategy jointly set by Emperor Xizong Zhao Ji and Wang Anshi.

"You should be prepared, and if it involves the new law, you can deal with it. In addition......" Li Ding said in a deep voice, "Today, Han Gang in the palace said that he would change the strategy of going north, and if he dared to repeat his words on the vertical arch hall in three days, Wutai would not sit idly by." ”

Zhang Dian frowned and said, "The northward march should be separated." Back then, I discussed with Han Yukun that if you want to recover Yanyun's hometown, it is best to start from the clouds that are not conducive to the use of cavalry, and Yan Ji has to let go, and he can't march from Hebei to defend the main thing. ”

"Hedong?" Lu Jia asked and said with a smile, "The two Hedong didn't go in vain!" ”

Zhang Dian glanced at Wang Anshi and asked Lu Jia, "If you really plan to regain the lost territory, it is indeed better to send troops from Hedong than Hebei." Even if it is defeated, there is still a wild goose gate closed, so as not to lose the city and lose the land. Hedong is able to defend and attack, while Hebei is not easy to defend and not easy to attack. ”

Hebei has a Pitang defensive line, and except for a few months when the river is frozen, it still has a good defense at other times - although it is far less than Yanshan. If Hebei held the border in spring and summer, and from Hedong to the north, the Liao could only compete with the most elite forbidden army of the Great Song Dynasty in the narrow basin of Datong in Yunzhong, and the cavalry's best tactics could not be used at all. The small basin also constrained the amount of military power that the Liao people put into it.

Moreover, in the direction of Taiyuan and Daizhou, it is a little easier to gather troops than in Hebei. The track from Taiyuan to Guanzhong is already under construction, and if the progress is accelerated, it will be completed within two or three years. At that time, the western army will go north to Daizhou, and the first batch will be able to reach Yanmen Pass within ten days, and it will not lose its combat strength, which is difficult for the Liao people of the whole cavalry to do. In the Hebei direction, even if the track from the capital to the northern boundary is built, the reinforcements received by the Hebei front line are the Beijing Forbidden Army, not the most effective Western Army in the country.

Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing both wanted to open up the situation in Hebei on the surface, if they hadn't seized the opportunity of Yelu Yixin's usurpation, when Han Gang proposed the proposal of Hedong, he would definitely have been defeated at that time. However, the track to Guanzhong has not yet been completed, and this is the most difficult opportunity for Hebei to take a chance.

After listening to Zhang Dan's explanation, Lu Jia asked: "That is to say, when Han Gang is on the vertical arch hall, he will definitely say that Hebei is not as good as Hedong when he sends troops?" ”

"Han Yukun has always been prudent in his arguments about soldiers." Zhang Dan said.

"It's a pity that the use of soldiers is not." Lu Jia asked and sneered, "Everyone in the world knows the Tao." ”

Li Ding shook his head, and the more Zhang Dian and Lu Jia asked, the more they said, the more they said, "How to enter the army is no longer a national being, it is a temple strategy!" If Han Gang felt that he could talk about this on the Vertical Arch Hall, he would be very wrong. ”

Attacking Liao and how to attack Liao are indeed not of the same nature. If Han Gang is pulling around, Li Ding of the Imperial History will definitely not sit idly by.

"The senior doesn't know, if Han Yukun plans to promote the track across the country, it is the country."

"Rollout tracks?" Li Ding was puzzled and said blankly: "Why? ”

"Han Yukun's quest for the South Seas and the Western Regions is as far as 10,000 miles. And the northern captives are only thousands of miles away. Without a track to connect all roads, how can we make the officers and soldiers travel thousands of miles? ”

Compared with the Liao state, Han Gang proposed that the small and contemptuous states that were targeted would be easier to expand and expand their territory on the one hand, and on the other hand, they would also accumulate national strength and give the growing population a place to settle.

But there is a problem, it is not easy to govern too large a territory, and the farther away from the Central Plains, the more difficult it is to govern.

The track shortens the distance between the various routes in the country, and even if it can only connect to a few large states close to the border, it can save a lot of time for the annexation of foreign lands and the suppression of border rebellions.

Lu Jiawen's face became gloomy: "In this way, the words of the South Seas and the Western Regions are just a pretense?!" ”

"It's two and one, one and two, complementing each other. Nanyang, Western Regions, Southwest Yi, no matter which place, does not need to use too many soldiers and horses. Even if the imperial court attacked the Liao State, it was able to free up its hands to capture one of them. Only the track can make the imperial court have no spare strength to attack the Liao State. ”

"Zheng Guoqu?" Wang Anshi raised his eyes and asked.

Zhang Dian nodded, "Exactly." ”

Zeng Xiaokuan, Li Ding, and Lu Jiawen were all silent, if Han Gang proposed so, it would be impossible to easily repel him.

At the end of the Warring States Period, the state of Qin was in full swing, looking at the six countries of the Kwantung region, and Korea was in the tiger's mouth, so he sent the hydraulic engineer Zheng Guo into Qin, lobbied the first emperor, and dug a canal to connect Jingshui and Luoshui to irrigate Guanzhong. Although this was to make Qin's national strength consume on huge projects, Zheng Guoqu, the most reluctant, also allowed Qin to achieve a greater advantage.

Zhang Dian, who used to be good friends with Han Gang, knew very well that Han Gang had his own set of statecraft. Once he is in power, he will not just tinker with the new law, nor will he just push to build the track. Both the Mint and the Treasury are just the tip of the iceberg.

Today's events, what is Han Gang hiding behind? The only thing that Zhang Dian can be sure of now must be related to Han Gang's strategy. But what is it and which one will be taken out, he got together with a group of people and discussed it for a long time, but he still felt confused.

"In any case, the state is definitely going to change." Zhang Dian reminded Wang Anshi, "Bingguo, what people want, who can be indifferent? ”

In the sixth year of Xining, because of the change of law in the city, Wang Anshi was frantically counterattacked by the old party, and the first emperor Zhao Ji also felt that it was better to abolish the most criticized decree to calm people's hearts, but Wang Anshi insisted on not backing down half a step. Because in his view, this is like a flood levee, even if there is only a small hole in the water, the next thing will cause the entire levee to collapse.

can't be as stubborn as in the past, although the country is not the city law presided over by Lu Jiawen, but the important ministers recruited by Han Gang are not the old party.

Han Gang proposed that the important ministers should nominate the candidates for the two prefectures, and the final decision was still in the hands of the Queen Mother. A few days later, the country was discussed, and the queen mother was still the last to make the decision. Maybe when the situation of the new party is superior, the queen mother will not dare to go her own way, but if the two sides are equal, she will definitely support Han Gang.

A little must be discarded, and then the most fundamental part can be preserved.

Zhang Dian believed that Wang Anshi could understand, but he didn't know if Wang Anshi would back down.

In the study, there was silence for a while, and several people looked at Wang Anshi to see how he answered.