Feed the war with war.

This is the suggestion that Li Zhen gave him when Su Hao and Li Zhen discussed the topic of sending troops to the grassland.

The Tatars invaded the Ming Dynasty by relying on the method of raising war with war. They fought all the way, plundered all the way, so fighting a war was not a burden at all for them, and it could even be said to be an opportunity.

The Ming army did not have a time when it sent troops to the steppe to counterattack, but every time it was a waste of money and labor, as long as the Tatar army avoided it from afar, the Ming army could only withdraw after holding out for long, the reason was that it could not be supported financially.

After arriving at the border pass, Su Hao and Li Zhen discussed the issue of the Ming border defense many times, and came to the conclusion that only offense is the best defense, and blindly relying on the border wall to defend will consume huge manpower and financial resources, which will eventually lead to the entire country being dragged in.

If we want to attack, we must solve the problem of war funds, and the plan put forward by Li Zhen is four words: to feed the war with war.

"However, those important ministers of the DPRK and China oppose sending troops, not only because of financial resources, but also because of moral considerations, right?" Su Hao asked Li Zhen for confirmation.

Li Zhen smiled and said: "What does the morality of the change mean?" ”

"It's the so-called way of the sages, doesn't it say that raising troops for no reason is against the way of the sages?" Su Hao said. He didn't have many opportunities to deal with courtiers, but he usually heard Li Zhen, Chen Dao and others tell him about things in the court, and he also knew a little about it. In the Ming Dynasty, the saying that the way of the sages was very marketable, and the best weapon for a person to attack his political enemies was the way of the sages. Cheng Dong wrote an article criticizing Su Hao, and there were also a large number of texts accusing him of not abiding by the way of the sages, and if he did not abide by the way of the sages, he was basically equivalent to the scum among the scholars, and he belonged to the people who could be punished.

The national strength of the Ming Dynasty could not only dominate Asia, but even look at the world, and there was no country that could match it. However, instead of being the king and hegemon in the world, Da Ming is polite to the surrounding small states and countries, and will never take the initiative to bully each other unless others hit him. For this kind of action, the explanation that Su Hao saw was the way of the sage.

It is against the way of the sages to invade others for no reason. Even if you are dealing with a Tatar tribe that will come to harass you if nothing happens, all you can do is drive them out of the country, and not chase them down to the steppe, for no other reason, the sage's ear.

Now, Su Hao's proposal to bring the flames of war to the grassland will cause some controversy in the imperial court?

Su Hao told Li Zhen about this confusion, Li Zhen laughed and said, "Change, you only know one thing about the way of this sage, but you don't know the other." ”

"Mr. Li taught me." Su Hao was humble enough to put himself in the position of a student.

Li Zhen said: "Change, think about it, this way of sages, has it ever taught people to be greedy for public money?" ”

"Of course not."

"So, have you ever taught people to exploit the people?"

“……”

"There are also parties and selfishness, slipping whiskers and horses, tending to inflammation and clinging to the trend, and falling into the well......"

"......" Su Hao was speechless, he knew what Li Zhen wanted to say. This way of the sages is indeed a good thing, and it is also a big killing weapon that officials often put on their lips, but when it comes to each official himself, what to do is still the same, and when they are corrupt and pervert the law, no one will remember the way of the sages.

From this it can be seen that the way of the sages is just talk. My Ming scholars are not pedantic at all, who thinks they are pedantic, then this person must be pedantic himself. Li Zhen concluded.

Su Hao laughed at himself: "The pedantic person Mr. Li said must be Su Hao." However, our Ming Dynasty is quite benevolent to Fanbang, this is always true, right? ”

The Ming Dynasty is benevolent to the surrounding small countries, which no one can deny. It is said that when the surrounding small countries came to the Ming Dynasty and offered a gift, they would definitely be able to get ten copies of the reward. From common sense, it is the boss who accepts the filial piety of the younger brother, but in the history of the Ming Dynasty, it was the boss of the Ming Dynasty who gave red envelopes to the younger brothers around him all day long, which can be said to be self-interested and dedicated to benefiting others. How can this be explained?

Li Zhen said: "Change, you still haven't figured it out." I Daming has a small reward for the surrounding people, and it costs the country's money, what does it have to do with the officials? Taking the state's money to show one's benevolence is a kind of thing that is not costly, and the courtiers will certainly not object. ”

"Mr. Li, don't talk about the courtiers so obscenely, okay?" Su Hao smiled bitterly, in his heart, he had to admit that Li Zhen was really a master who had seen through the world, and his words could no longer be called to the point, he was simply bleeding with an awl.

"It's up to the steppe." Li Zhen brought the topic back and said: "If you want the important ministers of the DPRK and China to support you, you must let them see the benefits." This benefit is not only for the country, but also for their own benefit. With benefits, they will support the war, which is also the meaning of feeding the war with war. ”

"Mr. Li is clever, the kid admires!" Su Hao sincerely expressed his admiration for Li Zhen.

After thinking about the essence of the problem and how to do it, Su Hao didn't need Li Zhen to teach himself little by little. He is also a highly intelligent person, but he can't compare with Li Zhen in terms of great wisdom, and his little intelligence is still enough.

Fighting to feed the war, this is the strategy agreed upon by Su Hao and Li Zhen. This strategy has two aspects, one is to obtain funds to support the war through the war, that is, to let the imperial court win the battlefield without spending a penny. The second is to enable the important ministers of the court to benefit from this war, and this benefit must of course be measured in silver, that is, to enable the ministers to make a fortune through the war.

When the two aspects are combined, they are the same thing, and that is to make money. There is anything on the grassland that can be turned into money, Su Hao knows very well, that is, rich mineral deposits. Not to mention, from the border wall of Ningxia Wei, less than 200 miles northwest of the Bayan Ula Mountain area, is an area rich in gold, silver, lead, zinc and other metal ores, about the geological survey data of this area, are all in Su Hao's head, casually pointing out a few ore points, it is enough to make the ministers of the court salivate.

"There really are so many mines, how do you know about it?"

Su Hao told Xiao Ruxun his thoughts, and Xiao Ruxun was obviously moved.

"This is a heavenly opportunity, and it must not be leaked." Su Hao put on an unfathomable look.

From the matter of surveying the Rujigou Coal Mine, Xiao Ruxun has already seen Su Hao's ability. Afterwards, he privately inquired with the veterans of the survey camp, and the explanation he got was that Su Hao was a well-known local "earth master" long before he entered the army, and he was just his job to dig wells and explore minerals. Su Hao said that there were various minerals in the Bayan-Ula Mountains, Xiao Ruxun believed at least half of it, and he immediately understood why Su Hao said that it was not necessary to spend a penny of military expenses to fight in the grassland.

As the chief military officer of Ningxia, Xiao Ruxun did not have the authority to send troops out of the border wall to fight, and to do so, he had to get authorization from the imperial court, and he had to go through a series of complicated procedures. Xiao Ruxun completely agreed with Su Hao's opinion, especially after seeing the power of the firearms of the Kanyu Battalion, Xiao Ruxun was convinced that with Ningxia Wei joining forces with the Kanyu Battalion, the grassland would definitely be able to win a complete victory.

After thinking about these problems, Xiao Ruxun immediately took up the pen and wrote a note to the military department, saying that Bibai led thousands of people to flee into the grassland, which was a big disaster for Ningxia Wei. If this trouble is not eliminated, Ningxia Wei will never be quiet. In order to eliminate this hidden danger, Ningxia Wei requested that troops be sent into the grassland to clear out the remnants of the enemy, and at the same time, he also asked the military department to arrange a survey battalion to cooperate with Ningxia Wei.

In addition to the formal statement, Xiao Ruxun wrote a separate letter to the first assistant Shen Shixing, in which he made a brief introduction to the situation of his discussion with Su Hao, explaining that if the Ministry of War allowed Ningxia Wei to send troops to fight, Ningxia Wei could raise a part of the military expenses by himself, which would not increase the burden on the imperial court.

Xiao Ruxun is in the prime of life, and it is the time when he needs to make contributions. If he can succeed in attacking the Tatars in the steppe, it will be a very impressive record for him, and it will add a lot of brightness to his career. In contrast, money is not an important thing. He could not directly tell the Ministry of War that he could raise military funds to fight the war, because this was a relatively taboo thing. But he can tell Shen Shixing this in a private message in order to win Shen Shixing's support. When the war is over, the fact that the military expenditure is negligible is a big highlight for him, which can also give him extra points.

After the article was written, Xiao Ruxun said to Su Hao: "Change it, my article is finished, you can see if there is anything inappropriate." ”

Su Hao shook his head and said, "Brother Xiao's literary talent is ten times better than Hao's, how can there be anything inappropriate, I won't read it." ”

"Well, okay." Xiao Ruxun was not reluctant, and said: "Anyway, what I wrote is something we discussed." If the imperial court really accepts my opinion, the two of us will still have to join forces to send troops, and the credit will be you and me at that time, and this can be changed with confidence. ”

"Brother Xiao's character, how can the little brother not believe it?" Su Hao said with a smile.

Xiao Ruxun said: "Change, do you also want to write a letter to Scholar Wang and report to him." I have heard that he is your benefactor. When you're done writing the letters, I'll have them all sent to the station. ”

Xiao Ruxun said that Wang Daxue naturally refers to Wang Xijue. Su Hao is the person named and reused by Wang Xijue, which Xiao Ruxun has known for a long time. As the saying goes, there are people in the court who are good officials, if Su Hao wants to join forces with Xiao Ruxun to send troops to fight, it is beneficial to inform Wang Xijue in advance, and when it comes to distributing credit, Wang Xijue will naturally fight for him.

Su Hao said: "I will write a letter to Scholar Wang, but I don't have to send it through the post station, it seems too raw." I have two ready-made messengers at hand, and they can deliver the letters, and the effect is not normal. ”