September is coming, and the autumn wind is getting tighter.

The second year of Qingli is a cold season, it is September, and the mountains and fields are gradually yellow.

The water is cool, and the geese fly south.

Standing by the Xiaoxiao River, Cui Xian tightened her collar. The small and delicate face shimmers with beautiful style in the afterglow of the evening.

Back then, there were some rude, and there were some cautious girls, but they officially grew into a beautiful young woman. With Zheng Lang's high position and power, her wisdom has also come in handy many times, and people have a trace of temperament and aura. When he was in Hangzhou, Fu Bi came to Zheng's family for a banquet and once said: "My brother and daughter-in-law are worthy of coming from a famous family, and I can see the shadow of the famous lady of the Cui family in the Tang Dynasty." ”

refers to the Cui family in Hebei.

The Cui family in Hebei was nothing in the Song Dynasty, but it was very remarkable in the Tang Dynasty, with seven families with five surnames, and the Cui family monopolized two families, Qinghe Cui and Boling Cui, which were big families who could despise the Tang Dynasty royal family. Even the Tang Dynasty wanted to marry a woman from the Cui family as a concubine for the crown prince, but the Cui family refused.

Fu Bi said this with his own bitterness, and Zheng Lang did not expose it. Compared to Cui Xian, his little lady is really bad.

At this time, facing the sunset, Cui Xian was dressed in black velvet, and her collar was inlaid with a few golden peony patterns, which was charming and noble.

But there was some reluctance in her eyes, she looked at Zheng Lang, and said softly: "You went to the north, but be careful and wear more clothes." ”

Last year, Zheng Lang returned from Shimenchuan and had a lot of chilblains on his hands, which made the family die of heartache.

Zheng Lang went to Zhenrong Army again, and Cui Xian, Xing'er, Si'er, and Huan'er each knitted a pair of gloves, afraid that he would freeze his hands again.

Zheng Lang pulled Cui Xian's collar and said with a smile: "Xian'er, I haven't left yet." Even if I leave, the battle won't take long, and I may be able to come back before the snow falls. ”

"You're going to build a village."

"Then I have to come back, as soon as the weather is cold and the soil is frozen, even if I build a village, I have to stop." Then he looked into the distance and muttered, "Xian'er, it is possible that this is the last battle between our dynasty and Western Xia during the Qingli period." ”

"Hmm." Cui Xian muttered and looked into the distance at the same time as Zheng Lang.

People in the distance are harvesting crops, mostly sorghum and a small number of beans. Sorghum is not worth much in the interior, what is valuable is rice. But no matter what kind of grain, transported to the northwest, the freight and loss are almost the same, often a stone of grain is transported to the front line, the transportation cost is several times, if it is calculated according to the tea and salt, it is even more immeasurable. During the Xianping period, Liang Ding Jin said that the compromise grain along the border in Shaanxi was all high in price, and the public money was doubled, such as the Zhenrong army counted 714 yuan in one bucket, and one pound of tea was easy to use in one bucket and five liters in five spoons, 18 catties of salt and 10 taels were easy to use in one bucket, and one bucket of corn was 497 in real money...... It refers to the grain price of salt in exchange for grain, and the actual price is lower, but the difference is not much.

That is, in the Central Plains, the cost of a dozen Wen and a bucket of sorghum to the Zhenrong Army will reach 400 Wen.

How many soldiers have been stationed since the use of troops in the Northwest? In addition to the local soldiers, there are more than 200,000 people, not only them, but also some of the accompanying family members, military records, merchants, peddlers, and lifu who serve them, the latter number can not be counted, but it will not be less than the former, in addition to eating, the grain needed for winemaking, and some miscellaneous grains needed for war horses, Shaanxi itself lacks food. How much does a food deficit cost the country?

Therefore, Zheng Lang, Fan Zhongyan and Xia Zhu strongly advocated Sanbaiqu, and the imperial court knew that the finances were tight, and they also allocated all the money from the sale of the Ping An Supervision Deed shares.

This grain is money.

Zheng Lang looked at the north again.

Cui Xian knew that Zheng Lang was thinking that Jingyuan Road was harvesting, so Xixia also began to harvest in autumn. Once the autumn harvest is over, war will come. didn't break it, took Zheng Lang's hand and said: "The concubine remembers when I was a child, when I heard many stories about you, the concubine often sighed. ”

"Do you regret it now?"

Cui Xian rolled up her beautiful eyes and didn't answer, which means that you know. He also said: "Later, I heard that your poem, especially the later paragraph, is still difficult so far, let alone the rise and fall of the matter. Jin Rust Guangli also works hard, don't make the past a teacher. The concubine really didn't believe it, thinking that it was written by someone ghostwriting. ”

The Yangchun Sandi was written in conjunction with the Sandian Yangguan Guqin Song, and the rhythm of the poem is very consistent with the rhythm of the music. But the soul is in these four sentences, and this long poem became meaningful, and was appreciated by Fan Zhongyan and Fu Bi, who came to Zhengzhou to see the excitement at that time.

"Nothing." Zheng Lang said lightly.

Someone will soon drink another sentence, and that sentence will really go down through the ages.

"The concubine still wants you to be a guanzhong, not Zhuge ."

Guan Zhong is good, while being the overlord for Duke Qi Huan, he also enjoys great glory and wealth, lives happily all his life, and is famous for eternity. Zhuge Liang was very hard, and he did not succeed in defeating Wei, but exhausted himself to vomit blood and died.

"Guan Zhong, I like it too." Zheng Lang laughed. The Khitan envoy praised him as the big Guan Zhong of the Song Dynasty, Zheng Lang was embarrassed, he dared to compare with Guan Zhong, but he was still a little proud in his heart. Although it is said that using historical knowledge, it is also a skill to open a small golden finger from time to time.

The autumn wind blows, the wind is getting louder and louder, first like silkworms eating mulberry leaves, rustling, crispy and numb, and gradually the waves are flooding, turning into a roar.

An autumn breeze and a chill, autumn has truly arrived.

"Let's go back," Zheng Lang said, taking Cui Xian's hand and coming to the hillside next door, where the guards were riding horses with Zheng Ping and Zheng Hang, and Xing'er and Huan'er were sitting on the half-yellow turf and watching.

Back in Weizhou City, it was already dark.

Just about to go home and prepare to rest, the official ushered in and said: "Xixia sent an envoy to Weizhou to ask for a meeting. ”

"Take me there." Zheng Lang paused and said: "Let him come to the state government to see a certain person, and then send the big and small officials in Weizhou City to come to the state government to discuss matters." ”

Turned around and came to the state office.

After a while, the envoy was brought, very famous, called Yang Shousu, Yuan Hao has six major advisers, not Zhang Yuan and Wu Hao, these two boys are too bad, and their real ability is far less powerful than later generations think, but Wei Ming Shouquan, Zhang Zhi, Zhang Jiang, Yang Kuo, Xu Minzong, Zhang Wenxian. There is also a Han man who has also been reused by Yuan Hao, called Zhong Dingchen, who has good writing, and the atmospheric national watch written to the Song Dynasty is from this person.

Some of these people are Han people from Western Xia, but most of them are literati who have no ambition in the Song Dynasty, like Zhang Yuan, who took the initiative to go to Western Xia to defect to Yuan Hao, strictly speaking, they are all authentic Han annihilation. Yang Shousu is one of them. This person failed the imperial examination for ten years, and ran to Xingzhou in Western Xia in a fit of anger, and after talking with Yuan Hao, who was still the prince, he was appreciated by Yuan Hao, and the friendship between the two was very deep.

It also shows that the mistakes in the appointment of people in the imperial examination.

In short, Yang Shousu must be a talent, not only has strategy, but also can speak well. It was only because of the barrier of the imperial examination that he could not exert his talents in the Song Dynasty.

Zheng Lang didn't hate Yang Shousu so much, at this time, the concept of the country was very vague, and it was not the country that was loyal, but the emperor, so the meaning could not be sublimated. Zhang Yuan and Wu Hao are different, they are the culprits of the crime of admonishing Yuan Hao to counterattack the Song Dynasty.

Zheng Lang still couldn't help but sneer: "Yang Shousu, how does it feel to be a thief and be a father?" ”

"Xingzhi, the court can tolerate Wang Jizhong, why can't it tolerate subordinates?"

"Can you compare with Wang Jizhong?" The corners of Zheng Lang's mouth twitched. I remember watching Jin Daxia's Tianlong Babu in my previous life, which recorded that the Khitan fought the Grass Valley during Xiao Feng's time, and after the alliance between the Yuanyuan, although there was a dispute at the border, the Khitan people had already broken the ugly phenomenon of fighting the Grass Valley. Among them, Wang Jizhong's role is incomparable. Whenever the envoy of the court sent a message, Wang Jizhong wept bitterly and asked the Song Dynasty to intercede with the Khitans and bring him back. Song Zhenzong considered Wang Jizhong's role as a bridge in the Khitan, and the edict was not allowed, so he treated his son well. It is similar to the deeds of Wang Jizhong that made the early Northern Song Dynasty full of strong human feelings.

"Zheng Xianggong, his subordinates are willing to be the second Wang Jizhong."

Yang Shousu claimed to be a subordinate and seemed to ...... You must not take it seriously, it would be stupid to take it seriously.

"Whether you can be Wang Jizhong or not, I will see the aftermath. But don't want to impress me with rhetoric, I don't believe you Tangut people at all. Tell me, why have you come? ”

"The subordinates came to negotiate peace with Zheng Xianggong on behalf of Western Xia."

Almost all the officials in Weizhou, big and small, twitched their noses, it was too shameless, and they used the tricks to deal with Fan Zhongyan. Once or twice, and there's no end?

"Negotiate peace......" Zheng Lang playfully knocked on the table, noncommittal or not.

"Zheng Xianggong released my country's crown prince last year, and he had the intention of discussing peace, why did I come to negotiate peace, Zheng Xianggong didn't believe it?"

"Didn't I believe it?"

“……”

"Yang Shousu, tell you a story, there is a person who got three hundred taels of silver, and there is nowhere to hide, so he buried it on the ground, but he was afraid that people would find out, so he wrote a sign and stood on the ground, which said, There are no three hundred taels of silver here."

A cadre of officials in Weizhou laughed.

However, Zheng Lang didn't reveal it, pondered for a while and said: "It's not that I don't believe it, you Xixia people are probably the least trustworthy people in the world, how can I believe it?" But it's no wonder that people don't stand without faith, you Xixia people are just a group of hungry wolves who don't know what to do, so what are you qualified to call humans? How can a pack of hungry wolves keep their promises? ”

"If that's the case, we'll have to go to war."

"War is war, Khitan and our dynasty to renegotiate peace, I don't know what you Western Xia people use to start a war with our dynasty? With your cavalry? Still counting on the fact that more than 100,000 troops from Sanchuankou will besiege 1,000 or hundreds of Song troops, and 100,000 troops from Haoshuichuan will besiege 7,000 Song troops? First of all, I was unprepared, so that you Xixia people succeeded. You can only pick it up once or twice if it's cheap, and you want to pick it up three or four times? ”

After winning the two wars last winter, the Song dynasty was qualified to negotiate.

But Zheng Lang smiled bitterly in his heart, he didn't open his own golden finger, and even opened an overseas mine a few years ago, so that the imperial court's money and grain were more abundant than in history, and he used historical knowledge to win Shimenchuan twice, Yuan Hao really succeeded, and he picked it up cheaply endlessly.

"If that's the case, the jade is burned, is what Zheng Xianggong wants to see? I don't believe that even if the imperial court has the ability to destroy the Western Xia, the big deal is that the lord of the country sneaks back to Xiazhou and makes a comeback, and I am afraid that the people of your country will not be able to make a living. Once the country weakens, will the Khitans abide by the covenant when they see an opportunity to take advantage of it? ”

Quite telling.

Zheng Lang smiled and said: "It seems to be so, but it is easy to go from simplicity to luxury, and it is difficult to enter simplicity from luxury, you are also a scholar, you should understand the meaning of this sentence, if your Yuanhao country perished, can you sneak back to Xiazhou and make a comeback?" Why did Xiang Yu kill himself on the bank of the Wujiang River? ”

Wujiang made Zheng Lang feel regretful, Jigong Mountain and Wujiang were on the opposite side of the river in Taiping Prefecture, because the court officials were not allowed to cross the border, Zheng Lang did not go to pay respects.

"Not necessarily."

"Yang Shousu, you don't believe it, I welcome you Xixia people to go to war, come on, boldly attack my Jingyuan Road."

Yang Shousu was a little anxious, and if he continued like this, he couldn't negotiate, so he said: "Zheng Xianggong, I won't tell you, I'm the new Yang Li Renrong, Ye Li Wangrong and Ye Li Yu begged to rebel and were killed by the lord of the country. The people are also struggling to make a living, and the lord of the country regrets it very much, and this peace talk is sincere. I've also read some of your books, and Zheng Xianggong has always had a compassionate heart, so why can't the two countries be reconciled? ”

Slowly reasoning, after reasoning, Zheng Lang still disagreed, and brought the news back, the three armies were angry, and then the morale was there. The peace talks are fake, and the fight for the right is to send troops.

If Zheng Lang really believes it, it is better, once he believes, it will inevitably not be equipped, Jingyuan Road has a total of only 60,000 thousands of soldiers and horses, and the whole country of Western Xia will attack, and Jingyuan Road is not equipped, and it will inevitably be broken.

Zheng Lang pondered, seemed to be moved, and said in silence for a long time: "You Western Xia are spying on my territory, you will know that I have issued an edict to the emperor, and no border ministers are allowed to meet your courtiers privately, or negotiate peace with your Western Xia......"

"Exceptions can be made for everything." Yang Shousu said, sneering in his heart, the four ministers of your fate, which one treats the edict of the imperial court as one thing, and each plays its own game, even your Song Dynasty's Emperor Yanjing is about to take the four of you.

The four people on the edge of the edge, one is more bullish than the other, which makes Yang Shousu blush, who doesn't want to be such a courtier of the Song Dynasty.

"It's difficult to do, when I was a teenager, I said that there is a law, there is a law, the law cannot be broken, and the degree can be loosened. You Xixia people have never been trustworthy, my court and ministers are all very disappointed, Your Majesty's edict also represents the will of everyone in the temple, this is the law, how dare I violate it? ”

Zheng Lang had already thought of countermeasures all the way, but in order to achieve the effect, he had to hang Yang Shousu's appetite.

not only hangs Yang Shousu's appetite, but also hangs Yuanhao's appetite.

Ge Huaimin is one of the key factors. Ask Ge Huaimin, Yuan Hao may attack Jingyuan Road after the autumn harvest, I will give you 25,000 soldiers, let you respond, where do you think this army will be placed. It's not in Zhenrong Village, it seems that Zhenrong Village is very good, it can cover Gaoping Village, the northeast can respond to Tiansheng Village, the east can echo with the East Village, and the west side of Sanchuan Village and Dingchuan Village, and you can also cut off the back road of the Western Xia army. But terrain constraints. In the middle of the city, it is a walled village, the area is small, and it has to accommodate some people, which cannot accommodate so many troops. Placed outside the city, the outside of the Zhenrong Walled City is flat, and it is pure to send Yuan Hao snacks.

But there is a good place.

Before the fiasco of Dingchuan in history, the entire Jingyuan Road was insensitive, and Fan Zhongyan scout on Huanqing Road heard the news first and informed Wang Yan. In addition, Gyeongju Tong sentenced Yin Yuan, that is, Yin Su's brother, wrote an urgent letter to Ge Huaimin, which said that the thieves came from all over the country, and their benefits were not in the castle, and the art of war had those who could not be saved, and our army was afraid of the law, and they would go when they saw the enemy, regardless of the benefits, so they were defeated several times. It is advisable to garrison the tile pavilion and move after seeing the benefits.

Fear of the law is the advantage, see the fortress is in danger and do not rescue, often dismiss the general, the heavy beheading, because the Song Dynasty soldiers recklessly, fighting alone, so that the whole army is annihilated, no one surrenders. Liu Ping returned, Wang Xin unceremoniously wrote a letter, thousands of soldiers in Sanchuankou fought to the death with the Taiwei, and the bones were gone, and the Taiwei had no face to live. Why don't you die! After Liu Ping received the letter in the capital, he cried a lot, then fell ill and was bedridden for more than three months.

But as Yin Yuan said, it is both an advantage and a disadvantage, too rigid and inflexible, so that Yuan Hao often succeeds every time he maintains the characteristics of the Song Dynasty's use of troops.

This tile pavilion is the tile pavilion village, there is the water of the tile pavilion river in front, do not worry about the water source, the back is Longshan, can be attacked and defended. If it is really responded with a large army, it is the first important place. Ge Huaimin didn't listen, and Wang Yan sent someone to inform Ge Huaimin, warning him not to go deeper, and to set up camp in the first back city, and ambush him with ambushes, which could make meritorious contributions. The first back city is in the north of Wating Village, south of Zhenrong Village, closer to the front line, and the terrain is not as favorable as that of Wating Village, but at least it is sandwiched between Zhenrong Village and Cage Pole City, and can have a side response to each other, although it is a conservative and timid strategy, but it will not be like later, the whole army will be annihilated.

What kind of person Yin Yuan is, there are a few descendants who know. What military talents does Wang Yan have?

However, this famous general is not as good as these two literati who know little about military affairs. Zheng Lang still let him choose, but Zheng Lang was so angry that he almost vomited blood, and he was still Dingchuan. Yes, that place is the most front-line, and it is easy to make contributions, but have you ever thought about the water source, have you ever thought about the terrain? Is the Western Xia army really tofu scum?

Ge Huaimin also said a lot of reasons.

Zheng Lang didn't hear it, and said for most of the day: "There is no war now, you will lead the army and garrison it in the first back city." ”

If you put it in Dingchuan, it is looking for death, and it can't be placed in Wating Village, and it will lose its role in luring the enemy.

deliberately talking to Yang Shousu for a long time will make Yang Shousu have the illusion that he actually wants peace. If you want him to have this illusion, you must grind your mouth for a while, otherwise Yuan Hao's suspicious psychology will not believe it.

"The lord of the country is willing to make a blood oath with the imperial court."

"Yes, even if the Khitans put on a seal, they can abide by the oath for decades, and I won't believe your Western Xia, blood oath, or any oath."

"Alas, Zheng Xianggong doesn't believe it, and I have no choice but to go back and report to the monarch."

Upgraded, the lord of the country became the king.

If you want to run, it's so easy, I'm not other literati who don't understand military affairs, you Tangut people play like monkeys. Zheng Lang said: "Wait. ”

"Zheng Xianggong, what do you have to say?"

"Yuan Hao wants peace, which is good for both countries. But when you come this time, do you really want peace in Western Xia, or do you fake peace? ”

"Swear by the heavens."

"Write it down," Zheng Lang said to the copywriter. Let him record all of today's conversations.

The copywriter was recording, Zheng Lang asked the official to make tea and said, "Please use tea." ”

"Thanks."

"Yang Shousu, you took the imperial examination that year."

"Zheng Xianggong, I'm ashamed, I have taken the exam for seven consecutive exams, and none of them have been recorded."

Indeed, the imperial examination system is more progressive than the previous Wei and Jin Jiupin Zhongzheng system, especially the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty, which has given more poor children a chance, and placing Li Bai Dufu in the Song Dynasty is definitely not as tragic as they were in the Tang Dynasty. Still buried many talents, Zheng Lang lost his mind slightly, and said: "Yang Shousu, you are willing to return to the Song Dynasty as an official, if you are willing, I will recommend it to Your Majesty, at least it will be a high-class Zhizhou, let you give full play to your talents." Although Li Yuanhao treats you well, he is an enemy country after all. And you are the water of the Song Dynasty, and the soil of the Song Dynasty will raise you to be honest and benevolent, if there is no system of the Song Dynasty and no internal governance of the Song Dynasty, can you exist? ”

"Sometimes I think about it, but being loyal to the two masters is not the honor of the ministers."

With just one sentence, Zheng Lang felt a chill in his heart.

Since you want to be a Han Jian, you don't have to be polite, your face is calm, and you say gently: "Everyone has their own ambitions, I won't force it." Let's talk about peace between the two countries, you Xixia are sincere, and I like it too. But I don't dare to make decisions myself. In this way, you send your men to inform Yuan Hao of today's talks, and I will send guards to protect you in the capital and let you have a face-to-face interview with our majesty. ”