"I know you're a kid." Xiao Ying also laughed and said: "The Jin Kingdom is already declining, and I think this Hebei and Shandong will have to give up sooner or later." Next, I'm afraid it's a very complicated situation. The Mongolian army, but it is very difficult to deal with. ”

Seeing Xiao Ying's expression turn solemn and serious, Meng Jiucheng also put away his smile and said in a deep voice: "Fifth Master can see it thoroughly, the Mongolian army is indeed our great enemy. I estimate that in more than two years, we will fight against them. Then, it won't be as easy as it is now. ”

Xiao Ying nodded, smiled, and said, "Since you can make a judgment on time, it seems that you are confident. Well, we old bones, if we want to have a peaceful birthday, it's up to you. ”

"A few masters are in the prime of life, how can you talk about old words?" Meng Jiucheng smiled and patted his ass, and said, "The fifth master is even more powerful, and he will have children soon!" ”

As a man, Xiao Ying listened to it with joy and laughter. After laughing, he patted Meng Jiucheng's shoulder with his hand and said, "Stinky boy, you have to work harder!" The daughter-in-law is very strong, and she must be able to endure that. Ha ha! ”

What can you endure? It's so vulgar to say. Meng Jiucheng smiled bitterly and was speechless for a while.

…………

Although Liu You is a native of the Song Dynasty, from a businessman to a state assassin, it is no less than one step to the sky.

With the help of the relationship with Ying Chunzhi of Chuzhou and the agreement reached, the purchase of grain across the Huai River was not only fast, but also cheap. This has played a great role in stabilizing the price of grain sold by foreign merchants.

At present, although the local food supply in Haizhou is still not open, the surplus food is used as military supplies, and it is not really lacking.

"Li Yu and Ying Chunzhi have a better attitude towards us, and the Song court still doesn't dare to openly accept the Guibeiren, for fear of offending the Jin people." Liu You very much hoped that the Red Turban Army would be accepted by the Song court, so as to justify it, but the situation dictated that the Southern Song Dynasty court was that virtue.

"Once Song Jin goes to war, all this will not be a problem." Meng Jiucheng seemed full of confidence, although he did not put all his hopes in the Southern Song Dynasty, but mainly tried to be self-reliant.

Liu You was not so sure about this, "Although the decline of the Jin State is irreversible, the Song Dynasty has no intention of starting a war. I'm afraid, it will take a long time to wait for the Jin Kingdom to decline even more, and then it will be possible, right? ”

Meng Jiucheng smiled and didn't say that it was the Jin State that took the initiative to start the war, not the Southern Song Dynasty.

He is already half-disabled, the Mongolian army and the Western Xia will not stop, and they will attack the Southern Song Dynasty, the unusual mind of this mind is really unimaginable and incomprehensible.

Therefore, no one believed it, and Meng Jiucheng was too lazy to predict the prophet. But he is secretly preparing, and as soon as the situation changes, he has corresponding plans and changes.

In the final analysis, the current Jin Army is not the great enemy in Meng Jiucheng's mind, and the Southern Song Dynasty is not a force that he wants to take refuge into.

Although Meng Jiucheng was forced by the status quo to make a certain gesture, even very realistic, the final result would be beyond everyone's expectations.

Liu You definitely can't tell this point. After all, Liu You is a native of the Song Dynasty, and he hopes that Meng Jiucheng can be friendly with the Southern Song Dynasty, and even be accepted as a Song minister, and his official position is justified.

Meng Jiucheng also has ulterior motives for Liu You's attention. The reason why he was a Song person, and the relationship between him and Ying Chunzhi, was used to get food, materials, and even the support of craftsmen from the Southern Song Dynasty.

Of course, although Liu You is the assassin of a state, the staff around him are all northerners, and the military power is in the hands of Xiao Ying, so he cannot pose a threat to Meng Jiucheng.

What's more, Meng Jiucheng felt that Liu You was not unable to fight for it and become a subordinate who was wholeheartedly with him. Although this can take quite a long time and requires a lot of effort.

After all the discussions were completed, Meng Jiucheng sent Liu You out before returning to the house. Sitting alone in front of the table, he put away his confident and calm expression, shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Fighting a war is about logistics, and money and grain are not only the capital for expansion, but also the shackles for development. Even if the bureaucracy is reduced to a minimum and land is used to pay for the army, the food has always been a headache for Meng Jiucheng.

If there is a period of recuperation, it is better to say, but one war after another, it is necessary to maintain a large army.

To supply food to the army, you can't just have a little rice mixed with vegetables like you did for the common people, and you can't go hungry.

Therefore, despite the help of the soft girl system, and the income from mirrors, soap, etc., the current finances and logistics are still a little tight.

Moreover, now Meng Jiucheng's identity is a little embarrassing, he is a hegemon to say it well, and he is a thief who occupies a dominant position when he says it badly.

Without a loud and standing identity, Meng Jiucheng wanted to use high-ranking officials to envelop him, or use "kindness and bestow on the people" to collect money, but it was also difficult to work.

"Benevolence, bestow the people" was a policy once implemented in the Han Dynasty, and by the time of the Western Han Dynasty, it was divided into two types:

The first is to give a knight, that is, if the country has a happy celebration or a great victory, it can give the people a knight; The other is the mantle, that is, in the year of financial difficulties or when the internal and external troops are used to raise military expenses, the people are recruited to enter the government with money, food, and slaves, which can be exchanged for the title.

Because those who obtain knighthoods can obtain fiefdoms (high-ranking knights), be exempted from some or all taxes and forced labor, have their sentences commuted, and have priority in official positions.

Therefore, the people bought more titles to avoid taxes and servitude. Later, the imperial court often used various reasons to levy titles and impose various other burdens in lieu of taxes and servitude. Gradually, no one bought the people anymore, and they were no longer valued.

In everything there is a benefit, there is a disadvantage, and the same is true of the people. Meng Jiucheng believes that civilians who have contributed to the country can be given an honorary title and enjoy certain special treatment to show it.

But if the privileges granted are too great, they will have a negative effect and create new injustices.

Therefore, although Meng Jiucheng could not use the addition of a civil lord to collect money, he only felt a little regretful.

If we "call the king system" like Yang An'er, we can naturally solve this nominal problem. But what you lose is greater than what you gain, and Meng Jiucheng has already thought it clearly.

The first is to make a big move, which not only attracts the hatred of the Jin army, but also easily creates estrangement from other rebels, resulting in isolation;

The second is the possibility of losing the support of the Southern Song Dynasty, which has always had contradictory policies towards troops like the Yi Army. I want to use it, but I'm worried that it will be too big. Meng Jiucheng's claim to be the king will inevitably arouse the suspicion of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Therefore, the strategy adopted by Meng Jiucheng is to keep a low profile, in other words, "build a high wall, accumulate grain, and slowly become king".

The eagerness to claim the throne was a common problem among the leaders of the peasant rebels of all generations, with the exception of a few who were level-headed.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chen Sheng did not listen to Zhang Er and Chen Yu's advice, and prematurely proclaimed the king, which led to internal divisions, and the generals did not obey orders and were broken by the Qin army.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Xu Shouhui, Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, Ming Yuzhen and others also claimed to be kings to establish their own regimes, and they were defeated by the far-sighted Zhu Baba.

Looking at the front again, Yang An'er was defeated by the Jin army by the Jin army, and then Hao Ding established himself as the emperor, and he was also quickly defeated.

There are too many of these lessons, if Meng Jiucheng doesn't learn them, then he is really a traverser in vain.