In the firearms department of Liaoyang Prefecture, hundreds of craftsmen are busy assembling ceramic fire mines, and the firearms craftsmen of Liaoguo have been unable to succeed in developing iron fire mines for a whole year, and the officials of the firearms department will certainly not take the responsibility on their own heads, they will put the responsibility on the lack of important raw materials, and Liaoguo cannot obtain important raw materials for fire glue.

As for the word fire glue, it is still heard by the fine work of the capital, and no one knows what it is, only that it is produced on an overseas tropical island, and it is a very explosive and burning material.

This was the final report of the Firearms Division to Yeluhonki.

In desperation, Yelu Hongji had to order the resumption of the manufacture of thin porcelain fire mines, which are also the most powerful firearms that Liao can make, and its lethality is the ceramic pieces that fly when the clay pot explodes, which is not the same thing as the powerful iron fire thunder.

Yelu Hongji visited the warehouse under the guidance of the official in charge, and when he saw that the firearms that had been piled up were gone, he couldn't help frowning and asked, "I remember that there are still many firearms in the warehouse, where are they now?" ”

Several officials looked at each other, and the leading official said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the new gunpowder has been out of stock for a long time, so we have to dismantle the old firearms and use the gunpowder inside to make ceramic fire mines." ”

"Why is gunpowder out of stock?" Yelu Hongji asked dissatisfied.

"There is a lack of financial resources, so the nitrate mines and nitrate smelting plants have to be suspended, including the weaving house, the brewery, etc., all the civilian workshops have been stopped, and now there are still the workshops of the ordnance supervisor and the iron mines in operation, and nothing else." ”

"Is it that serious?"

"Your Majesty, Weichen has not received money for half a year, the officials of Tokyo Prefecture have also stopped paying for three months, and the supply money for craftsmen has long been stopped, and the money in Liaoyang Mansion is less than 10,000 yuan, and the grain is less than 100,000 stones, and the crisis is serious!"

Yelu Hongji didn't want to listen any longer, snorted heavily, turned and walked away quickly.

The crowd followed.

Back at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Yelu Hongji was clearly in a bad mood, and he could see the pressure brought to him by Tokyo's financial embarrassment.

He never understood why Liao's financial situation had become so bad in just a few years.

Yelu Hongji was surrounded by courtiers, and the true loyalists were either sidelined or simply killed in the name of the Chongyuan rebellion, and even the crown prince, who could tell him the truth, was killed at the beginning of the year for his involvement in rebellion.

No one will tell him that most of the taxes before the Liao State were created by the Han people, and the Han people were excluded, died, fled, or were arrested for mining and iron smelting, commerce stopped, the land was barren, and all industries withered, where were there taxes in the Liao State, but in the Liao State, no one would admit that the economy of the Liao State was supported by the Han people, even if someone understood it, they would not admit it.

On the contrary, when the Song dynasty became powerful, fear and defensiveness of the Han people became the mainstream of the Liao state.

And Yelu Yixin, Zhang Xiaojie, Yelu Bai, and Yelu Ruinu, these ministers, said in Yelu Hongji's ear every day that it was because the Song Dynasty stopped the New Year's currency and because the Song Dynasty stopped border trade that there was such a serious financial crisis in Liao.

A lie told a thousand times will become the truth, and Yelu Hongji finally listened to the slander and decided to use war to solve the financial crisis of the Liao State.

In the study, Yelu Hongji paced back and forth with his hands in his hands, and he said to Yelu Yixin worriedly: "I urgently need money now to solve the problem of insufficient combat preparation, the Bohai Ministry is willing to send troops at a price of 30,000 yuan, and Xi Ren is too, I promised to give them 100,000 yuan so far, what good plan does Xiangguo have?" ”

Yelu Yixin said slowly: "Your Majesty, in fact, the Liao State has money, but they are not in Your Majesty's hands. ”

Yelu Hongji understood what Yelu Yixin meant, the last time they supported them for half a year by destroying the Jurchens and plundering the Kereh, so what about now?

Yelu Yixin took out a list and handed it to Yelu Hongji, "This is the thirteen richest people of the Liao State, in the Chongyuan Rebellion, they stood on the side of the King of Chu, and some time ago they also sympathized with the Xiao family and criticized Your Majesty, these people have not contributed to the Liao State except for dragging Your Majesty back, and at this time of crisis, they should have expressed something." ”

The list is full of imperial relatives and relatives, all of whom have benefited the most from the expansion of the Liao State in the past hundred years, Yelu Hongji of course knows that the wealth of each of their families can be called rich and rivaled, but they are the nobles of the Liao State, and if they want to move them, Yelu Hongji is still a little hesitant.

Yelu Yixin persuaded again: "Your Majesty can choose two or three families to kill chickens and monkeys, and destroy these families, not afraid that others will not obediently offer money to support military expenses, and at the same time teach them to stand in line in the Chongyuan Rebellion." ”

Yelu Hongji nodded slowly, he could accept the plan of killing chickens and monkeys.

He looked at the list, pondered for a long time, and then drew out three families that he had been dissatisfied with for a long time.

"These three households were confiscated in the name of fornicating with the enemy country, and all the money and property were put into the treasury, and each of the other ten households must give me 500,000 yuan of money as military expenses, and Aiqing is solely responsible for handling this matter."

"Wechen obeys!"

...........

When Fan Ning returned from the Hedong inspection, it was April, and the next day after he came back, he came to the Intelligence Department, and the importance of intelligence was not a day or two, but now he just paid more attention, he deeply understood the truth of knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent, and winning all battles, without the contribution of the intelligence department, how could he know that the main direction of attack of the Liao State was Taiyuan.

The General Staff Department is currently directly subordinate to the Privy Envoy, and when the Privy Envoy is not in the capital, they report directly to the Son of Heaven.

The head of the General Staff Department is still Liu Kui, but Liu Kui is not here now, he went to deliver the last batch of thirty warships to Liao, bringing Liao's 5,000 stone warships to one hundred and fifty, and at the same time, he also had to loot the little pig iron accumulated in Liaoyang.

Taking advantage of Yelu Hongji's desire to build a Liao army and naval army, Yelu Hongji carried out strategic deception under the cover of Yelu Yixin, and sold extremely inferior warships to the Liao State in exchange for the strategic resources of the Liao State, prompting the Liao State to increase the pressure on the Han Chinese.

This is the same as using a fake iron fire thunder to deceive the Liao State, so far, the intelligence leaders of the Liao State in the capital have not been punished in any way, which means that the deception of the iron fire thunder has never been exposed.

Liu Kui was not in the Intelligence Department, and Fan Ning was received by Sima Zhao Chengzhi.

Zhao Chengzhi smiled and handed a copy of a pigeon letter to Fan Ning, "This is a piece of information that I just received this morning, there is turmoil within the Liao State again, the three princes of the Liao State, the King of Jin, the King of Wu, and the King of Zhao were judged to be arrested for the remnants of the Chongyuan Rebellion, and all the family property and land were confiscated. ”

Fan Ning looked at the pigeon letter and said lightly: "This must be Yelu Yixin's idea, to attack the Liao clan that hates him, and it is also Yelu Hongji who is poor and crazy that he will think of using this method to make money." ”

Zhao Chengzhi took out another piece of information, "This is a piece of information that Yelu Yixin gave us through his adopted son, and the 80,000 elite Liao cavalry will probably cross the sea to attack Dengzhou in early May." ”

Fan Ning took a few steps with his hands in hand, and a fleet of 150 ships of 5,000 stones was enough to transport 80,000 soldiers, but there were still many important details to be implemented in how to transport war horses, supplies, and siege weapons.

He wrote down the details he wanted to know and handed them to Zhao Chengzhi, "Send this to Liaoyang Mansion, this is the details of the sea-crossing operation I need, please be sure to understand it clearly." ”

"If you understand it, you will send it out immediately."

"Wait a minute!"

Fan Ning waved his hand and asked, "Is there any news from Kunzhou?" ”

"Not yet."

"What other information does the Liao State have?"

"There is also the fact that Liao is manufacturing a large number of ceramic fire mines, and there is that this year, Liao's finances are extremely severe, the tax in Youzhou has plummeted by ninety, and Liaoyang Mansion has been reduced by half, and then there is the grassland snow disaster last winter, which froze a large number of cattle and sheep to death, resulting in uneven collection of sheep taxes of various ethnic groups in the north, and the Xi and Bohai tribes are dissatisfied with the endless conscription of Liao, and ask Yelu Hongji to compensate."

"What else is there any news from Liao?"

Zhao Chengzhi flipped through the report: "There is also the fact that last month, Yang Cong, a tenant farmer in Xincheng County, rebelled against the oppression of the monastery, and thousands of people followed, burned the monastery and killed the monks, which was brutally suppressed by the Liao army. ”

"Yelu Hongji is still worshipping the Buddha?"

"Why not, last month, the high monk Yuanshi and Fa Jun were the two of them, and they each gave sesame oil money, which caused a strong response in the imperial court, and the hundred officials of the imperial court have not received the money for nearly four months, and the students of Liao Guotai marched against the Buddha and stormed the Huang'en Temple, and more than 20 people were arrested."

Fan Ning sneered a few times and said to Zhao Chengzhi: "Compile all the information of the Liao State into a complete report, and be sure to give it to me today." ”