Chapter 140: Xixia Special Correspondent

Ouyang was a little puzzled by the Holy Decree, why did he become a prison soldier himself? Thinking about it, yes, he was also responsible for the coordination between the merchants and the army, as well as supervising the transportation of weapons. It seems that his prison army is not a prison army for that purpose. The regular prison army is estimated to be Li Han, and Li Han is the emperor's cha, the person next to the emperor.

If you want to arrive at Qinfeng Road on the third day of February, you have to prepare to go on the road in mid-January, calculate the time, Song Hui and Song can't pick it up, I don't know if it will make a fuss, but Zong Ze will be better. I can't participate in the opening of the university...... But someone is responsible for this, otherwise there is no point in setting up a temporary university preparatory committee, and you have to work with money.

The list of Yangping Chamber of Commerce interested in developing Western Xia has come out. There are many fields involved, among which the planting industry is the most competitive, and there are four companies that want to take a bite. The second is leather raw materials, and there are also three companies in the grab. This is not a problem, the Yangping Chamber of Commerce is to turn competition into an alliance, and it can be allocated according to shares.

It will definitely not start fighting in February, and my own weapons will be delivered in the first batch in February, and I will have to be proficient for a few days. Besides, the imperial court will officially issue an envoy after the beginning of spring, demanding the return of Lingzhou and Yongle Prefecture. From ancient times to the present, from abroad to at home, wars are also used as excuses. Wait for the envoy Wen to go back, and then the imperial court will officially order the troops, how can you get April. In July, Yangping had the first Great Song Keju Invitational Tournament, and more than ten states have already signed up, and the competition is expected to last for more than a month. In late August, there was the second trade fair in Yangping, which was the focus of the growth of Yangping Chamber of Commerce. These are all prepared in advance, and you must plan things down to the details in your absence. However, this workload is nothing to Ouyang, no matter how fast the pace of ancient times is, it is not as fast as the modern economy and society. If a major case is not solved within 48 hours, there will be countless pressures one after another. While investigating the case, he had to contact the Attorney General's Chamber, and at the same time, he had to accept an internal investigation. That's a busy life!

However, Ouyang got this holy decree in his hands and it was indeed a bit nondescript, and the two errands sent together together. It turned out that he wanted to be dismissed from the post of magistrate first. But Zhao Yu really didn't dare to transfer Ouyang Zhixian's position now. But there are fewer things on the Western Xia side, and Ouyang can't do it. This battle is not just about the soldiers charging, it involves all aspects. , logistics, post-war, and so on have to be taken into account. In the end, he pretended to be confused and made such a holy decree.

Ouyang did not work that night. first accompanied Liang Hongyu to play mahjong, and then was expelled. Then I played a few billiards by myself, and I felt bored. finally accepted Gan Xin and Zhanming's invitation to drink and chat together, and found a way to pass the time. When I got to see it, it turned out that Hui Lan was playing mahjong with Su Shi on her stomach, and the two men were not good at this, so they pulled Ouyang out. The three of them discussed it casually, and then went to Zhenniang's house, but they didn't think that Zhenniang would also go to play mahjong. In the end, they were helpless, and the three of them rode to the Qinghe River to bask in the moon and drink.

Early the next morning, the day of the legal confinement, the first batch of weapons to Qinfeng Road also began to hit the road. When these weapons arrive near Tokyo, they will be escorted by 3,000 soldiers and horses sent by the Tokyo Forbidden Army. Ouyang is also generous, and each person who transports weapons is 500 red envelopes. He was not idle, and Su Qian's side was not idle, they were all discussing the interests of dividing up the business of Western Xia. Now it is no secret that the war against the Tangut is no longer a secret. Even the Western Xia people have sent the central guard army and the capture army. The Central Guard includes the Proton Army, the Emperor's Guard, and the Jingshi Garrison. The 3,000 proton army sent out was all composed of the sons of the Western Xia Haoqiang, with a high degree of loyalty and strong combat effectiveness.

The Capture Army meant to capture the enemy as slaves, with a total of about 100,000 and was the elite army of Western Xia. There are still 500,000 local troops in the Western Xia, and these people are not separated from production, and they fight for the soldiers, and do not fight for the people. In short, the Western Xia belonged to a military system in which all the people were soldiers, and this system largely reflected its social characteristics, that is, it still existed in nomadism and slavery.

According to a report sent by the royal newspaper, in the border Yongle Prefecture, the Western Xia army amassed 80,000 troops and 50,000 troops in Lingzhou. Han Shizhong's total combat force was less than 120,000, including the 40,000 who were reduced to a transport force. But the trouble in Western Xia was that Tubo gathered 30,000 people in the Achai region, and the Datong Mansion of Liao was not quiet.

Tibet is still a tribal state, and the tribes do not like to obey the orders of the central government, and these 30,000 people are subordinates of the head of the Pan Luo branch of the Six Valleys of Tibet. Pan Luozhi was the defense envoy of Yanzhou certified by the Song Dynasty and the inspection envoy of the western capital of Mingzhou. Tubo and the Great Song Dynasty have always had a military system of common border defense, and it was the Western Xia that defended the border.

And the Liao State is actually still waiting, and the imperial court is still discussing whether to help the Song people fight. The conditions are very favorable, control a state, and sell this state to the Great Song Dynasty for 100,000 guan afterwards. Internal opposition mainly came from military generals, who believed that they should not help Song again at the stage of confrontation with Jin. And once they threaten Western Xia, it is likely that they will be dealt with by 30,000 elite garrisons.

It seems that everyone can't take advantage of anything, but Song has two more secret weapons. The first is the general Han Shizhong, and the second is the first actual combat of gunpowder weapons. Han Shizhong has already set up a formation for firearms, such as the grenadier army, the city breaking army, and the defense army. Han Shizhong said above that he could defeat more than twice as many enemies.

Yangping Chamber of Commerce is interested in developing in Xixia, and the bottom line and the project it hopes to develop are summarized by Su Qian and discussed with Ouyang. In general, there are two main situations, one is around the two major areas of planting and leather, and the other is the border office, which is dedicated to the trade and production base of Northern Song and Liao. As for the lack of interest in the construction of retail markets and restaurants, everyone said that they were not interested in these sesame seeds. There is no partnership in this production, because there are no powerful businessmen around. But the benefits are also obvious, such as short transportation distances, cheap human resources, and low taxes in the occupied areas. Once the field here is prosperous, it will cover Taiyuan Mansion, Zhending Mansion, and even the east and west military supplies. To put it simply, if a brick is pulled from Yangping to Liaobian, the various cost prices will reach Sanwen. In the border city, the manpower is cheap, the land is abundant, the tax is low, the distance is relatively close, and the cost of pulling to the Liaobian is only a penny. Even if it is an anti-dumping Yangping from the border city, the cost price is only two cents. With the border city as the center, there will be a very important sales coverage area.

Of course, if you want to go to Zhendingfu to set up a field, it is closer to Liaobian, but in addition to the distance difference, other factors are much worse, and if it is not with the local people, there will be a lot of trouble.

Simply put, this place is called Borderlands. But then again, the risk of running a venue in this city is also quite high, and the most important thing is a military conflict. However, although the money invested in these investments is gambling, they are not poor people who can be on Su Qian's list, and they can afford to lose and play. After Ouyang and Su Qian discussed, the funds of Yangping Qianzhuang were transferred to the north, focusing on the first-line money from Xingyuan Mansion to Zhending Mansion, as a reserve fund for start-up.

After the New Year's Festival, these things went to the procedure. Before the Lantern Festival, after Su Qian appointed the acting CEO around the tenth day of the first month, he and Ouyang went north together, and the shareholders did not go for the time being, and Su Qian was allowed to flexibly grasp the funds promised by these shareholders. He was accompanied by 20 officials, most of whom were engaged in clerical work, and let them go not to kill the enemy, but to work part-time as account clerks, recruit manpower, and other trivial tasks.

When he arrived in Tokyo, he transferred three hundred forbidden troops as the guards of the prison army according to the holy decree, and the captain of the guard was the internal guard next to Zhao Yu, and the battalion commander of the Tokyo Forbidden Army was named Zhu Da, who was an acquaintance of Ouyang. This can be without pomp and circumstance when an envoy, but not without pomp when an overseer. And there is also a point of emphasis, if Ouyang dies unnaturally, everyone in the guard may have to accompany the funeral. This is a common understanding in the military. If the general's personal soldiers can recover the body after the general's death, the crime will be reduced by one degree. If not, they are generally put to death.

Zhu Da is less than thirty, but he is open-minded by nature, and this trip is a beautiful difference for him. He didn't believe that Ouyang would run into the enemy camp if he had nothing to do. According to custom, Ouyang is generally no less than a hundred miles away from the battlefield. At that time, even if Ouyang wants to be strong, as long as he gives an order, he will be tied up and run away, and there will be no problem at all. Of course, as a guard, there are two other responsibilities, which is to record the real dynamics of the battlefield. There is also a certain role in monitoring and supervising the army.

Ouyang just sighed, as an eight-rank official, he has been leading Zhanming, and now he is also leading the real military generals in the capital. Compared with Liao, it is still more realistic than Song. The Liao side is full of floating clouds, and there are officials without posts.

After arriving at the Hejian Mansion on the Yongxing Military Road, he began to turn around, and the Hejian Mansion went straight north to the Liaobian, and the official road was very easy to walk, but it was not the case when he turned to Qinfeng Road. Due to the frequent transportation of supplies, soldiers and horses in a short period of time, this road, which was already a bit rubbish, is now even more rubbish. However, in the era of cold weapons, there were no mechanized troops, there were animals and manpower, and in addition to the uncomfortable walking, unless it rained heavily, transportation could still be guaranteed. Moreover, the Jingzhao Prefecture has sent people to repair this official road and strengthen the bridge last year. In other words, fighting a war is actually not a family's business, and if you don't move, you will do it, and if you move, you will send your whole body.

It was just spring, and the temperature was not high. Ouyang estimated that it was only about three or four degrees, and because he was riding a horse, he didn't go too fast. Zhu Da introduced: "Qinfeng Road is the most bitter and cold place in the Song Dynasty. Large-scale military material transfer is cumbersome. There is also such a reason for fighting a hundred years with Western Xia, but the scale is between tens of thousands each time. Such a scale was small to Liaozhong a few decades ago, but it was rare to put it in Qinfeng Road. ”

Ouyang asked, "General Zhu, why is this?" ”

"Xining Prefecture is out of Xiliang, and it is mostly steep. And there is also the Great Wall protection. In addition, the number of troops stationed in Zhuo Luo and the Southern Army Division on the Western Xia Road reached 70,000. Everywhere is easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are also these terrains that are often prone to food routes. And to maintain the grain route, it costs ten times as much as the soldiers in front. Don't look at this battle, the imperial court invested less troops, but it spent a lot of money at all. That's why I didn't dare to make a big move here. This is also the most important reason why the Tangut people have repeatedly violated the border and regarded us as nothing. Moreover, once the place of Zhuo Luo and the Southern Military Division is highlighted, it is Xingqing Mansion, the capital of Western Xia. The garrison inside is an elite ......"

"Wait, the 3,000 people of this proton army are elite, the more than 20,000 people of this garrison force are elite, the 10,000 people of the emperor's guard are elite, and the capture army is also elite...... How are they all elite? ”

Zhu Da smiled bitterly: "My lord doesn't know, the Western Xia military system was established by imitating the Song and Liao systems. Your Excellency, the above is a permanent army. The registered local army is actually composed of ordinary people, and once conscripted, it is enlisted and placed under the jurisdiction of the military department. It is said that the local army today has 500,000 men. These people are indeed loose in discipline, but they are strong in individual combat. They also have rules, a group of three, and the name is a copy. There is also a division of duties in a copy, the main force, the auxiliary master, and the burden. In times of war, the burden is responsible for restraining the need for horses and carrying rations. The main force is the main hit, and the auxiliary main strategy should be left and right. Such a team does not pose a threat to the large-scale formation of our Song army, but it is flexible and mobile, and scattered attacks can be used as one as ten. Moreover, the Western Xia was dominated by party members, and whenever they fought, they coerced or lured other tribes to participate in the war. There are countless strange ways of fighting of various ethnic groups, and the Western Xia army did not have a unified uniform, and our army could not recognize the enemy, which also suffered a lot. ”

"There are also Western Xia craftsmen and craftsmen with exquisite skills, such as the elite 20,000 iron harriers in the capture army, all of which are one-color cold-forged armor, and within ten steps, the crossbow cannot enter. They are all equipped with Xia Guo swords, which are extremely sharp, and as soon as the weapons are handed over, the Song army suffers a lot. Zhu Dadao: "Xixia Zhenghe attacked me in the early summer, and the imperial court was furious, and sent 300,000 heavy troops to attack it for Shaanxi, Hedong, and Hexi, and then ordered Liu Fa to lead 150,000 horses out of Huangzhou. Qin Fenglu made Liu Zhongwu lead 50,000 soldiers out of Huizhou. Such a scale was finally defeated by the Western Xia, and the Western Xia had no choice but to surrender, and the Song army lost more than 150,000 people in this battle. But two years later, he committed another offense on my side. Adults are businessmen and should know how much it costs the imperial court to fight a battle, and how much it costs to fight that battle in Western Xia. No matter how rich Song is, he can't afford to spend it, so he can only defend it according to the danger. ”

Ouyang smiled: "General Zhu is not optimistic about General Han. ”

"The last general will not dare. It's just that this single shot is all the way, the goal is clear, and there is no secret to the march. Although Liao and Tubo contained part of the Western Xia army, Zhu Da paused ......and said: "According to what the last general saw, we should go out in multiple ways, so that the Western Xia people are tired of running for their lives, so that they can choose their weakness and break it." ”

The general thought so...... It is estimated that the Tangut people also think so. Ouyang said: "I can't fight, but I know that there will not be many people to fight in the future." ”

"What's that?"

Ouyang Dao: "As the general said, this enemy has the all-indestructible weapon of the Xia Guo Sword, and the defense of cold forging armor that no arrow can penetrate. One can stop us a hundred sergeants. Then we can't have a weapon that can kill a hundred people in an instant? 500,000, huh! If the Song army was not afraid of death, and the logistics supply could be met, even if it was two million facing the Song army of 100,000, it might not be able to win. Also, as far as I know, the treasury of the Western Xia court is now empty, and it is estimated that it can hold up for a month or two, and it will take half a year to fight, I'm afraid they won't have time to cry. All the people are soldiers, who will collect the food? Who is going to transport grain. Xiao Zhu! Fighting a war also pays attention to consumption, just like doing business, two identical stores lower prices for each other, and the one with less capital always dies. ”

"Huh? Does General Han want to use the strategy of attrition? Heavy troops occupy dangerous places, so that the enemy cannot attack, and dare not defend...... That's a good idea. ”

"Gotcha! This is not General Han's opinion. I'll just guess. I thought, if I come to war, I'm going to use it. Then a reward was offered, and those who came with horses and deserters were given 20 guan, and 20 guan were set on fire once in the enemy's camp, and 50 guan were killed in a general...... Everyone can go to the side to receive the reward money and then go to the Song to live. I went back and sold the horses and weapons to the Song Dynasty, and bought them again after taking the money...... I don't think Xixia can stand it. Ouyang touched his chin, fighting and doing business seemed to be almost the same.

"......," said Juda Khan, "no lord, you are fighting like this. ”

"Why not, I have money." Ouyang shook his hair: "Let's buy land and do business to the Jin Kingdom, are you still afraid of a Western Xia?" Buy the same, buy the city, buy the people, buy the horses, buy the weapons, buy the generals. ”

There is a way that money can make ghosts grind, and the Tangut people are not monolithic. Western Xia was a multi-ethnic country dominated by party members. These ethnic groups have also mixed with the Song Dynasty, for example, there is a tribe that asked the Song Dynasty for an official title, but the Song Dynasty did not allow it, so this tribe voted for Western Xia. Ouyang has no other advantages, that is, he is generous. He had already verbally borrowed 1 million yuan from Yangping Qianzhuang, and in addition to the millions of people's money he had put into his private account a year ago, plus the later payment from the Liao State's arms trafficking, he had prepared 2.5 million yuan of money in Qianzhuang. And in the midst of his procession there were two carts full of silver. People are all valuable these days, such as Magna's lotus, that is, the Hollywood movie star who covered the *** skirt and stood in the house said that a daughter buys a kiss, but five cents can sell his soul.

"Report!" The avant-garde hit the horse to the Chinese army: "Lord Ou, there is a person wearing a hat in front of me who said that he was looking for Lord Ou." ”

"What did he say?"

The avant-garde said: "A red heart, prepare with both hands." ”

"Yes!" Ouyang said: "Zhang San, take a thousand guan." ”

"Yes!" Zhang San took out a Jiaozi from his purse. Ouyang took the horse and went forward.

Zhu Da was puzzled and followed, but saw Ouyang dismount in front of the roadblock and asked, "How long have you been waiting?" ”

"A month!" The man handed over something.

Ouyang handed Jiaozi over. The man looked at Jiaozi and nodded and asked, "What else do you need?" ”

Ouyang handed over a piece of paper. The man quickly browsed and said, "It's a little difficult, how to pick up the goods?" ”

"Wangfu Inn in Pyeong-gun, Gyeongju, look for a person named Zhang San. Password, did you eat today? Hui: Brain idiot, young state. ”

"Got it." The man didn't talk any more, pulled the hat down a few points, got on his horse and whipped away.

Zhu Da waved his hand to let the team move on, and curiously glanced at Ouyang's chest. Ouyang was very uncomfortable, and confessed: "This person is the family of my special reporter. ”

"Special correspondent?"

"Well...... It's the person who gave him money and helped me get news. It was bribed by a reporter from the Royal Newspaper in Xingqing Province. ”

Zhu Da exclaimed: "The adults sent people to Western Xia?" ”

"Yes, Tubo, Dali, Liao, and Jin all have reporters I station. However, they generally don't show up, that is, they record general things and don't interview. It's just a message every two months. Ouyang smiled and asked, "Otherwise, where do you think the international news of this royal newspaper comes from?" ”