I will never be Renzong

Chapter 173 Layout Southwest II

After receiving Zhao Zhen's instruction, the envoy of the Champa Kingdom rushed to Champa the next day, so as to tell the good news to King Jaya Sanghavarman II (Zhadou) of Champa early.

Zhao Zhen guessed that King Zhan would not be so stupid as to refuse military aid from the Song Dynasty. After all, 20 years later, his head was chopped off by King Cochin and kicked as a ball.

Although it is inappropriate for the Song Dynasty to use large-scale troops against Jiaozhi at the moment, the precautionary measures that should be taken are still to be taken. Zhao Zhen made two-handed plans, half selling and half giving military aid to Champa, so that Champa would put more pressure on the southern border of Cochin. .

On the other hand, Wang Kai was dispatched as the governor of Guangxi Road, commanding the four battalions, and stationed troops in Yongzhou and other places to strengthen defense. In addition, Zhao Zhen also appointed Xu Zhongshan, the official of Jinyiwei Lianshi, to personally carry his will to Guangyuan Prefecture to recruit Nongquan, the leader of the Zhuang nationality. blessing.

Tangzhi of Guangyuan Prefecture is a Jimi Prefecture under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou. The so-called Jimi Prefecture is the administrative unit set up by the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties in the border areas. For hereditary.

Jimi Prefecture under the jurisdiction of Yongzhou, including Guangyuan Prefecture, is rich in gold and cinnabar resources. Zhao Zhen knows best what role gold will play in the future currency system, so naturally he will not ignore this treasure land .

It's just that the courtiers generally think that these places are mostly poor mountains and bad waters, and the roads are rough. Even if they are rich in gold, it seems useless.

The most important thing is that the center of gravity of the defense force of the Song Dynasty is the Liao Kingdom in the north. Sending troops to attack Jiaozhi is a bit of a disregard for priority and priority.

In all fairness, it is understandable that the Song Dynasty prioritized military strategy, but emphasizing the north does not mean that the southwest must take passive defensive measures!

Previously, although the officials in Yongzhou were responsible for guarding the land, they were well aware of the imperial court's unwillingness to start a war with Jiaozhi, so they basically turned a deaf ear and watched from the sidelines.

In the Chongzheng Hall, the Deputy Prime Minister once said: "Official! Isn't it inappropriate for the official to send elite troops to garrison the land of Panyu in the southwest of Yongzhou?"

Cao Wei said: "The king didn't know something. Last year, Li Gongyun, the lord of Jiaozhi, sent his prince to conquer Guangyuan Prefecture, burning, killing and looting, doing all kinds of evil. Fortunately, Nong Quanfu of Guangyuan resisted with all his strength, and finally defeated the Jiaozhi army. Now the official The reason why the family sent troops to Yongzhou is to prevent the Jiaozhi Kingdom from invading our southwestern border again!"

Wang Zeng said again: "Jiaozhi invaders are just seeking money, and Guangyuan Prefecture is a barbarian territory, and the casualties are all barbarians. The Jiaozhi Kingdom declares that our dynasty attaches great importance to the southwestern border, if so, the Jiaozhi Kingdom will be angered, and Jiaozhi will send troops to attack! When the situation in the southwest becomes chaotic, won’t it be out of control!”

Lu Zongdao said: "Officials!"

Zhao Zhen's face was ugly. He just sent more than ten thousand people to Guangxi Road, but he was opposed by civil servants unexpectedly.

Lv Yijian, the political advisor to the governor, noticed that Zhao Zhen's face was not good, so he said: "Guan! There are many barbarians in the southwest. I think we can grant Nong Quanfu the official position and let him lead the barbarian tribes in Guangxi to fight against the invasion of Jiaozhi, while our court will just watch from the sidelines." , without spending a single soldier!"

Li Di, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, said: "Officials! I think this method will not work. The disaster of the Qiang people in the party is like a lesson learned from the past. If Nong Quanfu is the leader of the barbarians, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not be able to follow in the future. It will grow stronger and become a disaster!"

"I sent Wang Kai to lead the four battalions to station in Yongzhou. On the one hand, it is to prevent Jiaozhi from invading again. On the other hand, after Wang Kai takes office, he will recruit warriors from various barbarian tribes into the army, train them, and send Mr. Chinese characters, to promote our Han culture, the purpose I gave to Wang Kai is to recruit more than 18000 barbarian soldiers within two years, plus the original 12000 people, a total of more than [-] people, more than enough to prevent cochin.

Moreover, I have prepared an opponent for Jiaozhi. Although I will not use troops against Jiaozhi in the next few years, you all need to be mentally prepared. I, the Song Dynasty, will destroy Jiaozhi, because from the day I ascended the throne, under the control of my ancestors, I swore an oath before the spiritual throne that I would not give up any territory in the Song Dynasty and fight for every inch of territory.

So in the future, I don't want to hear that any minister or military general in the court will use the absurd excuse of barbarians and remote lands, which is inconvenient to govern, to persuade me to give up any city or an inch of land, otherwise regardless of rank and meritorious service , Get the hell out of here! "

Zhao Zhen's tone couldn't help but strengthen, and then a voice containing dragon power resounded through the hall, and all the ministers couldn't help but tremble.

The ministers left with trepidation in their hearts. The trepidation is that since the victory of the conquest of the party, today's officials have become more and more powerful and heavy on military affairs.What is disturbing is that the Song Dynasty finally stabilized. They want the officials to engage in more internal affairs, and they can also gain political achievements from it, but it seems that war will still break out in a few years. His remonstrance is completely inappropriate, which is not necessarily a good thing.

In the Chongzheng Hall, after the ministers left, Zhao Zhen summoned Nanning Bo Wang Kai.

"Your Majesty, Wang Kai, respectfully listens to the official holy instructions!"

Wang Kai bowed respectfully to Zhao Zhen.

"No courtesy! Have the troops stationed on Guangxi Road been reorganized?"

Zhao Zhen glanced at Wang Kai and asked.

"Go back to the official's house! Two battalions of cavalry and two battalions of infantry have been reorganized and ready to go!"

Wang Kai hurriedly paid homage.

"Well! Very good! By the way, in addition to the tasks I assigned you this time, when you go to Yongzhou, you also bring a batch of obsolete weapons and equipment. This batch of equipment was sold to the Champa State. You will bring it first Go to Yongzhou, and I will make arrangements after receiving the certificate of credence from Champa!"

Zhao Zhen thought for a while and then said: "I asked you to station in Yongzhou and recruit barbarian soldiers. You must try your best to exercise restraint and avoid any conflicts. You must ensure that the barbarian soldiers are treated the same as our soldiers. Do not treat them differently. , do you understand?"

"I will obey the official's orders!"

Wang Kai hurriedly paid homage.

Zhao Zhen continued: "Well, I have sent someone to announce that Nong Quanfu is the commander-in-chief and prefect of Guangyuan Prefecture. After you take office, try to establish a good relationship with him. When necessary, you can give some help with weapons and equipment. , it would be best if he could take his troops under his command and incorporate them into the army, if not, he must limit his troops!"

Wang Kai suddenly asked: "Officials! I don't know who the staff is?"

His power as governor of Guangxi this time is a bit strong. The most important thing is that the officials have given him the power to recruit soldiers.

"The staff officer is Song Qi, the Hanlin servant, but don't worry, I have reminded him in advance that he will not interfere with any of your military actions. The reason why he was sent is to let him investigate the gold mines in various parts of Yongzhou. Mine, by the way, let’s see if we can build a simple road to facilitate mining!”

With the maturity of technology, red cannons will be used on the battlefield sooner or later, and because the current technology is immature, most of them are copper cannons, so the copper consumption is very large. The reason why Zhao Zhen wants to mine gold and silver mines is because Thinking of gradually changing the copper standard of the Song Dynasty step by step.

(End of this chapter)