One Piece of Song Dynasty

Zhang Shixiong said: "The emperor is sitting in the besieged city, worrying about the day and night. The ancestral temple and the country are in danger. There is no need to reward a hundred times to arouse the hearts of the soldiers. How can we retreat from the enemy? I hope we will do justice and don't underestimate it. If this strategy works, then the second strategy You can do both.”

He Li asked: "What is the second strategy?"

Zhang Shixiong replied: "Since generous rewards have been implemented, we cannot supervise and punish them without heavy punishment. If you go to battle without fighting hard, or if you see the enemy retreat first, you should first kill his wife and children and let them see him, and then behead him to show to the public. In this way, Then everyone will pursue rewards and be afraid of annihilation, and even the coward will become a brave bird of prey."

He Li said: "There are regular rules for rewards and punishments, and they should not be excessive."

Zhang Shixiong said: "Today is an extraordinary time and cannot be governed by normal laws. It doesn't matter to me if this strategy is used or not, but I am afraid that I will regret it later."

He Li said: "Let me think about it."

Zhang Shixiong said anxiously: "The matter is urgent and cannot wait. Today, the national ancestral temples, the two palaces, the concubines, the kings and concubines, and millions of lives in the city are all in the hands of the officers and soldiers guarding the city. If the officers and soldiers are brave, If you fight, you will survive. If you take a step back, there will be unspeakable disaster.

Your Majesty, look at the soldiers. In addition to being concerned about their own clothes and not being able to get warmth, what else do they care about? Your Majesty should understand the importance of giving the importance of the country, ancestral temples, and the country to people who are indifferent to it. If the city is in danger, the officers and soldiers are of little benefit, so it is not difficult to ask them to declare their loyalty to death.

Every time Shixiong thinks about this, his heart trembles. If we can stimulate their fighting spirit with generous rewards, so that everyone can hope for the road to wealth, then they will have concerns and concerns about each other, and there will be no need to worry about their ineffectiveness. May your Majesty think that the Supreme Lord of the two palaces will besieging the city, and not be compared with the rewards set by the soldiers at the border. In times of crisis, routines should be broken. "

He Li nodded and said, "Very good. I would like to ask you for advice and I will do it immediately."

He Li reported Zhang Shixiong's suggestions to Song Qinzong. Song Qinzong believed that although the suggestion was good, it could not be implemented. He said: "The national treasury is now empty. How much money was taken away by the Jinmen at the beginning of the year, and how much money was spent on rescuing Taiyuan. There is no silver silk left to reward. Only officials can reward it."

Song Qinzong thought about it and felt that Zhang Shixiong was loyal and patriotic. If the court did not respond at all, the social impact would not be very good. So, he ordered He Li to immediately post a reward list and hang it on the side of the waiting courtyard so that the officials could see it. The Dailu Courtyard is a place where officials gather to prepare for the morning court. It is located to the right of Xuande Gate.

The main content of the list is to recruit warriors to kill the enemy. Anyone who captures a gold medal general will be rewarded with the official position of martial arts doctor and a gold belt. Anyone who captures the golden generals and soldiers will be rewarded according to different rewards, and the specific rewards will be announced in the list.

Just when He Li was busy posting a list and offering a reward, the commander Yao Youzhong suddenly reported: "We don't need any troops. The Jin people are in a hurry to attack the city. We beg to send envoys to discuss peace."

Yao Youzhong was originally a war faction, not a peace negotiator. When the Jin people first arrived at the city, he discussed with the generals how to leave the city to fight. He suggested to the court that the Jin people would be exhausted after coming from a long distance. If they could choose elite soldiers and march out from the four gates before they were ready to attack, they would take advantage of the situation and attack them unprepared. The Jin people would be defeated. , then the enemy can defeat it.

However, the prime minister at that time, Tang Ke, advocated peace and did not believe that the battle outside the city would be successful.

After that, day after day, the Jin people became more and more powerful, but King Qin's reinforcements did not arrive for a long time, and the morale of the officers and soldiers defending the city began to decline. Yao Youzhong felt that waiting like this would be tantamount to waiting for death. The top priority is how to prevent the capital from being captured. He weighed the pros and cons and petitioned for peace.

However, He Li's judgment of the situation was different from Yao Youzhong's. He believed that the Jin people were out of food and grass, and their eagerness to send people to the city for peace negotiations was a clear proof. He believed that it wouldn't be long before the Jin people would retreat. Now the imperial court and the Jin people are in a state of confrontation. It depends on who is strong-willed and who can carry it to the end. He Li believed that as a ruler, Yao Youzhong should concentrate on commanding troops to defend the city and resist the enemy, rather than dictating the court's major policies.

As a general who defended the city, he actually advocated negotiating peace with the Jin people. Yao Youzhong's move indeed made Song Qinzong very unhappy, and also made He Li very dissatisfied. It was probably this performance that planted the seeds for his future misfortune.

On November th, Song Qinzong went to Nanxun Gate in the rain to inspect. The snow stopped that day, but it rained heavily, and sewage flowed everywhere on the road, making it muddy.

Standing on the tower of Nanxun Gate, Song Qinzong could clearly see that outside Chenzhou Gate in the southeast, the Jin people were continuing to fill the Dragon River in the rain. They used "pidongzi" as a bunker and transported earthworks to fill the river. The Song army fired cannon stones and arrows, but they could not penetrate the "skin hole". "Pi Dongzi", also known as "Cave House", is a kind of siege equipment. It is supported by wooden pillars and covered with cowhide. It is shaped like a hole. Soldiers can move freely in the hole.

Through inspection, Song Qinzong felt that the morale of the officers and soldiers defending the city was indeed a bit low, getting worse day by day. Emperor Qinzong of the Song Dynasty thought that if people die for money and birds die for food, there must be brave men under heavy rewards. Although these are common sayings, they are all true. After returning to the palace, Song Qinzong immediately issued an edict and announced that the imperial court would accept people from all walks of life "losing money to help the country" and hoped that all walks of life would actively participate in protecting the capital. Emperor Qinzong of the Song Dynasty ordered He Li to immediately publish a list and make the rewards public.

Before noon that day, Zhang Shuye came to the city to wait for the generals. He sent someone to inform the generals yesterday that he would come to the city for a meeting at noon today. However, when he waited until noon, no one from the generals came. Zhang Shuye felt puzzled. At this time, suddenly a servant came to him and gave him a copy of Song Qinzong's handwritten edict: "I heard that Qing summoned all the generals. If you want to go to war, it is better to tell him in advance."

Zhang Shuye suddenly realized this, and he suddenly felt depressed. He suddenly felt that his position as a Privy Council member signing letters was actually empty. If the generals don't listen to orders and the Holy One doesn't trust them, what's the use of having this false name?

The more Zhang Shuye thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, so he wrote a letter, saying, "As a Privy Councilor, I can't help myself," and requested to be removed from the post of Privy Council Signing Committee. He only served as the general manager of Nandao and led the officers and soldiers of Nandao to defend the city. However, Song Qinzong disagreed.

Zong Han once asked Song Qinzong himself to go out of the city to meet with the alliance, but he was refused. Zong Han also asked the emperor and the prince to leave the city, but they were also refused. Zong Han then took a step back and asked Song Qin to send the prime minister and prince to the army to serve as hostages. This request was completely consistent with Zong Wang's approach during the last siege of the city, so Song Qinzong had no choice but to agree. However, even though he agreed, no one was sent out of the city until November th.