[Comprehensive] Feasibility report on the restoration of the country

Zhong Shidao was very dissatisfied with the situation that Murong Fu entered Changbai Mountain vertically and came out horizontally, but seeing Murong Fu was so angry that he still pulled his sleeves to ask Zhang Yu and Zhe Keshi for their reply, he is a big man I can't help but feel sour in the root of my nose. "They will arrive at Fuyan Army in three days, don't worry so much, your health is important."

Murong Fu immediately showed a weary smile when he heard the words, and said in a hoarse voice: "Don't worry, you won't die!" Murong Fu knew his own affairs, and his situation was equivalent to traveling to a place with particularly difficult conditions for more than half a month. If you don't eat well, you won't sleep well.When I go home, I will naturally feel a little tired, and I will get better after a few days of recuperation.

Things did go as he wished, thanks to Xue Muhua's skillful hands and the effect of the prepared red ginseng, three days later, Murong Fu accompanied Chong Er to meet Zhang Wei, the appeasement envoy of Huanqing Road, and Zhe Ke, the general of the Zhenrong army, at the Yuanmen Gate. At the right time, he is already in high spirits, and he is no longer sick.It is rare for the leaders of the three armies guarding the west to meet each other, but this first meeting is to thank Murong Fu for taking care of them over the years.

Zhang Li bowed deeply to Murong Fu and said: "The Lanqing line of defense is completed. Although I dare not say that there will be no more dangers in the future, the Xia army will never have the opportunity to enter our Song land to plunder. Lord Murong's kindness to the people in the west , I can’t stop thanking you!” Zhang Yi, whose name is Zhifu, was a rare literati in the Song Dynasty who really knew about military affairs.After serving as the appeasement envoy of Huanqing Road Economic Strategy in the sixth year of Yuanyou, he has always advocated the use of troops against Xixia to weaken the opponent to consolidate his border defense, and led troops to attack Xixia many times, and made countless achievements in successive battles and victories.

For such a famous general with great reputation in history, how dare Murong Fu accept his gift?Without waiting for Zhang Yi to bend down, he had already helped him up, and said sincerely: "Master Zhang is so polite, it really upsets the younger generation!"

Zhang Yi and Murong Fu looked at each other for a moment, seeing that his demeanor was as stable as Mount Tai, he couldn't help but smiled and turned his head to Chong Er and sighed: "Zizheng, I feel relieved when I see Lord Murong! There are successors!"

After Zhang Yi came to the west to take office, he vaguely learned that most of the funds for the construction of the Lanqing defense line came from Murongfu.From Lanzhou to Qingzhou, stretching for thousands of miles, more than a dozen fortifications are all high-walled and reinforced with cement.Not to mention chopping fire with a knife, even blasting with gunpowder may not be effective.Based on Zhang Yi's experience, the Song army based on such a city, unless someone opened the door to meet the enemy, otherwise they would not be able to break through the Xia army for 100 years.And the investment required to build such an impenetrable fortress, I am afraid that the officials with more than [-] people will not be able to bear the pain in their hearts.Zhang Yi never expected that the astonishingly young senior official in front of him was calm and breezy, and it took seven years to invest millions of guns to finally build it.Based on this incident alone, Zhang Wei can clearly realize that the perseverance and determination in the bones of this gentle and gentle Lord Murong are far from ordinary people.Now that he holds a high position and power, he is undoubtedly another indestructible Great Wall for Yu Jiaguo. How can Zhang Wei not be delighted and moved by it?

Zhong Er is more familiar with Murong Fu, and knows that his successive illnesses are not auspicious omens.It's just that right now is not the time to talk about these things, so he just sighed deeply, and said slowly: "The two of you are invited to come here today to discuss how to completely solve Xixia after the completion of the Lanqing defense line. Two, please come inside!" Said Well, Zhong Er didn't care about the expressions of Zhang Yi and Zhe Keshi, he turned his head and walked towards his tent.

After a while, the four of them sat down in Zhong'e's tent together with Zhong Shidao.After the soldiers around Chong Er brought the tea, Chong Er said slowly: "Master Murong and I met in the Yuanfeng period. The first emperor used the five-way army to attack Xia. Master Murong also personally took care of Mao Shishi. It can be said that I know the truth well." The military power of Song Dynasty and Xia Kingdom. In the second year of Yuanyou, he decided to set up a line of defense in the west to protect the people by himself. This is the Lanqing line of defense. In the past seven years, Mr. Murong has worked hard to build this line of defense and raised hundreds of dollars. Wanguan, mobilizing [-] civilian laborers, and transporting countless grains and supplies, finally built the [-] impregnable Lanqing defense lines. However, in order to get the ministers of the political affairs hall to allow the old man to build a fort in the west, The Lanqing defense line mentioned in the memorial has only three fortresses. Therefore, no one knows the true face of the Lanqing defense line except the soldiers and common people in the west; Mr. Murong's great kindness to the people in the west, I thank you in advance!" After speaking, Chong Er got up and bowed down.Zhong Er bowed, and Zhong Shidao also knelt down.

Zhang Yi and Zhe Keshi didn't know what was going on, they only thought that Murong Fu pledged a lot of money to help build the Lanqing defense line, but they never expected that all the twelve forts, big and small, were all made by him.At this time, they heard Zhong Er explain the inside story in detail, the two couldn't help sitting up in surprise, and then followed Zhong Er to push down the golden mountain and downside the jade pillars and bowed down.

"My lords, please get up quickly!" Murong Fu hurriedly stretched out his hands to help, but this time the four people were unmoved.The four people surrounded him tightly, leaving him no room to dodge, so he had to accept this gift.

The four of them thanked Murong Fufang with satisfaction, and then continued: "There is no reason to be a thief for a thousand days, but there is no reason to defend against a thief for a thousand days. Therefore, this old man agreed with Lord Murong early in the morning that this Lanqing line of defense is by no means the Western Army. Instead, it should be the bridgehead for the Western Army to attack Xia."

When Zhong Er said this, Zhang Yu and Zhe Keshi couldn't help but nodded at the same time.Zhang Yu's qualifications and official position are above Zhekeshi, and this time Zhang Yu was the first to speak. "As long as this line of defense is in place, the Western Army can gradually erode Xixia by building forts and shallow attacks." In history, the strategy of building forts and shallow attacks was pioneered by Zhang Yi.Let the Song army continue to harass the Western army and gradually erode the Xixia land based on the fortress that is easy to defend. It can be said that it is the best way to formulate the characteristics of the Han people who are good at defending the city and not good at attacking.However, the disadvantage of this method is that it costs a lot of money to build a fort, and the profit from a shallow attack is very small. Obviously, it will take a long time for this method to see the effect.

What Murong Fu lacks the most right now is time. Before Zhang Li could introduce him to "shallow fortification", he couldn't help interjecting: "Master Zhang's method is really sophisticated, but... the younger generation I really don't have the patience."

Zhang Wei couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he heard the words, because the soldiers who lead the army are most afraid of two kinds of bosses, one is cowardly and afraid of fighting, and the other is eager for quick success.He was already in his sixtieth year, and he spent most of his career in the west. He asked himself that the method of "building a fortress and attacking shallowly" was the most suitable tactic for the west.He was afraid that Murong Fu would ruin this good situation in vain by merely relying on his scholarly spirit to command indiscriminately, so he immediately persuaded him with kind words: "Master Murong, soldiers, the important affairs of the country, the place of life and death, and the way of life and death, must not be ignored!"

Murong Fu shook his head lightly, and said in a deep voice: "The younger generation is not acting on his own will, it's just that our Great Song Dynasty lacks good horses, and the grassland warfare is inherently insufficient. Even if we advance with a fortress, it is still a huge investment with little effect. Whether it is an official or a minister in the political affairs hall Ladies and gentlemen, as long as they see that the Western Army is fighting without huge gains but money is pouring down like water, they will definitely not support Mr. Zhang's strategy for a long time. War must serve politics. The war that ultimately benefits the court is the one that wins war."

Zhang Yi originally thought that Murong Fu was overjoyed, but now he could not help but sigh slightly when he heard his words so thoroughly. "Soldiers move with advantage, the truth that I only understood half my life as a soldier, Master Murong can say casually at this age. It really is a fearsome young man!"

"Master Zhang praised you." Murong Fu waved his hand and said again. "If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your weapons. Since the Song Dynasty was born with cavalry shortcomings, you can only find a way around it. The heavy armored vehicles can only protect themselves but cannot hurt the enemy. After all, they are too passive. Therefore, the younger generation It took ten years of research and development of the tunnel gun, and the purpose is to crack the cavalry of the Xia Kingdom."

"The old man Tunfa gun has seen it, and it is indeed very powerful." It can be said that if he had not seen the lethality of Tunfa gun, Zhang Wei would not have made this trip as a pacifier. "However, to deal with Xia Guo's heavy armored cavalry iron kite, even if we soldiers of the Song Dynasty fired their guns, we would have to pay a huge price. In the first battle of Yuanfeng, our army suffered countless casualties. It’s because I don’t want to see another soldier.”

"Besides, Xia Guo also has cities and fortresses, and the high walls and iron walls are not inferior to our court. It is not enough to fire a gun with this tunnel alone." Zhe Keshi added a sentence.

"Therefore, there must be cannons." Murong Fu paused every word.

"Cannon?" Zhang Lu and Zhe Keshi wondered at the same time.During the Northern Song Dynasty, gunpowder was only initially used in wars, and artillery was unheard of.

Murong Fu turned his gaze to Zhong Er, only to see Zhong Er got up and smiled brightly, and said in a loud voice: "Just ask two adults to stay with our Fuyan Army for a few days, and see our soldiers of the Fuyan Army test the cannon tomorrow!"

In the early morning of the second day, the group of four arrived at the outskirts of the Yanyan army's garrison again.There, a new high wall was built.At a distance of about 3000 meters from this city wall, the artillery team of the Yanyan Army has skillfully prepared artillery for demonstration.

Seeing the arrival of the four people, Zong Ze, who was in charge of research and development of the artillery, immediately stepped forward and saluted: "Zong Ze, the young supervisor of military weapons, has met all of you. The artillery has been cleaned up and is on standby at any time!"

Seeing that the cannon was shaped like an iron cylinder on a two-wheeled frame, Zhang Wei couldn't help asking: "Is this a cannon?"

"Exactly! This is the Francophone..." Murong Fu habitually wanted to introduce the origin of this plagiarized work, but he was swung away by Zhong Er's arm in the middle of speaking.Seeing that Zhong Er stared at him with hatred, he turned his head and said to Zhang Yi: "This cannon was developed by Master Murong and Master Zong together, and Master Zhang is also invited to name it!"

Zhang Yi chuckled, stroked his beard and said, "Try the cannon first."

With Zhang Yi's order, the artillery quickly roared and fired shells, blasting the tall city wall into ruins in an instant.

Seeing the power of the cannon, Zhang Wei couldn't help but change color slightly, and Murong Fu couldn't help nodding slightly when he saw that the soldiers of the artillery team fired the cannon skillfully and in one go.

Zong Ze has been researching and developing artillery for many years, and he is used to seeing the scene of firing a cannon, so he introduced it to Zhang Wei with a blank face: "This is a solid bullet, please move forward, my lords, and take a look at the shotgun."

Solid bullets are ground into spheres from iron blocks, one shot at a time, and are mainly used for siege.The shotgun is filled with lead and iron pellets or gravel in the gun, and a large piece is used to kill people.

Seeing the power of the shotgun, Zhang Lu and Zhe Keshi applauded loudly. "With this cannon, the iron kite will definitely be destroyed!"

Zong Ze has a calm temperament, and he lives up to his evaluation of "being dumbfounded".Even though Zhang Yi had repeatedly praised him, he just said slowly and calmly with a dull face: "The solid bullet can be fired up to six hundred miles away, but the shotgun can only be fired up to one mile away. My lord, no Don't check!"

Zhe Keshi was old in battle, and he could tell at a glance that Shotgun was mainly dealing with Xia Jun's iron kites.If the cannon can only be fired at a distance of one mile, it means that there are still a small number of iron kites that escaped the shot and rushed into the Song army camp.However, this time he didn't take it seriously, he just smiled and said, "How can anyone survive in a war? One mile is enough!"

Zhang Yi was more calm, and asked: "There are [-] tunnel-fired guns. How many cannons are there?"

"So far, there are [-] solid guns and [-] shotguns, a total of [-]." Zong Ze replied immediately.

When it came to official positions such as Zhang Yi, Zhong Er, and Zhe Keshi, they led tens of thousands of troops to guard one side, and they were used to counting all military supplies in tens of millions.Hearing that there are only three hundred such powerful cannons, Zhe Keshi immediately frowned and said, "Why don't you build more?"

Zong Ze glanced at him, and said calmly: "Including research and development costs, each of these cannons costs an average of 1000 guan, and [-] cannons are [-] million guan. The money is all paid by Akashi himself, and almost all of his ten-year income has been invested Come in, do you want him to go bankrupt?"

As soon as Zong Ze said this, everyone fell silent.From the Lanqing defense line to the tunnel guns to the artillery, Murong Fu has invested more than 2000 million yuan in this war, which is really not a small amount.

After a long time, Zhang Yifang sighed quietly, and said in a deep voice: "Master Murong has put in so much effort for the Western Army, it seems that this battle is imperative!"

"The time, place and people are harmonious, when is it better to wait if there is no fight?" Murong Fu laughed.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Wei just smiled slightly when he heard the words, and said slowly: "The right time and place are indeed here, but people and... Can Master Murong get the imperial edict?" I can only hear Zhang Yi said again. "Although Lord Murong is heavily relied on by the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager is old and kind after all, and she does not want to see slaughter at the border. We are waiting to guard one side. If we act rashly without purpose, it will be treason."

"Opportunities to use troops can be created, it's not difficult." Murong Fu said frankly, "Master Zhang is the appeasement envoy of Huanqing Road, and I was ordered to inspect the area. suspect."

As soon as Murong Fu said this, even Zhe Keshi couldn't help his eyebrows twitching wildly.The implication of Murong Fu's words is clearly that he wants Zhang Li to work with him to deceive the imperial court and start a frontier quarrel without authorization, which is really audacious!

Zhang Yi's face was red and white at the same time, if it wasn't for the sake of those cannons, I'm afraid he would have ordered this madman who bullied the king to be pushed out and chopped down.He was silent for a while, then snorted coldly, threw his sleeves and left.

Zhong Shidao thought that the negotiation failed, and immediately changed his face, and was about to step forward to persuade him, but Murong Fu suddenly reached out his hand to stop him, shaking his head slightly.Zhong Shidaozheng didn't understand what it meant, but Murong Fu had already left him behind, and followed Zhang Wei step by step.

Seeing everyone returning to the camp with Zhang Yi, Murong Fu stepped back and served him tea.After a long time, Zhang Yifang sighed quietly, and said in a low voice: "Master Murong, although I am in the west, there are still a few old friends in the court. I heard that since the beginning of summer this year, the empress dowager has been ill twice , I'm afraid it's..." At this point, he couldn't help shaking his head slightly. "... But Xiang Wu is a young official who has the heart to work hard. Governing a big country is like cooking a small dish. Why don't Lord Murong wait for a while?"

Zhang Wei spoke so clearly, Murong Fu was naturally grateful for his care.It's just that Murong Fu can wait for the little emperor to come to power before sending troops to attack Xia?Obviously not!Murong Fu knew that for a senior in the officialdom like Zhang Yu, lies and bullying are useless, so it is better to get his approval straight away, and immediately said generously: "Although the official has a heart to work hard, it is a pity that he is biased towards the new party. I am afraid that the next official will Once the government is in charge, the old party members will be repelled, and the efforts of the officials over the years will be in vain."

"But no matter what, our guns and artillery are not fake." Zhe Keshi said urgently.After all, he is a party member, and although he is in a high position, he is always vigilant.The Great Song Dynasty has always been very strict with its generals. They deceived the officials and the imperial court, and started a war to destroy the country without authorization. Victory does not necessarily mean victory or defeat is the crime of genocide.Since the guns and artillery can ensure victory, why not fight the battle safely?

Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, Murong Fu glanced at him with a smile that was not a smile, and said quietly: "General Zhe, do you still remember Wang Zhongzheng, Gao Zunyu, Li Shunju, Xu Xi? If the official family installed a few cronies like the first emperor when the war started Come here to point Jiang Shan and reprimand Fang Qiu, I am afraid that we are not using guns to attack Xia Guo, but sending guns and cannons to Xia Guo." After a pause, Murong Fu said again. "However, if the war against Xia begins to plan the layout now, and the empress dowager has great trust in me, I will probably preside over the situation. I can guarantee that I will try my best to do logistics well, and I will never intervene in the use of troops by the generals. You have to let go of it!"

Civil officials despise military generals, talk about the soldiers in battle, and after the war, those who have meritorious deeds must be seized and those who have failed must be pushed away. This was already a common situation in the Song Dynasty.When the generals mentioned this, they all gritted their teeth in hatred, because Murong Fu offered his conditions, Zhe Keshi's eyes lit up, obviously moved.

Military generals cared about how to win battles and how not to be robbed of merit, but Zhang Yi, as a civil servant, obviously thought more about it.For example: orthodoxy.He was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked sharply: "Master Murong, with the merit of destroying the country, is he trying to overwhelm the officials?"

Murong Fu smiled casually, and said calmly: "Who in this world can overwhelm the officials? The officials just don't want those new parties who grab the favor of the people to spoil the situation. The good chance of eradicating the Xia Kingdom and eradicating border troubles was ruined because of boring party disputes. Zhang Don't adults feel sorry?"

Zhang Yu didn't speak.In the officialdom, which official's starting point is not for the country and the people?At least it claims to be for the country and the people.But whether it is or not depends on the result.Zhang Yu silently calculated the age of the officials in his heart, but after all, he was too young to control powerful officials.

Murong Fu sighed, and said again: "Master Zhang, as long as the military power is not in my hands, the official throne will be as stable as Mount Tai. As for the government affairs of the court, does Mr. Zhang really think that the new party headed by Zhang Zihou will be better than Shu Zizhan headed by my mentor Su Zizhan?" Is the party doing better?"

Having said that, Zhang Yu couldn't help sighing slightly.It's not that he doesn't know the people's livelihood. It's not that he hasn't seen the scene where Wang Jinggong implemented the new law, and the people reviled and starved for thousands of miles.Zhang Dun is too aggressive and easy to kill, I'm afraid it's not as good as Wang Jinggong.It's just that Zhang Yi has been loyal to the emperor all his life and has never been involved in party disputes. Thinking that if he helps Murong Fu, he will help him fight for power in the court, and it is hard for him to convince himself.Thinking of this, he couldn't help sighing, and said slowly: "It's a very important matter, let the old man consider it." After finishing speaking, he ignored the expressions of Chong Er and Murong Fu, and went straight out.

Zhe Keshi was highly valued by Zhang Wei. As soon as Zhang Wei left, he hurriedly saluted everyone, and chased after him.

As soon as the two left, Zhong Shidao's face darkened. "Master Zhang has always been loyal..."

Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, Murong Fu smiled and said: "Don't worry, he will agree." If Zhang Wei refused to agree, Cai Cai would not have said so much to him just now.He didn't want to give up the opportunity to blackmail the little emperor with the merit of destroying the country, how could Zhang Yi give up the opportunity to wipe out Xixia and be listed in Lingyun Pavilion?Perhaps he was originally willing to cooperate with the New Party, but the guns and artillery are in the hands of Murong Fu.Without these two things, destroying Xixia would be a joke.

"Just agree!" Zhong Shidao didn't doubt Murong Fu's judgment, but said with a dark face. "In my opinion, you still have to take good care of your body and don't die halfway." Master Zhong knew that Zhang Wei was worried that Murong Fu would become a powerful minister and bully the officials.It's just that he believed that if Zhang Wei knew Murong Fu's real physical condition, his doubts would disappear!

Murong Fu couldn't help laughing out loud when he heard the words, and agreed: "Okay! Okay! I will try my best to live for two more years and be prime minister for a few more years!"

The author has something to say:

Zhang Yu: Master Murong brought the merits of destroying the country to suppress the officials?

Murong: Yes!Do you cooperate?

Zhang Yu: ...