Peerless Pirates

In the Golden Capital, the heavy snowfall last night made the entire city covered in silver. The rising sun cast its light, making the entire imperial city even more dazzling.

Miyagi, Injeongjeon.

The Jin Emperor Wanyan Yusheng, the new right minister Wanyan Yuhun, the left minister Wanyan Zhangshou, the Minister of Rites, and the Taishi Zhangzong were all sitting in the spacious hall. Eight charcoal braziers with a diameter of more than five feet were scattered in the hall, making the place as warm as spring. .

On the tables in front of everyone, the fine Yuqian Longjing is exuding the intoxicating aroma. Since the Jin and Qi expanded trade and increased the market, many luxury goods have been continuously shipped to the Jin Kingdom. Silk fabrics, tea, lacquerware, etc. , making the lives of the entire Dajin aristocracy more and more interesting.

Wanyan Yusheng took a deep breath of the aroma of the tea, and couldn't help but feel a little intoxicated: Only the Qi State, and only the south of the Yangtze River, could produce such intoxicating tea. Every time he thought of this, Wanyan Yusheng felt his heart beat faster. Something, as if something was seducing him, made him often imagine the scene after sending his troops south to occupy that rich land.

"Your Majesty, Pang Hui is dead, and the Qi army will definitely be unable to advance westward. Previously, the Qi army captured Aoguan and Tongguan, which was very costly and the casualties have reached one-third. Now that the general has died again, the morale of the army is unstable. From Guanzhong, Judging from the ground, it is indeed a good time for our army to advance." Wanyan Yuhui said cautiously. Right Prime Minister Wanyan Jing passed away last year, and Wanyan Yuhui took over the position of Right Minister. Only when he took over, Wanyan Zhangshou had no objections. .

"Your Highness the Fourth Highness is right." Wanyan Zhangshou said, "I heard that the Qi troops this time marching to the west came from Luoyang Pass, Tokyo Pass and Shandong Pass. Including the navy, the total strength was more than 200,000, accounting for these three Half of Guan's troops. After capturing Chang'an, the total strength of the Qi army was about more than 130,000. It is naturally impossible to kill all these people, but it can still be done to drive them back to Guan."

"I'm afraid this is not appropriate!" Zhang Zong immediately interjected, "We had a secret discussion with the Qi State. The Wei River is the boundary between Jin and Qi in Guanzhong. If we break the agreement without authorization, I am afraid that various settlements in Guandong will be affected. As you all know, Jiangning City is very hostile to Dajin. Fortunately, Pang Hui and Huang Yuandu advocated negotiating peace with our country, and Song Xiaolang and others also negotiated with the young emperor. This promoted the peace between the four princes and Qi, and then Sign a peace agreement. If we drive the Qi army out of Guanzhong, it is possible that a war will break out between Jin and Qi."

"If we want to fight, we will fight. Are we afraid of Qi?" Zhang Shou glanced at his younger brother dissatisfied, "The key is that the opportunity in front of us is too rare. As long as we drive the Qi army out of Guanzhong and send people to guard Tongguan and Aoguan, Don't let the Qi army come in again. The entire fertile land of Guanzhong will be placed under my rule, Dajin."

"If that happens, Li Yuankui in the north of Guanzhong and Li Xi in the west will target us, and the Shu Kingdom will definitely help the Xixia people. Don't forget, our own north is not peaceful either. Those guys on the grassland are getting more and more noisy. Huan, maybe we will go south at some time. In addition, if we do this, we will definitely start a war with Qi. By then, we will be surrounded by enemies on all sides. Even though we, Dajin, are strong and powerful, we cannot help but ignite wars everywhere."

Zhang Zong was unwilling to start a war with Da Qi, especially since Da Qi had an unusual figure that he was afraid of. Even though that person was now in Shu, he was causing trouble. What's more, the last time he saw him, He had clearly warned himself.

Zhang Shou chuckled and said, "Li Yuankui and Li Xi are not talented and strategic people, and they are very easy to deal with. As for the Qi State, the young master is doubtful. Coupled with the death of Pang Hui, whether the Qi State can still fight again is still a Question. Although there is a trend of unification in the grasslands to the north of us, there are still wars and disasters, and there is no need to worry about the Xuan Dao situation in the past three or two years. We just take this period to stabilize our residence in Guanzhong."

"If we drive the Qi army out, the Qi army will sit back and watch us stabilize Guanzhong? What a joke." On state affairs, Zhang Zong did not give in to his brother at all.

"Both Mr. Zhang are right," Wanyan Yuhui said to smooth things over. "It would be great if we can win Guanzhong without starting a war with Qi." As he said that, he looked at Wanyan Yusheng and waited for the emperor to make up his mind.

Zhang Shou chuckled softly and sipped water to cover it up. He looked down on the Fourth Highness from the bottom of his heart. Wanyan Yuhun himself had mediocre talents and was actually not suitable for the position of right minister. Otherwise, he would have been on the list of candidates for the emperor. In addition to this one. However, Wanyan Yuhun was a die-hard supporter of Wanyan Yusheng. The one who played a key role in killing Wanyan Yudu was Song Xiaolang, and the other was the Fourth Highness.

Because of this, after Wanyan Jing's death, Wanyan Yusheng promoted his fourth brother to the position of right prime minister, but the actual person in charge of the military power was Wanyan Yusheng himself. Zhang Shou knew this well, so he did not Dare to fight for anything. However, since Zhang Shou is senior, it is natural for him to give some military advice.

Wanyan Yusheng knew he should speak, he coughed lightly and said with a smile, "We have fought really well in Guanzhong in the past few months and suffered huge losses in personnel, but we have gained seventy-eight percent of the land in Guanzhong. It is indeed gratifying. You have all worked hard on this for a long time, and I would like to thank you all in advance."

As an emperor, Wanyan Yusheng knew how to start the conversation. These first few sentences were to dilute the tense atmosphere just now and ease everyone's mood.

"A few years ago, I went to Licheng and met Pang Hui. He sent people to help me eradicate the treacherous thief Wanyan Yudu. It has been several years since we parted ways. I never expected that such a hero would pass away so soon. Wow, it’s really sad.”

"Your Majesty, Jin Qi uses the Weishui River as the boundary to advance into Guanzhong. This is a personal agreement between us and Pang Hui. There is no formal credential. Now that Pang Hui is dead, this agreement should be invalid." Zhang Shou quickly reminded him that he He was afraid that Wanyan Yusheng would take into account his personal friendship with Pang Hui and ignore the good opportunity in front of him.

"I know what Prime Minister Zuo said. Now, the generals in Guanzhong are very eager to fight. Previously, the Qi army suffered huge losses, but our army suffered very little losses. Speaking of fighter planes, it is indeed a good time to monopolize Guanzhong." Wanyan Yusheng looked calm and calm. His teacher Zhang Zong once taught him that the emperor should be magnanimous when dealing with matters, and his face would not change even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. Zhang Zong himself did not practice this well, but Wan Yan Yusheng After being emperor for several years, he became very calm.

"Prime Minister Zuo, I have a question. If Jin and Qi go to war, what will be the outcome? Can they win their country?"

"This..." Zhang Shou hesitated. Although he had great confidence in the Jin Army, it was almost impossible to destroy the Qi State.

"Then take a step back," Wanyan Yusheng said with a smile, "Can we have everything south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River?"

"This... I'm afraid it won't be possible for a while." Zhang Shou sighed. There are lessons from the past. Back then, Dajin and Xixia invaded the Central Plains, but they only looted a lot and had to retreat in the end. Facts have proved that the Han people south of the Yellow River are sometimes weak and can be bullied, but when they are on the verge of despair, they often show incredible fighting power.

"That's it. To measure whether something is worth doing, you have to look at its advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages to us when the Qi army occupies Chang'an are only nominal, and it's not a big deal. For us, the Weihe River The fertile soil in Guanzhong to the north, and even in the Jinghe River Basin, is the down-to-earth stuff."

Wanyan Yusheng had thought about this matter all night, and he had already made up his mind, "Let's look at our benefits. First of all, as long as the Qi army is in Chang'an, then Shu, Li Xi, and Li Yuankui will be targeting Da Qi. With Da Qi supporting us from the front, our life will be much more stable."

"Secondly, the famine in Guanzhong is only temporary. Next year, there will be a good harvest in Guanzhong, and the grain produced will be enough to support the army stationed in Guanzhong. But for Da Qi, there is not much land south of the Weihe River, and it cannot support the Qi army stationed in Chang'an. Continuously adjust grain from Guanzhong. The southern line of the Weihe River is long and narrow, and there is a threat from us on the north bank. The Qi army must at least station the existing number of people to feel at ease. And this is a big burden for the current Qi State. "

As an emperor, Wanyan Yusheng's vision has long been beyond the military itself, "We know that the purpose of Qi's request to occupy the Weihe River is just to capture the Dashan Pass area and then invade Hanzhong southward. Not to mention that Qi is now incapable of invading westward. , even if they invade the west, they may not be able to break the Xixia and Shu reinforcements. Of course, the premise is that the Shu army must continue to assist Li Xi. If Li Xi and the Shu army attack Chang'an and fight with the Qi army, it will be real good news .The Prime Minister Zuo might as well think of a solution from here, and we can discuss the details with Fourth Brother."

Zhang Shou's eyes lit up, looking deep in thought.

Wanyan Yusheng smiled and said, "Having said this, you understand. I don't agree with starting a war with Daqi now, but I can't let Daqi live in peace. Once Daqi and Dajin start fighting, it will be protracted. The current conditions are very immature. I might as well tell you my plan. We do want to monopolize the Guanzhong side, but that will be when the final battle between Jin and Qi takes place."

Wanyan Yuhun and Zhang Shoujun looked up at the emperor in front of them.

Wanyan Yusheng held his head high, "The next step is to eliminate Li Yuankui, then kill Li Xi, defend Dashan Pass, then invade Hanzhong south, march into Chengdu Prefecture, and then go south to occupy Dali, from the north, west and south, We will surround Daqi and eventually devour it in one fell swoop. At that time, I and you will gallop across the Yangtze River and whip up Jiangning. Wouldn’t it be great?”

"Your Majesty is wise!" Everyone saluted in unison.

Wanyan Yusheng waved his hand, "It's easier said than done. Right now, the first thing is to tell the generals in Guanzhong to rest and recuperate first, and then go north to Xingqing Mansion next spring. The second thing is to send someone to express condolences to Pang Hui. After all, he is an old friend of mine. , etiquette is indispensable. The third is to appoint officials to Guanzhong, divide the land, and at the same time do a good job in providing relief to the victims, so that Guanzhong can truly become our land. As for the rest of the details, the left and right ministers have to worry more."

"Yes!" Everyone was convinced. When they met such a monarch who had great ambitions but was down-to-earth, how could they not follow him to the death?

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Compared with the harmonious atmosphere of Dajin and Zhongdu, Jiangning City is turbulent and treacherous. The death of Pang Hui is like the sudden subsidence of a calm lake. The huge vacuum causes the surrounding water to flow here, forming a tumbling

The whirlpool involved the entire Jiangning political arena in the whirlpool of right and wrong. In the end, even Song Zheng, who was far away in Chengdu, was affected.