Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 510 I am a little anxious
"Dong Jian may indeed send troops, but don't forget that the young Liao emperor is still in his hands. Yelu Yixin must have known that the Liao Kingdom has been seriously injured, but the Liao Kingdom is temporarily unable to launch a counterattack, but it still has the ability to mobilize troops against Hehuang."

"Moreover, Xixia attacked Hehuang before, and Hehuang suffered heavy losses. Dong Jian is too busy guarding against the Liao Kingdom at this moment, so how could he have the courage to fall out with the Song Dynasty?" Zhao Xing said calmly.

"Although what Your Majesty said is correct, neither the Liao Kingdom nor Dong Zhen would want to see the Song Dynasty destroy the Western Xia. I think that although the Liao Kingdom is temporarily unable to intervene, it is very likely to promise not to mobilize troops against Hehuang, allowing Dong Zhen to intervene and reap the benefits. Your Majesty, please think twice!" Zeng Gongliang said.

Zhao Xing looked at the Duke of England and asked, "What does the Duke of England think about this?"

"Your Majesty, I only know how to fight a war, and I don't know much about the situation in the northwest, so I dare not speak rashly." The Duke of England said.

Whether he was a military general or a relative of the emperor, he had made great contributions in this war with the Liao Kingdom.

Fearing that they would be criticized by the civil officials in the court, they began to defame themselves and dared not interfere in the affairs of the northwest.

Zhao Xing obviously wanted to launch an attack on Western Xia, and he could not go against Zhao Xing.

But if he supports it and it is adopted by Zhao Xing, it will be a trouble for him regardless of the outcome.

Not participating is the best option.

Zhao Xing shook his head slightly. He originally wanted the Duke of England to support him in persuading Zeng Gongliang, but he did not expect that the Duke of England would be so cautious.

Although Zhao Xing could ignore Zeng Gongliang's opinion and forcefully send troops.

However, sending troops is not that simple, and the opinions of officials in the court cannot be completely ignored.

Zeng Gongliang was the Privy Councilor. If he could support Zhao Xing's decisions, Zhao Xing could then execute them directly without going through the court.

When the court officials found out, Zeng Gongliang also endorsed it.

Zhao Xing pondered for a while and said, "What Mr. Zeng said is indeed possible, but this possibility exists not only now, but also in the future. Whether it is Liao, Xixia or Hehuang, they will not sit idly by and watch the Song Dynasty annex one of them."

"The reason why Xixia did not intervene in this Northern Expedition and took the opportunity to attack Hehuang was because Xixia believed that the Song Dynasty was no match for the Liao Dynasty."

"The Liao Kingdom is severely weakened. Even if it defeats the Song Dynasty, it will not be able to counterattack. The final result will only be a loss for both sides."

"If the Firearms Department hadn't developed more powerful gunpowder, all this would have developed as Xixia had imagined."

"Now the Xixia emperor has died suddenly and the country is in chaos. The Liao Kingdom has also been severely damaged and is unable to stop it."

"As for Hehuang, as long as Dong Zhan is not stupid, he must know that even if Liao promises not to attack Hehuang for the time being, it will attack Hehuang in the future. The possibility that Dong Zhan dares to tear his face with the Song Dynasty is very small."

"Now is a godsend opportunity to deal with Xixia. As long as we destroy Xixia, we can directly send troops to the grassland and attack Liao from the rear."

"It will be just a matter of time before the Liao Kingdom is driven back to the grasslands. By then, we will not only be able to restore the territory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but even expand it to a larger extent than during the prosperous Tang Dynasty."

Zhao Xing paused and said, "I am not a person who seeks glory and success. Zeng Aiqing is well-versed in the art of war. You should know how rare this opportunity is. If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to get such an opportunity again in the future!"

"Your Majesty, I know this opportunity is rare. But war requires food and fodder. Even if Xixia is in civil strife, it will take time to destroy it. If there is no rebellion in the Central Plains, I will support your Majesty's decision."

"However, there is a rebellion in the Central Plains. Once the rebellion is quelled, there are countless people who need to be resettled and they all need food."

"The food supply in the Song Dynasty is always limited. Even if you spend money, you may not be able to buy food."

Zeng Gongliang said solemnly, "If there is no food for the people, or the price of food rises several times, as long as there is a natural disaster, Your Majesty, have you ever thought about how serious the consequences will be?"

"During this Northern Expedition, a lot of the grain was purchased from the people. As far as I know, in a prosperous place like Jiangnan, the price of grain has almost doubled, and the people are already complaining."

Zhao Xing sighed and said, "I was a little impatient."

Only when food production increases can industry prosper.

The Song Dynasty enjoyed a prosperous commercial period, but the prosperity of commerce was ultimately an extension of the prosperity of industry.

The industry at this time could be more accurately called handicraft industry.

Although there are some tools, most of the work still needs to be done by manpower.

Why did the ancient dynasties, except the Song Dynasty, emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce?

It’s not that those in power didn’t know that those wealthy families were using business to make money, but grain production was low in ancient times, and in order to ensure sufficient food, the development of commerce had to be suppressed.

It’s not that we are afraid that more people will go into business, but that business development will require more manpower in the manufacturing process.

This will lead to a reduction in food production.

But it is different for the Song Dynasty. Although the land has been reduced, the lands it now owns are actually the best places for grain production.

Places like the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in the north and the territories occupied by Western Xia in the northwest are completely incomparable to the Central Plains and the south of the Yangtze River in terms of grain production.

Although the land area of ​​the Song Dynasty was only one-fifth of that of the Tang Dynasty.

But from an economic perspective, what the Song Dynasty now possesses is the most essential part, and what it has lost are the relatively barren lands.

This is why, although the area of ​​the Song Dynasty was only one-fifth of that of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, its population was not much less than that of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, Zhao Xing did not mean that those lands were relatively barren and it did not matter whether they were lost or not.

Every inch of land must be fought for. Even if it is just a piece of wasteland, it belongs to the Han people, and Zhao Xing definitely wants to take it back.

The population is not much less than that of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but the land area is four-fifths smaller, and there is a large lack of arable land.

Even if the Song Dynasty did not have land annexation, there would still be a large number of people without land to farm because there was too little arable land.

In fact, this is the most important reason for the commercial prosperity of the Song Dynasty.

The people have no land to farm. If industry and commerce are not developed, how will the people live?
But this has a drawback. A large number of people in the society rely on purchasing grain to survive.

Food prices are rising, but people's incomes are not increasing, so naturally there is a lot of complaints.

Why was Emperor Wu of Han considered warmongering by the people at that time?

It is said that Emperor Wu of Han fought against the Huns, and the war was fought in the Huns' territory, and did not break out in the Han Dynasty.

However, years of war not only increased the people's tax burden, but also consumed the court's stored grain and the people's mobile grain, causing grain prices to soar.

The most fatal thing was that natural disasters were constant at that time. The food available to the people was not only expensive but also scarce. When natural disasters occurred, the price was even more astronomical.

The imperial court was unable to provide disaster relief, and the people sold their fields, their land, and their children, but in the end they could only exchange them for a small amount of food, which was not even enough to survive the famine.

The people of the Han Dynasty would not care about anything and would not fight the Huns, no matter how dangerous they were.

Similarly, the people of the Song Dynasty would not care about the significance of taking back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the territories occupied by the Western Xia.

They only knew that because of the court's reasons, food prices had skyrocketed and they could no longer make ends meet.

Zhao Xing understood the principle that kindness cannot command the army and righteousness cannot command wealth.

It is simply impossible to recover the homeland of the Tang Dynasty without increasing the burden on the people of the world.

Therefore, Zhao Xing knew that the people of Song Dynasty would be affected in various ways because of his military action, but he did not think too much about it.

Xing, the people suffer.die, the people suffer.

When the country rises or falls, it is the ordinary people who suffer.

He was so anxious that he might have thought that a short pain is worse than a long one, and he wanted to end the war quickly. He did not want to launch wars many times and bring frequent burdens to the people.

But Zeng Gongliang's words woke him up. At this time, the Song Dynasty was like a high-load machine.

Zhao Xing wanted to gamble that this machine would last until he destroyed Western Xia without any problems.

But what if problems arose before he destroyed Western Xia?

What he needs to do now is to allow this high-load machine to get a rest so that no problems arise.

Instead of betting that this machine would have problems after he pacified Xixia. "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zeng Gongliang finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhao Xing give in.

"Stop flattering me. I was indeed a little too ambitious before." Zhao Xing shook his head.

"Your Majesty is doing this for the sake of the Song Dynasty. The reason he is giving up now is because you know that the civil strife in Western Xia cannot be ended in a short time, so he needs to rest and recuperate temporarily. Moreover, if we do not send troops now, there will be no external threat to Western Xia, and the fighting will only become more serious!" Zeng Gongliang said.

"Well, let's do as we discussed before." Zhao Xing said.

…………

Bianjing
The emperor looked at the news about the rebels and rubbed his head with a headache.

The emperor had been recuperating for more than a year and was in good health.

Zhao Xing led the army in person and took control of government again, but he did not feel tired.

However, the rebellion in the Central Plains left him exhausted and unable to sleep at night.

"Your Majesty, the ginseng soup is ready. Please drink it and take a rest." Eunuch Liu personally brought the ginseng soup up.

"Ah."

The emperor took the ginseng soup, which was just the right temperature. After drinking a few sips, his originally tired expression relaxed a lot and he looked more energetic.

The emperor took the handkerchief and wiped his mouth. Just as he was about to say something, a eunuch walked in.

When the emperor saw the eunuch coming in, his expression tensed and he asked, "But is there any news from Ningyuan Marquis?"

"Your Majesty, the Imperial City Chief Yin Dujian requests to see you!" the eunuch reported.

The emperor's brows relaxed when he heard this, but when he heard Yin Hanzhang asking for an audience, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes and he said, "Let him in."

The emperor's philosophy of governing the country has always been to rule without doing anything, and he does not like institutions like the Imperial City Bureau.

In addition, this time the Wizard Cult launched a rebellion in the Central Plains, but the Imperial City Bureau did not detect it in advance, which made him feel that the Imperial City Bureau was of little use.

However, Zhao Xing attached great importance to the Imperial City Bureau, so he didn't say anything.

After a while, Yin Hanzhang came in, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

"Be flat!"

The emperor waved his hand and said, "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, I have found that many officials in the court are involved in this rebellion," said Yin Hanzhang.

"Ok?"

The emperor was stunned when he heard this and asked, "Who? Is there any solid evidence?"

"Return to the Emperor!"

Yin Hanzhang said: "The Imperial City Department has a commander named Zuo Qi. He was originally a member of the Wizard Cult, but was arrested because he was betrayed by the Wizard Cult. Later, he was pardoned by the government for his meritorious service in presenting the Imperial Seal and was allowed to work in the Imperial City Department."

"I know this person."

The Emperor interrupted Yin Hanzhang with a wave of his hand and said, "But this man is still devoted to the wizard religion and is secretly trying to win over officials in the court?"

"No."

Yin Hanzhang shook his head and said, "After the Wizard Cult started the rebellion, they sent people to secretly contact Zuo Qi. Zuo Qi did not agree directly, but pretended to be submissive. From the people sent by the Wizard Cult, I learned that this rebellion was supported by officials in the court."

"Zuo Qi informed me of this matter, and I ordered people to investigate carefully and found that there was a connection between the Wizard Cult and Tang Fangming, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

The retired emperor was a little skeptical at first, but when he heard Yin Hanzhang say that it was Tang Fangming who had connections with the Wizard Cult, he believed it a little more.

It seemed as if the rebels had prepared for this rebellion for a long time in advance.

At the beginning, they launched surprise attacks on several state cities that stored military weapons.

With the weapons, the Wizard Cult quickly armed tens of thousands of soldiers.

Although they are still a mob, they are not unarmed.

It is precisely because of this that the Wizarding Cult can coerce the people everywhere.

These weapons were originally intended to be replaced for the local garrison troops, but when they were just being transported and had not yet been distributed to the soldiers, the local garrison troops were withdrawn to join the imperial guards.

The armor and weapons used by the imperial guards were quite different from those used by the local troops, so those weapons were left behind.

It is planned to be used when the Xiang army is reorganized later.

Although this matter is not a secret, it is not something that ordinary people can know.

Moreover, the purpose of the Wizarding Cult is very clear and obviously very definite.

Although most of the powers of the Ministry of War were divided up by the Three Yamen and the Privy Council, it had almost no real power.

However, matters concerning military equipment are still the responsibility of the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War is the one that knows best where the military equipment is stored and how many there are.

As the Minister of War, Tang Fangming naturally knew this.

It wouldn't be surprising if he had any connection to the Wizarding Cult.

"I have ordered people to arrest the person who delivered the letter. This is the letter found on him!" Yin Hanzhang took out a letter and said while holding it in both hands.

Eunuch Liu stepped forward, took the letter and handed it to the retired emperor.

The emperor unfolded the letter and when he saw the contents, a hint of anger appeared on his face.

There was not much content in the letter. It only said that the imperial court had sent cavalry back from the north and asked the people of the wizard's sect to flee quickly.

The emperor looked at Eunuch Liu, who understood and found a piece of Tang Fangming's hairpin.

The emperor compared them and found that the handwriting was different.

"You hand the person over to the Ministry of Justice, and I will order the Dali Temple and the Censorate to jointly investigate this matter!" said the emperor.

It is normal for the handwriting to be different. Tang Fangming is not a fool. He would not write such a letter in his own handwriting.

This is equivalent to giving the wizarding sect a handle.

"Your Majesty, Zuo Qi said that he listened to the words of the person who persuaded him. There are many people in the court who are involved with the Wizard Cult. If this matter is handed over to the Ministry of Justice, other people will find out the news and may kill people to silence them. I..."

Yin Hanzhang came to report this time in order to ask the emperor for permission to arrest Tang Fangming and interrogate other people.

He didn't expect that the emperor would actually hand the matter over to the Ministry of Justice.

But before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the emperor.

"The imperial court has its own laws. Officials who commit crimes must naturally be tried by the three courts." The emperor said calmly.

Although he no longer cared about the affairs of the court after he abdicated, the affairs of the court could not be hidden from him.

He did not agree with Zhao Xing's emphasis on the Imperial City Administration.

But he also kept a watchful eye.

(End of this chapter)