Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 548 Civil and Military Planning

Liu Huai raised his head and looked at Wei Sheng, also with tears in his eyes.

"How did father become so thin?"

Wei Sheng smiled and said, "This is what happens when you're diligent in military affairs. Under the wind and the sword, you'll naturally become a rough-faced man."

Liu Huai nodded, but he was a little skeptical in his heart.

Because Wei Sheng had lost a lot of weight compared to a few months ago, and his hair had turned from gray to mostly white with less black, as if he had already reached old age in less than a year.

Liu Huai knew that although war was very devastating, it would not be to this extent, especially for a talented general like Wei Sheng.

The fact that Wei Sheng aged to such an extent in such a short period of time has a lot to do with his continuous injuries.

Especially the second time, in order to cover the people who were evacuating by transporting food and grass, Wei Sheng personally led the light cavalry to cover the rear. He was hit by several arrows and lost an unknown amount of blood. He was completely exhausted. Even now, he has been recuperating for many days, but he is still very weak.

"Da Lang, please stand up." Wei Sheng smiled as he looked at the people behind him who were bowing and saluting. "If you don't stand up, they won't dare to stand up straight either. It's not easy to stand up in this scorching sun. Let's go back to the Jiedu Mansion and talk about it later."

Liu Huai stood up and nodded: "Of course. Please get in the car, father. I will be guarding you with my weapons."

Having said that, Liu Huai helped Wei Sheng into the carriage without saying anything, then mounted his horse as well, holding a long weapon, and escorted Wei Sheng to Linyi City like a personal guard.

The Jiedufu that Wei Sheng mentioned was the previous location of the Linyi County Government Office, but it was not the Jiedufu of Wei Sheng, the incongruous Jiedushi of the Loyalty Army, but the Jiedufu of Liu Huai, the even more incongruous Jiedushi of the Jingnan Army.

Although Wei Sheng's title of Jiedushi is strange, it is obvious that it is a nominal position and an honorary title. However, Liu Huai's title of Jiedushi of the Jingnan Army always reminds people of the Jiedushi of the Dingnan Army, which makes people wonder if there is some deeper purpose in the court, and they want to use this method to punish Liu Huai.

It should be noted that the Jiedushi of Dingnan Army was the Jiedushi of Xiasui. The previous well-known Jiedushi of Dingnan Army was called Li Yuanhao, who was the king of Western Xia who first pledged allegiance to the Song Dynasty and later rebelled against the Song Dynasty and defeated all the Song troops.

But Liu Huai himself didn't care about this.

The Jiedushi of the Jingnan Army was a good person. Although the Jiedushi of the Song Dynasty did not have the power to establish a government office, he could reverse history and take the initiative to grant himself this power.

At this time, the Jingnan Army Jiedufu had already opened for business, and He Boqiu, who was unwilling to take any official position related to the Song Dynasty, became the first chief secretary.

Wei Sheng, Lu You, and Zhang Xiaoxiang were all aware of this absurd and inappropriate behavior, but they all pretended not to see it.

Border areas naturally have their own rules. Winning the war is the most important thing in the border areas, and all other rules have to take a back seat.

Besides, without this Jiedufu, how can we unite those who do not want to surrender to the Song Dynasty?
For example, Li Tong, the former prime minister of the Jin Dynasty, would rather serve as a military officer in the Jiedu Mansion than accept the reward from the Song Dynasty and serve as a prefecture-level official. Can he still be forced to take the initiative in governing?

There are also the brothers Liang Qiu and Liang Su, who have made great contributions. They are truly talented, but they also have their own persistence. Liang Qiu is more flexible, but Liang Su is determined not to be a minister of the Song Dynasty. He doesn't even want to take an official position in the Loyal Army, for fear that the distinction between master and servant will become unclear in the future, and he will be recorded in history books as a minister of the Song Dynasty. How disgusting that would be.

After arriving at the Jiedu Mansion, the civil and military officials were divided into two rows according to the order. After Liu Huai introduced Li Tong and others to Wei Sheng, he sat in the position above the military officers and gave the main seat to Wei Sheng.

"This is a welcome banquet for Dalang, but it's rare that you all came so well, so it's a good opportunity to discuss matters together." After everyone was seated, Wei Sheng slowly said, "This time, Dalang will still host the banquet, and I will supplement it."

Before Liu Huai had even warmed up his seat, he immediately stood up and bowed to everyone around him.

He didn't waste any words. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said something shocking as soon as he opened his mouth.

"The first and most important thing is to reduce the number of troops." Liu Huai looked at the leaders of the Jingnan Army, the Zhongyi Army, the Wucheng Army, the Dongping Army, and others. "The Jingnan Army currently has 13,000 men, the Zhongyi Army has 7,000, the Wucheng Army has 10,000, and the Dongping Army has 10,000. Supporting so many troops with the manpower of the people in the eastern Shandong route will be too difficult to restore people's livelihoods. We must streamline the troops."

After these words were spoken, although Wei Sheng nodded with a smile, the others all changed color.

This opening move looks very much like an attempt to seize power.

The Jingnan Army carried out a large-scale military expansion in Lianghuai to fill the military quota provided by the Song State. However, these troops were not all under the control of Liu Huai. Some of them were recruited into the Tianping Army.

What did that sentence say?

Although the Shandong volunteers were united, even if they were eating from a big pot, they still had to eat from different bowls.

However, even if Xin Qiji and other Tianping Army generals took away 7,000 soldiers and horses and rejoined their troops in Dongping Prefecture, the Jingnan Army still had 13,000 people, and they were all elite soldiers who had fought hard battles in Lianghuai and their combat effectiveness was the best among the other armies.

Not to mention that Liu Huai's staunch supporter Zhang Baiyu is already the commander-in-chief of the Dongping Army, commanding 10,000 Dongping troops.

With this calculation, Liu Huai has an overwhelming advantage in Shandong, enough to make those who obey me prosper and those who disobey me perish, and to enjoy the pleasure of being a local emperor.

Huyan Nanxian immediately stood up and said, "Lord Liu, when you say you want to streamline our forces, do you mean just disbanding our remaining armies, or do you mean you want to streamline the Jingnan Army as well?"

Liu Huai's speech was interrupted, but he couldn't help but respond to the Wucheng Army's general: "Of course we must treat everyone equally."

Huyan Nanxian sneered and was about to speak when he heard Liu Huai continue, "But when I say streamline the troops, it's different from what you think. It's about sorting out the household registration, compiling the military households, and checking them thoroughly from head to toe to make sure nothing is missed. The current standing troops are really too many. How can there be enough money and food to feed the men and horses?"

Huyan Nanxian was stunned. Seeing that those who were originally nervous now suddenly realized what was going on, he smiled awkwardly and sat back down immediately.

Liu Huai's meaning was very simple. He did not want to drive all these soldiers back home to become civilians, but Shandong East Road could not afford to support so many standing soldiers, so he wanted to implement a land soldier system and hide the soldiers among the people.

We will give you more land to farm and support yourselves. When war comes, you can gather together and fight. You will receive generous salaries and rewards.

Simply put, it is a hybrid variant of the Tang Dynasty's military system and the Ming Dynasty's garrison system, with a little bit of the shadow of the recruitment system, which formed the current Shandong military system.

This was also a last resort. Shandong was in ruins, so where would there be enough money and grain to support 40,000 soldiers? Even if the bones of the people of Shandong were crushed and squeezed into oil, it wouldn't be enough!
Although the fubing system would give rise to separatist Jiedushi, and the weisuo system would turn soldiers into old farmers, this military system of hiding soldiers among the people might combine the shortcomings of both, making the army both independent and incapable of fighting.

But the reality is that not everything has an optimal solution. Often, we have to choose a less bad option from a pile of bad options. When the opportunity arises, we can then set things right.

"The next two years will see chaos in the Jin Kingdom. This is our opportunity, so we must prioritize recuperation." Liu Huai continued, his tone already stern. "I know some of you generals are still obsessed with achieving great things, but I'm telling you clearly right now: it won't work. After over a year of fighting, the people of Shandong are exhausted, and the soldiers are tired and worn out. If we continue, the Jin bandits might still be around, and we'll be in chaos and seething with resentment."

"We will wait until the civil unrest in the Jin Dynasty is almost over. All parties are exhausted. The Song Dynasty has almost repaired the Huai River and is able to launch a northern expedition. That is when we can show our strength."

"This is the complete strategy. I hope the governors and generals can explain these words clearly to their men."

Seeing no one objected, Liu Huai continued, "All troops will be placed under the jurisdiction of the Shandong Righteous Army Marshal's Office. My father, Duke Wei, will be the Marshal, commanding the overall situation. Nine garrisons will be temporarily established in the eastern Shandong route, located in Yidu Prefecture, Weizhou, Laizhou, Dengzhou, Ninghaizhou, Mizhou, Juzhou, Yizhou, and Haizhou. The military household registration management will be under the jurisdiction of these garrisons. Only the Shandong Marshal's Office has the right to convene and mobilize troops. The rest of the people have only the right to make suggestions, not the decision-making power."

Having said this, some people below were obviously relieved.

At this time, Liu Huai still gave the nominal power to Wei Sheng. Although Liu Huai would definitely be the executor in practice, the conflict between the two sides would be extinguished invisibly.

As long as it doesn't develop into a fight for power, it's fine.

Others are a little hesitant.

Most of these people were military leaders. Although they had handed over the military books to Wei Sheng and accepted Wei Sheng's placement of his confidants in the army, they still maintained a certain degree of independence.

If all the generals were transferred to the newly established garrisons this time, they would truly become Wei Sheng's subordinates.

However, unexpectedly, Huyan Nanxian, who had been acting as a troublemaker from the beginning, was the first to speak up: "Your Highness's words are reasonable. I, Wu Chengjun, will immediately take care of this matter."

Seeing the people around him turn to look at him in surprise, Huyan Nanxian smiled bitterly and said, "You all know the situation of Wu Chengjun. After several years of fruitless battles, the men under his command are already exhausted. Many of them are even unmarried. If it weren't for their meritorious service in Pizhou this time, they might not even be able to return home."

It is true that these good Shandong boys suffered greatly at the hands of the Jin Dynasty, but in comparison, the more than 2,000 people who followed Huyan Nanxian to rebel against the Jin Dynasty's navy camp that day had a much easier time. After all, they returned to their hometown as liberators, and their fellow villagers looked up to them.

But the more than 6,000 people who followed Xu Wen south were miserable. Not only did they gain nothing, but they were also charged with the crime of aiding and abetting the tyrant. If they had not followed the Loyal Army to transport food and grass to Pizhou on their way back and received some rewards, they would not even be able to return home now.

After experiencing this, many good family men have become disheartened and want to retire. This opportunity can give them an explanation.

At least we can exempt taxes for a few years!

Seeing that Huyan Nanxian had already compromised, the others had nothing to say and nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Liu Huai continued, "The following is an announcement of the number of standing troops, starting with the Wucheng Army."

Huyan Nanxian looked up, met Liu Huai's eyes, and quickly bowed his head to obey his orders.

"The Wucheng Army has 2,500 soldiers stationed in Yidu Prefecture to respond to the Jin army in Hebei. They will be assisted by Li Tong, a military officer. The remaining troops will be brought under the jurisdiction of the garrison, and their duties and fields will be divided. Military and civilian registration will be separated."

Li Tong stood up and agreed, and Huyan Nanxian had met this prime minister of the Jin State before, so he immediately bowed and saluted. Then, without even bargaining, he sat back in his original seat, looking at his nose, his mouth, and his heart in silence.

Liu Dalang is really well prepared. He even uses the former prime minister of the Jin Dynasty to put pressure on me. What else can I say?

Besides, the garrison also needs officials to fill the positions, and they have to be transferred from the army, which will make it easier for the old brothers to find a way out.

"The Dongping Army also has 2,500 troops, stationed in Yizhou alongside the Loyalty Army to counter Pizhou and Xuzhou. He Bo will ask He Changshi for assistance in dividing the territory."

He Boqiu and Zhang Baiyu stood up at the same time and agreed.

"The Jingnan Army consists of 3,000 soldiers stationed in Yishui County. They will be centrally deployed. Mr. Lu You and I will be personally responsible for this matter."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is all about revising the military system. Please vote by raising your hands."

Having said that, Liu Huai paused and did not even mention the Loyal Army. He just urged everyone to vote on whether they agreed to the agenda.

He seemed to have no intention of undermining Wei Sheng's authority, leaving the matter to Wei Sheng himself. Wei Sheng immediately said, "The Loyalty Army must also be reduced to 3,000 soldiers. Yu Yuan and Luo Guzi will be responsible for this."

Twelve thousand standing troops would be a huge expense if they were to go on an expedition, but if they were stationed locally, the expenses would be greatly reduced, and the soldiers who returned home could also assist with farming and help restore production.

Therefore, local officials like Zhang Xiaoxiang and Cui Hema were the first to raise their hands in response, followed by generals in charge of various regions.

Liu Huai's first proposal was passed unanimously.

"The second thing is to restore people's livelihood." Liu Huai continued, and gestured to his new secretary Chen Liang to distribute a stack of documents in front of everyone: "I have a comprehensive plan here, everyone please take a closer look."

This was a series of plans that Li Tong outlined, Lu You, Zhu Xi, Zhang Xiaoxiang and others added details to, and Liu Huai reviewed and approved.

Of course, this plan is not perfect. It has not yet allowed Luo Guzi and others to make additions based on local conditions. It can only be regarded as an empty outline.

However, even this vague strategy opened the eyes of Shandong's civil and military officials.

The problem with Shandong before was that it had no major policies. It only knew how to resist the Jin Dynasty and was good at killing the enemy in the battlefield. It was just instinctive in how to restore people's livelihood.

In an agricultural society, agriculture and sericulture are valued, and no matter how much you do, it will never go wrong.

Although Liu Huai had insights that were beyond his time, he was often limited by these insights.

For example, this time he originally wanted to implement the land tax system, replacing the head tax with land tax, but was stopped by Li Tong.

Good policies must also be adapted to local conditions.

Shandong is now full of wasteland, and the population is far smaller. If taxes are levied per capita, it will actually help to open up wasteland. However, if taxes are levied based on land, the more land you own, the higher the tax, which will discourage enthusiasm for land reclamation.

Li Tong even stated that if Liu Huai could unify the country, he should immediately implement the conscription system in Jiangnan, and take the opportunity to disperse the big landlords and send them to the north to enrich the northern population.

Of course, this is a story for another day.

Li Tong proposed three targeted policies based on the specific situation in Shandong.

The first one is the old saying of developing agriculture and recuperating people's strength, but it cannot be just about farming.

Those wastelands cannot be developed in a short time, so it would be better for the government to organize the planting of some alfalfa. This legume can grow in sandy soil and saline-alkali land. It can fertilize the fields without occupying arable land. It does not require much care and can be harvested as feed after a few months.

This set of ideas coincides with Luo Guzi's, but the scope of governance is a little larger.

The second was to develop maritime trade, organized by the Jiedufu, and to conduct trade with the State of Song.

As for the flagship product, it is the simple and unpretentious table salt.

There are more than a dozen large salt fields in Qushan County, Haizhou alone, and they are still producing salt at full capacity. If we don't find a market for it, all the people in Shandong will choke to death and still not be able to finish eating so much salt.

Different from the Jin Dynasty's method of letting the big sheep go to govern the people, the Song Dynasty had an astonishing control over the salt and iron trade, and the price of salt in Lianghuai was very high.

This led to a strange phenomenon: under the rule of the Jin Dynasty, salt was much cheaper for the people than for the people of the Song Dynasty.

It is truly an economic miracle.

Ordinary private salt dealers could not deal with the local government of the Song Dynasty. Now it is the official organization of the Shandong Volunteer Army Marshal's Office to sell private salt. With organization and planning, it is natural that they can sell it without any obstacles.

The third is to develop mining.

With so many Jin prisoners captured, all of them strong men, how could they be left idle? Originally, they were to be sent to the saltworks for labor reform, but now that the saltworks is close to full capacity, they are being sent to the mines as miners.

Zibo, Yizhou and Laizhou all have many iron mines, and sophisticated mining technology has been available since the Northern Song Dynasty, which is just right for these captives to make use of their remaining energy.

With more iron tools, not only can weapons and swords be made, but also farm tools, iron pots and other items can be made and sold.

Now that we have discussed the civil affairs, it is time to discuss the military affairs.

In terms of external expansion, the main focus should be on defending northern Shandong. As long as the Jin army does not attack, Hebei must not be invaded.

By then, if Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong put aside their prejudices and attack together, things will become serious.

The main attack direction should be on the line between Pizhou and Xuzhou, that is, the Sishui River whose river channel has been taken over by the Yellow River.

Xuzhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack, has a large population and complete industries. With Xuzhou in hand, we can use it as a foundation and rely on the State of Song to fight for the Central Plains.

There is only one problem now, that is, Tushan Zhen's 30,000 troops are still gathered on this line, and it is impossible to take them down hastily by relying on the Zhongyi Army or the Jingnan Army.

But it doesn't matter. Now the Xuzhou line has become the strategic salient of the Jin Dynasty, sandwiched between Shandong and Lianghuai. No matter who in the Jin Dynasty can control this army, they will never let them stay in such a dead end.

At the very least, they have to retreat westward and establish new strategic fulcrums from places like Wokou. This is the opportunity for the Shandong rebels.

Of course, after capturing Xuzhou, we could not sit back and relax.

If we look at it from a longer-term perspective, if the Yellow River problem is not solved, Xuzhou will become increasingly dilapidated.

In real history, the reason why Xuzhou Pengcheng was transformed from a steep and majestic city surrounded by mountains into a flat plain where anyone could come and go as they pleased was because the Yellow River flooded again and again after it took over the Huai River.

Therefore, looking at the whole country, if we want to launch a northern expedition against the Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains, the Yellow River, and Shandong are not isolated issues, but should be solved from a high-level perspective, with overall planning and mutual cooperation.

After reading the documents in their hands, everyone present nodded.

This is the power of the former Prime Minister of the Jin Dynasty. Only when he reaches a certain level and has access to comprehensive information can he make a comprehensive plan.

For example, the Yellow River problem. Even Liu Huai only knew that it was a big trouble, but he didn't know how difficult it was. If the Northern Expedition reached near Bianliang and a sudden flood drowned the army, wouldn't he be more wronged than Chen Qianzhi?

"This is just a rough outline. It will be sent to the prefects and county magistrates of various places. It will be implemented only after receiving additional information. Do you have anything else to add?"

In response to Liu Huai's question, Cui Hema stood up and said, "Lord, time is running out. I'll have to gather my staff and officials for a thorough discussion after I return. Why not schedule a date in three days, write a written document with officials from all regions, and then make a final decision?"

Liu Huai nodded: "Cui Zhizhou, I know you are worried, but everything must be done quickly. The dog days are less than a month away, and this is the last chance to plant crops. I can wait for a while longer, but I can't wait for the solar terms."

"I know, I know." Cui Hema nodded repeatedly.

"Hurry up, does anyone else want to say something?" Liu Huai asked again.

Huyan Nanxian stood up again and said, "Lord, I know the main forces are fighting on the southern front right now, but if there's an opportunity here on the northern front, can't we attack? Xuzhou is isolated and deep in the enemy's territory, but there are still 30,000 Jin bandits defending it. Jinan Prefecture in front of us is extremely empty and can be taken in one fell swoop."

At this point, Huyan Nanxian seemed to realize the problem of military rations. He immediately raised a finger and said, "A thousand soldiers and horses. I only need a thousand soldiers and horses, which is enough to capture Jinan Prefecture."

Liu Huai said sternly, "Huyan General, it's not that I don't want you to fight, but the old course of the Yellow River is a bottom line. If we cross this line, it will threaten the core of the Jin Kingdom in Hebei, Daming Prefecture. Then Wanyan Yong will let Wanyan Liang go and attack us first."

Huyan Nanxian nodded with difficulty, but still a little unconvinced. "But only take half of Jinan Prefecture. Never cross the Yellow River's old course. How about that?"

Liu Huai laughed and said, "General Manager Hu Yan, can you really control the troops that have been brought in?"

Huyan Nanxian thought for a moment, and finally sat down without saying anything.

War is not something that can be resolved with just one battle, but rather it will trigger a chain reaction.

Huyan Nanxian immediately proposed to use a thousand soldiers to attack. After arriving in Jinan Prefecture, he would definitely rely on the locals. By then, they would think that it was not right to recover only half of Jinan Prefecture. What would they do after crossing the old course of the Yellow River?
If the Jin army sends more troops, the Shandong rebels will also have to send more troops, otherwise Yidu Prefecture will not be able to be defended.

But if this happens, won’t a war start again?

Seeing Huyan Nanxian silent, Liu Huai spoke to appease her, using the same words he had repeated many times today: "Huyan, Chief Steward, I understand your wish, but now is not the time to fight a decisive battle with the Jin thieves. Otherwise, it is very likely that Wanyan Yong and Wanyan Liang will join forces to deal with us.

We can only let them fight until they are exhausted, and then we in Shandong can cultivate our internal strength and then go out to fight the Jin thieves."

Huyan Nanxian sighed: "How many years will the eldest son ask me to wait?"

Liu Huai looked back at Wei Sheng and saw that he had no more words to say, so he could only turn around and say, "After waiting for two years and three autumn harvests, we will have enough strength to lead the army to launch a decisive battle with the Jin bandits."

"Before this, only small groups of troops can be assembled to fight, otherwise it will greatly affect people's livelihood."

After a vote was held and the tone of recuperation was set, Liu Huai's proposal was passed unanimously again.

After presiding over such a meeting, Liu Huai's forehead was sweating and he felt a little tired.

"Father, do you have anything else to add?" Liu Huai stuffed the paper back into his arms and bowed to Wei Sheng who was sitting in the main seat.

Wei Sheng stood up, fully demonstrating his martial spirit. Without any nonsense, he waved his hand and said, "Today is a celebration banquet to welcome Dalang back. Everyone, eat and drink well!"

After saying that, Wei Sheng sat back down under everyone's gaze, and actually waited for the meal to start.

(End of this chapter)