A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 436: A man can’t live without food
As the place where Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, started his reign, how could it not have troops stationed there?

What are the current treatment and benefits of soldiers in Guide Army?

There was no need for Song Xuan to explain in detail; how could these local teachers not know?
It was only thanks to Song Xuan's shop, the shop of his partner Manager Lei, and the people working in the manure collection team that the lives of some soldiers were barely made a little better.

Like a human being.

With the implementation of the policy of strengthening the core and weakening the branches, all the capable officers and soldiers of the Guide Army were removed, and the remaining ones barely survived.

During Zhao Kuangyin's reign, the Imperial Guard numbered only 100,000, but this Imperial Guard was modeled after the Tang Dynasty's Shence Army and the military garrisons of the regional military governors, and it was quite powerful in combat.

Not to mention that the rebels of the soldiers were a traditional skill.

If Zhao Kuangyin truly wanted to be a loyal subject of the Great Zhou Dynasty and kept making excuses, then it's possible that these military generals who wanted to gain merit by following the emperor would end up with a different emperor!

Chai Rong had been very careful in this regard, and in order to prevent any rebellion, he had left a backup plan for the orphaned mother and her children.

But this backup plan was Zhao Kuangyin.

Since the establishment of the Song Dynasty, the two brothers had ingrained the prevention of military rebellions in their very bones.

Being a soldier in the Northern Song Dynasty was extremely tough; it was the lowest of the low.

Therefore, when faced with Song Xuan's question, Li Di shook his head:
"This is national policy, which is not something you or I can change. Besides, the top scholar of the Song Dynasty was a scholar; how could he speak from the perspective of a military man?"

"Yes, don't take the military's side too seriously just because your father-in-law is a military officer."

"Gentlemen, the world is at peace now. I am a poor scholar who is studying hard to pass the imperial examinations. I earn a hundred coins a day by farming a small amount of land, hosting weddings and funerals, and even copying books to sell."

Song Xuan continued to use his chopsticks to pick up food:

“Nowadays, a dou of rice in Songcheng costs about 70 wen (a dou is about 12.5 jin). The men in the family farm and the women weave. They sell some handicrafts or agricultural products in Songcheng and exchange them for about 60 wen to buy some seasonings.”

“You are all educated, and the groom today is no exception; he too will survive.”

"And because of my father-in-law, in order to prevent the Tokyo city garrison from colluding with ruffians, I specifically investigated and found that most of them did not earn five hundred coins a month and still had to support their families."

"Although they didn't have to go to the battlefield, they did all the heavy work of repairing bridges and roads, dredging waterways, and repairing city walls."

"As for ordinary imperial guards, they only earn eighty coins a day. Even so, officers still have to drink the blood of soldiers and make you do menial tasks."

"With such drastically different treatment, everyone would say that good men don't become soldiers."

Song Xuan put down his chopsticks: "I made contact with Khitan and Tangut spies in Tokyo. I'm afraid they'll take some action."

"If we send such a small number of soldiers to the front line to fight the enemy, they will not be qualified to defend the city. Once they leave the city to fight in the field, they will probably scatter and flee."

"In the future, let alone the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, even if the Yellow River is a natural barrier for Tokyo, it will be used by foreign tribes to besiege Tokyo."

"When the time comes, those soldiers you look down on will be unable to defend the city, so don't blame them for being unable to protect it."

"Then your descendants were captured by foreign soldiers and made slaves of foreigners, and your wives and daughters were wantonly played with."

Song Xuan's description left Li Di speechless.

He simply turned his head away; this was not something he could handle.

Zhang Shide stroked his all-white beard:
"What Twelve Lang said makes sense, but reforming the military system will be no easy task."

"Twelfth Brother, don't exaggerate."

Ji Ying stroked his beard, feeling that what he said was going too far: "Even if the local militia are like this, how can the imperial guards be like this?"

"Hahaha." Song Xuan shook his head and laughed a few times.
"The ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Guards are barely surviving in the capital city, otherwise I wouldn't have forced them to borrow money and not repay it."

In fact, this incident improved the soldiers' opinion of Song Xuan in the capital city. At least the top scholar Song was capable of making money and was willing to share it.

The imperial guards under Li Zhaoliang and others were particularly willing to do tasks for Song Xuan.

Everyone knows that Song Taisui is always generous and never hesitates to give out money!

It would be a great opportunity to get subsidies, but unfortunately there hasn't been much news about Wuyou Cave, otherwise everyone could have made a fortune on the side.

"Gentlemen, how I wish that what I said was just alarmist talk and would never come true. Unfortunately, the foreigners have never given up their desire to destroy China."

"The Khitans signed an alliance with our Great Song Dynasty, how can we tear it up?"

"Innocent."

After Song Xuan uttered two words of evaluation, Ji Ying's expression changed slightly, but she couldn't say anything.

"He'll be satisfied if we cede five cities today, and he'll still be satisfied if we cede ten tomorrow, but what about the day after?"

Song Xuan glanced at Ji Ying:
"Master Ji, during the time of the Six States, the State of Wei ceded territory to Qin as a bribe. Did Qin spare it, or destroy its ancestral temples and sever its state?"

Ji Ying remained silent.

Li Di sighed inwardly.

Throughout history, there have always been unified dynasties. With the Northern and Southern Dynasties coexisting, how could there be two rulers in the world?

It's not that the Song Dynasty's military strength is weak. Now that Song Xuan is saying this, he must have obtained some information, and the soldiers' combat effectiveness is probably even worse.

After all, the Khitan army of 500,000 men suffered a crushing defeat when they launched their western expedition against the Western Xia.

With no extra warhorses to train, the Song Dynasty cavalry could only defend their cities when faced with the Western Xia invasion.

"There are some things I can't say right now. Whether you believe me or not, I won't leave you speechless like I used to."

"Today is Zhang Fangping's big day. We are a group of people who came to eat at the banquet. What we said just now was just casual conversation at the table."

Song Xuan, being in a chaotic place like Tokyo, must have obtained far more information than they did.

Therefore, the expressions on the faces of these teachers were somewhat strange.

Could it be that the Song Dynasty's fighting strength has become so weak?

Zhang Shide wasn't in a hurry to eat: "I understand Shierlang's temperament; he never speaks without reason."

These words drew nods of agreement from the other teachers.

Song Xuan was the one who greatly enhanced the reputation of Yingtian Academy. His graduating class of students instantly made Yingtian Academy the truly number one academy in the world.

After all, the previous academies all considered themselves the best, and Yingtian Academy didn't have much to offer in terms of superiority.

However, with Song Xuan and others dominating the list, coupled with Song Xuan's performance in the palace examination, how could many students not yearn for it?

This made the lecturers feel both gratified and somewhat exhausted.

Not to mention that although Song Xuanren was not present, his money continued to support the academy's expenses.

"So, Twelve, do you have something on your mind?"

"I know that the national policy cannot be changed for the time being. I only hope that when you teachers are instructing the students of the academy, you will still teach them not to despise warriors excessively."

“Master Zhang has always understood me.” Song Xuan sighed.
"Although we are divided into civil and military officials, we are all working for the Song Dynasty. With foreign enemies still around, one side must do everything in its power to despise and humiliate the other."

"Even if we use civil administration to guide military affairs in the future, can we really unite as one to resist foreign aggression?"

Confucius said: "If you want to establish yourself, help others to establish themselves; if you want to achieve success, help others to achieve success."

Zhang Shide stroked his beard and said, "If one is respectful and makes no mistakes, and is courteous and polite to others, then all people under heaven are brothers!"

"Twelve Lang's heart is not just asking the students of the academy not to despise and humiliate martial artists. Does passing the imperial examination once give them the right to humiliate their former classmates and the common people?"

"If Yingtian Academy produces such students, they will also do things that endanger the Song Dynasty and tyrannize the people."

"good."

Prefect Li Di also had the merit of educating people, and he valued Zhang Shide, the headmaster, highly.

"If one can rectify oneself, what difficulty is there in governing? If one cannot rectify oneself, how can one rectify others?"

Song Xuan watched as this group of people began to use the words of sages to support his idea. In fact, it's not easy to talk about such things, and it's even more difficult to actually do them.

"Now, the Song Dynasty has been ruled by three emperors. The Privy Council was established to share the military and political power of the prime minister, and the Three Departments were established to share the financial power of the prime minister."

Zhang Shide stroked his beard and said, "In this way, the central government will be well-established, and it will be difficult for powerful ministers to emerge."

"As for the prefectural and county officials, the financial, military, and judicial powers of the prefectures and counties will all be transferred to the imperial court."

"Since the prefectural and county officials were divided into vice-prefects to check and balance the prefects, the threat of local officials challenging the central government and holding military power has been reduced."

“What Song Twelve said was indeed something he had thought about.”

Yang Wenguang sat at another table, as a member of Zhang Fangping's family, alongside Zhang Fangping's parents.

In fact, he had also heard the arguments of the scholars nearby.

Yang Wenguang knew that Song Xuan had no intention of looking down on the soldiers at the grassroots level.

Moreover, when holding victory celebration banquets, they would eat and drink together with many imperial guards and garrison soldiers.

This is truly rare among the scholar-official class.

After all, Song Xuan was an insurmountable mountain in the imperial examination system.

There probably won't be many more people like him who achieved the highest honors in all three categories at such a young age.

Therefore, all these soldiers considered it an honor to have drunk wine with the top scholar of the Song Dynasty!

Not only that, the other soldiers were also very envious and volunteered to serve Song Zhuangyuan next time.

As a representative of the border army, Yang Wenguang could not get into the circles of military leaders in the capital.

However, since there is no war now and no soldiers from the lower ranks will rise up, most of these high-ranking military positions will be held by the sons of the founding nobles.

People with backgrounds like Yang Wenguang generally don't have much of a future.

This is why he served as a guard in the palace from the age of eighteen until he was over forty, when he was finally employed by Di Qing, who had risen from a common soldier, and taken by his side to quell the rebellion in the south.

During the Tang Dynasty, the south was still considered a "wild" land, and its development was generally limited.

Only after three generations of emperors in the Northern Song Dynasty conducted trial plantings and promoted grain cultivation did many people survive the forced relocation.

Otherwise, scholars and criminals would generally be exiled to the south, and it was a well-known fact that men who went to the south would have shorter lifespans.

Poisonous insects and drugs, acclimatization problems, and even schistosomiasis are rampant.

Even Lady Xin Zhui, a noblewoman, had schistosome eggs in her spleen, let alone ordinary people.

This is one of the reasons why many sons of noble families were unwilling to follow Di Qing south to quell the rebellion, which gave opportunities to border soldiers like Yang Wenguang, who were not well-regarded.

Compared to the death penalty, being exiled to the south was essentially a suspended death sentence.

Yang Wenguang was keenly aware of the decline in the Imperial Guard's combat effectiveness.

As for the local troops, their numbers were even greater.

But they simply don't teach them martial arts;

If these local militia can do a good job of transporting grain on the battlefield, that would be quite an achievement.

Yang Wenguang never had high expectations for the Xiang Army.

Furthermore, Song Xuan's remarks made him even more convinced of Song Xuan's ideas.

If the treatment of the soldiers of the Song Dynasty is not improved, the country will likely suffer a major defeat if war breaks out again.

After they finished eating, most of them dispersed.

Yang Wenguang took the initiative to walk over to Song Xuan's table with a wine glass in hand: "Scholar Song, aren't you in a hurry to leave?"

"Not in a hurry."

Song Xuan and Yang Wenguang exchanged a few words: "We'll still have to argue even if we go back, so we might as well pretend to be drunk and get away here."

"Hahaha." Yang Wenguang sat down.

"I've heard that Scholar Song was eloquent and persuasive, and I thought he liked that kind of thing the most."

"No, no, no, that's all a misunderstanding. Actually, I don't like to talk much most of the time."

Song Xuan stretched out his hand: "I prefer to let my fists do the talking most of the time."

Yang Wenguang was greatly surprised.

After all, such words and actions are really not what one would expect from a top scholar.

"Is the top scholar Song really not joking?"

"Do you think my title of Song Taisui is just for show?"

Song Xuan's question left Yang Wenguang speechless for a moment.

Song Zhuangyuan was indeed different from others, and his behavior was unlike that of other scholar-officials.

Yang Wenguang wasn't sure if his father-in-law had taught him this.

But Yang Wenguang thought that Cao Shizhong had a good temper, after all, Cao Shizhong would not lose his temper with them, these lowly soldiers.

If someone were to lose their temper, it would only be towards the scholar-officials and eunuchs whom they deemed unacceptable.

"Song Zhuangyuan is indeed, indeed."

Yang Wenguang didn't know what to say.

"You don't need to care about me."

Song Xuan put down his wine glass and continued eating with his chopsticks:

"May I ask, has Yang Dianzhi been willingly standing guard in the palace all this time?"

"Not reconciled."

Yang Wenguang blurted out that he also wanted to guard the border like his father, and even wanted to avenge his grandfather Yang Ye and find his grandfather's head.

Because Yang Ye's head was cut off by Yelü Xiezhen and displayed to the entire Liao army, and was even sent to the capital of Liao.

After the Treaty of Chanyuan was signed, the Liao Kingdom only sent back the corpses, but the heads were missing.

After Yang Wenguang finished speaking, he sighed again:
"Unfortunately, I am now of little influence, and even my family cannot help me go to the border to guard the pass."

"There's nothing I can do about this."

Song Xuan wouldn't easily interfere with his father-in-law's duties, so he promised Yang Wenguang to go to the border for training.

After all, the Song Dynasty wasn't surnamed Song, but Zhao.

"but."

Song Xuan changed the subject: "Would you like to come with me to the Liao Kingdom to investigate their army, how much fighting strength they still have, and whether their combat methods have changed?"

"In this way, by knowing yourself and your enemy, you will have a better chance of winning."

"To be a spy?"

Yang Wenguang pointed to himself and said:
“Scholar Song, if I were to become a spy, I fear it would implicate my entire family, who would think I had betrayed the Song Dynasty by defecting to the Liao.”

After all, his family started as surrendered generals. Yang Ye's younger brother switched sides between the Northern Han and the Later Zhou dynasties before finally surrendering to the Song dynasty.

The Yang family is definitely not as trustworthy as Old Zhao's old gang.

"You didn't hear me clearly."

Song Xuan put down his chopsticks: "We are going to the Khitan as envoys to gather intelligence openly and legitimately."

"Oh, I see."

Yang Wenguang's hearing was indeed incomplete:
"But the envoys from the Song and Liao dynasties travel back and forth two or three times a year. How could we possibly have seen them?"

He felt that Song Xuan's idea was good, but it was a bit too idealistic.

The Khitans were quite wary of the Song people, and there were many Khitan spies hidden in the city of Bianjing (Kaifeng), but they were difficult to identify.

In terms of espionage, the Song people were inferior to the Khitans.

Because the Song people disguised themselves as Khitans, and if they wanted to speak, they had to trace their lineage back to some tribe or something similar, making it difficult to conceal much information.

As for the Han people disguised as people from the Yan-Yun region, they really couldn't get much information from the higher-ups.

The Khitan emperor admired Han culture and employed Han people, but many confidential matters were still discussed with Khitan nobles.

“I predict that a major rebellion will inevitably occur within the Khitan in the next two years. As envoys, we can take this opportunity to stay in Khitan and observe their military affairs.”

"what?"

Yang Wenguang had been standing guard in the palace, but he was also ostracized by the sons of local Beijing elites.

There were some things he had no way of knowing.

"Scholar Song, how can you be so certain?"

Do you know about that million strings of cash?

When Song Xuan asked, Yang Wenguang nodded, "Who doesn't know about this?"

It can be said that it caused a sensation throughout Tokyo that very night.

The Khitans spent a million strings of cash to buy that precious glass artifact.

Three years' worth of tribute wouldn't be enough for them to squander.

However, the imperial court did not allow the Khitans to use their annual tribute to purchase the item, which is why this precious treasure remained in the Kaifeng County government office.

It is said that the top scholar of the Song Dynasty sent a large number of soldiers to guard the area to prevent theft.

Actually, Yang Wenguang felt that Song Xuan was overthinking things.

At least under his rule, it would be difficult for any audacious bandits to emerge in Kaifeng County.

There's no need to spend money on the so-called guards and patrols.

But Song, the top scholar, paid this fee, so many imperial guards wanted to stand guard at the Kaifeng county government office.

It's not just about money, it's also about bragging.

Otherwise, standing guard in the palace all the time would actually be quite boring.

Everyone loves to gossip.

Not to mention that on the night of the auction, many Imperial Guards were eating at Fanlou for the first time!
Yang Wenguang was also in the Imperial Guard. His colleagues, even the sons of powerful and influential figures in the capital who he couldn't integrate into, all greatly admired Song Zhuangyuan.

"But what does this have to do with the rebellion within the Khitan people?"

Song Xuan glanced at him: "The Liao Kingdom's internal economy is not good. Three hundred thousand strings of cash can be used to bribe them and get their respective factions to fight for more for themselves."

"If the Khitans suddenly decided to spend one million strings of cash to buy a luxury item, how much money would they have in their national treasury?"

“At certain times, even the Song Dynasty’s treasury would be empty, let alone the Khitan’s.”

"So they will definitely raise taxes."

"Raise taxes."

"Under the heavy taxation and oppression, and given that the Khitan was a multi-ethnic regime, it was natural that rebellions would occur more frequently."

"In addition, news of my voluntary tax refund last year has reached the Khitan, and their local tax increase will naturally create a stark contrast."

Song Xuan chuckled a few times: "Of course, it's mainly related to Yelü Longxu personally leading an army of 500,000 to attack Western Xia, only to suffer a crushing defeat." "Once military strength is insufficient, many problems that could previously be forcibly suppressed can no longer be suppressed."

“Those who were forced to submit, seeing the Khitans suffer such a crushing defeat, have long harbored many thoughts, so I added fuel to the fire for them, and I imagine that undercurrents are already stirring.”

Yang Wenguang suddenly realized.

At the time, he simply thought that Song Xuan was incredibly skilled and that no one in the world was better at making money than him.

Now, after this explanation, Yang Wenguang suddenly realized that Song Xuan's scheme was actually so profound.

Few people probably understand his true intentions.

"Since Scholar Song has been so open and honest with me..."

Yang Wenguang was young after all: "I will certainly do my best to protect the top scholar Song and ensure that he can return to the Song Dynasty smoothly."

"That works too." Song Xuan nodded.

"When the time comes, I'll find a few more skilled men to protect my safety, and I'm sure the Empress will agree."

Yang Wenguang nodded. He knew that Song Xuan also had good friends in the Imperial Guard.

The person he values ​​must be quite skilled.

"Song Zhuangyuan's plan was so subtle that many people couldn't see it; it was like a gentle rain that had a gentle breeze."

Yang Wenguang sincerely praised him, mainly because he had learned from his previous experience of deceiving the entire city over grain prices.

But the million-dollar auction items and the "magical operation" of tax refunds were not just superficial benefits.

And hidden beneath is his true intention.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Yang Wenguang sighed deeply:
"Even after Scholar Song finished speaking, I wouldn't have connected these things to any scheme behind them!"

So this is the true power of a scholar!
After all, in Yang Wenguang's mind, a scholar who could pass the imperial examination was already extremely accomplished.

There truly is always someone stronger than the strongest.

"I'm just taking it one step at a time."

Song Xuan waved his hand:
"If the Liao Kingdom hadn't declined, my little scheme wouldn't have been able to shake them at all. The real problem was their internal issues."

"What I did was simply to take advantage of the situation."

Yang Wenguang nodded, expressing his admiration repeatedly.

"The Khitans are like centipedes; they don't die easily. Even if something goes wrong, they can hold out for a long time."

Song Xuan took a sip of wine: "You come from a family of border soldiers and are related to the Zhe family. Do you know anything about Western Xia?"

"I understand," Yang Wenguang puffed out his chest, then deflated.

“I grew up in Gaoyang Pass. After my father passed away, my whole family was summoned back to the capital. Even my eldest brother returned to the capital to guard the palace.”

"I've heard that your father was deceived by his confidant for years?"

"It's true."

Yang Wenguang lowered his head slightly.

Because his father was not knowledgeable about official matters, or perhaps his mind was not on it, he spent all his time thinking about how to fight the Khitans and avenge his father.

Therefore, he entrusted many government affairs to his subordinates, who were deceived by him, until the truth was revealed to the emperor, who personally intervened and warned his father, Yang Yanzhao.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

Song Xuan poured Yang Wenguang a glass of wine: "You still need to remember your father's lesson. In the future, you will still have to do many things yourself."

"Song Zhuangyuan's lesson is correct."

"Actually, I plan to go to the Liao Kingdom to investigate its strengths and weaknesses, and I will not easily break the alliance. It is just for judgment. Don't think that I want to take action against the Khitans to avenge your grandfather. I have no intention of killing them."

“My grandfather starved himself to death, and the enemy who cut off his head is long dead. My only wish is to find my grandfather’s head.”

"This matter is somewhat difficult to handle."

Song Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

After all, Yang Ye has been dead for quite some time.

Even if the head doesn't turn to dust, it's still just bones, and there's no DNA testing available.

Who knows where your grandfather Yang Ye's head was buried?

Or was it shown to the three armies and then thrown into some place?
Yang Wenguang could only hope to glean some information from the Khitans.

"Pretend I didn't say anything. National affairs should take precedence." That was the only way Yang Wenguang could console himself.

"Well, in fact, there might not be any war between the Song and Liao for twenty or thirty years."

Song Xuan then added:
"However, I judge that war between Song and Xia will inevitably break out within three to five years, or at most ten years."

"Is that how the top scholar Song made his judgment?"

“I captured the spies of the Western Xia people. They came to Tokyo to learn the various etiquettes for ascending the throne. Li Deming has big ambitions.”

Song Xuan continued to serve himself food: "After we return from Liao, we can look for an opportunity to go to Western Xia. Perhaps we will have a chance to make a name for ourselves."

"Western Xia?"

Yang Wenguang knew that his great-grandfather had been stationed in the Northwest, but was relieved of his post by Emperor Taizu in the later years of his reign. The local gentry were all relocated to Suzhou in the interior, where he died in office.

"The Tanguts want to become emperors!"

Yang Wenguang then realized:
"Scholar Song, given the current military strength of our Great Song Dynasty, unless some elite imperial guards are transferred to fight in the northwest, relying solely on the border troops will not be enough."

"What?" Song Xuan asked, somewhat puzzled. "You come from the border army, so why do you have such a low opinion of their fighting capabilities?"

"It is precisely because I came from the border army that I have such insights."

Yang Wenguang sighed again:
"Although the border troops are treated better than the local troops, the soldiers often eat moldy food because they haven't fought for many years."

"Not to mention clothes and shoes, what good stuff is there?"

"Even the city walls on the frontier occasionally crumble, and there's simply not enough money to repair them."

"In this situation, how can we possibly win a war?"

Yang Wenguang spoke eloquently: "Song Zhuangyuan, I am not trying to diminish our own prestige or boost the morale of our enemies."

"Of the five prefectures, after Li Jiqian lost three, he allied with the Liao against the Song, and the Khitans also wanted to use him to restrain our Great Song."

"With the support of the Khitans, his strength gradually recovered, but he still could not defeat my Great Song Dynasty, and he began to ask to surrender again. Although my Emperor Taizong displayed military might, he still made him surrender."

"However, this was just a delaying tactic by Li Jiqian. He did not obey orders at all. Emperor Zhenzong continued to suppress him until the chieftain of Liugu, Balejie, feigned surrender and set up an ambush. Li Jiqian was hit by a stray arrow and died from his wounds."

"After Li Jiqian died, his son Li Deming succeeded him and has always been loyal to our Great Song Dynasty, fighting against the Uyghurs and Tibetans further northwest."

Yang Wenguang squinted: "What the top scholar Song means is that if Li Deming wants to become emperor, the Song and Liao countries will definitely not agree."

"If the Song and Liao dynasties were to fight together, I wonder if that would be feasible?"

Song Xuan laughed twice:

"Although the Song and Liao dynasties are fraternal allies, the Western Xia was supported by the Liao dynasty. Li Deming is recuperating and presenting memorials to both countries."

"The Khitan emperor is old, and he has been defeated by the Tanguts. He has lost his ambition and will surely want our Great Song to send troops first to test our strength."

"If our Great Song Dynasty also loses, then the Khitans can rest easy and may even use this opportunity to threaten the Great Song Dynasty into fighting on two fronts, thereby increasing the price of the annual tribute."

"Unless Yelü Longxu suddenly dies and his young son ascends to the throne, he might be able to provoke us and be used by us, but that possibility is unlikely. He also has Empress Dowager Xiao to help him handle state affairs, which is by no means an easy task."

The Empress Dowagers also wielded considerable influence over many political affairs within the Khitan state.

After listening, Yang Wenguang realized that he had been too simplistic in his thinking. Song Zhuangyuan was right; after the Khitan emperor suffered a great defeat, he did not even think of going on another expedition to regain face.

That already says a lot.

"Once the Uyghurs, Tibetans, and others have been completely wiped out by the Western Xia, it will be time to test the mettle of our Great Song border army. If they are not up to par, we will receive the good news that Li Deming is going to ascend the throne as emperor."

Listening to Song Xuan's words, Yang Wenguang felt that relying solely on the Zhe family army would be far from sufficient.

After all, the terrain was complex when fighting in Western Xia.

Even though the Song army was large in number, it could launch attacks from multiple directions, making it vulnerable to ambushes by the Western Xia people who were familiar with the terrain.

They're experts at ambushes!
"Scholar Song, do we have no other way to divide the Western Xia?"

"The Western Xia is at the height of its power."

Song Xuan shook his head:
"At least in terms of internal division, it is difficult to accomplish. Li Deming's three sons are all young, and although they each have their own marriage backgrounds, it is not easy to sow discord among them."

"As for the Tibetans and Uyghurs further west, they are no match for him; they can barely protect themselves."

Yang Wenguang nodded, "The Liao people and the Western Xia people are very different."

He believed that Song Xuan's concerns were not unfounded, as the policy toward Western Xia since Emperor Zhenzong had been to alternate between war and peace.

After all, the main focus of defense was still on guarding against the Khitans moving south in Hebei and other places. Even after the Treaty of Chanyuan was signed, the number of troops on the Hebei border was not reduced.

"Forget it, we'll just have to take it one step at a time."

After drinking, Song Xuan stood up:
"It's getting late, I should go home now. Don't let anything about what just happened get out."

"Here."

Yang Wenguang, who also did not live at the groom's house, stood up as well:

“Scholar Song, I will stay a little longer and go to the inn with my clansmen.”

Song Xuan responded.

After all, Zhang Fangping choosing their daughter was a great honor for the entire Yang family.

So even though this was a banquet in the village, they were all very happy and didn't feel embarrassed at all.

Because Zhang Fangping, the third-ranked scholar, had a very high profile.

The Yang family members came to see Song Xuan off again, and everyone said goodbye for a long time.

Xu Xianchun led the horse, while Wang Bao led the donkey.

The two of them followed Song Xuan, and this wasn't their first time here.

Compared to Tokyo, this place still puts them at ease.

Back in his hometown, who would dare to challenge Song Zhuangyuan?

"Don't laugh at the muddy wine of the farmers; in a good year there are plenty of chickens and pigs to entertain guests."

“When you're surrounded by mountains and rivers and think there's no way out, you'll find another village just out of the shadows.”

"The sound of flutes and drums follows the approaching spring."

With his hands behind his back, Song Xuan recited a poem: "The sound of flutes and drums follows the approaching spring."

He patted his head and chuckled:
"I forgot the rest, too lazy to think about it."

Wang Bao and Xu Xianchun were used to the idea of ​​reciting poetry.

After all, everyone knows that the top scholar of the Song Dynasty was eloquent and erudite.

However, the two of them knew that Twelfth Brother sometimes only wrote half a poem, and would simply abandon the rest if he wanted.

However, after reading half a poem, Xu Xianchun, who was not good at martial arts, started reading and realized how well Song Xuan had done.

A poem by Twelfth Brother could easily cause a sensation if taken out anywhere.

After returning home, Song Xuan washed up, but he still smelled of alcohol. Song Sisi didn't want to get close to him and went to sleep on her own bed.

For several days, Song Xuan stayed at home and was not disturbed except when Yang Wenguang took the initiative to say goodbye.

Only a vacation like this can truly be considered a vacation.

Zhang Fangping and his wife came to find Song Xuan.

Madam Yang was quite surprised to see that Song Xuan had kept a mistress and even had a child with her.

Although she was outside the circle of nobles in the capital, she had still met Madam Cao.

In particular, Zhang Fangping took them back to Song Xuan's residence for a meal, where they got to know each other.

And judging from the child's age, it's probably before they get married.

Although Madam Yang had many doubts, she did not point them out directly. Instead, Zhang Fangping told her that she was going to talk to Madam Gu.

Does this mean her husband knew about it all along?
Zhang Fangping brought his wife to familiarize themselves with the place, and also to return to the ancestral graves to pay respects to their ancestors. After staying for a few more days, they would return to the capital.

"Zhang Dalang, what do you think about sleeping with your young mistress's breasts in your hand at night?"

Upon hearing his twelfth brother's question, Zhang Fangping couldn't help but burst into laughter.

When everyone left Lema Town, my twelfth brother sold his shop. At that time, I asked him how long it would take to save up a gold ingot after he passed the imperial examination and became an official.

Because Zhang Fangping was genuinely short of money at the time and had an extremely strong desire for it.

Twelfth Brother then said that if he passed the imperial examination and his name was on the list of successful candidates, of course he should hold his young mistress's breasts while sleeping. Holding gold ingots would be too unambitious.

Hearing this joke, Zhang Fangping couldn't help but sigh:

"I've been an official for so long, and although I haven't saved up a single gold ingot, I did get married smoothly. Now I know that what Twelfth Brother said was true."

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan laughed loudly: "I'm looking forward to seeing if your child will have the same abilities as you."

Zhang Fangping shook his head: "I don't want my child to have the ability to remember everything he sees."

"how?"

"I'm so tired." Zhang Fangping smiled slightly. "I can't forget anything even if I want to."

"Tsk tsk, there are advantages and disadvantages."

Song Xuan skipped the joking part:
"By the way, once we return to Dongjing, you will temporarily take over as the magistrate of Kaifeng County. Are you confident?"

Zhang Fangping was taken aback when he heard this: "What, Twelfth Brother, do you not want to work anymore after returning to your hometown?"

He hadn't heard anything about Song Xuan showing any signs of being promoted!

Even if someone has outstanding political achievements, they still need enough time to prove themselves.

"No, I have other plans."

Song Xuan then told Zhang Fangping about his plan, including his mission to the Khitan to instigate internal turmoil and observe the Khitan's military prowess.

Zhang Fangping hadn't expected Song Xuan to have such a plan. He took a while to process it: "Twelfth Brother, have you informed the Empress Dowager and the Emperor about this?"

He knew that the officials often frequented the Kaifeng County government office.

“I told the Emperor the whole plan, but I only told the Empress Dowager part of the truth.”

Zhang Fangping nodded: "Twelfth Brother, what do you mean by 'partial truth'?"

"For example, Li Yuan had no eldest son, and Shimin had no elder brother. His brother suddenly died of iron poisoning, and Li Shimin had to step forward and succeed him in the order of succession from brother to brother."

"what?"

Although Zhang Fangping had been by Song Xuan's side for a long time.

However, he was also somewhat alarmed by this kind of "political" joke.

Even though the Song Dynasty imperial family was generally tolerant, it was not appropriate to make jokes about the emperor too often, as it could easily be used to satirize the present.

The first two emperors of the Song Dynasty also succeeded each other as brothers!
Is there really such a way to describe the Xuanwu Gate Incident?
Zhang Fangping thought about it carefully. What Twelfth Brother said was the truth, but the description he gave was quite different from the bloody scene of killing brothers at Xuanwu Gate Incident!

"Is this the style of writing in the Spring and Autumn Annals?"

Zhang Fangping asked uncertainly.

"I don't know if it is."

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
"You don't need to worry about not being able to do a good job as county magistrate. If you really can't, you can ask the instructor. After all, he handles many of the government affairs in Kaifeng County."

"what?"

Zhang Fangping originally thought that the Emperor was going to learn from his twelfth brother, but he never expected that his twelfth brother would be so audacious as to ask the Emperor to work for him as an assistant.

"Twelfth Brother, you've got some nerve."

Song Xuan simply said that the emperor was too powerful and had no opportunity to rule personally.

It's better to practice handling county government affairs now than to do nothing at all.

Zhang Fangping nodded. Having been in the court for so long, he understood that the Empress Dowager was a person with a strong desire for power.

He probably won't easily relinquish his power until he dies!
"And you shouldn't deprive him of his right to handle government affairs," Song Xuan added.
“I always felt that the officials were very aggrieved. If this pent-up resentment continued for a long time, they would easily die young.”

"If he's willing to work, let him do it; you can even ask him for advice on how to handle things."

Song Xuan guessed that Zhao Zhen definitely enjoyed being a teacher.

Moreover, the person he was guiding was a top scholar with a photographic memory, so he must have felt a great sense of accomplishment.

"I still have to be a student?"

"At least in terms of experience, you are indeed inferior to the Emperor."

Song Xuan picked up his teacup:

"Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me. Your progress is so rapid that the emperor, as the teacher, will also feel proud. The unpleasant feelings that have been building up in his heart will be gradually weakened and dissipated."

"understood."

Zhang Fangping finally understood why his twelfth brother had entrusted him with the job of acting magistrate; he certainly wouldn't have trusted anyone else.

Not to mention that Twelfth Brother's medical skills are also superb. He said that the Emperor has a mental illness, so he must be sick. Asking the Emperor to handle government affairs for him is like treating his illness.

After such brainwashing, Zhang Fangping quickly accepted this premise!
"Twelfth Brother, is it dangerous for you to go to Liaodong?"

Zhang Fangping felt that since he was no longer hiding his former wives and concubines, it was obvious that he intended to bring them back to Tokyo.

As for his real sister-in-law, Zhang Fangping has never revealed a single word about her.

Faced with Zhang Fangping's question, Song Xuan pondered for a long time before nodding:

"Although I bear the reputation of being the son-in-law of my father-in-law, which makes many Khitans fear me, there are still a small number of people who look down on me."

"Even in the Song Dynasty, where the emperor is far away, I cannot completely avoid danger. How much more so in a foreign land?"

"So you still want to go?"

Song Xuan chuckled twice: "A true man either lives to eat from five tripods or dies to be cooked in five tripods."

(End of this chapter)