West of the capital city.
It is still that hidden courtyard.
Song Gongwen and Zhang Zhengming sat opposite each other again.
The two did not speak directly, but drank their tea separately with natural expressions.
Song Gongwen had already informed me about the matter concerning the Minister of War.
Because he felt very emotional, his views on certain noble families also changed drastically.
Especially the line "How can a minister of war compromise with foreign powers?"
It even made him feel a little admiration in his heart.
During the period of the Longyang Prefecture Reform, Song Gongwen saw too many nobles who disregarded the national law and exploited the people. Those people disregarded the law for their own selfish desires and even colluded with the Baiyi Sect, which was even more sinister.
But after this incident, he felt it necessary to distinguish the gentry.
Different treatments should also be made in the subsequent reforms.
We can't just generalize.
There are also patriotic people among the gentry.
"Lin Yuansong was also a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, but unlike other candidates, he didn't go straight into officialdom. Instead, he chose to join the army and even served as the old marquis's personal guard for a while. His personality is much more intense than that of the average civil servant."
"It's understandable that he supports using military force against Gaoyang and would say something like that."
After Zhang Zhengming finished his tea, he saw that the other party was still sighing, so he smiled.
Song Gongwen nodded upon hearing this.
Anyone who can reach the position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet is not a simple person.
But because of the other party's reminder, he couldn't help but look up and continued, "Teacher, I am just worried now. If a war really breaks out with Gaoyang Kingdom, the Liaodong garrison will have to divert some of its attention."
"So, if the grassland tribes launch another large-scale attack, even with the old marquis here, the northern border defense line will hardly be vulnerable."
"But this is too much pressure on the court, and the students are worried that something unexpected might happen."
Song Gongwen's worries are not without reason.
There are eighteen tribes in the grassland.
There are only ten of them assembled now.
There are eight other departments that seem to be doing nothing at the moment.
But obviously, they are watching from behind and may suddenly take action.
By that time, the only ones who could provide assistance in a short period of time were the garrison troops in Liaodong.
But now we have to go to war with Gaoyang Kingdom again, so we must not make any big moves, especially at this time, what if other countries take action?
This was also the biggest reason why he did not agree to use military force at the imperial meeting.
"As Your Majesty said, Gaoyang is a very small country and is not a cause for concern."
"Unless they really want to make enemies with our Great Wei."
Zhang Zhengming said, "But it's clear they don't have the guts to do so, as they can't bear the consequences of an all-out war. Therefore, we don't need to achieve great results in this battle; we just need to scare them."
"Furthermore, what Your Majesty said is not without reason. When facing the unreasonable demands of a vassal state, we must demonstrate the attitude of the ruler of the Central Plains."
He knew very well that from some perspectives, going to war was not the wisest option.
But in fact, it is also necessary to give some deterrence to neighboring countries.
“The students naturally understand.”
Hearing this, Song Gongwen nodded and said, "Now it depends on who your majesty chooses as the general."
In his eyes, in the war against Gaoyang Kingdom, it was not necessary to achieve great results, it was just necessary to hurt those people.
Moreover, even if the Wei Dynasty fought on two fronts, the national strength accumulated over more than a hundred years could fully afford it.
On the other hand, the situation was different for Gaoyang Kingdom, which simply could not bear it.
"We have many powerful generals in the Great Wei, so there is no need to worry about this."
Zhang Zhengming smiled, but soon his eyes turned serious as he continued, "What I'm most worried about now is the grassland."
"In recent years, I've heard some news that a new overlord has emerged on the grasslands. Rumor has it that he's incredibly talented. Not only has he mastered riding and archery since childhood, he's also studied a vast amount of the Central Plains classics, histories, and miscellaneous texts. And thanks to his status as the son of the former Khan of the Tianlang tribe, he's already gained control of the Tianlang tribe and become Khan at just thirty years old."
"Especially in the past few years, when the grassland was in turmoil, he relied on the strength of one tribe and fought through many battles, pushing the Tianlang tribe to the strongest position among the eighteen tribes on the grassland."
"And this time the grasslands suddenly moved south, and the Tianlang tribe was not included, but I still suspect it is related to this person."
When he said this, his eyes were filled with deep worry.
The reason why the Wei Dynasty won most of the battles against the grassland tribes was that they were victorious.
But in addition to the old marquis's contribution, another point is that the grassland tribes were not united enough.
Therefore, we can defeat them one by one, and even achieve considerable results in some cases.
However, once all eighteen departments are united.
Then the situation will become complicated.
Although we are only talking about the army.
Even the eighteen tribes of the grassland combined could not defeat the Wei Dynasty.
The problem was that the grassland army was almost entirely composed of cavalry, making them highly mobile. Furthermore, the grasslands were vast and flat, so if they were to engage in a head-on collision, it would be impossible to say who would win.
This is the fundamental reason why the Wei Dynasty invests huge amounts of money in the northern border every year to build a defense line.
In fact, this is not only a problem that the Wei Dynasty has to face, but also a headache for all dynasties.
"The students have also heard about the deeds of the Khan of the Sirius Tribe."
At this time, Song Gongwen spoke up, saying, "This man is indeed remarkable. There are also rumors that he hid his identity in his early years, went to study in the Central Plains, and even took the imperial examination and passed."
"And the essay that made the list was read by the students. It's indeed well-written, with no trace of a steppe barbarian."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
