"I only said that the situation was different, and I didn't mean to belittle the military achievements in Huaishang." Liu Ziyu hurriedly explained. "The Jin army's offensive was like a tide. When we fought in Huaishang before, the tide was high. If it weren't for the victory of the emperor in the battle of Huaishang, I'm afraid the fertile land in Huainan would have become like Hebei, Jingdong, Jingxi, and Guanxi..."
"Yes, I looked at the account books of the Ministry of Revenue. The Huainan and East and West Routes can submit one million pieces of silk every year. Together with taxes and food, it is enough to support an army of 100,000. The southeast can support another 200,000. Jingxiang can also support 200,000 if they settle down. Bashu can also support 100,000..." Zhao Jiu suddenly talked about some nonsense that has been very popular recently.
"Unless these places also adopt the vassal state, they can't support so many people." Liu Ziyu laughed. "I estimate that it would be good if we can support 200,000 soldiers in the end, but it is enough... But this is not what I want to say. I want to ask the emperor, now that the tide of the Jin people has receded, why can't we settle down, establish a system, recuperate, first defend, then fight, spend three to five years, and support 200,000 troops to restore the two rivers?"
Zhao Jiu finally shook his head: "Is this what you thought, or is it what Zhang Deyuan and the others meant?"
"Both." Liu Ziyu also became serious. "Zhang Xiantai felt that the emperor had worked so hard to get here, and he was obviously uneasy in his actions. He wanted to do something but couldn't find the way, and he didn't know how to do it. And I have been facing you day and night in front of you in the past two days, and I feel that the reason why the emperor is so in this attitude is that he is afraid. However, unlike others who are afraid of war, the emperor seems to be afraid of peace, fearing that once the war stops, he will not know what to do... Good teaching, the emperor knows that Zhang Deyuan is worried, and this kind of words are only in his heart, but he dare not say it to the emperor. I am a rough man, and I hope the emperor will forgive me."
"How can you be called a rude person?" Zhao Jiu sighed and stood up. "You and Zhang Deyuan are both smart people. You are both right, but you are also both wrong... In my opinion, you are all smarter than the other, but you are often limited by your vision and use your intelligence in the wrong place."
Liu Ziyu was stunned. This was not the first time someone said that he had a low vision. The key point was that the person who said he had a low vision had now become a person "constrained by his vision".
"For example, you people, those who advocate peace, those who advocate war, those who advocate defense, no matter what your stance towards Jin is, always tell me about the system and rules, and the established family rules, as if everything will be fine as long as we stabilize and rebuild the system." Zhao Jiu stroked the chess piece in his hand and said quietly. "But in fact, in my opinion, speaking only of military matters, the more properly the established family rules and systems of the Song Dynasty are implemented, the more bad things will happen! Because the established family rules and systems of the Song Dynasty's military were originally designed to defend the inside and weaken the outside! With your methods, the Song Dynasty will perish even faster!"
When Liu Ziyu heard the words "defend the inside and weaken the outside", he was struck by lightning. He wanted to speak immediately, but he didn't know what to say. Bachelor Kobayashi next to him also came to his senses and seemed to want to say something.
However, having said this, Emperor Zhao was like a floodgate that had been opened and could no longer be stopped.
He threw down the chess piece, stood up from the corridor, and looked at Liu Ziyu, who was obviously a little out of control, with his hands behind his back, but he said earnestly: "Yan Xiu, Zhang Deyuan is right. I am indeed uneasy, but the reason for my uneasiness is not because I am at a loss, but because I know too well what to do! You are right, I seem to be afraid of the situation after the Jin people withdraw, but the reason for this is not because I like barbaric things such as fighting and killing, but compared to these things, other things are too difficult! For those things, there is only one Wang Anshi in this dynasty who has done his best, and he was almost slandered as the culprit of the Jingkang Shame. In fact, if I can live in peace and make do for a hundred years, why would I be willing to do such a thing? But this is not time for me. Isn't this the responsibility of so many people's expectations, the Jingkang Shame, and the lives of so many people in the two rivers and the Central Plains? Determined to be a good official, determined to do it personally, and determined to change the world? If I don't do it, what should I do? And if I do it, how can I not be afraid?"
Liu Ziyu and Scholar Xiao Lin were both stunned by what they heard. Even Feng Yi, who was standing next to them, had his eyes rolling around.
"This is actually why I know that Li Xianggong and the others are rare comrades who really want to fight against the Jin, but I put him far away in the southeast." Emperor Zhao continued to sigh. "It's okay to let him take charge. Maybe after ten or twenty years, there will be a general recovery. But since I am determined to take action seriously, I can't just watch him go around in circles and waste time... Yan Xiu, the Jin people are not that strong, and I know what to do. You don't have to worry! Let Zhang Deyuan not worry too much!"
"I am terrified, and I don't know the ambition of the government."
"Actually, I have been holding this in for a long time. I have long wanted to talk to someone about this. Since you are asking on behalf of Zhang Deyuan, I will just take the opportunity to talk about it." Zhao Jiu suddenly smiled again. "Don't take it too seriously."
How could Liu Yanxiu not care?
But on the other hand, did Zhao Jiu really say everything that was in his heart?
The overall conservatism of the civil service politics of the Song Dynasty; the fact that the Jin army would not give the Song Dynasty any chance to breathe unless they were exhausted; the overall corruption of the Song Dynasty army; the possible crisis after the Jin army came in the future; and the personal ambition or aspiration to contend for merit with Yue Pengju... How could he confide all this to Liu Ziyu, a man he had only known for a few days?
It was nothing more than that Emperor Zhao suddenly realized, from Hu Yin to Zhang Jun, the concerns his poor team had shown about him during this period, so he used this person to pass the message to Zhang Jun in order to reassure people.
"Officials!"
Just after the backyard of Caizhou Prefecture had calmed down again, less than an incense stick of time had passed. Just as Emperor Zhao was counting the chess pieces carefully and found that they were insufficient, he was looking around for them. Suddenly, the commander of the imperial camp, Hu Yantong, who had just received the imperial decree, rushed in in a panic. "Emperor! The scouts just set out and reported in a hurry that there are thieves in the west!"
"Why are you panicking?" Emperor Zhao picked up the two chess pieces he had finally found on the ground and put them into the bowl held by Feng Yi behind him before he casually scolded. "What is there to panic about? I'm not panicking at all! You are the only commander in the city, how can you show fear and panic?"
Hu Yantong instantly fell to the ground in shame.
PS: This is a problem with Qidian. It’s not my fault, right?! Also, the chapter name is wrong, it doesn’t affect the reading, please don’t mind it.
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