Chapter 2084 The delicate situation of Gui Zi Juan, at both ends
It is not that the suggestions put forward by Feng Ziying were not considered by the court.
Shaanxi has been in trouble for the past two decades. Floods, droughts, and locust disasters have alternated, especially droughts. It is not an exaggeration to say that the people have not been able to make a living.
And the fertile Hetao in the north is in the hands of the Tumuts, making it difficult to get rid of the threat of the Tumuts and having to maintain the necessary military deployment of three sides and four towns.
Shaanxi has been having difficulty making ends meet for years. Where does the food and salary supply come from? Especially the supply of grain and grass logistics materials can only come from the rear, and the transportation consumption in the middle is a big problem.
Yulin and Guyuan towns are slightly better, but they are much more difficult than other border towns, and Ningxia and Gansu towns are really too difficult.
Relying on military garrison alone cannot guarantee this, and it also greatly weakens the combat effectiveness of the border troops. It is difficult for an army that focuses on the garrison to maintain sufficient combat effectiveness for a long time. In the face of the Mongols and Yili, When people and cavalry harass you, you will be in a difficult situation of being passively beaten. If you are not careful, you will be taken advantage of.
Whether importing grain materials from Huguang and Henan, or from Shanxi, Shandong, and Beizhi, they are all faced with huge consumption problems caused by road transportation. Under the current worrying traffic conditions, even Feng Ziying is helpless.
The introduction of potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn is a countermeasure, but the traditional influence cannot be eliminated in a short time. Suspicion and distrust of this imported food will continue to interfere with the promotion of these crops. Without ten or twenty years of sustained efforts, Feng Ziying believes that it will be difficult to popularize these crops in the northwest.
Even though these foreign high-yielding crops can solve the food problem to a certain extent, in order to expand territory and conquer the northwest, then march into Central Asia, and regain the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties, we still face the huge demand for various strategic materials. This is also It is now too much for the Zhou Dynasty to bear, so in this case, it is wise to shrink first to ensure stability and wait until the time is right.
"It's not just Shaanxi. In fact, Henan, Shandong and even Jiangnan have the problem of increasing contradictions between small land and large people. So when Anfu merchants moved eastward, I personally supported it." Fang Congzhe couldn't help but added, "But Shaanxi is a border area, and it is necessary to have sufficient civilian strength to defend the border. Otherwise, where will the soldiers in the border towns come from? The soldiers from Jiangnan are simply not adapted to life in the northwest. If large-scale migration to Nanyang is carried out, let alone whether these people will be able to To adapt to the hot and humid climate in the south, if everyone moves away, if something happens, how will we mobilize the people to deal with it?"
"This matter needs to be discussed in the long term, but what Ziying mentioned is indeed an issue." Ye Xianggao thought for a while and then said: "This needs to be considered after the situation is stabilized, but now Ziying actually proposed It is a matter of how to deal with these rebels once they surrender. If they are not handled well, these rebels will surrender and rebel again, which will always be a scourge."
Qi Yongtai and the three of them all nodded slightly. They all understood that this was the most urgent issue, and it was this kind of power that Feng Ziying wanted.
"I'm afraid we can only put equal emphasis on suppression and pacification at the moment. Can the rebel troops recruited for peace be transferred to the guards and auxiliary troops first, and then we can worry about it after they are pacified?" Li Sancai said hesitantly.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. There are also smart people among these rebels. They will definitely ask the court to have a clear strategy. If the court approves their recruitment, it will use this as a basis in the future. If the court wants to change its mind, I am afraid it will trigger a greater crisis. Question." Fang Congzhe said with a frown.
“The Northwest Army is currently fighting in Shandong. I wonder what the court will consider next?” Qi Yongtai suddenly asked.
Ye Xianggao and the other three were all silent. In fact, there is one of the simplest solutions, which is to recruit and integrate the rebel army, remove Wucunjing, and then add additional troops to the three sides and four towns.
Because the Three Sides and Four Towns now have a shortage of as many as 80,000 or 90,000 men after the Northwest Army left east. If the Northwest Army does not come back, then the best way is to replenish these rebel troops and enter the current Three Sides and Four Towns.
But the problem is that if the Northwest Army does not come back, once trouble occurs in the Central Plains and Jiangnan, where will it be put?
Liaodong? It seems that it is most appropriate to send them to Liaodong. Such a powerful force is needed to deal with the Jurchens.
But with such a huge northwest army going to Liaodong, and Feng Tang being the governor of Jiliao, plus his old army in Liaodong, wouldn't Feng Tang become Li Chengliang again? Even better than Li Chengliang, the real King of Liaodong.
This is the situation that civil servants least want to see, even Feng Ziying is actually a civil servant.
"I think it's too early for the Northwest Army to finish Shandong and Jiangnan." Ye Xianggao said calmly: "Chen Jixian went south to Yangzhou and handed over Xuzhou to Niu Jizong. They colluded and fooled us."
They had always placed high hopes on Chen Jixian, hoping that Chen Jixian could help Feng Tang block Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu, and completely annihilate the Xuanfu Army and Datong Army in Shandong. However, they never expected that Xuzhou had already fallen before Dongping Prefecture and Jining were captured. into the hands of Niu Jizong.
This means that the two armies have obtained the fulcrum to move south and can retreat southward with confidence and boldness. Then wouldn't Chen Jixian become the vanguard to stand in front of Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu?
Li Sancai became anxious and stood up, "Brother Jinqing, when did you get the news?"
"I just got it." Ye Xianggao sighed, "Is Feng Tang getting old? He fought for so long and couldn't even win Dongping Prefecture. He was not as good as Sun Chengzong who fought beautifully. At least he won the northern part of Shandong Province in one go. Sun Shaozu of Jinan Prefecture fled in panic, not even having time to plunder."
"It's still different." Li Sancai explained: "Dongping Prefecture and Jining are the choke points for Niu Jizong and others to go south. They will not give in even if they die. As for Jinan, it itself is not of much significance to them. If Dongchang is lost, Jinan will not be able to defend the government, and everyone knows this."
“Damn Chen Jixian, does he want to occupy the south of the Yangtze River and become a vassal town?” Fang Congzhe gritted his teeth and said: “Don’t even think about it!”
"I'm afraid he has clearly seen the current difficulties of the court and is afraid of destroying Jiangnan." Ye Xianggao sighed, "These warriors ignore the interests of the country and the court and only care about their own calculations and calculations. When it comes to these things, he is smarter than anyone else."
"I'm afraid that Niu Jizong, Chen Jixian, Wang Ziteng and Yang Yinglong have all joined forces and responded to each other, constraining the court and preventing us from fully responding." Li Sancai's tone became more anxious, "There are also Fengzhou Bailian and Are the Mongols also involved?"
“Fei Bai said that Yang Yinglong is a caged bird and cannot escape?” Qi Yongtai frowned, “Is there any other problem?”
"Wang Ziteng is fighting fiercely in Huguang now. Maybe he has the idea of encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao, and wants to keep Yang Yinglong. In addition, there are some signs of instability in the Shuixi'an clan. I am very worried whether Yang Yinglong and Wang Ziteng have also promised to the Shuixi'an clan. What’s the benefit?”
This news about Li Sancai made everyone present feel numb. The Yang Yinglong rebellion in Bozhou has not yet been completely settled, and the Shuixi'an clan is going to act like a monster again. Who can bear this? The imperial court's financial resources cannot support it.
“Daofu, is the news true?” Ye Xianggao asked in a deep voice.
"Not sure, but the news from the Ministry of War's Fang Division and Long Jinwei point to a lot of changes in the Shuixi'an clan, which is worrying." Li Sancai was not sure, but he had to prepare for the worst, "She Chongming The collusion with Yang Yinglong is basically certain. Xiong Tingbi also knows that, but the She family is much weaker than the Shuixi An family, so the impact is not too great. However, the An family is different. If the An family goes against it, the entire Sichuan and Guizhou will be destroyed. Being in trouble, Xiong Tingbi is afraid that he will have to reconsider his strategy, and the imperial court may also have to consider support."
There was a depressing silence in the hall. It was a bad year, and all kinds of troubles were gathered together, not to mention the Mongolians and Jianzhou Jurchens who were eyeing each other.
Ye Xianggao stabilized his mind, and after some calculations, he said slowly: "This matter must be verified carefully, but don't make it clear easily. Send a letter to Xiong Tingbi and the Sichuan authorities so that they will not be caught off guard. , but now we can no longer start a war. The priority is to solve Yang Yinglong and Wang Ziteng. If Wang Ziteng cannot solve it, we must at least stabilize the war situation. We must clearly distinguish the priorities. Our first problem is still Shandong, and then Shaanxi."
Qi Yongtai also nodded in agreement: "The overall situation of Shandong relations in the Central Plains is stable, but I think Sun Chengzong and Feng Tang have to work harder. No matter what Niu Jizong and Chen Jixian are doing, they should take back Shandong first!"
“Yes, retaking Shandong first and restoring shipping in the northern section of the canal can also relieve the pressure on the capital.” Fang Congzhe also agreed.
"I am more optimistic about the situation in Shandong, but the situation in Shaanxi is not optimistic." Li Sancai hesitated and said: "Chengfeng, are Ziying sure about Shaanxi? Don't fall into trouble as soon as you enter Shaanxi, fall into a somersault, and harm the court. Face."
Qi Yongtai's face became hot, and he gritted his teeth and said: "There must be difficulties, but it is too early to say that we are in trouble now. I believe Ziying should have countermeasures. Since the court has given him full power, I believe he will use all kinds of power means Let’s use them all, and we can observe them for now…”
"Very good, I also believe Ziying can handle it." Ye Xianggao immediately answered, "As for what to do specifically, Ziying has her own discretion."
Qi Yongtai didn't understand that Ye Xianggao was secretly flattering him, but since Feng Ziying took over the position of governor, it is natural that he should show his ability to prove himself to convince everyone, otherwise you, a fourth-grade official in your early twenties, , why did you jump to the governor's side?
At this time, he could only grit his teeth and bear it, but he was still thinking about how to reply to Feng Ziying, but when he thought about it, he was afraid that by the time he replied, Feng Ziying would have already acted according to his own ideas in Shaanxi.
(End of this chapter)