The reason why we focus so much on Shi Songzhi is because he is the key figure in Zhao Mao's implementation of the "Duanping into Luo" plan. Zhao Mao's plan would be more effective with half the effort with his cooperation, but without his cooperation it would be only half the effort with twice the result.
So, why is this person so important?
When we open the map, it is not difficult to find. At this time in the Southern Song Dynasty, the closest place to Luoyang and Kaifeng was the Jingxiang area. The Lianghuai and Sichuan-Sichuan regions are much further away from the Central Plains.
In addition, the Xiangfan area was well equipped with troops and food under Shi Songzhi's management. Therefore, sending troops from the Jingxiang area can greatly save transportation costs, whether it is the transportation of equipment or the supply of grain and grass. Other areas are much further away, and sending troops or transporting food will undoubtedly be very difficult.
As long as Shi Songzhi's Jinghu War Zone fully cooperates, this matter will definitely be implemented smoothly according to Zhao Mao's ideas.
Will things really develop so smoothly?
The answer is "No!"
After resolving the opposition in the court, Zhao Ma wrote a sincere letter to Shi Songzhi.
In the letter, he first affirmed Shi Songzhi's outstanding performance in the Jinghu area, then expressed some concern for his life and family, and finally explained the contents of the plan to the other party in detail and asked for their opinions. .
The entire letter was written by Zhao Ma himself for 32 pages. He thought that as the emperor, for the sake of the overall situation, he was so close to his ministers, that the other party should understand his intentions and cooperate fully.
Unexpectedly, things developed contrary to expectations!
What makes Zhao Ma feel even more angry and chilling is;
At the beginning of Shi Songzhi's reply letter, he firmly opposed his plan to enter Luoyang. After that, I wrote a lot of reasons.
The general meaning of the content mainly has two points;
One, cry poverty. It is said that the Jingxiang area has been hungry for years and cannot make ends meet, so it cannot afford such a large military operation.
Secondly, the Central Plains region has been in constant war, and it is unrealistic to supply supplies locally. To sum up the above two points; Shi Songzhi would rather resist the decree than make fun of the fate and future of the country!
To be honest, what Shi Songzhi said is not unreasonable. But there was one thing he didn't say in the letter. That is, the plan for Duanping to enter Luo this time was proposed by Prime Minister Zheng Qingzhi. Even if he fully supports it, he will not be the protagonist who will be rewarded based on his merits after the fact. He worked hard and spent his own money and energy, but he could only play a supporting role. It's strange that he was satisfied.
It can also be seen from this that Shi Songzhi was a smart official, but he was a person who lacked the overall situation and paid too much attention to his own interests.
Zhao Ma was naturally very annoyed when he saw Shi Songzhi's attitude, feeling that this guy was trying to make him lose face. After throwing a bunch of things, my heated head gradually calmed down.
He now understood a truth. When it came to the interests of these officials, let alone national affairs, it was not easy for him as an emperor.
what to do? Zhao Ma calmed down and asked himself.
You’ve been preparing for so long, so you can’t give up halfway, right? But Shi Songzhi was another person who couldn't get around him no matter what.
Zhao Ma had no choice but to start Shi Songzhi's work again. But after several times it had no effect. Even in the end, he did not hesitate to use the high position of Minister of War to seal him, hoping that he would change his mind. But Shi Songzhi was like a bastard eating a weight - he was determined to oppose Zhao Ma.
There was really no other way, Zhao Ma could only give up and prepare to wait until the big things were done before freeing up his hands to deal with this domineering person.
Shi Songzhi has no choice, what should he do? Without Zhang Butcher, wouldn’t it be possible to eat pigs with hair on them? Zhao Ma then asked the two Huai armies to be the main force, and Shi Songzhi's Jingxiang area as the backing to raise grain and grass. He also issued an order clearly and required that it must be carried out.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Ma was actively preparing for war and preparing to recover the three capitals. Let us turn our attention to the Mobei grassland again and see what our Zhang Han consort is busy with!
To be honest, Zhang Han's life during this period was quite fulfilling and there was no pressure in life. During the day, he was on duty and training with the soldiers. In the evening, I read books and played games with my newlywed wife. This was the most comfortable life he had ever had in his previous life.
There is no rush of 996.007, and there is no rain of swords, guns and fire on the battlefield. My little life was quite enjoyable. Occasionally, I can take some time to go hunting with Ulang Hatai and the others, and watch the sunrise and sunset with Yeli Ketun...
On this day, there was no duty in the afternoon. Zhang Han took Li Xiaohu, Wang Danian and Wu Lianghatai to hunt all afternoon. They had gained a lot and were ready to go back to deal with the prey and drink for fun.
Because Zhang Han brought barbecue skills from later generations, Wu Liang Hatai and other generals of the Xue Army were full of praise, and they asked him to cook it himself every time they came back from hunting.
"Uncle, I've got it again this time! Ever since I ate your barbecue food, I can't even eat the food I made! Don't even try to grab it for me when you get back, I'm going to eat it to my heart's content." Wuliang Hadai said in a high voice The laughter spread to everyone's ears in the whistling wind.
"drive…!
Wu Liang Hatai, if you want to get what you want, you must first pass this level of yourselves! Let me tell you if you can outrun me. "
After Guyu finished speaking, he glanced at Wuliang Hardai provocatively, and whipped the horse's buttocks hard with his riding whip. The sweaty horse under his crotch suddenly seemed like a whirlwind, widening the distance between him and everyone.
"Haha... catch up quickly..." Hearing Guyu's wanton ridicule, Wu Lianghatai spat fiercely at the opponent's back;
"Looking at his proud look, isn't it because he got a new good horse? It's like someone else doesn't have one."
What he said was true, but the horse he was talking about was his father, Subotai's mount - Chai Feng! A pure-blooded Arabian war horse, tall and moving like lightning. It is the leader of tens of thousands of horses.
Zhang Han looked at the Mongolian pony under him and couldn't help but sigh! Looking at the red whirlwind under Guiyou in the distance, a trace of envy flashed unconsciously in his eyes.
Just like men in later generations were keen on various sports cars, men in this era are proud to own a good war horse. Although the Mongolian horse under his crotch is relatively tall among its kind, it has the advantages of good endurance and easy care.
But the appearance and the sweat and blood under Guiyu's crotch were simply too horrible to look at. The bare-headed horse was only a head taller than his own mount; compared with Subotai's Arabian-headed horse, it was even a head and a half shorter.
As a normal man, how could Zhang Han not be envious? Ever since Guyu started bragging about his mount frequently, he not only attracted the glares of everyone, but also the envy in their eyes.
Therefore, there has recently been a horse-trading craze among the upper-class young people in Mongolia. Zhang Han is also one of them, but there are many monks and few people, and he has not yet met one that he is satisfied with.
Riding a horse, I was lost in thought when my thoughts were interrupted by Li Xiaohu beside me;
"Qianhu, look over there, it looks like a Han!"
"Han people?"
Zhang Han was awakened from his thoughts by Li Xiaohu and shouted.
Li Xiaohu quickly pointed to the west, "Where is it! North."
Zhang Han slowed down his horse and looked north along Li Xiaohu's finger. A man who appeared to be wearing Han Chinese clothing appeared in his sight, running towards him stumblingly.
"Let's go over and see what's going on!" Zhang Han didn't hesitate and ran towards the Han man. Li Xiaohu and Wang Danian saw this and hurriedly followed.
"Tap...tap..." The horses' hooves rumbled, and the distance between the two sides quickly approached, and Zhang Han could clearly see the appearance of the Han people not far away.
"Ah! Two people, I thought they were one person." Li Xiaohu said in surprise.
Zhang Han and Wang Danian nodded when they heard this. In front of them was not the person they saw in the distance, but a woman wearing tattered clothes and a child also dressed in tatters. The woman's face was covered with dirt, and her exposed skin was scratched with cuts. He staggered towards Zhang Han and the others, dragging the children beside him.
"Who are you?"
Zhang Han saw the two men approaching and immediately asked loudly.
Suddenly there was a sound of horse hooves ahead!
"Whoosh" Zhang Han glanced around and saw a sharp wolf-fang arrow piercing the air and piercing the Han woman's back.
"Pfft..." Accompanied by the sound of the arrow entering the flesh, the woman's face suddenly turned pale, and two streaks of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, not far in front of Zhang Han and the others. Before he died, he still held the child's hand tightly.
The children around him were frightened by the sudden change. After being stunned for a moment, as if he thought of something, he threw himself on the woman like crazy and cried loudly;
"Mom, what's wrong with you? Wake up!..." The thin arm shook the woman's shoulder vigorously, but the other party did not move at all.
Li Xiaohu showed a look of unbearability, and his saliva rolled in his throat several times before he slowly uttered a sentence: "Don't waste your efforts! She is dead."
"Dead? Dead! No, how could my mother die? How could she die..."
The child seemed to understand the meaning of death and opened his eyes in disbelief. Then he pointed at Li Xiaohu’s nose angrily and shouted heartbreakingly;
"You're lying! My mother won't die..."
No one answered. Slowly, he lost confidence and his voice became lower and lower until his face was stained with tears.
"Hahaha... Hu Like is good at archery!" A voice of praise came from not far away.
The man who was shooting arrows just now was praised by his companions and showed a proud look on his face;
"Don't worry about it, Zalanhe. More than dozens of escaped slaves die under my arrows every year. Killing a Han slave woman is nothing!"
"Would you like to say it again?"
Zhang Han, who was not far away, suddenly felt angry when he heard this. The man who drew the bow and arrow behind his back pointed at the man who spoke and said coldly.
"Hey! The little pony that ran away somewhere is quite angry. I advise you not to draw the bow easily. Go back and eat a few more milks before talking! Don't hurt yourself." After hearing Zhang Han's threats, the man said, Not only was he not afraid, but he was mocking provocatively.
"Hahaha..." Hu Riko's words made the surrounding companions burst into laughter.
That's right, there are 5 people on the other side, but only 3 people on Zhang Han's side. It's not equal in terms of quantity. Moreover, the other people were all herdsmen in their 30s, and Zhang Han and the other three were young men in their 20s, so they did not feel any danger.
The words of these people made Zhang Han, who was so angry as he watched these people shoot his compatriots, completely losing his remaining sanity.
Not only did they kill the helpless women, but they showed no remorse at all, which caused a huge impact on Zhang Han's worldview formed in his previous life.
To be honest, Zhang Han doesn't think it's a big deal if it's life and death in a war. But Zhang Han couldn't bear to take pleasure in shooting civilians who had no power to resist, especially when he killed his own people.
"Then!...you...just...go to hell!" Zhang Han said one word after another through gritted teeth, and the arrow in his hand shot out of the air.
Zhang Han could clearly see the panic on the man's face at this time, and a cruel sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
