"Zi Yan, you are finally back. I miss you so much."
Zhao Ji took Wang Yan's arm affectionately: "I already know about Xixia, well done, well done. When you went out, I was still worried and regretful. I didn't expect that you would achieve such results when you led the army for the first time. , you should be the main contributor to the destruction of Xixia. When the war is over, I will reward you well."
"In the official family, I dare not rely on this heavenly merit. It is the official family who knows people with a keen eye, knows that the minister is worthy of the job, and trusts the minister. The official will lead the elite of the Song Dynasty. The success of destroying Xixia is all due to the official family's ingenuity in Longting. Invincible. The rest are the soldiers on the front line who threw their heads and blood and fought bravely to kill the enemy without fear of life or death. After all, I am still a businessman. If I can have this battle in my life to fulfill my wish of a golden warrior, I will die without regrets. The officials still give generous rewards to the frontline soldiers, so I will no longer be greedy for merit."
"Reward them all, reward them all." Although he knew it was flattering, he still felt comfortable listening to it. Zhao Ji pointed at Wang Yan with a smile: "This time I accomplished the great feat of destroying the country, how can I treat the meritorious soldiers so lightly?"
Wang Yan smiled, picked up the cup and drank tea.
Then he asked again about what happened in the past year, and how to manage the newly acquired land, and then asked Wang Yan to leave. Never mention the fact that he went on a cruise before and was forced to come back. This is the Imperial City.
In fact, it is not that Zhao Ji did not take action. The war against Xixia is now ending. During the process, many civil and military officials who were greedy for ink have been taken advantage of. This is a legitimate reason, and it’s no one’s fault if it’s done. Zhao Ji did not dare to move among the others. He was afraid that he would die in the palace for unknown reasons. He was actually frightened by the rampant bandits in various places before. So he is using his wisdom to tease people in secret.
Now it doesn't matter the old and new parties, the clean and corrupt officials, or how the people at the bottom are living. The key is that he didn't realize it before, but he only knows the truth now, that is, as an emperor, he has always been coerced by his officials. He refused to accept it, he wanted to struggle, he just wanted to have the sense of security that he had in control of everything before.
Now the guards in the palace have changed, and many eunuchs and maids have been killed in the harem, all of which were his masterpieces in the past year. When part of the Western Army and the Northern Army returned to the North, he felt confident. Maybe he would launch a wave of purges at that time.
Wang Yan could feel Zhao Ji's fear, but these things had nothing to do with him, and Zhao Ji would not say these things in front of him that would reveal his inner uneasiness. So he ignored it. After reporting to Zhao Ji, he left Xihua Gate and went home.
He was leading the only established cavalry unit that the Song Dynasty had high hopes for. If he hadn't really excelled in martial arts, proven his ability in strategy, and had his worth pledged, Zhao Ji would not have been able to do anything no matter how faint he was. He will be allowed to go into battle as a person with no battlefield experience. Even if he agreed this time, his wife and children were all taken to live in Bianjing. Nothing else, just to prevent him from violating the king's orders outside. When the time comes, this will be regarded as a hand of cards. It is also a good way to directly chop him down when necessary to vent his anger.
The news of his return had already been announced by the soldiers, and the whole family was waiting for him. When they saw his return, Yupan, Jinlian, Sanniang and their children came forward to pay their respects.
Wang Yan laughed and rubbed the heads of the children who dared not get close to him: "No need to be polite, just come in, come in."
"Dad, did you win against Xixia this time?"
Following his tall biological father, Wang Qinghe, the nine-year-old eldest son of the Wang family, asked his biological father about the battle situation on the front line like a little adult.
"Of course we win, otherwise your father and I can come back? The Li clan has all fled to Mongolia, and the remaining people who are stubbornly resisting will only be able to hold on for a few more months. Soon, Xixia will belong to our Song Dynasty. "
"Dad, does the emperor's maternal grandfather have to give you a promotion?"
Walking all the way to the main hall, Wang Yan answered the children's questions. When he arrived, he said: "Okay, let's go and get ready. After that, I have to take a test of more than a year's homework. Who is lazy? Don't do it." It’s my fault for being rude.”
After sending away all the troublesome kids, Wang Yan sat on a stool and looked at his three wives: "I haven't sent back a few letters from home for more than a year. Are you okay?"
Zhao Yupan was the first to speak: "The official is so powerful, and he is fighting for the country. The family can use it. Uncle Fu has taken care of it in an orderly manner. What can be wrong. But in the future, the official should not be afraid of danger, which will cause people to worry."
Then Jin Lian wiped her tears with a handkerchief: "Yes, everything is fine, everything is fine, but I miss you so much. I know that I am fighting for my life on the battlefield, and I am worried all day long. Today, I see that I have returned safely. That’s when I finally let go of my worries.”
Sanniang looked on and rolled her eyes. Although we were on good terms, she didn't hesitate to scold this little coquettish guy who was always showing off: "The official should have agreed to let me go together. After practicing martial arts for many years, how could I be able to do this for you?" It is somewhat useful for officials to share their worries."
Wang Yan shook his head and stopped talking. Instead, he followed the three girls and chatted about the trivial life of the past year. What they talked about was their simple and warm home.
After talking for a while, Wang Yan agreed to leave for Wangjiazhuang the day after tomorrow. After Wang Yan went out to wash up and was exhausted, he went to the study to meet with the housekeeper from the capital to learn about the situation. These are the disciples of our village who have passed the test and are qualified to participate in the important affairs of the Wang family, and have the authority to obtain most of the key information. Although he didn't know as much as Wang Fusheng, his understanding of the situation was enough.
In more than a year, a lot has happened. Where has the Wang family's business expanded, what new things are there, how much is the income, how to sort out the relationships between various places, and how many new people have been hired. These are all important things and are his capital.
In addition, Liaodong's territory has expanded again. Compared with the stability of the Song Dynasty, there was no time when there was no war in Liaodong. Either you hit me or I hit you. Now another year has passed, and Lu Zhishen no longer hides it, indulges the Jin Kingdom in conquering the Liao Kingdom, and begins to fight against the Liao Kingdom in earnest. With the Yuguan that was previously captured, it is now blooming in both places inside and outside Yuguan. The coastal areas were attacked all the way to Jinzhou.
The previous actions could only be described as small fights. The main reason was that once the area was taken, it could not be defended. There were not so many people to manage it. It was an enclave. It was useless to take it, and the lives of soldiers were in vain. Now after several years of training, plus some of the scholars sent out by Wang Yan, they were able to support the expansion of territory, and then they began to send out troops on a large scale.
In fact, in this era, in addition to the newly emerging Jin Kingdom, the Song Dynasty, Xixia and Liao Kingdom are just inferior. The worst situation is of course Xixia. The area is not well occupied and the potential is too small. The Song Dynasty is in the middle. Although it looks better than Xixia, it is actually worse. After all, it occupies a good territory and has such great potential, but in the end nothing works. In the original history, the Liao Kingdom was beaten like that by the Jin Kingdom. The Song Dynasty raised troops to fight, and was beaten all over the head. It was really bad.
However, the situation is different now. Liaodong is in the era of the Three Kingdoms' struggle for hegemony. The Liao Kingdom has been severely suppressed. Now it is difficult to cope with internal and external troubles. Facing the joint attack from Lu Zhishen and the Jin Kingdom, they had already begun to shrink their power, especially after Lu Zhishen strangled Yuguan, the throat of the North. They almost gave up the entire Nanjing Road, which was the large area of land within the pass that bordered the Song Dynasty. Mobilize troops to protect the Xijin Mansion (Beijing) area, and the remaining defenses against the Song Dynasty will retreat across the board, and mobilize troops to detour north to support the northern battlefield.
The place they gave up belongs to the northern part of the North China Plain. As we all know, the plains are good areas for development and this is a fertile land. Whether it is farming or commerce, the development here is actually good. After all, it is adjacent to the Song Dynasty. The exchange of production materials has greatly promoted regional development.
However, they were fought hard by Lu Zhishen and Jin Guo on the battlefield, and they were difficult to resist. If they failed, the country would be destroyed. At this time, it is important to shrink the defense line, concentrate on key areas, and maintain the basic market. Especially after Lu Zhishen occupied Yuguan, their control over Nanjing Road has been greatly reduced. If they don't give up, it will be a drag. This is the best choice at the moment.
Another advantage of giving up the large land here is that it allows Lu Zhishen to go south and border the Song Dynasty. Although the Liao Kingdom did not think too highly of the Song Dynasty, which had paid them decades of coins, it still had hundreds of thousands of troops and advanced military equipment. Even if it could not defeat Lu Zhishen's army, it could still contain some at the border. The main force, this way their situation will be much better.
But after they gave up large tracts of land on Nanjing Road, the result was not what they expected. The Song Dynasty only tentatively advanced the defense line to Fengnan (Tangshan), and did not continue to advance, nor did it conflict with Lu Zhishen's forces. On the contrary, Lu Zhishen's soldiers and horses chased them near Xijin Mansion and still caught them and beat them.
The Song Dynasty's coercion exceeded the expectations of the Liao Kingdom. They knew that all the elite Western armies of the Song Dynasty were fighting against Xixia. But even so, the Northern Army of the Song Dynasty still numbered 200,000 to 300,000 people. In recent years, military discipline has been strictly enforced and training has been strengthened. , the combat effectiveness has also improved a lot. Even with such a large number of troops, they did not dare to go north to attack Lu Zhishen.
Little did he know that after taking advantage of this, the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty were all overjoyed from top to bottom. After all, they didn't do anything. They took over several states without spending a single soldier. When Xixia is destroyed, there will be no need to spend money on material resources. There will be no war again. It is good as it is now.
Although the Liao Kingdom severely plundered the local people when it withdrew its troops, it didn't matter. The Song Dynasty might not be able to fight anymore, but it could still help various places and restore people's livelihood. The unemployed officials who only had official ranks and no jobs or assignments were very happy. Now there were many more positions, which was a good thing.
The original goal was not achieved on the Nanjing Road, but it didn't matter to the Liao Kingdom. After all, it was better to concentrate resources in a few important areas than to spread them out and be defeated and cannibalized one by one.
After so much trouble, Lu Zhishen's territory was almost the entire Liaoning Province, plus the northern area of Guan Nei from Tangshan to Beijing. The most forward position has reached Linhuang Mansion (Chifeng), the capital of the Liao Kingdom.
In terms of power and strength, it is already the strongest among the three parties. Even the war horses, which were scarce in the past, have been captured in the battles with Liao and Jin, and now they have established cavalry. Internal agriculture, commerce, etc. are relatively prosperous, infrastructure construction has never stopped, and the army is strong. The rest can only develop slowly, balance the Liao Kingdom and the Jin Kingdom, and slowly encroach. In another three to five years, with a big war, the north can be unified.
In addition to these important things, there is another unsurprisingly unimportant thing.
Liangshan is gone.
Song Jiang and other Liangshan troops still did not escape their original fate. After defeating Wang Hu, they defeated Tian Qing, after defeating Tian Qing, they defeated Fang La, and after defeating Fang La, they went to the west. Even without Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, and Tong Guan, they are still dead.
Again, Zhao Ji holds a grudge. The Liangshan people were so arrogant that they went to Bianjing to make a big fuss, which ruined his mood. This was the reason why the Liangshan people deserved to die. So after Liangshan lost more than half of his troops and defeated Fang La, received a reward, handed over military power and became a local official, he was given poisoned imperial wine and killed.
Song Jiang, a good brother, took away Li Kui, a good brother, and Wu Yong and Huarong were buried as they were. Perhaps it was only when he died that Song Jiang realized that he had taken the wrong path.
Li Kui kept shouting about rebellion, but with what purpose? The military power has been handed over, and there are no men under them, so there is no power to rebel. Even if he raises the banner again and invites his former brothers, not many people will follow him. The remaining few people were either monks or officials. No one thought about the past life. As for the big-headed soldiers who surrendered for various reasons, the Song government did not target them. They were either incorporated into other armies or were sent back to their hometowns to live their lives. Who would still follow them?
So they died without incident.
After hearing this information, Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, not caring about the end of Liangshan. After explaining the affairs to the manager and letting him leave, he began to think about it silently.
It has been ten years since he came to this world. From the day he arrived, he began to sit and prepare. Now, with the convenience of the emperor's close ministers, they have continuously penetrated into various places and established power bases over the years. In major cities across the country, there are basically prosperous Zhuangzi similar to Wangjiazhuang. The local civil and military officials are almost done. As for the control of the army, whether it is the Northern Army, the Western Army, or the Forbidden Army in various places, he has more or less people who can influence many.
As for those who belonged to him completely and could obey orders without hesitation, in addition to those under Lu Zhishen, there were also many in various parts of the Song Dynasty. He implemented a rotation system. After recruiting a group of new people and sending them to Liaodong, a group of people who had been fighting there for a long time were brought back for training. The purpose is to always maintain sufficient manpower available in the Song Dynasty.
The main reason is that he took advantage of Zhao Ji. Without Zhao Ji's signature and his own secret preparations, he would definitely not be able to do this in ten years. At best, he can only manage Hebei and Shandong well. Where can he be like now, with flowers blooming everywhere and his people everywhere? He even doesn't know where his people are.
It is estimated that it is almost time to prepare. Although Zhao Ji is now awakened and has spent less money, he starts to want to govern the country, but it is already too late. Not to mention the current situation at the end of the dynasty, which is a time of peace and prosperity. It will be difficult for him to rebel against anyone. Besides, it’s already reached this point. It’s impossible to do anything better. Those below who know the truth are thinking about it.
After deciding to return to Yanggu County to take stock of the family and start work, Wang Yan got up and went out to have dinner.
When a large family eats together, there is not even a table to sit at, so the scene is naturally very lively. There weren't many rules in the house, the children were eating, drinking and playing around carelessly, and the three daughters-in-law were smiling and talking.
Wang Yan, the head of the family, didn't feel the warmth, he only felt it was noisy. The main reason is that the children have reached the age where people hate dogs. Even though they read books about sages, they are of no use and they are very noisy.
After dinner, naturally Wang Yan and his three daughters-in-law came together to express how much they missed...
"My Iceberg Beauty Wife"
The next day, he stayed in Bianjing for another day. Firstly, he packed up the things he wanted to take back. Secondly, there was a woman waiting for him. It was always a bad idea not to go.
On the third day, a large convoy left Bianjing. He was lying comfortably in the large carriage, and the little boys who could ride horses chased and played in front of and behind the team on their ponies, and went home happily.
To be honest, if it weren't for his millions of dollars a year, money was more important. With his current level, Zhao Ji would not have let him leave Bianjing. Originally, he was very dangerous as a rich and well-connected person, and the imperial troops on the east and west roads of Beijing were watching him. People from the Imperial City Department are stationed everywhere, and there are also many guarding eunuchs who are on guard.
This time, he led the Northern Army to the north and fought hard to destroy Xixia. He also indirectly directed the direction of the entire war. He proved to be a peerless general who led the charge and a commander who could win a decisive victory thousands of miles away. With the conduct of the Song Dynasty, it would be even more dangerous.
Someone must have told Zhao Ji that they want to check him, control him or kill him. When the battle in Xixia is completely over and rewards are given based on merit, there will definitely be a lot of information about him coming to Zhao Ji, and then he will become The Song Dynasty was a disaster.
However, he is not worried that Zhao Ji will listen to others and mess with him. After all, the protection fee of millions of dollars a year is not in vain, and when he met Zhao Ji before, he had already shown his intention not to cause trouble. The most important thing is that Zhao Ji now doesn't trust the court or local officials, and maybe even members of his football team, as well as Wang Fu and other close associates, don't trust him either.
He is different. He pays tribute honestly every year and has a vision for national affairs. Even now, the Song Dynasty is following his strategy, but it is not implemented in place. In recent years, except for being dragged into the trap by Song Jiang and unable to deal with Gao Qiu, he has always behaved himself and never done anything out of the ordinary. There is no contact with the ministers in the DPRK. Although there are some local operations, it is not a problem to do business. This gave Zhao Ji a feeling of stability.
At this time, he is in danger, but what Zhao Ji needs at this stage is that he can compete with other ministers and be able to do his job.
Just like what he said to that dead guy Song Jiang, only if you have value, you have a reason to live. Not only is he valuable, he is big and needed.
