Zhang Yue said that the Khitan would not easily send troops to attack the Song Dynasty, which made Wen Yanbo not satisfied.
This caused him to be submissive to Wang Anshi when he dealt with the Khitan, but he attacked Xixia with heavy blows but was not successful.
Wen Yanbo glanced at Zhang Yue and said with a smile: "Zhang Jinglue has never been to the Khitan as an envoy, and he has never dealt with the Liao Kingdom before, but he knows the domestic affairs of the Khitan very well, which is really commendable."
When Zhang Yue heard this, he knew that Wen Yanbo was trying to hurt him with his words, so he had to pretend to smile modestly.
Since the Khitan will not send troops, the imperial court's strategy against Xia and Qingtang remains unchanged. There is no doubt that the imperial court will continue to invest resources in the Qinfeng Road Transport Department and the Xihe Economic Strategy Department.
"Let's talk about summer control strategies!"
When formulating the strategy for conquering Xia, Zhang Yue still advocated using Qing Tang to contain Xi Xia: "The previous mistake in attacking Qing Tang was due to the poor communication between the center and the local government. If you have any questions, you can ask an intermediary to communicate with you."
As soon as Zhang Yue said this, the expressions on the faces of all the prime ministers were stunned.
Wang Gui smiled and smoothed things over and said: "It is not a good thing for someone to supervise the army. Your Majesty's trust in Zhang Jinglue goes without saying. Please don't worry too much."
Zhang Yue continued: "If you don't send an intermediary to supervise the army, you can also invite Wang Anli and Cai Meng to go to the commander's house to do something!"
Wang Anli was a Jinshi in the same department as Zhang Yue and was also Wang Anshi's younger brother. Cai Meng was Cai Ting's son. Zhang Yue invited the two of them to serve as errands in the commander's mansion. The purpose was self-evident. They were to supervise the army and make contributions in the future. Promoting you two prime minister's children, this is just like Wen Jifu's arrival at the Zhangyue Shogunate.
No matter whether the middleman or the prime minister's son supervising the army, they all have the same intention. Don't hold me back in the court.
Wang Anshi said: "Is Duzhi asking his younger brother and Cai Tanglao's son to join the army because he is worried that we and other prime ministers will not cooperate with us? If this is true, I, Wang Anshi, will be a traitor. What is the purpose of Xixia in this way? We should be righteous. The prime minister's position comes first to avoid confusion."
Zhang Yue smiled slightly.
Cai Ting also said something similar to Wang Anshi.
Zhang Yue said: "I believe that since ancient times, only when prime ministers work together can border ministers be willing to do their jobs!"
Wang Anshi sighed and said: "I don't compete with you for titles, salary, let alone fame, so there's no need to talk about it."
Later, when talking about the Qingtang strategy, Zhang Yue mentioned building Zanak City, which was something he and Wang Shao had discussed for a long time.
Wang Anshi replied that we would discuss it further.
Immediately, Zizheng Palace's policy review arrived here, and they asked questions for more than three hours. Everyone was a little tired. Wang Anshi asked at the last minute: "If we attack Xia at this time, how confident is Zhang Jingluo?"
This question is comparable to the question of whether the Khitan will attack the Song Dynasty.
Zhang Yue thought for a while and said: "The five states in Xihe have not surrendered, and Mu Zheng is on the run, and Dong Fei is married to the Xia people. Now the chance of success in attacking Xia is probably less than 50%."
"Fifty percent..." Wang Anshi thought for a moment.
Wang Anshi asked again: "If you manage Xihe for several years and capture Mu Zheng, how likely is it that Dong Xiang will surrender?"
Zhang Yue said: "It is difficult to predict what will happen in a few years, but if the Khitan does not change in the Xia Kingdom, there is a 70% certainty that it can defeat half of the Xia Kingdom!"
The leaders looked at each other.
In the military, 70% is a high chance of winning. When he sent troops to Luowucheng, Wang Anshi estimated that Han Jiang's chance of winning was only 60%.
Wang Anshi asked: "In the past few years, the war between our dynasty and Xixia has been more victorious than defeated. According to the rules and regulations, there will be no change in a few years, so we can attack Xia?"
Zhang Yue thought to himself that this was not only asked by Wang Anshi, but also by the officials. The officials also urgently needed an answer. They had been using troops in Qingtang for several years, and the final goal was to control summer. They must give them a time limit.
But there is no guarantee about sending troops. It is understandable that the officials are too anxious. Are you, Wang Anshi, also so anxious?
Zhang Yue did not dare to speak too fully here, because he knew the Wulu Pingxia in another time and space history.
Zhang Yue said: "Once half of the Xia Kingdom is defeated, it will be disadvantageous for all the Xia Kingdom to return to the Khitan. Besides, Xixia is not comparable to the Xihe Fan tribe. Our army can easily gain rewards by defeating the Xihe River, and it is also easy to swallow the land. Therefore, The officers and soldiers are all serious about their lives, but if they are facing Xixia, it may not be so easy. If the officers and soldiers cannot seek a quick victory, they will easily become frustrated and defeated."
"Although the Xia Kingdom's national power is declining now, the dynasty has no famous generals and tens of thousands of strong soldiers. If we attack suddenly, it will also disrupt the state affairs. We must be cautious when attacking Xia."
After Zhang Yue finished speaking, there was no doubt that a basin of cold water was poured on him, and Wang Anshi fell into silence. They obviously wanted to get an exciting answer from Zhang Yue, but Zhang Yue disappointed him.
Wen Yanbo smiled slightly.
This, of course, represented Zhang Yue's opinion, which was finally presented to the emperor at the meeting. It was also a reference for the governors to formulate future policies for Xixia and Khitan.
After walking out of the Zizheng Hall, Wu Chong gave Zhang Yue a look, and Zhang Yue waited outside the hall.
Soon Wu Chong walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back and saw Zhang Yue waiting beside him.
Weng and son-in-law immediately walked together. Wu Chong said to Zhang Yue: "Just now you said in the palace that the Khitans would not send troops. No matter how confident you are, you cannot say this."
Zhang Yue could not say that this was the foresight of his own time traveler, but he just said: "Once the Khitans attack the Song Dynasty, the imperial court will not support Xihe's use of troops as before."
Wu Chong said: "Wang Jiefu told me before that you have gained enough experience in your trip to the northwest. Dukes Han Wei and Fan Wenzheng both observed troops in the northwest and paid homage to the prime minister after returning to the court. He will also compensate you for your return to the court this time. "
Zhang Yue said: "But my son-in-law can't see that the imperial court's attack on Xihe was abandoned halfway."
Wu Chong was silent for a moment and said: "Since you are determined to return to the northwest, why did you say so conservatively just now when Wang Xianggong said that Ping Xia was guaranteed?"
Zhang Yue thought to himself, yes, he can pat his chest and take his "Five Years of Ping Liao" as an example. Considering this, Wang Anshi might really allow himself to return to the northwest.
But you have to take responsibility for what you said.
Wu Chong said: "Do you know that what you said in the Zizheng Palace could neither satisfy Mr. Wen nor Mr. Wang?"
Zhang Yue nodded. When he first met with officials, a few words could affect the continuation of the reform and change the position of the prime minister. Now that the occasion has come, a few words can affect the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. , how can you talk nonsense yourself?
Zhang Yue said: "That's what Lao Taishan said, but there are light and heavy words. Although I can't say what I say, how can I accept the Prime Minister's will and say it? This will not ruin the national affairs."
Wu Chong sighed and said: "State affairs? If you want to attack Xia, I can explain it to Xianggong Wang. If you don't attack Xia, I can explain it to Xianggong Wen. You are neither left nor right. Now I don't know where to go with you." The Prime Minister has spoken."
Zhang Yue said: "It is my son-in-law who has put Lao Taishan in a dilemma."
Wu Chong waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter what we say between father-in-law and son-in-law."
After a pause, Wu Chong continued: "But Wang Jiefu is a smart man. If you uphold the public spirit today and speak frankly, he must understand. Now we have to wait and see what he stands for."
