This time, Song and Xia negotiated peace, but Zhang Yue didn't hear about it.
Previously, Qingzhou was defeated, and then Linfu was attacked. Three thousand Xixia cavalry seemed to have entered an uninhabited country, plundering people and animals before returning.
After the Song army suffered heavy losses, Xixia repeated its old tricks, sending people to Bianjing to offer horses as tribute, and asked the emperor of the Song Dynasty to give him the Tripitaka.
At the same time, Xixia paid tribute to Liao and Goryeo, and actively contacted and competed for international assistance.
Under this, Song and Xia negotiated peace, and the two families stopped fighting.
This matter was initiated by Wang Anshi, Cai Yanqing, and Zhang Shen led the negotiations.
Nowadays, the officials no longer interfere in the border affairs of Shaanxi, and the leadership has returned to the two governments headed by Wang Anshi.
After Zhang Yue wrote to Wang Anshi, Wang Anshi also wrote a private reply. The letter told Zhang Yue that there would be no war on Xihe Road this year. He also said that Xihe Road was a newly created state with a radius of more than 2,000 miles and an annual fee of 400. Thousands of dollars were all supplied by the imperial court.
Nowadays, the people of Shaanxi are living a difficult life, and the government's finances are also tight, so we will take a break this year.
Zhang Yue was very happy when he heard this. He didn't want any more wars in Xihe this year. If the emperor ordered him to attack Lanzhou, Liangzhou, or even Xingzhou, he didn't know what to do.
But Wang Anshi's letter... the text in it is "I relied on my reforms to save money for you to fight this war." However, even though Wang Anshi said this, he was inexplicably moved that he was willing to reply to him.
Zhang Yue wrote another letter to Wang Anshi, detailing his thoughts on raising troops in Xihe and reopening the Silk Road.
However, Wang Anshi did not reply to this letter.
Zhang Yue had no choice but to guess that his husband was too busy with government affairs and had forgotten...
But since you haven’t replied, I’ll take it as Wang Anshi’s acquiescence...
At this time, Li Xian had arrived in Xizhou. Zhang Yue went ten miles out of the city to meet Li Xian in person.
A feast to welcome the wind was set up in the road pavilion.
The place for the reception banquet was also thoughtfully designed. From the pavilion, you can just see the scenery on both sides of the Tao River.
It rained a little that day, and the mountains in the distance were covered with drifting clouds. The wind from the Tao River blew up the green rice fields by the river. Hundreds of Tibetan people were camping by the river in the rain, and beside them were Han people. The old farmer squatted on the ridge of the field and taught the Tibetan people how to farm.
Far away from the farmland is a newly built pontoon bridge, with cars, horses and pedestrians passing by from time to time. A dock fort and several fire piers were set up at both ends of the pontoon bridge. Song soldiers wearing felt hats stood on the fort to look out and be on guard.
There are also Chinese Tibetan cavalry patrolling under the fort, checking the luggage of passers-by.
Zhang Yue remembered that when Hezhou fell last year, the local Tibetan people in Xizhou set fire to the bridge and almost cut off the Taoshui channel.
In addition to these, there is also a commanding Song Army navy stationed on the Tao River.
Zhang Yue glanced at Cai Jing next to him and praised him for choosing the reception place well. He really deserves to be his 'Secretary-General'.
In the officialdom, welcoming people and sending them off is no small matter, and it must subtly demonstrate one's political achievements.
At this time, Li Xian, who was waiting in front of him, had arrived.
From a distance, Zhang Yue saw a team of nearly a hundred riders slowly passing by the pontoon. As for Li Xian, holding the reins and wearing a red brocade cloak, he was riding a Hexi horse in front of the team. There were people behind him. He held a black umbrella.
Zhang Yue looked at Li Xian's demeanor from a distance, and it seemed that he was similar to the Dongchang factory master he saw in the movie later.
He was gentle and gentle with a touch of hurtful femininity, like a soft sword.
The two met and Zhang Yue asked the other party to sit down in the road pavilion.
Various melons, fruits, and drinks are placed in the road pavilion.
After Li Xianlue wiped his hands and face and sat down, even though he was dusty all the way, he still said to Zhang Yue: "This time I left Qinzhou, passed through the Tongyuan Army, then to Weiyuan, and finally climbed over the Niaoshu Mountain to Xizhou. ."
"I walked along the Wei River and Taoshui River. The scenery of camps and fields I saw along the way was very different from when I came to Xizhou three years ago!"
Zhang Yue was pleased that it was precisely because the two had the same views on the issue of farming that the two of them got along so harmoniously in Xizhou.
Li Xian also noticed the scenery of farming by the river here, and read: "The crops of the great-grandson are like girdles and beams. The crops of the great-grandson are like crotches and beams. I am looking for Qiansi granary, but I am looking for Wansi box. Millet millet. Rice beams are the celebration of farmers. In return, they bring blessings and may they live a long life without borders."
This is a sentence from Futian in the Book of Songs.
There is nothing more refreshing than seeing a busy farm scene.
Both of them laughed when they heard this.
"Three years ago, this place was still full of malicious Tibetans and Tibetan people. Now, the fact that the Han family is able to get here is all due to the cardinal's management."
Zhang Yue said: "Zifan is too polite. When we were in Xizhou, we complemented each other very well. Now that you have returned to Xizhou to take up the post, Zhang is very happy. Now I will toast you this glass of wine on behalf of the two million soldiers and civilians of Xihe."
Li Xian laughed, raised his glass and clinked it with Zhang Yue.
The attendants around the two of them felt sincerely happy when they saw how harmonious the two were with each other.
Li Xiandao: "In the third year of Xining, we were no more than an isolated village in Guwei in Xihe. Now there are actually two million people. It is really unbelievable. In this way, Li admires the cardinal's foresight even more."
After a pause, Li Xian said to Zhang Yue: "Your Majesty asked me to tell you that after negotiating peace with Xixia, there will be no war this year. You can just use your strategy carefully to prevent the evil in Hehuang."
Zhang Yue cupped his hands and said, "I thank you, Your Majesty. It is indeed in line with my wishes to stop the troops this year. After the capture of Xizhou and Hezhou, the area from Weiyuan to Guwei has become mature land, with six to seven thousand hectares of farmland."
"As long as there is no war in Xizhou this year, the land reclamation is almost done. You see, rice is planted in the river valleys here. If the Xia Kingdom does not come to plunder from Lanzhou this autumn, I can harvest military rations."
Li Xiandao: "We know that Hezhou, Xizhou, Huizhou, and Minzhou are the front lines, and the fields will not be too extensive. If we take Taozhou and Lanzhou, the situation will be perfect. Then we will not be afraid of the Xia people or the Tubo invasion." Come to the hayfield."
After hearing Li Xian's words, Zhang Yue knew that the officials still had no intention of giving up.
Zhang Yue waved his hand and said, "Zifan is right, but he is not in a hurry."
Li Xian smiled and said: "Then, Cardinal, can you tell me about it? The Cardinal's Pinghe Huang Policy, I read it, it is really the best policy in Pingxia. Not only His Majesty, but also the two government officials read it and all praised it. Even this time with Xia Yihe also obeys your wishes."
Zhang Yue knew that Li Xian had complimented him a lot before, but the next thing was the main event. In addition to Pinghe Huangce, he also urgently needs to know what he will advocate next, or the officials want to know what he thinks.
Zhang Yue asked deliberately: "Oh? Isn't it because Qingzhou and Linfu were defeated?"
Li Xian smiled slightly and said: "There is an inside story. Firstly, all the elite soldiers and generals of Shaanxi Province are under your command. Secondly, the Second Prefecture knew that after Xixia entered the country, they also restrained the border troops from making a big counterattack. Only in this way can we cooperate with Xia The country negotiates peace.”
Zhang Yue nodded and said: "I see. If so, I, Xihe, will have a chance to recuperate for a year."
Li Xian smiled and said: "So you can have a general talk with our family next!"
Zhang Yue smiled and shook his head. The officials were really persistent, but he had to tell Li Xian if he was in trouble.
He smiled and said: "It's nothing. Now Xihe is engaged in two things, one is farming and the other is trading."
Li Xiandao: "I know about farming, but what is trade?"
“It’s about reopening the Silk Road!”
Zhang Yue then told Li Xian his strategy for managing Hehuang.
Historically, Xixia controlled the Silk Road, so after the land routes were cut off, sea trade in the Song Dynasty was extremely developed. In the past, merchants from Dashi all arrived in Quanzhou by boat.
In order to facilitate the settlement of big food merchants, the imperial court also specially set up Fanfang in Quanzhou.
During Xining's time, Quanzhou's annual income was already quite astonishing.
However, Zhang Yue did not plan this way. Not only was it necessary to have a maritime Silk Road, but it was also needed on land. This national policy has not changed until later generations.
Why should we reopen the Silk Road? It is still necessary to go back to what Zhang Yue said in Pinghe Huang's policy before: 'Strengthen oneself in order to weaken the other. If you want to harm the other, you must first benefit yourself'.
Who will do something that is not beneficial?
I spent so much effort just for peace and summer? Never do anything that would hurt both sides.
Recovering the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties is a righteous cause, but we must open up trade and reopen the Silk Road to make land trade unimpeded! Let the people in the Western Regions speak Chinese and use the salt banknotes of our Song Dynasty. This is the real benefit.
Trade is the engine of war, and the coins (salt notes) prepared in advance are the fuel for the engine.
This is from economics to politics, and then from politics to war, and grasping all of this is the grand strategy of the entire country.
For our dynasty, destroying Xia is just a means and not an end.
"Destroying Xia is just a means and not an end?" Li Xian was dumbfounded when he heard this.
He thought that Pinghe Huangce was shocking, but he didn't expect that there would be more...
The money used to conquer Xihe in the past few years is nothing. Once the Silk Road was opened, the whole of Shaanxi, Sichuan and Sichuan were revitalized. Don't make this money back to Wang Anshi in a few years.
In the final analysis, reform is still about dividing the cake, and trade and war are the cakes. This is also the standard for reviewing the results of reform.
Therefore, if Hehuang is to be harvested, Xixia will be destroyed!
Zhang Yue said to Li Xian: "Zifan, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. You have also seen Wang Xianggong's reform this time. Although it has made many achievements, it has many problems. It seems that it is using new problems. Cover up old problems.”
"It seems calm at the moment, but the shortcomings will definitely come out over time. Your Majesty should feel it now."
Li Xian admitted that although he knew about military affairs, he still didn't know much about the political affairs of governing the country and ensuring peace. But the emperor's concerns about Wang Anshi's reform were growing day by day, and he knew it.
Isn't it possible that a top-notch talent like Zhang Yue is not the emperor's deepest choice as prime minister?
Li Xiandao: "Prince Cardinal, do we have one last question? We asked you this in private?"
Zhang Yue nodded.
Li Xian asked: "If the king is no longer the prime minister, can the cardinal return to the court and succeed him?"
Zhang Yue thought to himself that even if Wang Anshi resigned as prime minister now, it would not be his turn to be the prime minister. But having said that, I am now only one step away from reaching the fourth level.
Moreover, Li Xian asked this, which shows that the official has chosen the person he has accepted as prime minister in his heart.
Zhang Yue thought for a moment, then pointed to the vast farmland by the Tao River and said to Li Xian: "There are thousands of hectares of fertile land, not one acre. There is Polygala, not Angelica!"
