King Zhao's conspiracy was a huge rebellion for the Central Committee of the Zhou Dynasty, but it was also a huge challenge.
Since the formation of the cabinet headed by Wang Hua, they have been doing one thing - reform.
By definition, reform refers to the partial or fundamental adjustment of the old production relations and superstructure, and the improvement and innovation of politics, society, culture, and economy.
In human terms, reform means that you make the old machine run more smoothly through modifications and updates, so that all the original minor problems can be repaired or weakened in this modification.
People who do this generally have extraordinary political excellence.
For example, the former Qin Shangjun, the former Song Dynasty King Anshi, and Zhang Taiyue who may appear in the future.
Every reform is met with opposition from the original vested interests.
Revolution is like cutting off with a single sword, while reform is like cutting flesh with a blunt knife. No matter which one you choose, you will be hated by others.
From Shang Jun to Wang Anshi and then to Zhang Taiyue, the final ending was not too good.
Dazhou is an agricultural country, and the biggest problem facing the country is actually the problem of land and people.
In the era of small-scale peasant economy, people’s life expectations are extremely low. As long as there is land to grow, food to eat, and clothes to wear, you can continue to live. If you can eat enough, it will be a prosperous age.
But land annexation is a problem that no dynasty has been able to solve.
In previous discussions with Wang Hua and others, Yang Qingyuan proposed two feasible ways.
The first is the path of mitigation, which cannot completely solve the problem, but can greatly alleviate the class conflicts caused by land annexation.
This is the path currently advocated by the central government of the cabinet - to share the land with the peasants and to share the grain with the gentry.
Sharing Ding into Mu is a tax system that merges the original Ding Yin (head tax) into the land tax. Dingyin and Tianfu were levied based on the number of acres of land, which reduced the burden on landless and landless farmers.
In this way, the tax pressure on farmers with little or no land will suddenly be alleviated. The more land there is, the more taxes will be paid, which to a certain extent can alleviate landlords' enthusiasm for annexing land.
Originally, annexing land was a matter of confrontation with the imperial government. It was only done because it was profitable. The profit of an originally profitable business has been greatly reduced, or even unprofitable. Who would be willing to do such a thing? !
However, this is only a way to alleviate the problem. Human beings’ obsession with land cannot be solved by reducing its benefits.
Even though the methods of the cabinet headed by Wang Hua were very mild, they still aroused fierce resistance from many landlords.
For the court, ordinary landowners had no pressure to deal with. The real trouble was those wealthy and aristocratic families.
During the fall of the former Tang Dynasty, Emperor Huang Qing entered Chang'an, burned the inner treasury to ashes, and trampled all the bones of the ministers in the street.
The aristocratic families in the Guanlong land were almost wiped out by him. Even if someone was lucky enough to survive, it would be difficult for him to survive.
On the other hand, although the aristocratic families in Qilu, Yanzhao were also damaged due to the war, compared to Guanlong, their foundations were still there.
These people are now the big landowners in the Zhou Dynasty, and they are also the ones who are most vehemently opposed to sharing the land with the gentry and the government and the gentry.
They either have a very high reputation among scholars all over the world, or they are well-known local sages.
And now King Zhao has gained the support of these people, and his method is very simple. He promised that as long as he can ascend to Dabao, all these random and wrong lives will be wiped out.
This promise alone was enough for them to abandon the court and support King Zhao.
But in the same way, the court can also put the label of being a rebel on them... It can't be considered a label. It's a fact that they support Zhu Kai, who is against the Qu Qu.
Once the winner is determined between the two sides, if the imperial court wins a great victory, it can be used to liquidate them, and the forces that originally hindered the state affairs will be vulnerable to a blow.
Whether it's a land transfer or a house search, there's always one suitable for you!
Yang Qingyuan's face was calm and calm, but Zhang Zhe was extremely anxious.
They are plotting rebellion. Why are you so calm, sir? ?
Although he knew that he was overstepping his bounds, Zhang Zhe still asked, "Sir, the traitor King Zhao is no longer divided into two groups. Zhang Shimei and Qiu Fu are leading the rebels respectively. They divide their forces to advance and cause trouble to the country. Why, sir?" How can it be so leisurely?!”
"Zhang Zhe, you are looking down on the civil servants and generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty!" Yang Qingyuan glanced at Zhang Zhe and said with a smile, "Since Emperor Linde came to the throne, he has appointed wise ministers, opened up the way of speech, and governed without doing anything, but he has He has the ability to govern. In the current Zhou Dynasty, there are wealthy scholars and Wang Hua in literature, and Wu Keming and Li Chengen in military affairs. They are enough to pacify the mere king of Zhao."
Yang Qingyuan would not treat these people who are world-class in both literary and martial arts as NPCs.
He put his words here, unless King Zhao Zhu Kai could fight a battle similar to that of the Great Mage of Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han Dynasty, even though King Zhao had the ability to rebel, it would be difficult to shake the foundation of the imperial court.
"I will edit a book. You can bring it back to Wang Hua, the great scholar of Zhongji Palace, for me. He will naturally know what it means."
Then Yang Qingyuan wrote a letter.
There is not much content about counter-insurgency, but more description of the political goals that can be achieved through this counter-insurgency.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you! By the time you return to the capital of the gods, you may have heard the news of the imperial court's victory!"
…
——
Linde three years, winter.
Zhao Tianlin, the commander-in-chief of the Pingjing Army, led his army to Baigou River. All the counties and counties along the way were waiting for the wind to fall.
Originally, these people rebelled because King Zhao was powerful and had no moral basis. Now that the imperial army is coming, what are they waiting for if they don't surrender? !
This King of Zhao is a rebellious minister and a traitor. He surrendered before. He is a man who knows the current affairs and is a hero.
Now, it was to commit oneself to serving as a thief, to bear the humiliation, and finally to receive the arrival of the heavenly army from the imperial court.
There are always some people who can switch freely between these two sides without any sense of disharmony.
Even if he knows what these people are like, Zhao Tianlin can't do anything about them, as long as these people don't cause trouble for him now. He was now thinking more about how to cross the river.
The Baigou River is not a very fast river. Under normal circumstances, it is not difficult to find some boats to build a pontoon.
However, the two armies were facing each other now. Opposite Zhao Tianlin were the soldiers and horses of Prince Zhao's Mansion. They could not just watch Zhao Tianlin build a pontoon bridge to cross the river.
Even if Zhao Tianlin really builds a pontoon bridge, he may not dare to cross the river easily.
To strike halfway across is the essence of the art of war.
At that time, Fu Jian had the potential to dominate the world, but after his defeat in the Battle of Feishui, he fell into despair.
The defeat of Feishui was not only due to Fu Jian's carelessness, but also due to the bravery of the Beifu soldiers who attacked halfway across the river, which played a key role in this battle of defeating more with less.
Therefore, without a foolproof strategy, Zhao Tianlin would not choose to take the initiative to cross the river. Taking the initiative to cross the river would mean exposing his own flaws to the opponent's general.
The person leading the troops on the opposite side should be Qiu Fu's deputy general Li Yuan. This person may not be as brave as Qiu Fu in combat, but he is more cautious in using troops, and he is cautious but not lacking in bravery.
Zhao Tianlin's evaluation of him is still higher than that of Qiu Fu. This is a mission similar to that of Zhang Wenyuan, the general of Cao Wei. It uses troops carefully without losing the courage to die.
There was no rush to cross the river, so Zhao Tianlin simply built a camp on the bank of the river.
This can be regarded as one of his characteristics in fighting. Zhao Tianlin's field command ability is not top-notch, and his mid-to-high-level talents are probably the limit.
However, Zhao Tianlin is very talented in defensive battles, which can be seen from the previous defensive battle in the camp in front of Yanmen Pass.
With less than 40,000 soldiers and horses resisting the attack of more than 100,000 troops, Zhao Tianlin seemed to be able to do it with ease.
Although Zhao Tianlin is senior, he will not rely on his seniority to show off his skills. He has a very clear positioning of himself. In a frontal battle, he may be able to win unexpectedly in a short period of time with his experience, just like the first battle with Qiu Fu.
But he is incomparable with tactical and strategic geniuses like Yang Qingyuan and Li Chengen, but he knows how to use his strengths and avoid weaknesses.
Building a stronghold near the water, although I dare not say victory, I can still be in an invincible position.
…
——
On the other side of the Baigou River, King Zhao's soldiers and horses had arrived for reinforcements. This information was immediately passed on by Jin Yiwei's spies.
But the people in Jinyiwei didn't know that there were several special characters hidden among the reinforcements this time, the most important of which was King Zhao Zhu Kai!
He secretly arrived at the north bank of Baigou River with the reinforcements.
"General Li, the prince's reinforcements have arrived!"
Li Yuan was in the camp studying the fortifications of the camp and the possible places where the Baigou River could be forcibly crossed. When he heard that reinforcements were coming, he didn't know whether he was happy or worried.
He and Wang Cong had discussed this matter before. They might have been used as bait by King Zhao. Now that reinforcements have arrived, it means that he and others are one step closer to the fate of being bait.
"Who is leading the team?!"
"It's General Zhu!"
A voice came from outside the tent, which Li Yuan felt was very familiar, but he didn't know it was General Zhu under King Zhao.
Just when he was confused, the big tent was opened, and a familiar face appeared in front of Li Yuan.
"Li Yuan, the last general, comes to see the prince!"
Zhu Kai's sudden appearance was obviously beyond Li Yuan's expectation. He did not expect that Zhu Kai would come here in person.
Li Yuan was about to kneel down to salute when he was supported by Zhu Kai.
"This king is here secretly, please don't make it public for the time being!"
When Zhu Kai came to the camp, he did not sit down in the coach's seat, but sat aside.
He didn't sit on the main seat, so naturally no one else dared to sit. Li Yuan and others just stood in front of him.
"General, I have disobeyed the prince's trust and caused the army to defeat Yanmen. I lost my troops and generals. Please punish me!"
Someone needs to be held responsible for the defeat of Yanmen.
As the coach of the army, Qiu Fu is naturally the first person responsible, but he is already dead. A dead man can bear the responsibility, but there is no way to take full responsibility. Then next is Li Yuan! He is the deputy commander of the army, and he is the natural second person in charge.
But the next development of things surprised Li Yuan.
"I heard from the cavalrymen under Qiu Fu that before the assault, you had tried to persuade Qiu Fu not to advance lightly and not to put himself in danger. However, Qiu Fu was headstrong and did not listen to dissuasion. This was the reason for the great defeat of Yanmen. If I am to say that I am guilty, it is because I don’t know people well, what does it have to do with you and other soldiers who are serving their lives?!”
Not only did the big boss not blame him, but he personally took the blame for himself. This scene was still too shocking for a courtier like Li Yuan.
He was already mentally prepared to be punished, but Zhu Kai told him that you did a good job and need a reward.
How could this not make Li Yuan burst into tears of gratitude? !
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Several generals on the side heard the words and agreed one after another.
Although this matter is not directly related to them, which general would not like such a lord.
It is easy to say that rewards and punishments are clear, but it is almost impossible to convince everyone!
However, the way King Zhao handled the situation this time made all the generals feel relieved. As long as it was not their responsibility, the prince would not punish them. This made them less scrupulous when fighting and more daring to use troops.
After being helped up by King Zhao himself, Li Yuan asked, "I wonder why you came here this time!?"
King Zhao concealed his identity and came here secretly, certainly not to comfort himself. There must be more important things. Li Yuan's self-awareness is also very clear, he is not worthy.
"I am helpless. The intelligence from Jin Yiwei and Hulong Villa is so powerful. These people seem to be all-pervasive and constantly relay my every move to the puppet Zhou court. As a last resort, I can only choose to hide my identity. Mixed in with the reinforcements.”
Otherwise, once King Zhao's whereabouts are discovered, his plan will most likely come to nothing.
"The reason why I came here this time is actually to fight against Zhao Tianlin. I have made a plan to annihilate Zhao Tianlin in one fell swoop, but this plan still has dangers and requires your life."
Li Yuan's heart thumped, it was coming, and sure enough, they were going to be used as bait by the prince!
"I need to use you as bait to catch Zhao Tianlin! When all his energy is focused on you, other armies will have opportunities. And your link is crucial."
King Zhao came to the sand table and gestured to the generals, "Our formation is like a pocket. We need to lure Zhao Tianlin's main force to go deep, and then the remaining soldiers and horses will surround them from the flanks and tighten the pocket in the shortest possible time."
This is actually a "retreat and decisive battle" tactic, luring the enemy deep and then encircling and annihilating them.
But there is a serious problem. Li Yuanbu, who is facing Zhao Tianlin's offensive pressure, must be able to withstand Zhao Tianlin's fierce attack.
Once Li Yuan's troops collapsed, the original bag seemed to have leaked. Not only was it impossible to encircle Yancheng, but the front of Yancheng was also open. Zhao Tianlin could send his troops north and take Yancheng directly.
This is the most critical link in a normal battle, even though King Zhao personally came here to take charge.
"I know that you and Wang Cong should have thought before whether this king regards you as abandoned children!"
When Li Yuan heard this, he immediately knelt down in fright and said, "My lord, please forgive me, I will not dare!"
Li Yuan, who was still looking normal at first, turned slightly pale because of what King Zhao said. He had long heard that King Zhao also had a secret guard under his command, following the example of the Jinyi Guards in inspecting civil and military officers. Only today did he realize that this statement was true.
Only Wang Cong and a few of his soldiers knew what he had just said, and they were all trusted by him. Unexpectedly, it still reached the ears of King Zhao.
"My king, I have no intention of blaming you, otherwise I wouldn't be here."
King Zhao stood up slowly, "Li Yuan, you have to know that there is a difference between bait and abandonment!"
(End of chapter)
