After the New Year, all affairs in the court revolved around Xixia.
Xixia was independent in this dynasty. Although the Song Dynasty had been tolerant, it had no choice but to do so.
Yuan Hao's astonishing combat power and the court's huge military expenditure frightened the emperor, so he had to make peace temporarily.
Now that Yuan Hao is dead, the civil strife has been settled, wealth has begun to flourish, and Xixia is once again ruled by an orphan and a widowed mother.
If you miss this God-given opportunity, you don’t know how long it will take to see it again.
Therefore, on the issue of pacifying the northwest, there was basically no opposition in the court.
The emperor himself was still hesitant at first, but the New Deal faction was about to boost their prestige with a great victory and tried their best to persuade him to send troops.
So this resolution was confirmed in the emperor's uneasy mood.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the envoys from various countries were sent away, and after the Lantern Festival, the court began to quietly prepare.
After the spring plowing, all the troops will be mobilized to attack the summer.
As for Cao Bin, Zhang Dun's matter was resolved smoothly, and Chang Qinglian also left with the mission.
The appointment from the imperial court had not yet been issued, so he could enjoy a peaceful time.
On the third day of February, the awakening of insects occurred.
Princess Zhaoyang's Residence.
Chen Shimei was lying on the bed reading a book.
At this time, the princess came in angrily, threw the account book in his face, and asked:
"Chen Shimei, what are you doing? Why has the revenue from the construction camp dropped so much?"
Chen Shimei's eyes wandered for a moment and she defended:
"Princess, if you want to expand your business, you always need the help of friends."
"You can't just let people contribute money but not pay dividends, right?"
In fact, he was in trouble and couldn't tell. Although Zhao Ji didn't do anything for him, he was not polite at all in terms of income and directly took 15% more.
But he didn't dare to say it.
Not only because of the conflict between Cao Bin and Zhao Ji, but also because of his own purpose in asking Zhao Ji for help.
He transferred his brother-in-law to Dengzhou in order to solve the hidden dangers in his hometown, appease his parents, wives and children, and force his first wife to remarry.
If the true situation is exposed, he will probably be convicted of deceiving the emperor.
How could Princess Zhaoyang know what he was thinking? She didn't care about the money. She only thought that Chen Shimei had secretly raised a foreign wife, so that's why she was like this.
Then his eyes widened and he said angrily:
"You're talking nonsense, the money of your bad friends doesn't match up at all!"
"Tell me! Where did your money go?"
Chen Shimei secretly cursed, isn't your brother shameless?
Unable to explain clearly where the money went, he could only vaguely say:
"Princess, don't worry about it. I have my own uses. Can't you do it without asking for a penny from now on?"
Princess Zhaoyang said angrily: "No, you must make it clear today!"
When Chen Shimei saw Princess Zhaoyang's reluctance, she couldn't help but get angry and sneered:
"Princess, are you in a hurry to sell to Cao Bin? He is not the consort yet."
"Don't worry, Cao Bin's money will not be lost. Why should the princess be so nervous?"
He was also forced into a corner, so he had no choice but to interrupt Princess Zhaoyang first and change the subject.
Hearing this, Princess Zhaoyang was startled, her pretty face turned pale, and she was almost speechless:
"You...you're talking nonsense. You're not clean yourself, so you beat me up and slandered my innocence."
"Get up and tell me clearly in front of my mother..."
With that said, he was going to pull up Chen Shimei who was lying on the bed.
Chen Shimei saw that she showed a little timidity and became more courageous. He pushed her away, turned over and stood up, and said:
"Hmph, I know very well what happened between you and Cao Bin in the military camp. I'm not afraid even if I go to see the official..."
After saying that, he lifted his feet and walked out.
At this moment, he was extremely envious of his consort Wang Shen, who had taken in seven or eight concubines in a row, and the princess of Shu did not dare to say anything.
The children of the royal family also bully the weak and fear the strong. King Duan is like this, and the princesses of Shu are also like this. They shrink back when they meet people like Cao Bin and Wang Shen.
Thinking of this, he walked faster.
Princess Zhaoyang's beautiful eyes were filled with tears. Seeing him leaving decisively, she became even more angry.
He gritted his teeth and said, "What a heartless Chen Shimei! Since you said that, I will do it for you!"
Zhongjing Houfu.
Cao Bin is welcoming the imperial edict. The imperial court will send five armies to attack Xia in mid-March.
He was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the military capital of Fuyan, and Zhong Shiheng was his deputy. He led the enemy army and the Fuyan army, a total of 55,000 people, to attack Mizhi.
After receiving the imperial edict, Cao Bin was confused and asked the edict officer:
"Who will control me after I go on the expedition? Why is there no commander appointed in the imperial edict to conquer Xia?"
Since the attack on Xia is to be divided into five groups, there should be a commander, and one cannot attack each one.
The official who announced the order from the Political Affairs Hall shook his head and said with a bitter smile:
"The imperial court was going to appoint Taishi Pan as commander, but Taijun She has already made it clear that he will never serve as a general under him."
"The female generals of the Yang family are the main force in the attack on Xia this time. The imperial court has no choice but to choose other talents, and the officials are also hesitant."
When Cao Bin heard this, he couldn't help but be speechless. There was going to be a war soon, and he couldn't choose a coach.
When he thought about it, in such a major military operation, the title of commander would definitely fall on the civil servants, and the possibility of military commanders was very small.
This is the practice of the imperial court...
After seeing off the messenger, Shi Qian suddenly came to report:
"Uncle, Chen Shimei's wife and children will arrive in the capital soon. They will be protected secretly by their brothers and will be safe."
When Cao Bin heard this, he immediately laughed:
"Okay, I came at the right time, let's get this matter settled before we go on the expedition!"
Seeing that Cao Bin was happy, Shi Qian also laughed and continued to report:
"Uncle, we have found out Chen Shimei's secret account."
"Those who secretly invested money in him include Prince Consort Wang Shen, Prince Duan Zhao Ji, and Cai Jing."
"Among the profits, Cai Jing, Zhao Ji, and Chen Shimei each accounted for 30%, and Wang Shen accounted for 10%."
Cao Bin pondered for a moment and said:
"The net will be closed soon, and we need to give them some heavy bait!"
As he spoke, he called a boy over and ordered:
"Go and send a letter to Princess Zhaoyang, saying that I want to expand the construction business and I am willing to give up all the profits within a year..."
Cai Jing's residence.
He was lying on his desk, writing letters carefully.
After a long while, he checked that everything was correct, then he called his confidant and said:
"You give this letter to the Shaanxi Road Transport Envoy, and be sure to let him hold Cao Bin's grain supplies."
After his cronies left, he turned to look behind him and said:
"Master Zhu, what do you think of my plan?"
Zhu Min gave a thumbs up and said:
"It's wonderful. You can give him rations for fifteen days first. When he goes deep into Xixia, and then find a reason to cut off his rations, he will have no way to advance or retreat..."
The Song Dynasty has always been worried about the generals who lead troops abroad, so logistics is not directly responsible for the army, but is in charge of local officials.
Cai Jing snorted coldly, looked out the window at the cold branches still hanging with snow and said:
"I have been waiting for this day for a long time. This time I will let him stay in Xixia."
"In this way, I can relieve my pain of losing my son..."
