There has been no rain in Guanzhong for a long time, and this heavy rain enveloped the entire Daxing city with misty water vapor like smoke. Faced with this timely heavy rain, people and trees were full of vitality. People in every village seemed to be celebrating a new year. They gathered in small groups in small wine shops to chat and talk about the benefits of this timely rain for farming. Many people The old farmer is even happy that if the heavy rain continues for a few more days, there will be a bumper harvest of autumn grain in a few months.
The cheerful atmosphere in Daxing City seemed to have spread to the palace. Empress Xiao had already heard that Yang Guang summoned ministers to the palace to urgently discuss military and political matters. She immediately ordered people to prepare good wine and food, and only waited for Yang Guang to come back in the evening to have dinner together. , Unexpectedly, Empress Xiao waited until dark in the Manlu Hall but could not see Yang Guang. Somewhat confused, she called a female official and asked, "Where are the saints and the others?"
This female official is about 40 years old. She was one of the dowries Xiao Kui gave to Empress Xiao and gave her the surname Xiao. She has served Empress Xiao for more than ten years and is loyal to her master. She is also Empress Xiao's confidant in the palace. . She had just returned from the Chengqing Hall where she had exchanged duties, and she knew a little bit about the situation there. Seeing the Queen's inquiry, she immediately replied: "The saint has been discussing state affairs since the civil and military ministers entered the palace just now, especially now. Not dispersed yet.”
Empress Xiao looked up at the thick night outside and asked, "The saint summoned many important ministers to the palace in the evening. Do you know what happened?"
The female officer answered truthfully: "I don't know the details. I only know that it is related to Yongji Canal, Tongji Canal, this year's scientific examination, and the officialdom of the Huanghuai area... I heard that the saint was because someone set up a private checkpoint on Tongji Canal and cleverly named it. He seemed very unhappy about simply paying taxes on passing ships. But..."
Seeing that she hesitated to speak, Empress Xiao frowned and asked, "But what?"
The female officer glanced at Queen Xiao and said, "The saint and the important ministers then discussed the formation of the Northern Navy. However, the servants and others were waiting outside, so they did not know the situation inside the palace. They only heard a fierce argument inside, including the Yuantai Mansion. We had a fierce argument with King Wei, and later both of them stopped talking. However, Xiao Xiangguo actually started arguing with General Zhang Jin."
Empress Xiao was extremely smart, well-read, and her vision and knowledge were beyond the reach of ordinary powerful women. She knew that political disputes were like this, so she didn't ask any more questions. She ordered: "Have someone make some new meals and send them to you." Chengqing Hall.”
"Here!" The female officer responded and left.
. . . .
It was nearing the end of Youshi, the Chengqing Hall was brightly lit, as bright as day, and the tea was changed again and again.
In this temporary court meeting, several major issues have been discussed one by one, and the establishment of the Northern Navy is the last issue. The protagonists of this issue are the Guanlong nobles and the southern gentry. Now, the southern gentry has won a big victory, and Guanlong The nobles were defeated. The Northern Navy base is located in Donglai County, near the sea in Qingzhou.
Dongnae County has an excellent geographical location, very close to Goguryeo, Baekje, and the Japanese Kingdom. Whether you go north along the "Miaodo Islands" to the Liaodong Peninsula, or go east to the Baekje and Japanese Kingdoms, the round trip is very fast, and it also reduces the need for sea voyages. risks of. However, among the Three Kingdoms on the Peninsula and the Japanese Kingdom, Goguryeo's ambition and threat to the northeastern part of the Sui Dynasty are far beyond the other three countries. In addition, Goguryeo is strong and has great national power, so no matter from any aspect, it is a big country. Sui's main enemy at the moment.
Regarding the Goguryeo kingdom and the very likely future Sui-Gao war, Yang Ji knew that the navy would play a huge role and would also be an indispensable baggage force for the land army. In view of the defeat in the 19th year of Kaihuang's reign, Yang Ji In view of the difficulties and disastrous defeats of Yang Guang's three expeditions to Goguryeo in history, it was suggested that the Northern Navy, in addition to building a main base in Donglai County, should also build auxiliary naval bases on the central and northern "Miaodao Islands" and islands near the Bohai Strait in a step-by-step manner. division base.
Yang Ji's suggestion was of great benefit to both the country and the army. Yang Guang and the civil and military ministers had no objection at all: if the Sui Dynasty established several naval auxiliary bases between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, they could be used to accumulate troops in peacetime. and supplies, and can even use harassment to consume Goguryeo's navy; once the war comes, the navy no longer needs to send troops from the distant Donglai County. As long as Yang Guang gives an order, all troops, weapons and equipment, food, grass and baggage can be transported in the shortest time. Within the time limit, head north to the Liaodong Peninsula at the fastest speed and with the least loss.
At this time, the major matters have been discussed, and Yang Ji is sitting on the seat of Shangshu Ling, with great interest.
He watched with interest as Su Wei and Gao Jiu refuted each other's words.
Su Wei was in charge of the three departments of people, officials and rites. All matters related to people's livelihood, officials, money and food were under his control. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was the great steward of the Sui Dynasty. Although he also agreed to establish the Northern Navy, the main and auxiliary naval bases, build maritime warships, and train sailors, no matter what he did, he was a gold-swallowing behemoth. Once many projects are accumulated, the consumption will be unimaginable, so his principle is to proceed step by step rather than in one step, so as to prevent the northern navy from holding back the Sui economy and the imperial court not benefiting from it but suffering from it.
Gao Jiong was in charge of the military, criminal, and industrial departments, and was theoretically the "number one" in the Sui military. He strongly disagreed with Su Wei's statement. According to Gao Jiong, the army was the foundation of the Sui Dynasty. , and with the Sui Dynasty's strategy, the navy was biased towards Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and Japan. It will be the top priority of the army in the next ten or twenty years and cannot be ignored. However, water warfare is completely different from land warfare. The conditions are more difficult and dangerous, and it takes longer to form an army. In addition, naval soldiers need to practice hard at sea combat methods and formations, and helmsmen and crew members need to be familiar with and learn to operate ships at sea. Therefore, the imperial court should form Increase investment from the beginning to save time and enable the navy to form maritime combat effectiveness as soon as possible. Therefore, the court must provide enough money.
Regarding Gao Jiong's theory, Su Wei was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. Gao Yan's words, whether intentional or not, vaguely classified him, Su Wei, as a waste who doesn't understand economics. Unfortunately, he couldn't refute it, because every word of Gao Jiong made sense.
The fact is that this is also the case. As the great steward of the Sui Dynasty, Su Wei often considered things based on the national and domestic economy. He hoped that the Sui country would be strong, but at the expense of the military's combat effectiveness and a long period of time; Gao Jiong's ideas allowed the Sui Dynasty and the Sui army to spread all over the world, expand the country's territory, and plunder the resources of foreign races for their own use. However, the war situation is changing rapidly, and no one can guarantee that the battle will be won, and no one can guarantee that winning will result in gains. If there were a few defeats, or a few disastrous victories of "killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred," then the Sui Dynasty would most likely be like the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, because of "excessive military force" and continuous wars and excessive consumption. This has caused serious deterioration in the overall economy and people's livelihood.
Therefore, it is not a wrong choice for Su Wei to deny that the funds will be provided in one step, and it is not wrong for Gao Jiong to support the funds in one step. It can only be said that the two are in different positions and consider different issues; and their theories are Pros and cons.
"The king of Wei and the founding king of Wei Zhao, the old Duke of Chu, Shi Wansui, Han Qinhu and other generals who fought in foreign wars have proved with facts that as long as the commanders and generals lead the troops in war and know how to use the wealth of foreigners for their own use, the war will not be a loss. , On the contrary, you will make a lot of money. The more you invest in the army now, the fewer sacrifices you will make in the future and the more benefits you will get." Seeing that Su Wei had nothing to say, Gao Jiong felt quite proud that the matter seemed to have been settled. He looked at the other party and said: "Mr. Su, you literati rely on just one mouth and one pen. I'm afraid you don't know the truth, right?"
Su Wei was furious when he heard this: "I just have a mouth and a pen. What's wrong? Do you have any objections? If you have any objections, come to me! The court does have money and food now, but in recent years there have been droughts and floods. The disasters in various parts of the north have not yet been resolved, and it is especially clear whether there will be floods in the south. Shouldn’t the imperial court reserve money and grain to prepare for food shortages? Doesn’t the imperial court need money and grain to provide relief to the victims? Doesn’t the imperial court not need money and grain to provide relief through work? "
At this point, Su Wei almost pointed at Gao Jiong's nose and said: "As a right servant, you have money and food on hand, so you are not panicking, but the court's money and food cannot keep up with you in some aspects. You are Aren't you going to sit back and watch the victims freeze to death and starve to death? Are you going to sit back and watch the people cause disaster because they are hungry, cold, and forced to make a living? Huh?"
Su Wei and Gao Jong were so angry and red-faced that they almost launched a physical attack. Yang Guang finally coughed twice. However, although the two of them continued to quarrel due to the emperor's lack of face, when they looked at each other, Both eyes were filled with thunder and lightning, showing a state of ice and fire.
Yang Guang didn't want to provoke the two founding fathers who were currently in a state of irritability, so he looked directly at Yang Ji who was watching the show, and then asked: "King Wei, I wonder what you said about Zuo Pushe and You Pushe. What do you think?"
The implication is that these two people are your direct subordinates, Yang Shangshu Ling, and you are responsible for dealing with them.
"Sage, in my opinion, this money must be given in full, not a penny or a meter is missing, let alone default." Yang Ji just saw the two old men arguing so hard that he couldn't speak out, but now he is You can express your own opinion.
Yang Guang couldn't help but glance at Gao Jiong, and suddenly realized that because of Yang Ji's support, the old man had turned into a big rooster as if he had won a battle. He was feeling smug and couldn't help laughing. Turning to Yang Ji, he asked, "Oh? But why? What's the reason?"
"It is true that the last few years of the Sui Dynasty were full of disasters, but the imperial court and local officials had become cured over time. Officials, big and small, were familiar with various emergency measures and various relief methods due to disasters. Whether the local government was corrupt or not , and their abilities have also been tested one by one in the disaster, and the problems existing in the government and the system have been exposed one by one. This may be regarded as an unexpected gain. Based on the money and food currently stored by the court, and the current affairs of local governments In terms of capabilities, it is enough to deal with all kinds of major natural disasters; as long as the officials at all levels really want to do things, no matter how big the natural disaster is, they can handle it. There are actually not many places where the court needs to take action." Yang Ji made a foreshadowing and then said: "Since the court is not short of money and food, why bother to squeeze it out little by little? If the court is stingy and stingy in terms of expenses, I am afraid that after the Sui Dynasty waits for all the veterans to retire, the Northern Water Resources None of the divisions has formed a maritime combat capability. Faced with this situation, will the imperial court have to recruit troops again and build new warships? If this cycle repeats, wouldn’t the imperial court’s successive investments be in vain? Already? And what reason does the Northern Navy, which can only enter but not exit, have to exist? "
Su Wei did not object to Yang Ji's words, but just sat in silence. It was obvious that he had also considered this.
Others also started talking, discussing whether this astronomical amount of money and food should be paid in one go. Duan Wenzhen, Minister of the Ministry of War, stood up and bowed and said: "To the sage, I think what King Wei said is very reasonable. During this period of time, I, the Sui Dynasty and Goguryeo There was no war, but according to military reports sent by Li Zixiong, the governor of Youzhou, and Yu Wenshu, the governor of Mozhou, there were constant minor frictions on the border between the two countries. Our army deployed many military camps south of Mozhou County and east of Liaodong County. The most dangerous places have been invaded by Goguryeo, and the Goguryeo army often comes to the border areas to plunder and harass the people. Moreover, Goguryeo has recently increased its troops on the front lines, stocked up grain on the front lines, and constantly sent troops and horses to harass the borders. Presumably, the other side is not just harassing them. I think Goguryeo has four purposes for this move: one is to encroach on the border and quietly regain the territory conquered by King Wei; the other is to destroy the dangerous military strongholds in the southern part of the Liaodong Plain set up by the Sui Dynasty, so as to clear the way for their future advance. Obstacles; third, the Goguryeo army may have paralyzed our Sui frontier army, and when our army became accustomed to it, they suddenly attacked the city and plundered the land with thunderous momentum; fourth, they were most likely to imitate King Wei in dealing with Tuyuhun, and attacked our Sui There is an arms race. They slowly consume the power of the Sui Dynasty by forcing our army to gather on a large scale. When they think the time is ripe, the army accumulated in Liaodong will defeat the border troops in one fell swoop and capture Mozhou, Liaodong, and Yan. The counties and counties of Liucheng!"
While everyone was silent, Duan Wenzhen said in a deep voice: "Sages and gentlemen, our Sui Dynasty has a vast land with abundant resources, a large population, a strong country and a wealthy people, and many soldiers and generals. Even if we target it, we are not afraid of Goguryeo. But this will inevitably happen. Falling into the opponent's strategic layout, it will appear very passive in the future. But if the Northern Navy can quickly form an army, can quickly establish several naval bases, and the soldiers can quickly adapt to the wind and waves at sea, our Sui Dynasty can let the powerful navy The division directly threatened Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, from the sea, causing it to change from actively fighting for attrition to being forced to fight for attrition. At that point, if our army threatens from land or sea, Goguryeo will definitely be the first to be unable to sustain it."
Most of the monarchs and ministers in the palace were figures who stood out from the military. When they thought about Duan Wenzhen's words, they immediately discovered that Goguryeo did have this possibility; if Goguryeo had these four ideas, plus Yang Ji Even Solvay no longer held objections to the endless "waste" remarks he made before. Instead, he said that this money must be given, and not only must it be given, but it must be given more and faster!
However, Su Wei still said to Duan Wenzhen: "Duan Shangshu, weapons, money, food, and even warships can be solved as soon as possible, but what about the soldiers? How can the soldiers be solved as soon as possible? As far as I know, the main force of the Southern Navy is only about 60,000 people. , even if the imperial court allocates 70% to Donglai County for training, it will only be more than 40,000
Just a crowd. Do you think these soldiers can bear the combat requirements? "
Without waiting for the other party to answer, Su Wei said what the other party wanted to say: "Of course, the court can mobilize a large number of fishermen and young men from the rivers to join the army, but these people are ordinary people who put down their fishing gear and farm tools. Not to mention giving orders, I don’t even know how to cooperate in combat. Duan Shangshu, if we recruit fishermen and young people from the riverside now, how long will it take for them to understand military bugles and read flags? How long will it take for them to fight at sea?"
These few questions immediately stumped Duan Wenzhen.
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