It is midwinter, and the Jiangnan region is gradually entering the coldest time. Jinling City, compared to the previous winter peaks, is far behind. There are a lot of discussions among the people, and people's hearts are gradually becoming unstable. The most important reason is the war in Jiangbei.
Although it had been a while since the battle reports came from Jiangbei, the Xinqi of the Southern Tang Dynasty no longer shouted "disaster" stupidly, and sensing that the people's hearts were unstable, the Southern Tang court also strengthened the martial law and control in Jinling, and started to The failure of the blockade of Jiangbei.
However, there is no airtight wall in the world, and Jinling is leaky everywhere. Basically, the people of Jinling know that the Northern Han Dynasty invaded massively, and the Tang army was defeated one after another.
Moreover, with the frequent mobilization of troops and horses, the imperial court built ordnance, recruited brave men, and collected money, food and materials. Although the Southern Tang Dynasty had accumulated a lot of capital in the past ten years, especially when Li Min was in power, it could not bear to spend too much.
Especially since Li Jing succeeded to the throne, he built palaces and gardens, held banquets, and spent extravagantly. The use of troops abroad is not a small amount, but it wastes a lot of troops, money and food, and cannot make ends meet.
It is precisely because the Huainan half and the Jiangnan half complement each other economically that they can support the extravagant enjoyment of the Southern Tang Dynasty monarchs and ministers. Now when the Northern Troubles came, they immediately felt like they were on fire. They reacted fiercely and tried their best to resist the Han army.
As the Southern Tang court prepared for conquests, prices in Jinling rose, and the living costs of ordinary people skyrocketed. The adverse effects of the war on the people of the Southern Tang Dynasty have gradually been reflected in Jinling City.
Of course, during the cold current in the north and the rustling south, there are always those who don't listen to what is going on outside the window and only focus on studying the books of saints and sages.
In the back garden of Prince Zheng's Mansion, among the pavilions and pavilions, in the conservatory, in an elegant and fragrant environment, a young man with beautiful appearance and handsome temperament was practicing calligraphy with a pen, writing a warm poem in one fell swoop. These are the six sons of Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty and Prince Zheng Li Congjia.
He muttered a few words in his mouth and praised softly: "The rhyme of Wen Gong's words is so fascinating!"
A warm smile appeared on Li Congjia's handsome face. He called the waiter waiting aside and asked, "How do you think the word "Gu" is written?"
The eunuch was a eunuch sent by the palace to serve King Zheng. He was well-informed and well-versed in literature. Of course he was full of compliments and praises for his master, which made the young man smile.
"I'll give this calligraphy to you!" Li Congjia said happily to the waiter.
The chamberlain hurriedly said: "Xie Liulang, my little one, for the reward!"
The young man didn't know what it was like to feel sad. He twisted his slender hands and suddenly asked: "Recently, I heard people in the mansion say that the northern invaders invaded from the south. What's going on?"
Facing Li Congjia's curious eyes, the chamberlain said cautiously: "It is said that the Han Dynasty in the north suddenly sent troops to attack our border! Your Majesty has already sent troops north to rescue!"
"These northerners are really good at attacking, and they raised this unknown army!" Li Congjia nodded suddenly and said: "But since the imperial court has sent troops, I think there should be nothing to do, and they can be enough to stop the enemy invaders!"
"Your Highness is right! Our Tang Dynasty has inherited the world from Zhengshuo, and our country is strong. When the Han soldiers come, we will have our own generals!" The servant said this to comfort Li Congjia, and did not use the defeat in the north to affect King Zheng. Your Highness lives a quiet and comfortable life.
Li Congjia became interested and said: "I will lay out the paper for Gu, and I will write a poem to wish the soldiers who resist foreign aggression!"
The chamberlain hurriedly moved and said: "Liu Lang has this intention. Your Majesty will be happy to know it!"
At the same time, in the Jinling Palace, Emperor Li Jing was irritated. The situation in Huainan was deteriorating day by day, reports of defeat were spreading frequently, and the oppression of the Han army almost made him breathless.
Even though more than twenty days had passed, Li Jing still remembered the palpitations and panic he felt when he learned that Liu Yanzhen's entire army had been wiped out. During this period of time, Li Jing has been unable to eat well, cannot sleep well, and has not been able to sleep well for a day. Poems, songs, dances, and extravagant court entertainment all rarely interested him.
"Your Majesty, all the ministers are here!"
After hearing the report, Li Jing reluctantly cheered up and ordered the driver to drive.
In the main hall of the palace, several important ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty were already waiting. Among them, the most magnanimous one was the Taifu, Duke of Chu, and Privy Councilor Quan, Song Qiqiu, who returned to the court from Hongzhou. Originally, Li Jing promoted him to be the Grand Master, but during the Song Dynasty Qiqiu Gu resigned and was still the Grand Master. Yuan Chen is old, but at this time of national crisis, there is a faint tendency to become the backbone of the country.
Under the guidance of the chamberlain, Li Jing entered the palace expressionlessly. He was seated and received the ceremony. After scanning a few ministers, Li Jing asked with rare clarity: "Tell me, what's the bad news? What's the Han army doing?" ?”
The ministers looked at each other for a few times, and Li Zhenggu, the deputy envoy to the privy council, stood up and reported: "Your Majesty, this is news from Hunan. Bian Hao reported from the other side that all the Chu soldiers rebelled, Lang's army was rampant, Changsha's army was in turmoil, and there was insufficient food and fodder. There is a shortage of military supplies and we can no longer defend it. If the imperial court does not rescue us, the land of Hunan will be lost!"
As soon as he heard this, Li Jing became angry and scolded the palace: "Why is the pickaxe here so useless? An army of 30,000 people couldn't hold down Hunan, but it was defeated by a bunch of deserters, and the mob was forced to come here." Wait for the dilemma!”
"Your Majesty, Bian Hao is certainly responsible for what happened in Hunan, but it is not his fault alone that the situation has developed to this point!" Han Xizai said something fair. When he said this, he glanced at Song Qiqiu, Feng Yansi et al. After Qiqiu returned to Jinling in the Song Dynasty, the Nandu scholars like them in the court were immediately suppressed. In terms of influence on the military and politics of the Southern Tang Dynasty, it was these Jianghuai bureaucrats.
"Where's Xian Shilang? Why doesn't he lead his army north and join forces with Bian Hao to defeat Lang's soldiers and rebels first?" Li Jing said again. During this period of time, Li Jing had obviously gained some insight into the situation and fighting situation of all parties, and could at least give a brief explanation.
Li Zhenggu said: "There are endless rebels and unrest over Xianshijun's side, and there is a threat from the Southern Han army in the direction of Guizhou. I dare not leave without permission!"
After listening to his explanation, Li Jing became even more depressed, and her face became very gloomy and ugly. Seeing this, Song Qiqiu spoke up, but he looked calm and spoke directly: "Your Majesty, it's time to make up your mind. Hunan is already a quagmire. A country in chaos cannot last long. It is already deep in mud. We should ask for help." Pull yourself out, and a strong man’s wrists will be cut off like carrion!”
"Nowadays, Liu Yanzhen is defeated, Shouchun City is besieged, and the north of the Yangtze River is in urgent need. The first priority is to deal with the invasion of the Northern Han Dynasty. On the Hunan side, we should give up decisively and withdraw the army that entered Chu. Recruiting 100,000 men in the south of the Yangtze River is not as good as this The 20,000 to 30,000 troops that have entered Chu can be withdrawn, rest for a period of time, without training, and then be transferred north to defend against the enemy!"
"Chu people are so forced to retreat, can they withdraw smoothly?" Li Jing obviously also had this idea, but he was very worried.
Seeing this, Song Qiqiu replied sternly: "Bian Hao and others cannot hold Hunan. If they don't have the ability to retreat, then the transfer of these soldiers to the north will be useless!"
After finishing speaking, his tone softened slightly and he said: "With the current situation, the Chu armies must have their hearts set on returning home. It may be difficult for them to stay in Hunan and fight with troops when they are surrounded by enemies on all sides. But let them withdraw their troops and return home. , they will definitely rise up enthusiastically, and it will be difficult for the Chu people to stop them!"
The army that entered Chu was an army whose military discipline was completely ruined. If they were unwilling to fight the Chu people, how could they fight the more fierce and powerful Han people? I wonder if Song Qiqiu has considered this point, or rather, he has considered it but did not bring it up.
Han Xizai spoke up to calm Li Jing's mind: "Your Majesty, according to the investigation, Wang Kui of Langzhou and Naqian Wufu of Zhou Xingfeng are both greedy and profit-seeking people. Although they are called 'Ten Brothers', in fact, they all have their own agendas, and they all have evil intentions towards Hunan." The land has ambitions. If our army is in Hunan, they can still reluctantly fight together. Once our army withdraws, they will not be too obstructive!"
"After all, those warriors definitely don't want to use their soldiers to consume with our army. Facing the withdrawal of our troops, they are more likely to sit back and watch, and turn to share Hunan, each according to his own territory, and claim hegemony!"
"The only thing that might stop me from withdrawing is the Han army! But after all, the Han army in Lizhou is outnumbered and cannot support itself alone. It is unlikely that it will be a serious problem!"
Hearing Han Xizai's analysis, Li Jing still didn't respond, but Song Qiqiu calmly stroked his beard and said: "Shilang Han's words are quite insightful. Your Majesty, Master of Hunan, can rest assured to issue an edict!"
"Issuing the imperial edict!" Seeing this, Li Jing waved his hand.
"yes!"
The bad thing in Hunan has been decided, but Li Jing's heart is still heavy. The strong troops from the north are pressing down on the border, which is a serious worry and a serious problem.
"Where is the army of the Northern Han Dynasty? What's going on? There are just a bunch of hungry dogs in Hunan, but there's a fierce tiger in the north!" Li Jing sighed, with worry on his face: "How to fight against it?"
After saying this, there was silence in the palace for a while, but Li Zhenggu left the message: "Since the Emperor of the Northern Han Dynasty personally marched on the Huainan front, and soldiers surrounded Shouchun, the connection between our court and Shouchun has been completely cut off! Tens of thousands of Han imperial troops are trapped in Shouchun, and I don’t know what the situation is in the city!"
"How can you, your generals, stick to the loyal country and try to reverse the defeat? We still have soldiers and horses, and food and grass are prepared, and we are defending the fortified city. It is mid-winter now. I think we can hold on for a while and wait for reinforcements from the imperial court!"
Han Xizai added: "The army of the Northern Han Dynasty set up a stronghold at the foot of Shouchun City. Judging from its movements, it can be seen that it has the intention to fight for a long time. In my opinion, at least before the cold retreat at the end of winter, the Han army will not attack Shouchun. , Therefore, our government still has enough time to reorganize the northern reinforcements!"
Li Jing still believed in Han Xizai's analysis. After listening to his words, she was slightly relieved, but she was still worried.
Li Zhenggu continued to report: "In addition, after the loss of Haozhou, the Han Emperor sent two partial armies. One was led by the enemy's Huaidong economic envoy Guo Rongdong to attack our Sizhou, and the other was led by Huang and Guang's patrol envoy Si Chao to the west. , have captured Huoqiu and Anfeng counties in central Shouzhou. Sizhou regiment training envoy Feng Yanlu requested the imperial court to send troops to support as soon as possible!"
"Let the Han army enter the country and let it run wild without any scruples?" Li Jing finally got angry: "They are asking for help everywhere. Will the reinforcements arrive as soon as they are told?"
The reality is that the 30,000 imperial troops who were worthy of the Han army's fear have been defeated by Liu Yanzhen. It is useless for Li Jing to be so incompetent and furious.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Emperor of the Han Dynasty appointed Wang Pu, the deputy envoy who came to Jinling, as the magistrate of Haozhou and to act as the military and administrative agent of Haozhou. Although this man is young, he is extremely capable and capable. He has already begun to count the books and reforms in Haozhou. The Han system is to recruit scholars and people, attract unworthy ministers, win over people's hearts, and turn Haozhou into Han rule!" Han Xizai reported with a solemn expression: "Compared with violent attacks, the Han Emperor's methods are more valuable to our dynasty. Even scarier."
Hearing this, Li Jing couldn't bear it anymore and angrily brushed away the documents on the imperial case.
"Your Majesty, calm down!" Upon seeing this, a group of ministers hurriedly asked.
The scattered documents were just like Li Jing's scattered mood at this time.
