In the main hall of the Tang Palace, the civil and military ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty gathered together. Since the beginning of spring, Li Jing's frequency of ascending to the hall to discuss affairs and military affairs has increased significantly. At this time, Meng Chun was at the end of his life, but the Tang officials in the palace all felt chilly in their hearts and looked solemn.
"Xiacai was defeated first, and Feishui was defeated again. It took only three months before and after. Our two armies to support Shou were defeated by the Han army so easily." Li Jing walked in the palace, holding a stack of defeat reports in his hand. , shaking from time to time, speaking rapidly and with great anger: "This failure is almost filling up my imperial case!"
"Liu Yanzhen, Chen Jue, Xu Wenzhen, the three of them defeated the army and harmed the country. They are simply unforgivable." He glanced at Feng Yansi and Song Qiqiu and said coldly: "This is the Qiancheng and commander-in-chief of the country that you recommended to me! This is how they fight against enemies and thieves!"
"Then Chen Jue still has the nerve to return the favor and deliver a message for the Han Emperor. He humiliates and humiliates me. There is really no connection between him and me!"
"Huangfu Hui, you said that he is mature and prudent, and a famous general from the Central Plains!" Li Jing pointed the finger at Han Xizai and other civil servants from the north: "The army of 30,000 was unexpectedly defeated by the Han general Guo Rong with only 4,000 men. His death was inevitable. He was captured alive by others in front of the battle. I think he is too old to be of much use. He is an incompetent general and has exhausted the entire army!"
"There is also Yao Feng, who was besieged by ten times the army in Shanyang. It was difficult to get down for several days. He made a last-minute decision and was ignorant and incompetent. The Han army attacked and did not try to save it. Instead, it led the army to retreat, leaving the soldiers to fight in blood. All the work was wasted in one night!”
"Are the generals of the Tang Dynasty just to achieve the reputation of being the generals of the Northern Han Dynasty? This is unreasonable!"
Li Jing vented his anger, but he reprimanded the ministers of the two political groups in Tanggu Ting, making many people lower their heads with shame and anger on their faces. Literary people value their reputation more. In addition, there are still some discomforts. After all, since Li Jing ruled the country, he has rarely lost his composure and directly rebuked his subordinates. Of course, it is understandable that the country's situation is unstable.
At this time, the "first adviser" Song Qiqiu took the lead, stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "I have already said that to resist the Northern Han Dynasty, we must gather heavy troops and defend the city, which will consume its money and food, weaken its morale, and slow down the plan. Then, attack later. Attacking hastily will only give the Northern Han Dynasty an opportunity to take advantage of, and advancing in three directions will give them the opportunity to defeat each one!"
After listening to Song Qiqiu's words, Li Jing's expression changed slightly, showing a hint of embarrassment. After all, he was the one who took the initiative to attack regardless of dissuasion. Looking at Song Qiqiu, Li Jing had evil thoughts floating in his mind. For the first time, he felt that this old minister was so disgusting to him.
Seemingly noticing the emperor's unhappiness, Deputy Privy Councilor Li Zhenggu stood up and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, since the Han army mobilized against the Southern invaders at the end of autumn last year, in the past four months, our government has been defeated by numerous large and small battles. More than 200,000 soldiers and civilians were lost, and the number of civilians in the Jianghuai River region who suffered from the war was not less than a million. In order to raise support for the army, Jinling's money and hoards were almost exhausted. Frequent conscriptions consumed the people's power, which caused turmoil in people's hearts and caused widespread resentment among the people.
Nowadays, Luzhou, Chuzhou, and Guangzhou have fallen one after another. Shouzhou and Sizhou have no foreign aid and may not be able to survive. They are not far away from falling!
At this time, how our country responds to the Han army's next attack is the first priority! "
"Did you hear that?" Li Jing's voice was trembling, and his eyes were red: "Once Shou and Si fall, the Han army will march south in large numbers and approach the Yangtze River. The country will be destroyed in the lobby!"
As the king of a country, it was really inappropriate for Li Jing to say such words in the Mingtang. However, it was obvious that the pressure of the Han army's invasion was constantly coming, and Li Jing had already lost his position.
"Your Majesty, please lead your army to the north to resist the Han army and protect our country of the Tang Dynasty. Your father will have no worries!" At this time, King Yan Li Hongji couldn't help but stand up and ask for orders.
Before that, he asked Li Jing for orders in the inner hall, but he refused because he loved his eldest son. This time, Qi Dian proposed it, which made him hesitate. As far as Li Jing was concerned, he suddenly discovered that in the face of a powerful enemy, all the ministers and ministers of the court were in a dilemma where no one could help him. He raised these poets and asked them to write poems and make articles...
However, before Li Jing could express his position, Feng Yansi stood up and dissuaded him: "Your Majesty, no, the Han army is powerful and brutal. There are so many veterans and generals, and hundreds of thousands of troops in the imperial court have been defeated by them. I'm afraid King Yan is no match for him." . Furthermore, King Yan is the eldest son of the royal family, and as a nobleman, it is inconvenient for him to be involved in danger!"
Li Hongji was considered a prince on horseback. He was known for his bravery and his military skills. At this moment, seeing the contempt in Feng Yansi's words, he couldn't help but said angrily: "Why does Mr. Feng underestimate me? There are tens of thousands of thieves, and I also use four Defeat it with a thousand soldiers!”
"How can a Qian thief compare with the Han army?" Feng Yansi shook his head: "Your Highness, you should know that there are few people in the world who can match the strength of the Central Plains army. Isn't the successive defeats of the imperial court enough to wake us up?"
"I see that you are all frightened by the Han army. You are afraid of the enemy and war, but I am not afraid. The children of the Jianghuai River are not passionate men. If the enemy is defeated by the enemy, you should rise up and fight." Li Hongji became excited and said, Then he didn't care much anymore, and he said without politeness: "Instead of doing nothing like the princes here, standing up to the enemy's majesty, fearing the invaders like a tiger!"
"Hongji, don't be presumptuous!" Seeing that what he said was true and all the ministers looked angry, Li Jing calmed down and stretched out his hand.
After some venting, Li Jing regained consciousness and sighed, but her face became increasingly heavy.
"The Han army is so powerful that it is almost impossible to defeat it. The matter has come to this. How to resolve the crisis here!" When the time came, Li Jing had to consult the Manchu minister.
There was silence in the hall for a while, and no one seemed to have a countermeasure. Pushe Sun Sheng stood up and suggested: "Your Majesty, when it comes to military war, our country is really no match for the Northern Han Dynasty. Since the war began, our country has suffered heavy losses and the people have been displaced. , the people are in poverty. The imperial court has a heavy financial and tax burden, the military is lacking, the people are exhausted, and it is the farming season. If we continue to fight, I am afraid that we will not be able to continue."
After a pause, Sun Sheng suggested seriously: "In my opinion, there is no better way to send an envoy to ask the Han Emperor for peace, stop fighting, and then make peace forever."
After Sun Sheng finished speaking, some people immediately expressed their support, and there were quite a few of them.
"No!" Han Xizai raised his voice and expressed his opposition clearly with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, the Northern Han Dynasty came here to devour the land of the Tang Dynasty. They are ambitious and greedy. If you seek peace, how much price will you have to pay? To satisfy his greed?"
"What can we do if we continue to fight? The imperial court is no longer able to fight anymore, and half of Huainan has been lost. Do we want to destroy all the foundations of the Tang Dynasty?" Sun Sheng said.
Sun Sheng was also a scholar from the north, but at this moment, he had a conflict with Han Xizai on the issue of peace.
After hearing what he said, Han Xizai said: "In Jiangdong and Jiangxi, our dynasty still has tens of thousands of navy and land forces. If we recruit again, we can still raise 100,000 troops. There is a natural chasm along the Yangtze River. No matter how strong the Han army is, it will be difficult to cross it.
As I said in the preface, if we fight the Han army to the end, it will be surrounded by enemies on all sides and we will not be able to last long. What's more, the Northern Han Dynasty used hundreds of thousands of troops to conduct an expedition of thousands of miles. How long could it last at all the expense? If we delay this, our country will still have a chance to fight back and regain its territory. Once peace is sought, all the land in Huainan will be lost! Your Majesty, please take a closer look! "
"We are desperate for military force, we are desperate for military force!" Sun Sheng said excitedly: "The Han army has its back to Hebei in the Central Plains, accumulated food for several years, and fought in Huainan. How can it continue to fight for a long time with only Jiangdong and Jiangxi?
When Han Gong talks about time changes, does he mean Khitan and Hou Shu? Between the Han and Tang Dynasties, there was still no action during the four months of war. Isn't it ridiculous to rely on this to entrust the country's general strategy? "
The two northern scholars competed against each other, which was a great spectacle for Feng Yansi and others.
But on Li Jing's side, he was even more hesitant. When it came to negotiating peace, he was indeed tempted. Since taking the throne, he has launched several waves of foreign wars. However, when he passively faced the invasion of enemy countries, he discovered how rare peace is and how comfortable it is to sit quietly in Jinling and sing the wind and the moon...
He wanted to negotiate for peace, but he was worried about the price Han Xizai said. Yes, if the war has reached this point, what can be done to make the Han Emperor withdraw his troops.
"Your Majesty, you must not listen to Sun Sheng's words that harm the country!" Li Hongji stood up to support Han Xizai.
Seeing this, Li Jing hesitated even more, waved his hand, returned to the court and sat down, almost murmuring: "Let me think about it..."
However, before the court meeting was over, another news of defeat came: "Your Majesty, Jiang Defense soldiers reported that the Eastern Capital was lost!"
The whole court was shocked. Not to mention Yangzhou's political status, just its salt and profit was enough to make people feel heartbroken. They were more shocked than the loss of Chu and He. Is the Han army really so difficult to stop?
"Who captured Yangzhou? Where are the defenders?" Li Jing asked anxiously, her face turning pale.
"Han general Zhao Kuangyin!"
"Where is Yao Feng's army?"
Li Jing almost roared, but no one could answer his question.
For a long time, Li Jing looked dejected and shook his head: "Send an envoy to Shouchun to ask the Han Emperor for peace..."
