August 17, cloudy.
The sultry weather enveloped the entire imperial city. Even the old dogs on the street were so weak that they pulled their heads and rolled them up under the trees, refusing to move. Only the people who are running for a living on the road are not afraid of anything and are still busy and sweaty.
The waiters at the restaurants on both sides of Junhou Street always come out to look around. Almost every house is like this, wondering why the adults after the big court meeting haven't come out yet since it's almost midnight today. Usually after every big court meeting, the adults would find restaurants on the street to have a few drinks in twos and threes. At this time, various restaurants will prepare some exquisite side dishes in advance for the adults.
Why hasn't the palace door been opened for so long today?
The waiter in the restaurant just murmured in his heart, worried that the exquisite side dishes prepared in advance in the kitchen would not be sold. But what is really sad is the adults they are thinking about.
There were people standing neatly in the Wanmin Palace, and everyone looked serious, whether they were military or civil officials.
When Zuo Yuliang's urgent report requesting the emperor to launch a military talisman was sung into the palace in the form of a red feather urgent report, most of the unsuspecting ministers in the palace were shocked.
Is there really a fight? !
Many people in the military service had just heard the news, so they were extremely excited. They knelt down with blushing faces and asked for a fight. Some were even willing to give up their current positions and positions just to serve on the front line in the southern frontier army, even if they only wanted to be a soldier. A name doesn't matter, as long as he can wield a knife and go to the battlefield.
And I also understand that now that the great court is meeting, such an urgent report from Hong Ling requires the emperor to make a final decision on the spot. If the emperor agrees to launch the military talisman, then it will give Zuo Yuliang full power. When the time comes, the southern frontier army will fight with all its strength and will not give up until the winner is determined.
On the contrary, if the emperor rejects Zuo Yuliang's request, it means that the country's subsequent strategy is to shrink and defend, and will not attack the barbarians. At least the troops currently deployed in the barbarian areas will be quickly withdrawn. There may even be so-called "peace talks" later.
That's why the military officers reacted so fiercely. They could endure being suppressed by civilian officials before, and they could also tolerate the Ministry of War being indirectly controlled by the emperor, but they absolutely could not agree to choose a weak strategy when they had a comprehensive advantage. This is what every military officer shame.
The people in military positions were very excited, and the civil servants were also jumping up and down as if their feet were hurting.
The civil servants headed by Left Prime Minister Ye Lansheng were full of rhetoric and described Zuo Yuliang's request as a scourge. It was inappropriate not to say that as long as the emperor agreed to Zuo Yuliang's request to send troops, the Jingjiu Dynasty would surely It looks like it will die within three years, which is horrifying to listeners.
The emperor, who was sitting at the head of the hall, remained silent like a statue. After the people on both sides argued for a long time, he suddenly raised his hand and said, "Bai Changqing, I remember that the balance of the Ministry of Finance last season was pretty good, and the official warehouses in various places also had good balances." It's 90% full, and the garrison's grain depot has just replaced a batch of old grain, so it's considered full, right?"
To fight a war, the household department is part of the confidence. How much money, grain, and material reserves are in hand can determine the direction of a large-scale war. Therefore, the emperor did not express his position directly, but he directly asked the core question.
Bai Changqing had long known that as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he had to avoid such matters. Now he went out and bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, after the Ministry of Revenue's documents were compiled last season, the warehouses in various places are indeed sufficient, and the supplies have been Reaching about 90% of the normal reserves of the country. However, although the treasury is abundant, once the war breaks out, it will inevitably damage the various projects being repaired by the country. Canals, official roads, reservoirs, etc. will be forced to stop. The initial expenses It will all go down the drain..."
Bai Changqing's words are very simple. To sum up, although the national treasury is very abundant, it is not enough to be swallowed up by the monster of war. What's more, once a war breaks out, it will have an immeasurable impact on all aspects of the country and even damage it.
These are not Bai Changqing's random words but facts. In war, not only will people die, but if they are not careful, they will also damage the foundation of the country.
Generally speaking, "harmony is the most important thing" is a universal value.
But the emperor obviously had his own plans. After waving Bai Changqing to stand up and return to the line, he asked Wen Mingju, the current speaker of the Ministry of War, the left minister of the Ministry of War: "How feasible is the comprehensive military strategy against South Korea that the Ministry of War was implementing in the early years? The worst-case scenario is to fight. How long will it take to get up and fight?”
Wen Mingju was the first to get the news. One night, he naturally made preparations as comprehensive as possible. Hearing the words, he quickly responded: "Your Majesty, the military department has been preparing for the strategy of using troops in the south ten years ago. The plan has gone through dozens of different adjustments, and finally it is the current standing strategy. According to recent estimates, if there is an all-out war, the possibility of the country winning is more than 80%. At the worst, it will take more time. , but major wars never last more than two years."
"in accordance with."
"Your Majesty, this is summarized by the Ministry of War based on the comparison of the battle losses of previous dynasties in the barbarian wars. It is also the main reason for the previous implementation of the forty-year population plunder strategy. If today's barbarians still suffer the same battle losses as before, they will It will definitely not last two years. This is still a worst-case scenario, and realistically it shouldn’t take that long.”
Although they have been suppressed by the civil service group for many years, and although there are bad bugs in the Ministry of War, the things that need to be done have not been neglected. At least based on the strategies obtained by Wen Mingju, the barbarians were definitely killed in the past few decades. dead. Using the simplest algorithm, even if the speed and number of people killed in the fight between the two sides, the barbarians can basically be considered dead.
Of course, the previous cases of the Ministry of War are not suitable to be discussed on this occasion. This can be regarded as a life extension for the barbarians. But no matter what, it still cannot change the fact that they have plundered the population for forty years. The strength of the barbarians today is definitely not as good as the level during the last war, while the Jingjiu Dynasty has been developing steadily for forty years, not to mention the rapid advancement. At least it is getting stronger and stronger. The difference between entering and exiting is not even a tiny bit.
"I am not an immediate emperor, but I have led the country to defeat many powerful enemies, including the Southern Barbarians. If you can win once, you can win the second time. Don't always judge everything by "goodness". It can be said clearly that the Nanman and we are not simply feuding. It’s not like no one has tried to make peace in the past thousands of years. In the end, it all depends on the weapons in each hand.
There will be sacrifices in war, whether it is death or the stagnation of domestic projects, it is all controllable and bearable. If the barbarians are allowed to grow unchecked, the situation will become uncontrollable. That is the biggest hidden danger! "
The emperor's voice was not loud, but it sounded like a soul-stirring roar in the ears of everyone in the Wanmin Palace.
At this time, everyone knew in their hearts that this was the emperor's statement, and it sounded like he meant to take the initiative.
"I don't care what estrangements or differences there are between you, but from today on, put them away. The war is coming. If you can't unanimously deal with the outside world, it will be a drag on the country and the country, and it will be treated as an enemy. It will be dealt with strictly according to the law. Do you understand everything?"
