The emergency report originated from the Western Regions.
Every news in the emergency newspaper is not good news for Da Song.
'In the year of Jiazi, on September 23rd, the defenders of Xining Prefecture were ordered to escort grain and grass into Qingtang. At the junction of Qingtang and Huangtouhuihe, they were looted by unknown soldiers and horses, and all their luggage was looted...'
'In the year of Jiazi, on September 30, the defenders of Xining Prefecture broke through into Shazhou for help...'
'In the year of Jiazi, on the sixth day of October, Zhu Neng's subordinate sent Mencius to Huangtouhuihe. He was ambushed by the Xixia and Huangtouhuihe coalition forces, killing 2,452 people and capturing 3,000 people. Eleven thousand three hundred and forty-nine prisoners...'
'In the year of Jiazi, on October 13th, Yang Wenguang was ordered to lead an attack and force the Xixia and Huangtou Huihe coalition forces...'
'In the year of Jiazi, on October 16, the Xixia and Huangtou Huihe coalition forces came to Shazhou and stopped in Dunhuang. The left side of the Longwei Army, Yuhou and Chen Sanxing, attacked privately, and the entire left-wing battalion was wiped out...'
"In the year of Jiazi, on October 19, there are more than 120,000 dan of grain and grass, and the remaining soldiers and horses will stay in Shazhou..."
'...'
Kou Ji guessed that the war in the Western Regions would go bad, but he didn't expect it to be so bad, and it could even be described as bad.
The five people in Shishitang frowned and remained silent.
Shishitang is quiet.
Wang Zeng was the first to speak and broke the calm, "I didn't expect Huangtou Huihe would actually be a foe with Xixia!"
There was some anger in Wang Zeng's tone.
Lu Yijian said with a heavy voice: "The road to transport the luggage has been controlled by Huangtouhuihe and Xixia. Huangtouhuihe and the Xixia coalition forces have already forced them to Shazhou.
The roads before and after our army have been cut off, and it seems that we have been alone.
If you are not careful, the whole army will be wiped out. "
Li Di glanced at the four people and said in doubt: "What I am more curious about is that when Zhu Neng entered Shazhou, he brought a lot of grain and grass. When Yang Wenguang entered Shazhou, he also brought a lot of grain and grass.
It stands to reason that our army should not be short of food and grass.
Even if the roads for transporting luggage are occupied, our army will not have little food and grass.
Why is there only 120,000 dan of food and grass left. "
Kou Ji frowned and said: "The emergency report didn't explain the matter."
Zhao Zhen pondered and said: "Do I send dead men to investigate one or two?"
Wang Zeng, Li Di, and Lu Yijian all nodded.
Kou Ji alone shook his head.
The four of Zhao Zhen looked at Kou Ji together.
Kou Ji solemnly said: "Let's not talk about the dead soldiers sent by the officials, can they break through the blockade of Xixia and Huangtou Huihe soldiers. Even if they can break through, it will take a lot of time to come and go.
When we react, it will only take more time.
One hundred and twenty thousand dan of food and grass, it sounds like a lot.
However, the consumption of food and grass in our army is obviously abnormal.
One hundred thousand quintals of grain is not enough to support the consumption of our army in Shazhou.
After we find out this matter, and then make a decision, I am afraid that the soldiers far away in Shazhou will starve to death. "
Zhao Zhen, Li Di, Wang Zeng, and Lu Yijian frowned even more when they heard Kou Ji's words.
Li Di gritted his teeth and said: "What did Xue Tian eat? Why did he never mention this in his previous documents? Why did he not mention this in the emergency paper. How can such an important matter be easily ignored? "
Zhao Zhen looked at Chen Lin next to him, and said: "Go and see if the soldiers who sent the letter have slowed down, and when they get over, take them to Shishitang."
Chen Lin didn't dare to neglect, and hurried out of Shishitang.
For a while.
He led two soldiers in armor into the Shishi Hall.
The two wanted to give courtesy, but Zhao Zhen stopped them.
"The matter is urgent. Keep everything simple, but if you have sins, I will forgive you..."
The two soldiers thanked him.
Li Di immediately asked, "How much do you know about the war in Shazhou?"
The two soldiers glanced at each other, and one of them said, "Don't dare to deceive Li Gong, you don't know much about the war in Shazhou. The low-ranking people have been stationed in Xining Prefecture, and they haven't set foot in Shazhou."
Wang Zeng asked, "How did you learn about the news in the emergency report?"
"There are soldiers from far away in Shazhou, who risked their death to highlight the heavy encirclement, and rushed to Xining Prefecture under the support of Qingtang soldiers and horses. Seeing that the situation was urgent, the generals immediately dispatched low-ranking personnel from Xining Post to deliver the news in a hurry. come back."
Lu Yijian asked, "What do the soldiers who stand out from the siege say?"
Hearing this, the two soldiers were slightly embarrassed.
One of them whispered: "After the low-ranking staff got the emergency report, they rushed to Bianjing City immediately, and did not stop at Xining Post, so they did not listen to the news from them."
After listening to the words of the two soldiers.
The five frowned again.
Zhao Zhen waved his hand, "You go down first."
The two soldiers made a complaint and withdrew from Shishitang.
Zhao Zhen glanced sideways at Chen Lin with a solemn expression. Chen Lin nodded and once again withdrew from Shishitang.
After Chen Lin left, Zhao Zhen asked in a deep voice: "Four Aiqings, do you think that the top priority, how should we deal with it?"
Lu Yijian resolutely said: "If you don't do anything to help Shazhou, you should get out of it decisively."
Wang Zeng shook his head and said: "Now the Xixia, Huangtou Huihe coalition forces are surrounding Shazhou. It is not easy to get out."
Li Di snorted coldly: "Why do you want to get out? Since you choose to fight, let's fight to the end. Xixia can team up with Huangtouhuihe, and we can also team up with Qingtang.
We can also send Chong Shiheng and Zhe Jizhong to march out of the Great Wall to pierce Xixia's eyes. "
Lv Yijian sighed, "If we send Chong Shiheng and Zhe Jizhong to send troops out of the Great Wall, Liao will not be happy. Liao will definitely not look at me when Song is sitting on the Great Wall. So if we send troops out of the Great Wall, Liao I am afraid the country will also intervene in the war.
Wang Zeng gritted his teeth and said: "It's not that I'm afraid, it's inevitable. Once we have a big threat to Xixia, Liao will send troops. They just want to keep Xixia, keep disgusting us, and keep us in check.
In particular, our Great Song soldiers went out of the Western Regions and rushed to help Shazhou. With the enterprising spirit, the Liao State was even more reluctant to see us sitting in a big country. "
Li Di said unwillingly: "The treasury is now empty and can run mice. If we go to war with Xixia and Liao, we won't have enough money to support it.
Our Song Dynasty just abolished the Xiang army in the hinterland of the Central Plains. Now the military spirit is unstable, and when it is still stable, it is not suitable to start a war with Liao. "
Kou Ji questioned: "So... you want to give up helping Shazhou?"
Zhao Zhen, Wang Zeng, Li Di, and Lu Yijian sighed together.
It is clear.
They already have the mind to give up helping Shazhou.
Kou Ji said solemnly: "I naturally have no opinion if I want to give up and help Shazhou. It's just that I, Song Dynasty, finally got out of the Western Regions, so I have to make something for everyone to see.
If you back down because you encounter difficulties, don't even think about setting foot in the Western Regions in the future.
Xixia will annex many forces in the Western Regions by taking advantage of the momentum of annexing Ganzhou Uighurs and Shazhou Uighurs.
When Xixia sits in the Western Regions, it will definitely become a huge threat to my Song Dynasty.
Xixia is a wolf, a wolf that has been coveting me.
Anyone who sits in a big seat will definitely attack me.
Therefore, we can not guarantee the Shazhou Uighurs, but we must suppress the momentum of Xixia's rise. "
After hearing Kou Ji's words, the four Zhao Zhen fell into deep thought.
After a long time, Li Di said, "I agree with Kou Ji's words. Xixia's wolf ambition is obvious. If Xixia rises again, it will definitely become a huge threat to my Song Dynasty.
Although Qingtang is my genus of Song Dynasty, my ambition is not small.
If Xixia joins forces with Qingtang and Liao to attack the Song Dynasty after Xixia is in college, it will be difficult for the Song Dynasty to deal with it. "
Lu Yijian opened his mouth, but seemed to think of something and did not speak.
Through Lu Yijian's look and the topic he is talking about, Kou Ji roughly guessed what Lu Yi said briefly, but didn't say it.
Lu Yijian should want to say that the Liao Kingdom and Xixia have an antagonism and should not easily join forces.
But he should have thought about the joint attack on Song Dynasty after the Liao Kingdom and Xixia War, and he didn't say any more.
Between countries, there are only permanent interests and no permanent enemies.
The wealthy man of the Great Song Dynasty penetrated into the heart of the Si Yi.
No one would be unwilling to cut meat from Da Song.
Wang Zeng frowned and said, "Now the soldiers and horses led by Zhu Neng and Yang Wenguang have become lone soldiers. The court wants to help them, and wants to tear open the blockade of Huangtou Huihe and Xixia, so they can only send more soldiers and horses. past.
But now, the treasury is empty, and there is not enough money to support more military and horse expeditions. "
Zhao Zhen said solemnly: "When will all the autumn taxes be delivered to the treasury?"
Li Di sighed and said: "The autumn taxes in the places closest to the Bianjing city have been sent to the Bianjing city. But the money has been treated as salary and distributed to the Manchu civil and military, hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
This year, the government and the opposition have made multiple moves, and the salary cannot be in arrears, otherwise it will cause even more moves.
The autumn tax in the distance, even if it is transported into Bianjing, has to cover the expenses of various ministries and yamen.
The autumn tax farther away, I am afraid that it will not be shipped to Bianjing until the beginning of spring next year. "
When Kou Ji heard Li Di's words, he said decisively: "You can let the government at all levels in the distance convert the grain of the autumn tax into money and deposit it in the Yizijiaozipu semicolon in each place.
Then quickly send the large amount of Jiaozi issued by Yizi Jiaozipu to Bianjing City.
A lot of time can be saved in the middle. "
The four of Zhao Zhen were taken aback.
Lu Yijian nodded and said, "This move is feasible, and it can still be used."
Li Di resolutely said: "This is not the time to discuss whether to continue to use it. Since the problem of money can be solved quickly, the court can send people to contact the grain merchants as soon as possible to collect the food needed for the expedition."
Wang once questioned: "Who will lead the troops and where will they be dispatched?"
Lu Yijian frowned and said, "Soldiers and horses are good for dispatching, but it's hard to find a leader."
Li Di nodded and said: "The only people in the DPRK who are most familiar with the Western Regions are Cao Wei and Zhu Neng. Now that Zhu Neng is in the Western Regions, then Cao Wei will remain."
Lu Yijian sighed and said, "Cao Wei's contribution is already big enough, and he is the queen's uncle, almost to the point of being indefinite. If I use Cao Wei this time, I will use Who?"
The five people in Shishitang frowned.
Kou Ji knew Cao Wei.
But he is not good at recommending Cao Wei.
Cao Wei has reached the point where it can't be sealed.
Make a few more contributions, and then you will reach the point where the merits are overwhelming.
At that time.
He is left with two options.
Either rebellion or suicide.
It is impossible to live.
Even if Zhao Zhen can tolerate him.
The civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty could not tolerate him either.
Civil servants absolutely do not want to see the rise of a strong military minister.
I don't want to see the scenes of emphasizing literature and restraining martial arts that they have worked so hard to destroy.
Kou Ji hesitated and suggested: "Where is Li Zhaoliang?"
Lu Yijian shook his head decisively and said: "A eunuch, a secret probe, can still toss him to the ground. He can't deal with the chaotic situation in the Western Regions."
Li Di looked around the crowd and said solemnly: "Then Gao Chu Gong is left alone..."
Wang Zeng solemnly said: "After this incident, there is no need to be respectful anymore."
Li Di and Lu Yijian nodded together.
The three of them looked at Zhao Zhen at the same time.
Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Then I will send someone to ask respect."
Immediately.
Zhao Zhen sent an eunuch to ask Gao Chu Gong.
After the eunuch went out.
The five men again began to discuss which soldier to dispatch.
After discussing for a long time, it was finally decided to dispatch two imperial troops guarding the northwest border.
Two elite bans, soldiers sent to the Song Dynasty.
Count the Dragon Guards in Zhu Neng's hands.
Three full bans.
It can be said to be a big deal.
It's like a gamble.
Kou Ji followed to discuss and make decisions together, feeling very happy.
He felt that the real celestial empire should be like this.
Don't retreat, don't shrink.
With blood and fire, forged the name of the celestial kingdom.
To the end.
Kou Ji still had a little pride in his heart.
He felt that if it were not for his influence, the Emperor Song Dynasty would not have become so tough.
After the five people discussed it.
Chen Lin appeared in Shishitang quietly and handed Zhao Zhen a piece of paper.
Zhao Zhen took a closer look, then slapped the table and stood up.
Li Di, Kou Ji, Wang Zeng, and Lu Yijian were all surprised.
Li Di stunned: "What has angered the officials?"
Zhao Zhen made no secret of his anger, and handed the paper in his hand to Li Di, "See it for yourself!"
Li Di took the paper, took a closer look, his face was pale.
After Wang Zeng and Lu Yijian saw them one after another, their faces were very ugly.
The paper fell into Kou Ji's hands.
After Kou Ji saw it, he almost yelled at him.
however.
Before he could speak, Li Di took the lead to curse, "Is Xue Tian an idiot?!"
He cursed, seemingly uncomfortable, Li Di cursed again: "I worked so hard to piece together the food and grass that was raised for the army, and he actually generously distributed it to the people of Shazhou.
The fate of the people in Shazhou is fate. Isn't the fate of my Dasong soldiers? "
Kou Ji felt the same with Li Di.
He felt that Xue Tian had a pit in his head.
On the paper Zhao Zhen handed them to the four of them, the records were far more detailed than the emergency report sent back.
Kou Ji guessed that it should be Wu Desi's people in Xining Prefecture, who questioned the soldiers who had broken out from Shazhou and got the information.
The above description of the situation in the Western Regions is very detailed, and all the news that the five of them want to know are written.