sbdcsierra Chapter 256: If you are not called Qingping, you can’t be happy (25)
Chapter 256: If you are not called Qingping, you can’t be happy (25)
Yelu Zongzhen was unlucky during the war between Xia and Liao. He was about to win, but suddenly a strong wind blew.
Due to the serious desertification in the area, sand flies all over the sky when the wind blows.
The Khitans were very superstitious and believed in gods and ghosts. When a strong wind blew, the soldiers and generals were frightened and the formation was instantly disrupted. The Xia army took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, and the Liao army on the front line was defeated, resulting in a serious stampede.
Li Yuanhao took advantage of the yellow sand to attack the Liao army's base camp and won the victory.
Although Li Yuanhao won the Battle of Hequ, he was not happy for long. After repeated persuasion from ministers such as Zhang Yuan and Wu Hao, he sent people to ask for peace with Liao and was willing to return the captives.
The successive defeats on the southern and western fronts left Yelu Zongzhen unable to fight again, and he agreed to the request for peace talks with the Xia Kingdom.
Li Yuanhao also sent envoys to the Song Dynasty, saying that he wanted to negotiate again.
Now even the Liao Kingdom has been fought. Facing the Xia Kingdom, which has experienced another major war, the "war-hating" faction headed by Lu, Yan and others finally stopped thinking about showing the so-called great power style and focused on giving money to the invaders.
This time, Li Yuanhao did not shamelessly ask the Song court to return the land and money. He said he was willing to exchange 20,000 good horses for the territory conquered by the Song Dynasty, but he did not want the annual tribute.
He has learned his lesson, but not yet well.
The Song court put forward its own demands. In addition to the return of the land, the Xia Kingdom had to pay an annual tribute of 50,000 taels of silver, 5,000 good horses and 100,000 kilograms of pig iron to the Song court.
At that time, Xixia's iron smelting technology was the best among the Three Kingdoms. It was not difficult for them to produce 100,000 kilograms of pig iron and 5,000 fine horses every year.
Just like the Song court had to send hundreds of thousands of silver coins, silk and tea every year, the court could give them if it gritted its teeth, but the common people would suffer.
Li Yuanhao was not stupid. What the Song court wanted were all strategic materials. If he really gave them to the Song court, he would use these things to deal with him.
But we can’t not give it.
So he went to find Yelu Zongzhen again and asked him to put pressure on the Song court.
It would be best if Liao could destroy Song, but it seems impossible at the moment. As a second best option, it would be to ask Song to pay less annual tribute and return the territory of Xia.
Yelu Zongzhen really thought of himself as the boss. When he ordered the Song court to return the territory of Xia Kingdom, he also did not forget to ask the Song court to return Nanjing. On the grounds that the Song court sent troops to violate the alliance, he asked the Song court to increase the annual tribute of 200,000 taels of silver.
The face is too big to be stewed in one pot. In the past, we did not have the ability to fight on two fronts and had to pay for safety. Now that we have the ability to fight one battle, why should we pay?
What two hundred thousand taels? The previous annual tribute will not be paid anymore.
When Yelu Zongzhen learned of the Song court's attitude, he became very angry and threatened to gather troops to destroy the Song Dynasty's territory.
The Western Army was transferred back to the Northwest Front again, and Lu Changqing still adopted a conservative approach against the Liao side.
If I can’t attack, can’t I fight on the defensive?
Li Yuanhao, who was guarding Xiping Prefecture, was still eagerly waiting for Yelu Zongzhen to send troops, but the Song army had already arrived at the city.
Just when Li Yuanhao was extremely anxious, war news came from the north again. Yelu Zongzhen led 100,000 troops to march west again, directly attacking the Helan Mountains, and then threatening the capital of the Xia Kingdom, Xingqing Prefecture.
Great, everyone is playing tricks.
After Lu Changqing learned first-hand intelligence from Xiaoxue, she immediately ordered Zhang Kang and Pang Ji to fight with her on three fronts and continue pushing northward.
The reason why Yelu Zongzhen used military force against the Xia Kingdom was because the Xia Kingdom was no longer able to contain the Song Dynasty. At the rate at which the Song Dynasty was eroding the Xia Kingdom, the Xia Kingdom would soon be destroyed.
Rather than not getting any benefit at all later, it is better to take advantage of the chaos now to seize some land and people.
Li Yuanhao knew that he was powerless to change the situation, but committing suicide for his country was not his style, so he abandoned the city and fled north with his men.
The Song army took down Xiping Prefecture without much effort. The imperial court issued an order that no matter whether they were Tangut nobles or common people, as long as they were willing to surrender, they would be treated well; if they wanted to rebel, they would be suppressed by force, especially the Tangut nobles, who would be killed directly if they did not obey.
The victory in the northern war failed to comfort Yelu Zongzhen. The Song court's intelligence gathering work was too good. As soon as he entered the Xia Kingdom, the Song army from the three routes in Hedong began to attack the city.
Yelu Zongzhen sent an envoy again to deliver a letter, saying that he was willing to exchange the remaining territory of the Xia Kingdom with the Song court for the occupied Nanjing, Wuzhou, Guangling and other places.
Lu Changqing: ???
She really admired Li Yuanhao and Yelu Zongzhen. This was not the way to get something for nothing.
What does the territory of Western Xia have to do with your Liao Kingdom? You are talking as if it is your family's land. The remaining territory of the Xia Kingdom has to be conquered by the Song army inch by inch. It is obvious that they are unable to rob it, but they still act like "I reward you".
Lu Changqing asked the court to reply that as long as the Liao Kingdom was willing to return the Yunyou area, they would also be willing to cede the remaining territory of Western Xia to the Liao Kingdom.
When Yelu Zongzhen saw this, he realized that the Song court was serious this time.
While the Western Army was still fighting in the Xia territory, Yelu Zongzhen once again assembled an army of 300,000 and marched towards Juyongguan.
However, these 300,000 troops are much more well-trained than the previous regular troops. In the Battle of Hequ, Li Yuanhao almost shaved Yelu Zongzhen's head. The soldiers who died in that battle were the most elite troops of the Liao Kingdom.
The moment to demonstrate the importance of intelligence has come. Xiaoxue is arranged by Lu Changqing to monitor Yelu Zongzhen's movements at any time.
Familiar plot, familiar routine, ambushes, and delaying time on the main battlefield so that the other two troops can take the opportunity to go north to plunder supplies.
After learning that he had lost four generals in a row on the northern front, Yelu Zongzhen, who had been unable to attack for a long time, finally withdrew his troops. This time he had to face up to the problem of the Song Dynasty's military strength.
In fact, the soldiers are still the same soldiers, but what makes the Song army powerful are those strange weapons.
Yelu Zongzhen sent people to negotiate peace again, still as shameless as ever, saying that he was still willing to maintain a "brotherly relationship" and that as long as the Song court was willing to return the land lost by the Liao Kingdom this time, they were willing to reduce the annual tribute of silver to 100,000.
Cao Danshu directly asked the envoy to go back and tell Yelu Zongzhen that the Yunyou area has been the territory of the Lord of the Central Plains since ancient times. The land will not be returned and there will be no annual tribute. If the Liao Kingdom is willing to return all the land ceded by Shi Jingtang, the Song court is willing to recognize the Liao Kingdom as a brother.
The negotiations could not go on at all. Yelu Zongzhen did not expect that the conflict with the Song court would turn out like this. If he had known in advance that helping Li Yuanhao would not only make him lose his ATM machine but also his soldiers and territory, he would not have done it no matter what.
Now that the relationship has fallen out, Yelu Zongzhen knows that after the Song court has dealt with Li Yuanhao, they will turn around and deal with him.
Yelu Zongzhen cursed Li Yuanhao as a waste. If he had not taken the initiative to cause trouble, given the cowardly state of the Song court, he could have lived for at least another hundred years.
Lu Changqing stayed in Nanjing for more than a year. During this period, the Liao army invaded several times, but she repelled them all.
The Song Dynasty did not have the ability to destroy the Liao Dynasty in one fell swoop. The Liao Dynasty's military strength had been almost weakened by Yelu Zongzhen, and the Song Dynasty started to resort to economic sanctions, preparing for a protracted war with the Liao Dynasty.
It was also at this time that several uprisings broke out in Hebei East and Hebei West because of the spring drought, and Lu Changqing ordered the exemption of taxes in the two places that year.
Because of Lu Changqing's behavior of executing first and reporting later, she was impeached when she returned to Beijing to report.
In addition to her, there was also Zhang Kang who was convicted of excessive use of official expenses and corruption and bribery.
Zhang Kang was a man with a quick mind in war, and he was also good at spending money to bribe his superiors and subordinates.
Did Zhang Kang embezzle money? He certainly did.
He was on good terms with all the major gentry in the city. The gentry gave him money and he did things for them, but he used all the money to reward soldiers and build defense projects in the city.
Zhang Kang was initially promoted by Fan Zhongyan. After learning that his student was sent to prison, he immediately wrote a letter to plead for Zhang Kang.
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Although the process is not desirable, the result is good.
Cao Danshu was undecided for a moment, because at this time, not only Zhang Kang, but also Zhong Shiheng, Teng Zongliang and others were exposed.
Zhong Shiheng was different from Zhang Kang and Teng Zongliang. He made money for business. He lent his own money to merchants in the city, letting them do business while he made a profit from it. Like Zhang Kang, he used all the money for war.
Cao Danshu asked Lu Changqing whether he would handle the matter impartially, and Lu Changqing replied that of course he had to.
Cao Danshu said worriedly: "But they are doing this for the sake of the war. If the punishment is too severe, it might hurt their hearts."
"My queen, politics has nothing to do with morality. What we want is a stable order. There is no order without rules. No matter what the result is, if you make a mistake, you must be punished. That way, others won't find fault with you."
"But if it is really as the censors said, the punishment would be too harsh and inhumane."
Lu Changqing said: "This is very simple. Take Zhang Kang as an example. He was the Pacifier of Hedong before he was imprisoned. Then he was demoted to Youzhou as the governor. He was in charge of a road before, but now he is in charge of a state. The same goes for Teng Zongliang.
The rank of the official position does not matter, what matters is the assignment. Capable people should be placed in positions that suit them.
As for Zhong Shiheng, until Xia Kingdom is conquered, all the civil officials and military generals in the northwest should not move for the time being."
The war in the northwest was also quite intense. Not only did they have to fight against the remnants of Li Yuanhao, but they also had to fight against the Liao army on the border.
"What about you? The officials of the Censorate not only accused you of executing the emperor first and reporting to the emperor later, but also accused you of harboring traitors and letting them serve in the army."
Lu Changqing chuckled, "It's been more than a year since this happened, and you're only now thinking of reporting me? Are you going to settle the score later?"
Lu Changqing restrained his expression and said seriously, "They are originally the people of our Song Dynasty. How can they be called traitors? Moreover, they rebelled because they were forced to live by the local county magistrate. The court should hold the dead county magistrate accountable instead of these people who can't even get enough food to eat."
Cao Danshu held Lu Changqing's hand and said with relief: "Fuying, you still have more ideas."
Lu Changqing held Cao Danshu's hand and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, although the court does not care about good or evil, but only about order or chaos, sometimes we have to show our kindness, so that we will have loyal ministers who are loyal to us."
"what do you mean?"
"Prime Minister Lu and Prime Minister Yan are too old. It has been two years since the late emperor passed away. It is time to replace some people in the court."
Lu Yijian thought that this time he could destroy Lu Changqing's arrogance and let her know what "old ginger is wise" means. As a result, Lu Changqing was rewarded with the merit of retaking Nanjing and defeating Yelu Zongzhen at Juyongguan. Later, she defeated the Liao army many times. She was awarded the title of Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council for her outstanding merits.
When this decree was issued, everyone in the court was shocked.
You said there is a precedent of women leading troops. Okay, I'll let you do it.
But there is no precedent for a woman to serve in the Privy Council, right? OK, I will impeach you.
It's really helpless in this kind of society. Just look at all the things Lu Changqing has done. If she were a man, these officials in the court would definitely praise her to the sky.
What a brave and warlike man with courage and strategy, what heroes have always emerged from youth, what a hero among men.
Maybe if she hid behind the scenes, behaved herself, and obediently accepted the title of "Lady of Country X" bestowed by the court, these men would still be able to look down on her and praise her, saying "Women are as good as men."
However, she insisted on standing in the court with these men openly, which was a provocation to the so-called "laws of ancestors", so they were furious.
Cao Danshu recounted one by one everything Lu Changqing had done for the court over the years, especially how she used a trick to repel Li Yuanhao in Jinming Village and how she took back Nanjing from the Liao Kingdom.
"When she insisted on sending troops to Xia and Liao, what were you doing? You were seeking peace! Now that we have reached the heartland of Xia and are able to resist the Liao army's southward advance, what are you doing? Fighting among yourselves!
She has only been in the palace for five short years. Ask yourself, in these five years, who among you has had her ability?"
Cao Danshu glanced at the people in the court, young and old, and said, "Who has it? Stand up and let me see!"
Lu Yijian stood up and said in a deep voice: "Bai Yaban has indeed done a lot for the court in the past few years, and I do not deny his achievements, but--"
Cao Danshu interrupted Lu Yijian before he finished speaking, "Mr. Lu, let me ask you, if Bai Yaban was a man, would she be worthy of the position of Privy Councilor based on her current achievements?"
Lu Yijian guessed what Cao Danshu was going to say and said in surprise, "No! There has never been such a precedent in our dynasty."
"It didn't exist before, but it exists now! I will issue the appointment decree soon. If anyone wants to threaten me with the official uniform again, just take it off and leave. I will never stop you."
After these words were spoken, everyone knelt on the floor in the hall.
As soon as the imperial edict appointing Lu Changqing as the deputy envoy of the Privy Council was issued, Lu Yijian and his men could be seen kneeling outside the Chuigong Palace for several days in a row, asking Cao Danshu to revoke her decision.
Cao Danshu was annoyed by Lu Yijian, and said bluntly in front of many court officials: "Prime Minister Lu, I respect you as a veteran minister who has assisted the emperor for three dynasties and has made great contributions. I will not argue with you too much, and even only grant you the position of Deputy Envoy of Fuying. Don't be too pushy!"
Lu Yijian, who had been praised all the time, was hurt by Cao Danshu's last words. He opened and closed his mouth for a long time. He was probably furious. He raised his head and cried, "Evil ministers are in power, and evil people are ruining the country," and then fainted.
Lu Changqing thought that Lu Yijian probably wanted to say "the queen died young and brought disaster to the country", but he was afraid that Cao Danshu would come after him and his family, so he put all the blame on her.
According to historical records, Lu Yijian lived to about this age. Perhaps he was too excited this time and suffered a stroke and hemiplegia.
Prime Minister and Privy Councilor Lu Yijian retired honorably, Xia Song was called back to take over the position of Tongpingzhangshi, Fan Zhongyan took over Xia Song's previous job, and Zhong Shiheng, Teng Zongliang and others in the northwest continued to stay in office.
As for Zhang Kang, Lu Changqing still sent him to Youzhou. After all, he was much more familiar with the war situation in the north than the officials in the northwest.
After Zhang Kang was released from prison, he went to the palace to meet Lu Changqing, who was now the Privy Councilor, and thanked her for always speaking up for him.
"Zhang Zhizhou, you don't have to be grateful to me. It was the Queen Mother who saw your ability. You must serve the court well in the future."
Zhang Kang was a smart man. He understood the hidden meaning of Lu Changqing's words and bowed. "I understand. I will do my best to serve the country in the future!"
Lu Changqing liked to talk to smart people who understood his intentions, so he kindly reminded them: "Be careful in the future. If a merchant wants to cooperate with the government and is undecided, he can report it directly to the court. As long as the court approves and the money is used for real purposes, no one can touch you anymore."